《The Gamer&#x27;s System》


 Chapter 1: The God of Gaming

    Chapter 1: The God of Gaming

    There is and that exists apart from our world. A ce that is created by various gods and goddesses who crafted it as they wished. At first, there where the three, stronger than any other in the group.

    Nisha is the goddess of darkness, the one which existed before anything else. That vast emptiness of the void is hers tomand, without anything else to be seen. Then, came the birth of another goddess.

    Sinir is the goddess of light. With hering is the division of light from darkness. The lights of the heavens were made and, soon after, the two goddesses battled for domination of night and day, creating another god.

    Chrono is born from the shifting of night and day. With the passing of time, thigs have began being formed and hence, came the various worlds. One of them is earth, a normal world where science have advanced along with the growth of man who came to be the top predators in the food chain.

    Then there are worlds made of magic. Here, various creatures have been formed, those of which have only existed in the imagination of men. There are creatures who look human, yet they have wings sprouting from their backs. There are monsters that seem to be a hybrid of various species of animals. There are nts that could eat people alive while, there are ces that are filled with various mysteries.

    The gods and goddesses enjoyed crafting worlds such as this, with earth being one of their first creations. However, this does not mean that they viewed earth and the human race less favorably. In fact, they have always seen the human race as full of potential. Picking up heroes from this world tobat the various evils of the other worlds.

    [Game Start]

    Zeke Elwood sat at his gaming chair, finishing the introduction of thetest video game that he was given a copy of to test.

    "Mythos: Tales of Creation and Destruction" He read the title of the game again before finally deciding to press the enter key.

    Why is he given a game that only he can y as of the moment? Well that is because he is the most gifted professional gamer there is. On earth, there is no other person who can clear a game as fast and, as good as Zeke does.

    He has beaten records including, not being hit by a single blow in sword reliant games. He cleared a shooting game using only a pistol. He destroyed a "pay to win" game proving that, even without spending a single dime you could be the top ranker games such as this.

    He also dominated shooting games like PUB_ using only a frying pan. Yup, just the frying pan. He destroyed challenger yers in League of Legen_s using unorthodox methods. All around the world, he is recognized as the best in any and all forms of gaming.

    This, however, did note without a price. He actually quit school when he was still in junior highs. He got bored of how the life in school seems to be on repeat, without anything eventful ever happening.

    This is when he began ying games  entering different worlds each and every day. There was never a day that he got bored because, every game he yed housed a different challenge and, whatever those challenges are, he made sure to not only ovee them but to dominatepletely.

    Of course, he needed to make a living out of this. That''s why he started streaming his games online. He even made pro guides and pro tip videos that got mized over time. He even has his own website that features all the walkthrough to every game. Through this, he was able to pay back his parents for all that they spent supporting their son.

    "I''m a productive shut-in." He would always say as their house grew asrge as a mansion, with his parents beingpletely satisfied.

    As his fame rose, so did all thepanies that wanted him to y their games. They wanted to be the first one to make the god of gaming surrender but, he would always prove them wrong. He''d dominate their games and give the developers ideas on where improvements should be made.

    Hence, wee back to the scene at hand. With the god of gaming siting on a chair, controller on hand, as he yed another game.

    [The yer needs to die before proceeding.]

    The message on the screen said, making Zeke wonder what gave the developers the idea to put this message at the beginning of the game.

    "I''ve seen a lot of games like this but, somehow this feels different." He said as he continued to the option.

    [Do you wish to die?]

    "Not really, but if the game requires it then why not." He replied, clicking on the [ok] button.

    [Understood. The ritual circle will now begin being formed.] On the screen, a symbol is beginning to take shape until, a huge circle which seem to be used for summoning appeared.

    "Ohh so we get to start with something simr to isekai." Zeke said, getting a bit interested in the development of the game thus far.

    [Zeke Elwood will now be killed.]

    A blinding sh of light consumed Zeke, making him forcibly close his eyes. The light is so strong that even as his eyes are shut, he could see the reddish veins of his eyelids. Something worried him as all of this happened. He did not even mention his name and yet, the game already registered it, as if he is the only one who will ever y this game.

    "Crazy game developers." He said, thinking of how much effort was made in blinding his eyes.

    The light soon dwindled until, there is only darkness. His chair is gone and so is his controller. In front of him is a game like screen disying an option for him to take.

    [Wee to the trial stage of Mythos.]

    [Pick a starting weapon.]

    "Woah, they made it possible for me to transfer into a VR like environment? Not too shabby." Hemented, thinking how all that is happening is still a game.

    [Sword and Shield]

    [Bow and Arrows]

    [Staff]

    On disy are various weapons, every kind that a game has offered. There is even a gun, a bazooka, a machine gun, and various others. There is also an option of customizing the weapon to be used.

    "Let''s take a look of my status points first." He said, looking at the other option bars that the game window has on disy.

    He clicked his avatar and, all the details about his character came out.

    [Name: Zeke Elwood]

    [Species: Human]

    {Specification: None]

    [Level: 1/100]

    The level disyed both his current level and the maximum level which can be reached within the game.

    [Health: 500]

    [Mana: 400]

    [Strength: 10]

    [Speed: 9]

    [Intelligence: 15]

    [Endurance: 8]

    [Luck: 10]

    Under his attribute points is another game window, indicating that he can allot 10 more points into the various attributes he currently has.

    "What about the skills?" He continued, looking at the skill choices which he needs to buy using the 2 skill points that is disyed on his screen.

    He ced everything into consideration after browsing the skills avable. There are skills that costs only a single point while there are others that costs 2 or more skill points. Meanwhile, the specifications on the weapon includes every known material that exists on earth.

    "Let''s do something fun then." He said, smiling as he began having fun with the game.

    The first is a shield made of graphene, a material that is known to be 10x sturdier than steel. He chose this material because, graphene is also lightweight, making maneuverability easier. However, he did not choose a sword as his assault weapon. Instead, he chose two shields, upying his left hand and his right hand weapon.

    Then, he ced 8 points on endurance while he ced the 2 remaining points on speed. Then, he bought the [Poison Cloud] skill which only costs a single skill point, using the other skill point to buy [Lesser Poison Resistance.]

    With all the preparations beingpleted, Zeke felt a surge of excitement overflow inside his body. After all, it''s not everyday that a game offers him such a diverse array of choices.

    [Character customization has beenpleted.]

    [Proceed to the first level of the trial stage?] Zeke clicked the [yes] button, which began changing the area around him. The darkness dissolved slowly, showing a clear blue sky and three sun looking things that float up above it. There are trees that Zeke does not know of and, in front of him is a pack of goblins, eating the dead body of a hare looking animal.

    As the goblins saw him, they immediately changed targets, beginning their assault of Zeke just as soon as he got transported.

    "I hope you keep this hype going." He said out loud, getting excited of how the game felt so real.

 Chapter 2: Goblin Hunting

    Chapter 2: Goblin Hunting

    Zeke ced his shield in front, deflecting the attacks as he backed away from the goblins.

    "Usually, a game is supposed to start with a bit of dialogue you know, teaching the yer the controls and all those stuffs." He thought to himself, already having one thing to advise the developers of the game.

    "Poison Cloud." He said, not knowing how the skill could be activated otherwise. There are no instructions on how to use the skill, all that is indicated is the effect of poison cloud.

    [Skill Name: Poison Cloud]

    [Rank: F]

    [Skill Type: Active]

    [Mana Consumed: 70]

    [Information: Creates a cloud of poison on the intended location for the caster. The skill is effective on all kinds of opponents. Damage varies depending on the monster''s rank. Enemies who leave the area of the Poison Cloud''s effect will have it wear off after a minute.]

    This is the reason why Zeke chose shields as his weapon. With it, he can both defend himself from attacks and, stop his enemies from leaving the Poison Cloud''s area of effect. Buying the second skill which is [Lesser Poison Resistance] gives him enough durability tost even if he goes inside the Poison Cloud.

    [Skill Name: Lesser Poison Resistance]

    [Rank: F]

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: Enables the wearer to tolerate a certain amount of poison. Rank goes up with the usage of the skill.]

    Topping it all off is the 8 points he allotted to his endurance, making his body more resilient to every form of damage and, giving him a better regeneration rate. However, the passive regeneration he gains from his attribute does not heal his injuries.

    This is why he ced the remaining 2 points on his speed attribute. If he moves quickly enough, he''d be able to dodge blows that his shield cannot cover him from. But he also thought that wounds won''t matter since it''s only a game.

    On the battle, the goblins started squirming as the poison took effect. The monsters attacked Zeke using their wooden clubs but, their weapons didn''t even dent his shield. He stood in ce, taking the hits to his shield untilthe blows weakened.

    He saw some of them trying to crawl out of the Poison Gas'' area of effect so he dived in, bashing their heads with his shield. As he did this, the poison took effect and hurt his lungs. He immediately went out, ensuring that all 10 goblins are now dead.

    [You have been poisoned.]

    {Your passive skill - Lesser Poison Resistance will reduce all poison damage.]

    "What the hell?" Zeke said, wheezing in pain. There is a burning feeling creeping within his body. Suddenly, he can''t breathe properly and his movements are all a bit more difficult to perform.

    [The effect of the poison has worn off.]

    [Poison cloud has ranked up.]

    [Lesser Poison Resistance has ranked up.]

    [You leveled up! You are now level 3.]

    [3 skill points are given as reward.]

    [3 attribute points are given as reward.]

    "No, this isn''t normal." Zeke told himself, remembering the excruciating amount of pain he just went through. He then tried hitting a tree with his bare hands and, sure enough, he felt pain. Real human pain, rushing from his fist.

    "Ack!" He said, punching the tree harder than he intended.

    "What the hell is going on here?" He thought, realizing that this is not a game anymore. This is reality, whatever this is or wherever this might be.

    [Congrattions! You have cleared the first trial.] The system disyed in front of him.

    He immediately went into the options and settings of the game. All the basic elements of the game are there except for one crucial button.

    There''s no log out, quit, exit, or close button on the game. The only thing disyed are ten stages of trials, the first of which have beenpleted with a rank of SSS. The second stage is unlocked, disying what needs to be done but, other than that, every other trial has the symbol [???] appearing on them.

    "None of this makes sense." Zeke said to himself. There are no scientific discoveries on earth that could exin what he is experiencing and then, he remembered the introduction of the game Mythos.

    "There are worlds unlike our own. There are worlds where humans get summoned." He remembered the lines from the game.

    It didn''t take him long to process the current situation. After all, he has already quit being a normal person, living inplete istion from everyone else except his parents. He is used to feeling the virtual world being his reality and, with all the realization that came with him is a smile on his face.

    "A world of monsters and magic huh." He thought, smiling as he stood from the ground.

    "Okay then. Whoever it is that summoned me, I hope you''re a better game developer." He said out loud, thinking that those who summoned him could probably hear him at the moment.

    He clicked on the mission list, reading the next one which needs to be aplished.

    [Second Trial: Destroy the Northern Goblin Encampment]

    [Information: There are goblins that have formed a settlement at the northern parts of this forest. Find it and kill the goblins residing there.]

    "No problem." He said, looking at the minimap disyed and following the [N] symbol''s direction. Along the way, he got hungry so he ate some fruits which he saw normal looking animals eating. There is no analysis thates with his game system so he needs to guess properly. Every tree and nt he has encountered in the forest all look different so, he can''t just pick out fruits because they look safe.

    As for the new skills. He decided to chooseter, knowing that the skills should bepatible with the monsters or the trials which he will face. However, he allotted the 3 skill points he gained to his endurance. Making him even sturdier and, making his regeneration even faster.

    At around noon, he reached the encampment or rather, what it looks like on the outside. There are two goblins guarding the entrance to a cave. With that in mind, Zeke knew that his enemies would all be inside and so, he decided on the next skill he would get.

    After gaining his new skill, Zeke went inside the forest again and created ayer of poison cloud. This made the wild animals back away, some of them appearing on where the goblins are. The two guards immediately went after the animals, killing them off and eating them.

    What they do no know however is that, the animals are actually poisoned. With the meat of the animals inside their bodies, they began squirming in pain as the poison took effect. Soon after, Zeke went out of hiding and bashed their heads. This stunned both goblins which he then bashed continually until they didn''t move anymore.

    He knew that, if he ran out and faced the goblins directly, there is a chance that one of the two would go inside the cave and get reinforcements. Without any idea how strong the enemies inside are, he can''t allow this to happen. That''s why he created multiple decoys which worked perfectly.

    He ced the bodies of the dead goblins in front of the cave''s entrance. Seeing as how no other goblin came to their aide, the cave must go a long way inside before reaching the area where the other goblins are.

    Zeke''s mana has been reduced because he used the poison cloud once. At full mana, Zeke has 485 all in all. He calcted that, both stats increase by 10% every time they go up. If there are decimals included then, they are simply removed.

    "Poison cloud." He said, casting the skill directly inside the cave. With the condensed space it has, the poison would have nowhere to go except either inside or outside. This is where his other skill came into y.

    "Breeze." Zeke casted a breath of wind which pushed the poison cloud further inside the cave. The skill costs only a single skill point and, is a useful skill for manipting the poison cloud.

    He then used the poison cloud two more times and added the skill breeze once more. This made sure that, the goblins will only get a whiff of the poison and, if they try to run away after feeling its effects then they will only be met by a stronger poison.

    Zeke waited on the entrance with both shields covering him. He made enough gap for his eyes to peek between the shields. Surely enough, the screams began to echo from the depths of the cave. Some goblins even made it through near the entrance of the cave. However, that''s all they ever reached. No goblin was able to make their way to Zeke. He simply stood in ce, waiting for the screams to die off.

    [Poison cloud has ranked up.]

    [You leveled up! You are now level 8.]

    [5 skill points are given as reward.]

    [5 attribute points are given as reward.]

    [Congrattions! You have cleared the second trial.]

    [Third Trial: Eliminate the Goblin Commander.]

 Chapter 3: Ending the Quest

    Chapter 3: Ending the Quest

    [yer Zeke Elwood''s Current Attributes:]

    [Health: 1,063]

    [Mana: 858]

    [Strength: 19]

    [Speed: 19]

    [Intelligence: 29]

    [Endurance: 26]

    [Luck: 17]

    [Beginning Transmission]

    "Why does the quests have to always involve goblins?" Zeke asked as he made his way to the location of his next opponent.

    The day is about to end and, he thought it would be best to finish another quest before he goes to sleep. He''d probably need the extra experience points after all. As he found his next opponent, he used his newly bought skill that allows him to see the basic information of his enemies.

    Unlike the first two fights, this enemy is heavily guarded by smaller goblins. Plus, they also aren''t inside any enclosed space so, the poison would be easy to avoid. That''s why he expanded the area of the poison even more. He began by buying a skill named [Spell Detonation].

    [Skill Name: Spell Detonation]

    [Rank: F]

    [Skill Type: Active]

    [Mana Consumed: 10]

    [Information: Allows the caster to dy the activation of another spell. This will happen on the area marked by the detonation.]

    Through this, Zeke can enclose my enemy inside an area filled by poison clouds.

    "Even if this Goblin Commander is a strong monster, it won''tst if I just fill arge area with my Poison Cloud." Zeke thought to himself. Plus, he is confident because there''s another skill backing up this first one.

    [Skill Name: Poison Brewer]

    [Rank: F]

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: The owner of this skill amplifies all poisonous attacks by 5%. The percentage goes up with the rank of the skill.]

    After finishing his preparations, he began activating the skills, making sure that the goblins are already fast asleep when he did.

    "Poison Cloud." Zeke began by cing threeyers of poison cloud within the area where themander is. After this, he ran out of range and activated the next phase of his n.

    "Detonate." He said, which made the poison clouds around to start getting thicker and thicker.

    Because of his minimap, he can see every enemy that is within range. There is a greenyer enclosing multiple red dots  around fifty to be exact. You''d expect nothing less from a Goblin General. Then, there are tworge red dots with one of theseing towards his direction.

    He smiled as he looked at the dots dying out one by one. As this happened, one of the big red dots, the one which isn''t moving much, also disappeared. This is followed by the other big red dot which slowed down little by little until, it also went out of the radar.

    After all the red dots finally disappeared, Zeke dove into his skill, raising [Lesser Poison Resistance''s] rank in the process. He thought how he might need to fight within the poison cloud in the next trials and so, he needs to make sure that he''ll survive in the process.

    [Poison Cloud has ranked up from E- to E.]

    [Poison Cloud has ranked up from E to E+.]

    [Poison Cloud has ranked up from E+ to D->

    [Lesser Poison Resistance has ranked up from F+ to E-.]

    [Lesser Poison Resistance has ranked up from E- to E.]

    [Lesser Poison Resistance has ranked up from E to E+.]

    Zeke began having difficulty in breathing again. This time however, he felt a little bit better. The burning sensation is still there but, instead of magma flowing inside his body, it felt more like acid, the really strong kind. This is due to [Lesser Poison Resistance] and his [Endurance] attribute kicking in.

    [You leveled up! You are now level 20.]

    [12 skill points are given as reward.]

    [12 attribute points are given as reward.]

    Zeke finally went out of the Poison Cloud, seeing how his health has now fallen below half. Then, as he tried refocusing on his surroundings, the other game notices appeared.

    [Congrattions! You have cleared the Third Trial.]

    [Fourth Trial: Eliminate the Goblin Shaman.]

    [Congrattions! You have cleared the Fourth Trial.]

    [Fifth Trial: Eliminate the Ravage Wolves.]

    "Wait what?" Zeke went and viewed the details on the quests. It turns out that, within the area that he surrounded with [Poison Cloud] is also the area where the fourth objective is.

    "That exins why there are tworge dots." He thought to himself.

    With all of this happening, he felt the tiring first day of the trial finally take its toll. He bought another skill which detects nearby enemies before he went to sleep. Then, just like this, the strongest gamer on earth cleared four trials in a single day.

    "Okay, what should I start with." He said to himself, looking as to where he should spend all the attribute points and the skill points that he collected.

    The eventsst night have given him an idea. If it works then, he may just be able to clear the remaining trials in a single day.

    "Well, that is if all the trials are connected to monsters that are inside the forest." He thought to himself.

    Zeke began by eating more fruits. This time, he knows what is edible due to the analysis skill he bought. Plus, he bought a skill that enabled him to fly. This made maneuverability around the forest even easier for him.

    This is also the first time that he got a view of what the world outside the forest looked like and, honestly, there wasn''t much to see as the whole forest is actually in the middle of the sea meaningZeke wasn''t sent to a forest, he was sent to an isted ind.

    The only reason he didn''t see the ocean is because, the area he was dropped to is actually in the middle of the ind. The area itself is covered by a thick group of trees. Meaning, you won''t be able to know that you''re in an ind unless you get out.

    Zeke didn''t stay in the air for long. He dropped back into where he flew from as, the mana consumption of [Fly] is actually a lot.

    "I''ll need to start at the edges. Then make anotheryer inside the forest." He thought to himself, as he ced the [Detonate] versions of his [Poison Cloud] near the edges of the ind.

    He continued this for the whole day, raising the rank of both [Detonate] and [Poison Cloud] in the process. On the third day, he did the same, covering the middle part of the forest with his skills until, he finally finished on the night of the third day.

    "Let''s see how this works out shall we." He said detonating the whole set of poison skills as he floated up in the air. Together with this skill is another passive that he bought.

    [Skill Name: Darkness Veil]

    [Rank: F]

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: Strengthens the caster''s skills and physical abilities as nightes. The rank goes up with every activity that the caster undertakes during the night.]

    Currently, [Poison Cloud] is already on rank C with Zeke having a hard time strengthening the skill further. After all, the number of usages of a skill before it ranks up also gets bigger along the way. Hence, he is stuck with a rank C poison but, with [Darkness Veil] in effect, and with [Poison Brewer] also working its way, he is sure that every monster inside the forest would die before the night ends.

    "This doesn''t even pose as a real challenge." He told himself, bored of the fact that the game got easier as he went along.

    Soon enough, his whole minimap is covered by a green color with red dots both small and big appearing on it. There are even dots bigger than the ones he has seen thus far.

    "Those must be the real bosses." He told himself, watching these dots continually move while he hovers safely from the sky.

    Soon after, the small dots died one by one. This happened faster than it did on the first day and, he knew that this is because of all the skills he had which ranked up along the way. This is followed by the bigger dots dying out.

    If you think about it, from the perspective of the monsters, there is some weirdo who suddenly thought ofmitting genocide on the ind. Its not just the monsters that are dying after all, even the animals and the trees are all dying from the poison.

    Just as Zeke thought of how easy things are going, a rock came flying at his direction, forcing him to dodge as more of them came.

    "Ohh so something survived that?" He said as he saw one of the boss-looking dots resist dying from the poison. Where is that thing? He said, moving down to the forest as he followed the direction of where the rocks were thrown from.

    "Damn that''s huge." Zeke said, seeing a monster wearing an armor appear. It''s much bigger than the Goblin General and it looked nothing like your regr goblin. It looked more like an orc and, a really strong one at that.

    [Name: Mu''ll Thas''rak]

    [Species: Orc]

    [Specification: Orc Lord]

    [Rank: D]

    [Health: 20,000]

    [Mana: 10,000]

    Zeke saw the monstrous amount of hp almost beingpletely depleted but then, it stopped, making him think that there must be a bug in the system.

    "Why isn''t it dying?" He said to himself. Then, as if the monster noticed him, it rushed at his direction, picking up its sword which is its real weapon.

    "F*ck." Zeke remarked as he dodged out of the monster''s range.

    "I take back what I said, the game developers actually did a better job than I expected." Zeke thought to himself, smiling as he used another spell.

    As he flew around, the Orc Lord continued trying to hit him. However, Zeke managed to dodge every blow and, as he finished cing enough spells, he made another one, a small fireball as he floated higher into the air.

    "This might be too much but, meh." He said, shooting the fireball into the Orc Lord.

    The me grew in an instant, being fueled by the earlier spells that Zeke released which are actually three activations of [Combustion Air].

    He saw the me consume the Orc Lord who kept on screaming. However, he worried about the fact that it is still standing. But this didn''tst long. Soon enough the Orc got consumed by the mes, creating a forest fire as the winds blew the mes into every direction.

    After every red dot finally got removed from the map, multiple notifications appeared in front of Zeke. The final set being:

    [You have sessfullypleted all the trials with earning a rank of SSS.]

    [You will now be transported to the Council Room of the Three Main Deities.]

 Chapter 4: Forced to Reincarnate

    Chapter 4: Forced to Reincarnate

    "Wee, my child." A woman wearing a long silk dress, covered in a seemingly golden veil appears before Zeke. She has long cream looking hair reaching up to her waist. She has a fair whiteplexion. Her eyes are of golden color, matching the color of her veil and her lips.

    "Ermwhere am I exactly?" Zeke answered, trying to get a grip on what is going on.

    "You are in the council room of the most powerful beings in the universe." Said a boy who seemed to have clocks ticking inside his eyes. His hair is lime green while his choice of clothing is simply a moss green hoodie that covers most of his body.

    "Yeah, that''s a really nice introduction you got going there." Zeke answered, realizing that these are probably the three beings mentioned at the beginning of the game.

    The third person in the room is a woman with long ck hair that reaches up to her hips. Her eyes are obsidian ck, with a certain depth to its darkness. However,pletely contrasting these colors is herplexion which is even fairer than the first woman who spoke. She wore a long and elegant ck dress, with enough skin shown to lure a normal healthy adult.

    However, Zeke isn''t normal in the slightest bit so he just shrugged her looks away, preferring the women inside games over real ones.

    Zeke quickly stood up, looking around him and seeing how, the room looks more like the universe.

    "Are you sure we aren''t in space?" He remarked jokingly, knowing that he''d already be dead if that was the case.

    "Well that''s more or less like it." The boy with green hair said, beginning the introductions

    "You are in the realm if the gods." He continued.

    "Okay." Zeke replied. The woman wearing white seem to be taken aback as her eyes furrowed together.

    "That''s it? You''re not going to be shocked in disbelief or make us prove what we just said? Surely none of thises as something natural to you right?" She said.

    "Ermm yeah. Listendy, I''m a gamer by profession. You think something as distasteful as this clich situation is enough to shock me?"

    "Excuse me?! Clich? May I remind you that it is by our mercy that you are brought here!" She continued, making the room shake with her words.

    "Calm down ire." The other woman with ck hair said, making the tremors disappear.

    "Righ. Right. Let me guess, you brought me inside the game I just yed and you three are" Zeke started pointing at them one by one starting with the goddess who was furious a while ago.

    "Sinir."

    "Nisha." Zeke pointed at the ck-haired woman.

    "Chrono." He pointed to the boy with clock-like eyes. The boy pped as Zeke made this remark as if he''s enjoying the scene.

    "And I''m brought here because, also mentioned on the introduction of the game is the fact that, you guys bring "heroes" from earth to other worlds." Zeke continued, making the deities seem impressed.

    "Basically, you screwed up on a world you made. Probably created a Demon Lord by ident, and now you want me to go there and do the dirty work for you." Zeke finished.

    "I gotta hand it to him. His brains make up for his manners." Nisha replied, confirming everything Zeke just said.

    "Do I have a choice on this?" He asked, wanting to just go back to ying games instead of risking his life on a mission which would probably kill him along the way.

    "Hahahaha, you don''t. We get to decide everything and you just listen to what we say." Chrono said in a childlike manner.

    "Guyse on, we need to wrap this up, there are still worlds that needs to be created and the minor gods may get pissed if we take too long." The goddess Nisha remarked, making the two other deities behave properly.

    "Fine." Sinir said.

    "There are things that needs to be done on a lot of worlds we created. Basically there are a lot of things that are messed up and, going down there to personally deal with them might destroy the bnce." She continued.

    "And that''s where Ie in?" Zeke answered.

    "Yup mister. You''re going to be our janitor and clean everything up for us!" Chrono said in a yful tone.

    "But we''re not sending you there unequipped. That''s why the trial was made before you got transported here. Depending on the results, we can forcibly ce blessings on you or you can be the one who''d choose the blessings for yourself." Sinir intervened.

    "As for the results, you not only cleared it at an unprecedented speed, you also aplished everything with an SSS grade. Adding to the fact that you took no damage from the monsters whatsoever." Nisha continued.

    "Gee thanks." Zeke said, used to getting praised in games already.

    "So? What will it be?" Nisha asked, referring to which blessing Zeke would ask for.

    "Can I have a system instead?" He replied.

    "Now you really got my interest." Chrono replied.

    "Are you sure about this? We cannot give you anything else other than the single blessing which you ask for." Sinir said.

    "Yes, and I want this to be a Gamer''s Systemplete with all the features that can be found in games. A minimap, a free analysis, data collection book, inventory storage, crafting, looting, and all those other things."

    "Look at you, getting all greedy on us mister." Chrono replied, having an ominous smile on his face.

    "Plus, I want a contract which would not allow you to take this system from me, nor weaken it by any means." Zeke added, ensuring that the gods wont toy with him.

    "Okay, let us discuss about it for a minute." Nisha said, moving closer with the two other deities as they talked. Chronoughed from time to time which made Zeke feel even more uneasy.

    Then, after a minute or so, they finally came to a conclusion. The deities approached Zeke and gave their verdict.

    "We have agreed to your terms. Please hand out your wrist to us, we will embed our symbols on it to ensure no desecration of our agreement." Sinir said, making Zeke move forward to gain the system and the contract.

    [Gamer''s System is now Active] The system window appeared in front of Zeke. This means that he has now received the system. However, there is still something bothering him which is, the idea that the system might have rebooted from his experience at the trial stages.

    He wanted to ask about this but, before he could even open his mouth, Nisha already spoke.

    "Farewell Elwood, may this be enough for you to cleanse the world."

    "Don''t die before I punish you." Sinir added.

    "We''ll be counting on you mister." Were the final words said by the deities.

    At this, Zeke is consumed by another blinding light. The feeling of warmth came with this, but not the kind that would burn a person. It is a gentle warmth mixed with the feeling of his body falling down from the sky.

    On the continent of Elysium, night has already fallen. A man and his son, travels down the country road but suddenly halted at something they saw from the sky.

    "Dad look, it''s a bright shooting star." Said the boy, taking a peak out of the horse wagon.

    "Oh you''re right my boy. The Goddess Sinir must be blessing us with light for our journey. We should make an offering as soon as we head back home." The man said, taking a small glimpse of the light. He then took his eyes back at the road, but noticed how bright it really is.

    "Dad?" The boy said again.

    "Yes son?" The father responded, noticing how the brightness seem to get stronger by the minute.

    "Do shooting stars actually shoot at things?" The fatherughed at his son''s question and answered in a lighthearted note.

    "No son, of course not!" The father responded, wondering why the light isn''t stopping from getting brighter.

    "Then, that''s not a shooting star." The boy said, making the father stop the carriage and look at the shooting star again.

    "OH MY GOD!" He shouted, holding on to the horses and making them run faster as if his life depended on it.

    "I can''t die now. My wife bought that sexy new underwear and I can''t pass to the afterlife without seeing her wear it!" He said, motivated by the piece of lingerie to run the horses like they''re made of jet engines.

    "Faster dad! Faster!" The boy said, enjoying himself and notpletelyprehending the situation they are in.

    The man did the best he could to get away from the light. But then he realized how impossible it is for them to escape. So, he stopped the carriage and went inside to hug his son. Hoping that his body would be enough to shield his son from whatever it is that''s about toe.

 Chapter 5: The First World

    Chapter 5: The First World

    "Dad." The boy whispered to his father.

    "Son. I just want you to know that, you''re the best thing that ever happened to me." The father replied, clinging to his son. The scene itself would have been truly a dramatic one if it weren''t for two factors.

    One is that, the father actually views the new set of underwear his wife bought as the "best thing that ever happened" to him. But he can''t tell that to his son. If he is really going to die and, by some miracle, his son survives, he wants to be remembered as the brave father who risked his life saving his son. Not as, the pervert father who thought of his wife''s underwear as he vanished from existence.

    The second point is that, they aren''t going to die. The light they saw came from Zeke being flung down from the realm of the gods. As for the light, it came from the orb Sinir shot at him as he jumped out of her realm.

    "You can let go now; the light is gone." The child told his father.

    Huh?" The father looked around, holding his son''s body and holding his own. He looked outside and it is now back to a normal dark night.

    "Thank goodness!" He eximed; reminding himself to convert to the goddess of darkness once they returned home.

    "Stay here son." He said as he went out of the carriage. The man looked around, measuring the possible distance of that light''s fall. But before all that, they went to see who, or what it is that the light had brought.

    "That probably would''ve been really dangerous." Zeke said, staring at the sky and thinking how he literally fell from heaven. He looked around himself trying to figure out where he is. There''s nothing but darkness meaning, it''s already night.

    "Mister are you okay?" Zeke looked at the direction from where the voice came and saw a man holding amp.

    "Great, just what I needed. A medieval setting." He told himself, knowing that amp would never be used in an era where there are shlights and mobile phones.

    "Yes, thank you." He replied; going through his body again and making sure that everything is still in their proper ce.

    "That was dangerous, were you hit by that light?" The man said, close enough for Zeke to make out his features clearly.

    The man has dark hair, and brown skin. His eyes look like a bright red when close to themp although, it may turn into a different color when morninges. He is a broad  shouldered man with toned muscles, meaning he is probably involved in work that requires a lot of physical strength.

    "I think you are more dangerous." Zeke told himself, being wary of a possible assault.

    "Dad what did you find?" Another voice came further back.

    Now Zeke took a closer look at the surroundings, he noticed that there is a carriage wagon in the distance.

    "That''s probably owned by this man." Zeke thought while also thinking that, having someone shout "Dad" makes this beefed up man in front of him probably safe.

    "Stay there son." The man replied to the boy who just spoke.

    "It''s dangerous to travel alone at night, do you havepany?" He continued.

    "I actually came from another continent. I got robbed by thieves as soon as I arrived here by ship. Now I''mpletely broke and homeless." Was Zeke''s reply. None of this is true of course, he just applied a bit of knowledge he acquired through ying games which are set on older times.

    "You poor thing. Those are probably the Viper Bandits who did that to you." The man replied making Zeke think how it''s a good thing that amoner found him.

    "If these were aristocrats or soldiers, I''d probably get locked up in jail." He thought to himself again.

    "If you want., I can give you a lift until we reach town. I''ll ask my wife if we can let you stay the night, but if she doesn''t approve, I''ll rmend you to a friend of mine. He can give you a huge discount." The man said with a wide smile on his face.

    "Really sir?!" Zeke sped his hands on the other person and made his voice sound very hopeful. If anything, he needs to show this man that he is really looking for help.

    "Of course! Anything for a person in need!" The man said, strengthening his grip on Zeke''s hands.

    "Gee. Thanks. I''d really appreciate it if you don''t break all the bones in my hands." Zeke told himself, feeling the agonizing pain but keeping a smile on his face.

    "Can you walk?" The man said, thinking of carrying Zeke if he can''t move on his own.

    "I think so. Yeah." Zeke answered as he stretched his legs so the person he is talking to would believe him.

    "Good!" The man replied, maintaining his brimming energy.

    "My carriage is just a few steps away. there''s enough room at the back to fit you. Though I gotta warn you, my son might irritate you a little. Hahaha." He continued, walking towards the carriage.

    "Oh, I almost forgot." He said, turning to Zeke again.

    "I''m Hark, my boy at the back is Keith." He extended his hand to Zeke as they shook hands. The form of greeting in this world is just like how it is on earth.

    "I''m Zeke. Thanks for having me." Zeke responded and, with that, they went on their way.

    "So where did youe from?" Keith asked, snugging himself next to Zeke.

    "Keith, don''t bother the poor man. Let him rest." Hark said, holding the reigns on the horses as we continued moving.

    "It''s fine sir, the kid just wants to know more." Zeke responded, with a smile on his face.

    "Of course, it isn''t actually fine. I''d ce this boy under a steam roller in a heartbeat but, doing so is not part of my goal right now." Were the thoughts running through Zeke''s head.

    He isn''t fond of physical contact after all, and this intensified even more when he started locking himself up on his room and ying games all day.

    "You asked where I came from. Do you know of the other continents outside your own?" This is a trick question. Zeke is making Keith give him information about the world he got sent to.

    "Well, mum and dad have told me about the continents ruled by the Beastmen, those that are ruled by the Elves, the Dwarves, andstlythe ones ruled by the Demons."

    "What about the ones ruled by human beings?" Zeke asked again, finding it strange that Keith did not mention any continent where humans rule.

    "I told you he''s tired Keith." Hark intervened.

    "But dad. I want to know more." Keith said.

    Zeke was still puzzled about the role of humankind on this world. But, for the moment he cannot ask any more and he cannot give any answers rted to the continents as he still has pieces of information missing.

    "I''ll just describe my life before does that sound fair?" Zeke answered.

    "Yes! Okay mister tell me!" Keith said, grabbing on to Zeke''s arm.

    "Seriously kid, have you ever heard of personal space?" Zeke thought to himself, holding back his face from making a disgusted look.

    "Right." Zeke replied, grabbing the boy and making him sit at the other corner facing him.

    "I''m sorry kid, I have little tolerance with your age group." He thought again.

    "From where I came, I''m a very famousuhmcoach! Yes, that''s it. I teach people various things that they need in war andbat." It''s not aplete lie. After all, most of the online games involve fighting andpetition.

    "Ohhh so can you help my dad and his group?" The boy replied.

    "Keith!" Hark growled. This startled not only the boy but Zeke included. Hark''s calm and collected stature crumbled a little bit from that shout, making Zeke think that there is probably something which Hark is hiding from him.

    "Okay dad." The boy said, leaving their journey in a state of weird silence.

    "Wait here." Zeke told Keith as he went to the side of his father.

    "You surprised me back there." He told Hark in a light-hearted tone.

    "I just don''t like my son, picking on other people''s business like that. If he continues growing like that, he''ll just find himself in more difficult situations." Hark said, still with a stern look on his face.

    "Well, he''s your son, I can''t tell you how to raise him." Zeke answered, making Hark look to his direction with a bit of surprise.

    "Thank you." Hark said, giving Zeke an ominous feeling that, wherever he is right now, it sure as hell won''t be wondend.

    "We''re almost there, you should go to the back and get some shut eye." He told Zeke, now back to his usual upbeat voice.

    "You''re the boss." Zeke replied, stepping back inside the carriage and sitting next to Keith.

    "You might fall off if you sleep like that." Zeke told Keith, seeing how the boy tries to sleep in a sitting position.

    "Here, you can lean on me." He continued, pointing at his shoulder. Keith followed the suggestion willingly and scooched back next to Zeke.

    "Is it really bad?" He mumbled to Zeke, probably so that his father wouldn''t hear. Zeke knows what the boy is referring to, it''s about asking questions. With this, Zeke gave him an honest reply.

    "If you want to survive, don''t ask too much." He remarked, making Keith''s face turn all gloomy.

    "But" He continued, patting the top of the boy''s head. "if you want to be human, never stop asking."

    "Thanks mister." The boy said, falling into sleep reassured.

    Zeke quickly followed this lead, and allowed his body to shut down for now. While this happened, the Gamer''s System activated inside Zeke''s head.

    [Optimizing the Gamer''s System]

 Chapter 6: Version 1.1

    Chapter 6: Version 1.1

    [Wee Gamer]

    "Good to be back." Zeke said, feeling a bit more relieved now that he is interacting with the system. This is not in the real world however; this is inside his head as he sleeps.

    Zeke has two abilities that he developed while he was on earth. This is alongside his talent for gaming. One of these abilities is being conscious even in his sleep. The other is being able to think clearly in this state. Both of which proved to be useful in climbing to the top of pro - gaming. By being able to do both, he was able to think up of strategies even as his body was resting and, furthermore, time moves slower in his head making an hourst for two inside it.

    "Can I interact with the system?" He asked, trying out themands first before continuing.

    [Yes. Voice recognition is possible. Should we register the gamer''s voice?]

    "Please do." Zeke replied, giving the system a sample of his vocals. From the lowest pitch he could do up to the highest.

    [Voice registration is nowplete.] The system disyed.

    "Good. Please show me the features of this system."

    [Understood.] It replied, showing a long list of details about the Gamer''s System.

    [Gamer''s System Version 1.1]

    [Information: The current patch allows the yer to use the [Analysis] as a passive and the [Inventory] works as an activatable skill.]

    "Wait, does that mean that I need to have some patches done before I can get the other free features?" Zeke asked.

    [Yes. That is correct. The next patch will happen upon the yer reaching level 10.]

    Zeke suddenly remembered how the god Chronoughed as the three major deities were talking about giving him a system. His brow furrowed thinking how these almighty beings are toying with him.

    *Sigh*

    "Fine. Have it your way." He thought, going to his basic attributes.

    [Name: Zeke Elwood]

    [Species: Human]

    {Specification: None]

    [Level: 1/100]

    "So I''m back at [Level 1] huh." Zeke said, not actually getting sad about this. He''s rather excited because he can have a do over of the first steps he took.

    "System, is the level cap the same for all the species of this world?" Zeke asked.

    [Searching]

    [Answers are not within the system information, please gather more data.]

    "Right. I thought so." Zeke said knowing that an unpatched version of the system won''t have all the features he needs. He then proceeded to his attributes which, surprised him.

    [Health: 2,000]

    [Mana: 1,000]

    [Strength: 27]

    [Speed: 26]

    [Intelligence: 33]

    [Endurance: 40]

    [Luck: 28]

    "Holy crap, that''s actually a big bonus." He smiled at the stats which have grown much higher from the [Level 1] attributes he had back on the [Trial Stage].

    That didn''t end there. Instead of having only 10 points he can allocate to his attributes, he has 20 points. Also, the skill points he''ll use to buy skills didn''t start at 2  it started at 5.

    "Now I''m wondering what those three actually want to happen." He thought to himself as, they gave him a weaker Gamer''s System to start with and yet, everything else have been buffed.

    He then went to see if he his shield is still there and, unfortunately it isn''t. But there is now a shop avable from where he could buy items and weapons. There is also a starting amount of money he can use which, he''s guessing, came from the price of his shield.

    Zeke bought a nice-looking buckler and a sword, thinking that he still needs to learn a bunch of things before he can handle weapons other than these two.

    He then proceeded to the skill choices thinking that [Poison Cloud] won''t be a good starting skill if he''ll be around people a lot.

    "That''s a shame, it''s a pretty handy skill after all." He told himself, looking at other skills that could be a good potential starter.

    "Okay let''s get this one." Considering his current status points, Zeke chose the skills that would probably be the best for him even if he suddenly encounters an overpowered enemy.

    [Skill Name: Blood Counter]

    [Cost: 1 Skill Point]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Active]

    [Mana Consumed: 50]

    [Information: Allows the caster to return the damage he has received to the one who made them. The damage returned is 10%. The damage scales with the skill''s rank.]

    "If I take fatal damage from a strong enemy, then I can return that blow and, even if it''s just [10%] that should be enough for me to turn the tides of the fight." He thought to himself.

    Aside from this, there are four other skills which Zeke took. All of which costs only a single skill point, making him have as much as 5 skills at level 1.

    [Skill Name: Counter]

    [Cost: 1 Skill Point]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: Gives the passive''s owner a chance to counter 5% of the attacks that he receives. The chance scales with the skill''s rank]

    Zeke thought of the best way he could make use of his [Endurance] and found this skill at the shop. With his [Endurance] Zeke canst longer in a fight and, the longer the fight goes on, the higher his chances of activating [Counter] no matter how low the percentage is.

    Of course, there''s a better skill named [Backfire] but it costs 5 skill points, something which Zeke didn''t want to use up all his points on. Plus, if Zeke gets to use the skill on a normal basis then, it would soon raise its rank, making it possibly as good as [Backfire] on its earlier ranks.

    [Skill Name: Mana Conversion]

    [Cost: 1 Skill Point]

    [Rank: Unranked]

    [Skill Type: Scaling]

    [Mana Consumed: Caster dependent]

    [Information: Allows the caster to convert some of his mana into attribute and health points.]

    With Zeke''s mana reaching [1,000] he thought that it would be good to have something like this which could make him deplete the mana pool that is toorge for his current level. If he enhances his attributes then, he can kill monsters faster. This, in turn, will help him in leveling up faster.

    [Skill Name: Lesser Regeneration]

    [Cost: 1 Skill Point]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: Heals the caster and recovers most wounds except for those that tears off body parts. Regeneration is equivalent to 2% of the caster''s health per 5 seconds. The regeneration scales with the skill''s rank.]

    This skill is actually bought by Zeke to support [Counter]. Seeing how low the chances are, if he can heal as fast as the damages are made then, the chances of activation are once again raised because the fight will be prolonged.

    ...

    [Skill Name: Quick Step]

    [Cost: 1 Skill Point]

    [Rank: F]

    [Skill Type: Active]

    [Mana Consumed: 20]

    [Information: Allows the caster to move quickly at a short distance.]

    This is the final skill which Zeke bought. One which helps him recover when his health goes down the safe amount. If he keeps using quick step then, he can dodge the blows and heal at the same time. The aim of this ability is to make him dodge enough in order to heal properly.

    "I think that''s enough for now." Zeke thought as he finished going through the skills.

    After this, he went through the settings and, sure enough, there are active missions for him to perform.

    [Main Quest: Defeat the Evil King]

    "Who''s this supposed to be?" Zeke thought of how vague the Main Quest is but, he let it slide for now, thinking that he''d get the answers he need along the way. Aside from this, there are some other quests that he could perform.

    [Sub Quest: Eat Dinner]

    [Reward: 1 Skill Point]

    [Sub Quest: Sleep Properly]

    [Reward: 1 Skill Point]

    "These aren''t even adventure rted quests. Who thought of adding these to the missions?" Zeke said out loud, wanting the three deities to hear him.

    Chrono chuckled as he heard Zeke say this. He''s the one who came up with the silly things to add in the mix after all.

    But for that moment, Zeke let it slide, finally starting to wake up to the sound of the carriage finally stopping. Keith kept gently pping his face until, he opened his eyes.

    "Zeke, you cane down now. My beautiful wife says that it''s okay for you to stay." Hark said. It turns out that, the carriage has already stopped for a while.

    In front of the house is Hark together with his wife. Admittedly, Zeke is amazed at her beauty and wondered, how Hark was able to get a woman like her.

    "Cut it out Hark, you''re embarrassing me." Hark''s wife jested as she elbowed him. To Zeke''s eyes, they look like a really happy couple.

    "Just like my own parents back on earth." Zeke thought as his mind also went to the idea of hoping that their kid doesn''t grow as problematic as his have.

    "Pleasee inside, dinner is ready." She said, in a warm and gentle tone.

    "Thanks for having me." Zeke answered, bowing his head before entering their house.

    He thought of how this is a slow start, but then again, it''s his first day... or rather first night in this world.

    "I think rxing for now won''t do me any harm."

 Chapter 7: The First Battle

    Chapter 7: The First Battle

    "Here try this on, my wife makes a very tasty cabbage stew." Hark passes the bowl to Zeke, seeing how he''s already finished with his meal.

    "Careful, it''s hot." Hark motioned for Zeke to hold where the cloth is.

    The family of Hark lives at the outskirts of the city. Their home is of average size but, the ones living inside seem to bepletely satisfied with their lives. Hark''s wife, Sylvia, is a woman who is just a tiptoe short from reaching Hark''s abnormal height. She has long and silk like hair, dyed in the color of the rising sun. Her eyes have a crystal blue which makes you want to stare at them forever. Her body has the right number of curves but, not in a voluptuous or bewitching way.

    "Zeke, where did you say you were from?" Sylvia inquired, sipping on what seems to be a homemade tea blend.

    "Dear, I told you, let the man rest first." Hark said, passing on the food to his son.

    "Do we have a problem?" She said, ring at Hark.

    "Ahem. Like I said, you should answer all her questions Zeke." Hark said, whimpering.

    "That''s what I thought." Sylvia said, with a triumphant smile on her face.

    "Should I repeat the question?" Sylvia continued sipping on her tea as she looked at Zeke.

    It was easy for Zeke to divert Keith''s attention because he''s just a kid. But now that he''s facing a real adult, he can''t help but feel a bit nervous. Plus, there''s something about Sylvia that makes Zeke want to tell the truth.

    "I came from thends beyond the continent." Zeke answered. This isn''t a lie since, he really dide from a ce beyond the continent and, even beyond their word  Earth.

    "Ohh, and what did you do there for a living?" She ced her cup down on the table, folding her hands together.

    "He teachesbat and war strategies!" Keith answered on Zeke''s behalf, finally finishing all the food that has been ced on his te.

    "Oh dear, and why did youe to this continent." Sylvia continued immediately, with more interest in her voice.

    "Well, I wanted to go to the capital. Try to find a new profession and all that." Zeke said, thinking that this might be a safe answer for now.

    Suddenly, there was silence. Nobody talked and, for a moment, Zeke thought that he may have said something wrong.

    "I see! That''s young blood for you, always seeking new horizons!" Hark suddenly blurted, cing his arm around Zeke''s shoulder as heughed.

    "Forgive my wife, she likes ying detective from time to time." He whispered to Zeke''s ear.

    "You can drop the act now honey." He continued.

    "Aweee and I was just getting to the good part." Sylvia ced her hand on her mouth, hiding the chuckle she''s making.

    "Honestly, I have no idea what''s going on right now. But I guess this means that my cover isn''t blown yet." Were the words running through Zeke''s head as this happened.

    The merry group continuedughing through the night. Zeke learned that their family owns a farnd and uses it to make a living. They also have a few animals that they use to get extra food.

    Aside from gaming, this is actually the kind of life that Zeke has always dreamt of. Just a simple country life, without problems or pressure.

    The stories went on and Hark even shared the how he met his beautiful wife. The story left a few ps on his face as Miss Sylvia recalled Hark''s woman hording days. Moreughs were shared but thenthere was another silence. This time it''s the ominous kind.

    "Dear." Sylvia looked at Hark.

    "Dammit, this soon?" Hark replied moving to get Keith.

    What happened is this. A few feet outside the house of the couple is a detection spell which rms the caster if somebody passes through. Usually Sylvia just shrugs this of if only one or two passes through. But now, there are more than ten who simultaneously passed through the spell.

    Exining why they even ce a detection spell in the first ce is because, for certain reasons, they''ve been on the run for a long time. Mercenary groups are always on the look for them, wanting that bounty thates with capturing Sylvia and killing Hark.

    However, they aren''t exactly pushovers. The couple are veterans in fighting. Hark is known to be the demaster, a title which he holds until this day. On the other hand, Sylvia is a spell casting prodigy, the youngest to ever master all spells and, even craft her own.

    As all of this went on, Sylvia stood up and opened a chest under the table, taking out a bow and arrow and two swords. Zeke is surprised at the sudden development of course but, made noment for now.

    "Zeke do you mind taking care of our son for now? There seem to be some, intruders getting near our house." Hark''s voice sounded heavy as he gave Keith to Zeke.

    "Uhmmokay?" Zeke replied, taking Keith whom Sylvia has ced a sleeping spell on.

    "Hide upstairs and don''t make a sound." Sylvia continued.

    As soon as Sylvia said these words, the quest windows popped up. These are only visible to Zeke as he turned on the [Only yer Visible]mand which hides every notice, alert, mission and other system rted things from everyone else except Zeke.

    [Optional Quest: Protect Keith]

    [Reward: 2 Skill Points]

    [Sub Quest: Survive the Mercenary Attack]

    [Reward: Crucial Memory Piece]

    "Yes ma''am." Zeke said happily, knowing that he could probably rely on a couple that has a weapon stash under their dining table.

    With this, Hark and Sylvia went out to face their evening visitors.

    As soon as Hark opened the door, an arrow was shot towards him. He easily deflected it with one of his sheathed swords. They didn''t even talk about what strategy they need to use anymore. Hark simply dashed forward to where the arrow came from. Meanwhile Sylvia floated up in the air, covering her body in a shield spell that could block most projectiles.

    It didn''t take long for Hark to reach two enemies. They had scimitars with them, a weapon which is used by only a single group. The Viper Bandits.

    "I guess things should be made clear here." He said, unsheathing both his swords and suddenly bolting out of sight.

    The two scimitar-wielding bandits didn''t even have time to respond, they saw the world turning sideways until it cked outpletely. Hark shed his des in the air, taking out the blood that stuck to it as he beheaded his first targets.

    "You guys are the prey." He continued, having a beastly smile on his face.

    More bandits appeared while a few more arrows came at his direction. As he fought through them, Sylvia targeted the ones which are still outside the detection field she created. There are twenty more and, they are alling from a single direction.

    Hark leapt in the air as he spun in an incredible speed, deflecting all the arrows and, as hended, he shed through the chests of two more bandits. Sylvia started firing [Wind Needles], a spell that is small and yet, with their numbers and their sharpness, they could easily kill an enemy who doesn''t dodge its barrage.

    The reason she chose this spell is because, she doesn''t want to attract any more attention to them. She knows that the Elf King''s scouts could be anywhere so she decided to use a spell that can''t be seen in the night.

    However, what they do not know is that the Viper Bandits has a spellcaster who can create an underground pathway. Thus, a group of three bandits, including the toon leader, dug their way under the ground. They began even before they started approaching the house, avoiding Sylvia''s detection spell that only surrounds the house in a dome shape, without affecting those underneath it.

    "So what''s the n once we get inside?" The assistant of the toon leader asked as they continued digging through.

    "Idiot! I told you already didn''t I? We''re going to take their son hostage and lead them back to the Viper Headquarters. That way, we''d be able to prepare every trap that we could make and, overpower them with numbers." The toon Leader said, with a disgusting smile on his face. He''s actually nning on raping Sylvia if the n goes well.

    "They only said take her back alive." He thought, getting a hard on as he thought of ying with her body.

    As all this happened, Zeke waited patiently inside the room with Keith. He looked around for a possible way for the enemies toe through and, have realized that they can onlye from the door. Hence, he went outside the room and, just as he did, a loud sound was made downstairs, with the voice of men talking among themselves.

    Zeke took out his sword and shield, hiding behind the wall of the staircase, as he waited for these men to approach.

    Then, the sound of the footsteps came closing in.

 Chapter 8: A Battle of Endurance

    Chapter 8: A Battle of Endurance

    Outside the house, both Hark and Sylvia are preupied with taking down their enemies. This is because, as soon as they thought the battle was about to be finished, another batch came out.

    The sound of the spells and arrows hitting Sylvia''s barrier is enough for her to not hear whatever is happening inside the house. This also applies on Hark who is too far from the house to make out any sounding from inside.

    As to why there are bandits that keep oning; the reason behind this is because, the toon Leader used his money to hire more people. This ensures that the couple won''t be bothering them any time soon as they continue with their task.

    However, things didn''t go as they nned. As these three went up to im their prize, they are met by a shield which hit the face of the sorcerer who went up the stairs first.

    "Ack! Who the hell did that?" The toon leader said, pushing off the bodies of the sorcerer and his assistant who are both on top of him.

    Zeke didn''t allow this to happen as smoothly as they intended however. He jumped from the top of the stairs,nding his de directly on the back of the sorcerer. The unfortunate enemy started trashing about.

    The goon tried shing this assant with his de, only to be dodged by Zeke as he used [Quick Step].

    "Damn, I should''ve been able to take at least two of you." Zeke said, seeing how his enemies are now standing just as he is. The other one is lying on the ground, with his [Beginner''s Sword] still stuck on the sorcerer''s back. A pool of blood soon followed as he viewed the stats of his enemies.

    [Name: Hash''in Seth''o]

    [Species: Human]

    {Specification: Mercenary Bandit]

    [Level: 21]

    [Name: Arh''ak Laktha]

    [Species: Human]

    {Specification: Mercenary Bandit]

    [Level: 15]

    "This isn''t looking good." Zeke told himself, getting a green color around the [Name Bar] of the bandit named [Hash''in Seth''o]. This means that he is a higher ss of opponent while the other enemy is just a regr bandit with a gray color around his name bar.

    He activated [Quick Step] again. This shocked both enemies and, before they could even reach him, Zeke has already hit his shield to the weaker enemy''s knee as he took back his de.

    The toon Leader reacted faster however and, was able to nt his foot at Zeke''s stomach as [Quick Step] was used again to back away from his enemies.

    The pain was enough to make Zeke halt momentarily from his stream of thought and, this was all that the bandits needed in order to make their next move.

    The weaker enemy dashed toward Zeke, bringing out his scimitar that has a green liquid dripping on its tip. The goon made a quick sh which Zeke managed to block this with his shield. But then, smoke came from where the dended.

    "Whatever that green stuff is, I''m definitely not letting you get it near my body." He thought as he activated [Mana Conversion] leaving 300 points on his mana.

    He pushed his enemy back using his shield and went after the other enemy who''s about to climb the stairs. He tried bashing his shield to this enemy but, Hash''in quickly backed away, creating enough distance for Zeke''s sword to not reach him.

    "Where do you think you''re going?" Zeke said, remembering how a [Sub Quest] mentioned that he needs to protect Keith.

    Hash''in responded by bringing out a couple of daggers and throwing them at Zeke. He was able to block two with his shield, another one he deflected with his sword but, a fourth daggers found its way to the side of his waist  diving into his flesh as the smoke came out, making Zeke scream in pain.

    Both his passive [Regeneration] and his [Endurance] attribute healed him as the damage was being made but, the pain isn''t something that these things can nullify.

    Arh''ak continued the attack, running straight at the wounded enemy. Zeke was able to twist out of this but, his knee was met by another dagger in the process.

    Due to [Mana Conversion] being in effect, even his health has more points to it now but, that doesn''t mean that he can''t be killed.

    Arh''ak continued his assault, swinging his scimitar at Zeke. This time, the [Counter Skill] activated, making his body move on its own as it deflected the blow while also holding up the body of his enemy which received the three new daggers that have just been thrown.

    "AHHHHH!" Arh''ak shouted as he rolled on the floor. The daggers hit his belly, his shoulder de and, his crotch.

    "Yeah, it doesn''t feel good does it?" Zeke thought as hisst remaining enemy threw five more daggers. Zeke knew that he wouldn''t be able to deflect all the des and, with his knee being stabbed, he can''t use quick step. That''s why he just deflected the three which aimed at more dangerous spots, and let the two other des hit his shoulder and the knee which already had a dagger in it.

    "AHHHH!" Zeke shouted.

    "Just go down already!" Hash''in shouted as he finally took out his scimitar. He ran out of throwing daggers and now has to rely on close rangebat.

    Zeke waited for this moment. As Hash''in made a dash toward him, he activated the other spell that he has been itching to use since the battle started.

    "Blood Counter."

    As soon as Zeke said this, his enemy felt pain exploding from his body. His leg, his shoulder, the side of his waist, all has a burning sensation mixed with the pain of steel being nted inside it.

    This moment is all that Zeke needed. He forcibly activated [Quick Step] seeing the blood spew out of his injured leg and, shed at the neck of his opponent with all his strength.

    Hash''in''s decapitated head rolled on the ground but, this isn''t the only thing which happened. As Zeke made this move, the toon leader was able to perform a quick stab motion which has left his scimitar deeply inside Zeke''s stomach.

    "AHHHHH!" Zeke shouted as the door of the house opened, revealing both Hark and Sylvia who just finished wiping out all the enemies outside.

    "Dear lord, what happened?!" Sylvia said, seeing all the blood and corpses thaty all around.

    She then immediately attended to Zeke, with Hark making a quick motion of taking out the scimitar as Sylvia began healing through the wound.

    "Honey, go and see if Keith is safe." Sylvia said as beads of sweat started forming on her forehead.

    Zeke heard all of this but, is already feeling his body getting colder. All the des that hit him are actually coated in poison. The only reason why Zeke was able tost a bit in the fight is because he had two things restoring his health but, now that arger wound had been made, his strength began waning. Adding to this is the fact that the scimitar had even more poison than the daggers.

    "You''ll be fine. Just hang in there." Sylvia said as he continued healing Zeke. At this point he already began losing consciousness. But as he did, he saw a white thing floating outside the window.

    "I hope I''m not dead yet." He told himself as his surroundings got darker and darker. This is his first experience of a real battle, not counting the trial stage which he basically cheated through.

    Everything suddenly shed before Zeke. How he thought of all this as still being a game. The system even made him feel invincible because, the way he used it in the Trial Stage made him think that there would be nothing on this world that could pose as a challenge to him. But he was proven wrong.

    The trial stage was made by the three major deities to test out a potential hero''s capacity. It is made with a system and an algorithm just like a real game, cing monsters at specific areas and giving certain responses to these monsters. Dying on that ind is not likely and, the worst-case scenario would only be a person having to stay there for a year beforepleting the ten trials. However, there was never a record of death. That''s how safe the trial was.

    Down in a living, the variables are uncertain. This is a real world, with things not being controlled by the gods above. Things will continue happening through various gears of fate. There is no walkthrough, nor guides made by NPC''s. There are no respawns and painless wounds. Everything is real. Life and death included.

    As Zeke closed his eyes, he heard the mumbled talking between Sylvia an Hark who just came down. He couldn''t make sense of their speech anymore and everything they said is just noise to him. He then remembered the white object he saw flying outside and thought of how it looked like an owl.

    This is the final thought that came to Zeke''s mind as his body shut downpletely.

 Chapter 9: Loading Information…

    Chapter 9: Loading Information��

    Zeke''s consciousness came back without the feeling of his body being intact. He knew exactly what this meant.

    "I''m still alive." He said. Zeke knows this familiar feeling all too well. He''s currently conscious as his body sleeps.

    The system recognized this right away and started disying the notifications that came after the fight ended.

    [You leveled up!]

    [You are now level 12.]

    [System has updated to version 1.2]

    [The next update will be avable at Level 20.]

    [11 skill points are given as reward.]

    [11 attribute points are given as reward.]

    [You have sessfully cleared the Optional Quest - Eat Dinner.]

    [1 Skill Points is given as a reward]

    ...

    [You have sessfully cleared the Optional Quest - Sleep Properly.]

    [1 Skill Points is given as a reward]

    ...

    [You have sessfully cleared the Optional Quest - Protect Keith.]

    [2 Skill Points are given as a reward]

    ...

    [You have sessfully cleared the Sub Quest - Survive the Mercenary Attack.]

    [The Crucial Memory Piece is given as a reward.]

    "I''ve been wondering about this for a while." Zeke said as he clicked on the reward.

    [Would you like to y the memory piece now?]

    "Yes." Zeke answered, seeing a wide white screen appear in front of him.

    [Crucial Memory Piece is beginning to y]

    "Come with me." Hark motioned, offering his hand to Sylvia.

    "You know I cannot do that. I have a duty to the people of Elysium." She replied, wanting him to leave immediately.

    Throughout the halls of the Elf King''s castle, there are humans and elves fighting for their lives. Steel shes against steel as the swords try their best to reach their targets. Arrows are being fired into the air, only to be met by shields made of sturdy metal.

    "For humanity!" Shouted the human soldiers, trying their best to get past the barrage of arrows.

    "For the Elf King!" The elves shouted in return; but a bit concerned with how many arrows they have left.

    As all of this transpires, Hark continues to plead his lover to run away with him. They are within the upper chambers of the Castle. The Elves guarding Sylviay unconscious on the floor as Hark refused to show hisdy any bloodshed.

    "There''s not much time. This is a losing battle. We cannot afford to lose even more men." He said, hearing the marching footsteps of the Elves.

    Right now, there are a lot of things running on Sylvia''s mind. She thinks of duty and responsibility. She thinks of her family; her little sister who looks up to her. All of this has been suffocating her for so long that, all the expectations made her forget who she even is. But then, Hark came. He came and promised to save her from all this.

    It was a silly promise. One that she knew could never happen. After all, Hark is a worker in the coalmines of the elves during that time. Bound to his chains and to the whip of the warden who watches over the workers. Yet, Hark''s warm smile as he said this gave her a glimmer of hope. One that believes, someday she could be free.

    "You keep on talking about your duty to the people" Hark continued, seeing the worried expression on Sylvia''s face.

    "but what about your duty to yourself?"

    With this, the face of Sylvia lightens up. This is the reason why she fell for Hark. He was the only one who understood her. The only person in the whole of Elysium who saw her as Sylvia Windsprite, and not some political chess piece that must move as the people wishes.

    "You''re just so full of surprises." She said, finally taking his hand.

    [end of memory piece.]

    Zeke sat as he tried taking all of this in. He knew that he wouldn''t just be transported to a random spot but, to be transported to a runaway queen and a King murdering swordsman, is bit more difficult to digest.

    "I bet this is Chrono''s idea again." Zeke thought. He''s wrong about this though. It was Sinir that nned for him to get taken to this lovely family that spends their days fighting mercenaries and bandits thate looking for them.

    I have a lot of questions for those two once this body wakes up. He said to himself and, it didn''t take that long actually.

    Zeke woke up to his real body, getting hit by the gentle warmth of the morning sun. He slowly adjusted his eyes to his surroundings and felt his bodypletely recovering from the fight. He got up from the bed he''s lying on and tried stretching everything out.

    "Yup. Works fine." He said, feeling no pain from any part of his body. There are scars to where the des have hit him but, other than that, he seems to be in perfect health.

    "Wait, where am I exactly?" Zeke thought as he looked at his surroundings. The walls are made of concrete and a small nt is ced on top of a table at the side of his bed. There is a small pouch on top of it which Zeke immediately grabbed.

    "Coins?" He said, shaking it and getting the sound of coin hitting coin.

    Under this pouch is a letter which he immediately read. Strangely, he is able to understand the symbols that they used.

    "This must be another perk of having the updated Gamer''s System." He thought as he began reading the contents which wrote:

    <em>Dear Zeke,</em>

    <em>We are terribly sorry for what happened to you. We made sure that you have recoveredpletely before sending you to that room you are currently in. It is owned by a close friend of ours and, rest assured, they aren''t as high profile as we are so no other bandits will being to you.</em>

    <em>On that pouch ispensation for all the trouble you''ve gone through. We know that a few coins aren''t enough for what we put you through but, please forgive us as that is all we have to offer.</em>

    <em>If you need anything more, please ask it from the owner of the house, mister Felroy Maurthy. You probably won''t see us again as; our family will be on the move. But if our paths do meet again, I pray that you would have no hatred toward us.</em>

    <em>Best wishes,</em>

    <em>Sylvia Windsprite</em>

    After reading the letter, Zeke couldn''t even put it in himself to get angry. The word used were so sincere and, it felt bad getting angry at a family who just wants to have a normal and peaceful life.

    *Sigh*

    "Whatever." Zeke said, cing the letter inside his inventory as, there may be people who can use it to trace where that family has gone. Then, the system notification popped out again, already giving him a new set of quests to finish.

    [Optional Quest: Meet the owner of the house.]

    [Reward: 1 Attribute Point]

    ...

    [Optional Quest: Eat Breakfast]

    [Reward: 1 Attribute Point]

    ...

    [Expiring Quest: Gain information on Mythos]

    [Reward: Dependent on the amount of information gained.]

    [Time left beforepletion: 5:00:00]

    ...

    "As expected from the system. I''m not even given any time for a breather." Zeke wore the clothes provided within the room. He began by looking for the owner of the house in order to finish one of the quests. A task which didn''t even need much effort.

    "Oh good. You''re finally awake." The man said as he saw Zeke get out of the room.

    [You have sessfully cleared the Optional Quest - Meet the owner of the house.]

    [1 Attribute Point is given as a reward.]

    Zeke didn''t mind the notification and continued looking at the man who''s holding on to arge pile of clothes. Zeke offered to assist him and the old man smiled at him as he gave the pile. You''d think that it''d be light seeing how an old man is carrying it but, it took all of Zeke''s effort to even keep it up in his arms.

    "Thank you young boy." Felroy said.

    "Don''t sweat it." Zeke said as he caught his breath, dropping the clothes to the area pointed by Felroy.

    "How long was I out sir?" The old man then went and got some bread and water, offering some to Zeke.

    "A couple of days." The old man replied, pouring water on an empty ss.

    "Oh I''m sorry I haven''t introduced myself yet. My name is Zeke Elwood sir." Zeke said, bowing his head to the old man.

    "A pleasure. I owe a lot to the family that brought you here so you might as well getfortable while you''re here." The old man said, handing the bread next.

    They talked for a while longer and, Zeke was told that this is a town that is stationed far away from where Zeke got attacked. The ce isplete with every known hobby and job.

    "They said you''re looking for a job so they sent you to me." The old man said, referring to how he has connections all over the town.

    Zeke thanked the old man and asked where the library is. The man responded in kind as they went for the door of the house. As they did, Zeke saw a lion shaped staff lying on the corner. He thought of how good the carving is but didn''t look for a second longer.

    "Okay, once you get outside, just go left. You''d see the signage of the library immediately." Felroy said, pointing to the right which confused Zeke.

    "Thank you sir." Zeke said in a mannered tone.

    "You''re a strange kid aren''t you? You just woke up from almost getting killed and the first thing on your agenda is reading books?" The old man said,ughing at the idea.

    Zeke also knew how weird it seemed but, all his life he has never bothered with things too much. He just did what needs to be done and, if there are obstacles along the way, then he''d simply jump over them or crush them in the process.

    Right now, that is what''s going through his head. He needs to finish the [Expiring Quest] connected with information gathering.The easiest route to take is, of course, going to the ce where all records of information are being stored.

    At this, he went out of the house and, headed straight for the town library. Meanwhile, the flying object he saw before he lost consciousness has finally reached the Capital of Elysium.

 Chapter 10: Elysium

    Chapter 10: Elysium

    Zeke Elwood, the [God of Gaming], has been forcibly transported to a world name Mythos. Here, the continents are divided into four. Rak''shan, Elysium, Helios, and Mithril. He read all about this inside the town library, expanding his knowledge using a skill he bought [Inner Archive] which costed him all the [Skill Points] he earned thus far.

    This is a [Passive Skill] without any rank just like [Mana Conversion]. This means that it cannot be upgraded anymore. Although a passive, the skill actually drains mana whenever Zeke registers new authentic information. This all gets stored inside his head in a kind of library format, cing all simr information within a single shelf. And of course, he remembers all information gathered quite clearly.

    Hence, he breezed through all the books he could find, surprising the librarian who watched him.

    "This is really squeezing every cell left in my brain." He said as he continued reading.

    At noontime, the quest finally expired, popping out the notification bar in front of Zeke once again.

    [You have sessfully cleared the Expiring Quest - Gain information on Mythos.]

    [50 Skill Points are given as reward]

    "YEEEEES!" Zeke instinctively shouted, to which everyone in the library shushed him. The gamer apologized, with a wide smile being worn on his face. He expected a lot of rewards toe with the quest but, this gave him even more than what he intially thought to gain.

    "Oh man, I''m going to get a bunch of upgrades." Zeke told himself merrily, excited about the number of opportunities for improvement now that he has this many points. But he left this forter and, thought about the information he gained.

    Rak''shan is ruled by the Beastmen. All other continents consider this continent to be filled with brutes and savages as, the Beastmen have always relied on raw power in order to choose who would lead.

    The next continent is Helios. This is where the Demons rule. There are various rare monsters in thisnd and, people have always believed that if the demons wage a war against the four continents, they could easily win. The current lord of the demons is, however, a calm and peace-loving creature. No demon dares to oppose him because he could easily overpower any opponent.

    Then there is Mithril which is ruled by the Dwarves. All of the best weapons and the most advanced machinery can be found here. The citizens would always go to Mithril in order to have things forged. However, after the great war which urred 400 years ago, they never offered their weapons to any other race, knowing that these would only be used for violence.

    Lastly, out of the four continents, Zeke has been transported to Elysium which is ruled by the Elves. Right now, the ruling king is the son of the man whom Hark has murdered with his des. The man whose bride was stolen from him by the same person. And, that same man is now inside a room within the castle, practicing his archery.

    ...

    "That''s the 100th head you''ve shot today your highness." An elf rested his arms on a railing, his eyes fixed on the multiple targets that had arrows pierced through them.

    "Oh cut that crap will you Erio." The man holding a bow took another arrow from his quiver. He quickly fixed it into firing position. Normally, it takes time for a person to make a shot. Measuring the distance, feeling the wind direction, and stretching the bowstring at perfect capacity. But that is only for average people.

    The elf only took a second to find his prey and shoot it down elegantly. A clean and perfect shot deserving of royalty. He then released a short breath, thinking that a hundred and one headshots in a row is enough to call it a day.

    He then looked back at the person who kept teasing him since earlier. His face turned to irritation as Erio gave him a towel to wash his face with.

    "You know that you''re still my best friend even if I already ascended to the throne."

    "Hmm, that''s true. But man, do you know how hard I worked to stay by your side? I mean being the General of the Elf Military wasn''t a walk in the park to achieve." Erio said, getting an apple from the table and chewing on it.

    "I never asked you to do that." The other elf said.

    "Yeah, like I can just go to your castle and say: Yo King! Let''s have a drink."

    "I guess that''s true." The other elf replied, leaving a smile on his face but nor permitting himself tough. The Elf King must be an image of elegance andposure. That is what his father, the former Elf King, taught him as he grew up.

    "My Lord, I have news!" The doors to the King''s archery hall suddenly opened up.

    "Who goes there?" He demanded. Every servant in the castle knows that the King must never be disturbed during his archery practice. Yet here is one who, not only disturbed his practice time, but also came barging in.

    "I''ll have you publicly executed." He told himself, waiting for the servant toe near him.

    "Forgive me for intruding my Lord, but this is urgent news." The servant knelt in front of the King, bowing his head as he spoke.

    "What could be so urgent that you''d disturb the King, soldier?" Erio came back to pretending like he is a serious person. He can''t act all goofy in front of the soldiers, that would leave them a bad impression on what a warrior should be like.

    "Sir, I didn''t know you were here." The servant said, suddenly standing straight and making a salute.

    Erio then motioned for the poor elf to go back to his previous position.

    "Proceed." The King said, going to the table to pick an apple himself.

    "It is about your bride, Princess Sylvia." At these words, the King dropped his apple and went for his bow and arrow.

    "Close the doors Erio." He said, aiming at the elf who is still facing the ground. He is, of course, aware of what is about to happen. No servant has ever spoken that name and came out alive. Nevertheless, he felt that it is his duty to ry this information.

    "For your own good. I suggest that you choose your words very carefully." The King stretched the bowstring, aiming perfectly for the servant''s head.

    "A scouting owl that was stationed at the outskirts came back this day. As soon as an Owl Tamer looked at it, he suddenly dropped from his chair in disbelief."

    "What did he find?" The King loosened the bowstring, just a little bit.

    "The owl found your bride my Lord. She is with the demaster " An arrow grazed the cheek of the servant.

    "Ack!" The servant lost hisposure and dropped to the floor. As he did, two more arrows were fired just above his shoulders.

    "On your knees." The King said, furious now.

    "On your knees!" He screamed, making the servant scurry back to his previous position.

    "Is this report true?" The King asked.

    "Hey, I don''t think thisd wille here and risk his life for nothing right?" Erio said, holding the King''s shoulder.

    "Take your hand off me you peasant!" He demanded, ring at Erio.

    *Sigh*

    "I''ll get this kid back to the barracks, in the meantime, you should read the report he brought." Erio, went and assisted the servant in getting up. But as he did, an arrow flew through his hair, cutting a single strand.

    "That''s some urate archery." He jested.

    "We both know who the better warrior is don''t we?" Erio continued, cing his hand on the hilt of his sword.

    "Leave!" The King shouted; bow and arrows still at his disposal.

    "Both of you leave this room!" He screamed.

    At this, both Erio and the servant left the room, leaving only the King and the scroll brought by his servant lying on the floor.

    "Thank you for saving me sir."

    "Oh believe me kid. I didn''t save you." Erio said, knowing that it is for the King''s sake that he took away the servant. He has a tendency to be like his father, a hot - blooded tyrant. If he does not learn to control his emotions, then the Elf Kingdom will soon return to how it was when the former King ruled.

    Back inside the archery hall, the king dropped his bow and quiver to the ground. He took off the elven rope that tied the scroll inside a capsule. The container itself is resistant to both rain and fire so that, whatever happens, the document inside will survive.

    As soon as he took out the scroll, the first words have made his blood boil.

    Sylvia Windsprite is found.

    All the memories of that night came flooding back to the king. How he lost two of the elves that he has always held dear in a single event, both of them taken by a single filthy human. He remembered the rage he felt, how he massacred the remaining rebels of the humans singlehandedly and, how he wiped out even their wives and their children.

    It was a dark moment in his life that he''d rather just forget. But the name of Sylvia in itself has reminded him of all this all over again.

    "demaster" He said, engulfing the room in razor-sharp wind.

    "You will never know peace as long as I live. I wille for you, with the whole wrath of the elven race, I swear to bring you back to this city. I swear to personally execute you in front of the city square." The wind continued circling the room until, all the target dummies are shredded to pieces.

    He then looked at the scroll again, reading the name of Sylvia, clearly spelled out at the start.

    "And I swear to get you back."

 Chapter 11: The Dungeon

    Chapter 11: The Dungeon

    "I''ll be washing the dishes sir." Zeke said as he finished his meal.

    "Oh my, that''s kind of you. Please be my guest." Felroy said as he got up from the table.

    This is only Zeke''s second day within Elysium. There''s no rush to defeat the Evil King which, he now believes to be the current Elven King. After all, the madman massacred all humans within the capital making thatnd a human free zone.

    Alongside this, there are various things that needs to be discussed. One includes the [Updates] of the [System]. These are the things added as a bonus from the [Gamer''s System]:

    [System Feature: Item Looting]

    [Information: Allows the gamer to collect materials that monsters and other enemies may drop. Chances vary frommon until legendary items. Only the gamer can see and touch these materials. If he wishes however, he can turn this option off for the purpose of trading materials and items.]

    ...

    [System Feature: Language Apprehension]

    [Information: Allows the gamer to understandnguages aside from themon tongue of the people in Elysium. Ancient text can only be understood after the fifth patch of the system.]

    ...

    [System Feature: Costume]

    [Information: Allows the gamer to conceal armor and weapon by putting on clothing that he must first convert into costume.]

    All the updates are favorable to Zeke. However, he wonders why there isn''t any job ss avable.

    "Maybe I''ll get that at ater patch." He told himself as he started washing the dishes.

    During their dinner, Zeke was able to get a lot of information out of old man Felroy. He asked if there are guilds here and, sure enough, Felroy told him that there is a guild in every town. However, the old man advised him against the idea saying that, guild members will always exploit new recruits by making them porters and, if necessary, use them as bait or decoy for monster hunts.

    But this didn''t faze him. In fact, Zeke ns to register there as morninges. After all, he wants to repay the old man for his hospitality. Plus, he wants to get information on the bandits that attacked Hark''s family.

    "A [Sub Quest] rewarding me something connected to them means that they are a vital part of the main quest." He thought to himself as he finished washing.

    He then took a bath and, went straight to his room, viewing all the [System] notices that he has muted. This is actually a feature added in the settings menu which is a good thing. After all, a [System Notice] popping up while he fights a group of monsters would probably be really distracting.

    [You have sessfully cleared the Optional Quest  Eat Dinner.]

    [1 Skill Point is given as a reward]

    ...

    [You have sessfully cleared the Optional Quest  Wash the Dishes.]

    [1 Skill Point is given as a reward]

    ...

    "Okay, let''s prepare a little bit before we head to that guild." Zeke thought to himself as he opened the [Skill Panel] again. Combining the [Points] he gained from the [Expiring Quest] and all the [Optional Quests] he has finished thus far, Zeke has a total of [52 Skill Points] which he can spend.

    Zeke thought that, the reason why [Quests]e in various forms is probably because of the [Patch Update]. With thetest version of the [Gamer''s System]; modifications came on how skills are upgraded. With the new patch, skills do not upgrade through continuous usage anymore.

    [Skill Upgrade]

    [Lesser Regeneration F]

    [Cost: 1 Skill Point]

    The system now requires him to invest his skill points in order to upgrade certain skills. Zeke actually thought that this is for the best because, skills like [Counter] would take forever to activate.

    But then again, he still finds himself in a pickle. Zeke can''t decide between buying new [Skills] or simply upgrading the ones which he currently owns. In the end, he decided to ce it all on three of his already owned skills.

    [Lesser Regeneration]

    [Quick Step]

    [Counter]

    The cost for upgrading skills go up with the letter of its rank. After the [F] and [F+] rank, gaining the [E-> rank would require the use of [2 Skill Points] instead of just one. Hence, Zeke was only able to upgrade these skills until [D]. But this in itself is enough of a powerhouse with the update on their information.

    [Skill Name: Lesser Regeneration]

    [Information: Heals the caster and recovers most wounds except for those that tears off body parts. Regeneration is equivalent to 7.5% of the caster''s health per 5 seconds. The regeneration scales with the skill''s rank.]

    ...

    [Skill Name: Counter]

    [Information: Chances for the skill to activate is raised to 22.5%]

    ...

    [Skill Name: Quick Step]

    [Information: Sudden speed increase is raised to x3 of the original speed of the caster.]

    "If I raise my health by upgrading [Endurance], the amount regenerated will also go up." He thought to himself, adding all the bonus attribute points that he gained to [Endurance].

    With all the preparations done, Zeke went to sleep strategizing in his head as his body rested.

    The following day, Zeke left the house early. He finished four [Optional Quests] before leaving which includes:

    [Clean the House]

    [Take a Bath]

    [Cook Breakfast]

    [Eat Breakfast]

    All of which offered only [1 Skill Point]. It didn''t matter though. Zeke thought that the reward itself fits the difficulty of these quests and, he thought of how gamified everything feels now.

    As he entered the guild, all eyes immediately went on him. He can already see malice in their gaze but pretended not to notice. He just wanted to register and get a quest so that he could pay Felroy while also stacking up experience points.

    "Good Morning, how may I assist you today?" A woman on the reception counter of the guild asked.

    "I''d like to register as an adventurer." Zeke said.

    "Of course sir, please fill up this application form." The woman said, handing out a sheet to Zeke.

    "That includes all the rules and regtions of the guild, signing it would mean that the guild itself will not be held responsible for any damage or danger that you get yourself into during a quest." The woman said, smiling as the words came out of her mouth.

    Zeke browsed through the 20 pieces of paper that included the rules. He was able to finish quickly because of [Inner Archive], the same skill he used to speed read through all the books in the library. After this, he signed the contract and handed it to the female receptionist.

    Zeke then handed the single piece of gold coin that is required in order to finish the contract. The receptionist nodded and handed Zeke a [White Guild Card]. The size of the item is as small as a credit card and, it has a magical property of registering the power of its current holder. The card updates regrly making sure that there is integrity in the data of an adventurer.

    As Zeke held it, a faint white glow appeared. The color changes depending on the power of the starting adventurer and, white means that he is below Level 20.

    [Information Update]

    [You have registered as an adventurer.]

    [All quests you undertake within the guild will have a corresponding reward.]

    "I knew this would happen." Zeke thought to himself, forcing back a smile as he went to the mission board of the guild. He looked for a mission that would enable him to practice with his current [Skills] and [Attributes].

    "Hey there new guy." Zeke turned to find a man with spiky hairing near him. He has a sword at the side of his waist, implying that he is a swordsman of sorts

    Behind this person is a big and bulky guy, with arge shield on his back. There are two other men on the group, both of which seem to be archers. And, thest person is a woman holding a staff.

    "Taking a mission on your first day?" The leader asked. Zeke saw their names and levels through his Analysis and, quite frankly, their levels aren''t that high yet on Zeke''s standards.

    [Name: Marin Dario]

    [Species: Human]

    {Specification: Swordsman]

    [Level: 21]

    [Name: Boulder Gelf]

    [Species: Human]

    {Specification: Shielder]

    [Level: 20]

    [Name: Mark Swiftfoot]

    [Species: Human]

    {Specification: Archer]

    [Level: 19]

    [Name: Kram Swiftfoot]

    [Species: Human]

    {Specification: Archer]

    [Level: 19]

    [Name: Allesiah]

    [Species: Elf]

    {Specification: Spellcaster]

    [Level: 21]

    Zeke decided to y along with this group. He saw how good some of their equipment are and thought that, if they try double - crossing him, then he could just fight his way out of the situation.

    "Yes I am. Though I''m kind of new to all this so I don''t know which missions I should take." This is aplete lie of course. With the Gamer''s System synching with the guild missions, [Analyze] can now see the rank of difficulty for each mission.

    "Is that so? Then would you like toe with our group? We need one more member for a dungeon quest we took." As soon as the group''s swordsman said this, a quest window popped up.

    [Optional Quest: Join Marin''s Party]

    [Reward: 1 Skill Point]

    "Really? I''d love to. Although I am not good with any weapon." Zeke replied wanting to have the upper hand with this group by hiding hisbat abilities.

    "Oh. That''s fine. You can just be the party''s porter." The swordsman said.

    Zeke held back a smile as he epted their invitation. There wasn''t even any nning involved after he got recruited. They immediately went on their way, traveling until they reached Elysium''s great forest and, within it are the various monsters of every rank.

    "Our objective is to find the heirloom stolen by the goblins inside thisir." The swordsman said as they approached a cave.

    "If you''re all set, then let''s get to it."

 Chapter 12: Bonus Stage

    Chapter 12: Bonus Stage

    "Twins!" The swordsman shouted as the archers took down a couple of goblins.

    From outside, the cave looks like a small enclosed space but, once you get inside, it''s actually huge with enough space to fit a three-floor house. The reason behind this is because, their actually goes deeper underground, making the space wider as the group moved along and, increasing the number of monsters as well.

    "Dammit! How much further do we need to fight Allesiah?" The swordsman shouted to their mage.

    "Just a bit more." The mage said, also feeling tired from all the monsters they''ve encountered thus far.

    As for Zeke, he''s having trouble holding up the bag as he continued picking up various things dropped by the monsters.

    "These stuff?" he said as they began, pointing at the clubs used by the goblins.

    "Yup. Those can be sold for a reasonable price in the ck market." The shielder answered but, Zeke thought otherwise.

    As he used [Analyze] on everything, he saw that none of the materials are actually worth much. The durability is even weak and yet, certain people would buy these things in bulk. With this useless collecting, they continue on. Zeke also learned that, unless he''s the one who killed the monster, no loot will drop just like in some games that distribute items automatically.

    "Fireball!" Allesiah shot three approaching goblins while the tank rushed forward, blocking the goblin shamans as they casted their spells.

    The fighting continued for a while longer and, Zeke observed all their movements carefully. He thought of how he could kill them off once they try betraying him.

    "Okay let''s rest here for a while." The swordsman said after the group of goblins were eliminated.

    The group sat down and, Zeke took out the rations which the party has prepared. Understandingly, there isn''t any for him, with the swordsman saying ''we weren''t able to pack extras because we wanted to move quickly''.

    "I''m just going to take a piss." One of the archers said.

    "Seriously? Get a bit further man we''re eating here." The leader replied.

    Just a bit more and the quest would be over with. Zeke probably doesn''t have to fight these adventurers because, everything seems fine. Yet, he can''t shake the feeling of something else being inside this dungeon.

    "Marin!" The archer shouted,ing back and forgetting to ce his thing back inside his pants.

    "F*ck you ruined a perfectly good sandwich!" Their leader said as he saw it swinging sideways. Even Allesiah looked at it and smiled at how small it is.

    "I found something!" The archer said, finally able toe back to the group and hiding his wood.

    The party immediately packed everything up and went to where Kram directed. It''s hiding behind a boulder so one won''t be able to notice it right away but, there is a symbol on the ground, one that adventurers are familiar with.

    *Whistle*

    "Fes we got ourselves a secret dungeon!" The swordsman said with a widening smile on his face.

    Zeke also saw the information about secret dungeons on the adventurer contract. Clearly stated there is the fact that, contents of a secret dungeon which an adventurer party finds requires that, its contents be split 70  30. With the lower percentage going to the guild.

    Secret dungeons always include riches and, most of the time it is safe. Making a lot of adventurers wealthy as they chance upon it in their missions. But, if it''s otherwise, then the group can only expect the worst.

    "I don''t know about this." Allesiah said, worried that the secret dungeon may be dangerous.

    "Ohe on, this is a low level goblinir! If anything, only wealth waits for us beyond this symbol!" Every other member thought the same as Marin. That''s why, when they put it to a vote, the decision was inevitably to go inside.

    Zeke worried about this as much as Allesiah did. Greed consumes a lot of people and, if there are tons of loot inside, then these people may actually try to finish him off.

    "Let''s get going then!" Marin said as he pressed on the symbol, creating a blinding sh of light.

    The transportation only took a second and, immediately, they are ced inside a dark room with torches lighting it at every corner.

    "This doesn''t look good." Zeke thought to himself, feeling a cold breeze pass through his body.

    It didn''t take long for eyes that gleamed yellow appear beyond the darkness. Everyone stepped back and created a formation, with the Shielder being in front and, everyone else aligned to back each other up.

    "I told you this was a bad idea." Allesiah said in a low and trembling tone.

    "S-shut up. We''re going to get past this." The leader said as the eyes in the darkness multiplied. Soon after,rger ones appeared and, as these figures stepped out into the poor lighting provided by the torches, Zeke''s [Analyze] immediately took effect.

    [Name: None]

    [Species: Undead]

    [Specification: Goblin Skeleton Soldier]

    [Rank: E+]

    [Health: 1,000]

    [Mana: None]

    [Name: None]

    [Species: Undead]

    [Specification: Goblin Skeleton Archer]

    [Rank: E+]

    [Health: 1,000]

    [Mana: None]

    Hundreds of these appeared, not counting therger ones that made the ground shake as they moved.

    [Name: None]

    [Species: Undead]

    [Specification: Hobgoblin Soldier]

    [Rank: D->

    [Health: 5,000]

    [Mana: None]

    "Allesiah, how long do you need before you can create an exit portal?" The leader said, shaking as the numbers of the enemies grew.

    "I don''t know, probably an hour." She replied.

    "Well what are you waiting for? Get to it then!"

    The monsters didn''t wait for the party to make any further moves. They started attacking from every direction. The Shielder created arge wall of earth that blocked the attack but then, arrows came flying in.

    "Twins!" The leader shouted, making the archers of the group fire arrows that exploded upon reaching a certain height. This created enough wind to throw all the skeleton''s arrows away from the group. But then the hobgoblins started bashing through the wall, denting it in the process.

    Aside from this, there are skeletons who have already climbed on top of the wall. The twin archers are able to shoot down some but, the number of skeleton soldiers that climbed just kept increasing. Soon after,rge portions of the wall have been destroyed, making the swordsman rush forward in order to meet the enemies that tried toe near.

    *Sigh.*

    "We''ll all die at this rate." Zeke thought to himself, finally dropping the group''s luggage to the ground.

    "Shielder, can you make another wall?" Zeke asked, bringing his sword and buckler out of his inventory.

    "What? Why?" Boulder responded, concentrating on keeping the wall''s toughness as the monsters kept trying to destroy it.

    "Just answer the question." Zeke continued, standing at his side.

    "Yes. I can still make two." He replied.

    "Okay. Create a wall as soon as I pass through." Zeke continued, stretching his legs and his shoulders.

    "Why should I listen to you?" Boulder replied, thinking how stupid it is for a newbie to go and fight a hundred skeleton soldiers and archers all on his own.

    "Just trust me on this. You''re out of options right?" Zeke replied.

    "I hope you know what you''re doing." Boulder said, agreeing to the idea.

    With this Zeke activated [Mana Conversion] raising all of his current attributes in the process. He then sprinted away from the group, surprising Boulder with his speed. As soon as the swordsman and a few soldiers were passed through, Boulder created another wall leaving the first wall and the hobgoblins destroying it for Zeke to handle

    He immediately sprung up, surprising his enemies and, without a moment''s hesitation, bashed his shield on the head of a hobgoblin.

    This left a huge crack, making the Hobgoblin drop to its knees. As soon as it did, Zeke took the sword it is using that is now stuck on the wall. With all his strength, he swung it sideways as hended on the ground. Catching a dozen of skeleton soldiers and taking off his grip on it.

    The sword went flying a bit further away, giving Zeke enough time to get two swords from the scattered remains of the soldiers he hit. There are still some hobgoblins on the walls but, Zeke thought that the party would be able to handle those.

    Meanwhile, he continued pressing on. Hundreds of arrows rained down on him, making him use [Quick Step] twice in order to get out of range. This left him with only 200 mana points, making him rush towards reducing the number of archers.

    These artillery type enemies tried to get away but, Zeke didn''t allow it. He stayed within their ranks, making it difficult for the archers tond anything. The hobgoblins also came here and, as he dodged these gigantic enemies'' blows, some archers and soldiers came as casualties.

    As the fight raged on, a crystal began gleaming at the furthest end of the dungeon, summoning a creature through the miasma of defeated goblins.

 Chapter 13: The Conjurer

    Chapter 13: The Conjurer

    As Zeke continued fighting through the ranks of the enemies, a few attacks have made their way to his body. Arrows and sword shes all got their fair share. Though they are painful, Zeke didn''t stop moving.

    The [Lesser Regeneration] skill which he invested a lot of his points on and his [Endurance] stat healed himpletely, tearing his clothes in the process but leaving him virtually undamaged. He continued in this assault until, the effects of [Mana Conversion] started wearing off.

    Meanwhile, Allesiah has already created a portal, strong enough to let three people through.

    "Marin the portal started opening!" Boulder shouted at the swordsman who is now worn down as he tried fending off two skeleton soldiers. A lot more skeleton monsters passed through the second wall, making the twin archers panic. They only had a few arrows left. Once these are depleted, they''d have no way of helping in shaving down the waves of enemies. And, this was enough to fuel their betrayal.

    "Outta the way!" They said, jumping through the portal and, shrinking it in size making transport only avable for one more person.

    "Idiots!" Allesiah shouted.

    The problem with the portal spell is that, the initial mana cost is toorge for it to be casted twice. Thus, sorcerers need to concentrate as they channel more mana into it, making the portalrger in order to make it possible to transport more people.

    "Boulder!" Marin shouted as the second wall began crumbling. This is also because of the twins who pushed him, breaking his concentration on the spell.

    "Those morons!" Boulder shouted as he ran to help out Marin. Allesiah also wanted to make a run for it but, she just couldn''t leave her allies behind.

    "Fireball!" She shouted, hitting three more soldiers that were able to pass through.

    However, this is not enough as two hobgoblins also made their way through the walls. These monsters dashed toward Marin who is now on the ground after fending off the two skeleton soldiers.

    "Come on buddy, we can get through this." Boulder said as he helped Marin get up.

    "Thanks." Was the swordsman''s reply.

    Soon after, the swords of the hobgoblins came down on them. Boulder was able to respond in time and shielded the two of them from the attack. This used up some of his mana which means, he now doesn''t have enough to create a thirdrge wall.

    "Marin, a little help here." He said, as it took all his effort to carry off the weight of the heavy metals. However, Marin had other ns.

    The swordsman activated [Quick Step] running out of the portal and closing itpletely. Allesiah was not able to stop him anymore because she is focused on firing spells at the hobgoblins in order to stop them from killing Boulder.

    "ASHOLES!" Allesiah shouted,pletely infuriated.

    Zeke looked back as the walls that crumbled down. He saw that the portal is not there anymore, confirming his worst assumption.

    "Ahh, these people are a mess." He said out loud, getting another shield that was just lying on the ground and tanked his way through the leg of a hobgoblin. His enemy came falling sideways, hitting another hobgoblin and making them both fall in the process. He then took the sword that they dropped and, used the side of it to bash the heads of these fallen enemies.

    He estimated that there are at least 30 archers, 25 skeleton soldiers and 4 hobgoblins remaining. The number dwindled significantly as he fought through them but, now that [Mana Conversion] has finally reached its limit, he''s not sure if he can still beat them all.

    "Woah" Allesiah said as she and Boulder finally defeated the two hobgoblins with much effort.

    They saw the battlefield before them. The decreased number of opponents. And Zeke standing on top of a hobgoblins that have just been destroyed.

    "Okay, that''s definitely not something you''d see every day." Boulder said as he got up. They wanted to go help Zeke of course but, there are still a lot of skeleton soldiers preupying them at the moment.

    What Zeke didn''t know is that, he has already leveled up a couple more times as this fight went on. Right now, he''s gone past [Level 20] with the system updating as the fight went on. He wasn''t able to see this of course as he muted all notifications as soon as they entered the dungeon.

    With his current level, Zeke was able to make it past the remaining enemies. However, tired as he is, he had a hard time doing this. Hence, he was not able to react as thest of the hobgoblins made a swing for him. If it weren''t for [Counter] activating, he would''ve beenpletely sliced in two as, his body automatically moved, cing his shield in front of his chest. This flung Zeke away, sending him back to the corner where Boulder and Allesiah are.

    The shield he used broke at the process. Some bones also got shattered, making a cracking sound upon impact.

    "Oi, are you still alive?" Boulder said as he rushed to where Zeke is. He created a smaller version of the wall, using up all his remaining mana in the process.

    "I think so." Zeke said, failing to get up and looking as if he''s about to run out of air.

    "Hey, don''t go dying on us now." Boulder continued, seeing Zeke''s eyes close little by little.

    "I''m just gonna take a little nap." Zeke said as he finally lost consciousness and, it is at this time that he interacted with the system.

    "Good grief." Boulder said.

    "I-is he dead?" Allesiah said in a frightened tone. Arrows came flying inside the wall but Allesiah prevented them from hitting by creating a thin barrier.

    "The kid''s sleeping." Boulder replied.

    "Will thatst?" He continued, pointing at the barrier.

    "I hope so, I''m almost out of mana." Allesiah replied.

    As this happened, the crystal inside the secret dungeon finallypleted charging, sucking up the remaining skeleton soldiers and archers and, collecting all the scattered bones on the battlefield. Boulder and Allesiah heard all this and prayed that, whatever woulde next, their sleeping porter would wake up to help them face it.

    "Crap, I lost conscious?" Zeke said, not feeling his body anymore.

    He wanted toe back immediately but, this isn''t something he can control if his body is too tired and weakened. All he can hope for is that he''d wake up sooner rather thantter, knowing that his body isn''t lying anywhere safe.

    "Unmute status updates."

    [You leveled up!]

    [You are now level 21.]

    [9 skill points are given as reward.]

    [9 attribute points are given as reward.]

    [System has updated to version 1.3]

    [The next update will be avable at Level 30.]

    [System Feature: Job ss Specification]

    [Please choose from the list of Job sses avable.]

    As Zeke went through the list, he momentarily forgot about the fight that''s still ongoing. He forgets about everything else once he begins a certain task and, this is the reason why he was able to fight wlessly earlier.

    "There''s a lot of boring stuff mixed in here." He told himself, looking at job sses that are too strength dependent, agility dependent, or intelligence dependent. Having only one of these and focusing merely on it would greatly reduce his capacity at others that he may be able to do. Thus, he kept on browsing, figuring out which ss would benefit him even in the long run.

    Then, time seemed to stop as he finally made his choice. A wide grin grew on his face as he felt the excitement rush through his body.

    "Oh I''m definitely having fun when I wake up." He said out loud, clicking on a job ss that is near the end of the list.

    [Job ss: Conjurer]

    [Job ss Rank: F->

    [Information: Creates an animated copy of a dead monster. The substance used for conjuring is pure and dense mana.]

    [Information: Conjured monsters earn experience points each time they sessfully defeat an enemy. They can be respawned if they are defeated, as long as the owner has enough mana.]

    [Information: All skills of the conjured monster are avable: Active, Passive, Continuous, and Scaling.]

    [Information: Conjured monsters can bebined in order to create a stronger monster from the same species. This feature is limited to creating one mutated conjure per day.]

    [Information: Conjuring stronger monsters require more mana however, maintaining them in battle does not cost anything.]

    Zeke then went to the skill shop, already knowing what skill he''d buy with the points he just received.

    [8 Skill Points] This is the leftover reward from the [50 points] he got by acquiring information about Mythos.

    [6 Skill Points] He got this from all the acucmted [Optional Quests].

    [9 Skill Points] This was gained when he leveled up.

    Adding them together, Zeke has a total of [23 Skill Points] which have yet to be used. With what he has, these are the skills Zeke bought and their prices:

    [Skill Name: Legion''s Banner]

    [Cost: 7 Skill Points]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: All creatures summoned by the caster gain additional 5% Endurance and Health.]

    [Skill Name: Alpha''s Domain]

    [Cost: 7 Skill Points]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: All creatures summoned by the caster gain additional 5% Strength and Speed.]

    [Skill Name: Merlin''s Blessing]

    [Cost: 7 Skill Points]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: All creatures summoned by the caster gain an additional 5% Mana and Intelligence.]

    [Skill Name: Lesser Mana Increase]

    [Cost: 1 Skill Points]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: The passive''s owner gets a 2% increase in their total mana.]

    Zeke then went to the item shop and, bought mana potions, consuming most of the money he has in the Gamer''s System thus far.

    "Let''s have some fun." Zeke said as his body began waking up.

 Chapter 14: Triple Threat

    Chapter 14: Triple Threat

    "Boulder hang in there! We''ll get through this!" Zeke woke up to the shouting of the spellcaster named Allesiah. His eyes quickly adjusted to the surroundings and felt how his regeneration kicked in, healing all the bones that the [Hobgoblin Skeleton] was able to break.

    "I need to rank this skill up; it''ll work wonders in the future." He thought himself as he got up from the ground.

    "I''ll hold them off as long as I can! Just focus on that spe  AHHH!"

    "Nooo!"

    Flying toward Zeke''s direction is Boulder whom he caught with his arms after activating [Mana Conversion]. They hit a wall in the process but, nevertheless, Zeke didn''t break any more bones. It''s a good thing that he activated the skill because, the man weighs as heavily as his name, like a goddam boulder.

    "Yo!" Zeke said as he dropped the man from the princess carry position.

    "P-please h-help her." The shielder was able to say, pointing to Allesiah before he lost consciousnesspletely.

    Allesiah is still unaware that Zeke finally woke up. She''s busy shooting what seems to be a freezing spell that has caught threerge figures that loomed in a distance.

    As Zeke looked at them, the names and ranks quickly came up.

    [Name: Muz''th Az''thul]

    [Species: Undead]

    [Specification: Goblin Skeleton Champion]

    [Rank: D]

    [Health: 10,000]

    [Mana: None]

    [Name: Jut''zal Zht''ais]

    [Species: Undead]

    [Specification: Goblin Skeleton Priest]

    [Rank: D]

    [Health: 8,000]

    [Mana: 1,000]

    [Name: Az''ghul Mol''thaw]

    [Species: Undead]

    [Specification: Goblin Skeleton King]

    [Rank: D+]

    [Health: 10,000]

    [Mana: 1,000]

    "Oh you guys aren''t going to stay hostile for long." He thought, smiling with excitement from the thought of being able to get three stronger monsters.

    All around him, Zeke can see blue mes on where the monsters have died. There is a timer that counts [5:00] minutes, meaning any death thates after this counter are rendered useless.

    Zeke took mana potions from his inventory and, after consuming enough to regain his mana, he held more vials in between his fingers. Meanwhile, the monsters have already escaped the spell, breaking the confinement of ice as a strong force of wind came.

    Zeke held Allesiah as she was about to faint from exhaustion. As soon as he did, three meteor-looking orbs of fire came after him. He got Allesiah and used [Quick Step] thrice. Bringing Allesiah safely at the side of Boulder.

    The Champion quickly made a run after them but, Zeke simply jumped on top of it as he said:

    "Conjure."

    The tongues of fire grew in size and the room became filled with a hair-raising blue light. Soon after, figures started forming. The shade of blue dominates their color as they are made from mana. The monster Zeke is riding on got engulfed in the process, thrashing about and making Zeke jump off of it.

    He then drank from the [Mana Potions] he has, throwing the empty containers and getting more from his inventory.

    "Conjure." He repeated, making the room even brighter. The skill has a harder time creating animated versions of stronger monsters at its current rank. Thus, Zeke needs to repeat the skill a couple more times. This doesn''t ensure that he could raise the [Hobgoblins] however, it does increase his chances.

    The three monsters shouted as they fought with the small goblins that have appeared but, Zeke didn''t n on making them rest. Not one bit. With his three skills, [Legion''s Banner], [Alpha''s Domain], and [Merlin''s Blessing], in effect, the [Conjured] monsters have be stronger  raising their rank by one. Meaning, right now, the [Hobgoblins] are as strong as the Champion and the Priest.

    Two of these came out sessfully after the second activation of [Conjure]. The [Hobgoblin Conjures] immediately charged with all three enemies having great difficulty in handling the mass of monsters.

    "Pathetic." He thought as he stood at a safe distance with two conjured skeleton soldiers at his side. Unfortunately, all the remaining souls have broken after the second attempt. Leaving Zeke with more than half of the archers and soldiers and two hobgoblins.

    The enemies didn''t stand a chance and, was immediately overpowered. Zeke has half of his mana remaining, And, while he thought that the battle is already over, the [King] shouted, surrounding itself and its two subordinates in a red aura.

    As Zeke looked at them, he saw a great difference.

    [Name: Muz''th Az''thul]

    [Species: Undead]

    [Specification: Blood Goblin Skeleton Champion]

    [Rank: D+]

    [Health: 15,000]

    [Mana: None]

    [Name: Jut''zal Zht''ais]

    [Species: Undead]

    [Specification: Blood Goblin Skeleton Priest]

    [Rank: D+]

    [Health: 10,000]

    [Mana: 2,000]

    [Name: Az''ghul Mol''thaw]

    [Species: Undead]

    [Specification: Blood Goblin Skeleton King]

    [Rank: C->

    [Health: 15,000]

    [Mana: 2,000]

    The ranks of the monsters and their specification changed. Meaning, the King has a skill that forces an evolution on hisrades. Immediately, the two [Hobgoblin Conjures] and a lot of the small conjured monsters got destroyed.

    "Conjure." Zeke said, raising them up again and drinking more [Potions] in order to restore his mana. However, he wasn''t worried at all. In fact, his smile grew even more from the strengthened opponents.

    "Conjure Mutation."

    At this, his monsters screamed and became a single great blue me. Both the Champion and the Priest tried hitting it but, everything that came in contact with the me simply got burnt.

    At this, the monsters focused their attention on Zeke. Something that he knew would happen soon.

    [Mutation Failed]

    [Mutation Seeded!]

    [Goblin Skeleton Grand Soldier is made.]

    [Mutation Seeded!]

    [Mutation Failed]

    [Mutation Seeded!]

    [Mutation Failed]

    [Mutation Failed]

    [Mutation Failed]

    [Mutation Seeded!]

    Game windows kept popping up around the great blue me and, while this continued, Zeke grabbed two swords thaty on the battlefield, dashing toward the three enemies.

    He knew that the [Conjure Mutation] would take time so he fought these monsters head on, relying on [Quick Step] and the newly activated [Mana Conversion] to get him through the battle.

    The Priest fired meteors at him but he avoided each attack, getting sted away by being in its radius. He hit a wall in the process and, the [Champion] leaped to slice him up. Zeke used one of the swords to stab the wall, preventing him from falling. He then lunged himself up. Stepping on the sword as the [Champion''s] sword came  shing the wall below his own.

    He then jumped up as another meteorite came. He dodged again but quickly remembered that, a st will be made after.

    "Crap." He said, as the st flung him mid-air. The [King] smiled at this enemy being beaten down. It stood perfectly still with its sword held in front. Waiting, like a [King], for its men to finish the dirty work.

    Another meteor came at Zeke while he is in the air and, upon the moment of contact, Zeke used [Quick Step]  using the meteor''s surface as his footing in order to get away. The st still hit him and, he''s sent back to the ground, tumbling a few more meters away before being able to stand again.

    His leg got burnt, this is the price he paid for trying to step on a flying ball of me. And also, his back suffered the same fate as he was nearer within the st radius this time around. The pain kept on agonizing him brutally but, as the [Lesser Regeneration] kicked in, his wounds began healing.

    The Champion didn''t give him time to heal thesepletely. It made a leap, throwing its sword beforehand to where Zeke is. With a half-healed leg, Zeke jumped away using [Quick Step]. The Champion reached the same location soon after and took hold of its sword again. Meanwhile, the ground began trembling, making Zeke jump up. It''s a good thing that he did because, spikes came up from where he stood.

    Zeke ced the blunt part of his sword below his foot and used it as his footing in order to avoid getting pierced. But then, the ground shook again, signaling another wave of these spikes. Zeke used another [Quick Step] moving further back, with the Champion, running through the spikes, ready to hit him.

    As hended, the Champion is already there. Meteors came flying towards him and, while he ran out of steps to make during this bout. The conjuring mes finally finished. With a dark blue figure rushing in, hitting the Champion with such force that, it is sent flying toward the meteors. Both vanished in an instant, leaving ashes of the Champion in the process.

    The King howled at its fallenrade and finally took up its sword.

    "Took you long enough." Zeke said,pletely healing his leg and his back as he looked at the newly conjured monster.

    [Name: None]

    [Species: Conjured Skeleton]

    [Specification: Goblin Grand Knight]

    [Rank: D+]

    [Health: 10,500]

    [Mana: 2,500]

    As the three passives of Zeke took effect, the monster grew even stronger. Raising its rank to [C->. The conjured monster wielded a single sword together with a shield made of dark blue mes. Its whole body is covered in dark blue armor, with the small openings showing a raging me hiding inside. Its helmet looks like something worn by a real knight, creating a figure that looks more human than monstrous.

    As the [King] neared them, Zeke gave a single order to his [Knight].

    "Devour."

 Chapter 15: Of Monsters and Men

    Chapter 15: Of Monsters and Men

    Zeke jumped up and, was caught by the de of his Knight. The conjured monster then flung him out of the sword, sending Zeke flying towards the Priest. The monster activated a barrier in the process but, was still sent flying from the force of the attack. Zeke broke some bones on his legs because of this and, right now, he''s vulnerable to the King''s attack which is just standing next to him.

    "Hi there." He said, as the King swung its sword down it him. This didn''t hit as the Knight already arrived, blocking the blow with its shield and, swinging its sword at the King''s feet, throwing the monster off bnce.

    "You handle that thing." Zeke said, healing his legs after 20 seconds and running towards the priest.

    The King growled but, it couldn''t get away from the Knight who is a betterbat type monster. The King had its eyes gleam in a bright red color, suddenly getting stronger yet again. The Knight noticed this and got off from its enemy.

    Meanwhile, Zeke has already reached the Priest whom he stopped from creating another spell by hitting its staff. Only a portion of the staff got a crack in the process and, the Priest used a shorter range spell, creating five summoned skeleton soldiers to fight for him.

    "Really?" Zeke said, rushing toward these monsters and destroying them instantly. The diversion was, however, enough for the priest to summon spiked vines which ran after Zeke.

    He sliced through these vines and got the bones from the defeated summons. He used these to bash through the staff once again, leaving arger crack.

    The Priest then created another spell as Zeke picked another set of bones. It''s a sort of gravitational spell that tried to suck him inside. As the pull got stronger, Zeke used [Quick Step] five more times, draining his manapletely but, getting out of the spell''s range.

    He then hit the staff onest time, breaking it in two. The priest tried to grab its small human enemy but, Zeke jumped away. He then used the wall at the back of the priest as his footing and, kicked the monster at the back of the head. His attack had enough force to move the priest enough for it to reach the area of the spell that it created.

    The priest tried to w its way out of the spell but, without its staff, the spell cannot be cancelled until it has finally consumed enough mass to clog the hole in the fabric of space. The priest screamed as it met its inevitable end while Zeke saddened at the sight of it.

    "This probably means I can''t conjure the priest." It thought to itself thinking how the monster will bepletely wiped out of the room.

    With a final scream, the priest gotpletely devoured, making Zeke sit down as he waited for his leg to heal once again.

    "I need to find a spell connected to pain nullification next." He told himself, feeling tired from the continuous barrage of overwhelming pain that this fight has given him.

    As he looked at where the Priest vanished, three items of different colors gleamed. A white item, a gray one, and another with the green color. Zeke''s [Analyze] activated as he moved towards the items. He started with the green item, until he ssified the white one.

    [Item Name: Jut''zal Zht''ais Staff]

    [Usage Level Requirement: 25]

    [Durability: 0/100]

    [Rank: E+]

    [Information: The prized weapon of a goblin priest. The staff is a spellcaster type weapon which increases the potency of spells by 5%]

    [Item Name: Mage''s Robe]

    [Usage Level Requirement: 5]

    [Durability: 80/100]

    [Rank: F]

    [Information: A spellcaster type armor which increases the potency of spells by 5%]

    [Item Name: Mana Ne]

    [Usage Level Requirement: 10]

    [Durability: 83/100]

    [Rank: F+]

    [Information: Increases the mana of the wearer by 200 points]

    He ced the staff and the robe inside his inventory while he wore the ne around his neck. The ne is made from a thin dark rope, tying a small blue gem on it. As soon as he wore the ne, he looked at his mana which has now increased.

    "This''lle in handy." He thought to himself as he now focused his attention on the battle between his Knight and the King.

    Based on strength alone, the King seem to overpower the knight but, with thebat abilities of Zeke''s conjured monster, it was able to ovee this difference. The King swung its great sword at the Knight which was once again blocked using the shield.

    With this, the King got the shield hooked to the tip of his de which has a crescent shape. As he raised his sword, an opening is made on the Knights armor. The King immediately retracted his sword, twisting its body as it hit the Knight''s armor.

    Zeke''s knight crashed on a wall with a part of its armor being destroyed; revealing the mes that hid underneath. However, it wasn''t the only monster that got damaged. As the King made this swing, the Knight used its sword to make its own sh. Hence, it looked at its opponent who now has only a single arm left  unable to lift its great sword properly anymore.

    Zeke''s knight then ced its shield in front while it hid the sword held by the other hand  with its arm bended and its shoulder stretched back. The knight then used a variation of [Quick Step] mixed with another skill that strengthened both the defense of its shield and the offense of its sword, covering both in darker mes.

    The King did its best to even get its bnce back as it positioned its great sword in front to block. But, the sword simply got shattered as the shield collided with it. The Knight''s sword then came next, piercing through the chest of the King which is now wide open. The blow created a burst of blue mes at the back of the King, shattering all its bones and destroying itpletely.

    "That''s one strong summon." Zeke told himself as his conjured Knight approached him. The monster knelt in front of Zeke. Ity its shield and its sword on the ground, each being at the side of the monster. Then, it bowed its head as if waiting for something to happen.

    "Oh it must want to get acknowledged." He thought to himself, seeing something like this happen in medieval setting games.

    There aren''t any swords nearby so Zeke just took out the staff he just looted and stood up, with his legpletely healed.

    "You. My Grand Knight are now dubbed" Zeke thought of all the cooll names that undeadmanders and knights have, then he finally found one suiting his champion.

    "Samael."

    The name originated from a heavenly host who is famously known to be a Grim Reaper. A living manifestation of destruction who is both kind and cruel, Samael is the chief of Dragons and the Prince of Darkness.

    The monster''s eyes glowed yellow as it stood up and ced a closed fist to its chest. Then, Zeke dispersed the summoned monster leaving him and the remaining members of the party within the Secret Dungeon.

    Zeke tried getting the Champion and the King but, he failed at [Conjuring] both of the monsters, feeling a bit irritated by not having even a single one of the three. However, luck was still on his side as, the loot dropped by the King, the Champion, and all other skeleton monsters he destroyed are now waiting to get picked up by him.

    He saw all the colors lying around the room and only picked up the ones that glowed blue and green with nothing of a higher caliber being present. He wanted to get everything done before the two woke up so he left the sorting forter, putting all that he picked up inside his inventory.

    After getting everything done, he summoned Samael again, making the monster carry Boulder while Zeke carried Allesiah. They carried the two adventurers to a safe spot inside the dungeon and then, proceeded to finishing the main task.

    Compared to the monsters inside the secret dungeon, the normal goblins inside their are easier to deal with. The leader of the group is a shaman whom Zeke was able to finish with a single slice through the neck.

    After all this, Zeke tried summoning all the monsters present as Samael picked up all the loot that was lying at the end of their.

    "Conjure."

    The mes grew bright until, all the goblins came sessfully out of the spell. Zeke didn''tbine them anymore thinking how a bunch of small fryckeys would be a good diversion in a fight. All of them are warrior type monsters except for the shaman who is a spellcaster.

    Zeke tried giving the robe to this monster thinking that, whatever he owns can still be used by others and it worked. With the robe being worn by the shaman, its stats have increased by a noticeable amount but, still remained on its current rank.

    He regretted not getting every item on the Secret Dungeon as the portal is now closed but, it couldn''t be helped. The space in his inventory is limited an there was barely enough room to fit all green and blue tagged items.

    At this, Zeke went back to Boulder and Allesiah who have just woken up.

 Chapter 16: Night Changes

    Chapter 16: Night Changes

    "Solet me get this straightyou beat every single monster inside the Secret Dungeon? Including the three that just spawned?" Allesiah asked.

    The level of disbelief that Allesiah has at the moment is like her saying: "So you skydived while drinking coffee and, even did 300 flips in the air without spilling a single drop of coffee?" That is how iprehensible the current situation is.

    "Uhseeing as how both of you are still alive, I guess you should believe me right?" Zeke said, holding the stash of loot he got from the end of their. He ced it inside a makeshift bag, getting a huge cloth and tying all the things he doesn''t need inside it including, the mission''s objective.

    "A newbie huh. And on your first day too." Boulder replied, lying back as he thought of how all of this seem unrealistic.

    With this, the group finally moved out of their. Allesiah kept asking Zeke about the details but, he only gave her bits of information leaving out the part of: "Hey I can now summon a whole legion of goblins."

    Inside the town, the three tried to find the party members that betrayed them. A failed expedition or quest requires that an adventurer should report back to the guild. Otherwise, the adventurer license is taken back from a person.

    This is because, a failed quest means that there are more variables that came into y. There are two which outweighs every other reason.

    First is, the mission may be more dangerous than it was first thought to be. If this is the case, then the party that took it has the obligation to report back to the guild. This is in order to properly raise the level of the request and, also its rewards. So many adventurers have died before because the grade of the mission they took turned out to be one or even two grades higher.

    The second reason is that, the guild is built on the people''s trust. Meaning, quests that are taken in by a party should be either cleared or reported to fail. The quest will then go back to the board. The reason for this is that, the people making the requests would wish for the task they paid for to be cleared. Unless a party reports that a mission is cleared, the guild will believe that the said party is still out there and finishing the request. If the time of dy is too long, people willin and go to other sources like bandits in order to fulfill their requests.

    However, Zeke and the remaining party members did not find the double-crossing group inside the guild. The report was also not made which made things even more difficult. There is no adventurer in their right mind who would not report a failed quest.

    "What''s going on here?" Zeke thought.

    "A SECRET DUNGEON?" The receptionist shouted so loud that everyone inside the guild heard her. A lot of murmuring started including some loud words from other adventurers.

    "Marin''s party found a secret dungeon?"

    "Where is it?"

    "Oi receptionist, get the request posted! My party will clear that ce!"

    "IT''S A MONSTER DUNGEON AND YOU CLEARED IT!?" The receptionist shouted again in disbelief. No one can me her though. Usually a secret dungeon is reported back to the guild before it is explored. Also, nobody has ever cleared a dangerous secret dungeon and havee out with all their parts intact.

    At this, the adventurers all stood up. The uproar became even louder as these people came closer to where Allesiah and Boulder are.

    "Well you see" Allesiah started.

    "Crap." Zeke immediately rushed to the scene. He took two requests from the board with him before proceeding. However, people have now huddled around Boulder and Allesiah, making it hard for Zeke toe through.

    "I better get Samael out before that girl says something." He thought to himself, not wanting any of the attention thates with his aplishment.

    Zeke knows that in a world like this, being a famous adventurer means that his life will always be in danger. Also, aristocrats wille looking for him, recruiting him to be their personal aides and all that. But Zeke didn''t want to take part in any of that.

    "Actually, we were able to find a secret button that summoned a monster to help us. However" Boulder stopped Allesiah from talking any further. Zeke made a sigh of relief as he heard the big man spouting out lies.

    "it came at the cost of Marin and our twin archers." Boulder said, soundingpletely overburdened with the information.

    "Whoa, who knew he could act so well." Zeke thought to himself, hearing how Boulder delivered his words so believably.

    The murmuring went down into gentle words, consoling both Allesiah and Boulder.

    "Damn those monsters."

    "Bartender, give these two a drink. ce the tabs on me!"

    "Hey guys, let''s give them some space. Move move."

    Zeke saw the drama unfold and tried his best not tough. He saw Allesiah hiding her face, probably also giggling from the dramatic disy of Boulder. At this, the adventurers went back to their previous positions, leaving the two with the receptionist.

    "Who knew you were such a good actor." Zeke said, going near Boulder.

    "I once took drama lessons." Boulder said, with Allesiah still hiding her face in her palms, letting the soft sound ofughter escape her lips.

    "Ummmcan I get the details now please?" The receptionist said.

    "Oh right of course but, please refrain from shouting like that again Ma''am." Boulder replied.

    "I''m sorry. I''m sorry." The receptionist said, bowing her head before the transaction resumed.

    The group returned the heirloom and got the money from the guild. Boulder didn''t worry about the lie that he made thinking that, the three would probably never return to the town. With the reward money being given, the group went out to have a little meal somece else.

    "Ehh you''re gonna quit being an adventurer?" Allesiah said as Boulder spoke of retirement.

    "Hey calm down." Boulder replied, letting Allesiah gain back herposure before he continued.

    "I have a family that I need to take care of. With what happened today, I''ve realized that being a life risking adventurer is probably not the best way to do that."

    "Plus." Boulder pointed at Zeke.

    "I don''t think the guild needs much of what I can offer if newbies like him start appearing."

    Zeke didn''t respond to this. He couldn''t exin that he''s actually a professional gamer from another world who was given a system that made him stronger. Hence he only thanked Boulder and diverted the conversation elsewhere, asking if it was okay to lie about the deaths of Marin, Kram, and Mark.

    "They probably ran off somece else. Abandoning your party in the middle of a mission has a serious punishment after all." Allesiah said, getting all wobbly as she ced her drink back on the table.

    "HmmI see. Then you two should divide all the items that has been collected." Zeke said, referring to the bag full of normal items that the group were able to attain.

    "What about you?" Boulder asked.

    "It''s fine. Besides, I can''t have a retiring adventurer go on empty pockets right?" Zeke isn''t actually worried. With the number of real items that he got from the Secret Dungeon, he probably has enough to pay for Felroy and be on his way.

    "U should get yeeer shaiiirre, waddaya mean you won''t get suum?" Allesiah said.

    "Allesiah did you drink beer again?" Boulder said in a worried tone.

    "Shaddup Rockiii!" She said, pointing at Zeke instead of Boulder.

    "Ahh this is bad, she''s doesn''t handle liquor very well." Boulder said.

    "Just hold on to the items for now. If I don''te to get my share after a week, you''re free to do whatever you want with it." Zeke replied, wanting no further objections from the two.

    "Boo. Boo." Allesiah replied, dropping her head to the table as she spoke. Both men didn''t reply to her anymore, knowing that she isn''t a decent part of this conversation anymore.

    *Sigh*

    "If that''s what you want kid. But could you handle Allesiah for now? Her house is on the other side of town." Boulder replied, finishing his meal and taking all the loot.

    Zeke looked at the drunk woman and wanted nothing to do with her. But Boulder can''t carry any other load so, Zeke just epted it.

    The group dispersed with Zeke assisting Allesiah whose arm is ced over his shoulders. She''s all wobbly but Zeke could manage with his current skills. But she kept wobbling that, Zeke got irritated. The other side of town is still a far way from where they are.

    "Heave Hooo!" Allesiah said, pushing Zeke and making them both drop to the ground. Sheughed as this happened and started moving as if she''s making snow angel on the ground. At this Zeke finally snapped.

    "That does it. Mana Conversion!" He held Allesiah on his back and tied her hands around his neck. Then, Zeke started jumping from house to house.

    "Yippeeee Yooo!" Allesiah said.

    "Don''t you dare vomit on me." He said to the drunk sorceress.

 Chapter 17: The Contract

    Chapter 17: The Contract

    Zeke finally arrived at Allesiah''s house. Seeing how drunk she is, Zeke thought that it''s now his responsibility that she''s properly put to sleep. Hence, he stayed a while longer, pushing the sorceress inside the bathroom after checking that she wouldn''t slip or identally stab herself once she''s inside.

    "Wash yourself." Zeke said, irritated as the door of the bath is still open, with Allesiah refusing to move.

    "Are we gonna do it?" Allesiah said, blushing.

    "Are you an idiot?" He replied, as he closed the door and stayed just outside it.

    As this happened, Zeke finally took off the mute on his notifications thinking that, there would be a surging number of aplishments now.

    [You leveled up!]

    [You are now level 27.]

    [6 skill points are given as reward.]

    [6 attribute points are given as reward.]

    "Summarize the quests with the same amount of rewards." Zeke said before the system continued updating.

    [Understood.]

    [Optimizing Data]

    [The Sub Quests: Eat Dinner and Assist the Sorceress have beenpleted.]

    [1 Skill Point is given as a reward for each quest.]

    [The Sub Quest: Find the Missing Heirloom has beenpleted.]

    [3 Attribute Points are given as a reward for each quest.]

    [The Sub Quests: Complete the Dungeon and Save Boulder and Allesiah have beenpleted.]

    [3 Skill Points are given as a reward for each quest.]

    [The Sub Quest: Defeat Az''thul has been cleared.]

    [4 Skill Points are given as a reward.]

    [The Sub Quest: Defeat Zht''ais has been cleared.]

    [A scroll of sorcery is given as a reward.]

    [The Sub Quest: Defeat Mol''thaw has been cleared.]

    [Mol''thaw''s de is given as a reward.]

    As soon as thest quest finished, the de of the King which Samael defeated came to Zeke''s arms. It shrunk significantly, now being a great sword that is big enough for him to carry. As he used analyze on the de, he smiled at what he found.

    [Item Name: Az''ghul Mol''thaw''s de]

    [Usage Level Requirement: 30]

    [Durability: 100]

    [Rank: D+]

    [Information: The prized weapon of an ancient Goblin King. It is said that the steel is crafted from the melted des of all the foes he defeated, condensing it into a sword that houses a hundred more inside.]

    [Information: The de is an evolving weapon. The strength of this de grows with its owner and, various skills will be avable with every evolution.]

    [Information: Makes the wielder a more potent de user, giving a 5% damage increase when using any kind of de. Leaving it in the inventory will still activate this passive.]

    Zeke smiled again, wanting to test the de right away but, he couldn''t do that for now. Human as he is, his body still needs to recover. No matter how much regeneration he can do, his body still gets tired and worn down. Hence, after babysitting Allesiah, he ns to go home and get some shut eye.

    Just before Zeke thought that the updates have finished, another thing showed up. New missions which includes the ones he took from the board and, something very suspicious.

    [Sub Quest: Destroy the Viper Bandit''s Encampment on the North of the Forest]

    [Sub Quest: Destroy the Viper Bandit''s Encampment on the South of the Forest]

    [Sub Quest: Find the Hidden Viper Bandit Lair]

    [Optional Quest: Find the three missing members of Marin''s Party]

    If there is one thing that Zeke is sure of, it''s that the system will continue handing out sub quests that are connected to him. No matter how simple they seem at times; with cleaning and taking a bath included, there are stuff that it has made him do thus far that are of more importance. At this he remembered how a [Memory Piece] was provided by defeating the bandits.

    "If I kill them off on the hideout, I may be able to gain more information." Zeke thought to himself, remembering how he only got general information from the books in the library.

    At this, Allesiah finally came out of the batpletely naked. She tried to hug Zeke but he was able to dodge her as she dropped to the wooden floor  still soaking wet.

    "Get a towel on!" Zeke said, looking away.

    It''s a good thing that he didn''t see anything. The steaming from the bath was so thick that, he didn''t see her body clearly. But now, as shey on the floor, her ass isplete exposed as the steam started thinning out.

    "Samael!" Zeke summoned his most trusted monster and, Samael went out prepared to fight. Instead, all the monster got is a hug from behind. Samael looked at its master, confused with the current situation.

    "Yerr so hard." Allesiah said.

    *hic*

    *hic*

    "Get her dressed." Zeke said, looking away from the scene and proceeding downstairs.

    "I hope she remembers every bit of this in the morning." Zeke told himself, wanting to see the female sorceress embarrassed about her actions. Zeke thinks that it''ll serve as a reminder for her to not drink liquor in the future.

    "Clean up this house." Zeke ordered, making the two conjured goblins salute at him before they went on and began tidying everything up.

    As the monsters did everything for him, Zeke slouched at an armchair on Allesiah''s living room. His eyes started closing on their own and Zeke tried to stop this but, the overwork he did the whole day has finally caught up to him. There wasn''t much resistance as Zeke finally fell asleep.

    "Look at this guy, sleeping in my house after getting me through so much trouble." Allesiah said, looking at Zeke who is still sleeping soundly on one of her armchairs.

    Her memory ofst night is all a blur. The embarrassing things she did are hazy and, she instinctively felt that it''s better to leave them that way.

    "Hey get up, it''s morning already." Allesiah said.

    Zeke woke up immediately without making much of a fuss.

    "Oh, good morning." He replied, snapping his neck as he bended it, still remembering all he went through because of Allesiah.

    "Breakfast is ready, you should eat some before leaving my house." She continued.

    At this they began eating, with Zeke being thankful that he has at least beenpensated with a decent meal.

    "So what do you n to do now?" Zeke asked Allesiah knowing that she is now on her own. Boulder quitted being an adventurer and three of herpanions are missing.

    "I actually thought about that when I got up." Allesiah said.

    "If you don''t mind"

    "No." Zeke replied, knowing what she''ll say already.

    "But you don''t even know what I''ll be asking yet." She continued.

    *Sigh*

    "You want to form a party with me correct? Seeing as how I was able to finish that dungeon all on my own, you n on being with me to ensure that all your expeditions and quest will be safe." Zeke replied, cing half of the sunny-side-up inside his mouth.

    "Uhhh"

    "You also thought of ckmailing me by telling everyone that I was the one who singlehandedly cleared it. But then you thought of how that would attract even more people to get me once you depose that information."

    "Uh"

    "Oh and you also think that convincing me would be easier if you feed me with a nice breakfast."

    At this, Allesiah broke into tears and started pounding on the table. Zeke picked up his cup of coffee, seeing as it might spill.

    "What am I supposed to do? I got nowhere else to go! All other parties have their own mages already and I can''t risk venturing to other towns all on my own!" Sheined.

    "That''s not my problem is it?" Zeke replied, enjoying how the sorceress broke down.

    "But I still want to get stronger! I want to be the best sorceress in thend! I can''t do that without facing stronger opponents and going to more difficult quests!" She said.

    At this, Zeke finally got interested. If there''s anything that he likes more than overwhelming strength, it''s training underdogs until they reach that stage of overwhelming strength.

    "Okay." Zeke said.

    "Really?!"

    "Yes. But! Under one condition."

    "Okay. Anything. I promise to agree to your terms!"

    "Okay then." Zeke snapped his fingers, a kind of contract in mid air. This is another skill that he bought while his real body slept. He knew that things might turn to this so he prepared by buying a skill that creates a very contract.

    This, of course, does not only apply to Allesiah. All the [Conjured] monsters of Zeke have this contract automatically applied. And why is this you ask? Well, you''d understand once you read the skill.

    [Skill Name: Phistophilus'' Contract]

    [Cost: 17 Skill Point]

    [Rank: Unranked]

    [Skill Type: Active]

    [Mana Consumed: 500]

    [Information: A contract derived from the devil who housed various demonic creatures. The contract chains all ves and contracted monsters together, making them share in any experience gained. An extra 10% experience is given to each that shares with the distribution.]

    [Information: Killing the master of the contract will result in the automatic summoning of all creatures, not disappearing until the murderer has been eliminated.]

    [Information: The skill owner can set an expiry date for the contract.]

    Through this skill, every contracted being will share in the experience gained. Plus, this ensures the loyalty of Allesiah as, breaking this contract will automatically result in her death.

    "Use this to see the skill details." Zeke handed the female elf an item that could be bought from the guild. It is a nk sheet of paper which gets the information out of thest skill seen by the one who uses it.

    At the moment, it is only the contract which Allesiah has seen and, to remove all her doubts and suspicions, Zeke wanted her to see the information about it.

    "Part of the details of our contract will be: One is I won''t murder nor sell you off. I will also treat you as I would treat myself. Another is, I''ll allow you to set the end date for the contract."

    The contract caught Allesiah off guard of course but, she knew that Zeke is a capable person. Plus, the conditions are also favorable for her. Thus, she signed it, epting to be Zeke''s ve in order to get stronger.

 Chapter 18: The Viper Bandits

    Chapter 18: The Viper Bandits

    "Wait! Don''t we need to prepare first?" Allesiah said walking beside Zeke.

    "There isn''t any time for that, the longer we wait, the lesser our chances to catch them at their encampment." Zeke replied.

    Right after finishing the contract, the two headed out to fight the Viper Bandits. This was Zeke''s initial goal after all but, he needed to make sure that he is strong enough. Hence the reason why he had to go with an adventurer party before going back to his main objective.

    "But those bandits are strong. They are human and, unlike monsters, they are crafty." Allesiah responded.

    "Oh my, I thought you wanted to be the strongest sorceress in thend?" Zeke taunted.

    "I do! But I at least want to be alive when that happens."

    *Sigh*

    "Just quitining and trust me on this." Zeke replied.

    Before noon came, the two of them have already reached the area where the Viper Bandits have made their camp. They aren''t within the real camp of course because, that ce will surely be filled with traps among other things.

    "What now?" Allesiah asked.

    "Now, you hold back your scream." Zeke answered as he conjured thirty goblins.

    Zeke covered Allesiah''s mouth before she could even shout. He then ced his pointing finger on his lips, making the ''shhhh'' sound. Allesiah nodded and Zeke immediately took off his hand.

    "What in the name of Nisha is this?" Allesiah said.

    "These, are your friends." Zeke replied.

    "What do you mean friends? Okay first off, how did you even get these guys?" Allesiah asked.

    "You need to calm down okay? I''ll exin everything to youter but before that, these guys have a mission to do." Zeke said.

    He then instructed the goblins to scout the area, looking at every possible ce where there would be traps and merrily stepping right into them. They all appear in Zeke''s [Minimap] so he now knows where the traps are being held and, something else even came out  the bandits themselves.

    "What''s happening?" Allesiah said, not sure of what''s going on.

    "Oh right you''re there. Okay let me just fix the settings for a while."

    Suddenly, Allesiah can see arge map unfolding before her. Voices are also heard because, Zeke turned on the voice chat option. Making him and Allesiah clearly hear the monsters he conjured. This is what the bandits said over the voice chat.

    "What the hell are these things?"

    "Are those goblins?"

    "Boss there''s more around this area."

    Zeke and Allesiah heard how the goblins now engaged inbat. From the sound of it, the goblins are losing.

    "Okay, this is where you step in." Zeke said to Allesiah.

    "What am I supposed to do?" She replied.

    "Fight them of course." Was his answer, motioning his hands for her to go.

    "Are you crazy? That''s a whole group of bandits! How can I even measure up to those guys?"

    "You see, that''s the problem. The moment you think that you are underhanded in a fight, you''ve already lost." Zeke said.

    "Climb up to a spot where you can see me. Watch." He said moving away.

    "Where are you going?"

    "Isn''t that obvious? I''m going to fight all of them by myself."

    "That''s easy for you to say. You''ve got summoned monsters to help you out." Allesiah replied.

    "You think I can''t manage without them?" Zeke had a smile on his face as this challenge was posed. Then, without a single moment more to lose, Zeke rushed through the trees in the forest activating [Mana Conversion] in the process.

    As soon as he did, he deactivated the [Conjure] skill, relying on his [Minimap] to know where his enemies are. His first victims are a group of three  all melee fighters holding scabbards while one had a brass knuckle on.

    They saw hime out of course but, it was so sudden that he caught them by surprise. It wasn''t until he was in the middle of the three before they started reacting.

    "Catch him!" One shouted and at this, Zeke grabbed some dirt from the ground and spun around, hitting their eyes with dust.

    "Ack! My eyes!" Those were thest words one of them said as Zeke continued to slicing their necks  making sure that they cannot scream. He then took the bombs that one of them had. As a bandit group, having reckless damaging items is one part of the criteria. He ignited three of these and quickly threw them at where the main camp is.

    The bombs soon exploded but, they didn''t reach the ground which meant that there are no casualties. But Zeke also had this in his ns. He rushed to the next group which created the sound of arrow shots while his goblins were being killed earlier.

    "Yo!" He said as he reached the group. The archer tried to hit him but he made his way and grabbed one of the melee weapon bandits. He then pushed the bandit to the tree where the archer is staying at. Then, the bomb he ced at the back of the melee bandit exploded, hitting also the archer on the tree.

    There is still one more enemy left and, Zeke quickly ended this guy''s life with his de.

    "Thises next." He said as he converted the bandit clothing into his costume. Hiding his real weapon and clothing underneath it.

    Zeke then rushed to the main camp shouting: "There are adventurers at the south!" Making the bandits rush out to meet the enemies.

    "Good work." The man that came close to Zeke had a stronger appearance.

    He didn''t even need to rely on the [Analyze] to understand that, this is the group''s boss. He then walked toward this enemy and, upon reaching the perfect range, he dashed forward and stabbed the man. However, his enemy has good reflexes so the stab was avoided  with the enemy''s hand gripping on his wrist.

    "What do we have here?" The bandit leader said.

    "A bomb." Zeke replied, holding the item with his other hand. At this, the leader backed off and, Zeke immediately threw it to a tent nearby.

    "Ha! You''re wea ." Before the leader could even finish what he was about to say, a second bomb exploded. Zeke actually activated two, dropping one while holding the other in his hand. By making his enemy focus his attention on the thing he is holding, the other bomb that he dropped on the ground remained unnoticed.

    "Okay, let''s clean up the rest of this mess." He said to himself, collecting the loot he found while also hunting down his enemies one be one. Then, he finally returned to Allesiah, without a single wound on his body.

    "Tada." He said.

    "Show off." Allesiah replied.

    "Like I said, the moment you think that you are underhanded in a battle, you have already lost." Zeke said, with a smile on his face.

    "But you still used an amplification spell." Allesiah tried to justify.

    "I didn''t use my summons that time and, only relied on a single physical boost skill which I didn''t even amplify much." This much is true, Zeke only used 100 mana on the skill, making him much weaker than when he faced the skeleton goblins.

    "Do you know how I won? I used this." Zeke pointed to his head.

    "In a battle, information is always crucial for victory. What the terrain looks like, where the enemies are positioned. Their skill level and, the items they are using forbat. Thinking about all these things and acting on them quickly greatly increases your chances for victory."

    Allesiah couldn''t respond anymore, knowing that all Zeke said is true.

    "Does that mean you understand?" Zeke asked, with Allesiah still failing to respond.

    "You know, for a disciple, you''re quite prideful." He said, smiling at the spellcaster.

    "Okay then. Since you made your master fight those monsters for you, I''m guessing you''re prepared for the consequences." Zeke continued.

    Allesiah''s face winded in horror as she saw the expression on Zeke''s face. She knew exactly what he''ll do next. He''s going to use her body until she can''t move anymore.

    "NOOO!"

    A few hourster, the two have reached the other encampment of the Viper Bandits. Zeke performed the same procedure of sending out the [Conjured] Goblins first and then, as soon as the bandits showed up, he ordered Allesiah again.

    "Knock yourself out." He said, this time Allesiah followed his orders and went to fight. However, he didn''t let her go without any guards. In fact, he kept the summons in order to assist her. Even [Samael] is summoned but, Zeke kept his prized monster in reserve thinking that, if he send it out, it may juts do all the dirty work for Allesiah.

    "Let''s just watch and see what she can do for now." Zeke said, excited to finally begin training a real sorceress and making sure that she reaches her goal.

    "I''m going to train you until even the Demon Lordpares to nothing but an insignificant slime."

    Soon after, the explosions began  signaling the start of Allesiah''s battle.

 Chapter 19: Magic Battle

    Chapter 19: Magic Battle

    "This is hopeless!" Allesiah turned on a shield spell as a couple of bombs are thrown at her.

    The fight has already begun but, unlike what Allesiah thinks, this encampment is actually a lot bigger than the first one. Zeke didn''t tell this to her knowing that she''d back out before even trying. Because, what this means is, there are more bandits. And, a higher chance for stronger enemies.

    "I need to conserve my mana." Allesiah thought, shifting the angle of her shield so that the bomb will be deflected to another enemy.

    This created enough momentum for Allesiah to activate [Shadow Orb], a spell that allows three orbs to float around her. These orbs are sustained by Allesiah''s mana. The mana cost for casting them is high but, the sustained drainage of mana is quite low. Thus, Allesiah can even maintain these for a whole day. That is, if she doesn''t cast any other spell.

    Allesiah began manipting the orbs, with each fighting a different enemy. The spell requires that the caster control them manually. At her current level, Allesiah can only control three orbs but, it is said that 10 orbs can be controlled simultaneously by a spellcasting veteran.

    With the continuous assault of Allesiah, the three banditsy lifeless on the ground. All around her, she can also hear the goblins doing their best but, for the most part, they are the ones that get killed.

    "This isn''t going too well." Allesiah thought to herself, as a new set of bandits found their way to her.

    An explosion was immediately made ah she was caught off guard. This chunked away a part of her already weakened shield as she is flung to the air. She thought of how these enemies are too much for her but then, she remembered the words of Zeke:

    "The moment you think you are underhanded, you already lost." The words kept nagging her, automatically irritating her and, causing her to move immediately.

    Seeing one more bandit with a bomb in hand, Allesiah fired an orb at the bandit, causing an immediate explosion. This instantly killed two other bandits who stood near the first one. An arrow is then shot at her, deflected again by her shield and causing her to point all her orbs at where the attack was made.

    "I just want to get this over with." She said, now a bit irritated.

    The fights took her longer than Zeke. Allesiah has always been used to the idea that a spellcaster only needs to stay in the backlines and provide support. She has never seen or heard of a mage doing a whole raid all on their own.

    "Hey how are things going there?" Zeke said through themunication channel.

    "What do you think?" Allesiah said, all grumpy as she took down two melee  weapon bandits that came for her.

    "I think there are still a lot of enemies to go around." Zeke answered sarcastically.

    "Don''t you think you should help if that''s the case?"

    "Nah, you can do it. Besides, you''re almost at their settlement." Zeke replied.

    "AHHHHH!" She shouted, making more bandits know her location.

    In all her years as being a female sorceress, she has never met someone like Zeke. Someone who''d be willing to put a woman on a life threatening situation all on her own.

    "Idiot!" She shouted  making the orbs fly out and meet up to where the rustling of the leaves and the sound of twigs breaking areing from.

    Soon enough the orbs have met their targets, killing off more opponents in the process. Allesiah reactivated her shield, clearing out all the dents and walking cautiously toward the camp. But then, something bothered her.

    On the direction of the camp itself, there is nothing but silence. On other asions, she''d love this peace. But right now, all it does is make her even more nervous.

    "Why is it so quiet?" She thought to herself.

    Then, as she took another step, a magic circle glowed on the ground where her foot is.

    "Cra-" An explosion soon followed, with multiple magic circles floating above where she is. These started shooting out earth bullets at her as the smoke from the explosion rose.

    "I was worried at who our kind intruders might be." One person said. The figure floated at the air, stepping on what seems to be his sorcerer staff.

    "And here we are, shocked to find a single sorceress picking a fight." Another sorcerer said,ing out from behind the trees.

    As the smoke rose, they fired another set of spells. One seems to be an expert on explosion spells while the other focuses on earth manipting spells.

    "Earth golem!" One of them said, creating a monster made of earth. It immediately went inside the cloud of dust, with the sorcerer bandits making sure that their enemy cannot escape.

    "Field Mine." The other one said, spreading multiplend mines all over the area where the explosion happened. As he did, he floated up on a tree, ensuring that he won''t get caught in any explosion.

    Sure enough, more explosions happened making it difficult to see through the area. Three more sts were made. This made the explosion mageugh at the sight.

    "Hahaha! That''s right! Keep on trying to wriggle your way out." He said. Then, five more explosions came, thickening the cloud of smoke that has already formed.

    "Wait. Something''s not right." The floating mage said, trying to get a closer look on what''s happening. Then, in a swift moment, something hit his staff which made him lose his bnce.

    "GOLEEM!" He shouted, wanting the monster to catch him before he drops to any mines. But then, the golem didn''t respond.

    In a state of panic, the mage tried to cast another spell but, without his staff, he couldn''t create anything more. The other mage wasn''t able to diffuse the mine because, the smoke prevents him from seeing what''s going on.

    All he knows is that his partner shouted and thatanother explosion came. Then, without a moment''s dy, there were two more explosions, making a figure shoot up towards his direction.

    He tried moving away again but then, another thing came which flew even faster. It went around his area a couple of times until his limbs and his staff all got broken. Therge figure that flew finally reached him at this point and, with iting close, the mage saw that it is the sorceress, still alive.

    Allesiah then hit the orb on his opponent''s windpipe, stopping him from chanting any more spell.

    "You know, when I imagined that men woulde hitting on me at one point in my life, this isn''t how I picture it to be." Allesiah has her clothes all torn, with her legs almost being left bare. Her shirt is also in pieces and, there are various wounds on her body. Fortunately for her, she was able to concentrate the mana of her shield on the ground. This left the other parts of the shield vulnerable but, prevented her from dying due to the first explosion.

    There were the rocks that followed of course and, she took quite a beating from these as her shieldpletely vanished. But, with the orbs still with her, she spun them around making them hit some of the earth bullets. This prevented any fatal damage being made.

    As the smoke from the explosion rose, she stayed in the middle of it all, hearing the next spell being made. She stayed at her spot, knowing that explosion spells can''t be ced at the exact same location twice within a short interval.

    Then, she saw the goleming for her. She easily dismantled the monster, pointing all of the orbs on its foot and, making it step on a lot of mines. She followed this by making her orbs hit even more explosive mines, thickening the cloud of smoke even more. Then, just as it did, she measured out where she heard the voices of her enemies.

    She quickly followed through by attacking what seems to be a floating enemy  as the voice just came overhead. Luckily, she was able to hit him at one go and, with this spellcaster''s golempletely destroyed, he fell into the minefield, being a victim to the explosions in the process.

    The next one is easier. She simply made a thicker andrger shield  pointing it at the ground. This caused an explosion with enough strength to propel her. As the explosions happened, the bandit thought that his enemy is getting battered and, this has created the scenery we now have.

    "You thought I''m an easy target huh?" She said, with the enemy not being able to fight back as he cannot even fire any spells now.

    "If you like explosions so much, then you should go try them yourself." At this, Allesiah pushed his enemy to the ground. This created two more explosions and, as the dust cleared, Zeke was already there, witnessing the victory of his ve.

    "Look at you." He said, with a wide smile on his face.

    "Honestly, I didn''t think you''d have it in you." At this, Allesiah lost consciousness. The battle took too much from her, mentally and physically.

    Zeke caught her from the fall and immediately clothed her with a cloak that one of the bandits had.

    "You did good." He said, carrying her on his back again as they proceeded to the camp of the enemies.

 Chapter 20: The Viper Bandits Headquarters

    Chapter 20: The Viper Bandits Headquarters

    "How''s that mister doing so far?" Chrono came inside the room, disturbing Nisha who spectated on the progress of Zeke.

    "It''s impressive. He''s been handed the worst cards since he arrived at that continent yet, he''s only getting stronger. As if his strength grows in proportion to the danger." Nisha replied.

    "Well, he did get the best score on [Trial Ind] so that much is expected." Sinir came inside shortly after.

    The three deities have just finished meeting with the minor deities. There are, after all, a lot of heroes deployed on various worlds. Reports were made such as, which human could be a potential candidate, what new world should be created, and other things.

    Right now, these three have their interest on Zeke, the human whose potentials seem to have no limits.

    "Can we look at his stats?" Chrono asked.

    "It doesn''t'' go against the contract so we might as well do." Nisha said. At this, she opened a window and on it, are all the details about Zeke.

    [Wee Spectator]

    [The system will now disy all the information about the gamer  Zeke Elwood]

    [Beginning Transmission]

    [Name: Zeke Elwood]

    [Species: Human]

    {Specification: Conjurer]

    [Level: 27]

    [Health: 7,853]

    [Mana: 3,983]

    [The item: Mana Ne provides 200 mana points.]

    [Five points are distributed randomly to the gamer''s attributes per level.]

    [Strength: 57]

    [Speed: 54]

    [Intelligence: 59]

    [Endurance: 97]

    [Luck: 64]

    [New Features of the Gamer''s System v.1.3]

    [System Feature: Open Mic]

    [Information: Allows the gamer to telepathicallymunicate with members of a party that he joins.]

    [System Feature: Minimap II]

    [Information: Allows the gamer to mark traps and other important locations on the map as long as he has previously been there. This also applies to party members, summons or ves.]

    [System Feature: Weapon Swap]

    [Information: Allows the gamer to instantly switch weapons duringbat.]

    [System Feature: Auto Battle]

    [Information: Allows the gamer''s body to fight on its own, without being manually controlled by the gamer.]

    [End of Transmission]

    "There you go." Zeke said as hey Allesiah inside a bandit tent.

    The whole area has already been cleared as Zeke already deployed Samael to the camp. He knows that Allesiah would probably be either dead or fall from exhaustion before she reaches the bandit encampment and, he was relieved about the fact that it''s thetter of the two.

    "Samael, guard her. I''ll just go around to look at what these guys have for us." Zeke said.

    At the first area, Zeke was able to find a map. However, the explosion got half of it destroyed making it useless. He went around this camp, trying to find the same map. At the same time, he opened the notifications. He realized that, reading them all at the same time would be troublesome so he wants to do away with notifications that may have popped up during this mission.

    [The Sub Quest: Destroy the Viper Bandit''s Encampment on the North of the Forest has been cleared.]

    [5 Skill Points are given as a reward.]

    [The Sub Quest: Destroy the Viper Bandit''s Encampment on the South of the Forest has been cleared.]

    [5 Skill Points are given as a reward.]

    "This is good. I''ll need these to strengthen the skills I currently have." He told himself. He invested all the points on [Quick Step] which upgraded until [Rank C->. With the current level of the skill, he can now cover more distance with the skill while also gaining more speed with every activation.

    After this, he continued to look for items inside the encampment. There are a lot of items to go around but, with his analysis skill, he is able to minimize his search as all he focused on are greenbeled items and higher.

    "Ahhh there you are!" He said as he finally found a map. The whole thing is still in good shape and, as he held it in his hands, another window popped up.

    [You have found aplete map.]

    [Add it to your minimap information?]

    "Yes." Zeke said, knowing that this is probably for the best. The map in front of him dissolved and, another window showed up.

    [Viper Bandits Headquarters have been added to the explored areas!]

    "Expand." Zeke continued, showing him the whole map of the forest. There are some parts that are still shaded ck. This is because he hasn''t explored those areas yet but, aside from that, there is arge area deep within the forest that has a title on it reading [Viper Bandits Headquarters].

    "Finally." Zeke thought, knowing that he can now progress intopleting the main quest.

    The only problem is that Allesiah is still fast asleep. Zeke wanted to wait for her to wake up but, his whole body is just itching to finish the quest. That''s why, he made Samael carry Allesiah as they continued on to the next destination.

    It didn''t take him that long. Bypletely draining his mana using [Mana Conversion] he is able to make it to the headquarters in just 30 minutes. He then replenished his mana pool using another set of potions which he bought after selling all the useless items that are stacked in his inventory.

    The hideout is arge area that is surrounded by a thick wall of trees all round it. Nobody ever found this ce because, the bandits have ced enough traps all around to kill off possible threats. Plus, they''ve lured monsters around the area, making it look like their hideout is nothing more than another normal spot inside the forest.

    With Zeke''s enhanced physical attributes, he was able to leap past the traps and the monsters with ease, getting to a tall tree and viewing the whole camp from inside. He wanted to dive into the fight already but, he saw that there is already a brewingmotion on the ce. Explosions are made while shouts and screams followed through.

    "What exactly is going on here?" He said to himself as he inspected the area. Then, he saw a woman wearing a green cloak, jumping all over the ce with a bow and arrow on her hands. Apart from her, there is another figure with a yellow cloak, running through the bandits like they''re nothing more than sheets of paper. This yellow-d figure held a great sword, the same kind of weapon that Zeke got from the [King].

    "Those are some insanely urate movements." Hen said as he watched the green  cloaked figure. Then, an arrow almost hit this person, taking off the hood that hid the person''s face. At this, Zeke saw another silver haired woman, a color that looks simr to Allesiah''s.

    The female archer got irritated and fired and extra set of arrows at the enemy who did this. She kept on leaping and jumping, dodging all other projectiles thate. This is followed by a swift return of arrows which always hit their mark. Apart from this, any opponent thates close are met by the edges of her bow which seem to be made with a sharp de of steel.

    She didn''t even run out of arrows because, just as the she kept moving all around the ce, she also takes back the arrows that are pierced inside the dead opponents. Aside from this, she targets archer bandits, killing them off once her supply of arrows run short. She takes the supply from their quivers and continues fighting on.

    The yellow-d is not a small fry either. As he made a dash, his hood also came off, revealing a male elf. His small frame ispletely unbelievable as he moved at a swift pace, swinging the sword as if it''s made of air. Both of them kept attacking and, as of the moment, no bandits have been able to kill them off. However, there is a problem.

    "The hideout is too big." Zeke said. He was looking at the whole ce from above after all. What these two are covering is simply a third of the camp and, they aren''t even finished yet. There are a lot more enemiesing out with other bandits swarming in.

    This isn''t even the end of their problems. With the map that Zeke obtained, he understood that, the base has an undergroundyer which hides more bandits.

    "Sooner orter, those guys will pop out and, they''d bepletely surrounded." Zeke said out loud. His thoughts tend to be voiced when he''s thinking about lot of things.

    His prediction came sooner than expected. Just as the female elfnded on the ground, a part of the ground suddenly came up and, two hands came out, grabbing her ankles. She tried hitting this enemy but, another bandit came out, deflecting the bow with his scimitar. They then pulled the elf inside.

    The male elf tried to help her but, the number of enemies just kept increasing, cornering him in a single spot.

    "What''s going on?" Allesiah said as she finally woke up.

    "Ahh perfect timing."

    ''Huh?" Allesiah replied, still a bit lightheaded.

    "We''re going to attack the Viper Bandits." Zeke said, with a smile on his face.

    "Oh, you mean another small group?"

    "Oho? Come see for yourself." Zeke said, making Allesiahe closer to him as the spellcaster''s eyes widened in horror.

    "The main camp!?!?"

    "Hey pipe down will you. It''s a good thing that amotion is going on, otherwise they''d probably hear you." Zeke replied.

    "How will we even fight those guys?" Allesiah said in panic.

    "Ahhh, leave the questions forter. Samael carry her down." At this they jumped off of the tree and immediately made it to where the male elf is standing. Everyone stopped for a while, trying to make sense of what just happened and, just as some of them began targeting Zeke, he finally mouthed the word

    "Conjure."

 Chapter 21: Seeing Double

    Chapter 21: Seeing Double

    A whole group of blue colored goblins suddenly came to the scene. Zeke has distributed various items to these monsters, making them even stronger. The bandits were once again surprised but, as an official shouted ''Charge!'' everything began moving again.

    "You better start moving before they kill you off." Zeke told Allesiah whom Samael has dropped to the ground.

    Soon after, arrows came flying toward Zeke. Samael''s shield came and covered its master.

    "You can y with the bandits that areing in." Zeke told his Knight, making its eyes gleam yellow again as it leapt out of the scene. Rushing toward the iing wave of bandits.

    "You guys help that elf out." He told the goblins who started picking a fight with the bandits.

    "Allesiah you''ll also stay here." He said, picking up two scimitars from the dead bandits.

    "What about you?" Allesiah asked.

    "I''m just going to y with their bosses." He said, kicking the ground and opening the underground entrance.

    "Don''t die on me." He said to the sorceress, jumping in and making some goblins block the bandits who tried to stop Zeke.

    Upon entering the area, Zeke saw adder that lead to the surface. He wondered how two bandits came at the same time when the female elf was captured but, he let this question float in his head for now.

    His entrance is met by two bandits who seem to be the guards of the area. He swiftly ended the life of one bandit as he stabbed through its chest, leaving one of the scimitars there. Then, he made a quick motion which the other bandit wasn''t able to follow though. Soon enough, he''s already at the back of his enemy. He then slit this opponent''s throat. Leaving both bandits dead at the scene.

    The ce itself is huge. At Zeke''s map, every area of this ce is already seen, withbels on various areas. This includes traps, prisons, treasures, and where the bosses are residing. His only problem is that the ce is filled with explosives. This ensures that, if the bandits get ambushed or killed, their treasures will still be safely buried underneath the ground.

    "I need to be careful about this." Zeke thought to himself, putting on his bandit costume and heading inside.

    As he walked along, he encountered multiple routes. He first went to the ce where all the weapons are being held. He saw multiple bandits running out of this route, probably going to the surface to help out.

    "I don''t think so." Zeke said, activating [Quick Step] twice and, beheading all these opponents in the process. He can''t risk having them shout for help so he needs to attack them in the most efficient way possible.

    "Oi move a bit faster! We have intruders that need to be taken care of!" A bandit said as soon as Zeke went through the door of the weapon storage room. As the bandit kept nagging, Zeke suddenly disappeared from his sight, leaving a scimitar sticking though his throat.

    "Perfect." Zeke said as he viewed all the blue mes that have now sprung from the corpses of the in bandits.

    "Conjure." At this all the mes turned into bandits, giving him a total of 10 new monsters to use. He then left these monsters at the weapon storage, knowing that more bandits wille inside.

    "Kill every bandit thates through that door." Zeke ordered as all the conjured bandits went inside. Soon after, the door opened again and, Zeke immediately nted his fist to this bandit''s gut. He then threw the poor victim inside, hearing the person scream as Zeke made his way to another route inside their.

    Zeke repeated the process various times. Leaving conjured monsters at every part of their as he ran deeper. Soon enough, he reached the area where the captives are being held, thinking that the elf would also be there, but he found something else entirely.

    "So this is where you guys went." He said as he finished off all the bandits guarding the prison.

    "Am I seeing right?"

    "It''s the newbie!"

    "We''re saved!"

    Inside the cells are the three missing members of Allesiah''s former group. All of them look battered and beaten up and, are nowpletely naked, with ropes tying them up.

    "What makes you think I''ll save you?" He replied, thinking how these three abandoned him even though he''s the one who fought in the frontlines of the [Secret Dungeon].

    "Please! We''ll offer you anything!" Marin said, with tearsing out of his eyes.

    At this, Zeke formed a menacing smile on his face. If there is one thing that he cannot tolerate, it''s backstabbing people. He knows that these three will just run off when dangeres and, would not think twice of betraying him once they get a chance.

    "Anything huh." He continued, opening the cell anding for the captured adventurers.

    "The quest only mentioned that I need to find you three." He said out loud, swinging his scimitar.

    "W-what are you nning?" Marin said, in a state of fear.

    "Ce on man, that''s not a good joke." One of the twin archers continued.

    "You said, you''d do anything right?" Zeke said.

    "Then die for me." He swiftly ended the lives of these three adventurers. Slicing through their necks and giving them a swift death. At this, their blue mes came out.

    "I''ll have better use of you guys as Conjured monsters." Zeke said, raising the three from the dead. As he did, the three appeared stark naked but he didn''t focus on this, he focused on their status after getting conjured.

    [Name: Marin Dario]

    [Species: Conjured Human]

    {Specification: Swordsman]

    [Rank: D]

    [Name: Mark Swiftfoot]

    [Species: Conjured Human]

    {Specification: Archer]

    [Rank: D->

    [Name: Kram Swiftfoot]

    [Species: Conjured Human]

    {Specification: Archer]

    [Rank: D->

    "Just as I thought." Zeke said to himself.

    There are two things that changed with the conjured versions of the three adventurers that he killed. One is that, their species have changed to being conjured humans and, the title [Conjured] changed their ssification from humans, into monsters. This can be seen with how they are now ssified with ranks instead of levels.

    "For now, I''ll hide you guys." Zeke said, as he went on to his next destination which is the ce where all the loot is being kept. This area sits right next to where the three bandit leaders are staying.

    If you ask why they aren''ting out to fight that''s because, the years of collecting loot have made them greedy and possessive. They want to make sure that all the loot is safe while their men risk their lives to fight. But this also means that they may possibly be at the loot area. Something which Zeke is also prepared for.

    He wore his costume again, blending in so that the bandits will not panic. The explosives kept him from going all out. Although he wanted to just go berserker crazy on all of them, he can''t because, Allesiah and the two elves would probably get killed in the explosion.

    "Hey what are you doing here!" A figure came close to Zeke. This enemy was about to go inside the loot area. Zeke''s [Analyze] activated, showing the details on the opponent in front of him.

    [Name: Al-Kuz Al-Haddar]

    [Species: Human]

    {Specification: Bandit Leader]

    [Level: 30]

    "This guy''s going to be troublesome." Zeke thought to himself, seeing the level of his enemy being higher than his own.

    However, he didn''t falter. His mind already coursed through the various methods of how he can win the fight most efficiently. He did this while also starting a conversation with the bandit leader.

    "I was told to secure the loot sir!" Zeke replied, making the leadere closer.

    "Oh? Then please be my guest." The bandit leader said, turning around and walking away.

    Zeke was about to go inside when arge figure suddenly came at his back. He used [Quick Step], being able to dodge but, still getting his clothes torn, with a small slice being made. The green smoke came from the cut, making him feel a surge of pain before his regeneration closed the wound.

    "Next time you lie, make sure that you''ve got a better excuse." The leader said, making more footstepse toward them.

    "You see, I''m the one in charge of the men who guard the loot. And I sure as hell didn''t order anyone to do that." He continued, rushing toward Zeke.

    He got up but then, started seeing double. Making it difficult for him to block the attack or even dodge. With this, he stepped back. But the move was made a bit toote as another sh found its way to Zeke''s stomach. This time being deeper than the first cut.

    "I see that my poison is kicking in." As his enemy spoke, Zeke saw three copies of the bandit leader instead of just two.

    "You see, adventurers can heal all sorts of wound but, my poison doesn''t actually do damage to you guys. It enters your bloodstream and, as soon as it creeps up to your brain, you start seeing multiple versions of me." He exined, kicking Zeke in the stomach which opened up the wound that was just about to close.

    "A lot of you has regeneration but, adventurers who focus on cleanse spells aren''t that many. Why is that? Because only high-level monsters can cause this kind of debuff. Lucky for you, my sword here is made from an ancient demon and, let me tell you, it''s got enough poison tost a lifetime."

    "You talk too much." Zeke said as he stood up with his woundpletely healed. The enemy in front of him is still three but, he already thought of a way to deal with this person. He dashed away using [Quick Step] and said:

    "Conjure."

 Chapter 22: Clearing the Viper Headquarters

    Chapter 22: Clearing the Viper Headquarters

    "What the hell are these?" Al-Kuz said as he is faced with the conjured versions of the three adventurers. The three are stillpletely naked and weaponless. However, their ranks are enough to make them capable opponents.

    "Hold him off." Zeke said, running away as he looked at the minimap.

    "You''re not getting away!" His enemy shouted, killing off the archers after a couple of strikes.

    "Captain what''s happening?" two bandits came out of the loot area, fighting off the remaining conjured monster.

    "Hold that thing for me and call out the other captains. I''ve got an enemy to catch." He replied.

    Soon after. He followed inside the passage that Zeke went to. There, he saw his enemy, standing perfectly still at the end of the route.

    "You''ve got nowhere to run now." He said, pointing his sword at Zeke.

    "That''s some nasty poison you got there." Zeke replied.

    His enemy only smiled and dashed forward again. The poison is still in effect and, Zeke can still see three copies of his enemy but, that didn''t matter.

    He used [Quick Step] surprising his enemy at the sh-like speed and, soon after, Al-Kuz felt cold steel pierce through his stomach.

    "You bastard!" he said, gripping on to the Zeke''s arm.

    "You''ve got nowhere to run to now." He said, being able to move even after the blow.

    As Al-Kuz swung his sword downward, Zeke made a fluid motion. Using the other scimitar in his left hand, he sliced off the hand that''s holding on to his arm. He didn''t leave a moment of rest after this. He jumped up and ced himself on top of Al-Kuz shoulders and, without a second of hesitation, he snapped his opponent''s neck  making the towering figure drop to the ground.

    "AhhhI feel so dizzy." Zeke said, looking at the blue me that now came out of the bandit leader''s body.

    The reason why he went inside one of the routes is because, he noticed how every route''s space gets tighter as one moves further inside. Thus, at the end of each route, the space is as dense as could be. With his enemy being a huge person, there won''t be much room for movement so, the only option of attack is to dash forward.

    With this in mind, Zeke only needed to lower his whole body and use [Quick Step] in order tond a blow. Thus, he ran toward a route, making Al-Kuz think that his opponent is actually running away where in fact, Zeke is actually luring him to his death.

    cing both his des forward, Zeke dashed toward Al-Kuz; hoping that one of them hits. Sure enough, one of the scimitarsnded. The next part was also something that Zeke expected. Once in range, the opponent can grab him and he wouldn''t have anywhere else to go. But this also applies to his opponent. Thus, if he can deliver the first blow, he''d already win the battle.

    "Everything is spinning." Zeke said as beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead. He used [Analyze] on the de and, it took all his effort just to focus on it.

    [Item Name: Al-Kuz''s Scimitar]

    [Usage Level Requirement: 30]

    [Durability: 75-/100]

    [Rank: D+]

    [Information: An item forged on the Dwarven continent of Mithril. Any opponent that is struck with the de will start seeing illusions of everything around him/her.]

    "I''ll deal with all of the detailster. For now, I need to prepare for the next fight." He tough to himself, feeling the footsteps of the enemies closing in.

    He then went to the blue me of his dead opponent and, used [Conjure] on it. The first attempt failed once again; irritating Zeke. However, on the second attempt, he seeded.

    [Name: Al-Kuz Al-Haddar]

    [Species: Conjured Human]

    {Specification: Bandit Leader]

    [Rank: C->

    "Here, get your weapon." Zeke said, handing the scimitar to the conjured version of his Al-Kuz.

    Without much time for rest, the new enemies havee. Thispletely destroyed the covert mission that Zeke was trying to perform.

    *Sigh*

    "Let''s just get this over with." Zeke said, making Al-Kuz rush toward the bandits. The new monster defeated them all with ease and, though he isn''t as heavily defended as Samael, Al-Kuz makes up for it through its overwhelming physical prowess.

    Zeke thenbined the three fallen adventurers, creating a new monster that now had both weapon and armor.

    [Name: None]

    [Species: Conjured Human]

    {Specification: debow Warrior]

    [Rank: C->

    The monster uses a bow as its primary weapon and, one can see sharpened edges on it, making Zeke remember about the female elf. On its quiver is a full set of mana - colored arrows. Its head is covered by a hood and, inside is a shield that only covers the upper part of the monster''s head. Its armor is light-looking, probably built in that way so that the monster could move more freely. On the side of its waist is a small de.

    "Damn, you three look so much better now." He said to the monster which just stared at its master without any emotions.

    "Okay! You only have one mission for now." Zeke said pointing to the Conjured Captain.

    "Assist that guy and clear out the remaining bandits." At this, the nameless monster came rushing to aid Al-Kuz.

    Zeke proceeded to opening the shop. He bought a cleansing potion which removed the status effect from him.

    "Aghhhh everything feels so clear now." He said as he jumped for a bit before dashing to assist his summoned monsters. He left the looting forter, knowing that the enemies are probably going toe after him now.

    The area where the captains are residing is infested with more bandits and, is arge dome shaped area. As his monsters entered, they are met with a barrage of arrows, making Al-Kuz dissolve in the process. Zeke immediately retreated and re-casted the monster.

    "You think you can win against the Viper Bandits!" A voice shouted, probably one of the two remaining captains.

    "If you came her for the elf, you''re not going to get her!" Another voice said.

    "Let go you brutes!" A female voice shouted, probably the mentioned elf.

    They said a lot of other things, making Zeke feel their cringeyness. Thinking: ''these people speak like they''re part of an action movie'' as he viewed his minimap. On it, he saw that Samael is finally on a position that sits directly on top of the underground dome.

    "Perfect." He said, opening the voice channel and ordering Samael to pierce a hole through the ground. Zeke has the whole ce''s data in his map and, he knows that the end wall and the dome shaped ceiling are the only ones which have not been nted with explosives.

    "Surrender now and we will make your death swi " One of the bandit captains was still saying another thing as Samael busted a whole through the ground with its blue mes.

    At this moment, his two new monsters made their way and began the assault. Zeke ordered the debow monster to shoot three explosive arrows into the air.

    The monster followed and, as the smoke hindered the sight of the two remaining captains, Zeke made use of this opportunity. He found the right set of stepping stones on the area and, used quick step twice. It''s not long after when he finally reached the area of the two captains who stood at the top spot of the dome. They saw him rise a bit toote and, Zeke was already able to hack the shoulder of one captain.

    "AHHH!" The captain shouted as the female elf got freed from his grasp.

    For a moment, Zeke and the female archer looked at each other. And then, with Zeke''s nod, the female archer quickly ran  taking back her bow and arrows which are left at the side of the captain who held her. She then shifter quickly, nting an arrow on the captain''s head. This is followed by more arrows, barraging the skull until, the arrows have pierced through.

    Zeke on the other hand, upied himself with thest remaining captain as his three conjured monsters are now fighting against the remaining bandits. As more of them died, Zeke continued Conjuring as he fought with the captain.

    "Give up, we''ve got youpletely outnumbered." The proud captain said.

    "I''m guessing you aren''t the type to look at your surroundings when you fight." Zeke replied, kicking the de of his opponent out of his hand.

    "What are you bastards doing? Attack!" He screamed but, there was no bandit responding to his orders.

    This is the moment when he finally looked at the battlefield. All around him, there is nothing left but the corpses of his fallen men and, blue colored figures with eyes that gleamed of yellow.

    "I give up!" He said, bowing his head as he knelt to the ground; thinking that his opponents will be merciful.

    "Okay but under one condition. You need to answer my questions." Zeke said.

    YYes. Yes. I''ll do as you sa  " The bandit captain wasn''t even able to finish what he was saying.

    Three arrows have already found their way through the enemy, piercing his neck, his chest, and his mouth. The bandit squirmed until he dropped to the ground, bathing in his own pool of blood.

    "Hey what gives?" Zeke said to the female archer but, all the elf did is fire a set of arrows towards him.

    "What the hell?!" He continued, now wishing that he just made Samael burn through the captains including the female elf.

    Zeke is now prepared to kill this new opponent but, just as he was about to go for her, the yellow  d warrior and Allesiah both passed through the hole created by Samael. Stopping the two from creating any further exchange.

    "We need to go master." Allesiah said.

    "Woah, I''m not leaving without wiping the floor with that elf." Zeke replied as he looked at the male elf getting shouted at by the female one.

    "Please just hear me out this once master. I''ll exin everything once we head back." Allesiah continued.

    Zeke saw the worry in the female sorcerer''s eyes and, agreed to her proposal.

    "Fine, but you need to help me sort the loot in this ce, there''s lot of things that we need to get. And frankly speaking, not enough time to get all of them." He continued, finally standing up and recalling all his conjured monsters. A blue shadow-looking mist started forming as all the monsters dissolved, surrounding Zeke until, all of it disappearedpletely.

    There are things that Zeke wants to ask Allesiah but he thought that, his questions could wait until they got back to town. And on top of this list is, why the female elf shouted Allesiah''s name as they walked away.

 Chapter 23: Sylph Windsprite

    Chapter 23: Sylph Windsprite

    There are a lot of things that happened after the encounter with the Viper Bandits. The first of which is, Zeke and Allesiah sorting out all the loot inside the bandit headquarters. There were a lot of times and, quite frankly, Zeke can''t ce them all inside his inventory anymore.

    That''s why he just distributed them to his goblin minions. Hoverer there are some useful stuff that he found. This includes a better shield for Samael and, two trinkets that boosts the speed of the wearer. He wore one of these while he gave another one to Allesiah.

    Another thing he found is a bag full of magic crystals. Allesiah told him how valuable these things are in the market so Zeke hid them away, nning to make use of them at another time. One which requires the use of them.

    Right after this, they came back to Allesiah''s house. Soon after both of them copsed on the floor, feeling the stress they built up the whole day finally catching up to them. Zeke still wanted to ask Allesiah about the female elf but he left that for the following day. As soon as the two of them slept, Zeke organized the new notifications inside his head.

    As was mentioned, he has the capacity to think and strategize even as he sleeps, making the Gamer''s System activate as soon as he sleeps.

    The first thing which appeared on the notifications is this:

    [The Sub Quest  Save Sylph Windsprite has beeinpleted!]

    [A Crucial Memory Piece is given as a reward.]

    [y the memory piece now?]

    "Yes." Zeke replied, knowing that he has a lot of time to use while his body is asleep.

    [Beginning Transmission]

    "de, where''s my sister?" Sylph asked in a fit of anger and worry.

    "Mdy, calm down, this is not the time to be running around town. Your life is in danger!" de said, his great sword all bloodied by the coalmine rebels that he killed.

    This all happened on the day that the humans finally rebelled against the elves. An borately nned coup d''tat to overthrow the elven aristocracy; creating a bnced society between the humans and the elves.

    The humans working as personal ves. The humans working as diators in an illegal colosseum. And, the humans working under the coal mines. All of these humans have set this n into motion because they have a capable leader. Hark Leonis.

    All the ballista stationed on the city walls have been destroyed. Removing arge amount of firepower from the elves. Other humans from outside the city have also been led inside through a secret tunnel that the coalminers have dug up.

    Everything about this made Sylph nervous. She knew by instinct that, one of the objectives would be the highest among the aristocracy and, on the top of that chain is her sister, the next queen of Elysium.

    "Can''t you go any faster de?" Sylph asked.

    "You know how difficult it is to keep running with this thing?" de said, holding on to his great sword with both hands.

    From a distance. Sylph saw the castle window where her sister would always peek from. She looked at it and, saw two shadowy figures standing there.

    "That''s definitely her." Sylph said, feeling a strong connection with the figure even without seeing who it really is.

    "de, catapult me using Dragon Force."

    "M-Mdy?" de replied inplete disbelief. A powerful sword skill isn''t, after all, something you use to catapult yourself.

    "Just do it!" She shouted, wanting to get to that window as soon as possible.

    As always, de put his trust on his master''s decision. She makes abrupt decisions but, de knew that Sylph can handle any kind of blow you hand out to her.

    "Understood." He said, stopping and cing his sword in the required stance.

    de charged the move, emitting a yellow aura around him. Then, right before the skill''s activation, Sylph jumped on top of the sword.

    "Dragon Force!"

    At this, Sylph is sent flying. The sheer force of the skill is enough to keep her in the air. The only problem with this is, how the person wouldnd. But that is not an issue for Sylph. As soon as she reached the castle walls, she casted Air Spring on her feet, cushioning the strength of impact.

    She is then sent flying away from the wall as any ricochet would. But this is also part of her idea. She is actually a lot higher from the window where she needs to go. So, she took out an arrow from her quiver and imbued a spell that made a rope appear on it. She shot the wall she just sprung away from. As soon as the arrow stuck, she grabbed hold of the rope, swinging herself directly through the castle window.

    "Sister!" She said, looking immediately for Sylvia.

    "Sylph!" Sylvia shouted right as she recognized the figure who came swinging in. She immediately wrapped her arms around her sister, making Sylph do the same.

    "I was worried so I came." Sylph said.

    "Me too. I was worried sick about you." Sylvia replied.

    At this moment, Sylph thought that everything would be okay. Then she remembered that her sister was with another figure. At this, she quickly looked at the direction her sister came from and, true enough someone is there.

    It isn''t any normal person. With a sword on both hand, standing tall with a dominating image, is Hark  the leader of the resistance.

    "Yo!" Hark said, seeing how Sylph has now recognized his presence.

    "Stand back sister!" Sylph said, shoving Sylvia to her back and preparing to shoot.

    "Woah easy there tiger." Hark said, cing his swords back inside their scabbards.

    "What are you doing?" Sylph said, confused as to why the leader of the rebels would refuse to fight.

    "I think your sister can exin everything to you." He said, going outside the room and closing the door behind him.

    "Sylph." Sylvia said, holding her sister on the shoulders and motioning her to turn around. Naturally, Sylph obeyed. After all, it is only Sylvia whom she listens to.

    "I am leaving." Sylvia said, her voice both certain and resolute.

    "W-what are you saying sister? Is that man taking you hostage? Did he say that you are the price for the safety of Elysium? Why are you leaving? Are you also going to fight?" Sylph continued in a relentless barrage of questions.

    "Sylph." Sylvia shook her sister a little bit, making here back to her senses.

    "Listen to me" She continued.

    "I am leaving this city with the man I love."

    "What are you saying sister? Have you gone mad?" Sylph answered, freeing herself from Sylvia''s hold.

    "Oh my little Sylph. I know this is a lot to take in at the moment but"

    "Don''t you dare touch me." Sylph said, pping away her sister''s hand that was about to reach out for her cheek.

    "Do you realize what you are about to do? You''ll be branded as a traitor! Your birthright will be stripped away from you. The elves will track you down until the day you die. Please sister wake up!" Sylph said, trying to convince her sister to stay.

    At this, Sylvia stood and looked at the sky outside the castle''s window. The sky is being colored by the fires of rebellion, and this is painted on Sylph''s skin as she stood there.

    "My birthright. The nobility. The crown of the queen." Sylvia said, all while looking outside. As if all those words are distant ideas without any value in them.

    "None of that has ever made me happy." She continued.

    "What nonsense are you saying!" Sylph replied, feeling like it''s a retarded teenager that she is talking to.

    "Our happiness is the happiness of the people! It is the nobility who keeps everything in ce!" She said, standing up and moving right behind her sister.

    "We exist for their sake and that in itself is all that the reason that we need to keep going."

    "Oh Sylph, do you even hear yourself right now?" Sylvia said.

    "There are a lot of things that the nobility is hiding under our noses. Being the queen won''t permit me to change any of that, nor do I n to. This system is as rotten as those who believe that our way of governing is perfect and absolute." Sylvia replied, turning to face her sister.

    "I''m leaving Sylph." Sylvia repeated, as if this is an irrevocable choice.

    "Then what about me?" Sylph replied, tears forming under her eyes.

    "Are you just going to leave me behind? Just like our parents did? Just like everyone did?"

    "Oh Sylph. We don''t need to be apart." Sylvia said, holding her sister back into her arms.

    "What do you mean?" Sylph replied.

    "You cane with me. Let us explore the world together. Haven''t you always told me how you wanted to explore the other continents? We can do that together! You, and me, and"

    "and that man?" Sylph finished the sentence, sure of herself that this is the next thing her sister would say.

    "Yeswith Hark." Sylvia replied, giving "that man" a name.

    "No." Sylph said, pushing back her sister for thest time. She then wiped away the tears that are now falling from her eyes. Sylvia fell to the ground and, as she did, Sylph held up her bow once more.

    "You aren''t going anywhere." She continued, threatening to shoot Sylvia if she made any sudden movement.

    "I knew this would happen." Sylvia replied, sitting patiently as if she waited for something.

    "Sylph. I want you to know that, what I''m about to do, it is only for your own protection." As Sylvia spoke, Sylph found herself feeling weaker and weaker.

    "Wha  " She said, dropping to her knees and loosening her grip on her weapon.

    "I ced a dyed sleeping spell on you." Sylvia replied, not needing Sylph to speak in order to understand what''s running on her mind.

    "There are things that you do not know yet my dear sister. Always put that in mind" She continued, picking up the bag that she prepared, containing all the things that she needs for this new life.

    She then went to her sister who is now lying on the ground, eyes about to lose consciousness.

    "I love you." Sylvia said, kissing her sister and walking out of the door.

    "Don''t leave." Sylph thought, finding that she has no more strength left to speak.

    "Don''t leave." She saw her sister open the door and, waiting for her sister is Hark.

    "Don''t leave me." She said onest time, wanting her sister to turn around and look at her in the eyes onest time.

    But Sylvia didn''t turn. She closed the door behind her back. Leaving Sylph all alone, once again.

    [End of Transmission]

 Chapter 24: A New Weapon And A Bad Idea

    Chapter 24: A New Weapon And A Bad Idea

    "Man, that''s one long backstory." Zeke thought to himself as the transmission finally ended.

    "So that brute is actually the sister of Miss Sylvia." Zeke continued, cing the connections that he has found thus far.

    There are now various characters that havee to the scene and, even the ones whom he have not yet met personally are crucial to the collected information he is piecing together.

    King Aeolus, General Erio, Hark the demaster, Sylvia the Master Sorceress, Sylph the younger sister, and de who seem to be her assistant.

    "I can''t just storm the city with only this much knowledge." Zeke thought to himself and just ced a note on the information thus far. Then, he continued going through the notifications.

    [You have sessfully cleared the Sub Quest - Find the Viper Bandits'' Headquarters.]

    [5 Skill Points are given as a reward.]

    [You have sessfully cleared the Sub Quest - Destroy the Main headquarters]

    [Map to the - Ruined City - has been added to the internal memory storage of the system.]

    "What''s this?" Zeke pressed on the new map he obtained and, found a ce that is covered by shadows inside the minimap. This means that, the whole area around it is not a ce that Zeke has explored before and, even adding to the problem is that the [Ruined City] is right in the middle of the four continents.

    "How the hell am I even supposed to go there?" He thought, gaining a new problem with this map.

    [A Main Quest has been added.]

    [Main Quest: Enter the Ruined City]

    "Huh?" Zeke got shocked about the new notification that came up. The normal thing that happens in these sorts of games is that, there can only be a single [Main Quest].

    Other quests can be [Sub Quests] connected to the main quest, [Optional Quests] that a yer can choose not to perform, or [Expiring Quests] which has a time limit. But, something like having two main quests at the same time isn''t something that he has ever heard of.

    "What''s going on here?" Zeke thought to himself, getting a bit distracted from his initial goal of defeating the [Evil King].

    He, of course, left his questions forter. There aren''t any information avable for him at the moment and so, thinking about the [Ruined City] will be nothing more than a waste of time.

    The next window that popped up is his level. With all the fights that urred, his level has risen to [30], gaining another patch and, giving him more privileges. One of these is the upgrade of the [Conjure System]. This gave the skill a higher probability of creating monsters from the corpses of stronger opponents. The other updates are as follows:

    [System Feature: Gamer''s Body]

    [Information: While the yer may experience physical wounds and damage, he will never feel any pain. However, he can still die if vital parts of his body. Examples of these are the heart, the brain, or a decapitation of the head.]

    Other updates of the system are simply new skills on the shop, a higher percentage when crafting items and looting, a better chance of sess inbining skills, and a video chat option.

    With a lot of time still on his side, Zeke decided to forge the weapon [Jut''zal Zht''ais Staff]. Having this item would give Allesiah a huge power up seeing how she is still using an [F] ranked staff.

    The process of repairing a weapon is simple, Zeke only needs to ce other items inside the crafting window. These will be consumed by the item that will be renewed. The amount of durability that returns is highly dependent on the grade of the item sacrificed for repair.

    During the process, there were a lot of items that broke but, Zeke was able to restore the staff to its full capacity. And he didn''t stop there. He went even further, crafting a better version of the staff. This broke a lot of items as the crafting would fail from time to time but, in the end, Zeke got his intended result. Getting this new weapon:

    [Item Name: Staff of the Ancients]

    [Usage Level Requirement: 25]

    [Durability: 100]

    [Rank: D+]

    [Information: A weapon that is said to be formed by forcing natural cmities inside it. The weapon allows the user to have a clearer state of mind (20%) in any situation. The user also gains an amplification of every spell used by 15%.]

    [Weapon''s Passive Skill: Mana Collection]

    [Information: Allows the user to manipte mana and to collect mana from the surroundings.]

    "I must say, this is a nice weapon for my first try." Zeke told himself, almost using up all the items in his inventory as he finished the staff.

    He viewed at his craftsmanship and smiled at how refined the weapon looks. It is made from what seems to be white marble and yet, the staff is light. The item is also sturdy making it a possible weapon for blocking melee opponents if theye close.

    The design of the staff are two dragons coiling themselves together. On top is a red crystal bitten by the said figures. One can even see the scales of the dragon on the staff, making it look even more awesome.

    "This is perfect for Allesiah." Zeke thought.

    Apart from ying games and being part of the action, Zeke also enjoyed going around games and simply collecting things. The atmosphere of gaming can be suffocating sometimes and so, he finds sce in simple activities such as this.

    Another reason why he loves crafting and collecting is because, if he gets a legendary item or if he is able to craft one, there is the feeling of overwhelming joy. But, even if he doesn''t create one, there is no feeling of defeat as the chances are within the intended parameters.

    "I guess this means that I''m done for now." Zeke told himself. But before he could even close his eyes, the [Gamer''s System] gave another [Notification].

    [Sub Quest: Reunite the Windsrpite Sisters]

    [Reward: 20 Skill Points]

    And at this, Zeke finally went to sleep.

    "Masteeeer!" Allesiah shouted trying her best to cling to Zeke.

    "Hey stop that, it''s an embarrassing sight for woman who aims to be the top sorceress!" Zeke said, dodging every attempt of Allesiah to hug him.

    "But master!" Allesiah said, now on the ground and hugging the new staff that Zeke just gave her.

    "This isn''t any ordinary staff! Do you even know how difficult it is to get an item that goes beyond D rank? Only nobles get their hands on these things!" Allesiah said, making a swift move to try and hug her master again.

    Zeke dodged of course, seeing all the movements of Allesiah quite clearly.

    "I have no idea actually. But if you say that its important then, all I ask in return is that you answer my questions."

    "What would those be?" Allesiah asked.

    "I think you already know." Zeke responded; making the atmosphere turn silent for a second.

    The joy on Allesiah''s lipspletely vanished and, it is reced by a look of sadness. She looked out of the window, holding on to her new staff even tighter as she began giving the information.

    Apparently, Allesiah was once a part of a noble family inside the capital of Elysium. And it isn''t anymon nobility. It is the house of the Windsprites. The elves which are thought to be one of the strongest there is.

    Apart from this is the fact that, a member of the household was once engaged to the King. A person whom Zeke has already met in person  Sylvia Windsprite.

    Allesiah exined that, the female elf they encountered in the forest and, Sylvia are both her sisters. Sylvia is the eldest, Sylph is the second born while, Allesiah is thest child.

    Among the three, Sylvia had the most potential in magic. Then, there is Sylph who is the most proficient in archery. Meanwhile, Allesiah lived on the scraps of her sisters. She ispletely ipetent when ites to archery and, her magic power is nothing but mediocre.

    This caused her to run away from their home. Promising that, she won''t return until she bes the strongest sorceress in thend. A woman whom both of her older sisters can approve and proudly call as their sibling.

    But then, disaster struck as her eldest sister got taken by a human rebel. Meanwhile, her second sister got sent to the woods in order to lead the [Wood Scouts], a special elite force of archers that serves as the guardians of the forest.

    Because of this, Allesiah found it even harder to return. After all, there is nothing for her to return to if both her sisters are not in the capital.

    "Then why didn''t you even hug her when you met?" Zeke asked.

    "As if it''s that simple." She replied.

    "Isn''t it?" Zeke continued.

    "Mastermy eldest sister got taken by a human being. The ones who revolted against the capital are also human beings. And upon seeing me for the first time in years, she finds me going to a human just like sister Sylvia. If she sees this ve mark, she''d be furious and kill you on the spot." Allesiah finished.

    "She''s still your sister though." Zeke replied.

    Allesiah didn''t reply anymore. Her mood turnedpletely sour, making Zeke feel bad for the topic he brought up.

    "Okay that settles it!" He shouted, making Allesiah look at him nervously.

    If there''s one thing she has immediately learned, it''s that  if her master is in good spirits, it''s not going to lead them into something safe.

    "We''re going back to the forest to confront your sister!" Zeke finished.

    "I knew it." Allesiah thought to herself, sighing as she just epted this fact.

    "It''s not like I have a choice on this." Allesiah replied, getting a strange feeling of relief on the idea of finally being able to be with her sister.

 Chapter 25: Into the Woods

    Chapter 25: Into the Woods

    There are still some things that Zeke and Allesiah did before leaving the town. One of them is going back to old man Felroy and repaying him for his kindness. The man didn''t want to ept the payment but, with Zeke insisting, Felroy had no choice but to ept the payment. The old man then gave a letter to Zeke, one with a lion''s insignia on it.

    "Use that when you reach the next town. It''ll tell you where Hark and Sylvia are." Felroy said, knowing that Zeke still has some unfinished business with the couple.

    After this, they went to the guild and reported all that happened on their expedition. The receptionist got shocked again of course but, this time Zeke covered her mouth, making her unable to scream like she did the other day.

    There is enough reason to get shocked after all. It isn''t just one encampment that they destroyed but two. Adding to this is the fact that they even destroyed the main headquarters of the Viper Bandits, a feat that none of the adventurers'' group inside the guild have been able to do. What''s even more amazing is that all of this was aplished in a single day. And to top this all of is the fact that there are only two of them which is not exactly true.

    They had the help of Sylph and the male elf. Plus, there are the [Conjured] monsters who dealt with a lot of the bandits on the main headquarters. The two got paid handsomely and, Allesiah immediately got her share. Zeke ced his own cut inside a bag he bought, he did this becuas,e he didn''t want to open the System inventory in public.

    Zeke didn''t want to reveal the system to any other person. Having Allesiah see it is enough.

    After they''ve dealt with all of this, they went to Boulder''s house. Zeke officially said that he doesn''t need his share in the loot anymore and Boulder just sighed; knowing that it would eventuallye to this.

    "What are the two of you nning now?" He asked, worried about the two young adventurers. He couldn''t; see Allesiah''s contract mark because it is now hidden by a choker that she bought. very is, after all, forbidden in Elysium.

    "We''ll be going to the next town." Zeke replied with a smile on his face.

    "You guys better not get yourself into any greater trouble." Boulder said. This made Allesiahugh nervously, remembering how Zeke made him fight a whole encampment of bandits all by herself. Adding to the fact that they are about to head back to the forest to meet up with her warmongering sister.

    "Of course we''ll be safe!" Zeke replied,ughing normally. This gave Allesiah even more shivers down her spine, knowing that this meant more torturous training for her in the near future.

    They waved Boulder goodbye and went on their way. Allesiah tidied her house up before leaving, thinking how she actually got attached to the ce.

    After all this, the two proceeded inside the forest. Allesiah isn''t aware on the whereabouts of the [Wood Scouts] base but, she knows that her sister would probably be out looking for her by now.

    "How are you so sure?" Zeke asked.

    "Because that''s just how she is." Allesiah replied as they finally reached the midpoint of the forest. On the other side of the forest is another town, the one nearest to the city and also, the ce where Zeke can make use of old man Felroy''s letter.

    There have been a bunch of [Sub Quests] that have been added to Zeke''s missions. It didn''t feel like the missions controlled him because, they are either aligned to what he is about to do or is a part of an assistance to finish the [Main Quest].

    The two rested for a while and, as they did, Zeke decided to train Allesiah for a little bit. There is a concept that he wanted to try out, one that, if Allesiah is able to perform, would greatly increase he spellcasting prowess.

    "I want you to gather mana from all around you without using the staff." Zeke said, leaving Allesiah in a state of confusion.

    "Think of it this way. Mana is basically energy right? And the use of elements is nothing more than the maniption of mana all around you." Zeke isn''t actually sure of the things he is talking about, he just wanted to test out a theory.

    The [Gamer''s System] prevents the normal skill learning rules of Mythos to apply to him. He simply needs to have enough skill points and bam! He''ll get the desired skill he wishes. If he wanted to learn something as powerful as an [Energy Ball], all it takes is the right number of points.

    Dwellers of this world do not have it that easy though. They need to undergo various trainings just to be able to learn a new spell and, as they grow old, some even lose the capacity to learn new spells altogether. Hence, Zeke wanted Allesiah to focus on generating more mana and controlling it.

    "If this can be done, then she can simply manipte a spell to any form she wishes  creating a brand new spell without going through rigorous training." He thought to himself. Of course she can rely on the staff but, she''s not going to use that weapon forever. Meaning, she needs to learn mana maniption all on her own.

    "I don''t even get what you''re trying to pull here." Allesiah said.

    "Okay, let''s start with this. Do you have any wind spell you can use? Try to imagine the feeling of how it is produced out of thin air and then, try adding more into it using the air around us."

    "That''s a really vague concept. Did you even go to the magic academy? Do you know how we rely on forms in order to produce spells?" Allesiah replied.

    "Just try it out." Zeke said, wanting to see if his method could work.

    Soon enough, Allesiah performed what Zeke has instructed her to. She formed a small wind orb on the palm of her hands and tried concentrating air into it.

    "Think of it like breathing, inhale more air into the spell and contain it there." Zeke continued.

    At this, there is a significant amount of air that seemed to blow stronger at the spot where Zeke and Allesiah are. But then, the air dispersed, pushing back Allesiah with Zeke catching her.

    "It actually worked!" Allesiah shouted, feeling the amount of mana flowing from the previous spell actually getting stronger.

    "See?" Zeke replied.

    "I''ll leave you there for now. Keep on practicing that, I''ll just hunt for dinner." He said, opening the minimap and looking for the area where the monsters are located.

    To ensure that no harm wille to Allesiah, Zeke also left his nameless debow monster to guard her. The monster stayed on top of a tall tree that allowed it to see the whole perimeter. He also left a bunch of goblins on the area, alerting Allesiah if an enemyes into range.

    With this, Zeke started hunting for food using his other goblins. He wanted to test out their current capacity. He brought out the goblin shaman and three normal goblin warriors. The target of Zeke''s little experiment is also a group of goblins but, there are 20 of these while Zeke only used 3.

    "You''re free to use any method you know of." He told the goblins, making them run towards the enemies in front of them.

    It must be the first time for the wild goblins to encounter blue ones because, there was first shock in their eyes before they started moving. They were, however, able to block the first blow of both conjured goblins. This made the Shaman use a power up spell on the two, increasing their strength and making them able to swing the wild goblins into a nearby tree.

    "They''re actually handling this pretty well." Zeke thought as he watched on top of a nearby tree.

    This much is to be expected of course. With the buffs that Zeke has been passively giving out to them, they are stronger than any average goblin. But this isn''t why he chose wild goblins to be the opponent. The actual reason is that, he wanted to know if these goblins can win with sheer force even if they are surrounded by enemies of a lower rank.

    Four wild goblins jumped up to attack. The other goblins still surrounded them, making escape difficult. Thus, the conjured goblins took the attack head on, shouting some goblin sounding words.

    The shaman then used another spell. This time, it''s the speed of the conjured goblins that increased. The two immediately attacked the enemies that came close but, just as they struck, the ones surrounding them came in close. This resulted in the goblin shaman being vulnerable to an attack. Sure enough, a wild goblin found its way to hit the shaman''s head with its club. The shaman got stunned, halting the speed up spell and putting the conjured goblins at a disadvantage.

    With this, Zeke saw a tragic end for his three conjured monsters.

    "So the rank doesn''t make up for theck of tactics." He thought to himself, finishing off the monsters himself and hunting down a couple of birds that he and Allesiah would eat for dinner.

    At the camp, he found Allesiah still practicing and, while she did this, he decided to prepare the meal  seeing as it took all of Allesiah''s effort to perform the training he thought of. Then, night finally came.

    The two of them still stayed in the forest as they are looking for Sylph. The only problem is that, she hasn''t showed up the whole day.

    But Zeke has a hunch. He felt eyes looking at them since noon and, his guard has been kept up ever since. The only problem is that, he hasn''t caught the enemies in action and this is bad because, it would mean that if there really are enemies lurking around

    they''d be ones that can conceal their presence.

 Chapter 26: Betrayal

    Chapter 26: Betrayal

    There have been a few quests that have been added to Zeke''s missions. Then first one is something he expected while, the other one is something which caught him by surprise.

    As Zeke thought, then [Gamer''s System] optimizes the quests based on what he is currently engaging. Meaning, all that he does will have an effect on what [Sub Quest] and [Optional Quests] he will receive. Depending on his actions, there can be more, few, or even nothing new added at all.

    [Sub Quest: Kill 20 Wood Scouts]

    [Reward: Memory Piece]

    "So this means that we really are getting followed." Zeke thought to himself as, the quest will note out if there is no chance of it happening soon. But this is something which he is prepared for.

    Zeke already devised of a way for Allesiah and him to get their opponents out. Judging by how they still haven''t made their move, it would mean one of three possibilities. One is that they are waiting for an opening to strike. The second is they are still performing preparations. And the third is, they are still waiting for other members who are not yet here.

    "I won''t give them that chance." Zeke said as he opened his skill shop.

    Since the time they''ve finished the quest on the Viper Bandits, Zeke has already gotten a lot of [Optional Quests] that hands out single skill points. With this umted amount, Zeke is able to buy two new skills.

    [Skill Name: Blood King''s Curse]

    [Cost: 8 Skill Point]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: Upon death, the owner of the ability will automatically resurrect. Gaining back half of the health in the process and being immune from further damage for 3 seconds. The skill can only activate once per week.]

    Aside from this skill, Zeke also bought a darkness attributed skill named:

    [Skill Name: Umbral sh]

    [Cost: 2 Skill Points]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Active]

    [Mana Consumed: 70]

    [Information: The caster creates a sh made of dark energy. This attack widens in range as the rank goes up but the mana consumption goes up as well.]

    Seeing as how he is in the Elven Kingdom, he figured that wind type spells would probably be weak against them. Furthermore, as he tried thinking of the other elements, he just can''t help but think that they are a bad matchup for the elves. Hence, he bought something that they would probably have no high resistance over.

    With both of these skills in check, he waited for noon toe and finally set his n into motion. As he went hunting for food again, he sent a message to Allesiah who continued her training.

    "Pretend you''re not hearing me." He said, which is met by an explosion of wind.

    "Ackkk the spell got ruined!" She shouted but, before she could evenin to Zeke, he spoke again.

    "Pretend you''re not hearing me." He repeated and, with this, Allesiah did asmanded.

    The reason why they did the same routine again is to remove any suspicion from the enemies. If they start moving a bit weirdly, then the enemies might just get rmed. This, in turn, may put more caution in the enemies.

    Hence, Zeke thought that the best way to do things is to use the [Voice Chat] feature of his system. He kept his voice low of course and, had a goblin in front of him which made it look like it''s the one he''s talking to.

    "It''s safe to bet that they are at least on top of the trees." Zeke thought to himself as he felt no presenceing near his goblins and, if they did, the minimap would show them.

    "After we eat, I''ll pretend to attack you. Just act your part and scream for help." Zeke continued.

    Allesiah didn''t reply of course and just continued on with her training. The order isn''t even difficult for her because her master has kept torturing her with training and battles after all.

    "When they finallye to strike me down, let them do it. I won''t die so just keep on acting until then. After that, when I''m about to drop to the ground, perform a binding spell to hold them in ce."

    "Make a sound if you understood the instruction."

    "HAAA!" Allesiah shouted, still practicing on the mana maniption.

    Zeke got excited again of course. Putting his ns into motion always gets him excited. Especially if the opponents are actually strong or, if they made him think long and hard for a way to win. As this urred, some memories of his gaming life on earth shed back to him.

    It was not mentioned but, even the best A.I. Computers back on earth was beaten by him in a game of chess. With all the possible moves being recorded and, all the best countermeasures being registered in the A.I., Zeke found that there is actually a bug in the system that increases the margin of error of theputer by 10%. It isn''t much but, it was enough for him to im victory.

    In any game, he thinks of all the variables that he can make use of. Bugs are also part of his strategy but, this is only because it is also part of the system. To him, bugs are a fault on the side of the developers and not him. Not utilizing it doesn''t make someone a better gamer. Rather, he thinks that these are persons who doesn''t want to try out new possibilities.

    "Those were the days." He said as he went back holding a couple of fishes in his hands.

    Zeke''s n immediately went into motion as he came back. Allesiah halted with her training and sat on the ground  wiping off her sweat and drinking some water. Meanwhile, Zeke cooked the fish. He could still feel that they are being watched meaning, wherever the enemies are, it would be nearby.

    He thought of where the monsters should bb conjured and as he did, he finished cooking the fish.

    "Let''s eat." He told Allesiah who came near him. As they made eye contact, Zeke went to his travel bag, pretending to get some water. Then, he brought out his sword, moving carefully towards Allesiah''s back.

    "They won''t let me strike her." He thought to himself as he came nearer.

    "You cooked this quite well." Allesiah said. Zeke actually lied about one thing to her. Their n will set in motion as they eat, not after.

    "Well, I put some salt inside to add vor." He said, approaching carefully. The reason why he didn''t tell Allesiah the truth is, he''s not sure if she''s a good actress. If her moves look staged then, the Wood Scouts will only raise their guards.

    With this in mind, he told her a part of the n but, not the whole truth about it. Then, Zeke finally took out his sword and, just as he was about to swing, arrows came flying towards him. He dodged these of course and now, Allesiah is aware of what''s happening.

    "I see she has some hidden guards." Zeke said with a menacing smile. One that he didn''t even need any effort to put on.

    Figures d in green descended from the trees and, part of them is Sylph Windsprite.

    "Kill him." Sylph ordered the Wood Scouts who moved swiftly. On her side is de and the two of them came to help out Allesiah.

    Zeke on the other hand started getting hit by the attacks of the Wood Scouts. He watched them carefully, making sure that he fights back with enough force for Sylph to believe the whole act.

    Then, as he saw a punching, he tried saying conjure  pretending that he got halted as the punch reached his gut. At this part it must be remembered that Zeke already acquired the [Gamer''s Body] which prevented him from feeling any pain.

    All he actually did is act. All while thinking of the best way to kill off all his opponents once the whole scene is over. Aside from the ten swift footed elves that kept running around and slicing him open, there are also 20 archers up on the trees  more than half of which are using arrows and bows while, there are three who uses spells.

    With all this urring, Zeke looked at his minimap, finally showing all the red dots. That marks the enemies who''ve made themselves visible.

    "I''ve got you now." He said, as he felt five arrows stab through his chest. This is enough to kill him as the arrows went for his heart. However, the skill [Blood King''s Curse] prevented his death. And, just as he was about to hit the floor, Allesiah finally activated her spell.

    "Frozen Bind!"

    In a swift motion, Zeke simultaneously activated [Mana Conversion] and [Umbral sh]. He used the offensive spell five times, hitting the wood scouts who stayed on the ground  immediately ending their lives.

    He then used quick step twice, taking a de from the falling elves and grabbing Allesiah out of the range of Sylph and de who have just broken out of the Ice Enclosure. By this time, Zeke has also taken out the arrows that pierced though his chest. And since 10 seconds have passed after Allesiah activated the spell, Zeke has somehow escaped being in a critical condition, regenerating due to his passive skill and the [Endurance] attribute.

    He then let go of Allesiah, who knew what she needed to do next. At this, a barrier activated, preventing the next set of projectiles from hitting them. Zeke quickly went to his pocket and brought out three vials of medium grade mana potions. He drank them and just as he did, he activated the ace in his sleeves.

    "Conjure."

    Arrows came flying in again. And this time even spells are mixed with these projectiles. This shocked Zeke because, all these attacks are not directed at him

    they''re directed at Sylph.

 Chapter 27: The Wood Scouts

    Chapter 27: The Wood Scouts

    "Mistress duck!" The servant of Sylph named de ced his whole body over his master. The great sword which is still sheathed at his back prevented most of the blows but, some still found their way to his legs. Making him drop to the ground, unable to move.

    "What is the meaning of this?" Sylph continued, only to be met by more arrows flying in. She was able to block these however.

    "Sister!" Allesiah shouted, wanting to dive in to help the archer. But then, the Wood Scouts threw a bunch of magic crystals, summoning a whole group of monsters. Their numberspletely match those that Zeke has made, making the situation a bit difficult.

    What''s even worse is the data disyed by these monsters.

    [Name: None]

    [Species: Wolf]

    [Specification: Shadow Wolf]

    [Rank: D]

    The monsters have a dark shadow that they keep emitting out of their bodies. They have the shape of wolves but, not the normal sized ones. These monsters are as tall as 5 feet humans, making their looming figure even more frightening. With how they covered the area, they looked like a mass of darkness, enveloping Zeke, Allesiah, de and Sylph.

    "This is bad, really bad." Zeke thought to himself as his monsters already beganbat with these summoned ones. The Wood Scouts continued targeting Sylph as this went on, making Zeke order Allesiah toe to her sister''s aide.

    "What about you?" Allesiah said.

    "I got myself covered." He replied, pushing Allesiah forward who immediately casted a barrier on top of Sylph and her.

    At this, the group separated again. Zeke ordered the nameless debow warrior to guard the sisters while Samael and Al dealt with arge chunk of the enemies. Even as his conjured monsters have a hard time, there''s no problem as he''ll just continue resummoning them.

    At this, Zeke jumped up on a tree. Deflecting the arrows with the de he stole from a fallen Wood Scout.

    "Who are you and why are you interfering with out ns?"

    One Wood Scout said, surrounding Zeke with an enemy at every corner. He knew that he can''t hope to catch all of these opponents on his own. After all, they are swift footed archers and, if their numbers dwindle too much, they''d simply retreat.

    "I can''t have that." He said to himself, remembering the mission on killing the Wood Scouts and the reward waiting for him if he aplishes it. At this, he did the logical choice and, allowed the arrows to hit him.

    He continued jumping from tree to tree, trying to hack down an archer but getting hit in the process. He''d immediately remove the arrow piercing his body while also making sure that none reaches his vital parts. After all, the passive [Blood King''s Curse] has already been used this day so he can''t afford any action that is too risky.

    "Umbral sh!" He shouted, hitting a branch and almost causing a Wood Scout to fall. But just as this happened, the elf took out a small knife and hit a tree with it. This elf then spun its body up as it released five ,ore arrows which all hit Zeke. At this, the elfnded on a new branch, blowing away a strand of hair that blocked her eye.

    "Damn that was so cool!" Zeke shouted as he jumped up and dodged a few arrows. His regeneration is not working fast enough so he needs to dodge a couple of strikes from time to time in order to stay healthy.

    "Is that all you can do human?" One of the Wood Scouts said, seeing no chance for their opponent to even kill one Wood Scout.

    "Stop moving and I''ll see to it that all of you are dead." He shouted, trying to provoke his enemies. Hoverer, they kept their cool, knowing that they have the upper hand in this battle.

    Themanding officer of the group then gave a nod which made a few more archers release more arrows. Zeke dodged these but, just as he did, the arrows came homing toward him until they hit his legs.

    "What the hell was that?" Zeke said to himself, removing the new set of metal that has met his flesh.

    "T2!" The officermanded, sending another group of arrows toward Zeke. He was ready to ept these arrows head on except, there is something attached to these arrows. Zeke dodged them again but, as soon as he did, the arrows hovered once more.

    He''d let the arrows hit him of course. But that thing attached to them gives him the feeling that it might be ab bad idea.

    He hit the arrows and, just as he did, there projectiles exploded, sending Zeke flying toward another nearby tree. The elves didn''t stop here and used the same freezing spell that Allesiah used earlier. This set Zeke in ce, making it impossible for him to move away as more arrows came in a barrage.

    [Health: 15% remaining]

    Zeke hacked the ice with his sword and, jumped back using [Quick Step].

    [Health: 10% remaining]

    He used [Umbral sh] again, hitting another tree in the process, but failing to get another Wood Scout.

    "You should just surrender peacefully. You can''t win against us." One of them said, as Zeke observed in the minimap that the Wood Scouts still surround him. He smiled at this because, his body already took enough damage for him to execute his next move.

    "You guys think I can''t catch you?" He said as the earth trembled. Everyone stood still for a while as, the sound of cracking wood came  coupled with the sound of leaves falling down in a torrent. All around them, the trees kept falling in and angle that, the whole area where Zeke and everyone else are, is now enclosed by a wall of cut down trees.

    The reason for this is because, Zeke stationed some of his conjured monsters at these trees  making them begin chopping down as soon as he beganbat. It took time of course but, this is not a problem because Zeke needed the interval in order to build up the damage on his body before activating another skill.

    "Retreat!" The officer said, seeing how the situation could turn bad in a blocked-up space.

    "I don''t think so." Zeke replied. He waited for the Wood Scouts to jump up again and, just as they did, he activated [Blood Counter].

    The move returned a portion of the damage he acquired back at to ones who made it. The continuous receive of arrows that Zeke allowed to happen was all for tis moment. Blood sttered all around as the Wood Scouts fell down.

    He then continued on by using Umbral sh, killing them off entirely as he followed - dropping to the middle of the wolf pack. By this time, he haspletely healed again. He then took out the great sword of the King and, with a single swing, he killed off a couple of the wolves.

    The other Wood Scouts are also getting killed by his conjured monsters as, the fall have either left them unconscious or terribly injured. Both of which are unfavorable to warriors who relied on speed inbat.

    Seeing the battlefield which is now filled wit blue souls, he used Conjure again, bringing more enemies back to life as his minions. The wolves that got hunted down are now releasing a blue aura instead of ck and, have begun fighting off with their fellow wolves.

    "Conjure." Hemanded again, fusing all the small goblins together. He figured that he''d have no need for too many weak minions and so, he just mixed them together.

    As therge blue me ceased, a [Goblin Champion] came out  a monster which Zeke threw his sword to. Upon getting it, the monster''s rank increased greatly, hacking down 12 wolves as it kept raging on.

    "Conjure." He repeated, transforming the new set of dead bodies into his minions. Slowly, the battlefield bathed in hues of blue until, thest remaining members of the wolf pack whimpered in fear.

    The whole group got destroyed and now, the only thing left are Zeke, de, and the Windsprite Siblings. He then proceeded to where they asked to make sure that they''re still alright.

    Notifications soon followed because Zeke tweaked the settings again. Now the notifications show up as soon as all hostile lifeforms around his area have been defeated. Clearly Sylph and de are not part of this anymore, seeing how he rescued their lives once again.

    [You have leveled up!]

    [You are now level 33!]

    [All conjured bandit ss monsters have evolved!]

    [Shadow Wolves have acquired a separate passive. Pack Mentality]

    [Skill Information: Allows the wolves to boost the overall attributes of all their allies by 5%]

    [The Sub Quest  defeat 20 Wood Scouts have beenpleted!]

    [A Crucial Memory Piece is given as a reward.]

    Zeke clicked on the memory piece, viewing the details concerning it.

    [The memory piece is connected to the first King of Elysium.]

    [y the memory piece now?]

    "No." Zeke said as he still needed to go and see if everyone is safe.

    "Are you guys okay?"

 Chapter 28: Pieces of the Puzzle

    Chapter 28: Pieces of the Puzzle

    "Stop right there human!" Sylph said, raising her bow towards Zeke.

    "You elves have got a funny way of expressing your gratitude don''t you?" Zeke answered, staying at a safe distance away from the group of elves.

    Allesiah is currently healing de while, Sylph have just stood up, ready to engage.

    "Did you not even see what happened? Do you really think I can''t just beat all of you by sheer force?" Zeke answered, a bit irritated at the princess who kept resisting.

    "de, get Allesiah. We''re getting out of here." She continued.

    Zeke looked at the whole situation. As far as he can tell, de won''t even be walking anytime soon.

    "This is just irrational Miss Windsprite." Zeke continued and at this, Sylph fired arrows at him.

    Zeke activated [Quick Step] immediately closing the gap between them. Sylph used her bow''s des to try and hit him but, Zeke simply slid his arm inside her bow  holding the elf close to him. He then used the same arm to reach out for her quiver, grabbing hold of an arrow and, pointing it at her nape. All while stopping her other hand from moving.

    "Any more than this and I''ll really kill you." Zeke said, making his enemy il even more. At this point he really would''ve wanted to kill her but, the Sub Quest''s [10 Skill Point] reward is too tempting to pass out on.

    With all that''s happening, de entered the scene and used a skill called [Somnus] which suddenly made Sylph lose consciousness. Zeke ced the sleeping elf on the ground, thanking the male elf for being more rational than his mistress.

    "I''m terribly sorry for her behavior. She has a deep-rooted hatred for humans you see, especially those that decide to take her sisters." de said in a joking tone.

    Allesiah responded with a nervousughter. Zeke did take her after all but, not as a girlfriend nor a wife but instead, as a ve.

    "Hey sister, I willingly let a human turn me into his ve. Right now I move to his every bidding." The words itself terrified her as she thought of telling them to Sylph. They are considered to be higher life forms than humans after all.

    "It''s fine. Thanks for helping me out with the situation." Zeke replied.

    "You are wee sir" de leaded, wanting to know the name of the human who can summon a ton of monsters all by himself.

    "Zeke. Just call me Zeke." He replied, sitting next to the two and watching the wounds heal little by little.

    "So when is your mistress going to wake up?'' He continued.

    "Usually the effect of [Somnus] takes half a day to wear off."

    "Half a day huh." Zeke repeated, thinking of what should be done next.

    "Okay. Here''s the deal de." Zeke said, taking out a letter.

    Earlier on, as the fight ended. Zeke walked through the dead bodies of the Wood Scouts. During this time, his [Analysis] feature chanced upon a letter tucked inside the body of one of the Wood Scouts. His brain immediately registered its contents as he opened it, using the same skill that made him finish all the books in the library. The contents of which surprised Zeke but, gave him a good reason to make Sylph and dee with them.

    "This thing was inside one of the Wood Scouts. With what just happened, I''m sure that you are aware that some really influential people want your mistress dead." Zeke said.

    This much is obvious because nobody can simplymand the Wood Scouts. Furthermore, these elves cannot be bribed easily as, they have chosen to live their lives maintaining the bnce in the forest.

    "I can''t believe this. How could they!" de answered, making Zeke smile as he knows that he now has the male elf''s full and undivided attention.

    "So what exactly is it that could shift their loyalty?" Zeke said as he read the letter to everyone.

    Clearly stated on the first line is, ''your families will be murdered if you choose to disobey''. With this starting statement, Zeke knew that the deal is already done. After all, the elves value their family and their kin over anything else. This means that, even without the reason being stated in the memory piece, Zeke knows that arge part of Sylvia''s decision to run away with Hark is for the safety of her own siblings.

    Going back, the Wood Scouts are affected by threats to their kin. This is because, noble as they are, they are still elves.

    "Who would''ve plotted such a thing?" Allesiah asked, cing her sleeping sister''s head in herp as she finished healing de.

    "I don''t know but, whoever it is has got this whole thing in a grand order." Zeke continued.

    The plot in itself isn''t something easy to pull off. The more Zeke thought about it, the more he is lead to believe that, everything going on is being manipted by arger evil. All these pieces moving at the same time and, even providing a hundred [D] ranked monsters isn''t a job for anymon nobleman.

    "What do you mean?" de asked.

    "Well, at thetter part of the letterthere is another thing written." Zeke read the next part, word per word.

    "When the task ispleted, burry the body immediately. We''ve also provided you with summoning crystals that can create a hundred Shadow Wolves. You cannot and, should not fail. Because there are high people watching over all thesecloser to you than you think." Zeke then went on to the final paragraph.

    "On the next town, Sylvia and Hark are currently staying on a worn-down house owned by an old human. Get there after finishing off the Windsprite because, as the full moon rises, we will capture them both."

    "The full moon? But that''s" Allesiah said.

    "Yes. It''s two days from now." de finished as her words drifted off.

    "We''ll make it there in time." Zeke assured the two of them as he took the clothing of a dead Wood Scout.

    "What are you doing sir?" de asked, curious as to why a fully-grown man would suddenly strip in front of him and two mature women without any hint of embarrassment.

    It must be remembered that, Zeke is a person who focuses on getting things done. Even if he gets angry or infuriated at some point, the emotions would just magically vanish if there is a task before him. This includes the removal of things such as shame if it would just be a bother to what he needs to aplish.

    "With the number of Wood Scouts here, I''m guessing there are still someing our way correct?" Zeke said, putting on the clothes worn by the Wood Scouts.

    de smiled at this  answering back:

    "Yes, there is actually one more group that will arrive at around midnight. They should''ve arrived at noon but, they got dyed because there seem to be furious monster that invaded that area."

    "Okay." Zeke said, finally finished getting dressed.

    "The two of you should focus on exining the whole situation to that hot blooded Windsprite." Zeke pointed at Sylph who is still sleeping.

    "I''d probably return at this spot tomorrow morning. Then, we''ll go on our way to the next town."

    "How are you so sure that, my mistress and I won''t just abandon you and take Mistress Allesiah by force?" de replied.

    "You won''t. As far as I can tell, you''d need my services." Zeke said, already having everything perfectly calcte di his mind.

    "You may just be the only human on Elysium whom I don''t want to be on the bad side of." de answered, confirming Zeke''s assumption of the male elfplying to his orders.

    "I''m off." Zeke continued, activating [Quick Step] and immediately rushing toward his next prey.

 Chapter 29: Marching Forward

    Chapter 29: Marching Forward

    There are things that went on Zeke''s mind as he made his Conjured monsters fight off the remaining wood scouts. One of these is the fact that, his newly conjured Goblin Champion was able to use the weapon [Mol''thaw''s de].

    The weapon has a level requirement of [30] before being used. However, monsters do not have any levels. What they have are ranks and, these goes up as they gain more experience in battle. However, he noticed that the passives of [Mol''thaw''s de] were also locked. Leading him to conclude that, depending on a monster''s rank, a high-grade weapon would have some of its features unavable.

    "Still, it''s good that I let it use the weapon for now." Zeke said, watching the monster slice down a Wood Scout who uses a short sword.

    Among the ranks of his conjured monsters, there are now four whichpletely stands out. The first among them is Samael who is born from thebination of all the Goblin Skeletons in the [Secret Dungeon. Then there is [Al-Kuz Al-Haddar] whose name is too long so Zeke just calls it Al. This is the conjured version of a Viper Bandit Captain. Zeke was unsessful in bringing up the other two captains and, quite frankly, he didn''t feel it as much of a loss as Al seem to be stronger than the two.

    The third is thebination of the three useless adventurers. Aposition of one Swordsman and two archers. Creating a warrior using a debow as a primary weapon. Then there is thest one, the Goblin Champion who is born after Zeke leveled up his weak Goblins and then merged them together.

    He also decided to give a name to the [Goblin Champion], thinking how calling it ''Champion'' would be cringeyter on.

    "It''ll be ironic to have that name and lose right?" He thought to himself, going to the options menu and giving names to both the Goblin Champion and the debow user. The former has been named [Gull] while thetter has been named [Cull].

    He only brought out the four of these but, they havepletely wiped the floor with the Wood Scouts. Cull took care of the ones that tried escaping while, the other three focused on cutting down the enemies in front of them. Even if they get hit by any attack, they don''t feel pain as they are only animated corpsesposed of nothing but mana. This is simr to Zeke''s newly acquired [Gamer''s Body] which nullifies any physical pain he may experience.

    While doing this, he also looked at the current status of Allesiah, wondering how strong she has gotten from all the fights that went on.

    [Name: Allesiah]

    [Species: Elf]

    [Specification: Spellcaster]

    [Level: 27]

    "Ohh, so she''s now level 27 huh?" Zeke said to himself, thinking how much progress this actually is. After all, she gains experience even from the monsters that she doesn''t kill.

    "I''ll probably need to level up the contract spell soon. Getting my monsters and Allesiah to level up faster will make thepletion of quests much easier." As Zeke said this, he thought of an idea, conjuring out every monster he owns which now surrounds a tiny portion of the forest.

    "Find and kill every monster inside the forest." Zeke said, dispersing his minions to do his bidding.

    The thought that crossed Zeke''s mind is actually that, if he cleans the whole ce up, then his monsters will probably level up even faster, giving them higher chances of finishing off stronger opponents. Furthermore, with all of the Wood Scouts massacred, there aren''t any guardians to the forest anymore, making it dangerous for people toe through it.

    As Zeke performed this, a notification came out, making him even more pumped up to clear out the forest.

    [Hidden Quest Activated: Wipe out the monsters inside the forest.]

    [Reward: 10 Random Skills will be given to the gamer.]

    [Reward: A meeting with the Goddess of the Hunt]

    He couldn''t care less about meeting with another deity. If anything, he wants to avoid meeting with any other god or goddess.

    But the first skill is actually beneficial for him. With the [Skill Merging] option on the system, he can simplybine the useless skills he''ll gain in order to acquire a better skill.

    "It''s either that or I''ll get upgraded trash." Zeke thought to himself.

    As Zeke went to deliver the final blow to the Wood Scouts, other things are also beginning to be set in motion.

    Usually, King Aeolus would simply lose track of where Hark and Sylvia have gone as, they continue moving from town to town.

    However, this time there is an informant. One who gave the exact coordinates of the family and, a method to take them down.

    "Are the troops ready?" King Aeolus stood at the balcony of his castle, overlooking the whole capital of Elysium.

    "Yes my Lord. We are awaiting your orders." Replied an elven soldier. He knelt and looked down, positioning himself close enough for the king to hear.

    "Good. I want that area surrounded before sundown." The Kingmanded.

    "I don''t care what measures you use. After you''ve upied the town. Burn down houses, torture some civilians, do what needs to be done to bring Sylvia back. That''s all that matters." The King said, thinking of the woman who made him fall deeply and madly in love.

    "Understood my Lord." With that the soldier stood up and went for the door.

    "Oh and" The King, added another reminder.

    "death will be waiting for you if you fail."

    "U-understood my Lord." The soldier said, afraid that his own life would be taken if they fail.

    The king remembered his acts right after he got the scroll. It has been years and frankly, he has never gotten any strong lead on where Sylvia isthat is, until that scroll came. He blew some fuse by hitting more dummies. That time, he shot at the vital points, firing until he had no arrows left. After this, he got a servant toe inside and pick up all the arrows. He then repeated the same processover and overuntil his head finally cleared out.

    "I''ll get you back." He told himself.

    "I''ll get you back even if I have to burn the whole of Elysium just to do it."

    After this, he went and consulted with his friend Erio on how they should aplish the mission. His friend suggest that they should just bring a small group.

    "A handful of assassins and a good horse rider." He advised the King.

    Entei knows that an operation like this would only turn into a disaster if too much soldiers are deployed. The number would attract attention, which in turn would rm the ones nearby and, possibly, rming the target of the operation. However, the King did not listen to this.

    "That demaster is a brutal warrior. He''d kill her even before we get our hands on my beloved bride." He said, still thinking that the demaster is just holding her hostage.

    "We need to deploy more troops. Send in three of the most powerful squads you have." The Kingmanded.

    *Sigh*

    "You''re the boss." Erio replied, worrying about how the mission will turn into a disaster because of the King''s poor choice.

    Right after this, Erio went and selected the troops to be used. 300 men strong who will march towards the town next to the Capital. Erio didn''t make them march all at once however. He deployed the soldiers little by little in order to not raise any rm.

    Erio have actually dwindled these numbers. He is still opposed to having arge number of troops deployed. So, he took the minimum; one that King Aeolus will approve of.

    This all leads us back to the scene at the balcony. Erio nces at his friend as the King stood proudly and looked at them marching out of the city. At times he is happy that his friend became the King. But more often than he''d wish, he is frightened by the fact that, his friend is turning more and more like the former king.

 Chapter 30: An Elf Who Knows

    Chapter 30: An Elf Who Knows

    Before the morning sun even rose, Zeke already finished dealing with all the monsters in the forest. There were some that stirred up a bit of trouble but, his four generals easily dealt with these troublesome foes. With the end of his hidden quest, these are t he skills that have been added to the ones which he can make use of.

    [Skill Name: Peerless desman]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: The skill owner bes 5% more proficient in the use of any ded weapon.]

    [Skill Name: Master Bowman]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: The skill owner bes 5% more proficient in the use of any archery based weaponry.]

    [Skill Name: Craftsman]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: The skill owner bes 5% more proficient in crafting weapons, armor, and essories.]

    [Skill Name: Ground Spikes]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Active]

    [Mana Consumed: 70]

    [Information: Allows the caster to create spikes that shoot out of the ground. The length and piercing capacity are dependent on the skill''s rank.]

    [Skill Name: Poison Cloud]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Active]

    [Mana Consumed: 70]

    [Information: Creates a cloud of poison on the intended location for the caster. The skill is effective on all kinds of opponents. Damage varies depending on the monster''s rank. Enemies who leave the area of the Poison Cloud''s effect will have it wear off after a minute.]

    [Skill Name: Lesser Wind Element Resistance]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: Makes the skill owner 5% more resistant to all wind attributed attacks and debuffs.]

    ...

    [Skill Name: Warrior''s Toughness]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: The passive owner is 5% resistant to all types of attacks.]

    [Skill Name: Slime Tamer]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Active]

    [Mana Consumed: 20]

    [Information: Allows the user to tame the slimes encountered. Tamed slimes can evolve depending on the quality of nurturing.]

    [Skill Name: Mage''s Wisdom]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: Adds 5% to the gamer''s mana points and grants +10 Intelligence attribute.]

    [???]

    Thest skill looked problematic but, Zeke didn''t mind it at the moment because he''s already feeling lightheaded. Zeke wasn''t able to get any sleep because, the monsters he conjured will disappear once he loses consciousness. Hence, he stayed up with his minions, wishing that he could get some shut eye soon as he neared the camp.

    Another great bonus that came with this quest is that, his monsters also grew in rank and in level. Right now, all they need is for Zeke to reach level 40 and they will gain an evolution. Aside from this, Zeke and Allesiah also leveled up. Zeke is now level 38 while Allesiah has just reached level 30.

    "I hope Miss Windsprite won''t attack me this time. I might just stab her and kill the other two if I don''t get any peace of mind." Zeke said, just wanting to get things done with.

    As he reached camp, the two Windsprites are still sleeping. de is out on the lookout so Zeke approached him first.

    "Hey, good morning there." Zeke said as he stepped down from the tree.

    "Oh, you''re back? Thank god you''re safe. We kept on hearing the wailing sound of monsters all night long." de said.

    "Uhhh yeah." Zeke replied, not wanting to tell de that he is actually the cause of all that noise.

    "Did you get some sleep?" Zeke continued, noticing a pendant that de is hiding underneath his clothing. He was only able to see a part of it but, it looked something simr to old man Felroy''s cane.

    "Not much, I got most of the guarding duties. I am a servant of the Windsprites after all." He replied.

    "Must be tough on you." Zeke said, sitting down on a tree and patting the empty space beside him; motioning for de to sit there.

    "But the monsters." de said, sounding worried that monsters maye.

    "Believe me, there won''t be monstersing here anytime soon." Zeke replied.

    He wanted to sleep right away but, if he sleeps now, it may take him a long time to wake up. If there''s one thing that Zeke never wants to break, it''s a healthy sleeping habit. This is because, he is a heavy sleeper. The effects are even aggravated when he''spletely tired and drained. He''d turn into the kind that, even if you ce his sleeping body in a concert, he won''t be waking up anytime soon. Hence, he decided to stay awake until they reach the next town.

    With this, de sat beside him and they had a small conversation. Zeke wanted to know more about the elves and their culture. To him, there are things that can only be learned through the ones who experienced things first hand. And the thing that interested him the most is

    "The human rebellion?"

    "Yes, do you know anything about it?" Zeke asked.

    "You can actually read it in books." de replied.

    "Yes. I can. But history is not kind to its subjects. Those words can be twisted and turned depending on what the people in power wants to ce in it. What I''m, asking you is, the real cause of rebellion and the real sequence and reasons for the events." Zeke said, closing his eyes.

    "For a human, you sure are wise Master Zeke." de said. Zeke isn''t able to see it with his eyes shut but, de is now smiling at him.

    "I''m guessing that means you''d tell me right?" Zeke continued.

    "it''s not like I have a choice. You save me and my mistress twice. Furthermore, you reunited her with Lady Allesiah and are now even working toward reuniting the three sisters." de said, sounding happy about the things that took ce.

    "There are some things that I want to ask about that actually. But I''ll leave it forter. Right now, I just want the information you can give me."

    "Understood." de replied with a smile on his face.

    There are three key points in the story that de has told him. The first one is how the humans and the elves actually began on equal terms. ''During the reign of the first king, anyone who can fight is given honor. Thus it didn''t matter if you are human or elf. If you can fight and you can win, then you are to be respected.'' Were the words that de said.

    This meant that, territories are settled with fights, either through duel or through a small skirmish between factions. Things shifted with theing of the second king. He despised humans especially because, he was once defeated by one. Seeing them as the inferior race, hepletely destroyed thews of the first king, creating a kingdom ruled by elves, with humans as ves and lower elves as servants.

    This is the second point to the story. The humans never forgot about the way things were done before and wanted to restore this. However, whenever they tried negotiating peacefully, they would only be shown violence and nothing more. This led the humans to be more spiteful and hateful of the elves which, led to the third point.

    The rebellion is something that everyone thought woulde one day. But seeing how docile the humans became throughout the years, the elves thought that this may nevere after all. But then, a single human rose on top of every other. He created a group and, slowly spread his influence to all humans who lived in the capital of Elysium.

    "He had the strength to back up his determination." de said.

    This man resembled the first king more than any elf king ever has and, with him leading, the humans of the capital began the rebellion. This man stood at the front of the battlefield while the current King of that time hid inside his chambers,ying with his women as the enemies continued striking.

    Like every other king, he has his pride and thought that humans are nothing but insects. Even the soldiers thought this way and took the merry band of rebels lightly, a decision they soon came to regret.

    The humans advanced slowly and, soon after, they''ve almost gotten half of Elysium''s capital within their grasp. But then, disaster struck as the prince mobilized everyone efficiently. With the wave of the battle shifting to the elves, the humans decided to create onest blow to the capital. They stormed the castle, dominating the forces as the rebel leader led the march.

    They knew that it is only death that awaits them but, they wanted it to be a death which would leave a dent in history. With this, the rebel leader dueled with the king. Fought him at his best and, was able toe out victorious. It is here that, his name has been recorded in history and, in all the wanted posters around Elysium.

    "Hark - The King yer."

    As de''s narration ended, Zeke opened his eyes and saw the morning sun about to rise. The sisters have also woken up at this point and, although Sylph still didn''t get along with Zeke, de promised him that there would be no more hostility or sneak attacks.

    At this, the group advanced toward the town and with theiring are also the final preparations of the enemy forces.

 Chapter 31: The Enemy Lurks

    Chapter 31: The Enemy Lurks

    "Excuse me, is anyone home?" de asked as he knocked on the door.

    It took half a day for Zeke''s temporary party to reach the town of Hezsfra. The directions around town is not that difficult and, it didn''t take long for them to reach the house where Hark''s family currently stayed at.

    Zeke remembered the letter of Miss Sylvia as they separated. ''I hope that the next time we meet, there would be no hatred.'' Zeke thought about this but, the only feeling he had at the moment is sleepiness. One that has been dragged over his limit. His body now felt cold and he felt his reasoning getting a bit weaker, thinking mostly of sleep and nothing more.

    "Oh my, and who might you be?" An olddy came from the door, looking at the group consisting of three elves and one human.

    "Good day ma''am." Allesiah saiding forward.''

    "I am Allesiah Windsprite and, back there is my older sister Sylph. We came looking for our sister and was told that she''d be here." She continued.

    "I think you have the wrong house, good " The olddy proceeded to closing her door but, Sylph held on to it.

    "Please, her family is in great danger. We just want her to be safe." Sylph said.

    The old woman looked at the other Windsprites with a stern look on her face. She then sighed, removing her hand on the knob and continuing the discussion.

    "You have the same eyes as Lady Sylvia." The old woman said and at this, another figure came out, one that is smaller than the old woman.

    "Granny, who''s at the door?" Zeke knew the voice. It''s a boy who kept asking him questions on his first night in Elysium. It''s Keith.

    The boy immediately saw Zeke and came running at him. Jumping up and wanting to be caught but, Zeke dodged, making Allesiah the one to catch the tiny human.

    "Nope. No more physical contact for today." Zeke thought to himself, getting more irritated because of hisck of sleep.

    "Pleasee inside, the couple went for errands and should be back before the sun goes down." The olddy said, motioning everyone toe inside.

    What they did not expect however is that, the outside of the house is nothing but an illusion. As they stepped into the house, a bright light caught them. After this sh ended their eyes widened at what they saw. Everything got wider and suddenly, Zeke felt that he is in a mansion owned by a rich aristocrat.

    There is a huge garden at the middle, with arge tree as the centerpiece. Further back are two staircases that leads to both the left and right side of the hose. All around them, there are butlers and maids, all busy doing their chores. The old woman herself changed appearance and turned into a tall female elf.

    Her appearance is only second to the beauty of Sylvia yet, she wore modest maid clothing. Her eyes are light yellow while her hair is an auburn brown.

    "Wee to the secret Windsprite manor. I am your host, Illia Carion."

    "Secret manor? Howe I''ve never been told about this?" Sylph asked.

    "UhnmmI think that''s why it''s called ''secret'' sis." Allesiah replied.

    "Looks like somebody wants to spar with me." Sylph replied, not weing thement of Allesiah that made her seem like an idiot.

    "Guys, break it up. We need to get our priorities set." Zeke said.

    "I''m guessing you are the leader of the group." Illia said, with a smile on her face.

    "How are you so sure? It might be me or Allesiah." Sylph replied.

    "A group consisting of two noblewomen, one male elf, and one human, can have two oues. One is a beaten down human with cuffs on his legs  meaning very. The second is, a human who looks perfectly fine without any sign of mistreatment  meaning, he leads the group."

    "That''s quite smart of her." Zeke thought to himself, not saying anything else as he is reserving his strength.

    "Right now, we should wash up first. We''ll wait for the two to return in the afternoon and then, let''s proceed to nning."

    "What makes you think they''ll allow us?" de asked Zeke.

    "Please, this manor is technically owned by Miss Sylvia. And with Hark as her husband, it means that this ce has a neutral perspective on humans and elves. Plus, bringing her sisters here means that we''re guests already." Zeke used up a lot of his remaining energy in exining this.

    "Looks like we have another promising human like sir Hark." Illia said. She then pped her hands twice making more servants appear.

    These elves assisted the group, dividing them and putting the boys and the girls inside separate baths.

    "Ohhh god that feels so good!" Zeke shouted as he dipped inside the hot spring.

    "You''re probably tired from all the fighting you''ve gone through." de replied as he sat beside Zeke.

    "That''s true, although it''s fine because it''ll end soon." Zeke said to himself, seeing how the primary main quest will probably end at a close date.

    "You seem to be confident about everything you say." de said but Zeke didn''t respond anymore and simply let the warm water sink in on his body.

    "Ah! I remembered! There was something I forgot to tell you about the history of Elysium master Zeke." de said.

    "Oh and what might that be?" Zeke replied, interested in hearing more about the history of the continent.

    "You see, the first king''s followers are still scattered around Elysium, looming in and waiting for their chance to strike." de''s words felt cold. Even with the bath''s calming effect, Zeke suddenly felt that danger is close by, specifically, sitting next to him. He was about to stand up but then, de suddenly used the spell he used on Sylph.

    "Somnus." He said, and at this, Zeke lost consciousness. His whole body dropping to the bath.

    "Master Zeke!" de shouted, making two servants enter the bath.

    "What happened sir?"

    "I don''t know. Mypanion suddenly lost consciousness. Help me get him to a ce where he can sleep will you?" de continued, an order which the servants immediately acted upon.

    The girls heard about the news and quickly went to where Zeke is now sleeping. Sylph didn''t want toe of course but, her sister seemed to be worried so she tagged along.

    "What happed?" Allesiah asked de.

    "I think he fainted from over exhaustion. He''s been fighting non-stop since yesterday and haven''t'' gotten any sleep." de said.

    There is trout to this of course and, Zeke is truly exhausted. However, the whole truth was not told. Specifically, the part where he forced Zeke to sleep using his spell.

    "Allesiah went to the side of Zeke''s bed and held the forehead of her master, checking the temperature if he has fever.

    "There was something he told me to do though. He said that we should probably go and look for Miss Sylvia and Hark as the troops can strike earlier." de said.

    Both Windsprites trusted de''s words. He''s been part of the household for a long time and, for the most part, he has always saved Sylph from a lot of dangerous situations.

    "I think he''s right." Sylph replied, wanting to meet her sister as soon as possible.

    "Okay. Let''s head out then, we must make sure that no harmes to sister Sylvia." Sylph continued, going out of the room. Allesiah immediately followed her, leaving de alone in the room with Zeke.

    The air suddenly turned cold again and, even without changing appearance, one can tell that de is now an entirely different person.

    "The king was betrayed by the court of nobles which he trusted the most. All the elves on that council plotted the demise of the first elven King and all the human members of his council. However, there was a man who was able top escape and warn the King''s household." He took out his ne, showing the symbol of a lion embedded on it.

    "All this time, the people who showed loyalty to the first king''s standard still surround Elysium. They arewe are, deeply within all parts of the system, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike." He continued.

    "And that, Master Zeke, is now. All the pieces are in their perfect ces. The informant who made the King get drunk with the idea of reuniting with Sylvia. The failed assault of the Wood Scouts. Theing of the Windsprite siblings to this town. The marching of the Capital''s soldiers to this ce. Everything is now set."

    "You are the only variable that seemed to be a hindrance to our ns. Thankfully, you thought everything was actually going the way you wanted them to be. You even tired yourself out and didn''t sleep, making my spell even more potent on your body." He continued.

    "Well that''s enough chit chat don''t you think? There''s no use if I keep on talking to you." de said, finally opening the door and looking at Zeke onest time. With a menacing smile on his face, de spoke:

    "Sleep soundly, I''ll take care of the rest."

 Chapter 32: Why Would I Lie?

    Chapter 32: Why Would I Lie?

    "Ah. Sh*t I didn''t expect this." Zeke said to himself, angered by his ownck of foresight.

    Right now, he is in his subconscious again. His real body is fast and heavily asleep. With the amount of stress built up by his body, he knows that it won''t be waking up anytime soon.

    "This won''t do. This definitely won''t lead to anything good." He continued, knowing that his body would need around 12 hours of sleep at this point before he can regain consciousness.

    Zeke wanted to do something, anything in his power in order to create a change. His mind quickly raced to all possible routes and, at every turn he takes in the maze of his own mind, all he sees is a dead end. A giant wall that looms over him which he cannot pass through. For the first time in his life, Zeke felt powerless.

    "The voice chat is unavable. I can only get a feed from everything that''s happening through Allesiah''s eyes but, that in itself won''t be enough." Zeke continued.

    With a heavy sigh, Zeke decided to just focus on optimizing both his set of [Skills] and [Items] so that, when he wakes up, he can act quickly. As he did this, he opened the rewards list of his quests. There are two that he has yet to im. One is the [Memory Piece] and the other is the [Meeting with the Goddess of the Hunt].

    With the choicesid before him and, knowing that he won''t be waking up anytime soon, Zeke decided to y the [Memory Piece].

    [Beginning Transmission]

    ..

    ..

    ..

    "How should we search for them?" Allesiah asked, bringing her staff along just in case she encounters an enemy.

    "I have an idea. Why don''t we split up? That way we have a better chance of finding them." de said with a smile on his face.

    "That''s true, we should also use amunication spell in order to update each other." Sylph continued, agreeing with the idea of de.

    At this, the three separated routes. de''s expression changed after they all turned their backs, moving to where the capital''s soldiers are residing. Meanwhile Allesiah moved carefully, making sure that she wouldn''t get inside any area with too many people.

    She is nervous of course. After all, among the two of her sisters, she respects Sylvia the most. Not only is she a refined woman and an elf looked up by everyone, she is also the envy of all female noblewoman as she was chosen to be the bride of the future king. Adding to Allesiah''s worry is that she still hasn''t reached a level where she could match her sister at spellcasting.

    Her breathing became heavy as she continued moving through town. Going through the whole of Hezsfra is not an easy task after all. The size of the ce could be considered as big as the capital of Elysium. Gigantic trees can be seen all around and, their roots envelope the houses, making the ce look a bit more enchanted and ancient.

    Allesiah kept worrying but then, she remembered the conversation she had with Zeke before they left. She remembered how Zeke smiled to her with so much resolve, telling her to go meet up with her sisters. And this gave her courage, enough for her to finally be able to make up with her sister Sylph and, probably also enough resolve to face Sylvia on equal footing.

    As she thought of all this, she reached the end of an alleyway that leads to the town square. And there, walking alongside a man of warrior - like build, is her sister Sylvia.

    "Sister!" She shouted, making Sylvia look at her for a moment. Thest that she would probably be able to see.

    As she was about to approach, soldiers descended into the scene, surrounding the whole town square with 300 elves of various job sses. There are archers, spellcasters, swordsmen, defenders, and two abominations  monsters that have only been used during the cmity war 1,000 years ago.

    "What''s going on?" Allesiah said to herself, remembering clearly that the letter Zeke found told that the operation would happen tomorrow.

    "Why are they moving now?" Allesiah said, wanting to move but suddenly not being able to. She saw Sylvia mouth some words which made her drop to the ground. Allesiah is then covered by a kind of invisible wall, preventing the soldiers from seeing her.

    "No. No!" Allesiah said, watching the whole scene unfold.

    In the middle of it all, both Hark and Sylvia are prepared to begin battle. Hark brought out two broadswords while Sylvia brought out a staff made from the wind itself.

    There was a second of stillness that seemed to hang in the air. It seemed to suffocate everyone, wanting to move and, this began by the closing in of the defenders. They circled the two with their thick shields, moving in closely so as to trap Hark and Sylvia.

    Hark didn''t allow this to happen as he jumped up and over the formation. The archers and spellcasters tried to act in response but, Sylvia created a thick mist that covered the whole area. The denseness of the spell prevented the elves from seeing anything until it is finally right in front of them.

    However, Hark had the perfect skill toplement the fog. He only has three skills in his arsenal yet, it is also these three skills that he honed to perfection. The first two are what he relies on for most of his battles while, his third skill is something which he rathers not use.

    [Skill Name: Primal Instinct]

    [Rank: A]

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: Heightens the five sense of the skill owner. Reaction time is also increased exponentially, making things look as if they are moving slower than usual when desired.]

    [Skill Name: The Monarch]

    [Rank: A]

    [Skill Type: Active]

    [Mana Consumed: 500]

    [Information: Increases the base stats of the skill owner tenfold. An armor made of mana is also created, giving weapons of the same kind. The skill [Decimating sh] is also added. The bacsh after the skill duration ends will paralyze the caster for a short duration, hindering any form of movement.]

    Activating both skills gave Hark the upper hand in the battle. The reason why he was able to lead a rebellion which relied solely on humans with pickaxes and shovels is because, he in himself is enough to deal arge blow to the capital.

    He moved through the battlefield, using [Decimating sh] to destroy the soldiers who moved in groups as they tried to find Hark. But then, a de hindered Hark''s  surprising him as this is followed by two fireballs.

    "I kinda hoped you weren''t with them." Hark said as the same de tried shing him again. He leapt up in the air, but as he did, five ice spears came flying toward him. With his enhanced senses and attributes, he was able to dodge them all andnd on the ground again.

    "You shouldn''t rely on that skill too much. It''s taxing for a human''s body." Hark''s enemy came forward, swinging his sword forward which Hark deflected.

    "Then you shouldn''t'' have ambushed us with this many soldiers." He replied, knowing that it is the elven general he is now facing.

    As Hark continued fighting, Sylvia also did her part and began shooting down all the long-range opponents. Like Hark, Sylvia also has a skill which helped her move through the mist but, she knows that some archers and spellcasters would also have this. A hunch that was confirmed as she saw the spells that tried to make contact with her husband.

    "Oh no you don''t!" She said, tying up her hair  a gesture she does whenever she goes all out. In a single instant, she was able to create multiple magic circles; enough to surround the whole town square.

    "Ember''s Spite!" She shouted, creating me orbs out of the magic circles that went after opponents from every direction. Some got hit in the process  shouting as they got burnt. Then there were others who are either able to dodge or block the attack.

    "There''s no end to them." Sylvia said, feeling tired from continually firing off AoE spells.

    "sh Freeze." She continued, targeting the furthest areas within the area and holding down the enemies there.

    Although both of them are worn out, they know that they can win the fight. But then, A spell stronger than Sylvia''s broke the fog, shocking the couple and all the soldiers in the area.

    "I expected nothing less from Master Sylvia and the King yer." A voice said, making everyone look at the direction where the sound came from.

    Right in the middle of the town square is de, with an unconscious Sylph tied down  a de pointed at her neck.

    "de! What is the meaning of this!" Sylvia shouted, knowing the male elf all too well.

    The only reason why she was able to leave the capital without worrying about Sylph is because, she knew she could trust de Yet here he is, threatening to kill her sister.

    "Please calm down." de said, with a worried look on his face. He has already mastered the art of deception, lying to everyone for the purpose of his goals.

    "Good work soldier." Erio said,ing to the side of de as he breathed heavily from the exchange with Hark.

    The demaster also came back to the side of Sylvia who didn''t know what to do next.

    "The next part is actually pretty simple. Both of you are to surrender or else, we''ll be taking your precious sister''s life."

    "You fiend! I trusted you!" Sylvia shouted, not able to do anything.

    "And who''s fault is that?" de answered, holding back the thrill he felt at the moment.

    Hark knew how much his wife loved her siblings. He also knows that she left them with a heavy heart and, would even wake up at nights because she thought of how they are doing.

    "It''s fine." Hark said. Dropping his swords to the ground which made Sylvia look.

    "I''m sorry." Sylvia replied, making her staff vanish.

    Allesiah watched the whole scene unfold before her, unable to do anything. Sylvia didn''t look at her again as it may give her coordinates away. As the soldiers took their targets, de stopped and looked at Allesiah. His eyes looking nothing like the de she knew of.

    "He can''t see me right?" Allesiah said, knowing that the concealing spell is still in effect.

    But then, de gave a menacing smile to her. Looking directly at her eyes before moving with the soldiers.

    At this, the sun began to set. With all the enemies gone, the spells used by Sylvia vanished, leaving Allesiah in the middle of a darkened alley and allowing the grief to consume her from her own helplessness.

 Chapter 33: The Day That Followed

    Chapter 33: The Day That Followed

    As Zeke finally woke up, it is already morning. His whole body felt lighter but also, he felt heavy from the burden of having to watch everything that happened. Through the [Video Log] he was able to see what Allesiah saw and, just like her, he hated his own helplessness in the situation.

    As he did, two notifications came, adding to his [Sub Quest] list.

    [Sub Quest: Reveal de''s true identity]

    [Reward: Ruined City memory Piece]

    [Sub Quest: Assist Allesiah]

    [Reward: 3 Skill Points]

    With Zeke waking up, various other missions have also been aplished. The basics that happen every day. At this, he bought another spell that he used at [Trial Ind] which is [Detonate]. Also, he invested 4 points into [Poison Cloud] raising its rank up to [E->.

    He already has things figured out but, before he could ce his whole n into motion, he needed to find Allesiah. So, he got up; knowing where he''d find her. And true enough, she''s in the middle of the manor, sitting on one of the branches of the tree which resides there. Allesiah stared nkly into the ceiling of the house, a look that Zeke knew resulted from his poor choices.

    However, his long sleep is not without any merit. In fact, he was able to gather a lot of useful information as he watched the memory piece that came as his reward.

    What he saw was a scene that unfolded 1,000 years ago. An event referred to a s the cmity war of Mythos. This came at the peak of evolution for all the races. Each continent wanted to dominate ande out on top. Hence, these four continents went to an all-out war. But this is not the focus of the memory piece.

    Its focus is the war as seen through the eyes of the First King. Gallio Leonis. He is an elf whose armors is crimson red. His sword is an obsidian ck which did not permit any other color to stain it. All over the battlefield, he would march on, dominating his foes and leaving virtually none alive.

    His allies admired him and looked up to him, while all his enemies feared him for his brute and unrelenting strength. Even the dragons of old were no match for his might and, soon after, when the war finally ended, Gallio became the first King of Elysium. He gathered up all the people and created a bnced system which benefitted both humans and elves who lived within the continent.

    Things went well for a while and, the proud lion of the battlefield has finally slumbered inside his cave. However, other predators were waiting for this to happen and plotted his demise. Everything else that followed is as de has told him. However, there is one crucial thing that he didn''t'' saythe first King was able to evolve into a Blood Elf.

    A blood elf is someone who can pass on his life by making another person drink his blood. Though this, the body would die but the person could still live on. The first king watched everything unfold with his own eyes as he is chained down like a dog.

    How his wife and daughters have been ravaged by vile pig like elves. How his loyal and trusted men are forced to do the same. He watched as various tortures have bene done to the member of his household. All while the enemiesughed at his misery.

    The king cursed that he''d return one day. A promise that everybody thought to be futile as they sliced off his head, kicking the decapitated head all around before finally destroying the equality and stability that the first king created. The elves soon rose on top yet, nobody was aware that one person kept the blood of the king, running away with it, together with the surviving members of the Leonis household.

    "Allesiah, stop sulking already." Zeke said, making the sorceress look at him with eyes that are about to break into tears.

    "Oh god, please don''t make her cry." Zeke said, not wanting to take care of a crying woman.

    "Master. T-they took my sisters. I wasn''t able to do anything for them." She said.

    "I know. We both were." Zeke said, sitting next to Allesiah and patting her head.

    "Don''t hug me." He said, making her just cry on his arm, wetting it with her tears.

    "We''re a bit short on time so I''ll exin the rescue n while you do that okay?" At this, Allesiah''s crying suddenly halted and she looked at her master with unbelieving eyes.

    "Rescue n?"

    "Yup. We''re going to charge into the city and save your sisters." He said.

    "EHHHH!"

    Zeke made Allesiah calm down before he continued further. As this happened, themunication device installed within the house began glowing. This is a device imnted into all the buildings within Elysium that is used for a continent-wide broadcast. The next thing that followed is the Elf King''s voice.

    "My fellow elves! Today is a great day of rejoicing. For two things have gone in our favor!" The voice sounded joyful and upbeat.

    "It''s finally starting huh." Zeke thought to himself, wishing that his suspicion won''te true. His hunch is that, the King would not waste a single second to advance with his ns, especially with someone like Hark.

    "One is the return of my bride and the other is the capture of the man who murdered my father!" King Aeolus continued.

    Zeke and Allesiah listened to the King speak. It may be painful to hear his words but, this is also the source of information which Zeke and Allesiah will use. Hence, they listened closely to the hour-long speech of the king which gave out two valuable pieces of information.

    One is that Hark will be executed on the night of the full moon. This will happen in the middle of the capital, with all the nobles and all themonersing to watch. This is because, Hark has also defeated the previous King on the same night. Thus, King Aeolus thought that it would only be fitting for him to end this murder''s life on the same type of night.

    The full moonsts for two days and, the execution will happen on thest day of the full moon.

    The second news is, right after this is done with, Sylvia Windsprite will marry Aeolus Leavely. This is in order for no objections to be made. But this isn''t going to end into anything good. A lot of people still want Sylvia dead and, if she is going to be locked up inside the castle walls, the execution will be easier to perform.

    "Mum? Dad?" Zeke heard the voice of Keith who probably also listened to themunication channel as it yed.

    "Come down when you are prepared to talk." Zeke said, jumping down from the branch and going to where Keith is.

    Allesiah thought of everything that happened thus far. She also thought of the possibility that Zeke may be a secret spy from the capital but, she quickly dismissed the idea  remembering the warmness of this person to her.

    "But why would he risk his life for the sake of total strangers?" Allesiah asked herself.

    She may think that Zeke is some kind of saint but, the truth is, the primary reason for all actions performed by Zeke is for the sake of his quests. Emotions do not y arge part in things that he does. Although they do influence him at times. This includes that moment when he decided to reunite the siblings even if the mission has not popped up yet.

    At this, Allesiah wiped away her tears and steeled herself. ''This isn''t the proper time to be sulking.'' Were the words that yed through her head as she went and followed the direction where Zeke went. There she saw her master sitting down and reaching on to the top of Keith''s head, patting it as the child hugged him close.

    "Hey, stop crying, I promise to get your parents back." Zeke said to the child, smiling as he brushed Keith''s hair.

    "But the man who spoke. Those are mum and dad right?" Keith said, staring at Zeke as if to see if the man would lie to him.

    "No. Of course not. That was just a joke your parents made. I promise they''d return by tomorrow." Zeke said, giving the child a reassuring smile.

    "OkayI believe you." At this a maid came running towards them. She is probably the caretaker assigned for Keith as she carried the child away.

    Zeke waved his hand and smiled as the child went. Allesiah came forward, standing next to Zeke  waiting for his orders.

    "What will we do now?" Allesiah asked, thinking how impossible it would be to storm the castle with just the two of them.

    "The execution will happen tomorrow night. Before that, we have a whole day to make our move." The words itself did notfort Allesiah, in fact, it worried her all the more, knowing that her master is probably nning something dangerous again.

    "And what is that move exactly." At this, Allesiah''s suspicion came true as Zeke looked at her with an excited smile on his face.

    "That''s easy..."

    "...we''ll infiltrate the city."

 Chapter 34: Questions Left Unanswered

    Chapter 34: Questions Left Unanswered

    "Good morning mistress." de said to Sylph who is now locked up inside a room within the castle. Her bow and arrows have been confiscated and, all possible escape routes have been blocked. Various soldiers also surrounded the area, making it impossible for her to fight her way through without her weapons.

    "I heard you got promoted. Congrattions, you''d have someone new to betray now." Sylph said, facing the window and refusing to look at de. It is painful for her after all, knowing that thepanion she trusted the most is actually a secret spy.

    "Now don''t go and make me the viin now. I just yed my part in all of this. Plus, the show''s not even over yet." He said, smiling at Sylph who still refused to look at him.

    "Well if that''s how you want it, I guess I''ll be going now." He continued.

    de had a lot of things to do for the day. With him being the second inmand to General Erio, he now has arge control over the military and, he even has ess to ces that most people cannot enter. One of this being the prison where Hark is being kept.

    The ce runs underground meaning, everyone who wishes to enter it needs to pass through the entrance on the surface. Stationed there are two guards who, after seeing de, immediately saluted.

    "At ease." de said, telling the guards that he wishes to be permitted inside.

    "But sir, the King and General Erio have instructed that nobody should be permitted inside until the execution is done with."

    "Are you questioning my authority solider?'' de responded, cing a chilling grin on his face.

    "N-no sir of course not." At this, the soldiers opened the entrance, creating a staircase that leads spirally down.

    Nobody has ever escaped the elven prison for a lot of reasons. A primary part is because, there are carnivorous worms that have been ced around the prison. Any prisoner who tries getting away by digging through the ground will only end up as food for these worms. The second reason is because, the walls are made up of the wood of the ancient [Elemental Tree]. The said tree had its name because it absorbs any and all elements as its source of nutrients. Thus, even if some parts of the prison are damaged, all that is needed is to feed a bit of element into the prison and it will restore itself.

    de descended the area and went straight to the elevator stationed on the top floor. The machinery works on magic crystals that controls gravity. There is no advanced mechanism in the city of Elysium after all. What they rely on are mostly made of natural materials.

    "Bottom floor." de said, making the operator open a magic circle and spinning it to the symbol that meant ''bottom''.

    As he descended, de heard the agonizing cries of the prisoners held there. A sound that kept getting weaker as he went further down. With a prison such as this, it gets harder to breathe as one goes down. Even de is now experiencing the same effects as he goes further.

    Then, he finally reached the bottom cell. One which only contained a single prisoner, tied up in chains who can barely move and has been doing his best just to breathe.

    "Hey, how''s it going. I brought you some food." de said, throwing a pouch inside the cell.

    Normally, food cannot be given to prisoners as they already have their daily rations. However, the guard didn''t stop de anymore. He knows the current rank of the elf who threw it and, he''s been trained to be on the good side of hismanding officers.

    "You''ll be dead tomorrow so you should at least eat to your heart''s content." de said sarcastically.

    At this, de moved on and offered food to every person inside every cell. He gave the same pouch but, of a smaller size.

    "There you go."

    "And one for yuou."

    "And another for you."

    The guards didn''t stop him and thought that, this is the Vice-General''s way of showing kindness after his appointment to the position. After all this, he went back to the surface, sweating heavily but satisfied nheless.

    "Tomorrow''s the day huh." He said out loud and, as moved away, his face twisted into a hair-raising smile.

    "Oh what''s this?" de said, looking at his ne which began glowing.

    "Looks like I have some visitors."

    Meanwhile, Zeke and Allesiah have just entered the city through an underground path. This area is shown in thest memory piece that Zeke viewed. As far as he can tell, only members of the Leonis household knows of this pathway. There are no troubles encountered because the ce is simply a route, not a ce where people stay at.

    "How did you find this ce master?" Allesiah asked.

    "Let''s just say that, I''ve got some really conventional means of information." He replied.

    The two moved quickly, knowing that they have no time to waste. Zeke gave the details to Allesiah as they moved along and, though arge part of it seems to be too viinous to be acted out, the n could nevertheless work.

    "That''s it, the end of the tunnel." Zeke said, pointing to a spot on the ceiling that he''s able to move. The ground opened up and, true enough they are now safely within the city, hiding in a spot that almost nobody everes to.

    That''s why both of them are surprise as they heard someone speak.

    "Well what do we have here?"

    Zeke and Allesiah immediately turned to find de standing right in front of them. Zeke knows that they can''t make any sudden movement as the soldiers coulde with themotion. That''s why the two of them stood still, and so did de.

    "You are really full of surprises." de said.

    "So are you." Zeke replied, cing another piece of the puzzle into ce.

    Beads of sweat formed on Zeke''s forehead and he felt his own heart pumping nervously. There are a lot of preparations he needs to do. He doesn''t n to fight the whole of the capital unprepared and so, his mind raced for possible solutions once again.

    "I won''t stop you from whatever it is that you are scheming. For all I care, you''d greatly help me in aplishing my goals." de said.

    He then threw a map and twomunication bracelets to the two. The bracelet is made for all soldiers of the capital. This ensures that any order is acted upon quickly. The bracelet will also explode once it detects that a non-soldier wears it. That''s why, Gale modified the ones he gave in order for the effect to not activate.

    "That map has red dots all over it. Those are the areas where the soldiers will be. The green spots are the safe areas and, the houses with names are the ones where the wicked nobles are staying." de finished, leaving both Zeke and Allesiah at a loss for words.

    "Why are you helping us?" Zeke said, holding on to the map.

    "That''s a secret. But like I said, you guys may benefit me so I''ll pretend that I didn''t see you." At this de walked away.

    "Uhmm what just happened?" Allesiah asked.

    "Beats me." Zeke replied, dissolving the map and letting the [Gamer''s System] integrate the data.

    He then opened the minimap which now holds all the information that they need. What Zeke ns to do is the same tactic he used in the [Trial ind]. With the locations of the soldiers and civilians in ce, the operation would be done more urately and safer.

    "But I''ll dly wee the assistance he gave us." Zeke said, throwing themunication bracelet to Allesiah.

    "Change our appearances and give me elf ears." Zeke ordered to Allesiah who immediately followed his words. After this, the two came out of the alley and proceeded to do their parts. Night has alreadye and, with the darkened capital, the two can move swiftly and urately.

    Zeke began going around town, maximizing the [Mana Conversion] skill and nting [Poison Cloud] using his [Detonate]. Although he just wants to kill of the guards, it may cause an rm making things more difficult.

    What Zeke made Allesiah perform is a transportation spell circle. It''s a spell that anybody can use because all that''s needed is the creation of the magic circle on the ground. This needs to be on two spots. One on the entrance and, the other is on the exit. It''s a ime spell so after using it, the magic circle will dissolve. The number which it can transport is purely dependent on the amount of mana invested.

    That''s why Zeke made Allesiah stay at an unnoticed alleyway near the center of the capital. She immediately began her part, having an easier time gathering mana as her staff helps her to gain it from her surroundings. Coupling it with her personal training on mana maniption made the work even more bearable.

    On the Windsprite manor, all the butlers and maids used up their mana in order to supply the magic circle. The whole process would Take Allesiah and the servants half a night to finish it and, once they do, all that''s left is rest and wait for the next day.

    Before the execution couldmence, Zeke and Allesiah will save everyone.

 Chapter 35: Raise the Curtains

    Chapter 35: Raise the Curtains

    "Are you sure this is gonna work?" Allesiah asked Zeke.

    "Isn''t it already toote to be asking that question?" Zeke replied with a smile on his face.

    A day has already passed. Zeke has perfectly paced every [Poison Cloud] all over the city. Meanwhile, Allesiah has also fulfilled her role of making a transportation circle. Right now, both of them are resting because Zeke has once again broken his healthy sleeping habit by staying up all night, doing his task.

    Currently, they are hinging inside an old and abandoned manor. This ce is also located by the map provided by de which makes it convenient. Seeing as how, they have not been attacked until this moment, the both of them have dismissed that de has really provided them with a safe hiding spot. With regard to that person, Zeke is almost entirely sure that he is Gallio Leonis.

    "Nobody woulde to that spot without being warned by some kind of device." Zeke thought to himself, remembering how de appeared as soon as they got out of the secret tunnel.

    Backing up his im is how a [Sub Quest] connected to de''s true identity actually appeared the other day.

    "Shall we get started?" Zeke told Allesiah as he put on his cloak, leaving the thinking about de forter.

    "Why do I even brother trying to understand you?" Allesiah replied, replicating the same smile of confidence that Zeke always puts on.

    At the King''s castle, things are also proceeding smoothly. Aeolus wore his armor covered by the dark green robe that the previous kings of Elysium have all worn. On his head is his crown and, on his hand is the sword that his father used before getting killed by Hark.

    "You look a lot like your father now." Erio joked, seeing his friend in this attire.

    "Maybe that''s a good thing." King Aeolus replied.

    "I want him to see my father as I cut his head off." He continued, with rage reflected on his eyes. He referred to Hark of course. The man who will be executed tonight.

    While the King only thought of the public execution that is an hour away, Erio was worried about something else. He thought how peaceful it all seemed to be. Elysium has always been this tranquil but, the calm makes him feel uneasy. Like a giant ripple will start and destroy the bnce that has always been in ce.

    "How''s my beloved?" King Aeolus asked, taking Erio out of his train of thought.

    ''She''s locked up in the top floor of the castle, protected by some of our most capable men." Erio responded.

    "Good. I don''t want anything happening to her." King Aeolus said.

    In the same way that Erio has ced guards around Sylvia, he has also made sure that, there are enough guards for the King. de appeared at his side who confirmed all of this.

    "Are the soldiers ready?"

    "Yes General. I''ve made them guard every area where possible assaults wille from." He responded. Erio saw how de wore an armor that had the mix of crimson on it.

    "Why are you wearing something like that?"

    "Oh you mean crimson general? Do you know that some insects have this color as a sort of deterrent to predators? The color itself is a source of fear for them."

    "And?" Erio replied, not making sense of what he just said.

    "And our enemies might be frightened if they saw my armor." de finished, with the usual carefree smile that he puts on his face. The general sighed, approving the clothes of his Vice-General.

    At this, the three of them walked out of the castle. de and Erio positioned themselves beside the King, protecting him from any sudden attack.

    "Tonight, I will have redemption!" King Aeolus said.

    "You will. We''ll stay by your side to make sure of that." Erio responded.

    They continued to the town square and, while Erio was jittery the whole way through, they arrived without any confrontations or dy. On a stage is Hark, chained with both of his hands at his back. There are two elven soldiers pointing their swords at his neck while archers stand at the back for added security.

    With all the nobles watching and all the people getting a decent view, the execution finally started.

    "My elven brethren!" Aeolus started, wearing a ne that has amunication stone which broadcasts his voice to the whole of Elysium.

    "Tonight is a time for rejoicing!" He continued, walking around the stage. Erio stood near while a couple more guards were stationed to block if any attacks were made against the King.

    "With the darkness of the night, we will offer this criminal into its abyss. There will be no more fear of rebellion. No more fear of an uprising. Tonight, we will show why the elves are the superior race!"

    At this the crowd cheered. Making the King smile in excitement for the main event of the night.

    "We are eternal!"

    At the back of the crowd, Zeke listened to all of this. He looked at the level of the King and Erio which frightened him already. Aeolus'' level shows the number [100+] meaning he has already exceeded the level 100. Erio is just as frightening, disying the same level. However, Zeke didn''t let this hinder his n,

    His map disyed where the guards are positioned. And, as Allesiah confirmed that she is outside the castle, Zeke began.

    "Detonate and Conjure."

    There was a second of surprise in everyone''s eyes as they saw various monsters that glowed with shades of blue appearing before them. This moment is broken by a set of messages that is sent to the King.

    "The garrison is being breached!"

    "The Walls are being breached!"

    "There is a green fog covering our area sir!"

    Zeke equally divided his troops. Sending his Conjured creatures together with the [Poison Cloud. As they are undead, the poison does not work on them, giving them a huge advantage to enemies who would be caught in panic as the poison starts taking effect.

    de smiled as everything unfolded before him; waiting for what will happen next.

    "Men, what''s happening there!" Erio shouted.

    "W-we have no idea sir. There are enemies that came out together with a poisonous mist. We are aaahh!" Themunication broke as Erio heard the sound of a wolf gnawing on flesh. It then howled, which is followed by its fellow wolves.

    "Aeolus, we''re leaving." He said, grabbing his friend by the shoulder.

    "No! we need to execute him right now!" The King responded, not taking the general''s advice.

    At this, Erio did something he''s never done before. He punched his friend in the face, waking him up to the current situation.

    "Take down those petty desires you have. We need to leave!" Erio said. This convinced the King. As they started moving away, de wore a menacing look on his face.

    The crowd is a mess and Zeke waited within the panicking crowd to strike. His monsters destroyed the soldiers one by one and as they did, he performed [Conjure] again, raising the dead elven soldiers and making them his own.

    The newly conjured monsters went up on the stage, attacking the group, only to be met by the intervention of de. Zeke looked at his stats and he wondered why the level is still [30] although he feels de being much stronger than this.

    "Vice, help our men secure the prisoner." Erio ordered.

    "Yes sirAHH!" The Vice General responded.

    Zeke saw how de smirked at him as he purposely let 10 conjured shadow wolves on the loose. These monsters made their way to attack the King and Erio, all of which have been met by the general, not allowing the King to take part in a fight such as this. However, even as he defeated his enemies, they kept on rising again and again.

    "What''s up with these creatures?" Erio said, killing them off as soon as they reappear. As he did this, hismunication bracelet glowed and, the voice of a soldier came up again.

    "General! There is an intruder inside the castle!"

    "How many?" he asked as he sliced off one wolf''s jaw.

    "J-just one sir. It''s a female sorceress" The soldier replied.

    ''Then kill her already!" He ordered, hacking off the legs of another wolf.

    With all themotion going on, the King was actually about to decapitate Hark''s head. But then, arrows came flying at him, making him move back. The assault was made by [Conjured Wood Scouts].

    The stage is now surrounded by conjured creatures with only Hark, de, Aeolus, and Erio standing as real creatures. The ce has also cleared up leaving Zeke standing in the scene and surrounding the premises of the area with multiple [Poison Clouds]. Beside him are Samael and Cull whom he took back from the battlefield they previously joined. Both waiting to get their piece of the action again.

    With the progress of events, de finally made his next move. He did the unexpected and,pletely ran away from the enemies he is fighting, - leaving Erio to fight them all off.

    "Soldier what are you doing!" Erio said as even King Aeolus has drawn his sword to assist the General.

    In a swift motion that even Zeke''s conjured archers cannot follow, de removed Hark''s chains using his de. Much to his surprise however is how Hark bolted towards his direction. It wasn''t a speed that he could instantly react to but, he was able to use Samael and Cull to block a blow as Hark came kicking.

    As soon as these collided, Samael''s shield broke. And along with it, Hark was able to destroy both conjured monsters, reaching the now defenseless Zeke in the blink of an eye.

    One must remember that the whole attack made by Hark onlysted two seconds and, as his foot is nted into Zeke''s stomach, the other-worlder is sent flying destroying three houses that his body passed through. Before finally being buried within the third house he hit.

    Even with his [Mana Conversion] being activated beforehand, it only took Hark a single kick to almost end him. And that is why, even if he could still recover, Zeke decided to sit silently within the rubble for now and think of how he''d deal with an insanely powerful foe.

 Chapter 36: The Grand Scheme

    Chapter 36: The Grand Scheme

    Zeke''s conjured creatures momentarily got taken away as he lost consciousness from the attack. He didn''t re-summon them however as; this may cause his enemies to attack him againwhoever his real opponents might be.

    With the [Blood Counter] registering that damage, Zeke knows that he''ll have a trick up his sleeve once he goes out to fight.

    "A single hit that takes out my whole [Health Points] would definitely hurt him back if I use [Blood Counter]." Zeke thought to himself yet, he felt that this in itself is not enough. As he looked in his minimap, there is now a huge distance between where he is and where the four are standing. With that being said, Zeke prepared to make his counterattack.

    Hismunication bracelet glowed in the process, making him hear everything that went on.

    "What are you trying to pull here de?" He asked himself, hearing the whole continuation of events.

    "What do you think are you doing?" Erio said as de immediately left the stage and went to Hark''s side. The prisoner nodded to him as de began to speak.

    "Time wille when the lion rises from the dead. And when it does, it will devour the wind." de said as he took out his sword from its scabbard. The color began changing which put both the King and Erio in a state of shock.

    "No. It can''t be." King Aeolus said they both saw the de turning onyx ck.

    de looked at the two who are still on stage  with Erio guarding the King.

    Both the King and his General knew what the de meant. It meant that, de is a trueborn of the Leonis household because, there is only one de that could change into an onyx color  the de of Gallio Leonis.

    After murdering the first king, members of the council tried turning this sword back to its original color. Not because the color is important, but because, the effects held by the sword have also vanished together with its distinct color. They made Gallio''s corpse hold on to it and they saw how the color changed again. They tried making the dead wife and daughters of Gallio hold it but, the color didn''t change.

    This led them to two conclusions. Only a male member of the Leonis household could turn the de back to its former glory and, they thought that this needs to be the firstborn son. Hence, with the sword being virtually useless in their hands, they threw it away.

    The surviving members of the Leonis household were able to take this information and recovered the sword. A sword that King Aeolus now sees with his own eyes.

    "Aeolus, run away." Erio said, knowing that the fight might have more surprises than they can handle.

    "I''m not a child Erio, I can fight alongside you." The King replied, holding on to his sword.

    "Look at the two of you, being all chummy and stupid." de said and, as he did, the gem on hismunication bracelet turned red.

    de looked at both the King and the General, smiling like the devil himself before speaking this word to themunication bracelet:

    "Commence."

    At this, they heard various explosions, making the ground shake in the process. A bunch of messages came from the soldiers again, all in a state of panic.

    "General there are elves with a strange skin color attacking us!"

    "General there seems to be a coup!"

    "The prison has been breached!"

    "What the hell is going on!" Erio shouted as neither he nor the King could make their move.

    "Everything is in and simple actually." de answered, holding up the de.

    "I am revoking my rights as the firstborn of the Leonis household and passing it on to the demaster." He gave the de to Hark who, after grabbing it, began changing the color of his skin and his hair.

    "Thank you, my descendant, you''ve done well enduring up to this point." Hark replied.

    There are a lot of things that must be exined before the story could move forward. The primary part of this is how Gallio Leonis kept changing hosts in order to live out his revenge. After the Leonis follower got some of his blood, the same servant also drank it before it dried off.

    This transferred Gallio''s skills and attributes to the host while adding to his own. Thus, Gallio became even stronger even after reaching the level cap during the Cmity War. However, as his hosts cannot endure the strain of his strength, it gave out after a year of being used.

    Thus, Gallio kept switching from body to body while maintaining a close contact with his household. The loyal members have blended well into the society. Some have even risen to the rank of nobles with the new identities they took. This went on for a long time while Gallio waited for the perfect host to take him in. After all, he cannot take back his continent with a frail body that could break from a single fight.

    Thus, the years have passed and as this happened, the Leonis household kept training young boys and elves in a hidden dungeon. They trained them to be ruthless, practical and, most importantly, to be the apex predator.

    The years kept adding up and, Gallio thought that no suitable host would evere out. That is, until a single boy came out from the dungeon, carrying the head of the final boss. With eyes that hated the world and strength that could only be described as a gift from the God of War, Gallio trained and honed the boy until he became a fine vessel. And out of respect for his raw strength, Gallio bestowed hisst name to the boy  Hark Leonis.

    Gallio sent this boy to the capital for his final test. The boy was made to work as a ve in the coal mines but then, disaster stroke as thed''s heart melted with love for Sylvia Windsprite. Yet, even this disaster was viewed by the king as an opportunity.

    The Windsprite blood is, after all, a rare and precious blood. As Gallio researched the household''s background, he found out that their kind is the most suitable for a Blood Elf. Hence, he plotted on killing them off and, using their corpses as sample materials in order to perfect his own. But there was another reason why he allowed the love between Hark and Sylvia.

    As the next in line to being the queen, many of the things that goes around the capital are told to her. With Hark and her constantly being together, he was able to gather more information enough to finally set everything in motion.

    On the night of the rebellion, Gallio made Hark drink his blood. The blood of the king integrates with his current host thus, there is always a supply of his blood as he switches body. Hark didn''t want to, of course. But then, Gallio smiled because he knew this moment woulde.

    There are followers of the Leonis household who now surround Hark''s beloved and, if he does not follow Gallio''s orders, he''d have the woman killed. At this Hark submitted -pletely turning into Gallio Leonis.

    With all the years of transferring bodies, Gallio earned enough strength to even smite down the gods. However, he is still restricted as the body of Hark could only allow him to use 50% of his current strength. Yet, this was enough for him to murder the king and take away Sylvia, two parts of his n to take back the throne.

    The next part is deeply reliant on the current firstborn of the Leonis Household  de.

    He made the necessary preparations as he is already considered a part of the Windsprites. A lot of trust has been ced on him especially because, he has continued saving the troublesome Sylph from a lot of dangerous situations.

    Initially, de wanted to kill Sylph in the Viper Headquarters but, an unexpected variable added. The appearance of a human with the strength of a whole military force and, the youngest member of the Windsprite household both appeared. With this factor added, de made modifications to his ns.

    All those years of nning and plotting, have now led to the current event.

    In the middle of the capital, facing both the General and a descendant of his murderers, Gallio Leonis returns.

    With his onyx sword [Leo Rex], he looked more regal. Even with his torn prisoner clothing and, standing barefooted, everyone knew instinctively that he is not a man to be trifled with.

    As he held the [Leo Rex] in his hands, the following effects added up.

    [Endurance is increased by 50%]

    [Strength is increased by 70%]

    [Speed is increased by 65%]

    [Intelligence is increased by 50%]

    [The wielder is immune from all paralyzing, stunning, corroding, and poisoning effects.]

    [The wielder gains an upgrade of all skills owned.]

    This very moment is a culmination of all the efforts made by Gallio and his followers. On a night of the full moon, under specific circumstances, a challenge can be made to the current king. Gallio knew this and pointed his sword at Aeolus, mouthing the words:

    "I, Gallio Leonis, challenge King Aeolus for the throne."

 Chapter 37: Battle of Kings

    Chapter 37: Battle of Kings

    Zeke began making his move as all of this went on. He carefully sneaked into a nearby house and, performed all his ns there. Not a single soul is inside the building as everyone evacuated in a state of panic due to the earlier assault made by Zeke.

    "Master, how are things going there?" Allesiah asked through the [Voice Chat].

    "Well. Aside from being killed by a single kick made by Miss Sylvia''s husband, I think I''m all good."

    "My sister''s husband? What do you mean?"

    "I''ll exinter. How''s your mission?"

    "I''m almost at the top floor of the castle." Allesiah replied, sounding proud of her achievement.

    "Look at you, getting all strong."

    "It''s not like this is the first time I raided a ce all alone. I have you to thank for that." She said, sounding sarcastic.

    "Okay, that''s enough for now. Put me through once you reach Miss Sylvia and I''ll discuss everything."

    "Roger." Was Allesiah''s reply that is coupled by the sound of explosions on her side.

    *Sigh*

    "Now, where was I?" Zeke said as he summoned two Shadow Wolves. He minimized the amount he summoned so that he won''t be noticed. He ns to fuse the monster that woulde out with Samael, hoping that the monster would be strong enough to help him win the fight.

    Another thing he performed is the crafting of a new armor from all the armors left by his goblins which merged together. Furthermore, there is the armor of the Wood Scouts which he also looted.

    As he did this, he continued listening in to the fight that is about to brew.

    "If all goes well, all I need to do is perform the finishing blow." He said to himself, thinking that a tactic such as this is required in the current situation he is in.

    King Aeolus did not retreat, nor was he frightened. Aside from the initial shock caused by seeing the infamous [Leo Rex] and Gallio Leonis, there isn''t an ounce of fright in him. And there is a good reason for this.

    On his body are various high-grade items that enhances his attributes and his spell power. This is the reason why the King of Elysium is someone to be feared.

    The various rings of different colors boost his spell power by 50%. The gloves on his hands increase his strength by 45%. His belt increases his strength by the same amount. His boots amplify his speed while his whole armor is made from mithril  a metal which could hold off most physical and elemental attacks. With all of these things put together, he is as strong, if not stronger, than an [SSS] tier monster.

    "Don''t fight him my king." Erio said as he watched, stood beside Aeolus.

    "It''s a request for duel under the full moon..." King Aeolus said, taking out his sword from its scabbard.

    "as such, I cannot deny this man his wishes."

    As elvenw decrees  any requested duel cannot be denied if the following requirements are met:

    First, the duel must be requested as soon as the full moon rises on a clear night sky. This must be done on the second night of the full moon. A requirement fulfilled by Gallio.

    Second, only a royal blood can make this request. Specifically, one from a household of the first council. Thus, Gallio is qualified because, he is not only a part of the First Elven Council, he is even the one who made it.

    Lastly, it is only the firstborn who can make the request. This is aplished as de passed his birthright to Gallio Leonis.

    "I ept the challenge." King Aeolus said as he went down from the stage.

    "Deal with the traitor." Hemanded Erio. The general immediately followed - drawing his sword and chasing de who already left the two kings to duel.

    At the eptance of the duel, the moon shone even brighter and, in the span of a second, both Gallio and Aeolus got transported into a pocket dimension. This is an area created by the deities for situations such as this. The pocket dimension doesn''t activate on its own of course, only upon meeting the requirements stated and, having both side of the parties being on level that could destroy the entire capital.

    The area itself looks just like where they left off. The only difference is, it is only Gallio and Aeolus who are here.

    "It''s good to see that you have your honor intact" Gallio said, approaching his foe.

    "You may think that I''m an easy foe but I tell you" King Aeolus said, also walking towards Gallio.

    "I am not as easy as my father." With this, Aeolus bolted out of sight.

    The assault would leave most warriors defenseless. However, Gallio is no beginner in the battlefield, nor is he weak in any sense. Hence, he blocked the de that was aiming for his head. But he soon realized that, on the other hand of the king is a [Fire Spell] being formed.

    "Inferno." King Aeolus said, sting the enemy in front of him.

    The king backed away immediately. He saw the fire spell turn into a giant ze, burning down everything house nearby. He then created multiplence shaped lightning as he flew up. Then, he struck them all inside the zing inferno where Gallio is. The spells mixed creating lightning that swirled with the monstrous heat of the inferno.

    He was about to fire another spell, knowing that what he just used won''t be enough but then, he noticed bloodlusting from his back.

    "Behind you." Gallio said who only used his jumping strength to reach the height of Alveolus.

    Aeolus turned quickly, only able to block the attack by a hair''s breadth. He is sent flying, through half of the capital but hended gracefully on the ground. Gallio followed the strike by another leap toward the king but, Aeolus dodged the de. As he did, he sent a kick to Gallio''s stomach, sending his enemy flying to a nearby house; destroying twenty as the force could not be held back by a single house.

    "I''m definitely going to feel that tomorrow." Gallio said, standing right away and twisting his shoulder.

    His shirt has beenpletely burnt by the spell. One can even see his own flesh having burn marks all over. Meanwhile, Gallio''s body looked battered while blood ran down his forehead.

    "There won''t be a tomorrow for you." King Aeolus said as he snapped his fingers.

    A spell mark suddenly appeared on the ground where Gallio is stepping on, and the same mark is directly floating on the sky above him. Gallio tried getting away from it but, a barrier hindered him from escaping.

    Then, without even another second passing, a rain of de shaped ice started rising from the ground while some also dropped from the sand dropping from the sky. The vicious attack continued with Gallio being in the middle of it all, until the house is no more than rubble on the ground.

    "Lightning de." The king said, imbuing the lightning element on his sword.

    "Aegis shield." He added, creating an invisibleyer of defense around his body.

    "You sure do know a lot of spells." Gallio said, rising from the rubble.

    The king didn''t worry about this. His opponent is now battered in a state that, one could not even call this a fair fight anymore. Aside from the first blow made by Gallio, no other attack hasnded on the King.

    Aeolus then continued his attack, shing his de in the air and shooting out lightning with every swing.

    "Activate [The Monarch]." Gallio said, vanishing from his enemy''s sight.

    He reappeared in front of the King,nding a clean hit on his opponent''s body ting. The move recreated what happened to Gallio as his opponent came crashing into a house, destroying it entirely from a mere physical attack.

    "A true king requires nothing more than physical strength!" Gallio shouted, waiting for his enemy toe out of the rubble.

    "We are not brutes, nor savages." Aeolus said, rising with almost no damage. The mithril armor and the shield he cast have absorbed most of the blow. He continued by pointing his finger at Gallio and saying:

    "Rage of the Thunder God." With this, lightninging from the heavens fell on Gallio. The impact is so strong that, it destroyed a quarter of the capital. The king snapped his fingers two more times, releasing the same devastating lightning toward Gallio.

    "sh step." The King continued, rushing toward his opponent at a blinding speed.

    It only took a split second for him to reach his target. Gallio couldn''t respond properly because of the lightning but, he was able to block the de as it came.

    "Thousand Strikes." Aeolus said, making a thousand shes suddenly appear  cutting down his enemy. Gallio almost fell but, he used his strength to strike his sword to the ground, using it as a cane.

    "You have nothing but brute strength. The elves have evolved much higher during my ancestors'' reign." King Aeolus said, pointing his de at Gallio''s neck. With most of his strength still intact and almost no damage made, he was sure that his enemy couldn''t beat him now.

    "You''re right. I have nothing but brute strength." Gallio said, as he smiled.

    He then made a quick twist which the King was not able to followpletely. A swing was made by Gallio which the king was able to read through but, what hit him is a punch to the face. This forced Aeolus to step backward from the force. Completely eliminating the invisibleyer of shield that he created.

    "But this much is enough to finish you off." Gallio continued, standing straight again.

    "You dare!" The king replied, furious about his face getting punched.

    "Force activation" Gallio said as his opponent began a barrage of spell attacks. He deflected some of this but, a lot of it still hit him.

    "Purgatory!" The King casted a spell that spun a hurricane of mes on Gallio. He didn''t let his opponent finish off whatever spell was being casted.

    "Total Freeze!" He added, enclosing the hurricane of me in ice. Snow began to fall as the temperature dropped by a lot due to the spell.

    "Know your ce!" King Aeolus said in fury.

    However, the spells were not enough to finish off Gallio. The ice enclosure shattered and, inside is Gallio, still standing despite all the beatings he took.

    "Force activation" He said again, dodging the next set of spells by jumping up.

    "Ultimate Berserker."

 Chapter 38: The Lions Triumph

    Chapter 38: The Lion''s Triumph

    [Skill Name: Ultimate Berserker]

    [Active Skill]

    [Mana Cost: None]

    [Information: Converts all the damage taken by the owner''s body into attribute points. This is based on the owner''s hp depletion. The damage stacks up indefinitely, adding all damage taken by the skill owner before the skill is used. The amount resets for every use.]

    This is what the skill would look like when seen from the Gamer''s System. The skill is the final variation of the [Berserker] skill.

    Although overpowered at its final form, the skill is actually a [Passive] at its starting grade. And, the activation of the skill isn''t easy at all. To get the skill to work, a person needs to drop his or her health to specifically a single point left  otherwise the skill won''t activate.

    A basically needs to go through a lot of life or death situations in order to get [Ultimate Berserker]. Making it virtually impossible to attain. However, Gallio is not limited to a single body and, as he abused the hosts he enters into, he was able to keep upgrading [Berserker]. And although his initial n is to get revenge, he now ns to kill even the gods.

    "That''s the stuff." Gallio said, stretching his body and snapping his neck.

    If only Zeke was in the area and saw Gallio at his current form, he''d see how monstrous the First King is. With all attributes and even the level disying [?].

    "Inferno ze!" The King shouted, creating arger hurricane of fire at where Gallio is currently standing. This is the most powerful fire spell the King has at his disposal.

    "Immortal Aegis!" He continued, creating dozens ofyers of invisible shields around his body.

    "Didn''t I tell you that, brute strength is enough for me to win?" Gallio said, swinging his de once and cutting the hurricane in two. The spell exploded showing an undamaged Gallio.

    "Total Freeze!" The King continued, using an ice magic that can stop any opponent at its tracks.

    Gallio turned into ice but, the spell shattered a second after Gallio was covered by it. Again, no further damage was done to him.

    The King then pointed at the sky which has now covered the moon with an ominous and swirling cluster of clouds.

    "Lightning Dragon!" A sh of light falling from the sky immediately followed the King''s words. A dragon shaped lightning made its way and devoured Gallio. This monster thrashed its body throughout the city before ascending again and being absorbed into the clouds.

    The king coughed blood from the constant use of high-level spells. He thought that this would be enough to finish off his opponent. Yet, he was proven wrong once again. After the lightning dissolved, Gallio appeared in front of him. Again, without a hint of getting damaged by the onught of ultimate level spells.

    "My turn." Gallio said, going into the stance that he has honed to perfection. With the de stretched at his back and, with a sprinting position, he bolted at his enemy.

    Aeolus didn''t even have time to respond. As soon as he blinked, the blow was made. This sent him flying, destroying ten houses in the process. All theyers of immortal aegis have also been broken and, even his mithril armor has been shattered to pieces. He coughed more blood as he stood from the blow; thinking how he is left with enough mana for a single ultimate spell.

    "I''ll give you a chance." Gallio said, not making another attack.

    "I want to beat you when you''ve given your all, otherwise I can''t call this as a total victory." He continued, as if insulting Aeolus'' consistent effort to bring him down during this fight.

    "You''re going to regret this." The king said, covering the whole city square with a spell mark. The mana reserves he wore shattered from overusing mana but, he knows that this is a small price to pay for his victory.

    "Ultimate wind spell! Fury of Aeolus!" A giant hurricane, bigger than anything he has spawned thus far suddenly appeared. It sucked up everything within the area and looked nothing short of a natural disaster. The wind which makes up the spell is as sharp as the des that could cut through mithril.

    "It''s over." King Aeolus said, raising his sword as the hurricane continued to swirl in a ravenous rage. This spell has never failed the king. On the other two instances he has used it in the past, nothing was ever left of the victims of the spell''s onught.

    "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" The voice froze the king in ce. He dropped his sword and pointed it at the hurricane, knowing where the voice came from.

    "You actually named a spell after you? Oh that''s rich." The hurricane thinned out little by little. All the air seems to be swallowed into a single direction and, it didn''t take long for Gallio to reappear. Againundamaged.

    His sword swallowed the skill as all the air came toward its direction. Gallio raised it, smiling with a face that not even his wife would recognize.

    "Pitiful. Pitiful king Aeolus." He said after devouring the whole skill.

    Gallio''s opponent is still standing but, without any mana and with most of his equipment destroyed, he''s nothing more than a simple warrior.

    "Do you even know why my household''s insignia shows a lion devouring the wind?" Gallio continued, looking more menacing by each passing second.

    "It''s because, no matter what wind spell you direct at us, we will only consume it." Slowly, Gallio''s body started regenerating. The king watched in horror as this happened.

    "Let me get that for you." Gallio said, punching Aeolus at the stomach. The king couldn''t react to the strike and just dropped to the ground from the feeling of his ribs cracking.

    "We''re done." At this, the pocket dimension vanished.

    On the battlefield which they left, the corpse of Erio is now bathing in his own blood. de stood over the body, with his sword stabbing the back of the defeated General. His armor also took damage but, nevertheless, no serious injuries were attained by de.

    "Well done my descendant." Were the words that followed de''s aplishment.

 Chapter 39: Boss Fight

    Chapter 39: Boss Fight

    There is a good exnation as to how de was able to beat the general who is thought to be almost on the same level as the demaster. The reason being, he asked help from Zeke who just finished constructing a new monster and creating a new set of armor for himself.

    Themunication device he gave to both Allesiah and Zeke had a feature that allowed him to determine if the two are still alive. And this is why, as he began the fight with General Erio, he rushed to the abandoned house where Zeke is hiding.

    Erio followed him of course, bringing out his twin des, one longer than normal and another that is just a bit longer than a dagger. Erio made his first move by using [sh Step] the improved version of [Quick Step] which nomon warrior could ever react to.

    The general swung his longer sword which de deflected using his own, but then, a quick stab was made by Erio. de spun his body sideways as he dodged this sword but is then met by the knee of the general which hit his stomach.

    de is thrown by a few meters before using themunication bracelet which he limited only to Zeke.

    "You have two options at this point, either you help me out and we beat this general, or we fight in a three-way battle." de said.

    The general pursued him making a sh which de jumped up from. As he did, he aimed for the General''s nape which is blocked by the shorter sword.

    "This guy has no openings." de told himself, not being able tond any attack and mostly being forced to go on the defensive.

    "By the way, Gallio''s men are now taking over the city as we speak. They''ve done well thanks to your initial attack and, if you don''t help me out, you just might get killed by Gallio as hees back." de said through themunication bracelet again, waiting for Zeke to respond.

    After a few more exchanges with General Erio, Zeke finally responded, resolving everything that he needs to aplish.

    "You''re not giving me much of a choice are you." At this Samael and another wolf shaped summon came out and intercepted General Erio''s attack. The elf backed away, assessing the newly added enemies to the group.

    Zeke came out of the house soon after, cloaking his new armor through a bandit costume that he also made. As he came out, he also released his other three generals together with the other conjured monsters.

    The newly merged monster is named Lupus. He wasn''t able to finish fusing Samael and wolf together hence; he just left the monster as another major conjured monster. The merging failed a bunch of times as the shadow wolves are much stronger than the goblins which he tried to merge.

    He doesn''t trust de. Not one bit. However, he can''t pass on the opportunity of possibly converting a level [100+] elf into one of his conjured monsters. He can only do it if he is the one who dealt the finishing blow after all. Plus, to give him resistance over any skill that de may use to deceive him, he bought an overpriced [Negative Status Immunity] potion which wouldst for 30 minutes.

    "Don''t you think that''s a bit of an overkill?'' de said, looking at the ce that is now surrounded by monsters.

    General Erio immediately began decreasing their numbers, avoiding about 50 arrows released by Wood Scout archers and cleanly cutting of the heads of his opponents.

    "I don''t even think they''d be enough." Zeke replied, seeing how fast his monsters are getting beaten down.

    General Erio then performed a skill which made him almost disappear from everyone''s field of vision and, as he appeared again in the middle of the battlefield, the sound of shes and dying monsters followed. Now there is nothing left but Zeke''s five generals.

    "Conjure." Zeke said again, creating his army once more while he held on to small sks of mana.

    "I''m going to limit the area of the battlefield; you do what you can  my monsters will assist you." Zeke said, making all of his conjured monsters aim for Erio.

    "Gotcha." de responded, moving at lightning speed.

    Hundreds of arrows flew toward the general which he blocked by nting his sword to the ground and creating wall of earth. The melee then followed, led by de who shed through the wall like it is made of a thin paper sheet.

    The wall crumbled but as it did, the general is nowhere to be seen.

    "Under!" Zeke shouted, alerting de who immediately jumped back from the opponent which rose from the ground.

    The attack continued with a skill called [Whip de] extending the length of the General''s dual sword through wind maniption.

    The sound of the sharp wind crackled all over the battlefield. The onught continued, forcing Zeke to call back Samael and defend him as all his conjured monsters met their inevitable end.

    de also came back with some parts of his armor being damaged but nevertheless looking fine.

    "Now I see why you''d want me to help." Zeke said as he drank another set of potions and conjured his monsters once more. Erio repositioned himself, waiting for a chance to strike again.

    "So do you have a n?" de said as he dashed to duel with the General. This hindered Erio from using [Whip de] again as the melee gave him no room to wind up his arms and make the proper motions for a wide swing.

    "Oh you must be itching for me to cook something up." Zeke replied thorough the bracelet. de jumped up and created two copies of him who helped in battling Erio.

    "Yeah because we''d die if you don''t." Was de''s response.

    Zeke had something in mind actually. He doesn''t have the leisure of using up his summons over and over again because, he has a limited supply of mana potions. Once that runs out, there''d be no stopping the General''s continual assault. Plus, after the duration of his potion ends, de would be able to stun or paralyze him again.

    "Okay, keep him upied." Zeke said, as an excited smile crept up his face again.

    The n began as he ced [Poison Cloud] all around the area. He covered a third of the whole capital, drinking up a lot of his mana potions along the way. Then, he ced all his conjured monsters to make a wall, blocking all possible exits. The long-range units are also waiting on nearby roofs with Cull leading the artillery.

    "Poison Cloud." Zeke kept repeating the skill, thickening the smoke until one couldn''t see anywhere outside the poison.

    As he did this, he also provided frontal assault to Erio who may escape if the attackers left any space in between the strikes. The poison kept getting thicker and thicker as it enclosed de and Erio, inevitably making them whiff in some of it as they continued battling.

    "Wait, let mee out first." de said.

    "Why should I?" Zeke replied, sealing the center of the fight with 10yers of poison cloud. The general tried escaping as this went on but, with Zeke getting a clear vision of the whole fight through his minimap, he is able to get an urate direction for his attacks.

    The range of the general''s [sh Strep] also doesn''t reach that far. Hence, even if he uses it one time, the monster wall which Zeke created hinders the General from using it again.

    "What is this thing!" Erio shouted as the poison began taking effect.

    The monsters had no trouble attacking him as the poison does not affect them. All they did is to continue closing in until the enemy is inevitably trapped within the could of poison.

    "Hey are you still alive?" Zeke said through hismunication bracelet. de didn''t respond.

    "I guess he''s dead." He said, taking out newly forged sword as he dove into the poison.

    "Hey. That''s rude. I''m still alive." de responded which didn''te as any surprise to Zeke, knowing how crafty the elf could be.

    "Well you better not die before we kill him then."

    Zeke may not have any poison resistance skill like he did in the ind but, as was mentioned before the fight even began, he bought a potion that prevented any negative status ailment affecting him. He also filled up his mana points before using [Mana Conversion].

    Even with all the preparations that Zeke made, he is still no match for Erio who fought back with a rage of blows. The General kept using long range de skills which instantly killed the weaker monsters of Zeke. However, he kept on respawning them at such a rate that, killing them is not the priority anymore.

    Zeke continued moving around, making quick assaults towards the general as he also fired off a couple of [Umbral shes]. de yed a huge part on this, taking in most of the blows made by the General and stepping on almost equal footing with him. The cloud of poison also continued thickening and as it did, the general also showed signs of weakening.

    Both de and Zeke didn''t let this pass and fought relentlessly. It could be said that the general is as strong as a whole army''s worth of men. However, he is still all alone. His troops cannot aide him as the Leonis rebels have already began taking over the capital.

    The damage individually made to Erio is small. However, no matter how small the damage is, if it keeps adding up, inevitably the enemy would fall. Zeke continued fighting, taking Al''s sword as he continued cutting through the General.

    Erio would be able to respond from time to time, slicing off arge portion of Zeke''s health with a single swing. But with the [Gamer''s Body] Zeke doesn''t feel an ounce of pain from the attacks. He just hides within the poison and waits for his health to regenerate as he fired off [Umbral sh] over and over again. Then, as he regains full health, he goes on tobat in melee again.

    It took around 20 minutes of relentless attack for the General''s health to fall on a critical level and, as this happened, Zeke waited for de to make one more sh. This took off the general''s right arm immediately followed by Zeke activating [Blood Counter]. He then picked up the general''s sword and used it to make a decisive stab to the General''s back.

    With this, the fight ended and as the poison thinned out, Zeke surrounded de with his five generals.

 Chapter 40: Striking A Deal With The Devil

    Chapter 40: Striking A Deal With The Devil

    As all the other fights came to an end, Allesiah is also about to finish taking down the enemies on the castle. She freed her sister Sylph first and, as the two of them continued ascending the castle, no guard or soldier stood a chance.

    Actually, Allesiah didn''t even need her sister''s help as she is already doing smoothly on her own. The training she underwent in the forest is paying off as she continues seeing something unusual as she fights her opponents.

    "Don''t let here any nearer!" The mage leader said, making five of his underlings createrge fire spells.

    Allesiah pointed her hand on the spell, seeing the flow of mana that is moving around it. The image she sees is still faint but, it''s enough for her to make alterations to their spells. This is the unusual thing she now sees. With her training and, with the staff that could manipte mana, she can now see the flow of mana that is all over the ce.

    "Explode." She said, bursting her enemy''s fire spells which she followed up by shooting her [Shadow Spheres].

    With the help of the staff, she can now manipte 6 [Shadow Spheres] simultaneously. The additional number of spheres also came as a payout as her level rose faster than it ever did. This is all thanks to Zeke of course and all the fights he took Allesiah with.

    The adrenaline rushed throughout Allesiah''s body and, she didn''t even notice it but, she already went faster than Sylph. She took down all the enemies that came along the way freezing the hands of archers, striking an urate bolt of lightning toward melee soldiers and, jamming all the spells of enemy sorcerers.

    "Does she even need my assistance?" Sylph asked herself as there are no more enemies for her to fight.

    Soon enough, the sisters reached the top of the Castle. With Allesiah leaving havoc and destruction on her trail.

    "It''s over?" Allesiah said, feeling a bit disappointed that she can''t go all out.

    Sylph soon came up, not even breaking a sweat from theck of opponents. The two of them then opened the door to find Sylvia sitting on the side of a bed. The eldest Windsprite got shocked upon seeing her sisters and proceeded to hugging them as they ran towards her.

    "I''ve missed you guys do much." Sylvia said as the three of them allowed tears to flow down their cheeks. There wasn''t any exnation needed, nor any hateful speech. They allowed their actions to do the talking and took the moment in.

    On the other side of the battlefield, Zeke is still with de  surrounding the traitorous elf with his five conjured monsters. As he did, a bunch of notifications popped up.

    [The Sub Quest  Reunite the Windsprite Siblings has been cleared!]

    [10 Skill points are given as a reward.]

    [You finished a hidden quest  Titan yer]

    [This is attained through killing an opponent who''s rank or level outsses your own by more than 50%]

    [The skill - Titan yer is given as a reward.]

    "I''ve got no time for this right now." Zeke said to himself, hiding the other notifications and going back to the enemy in front of him.

    "So here''s the deal, if you kill me now, then Gallio wille looking for you. But if I tell him that you died, you can leave in peace." de bargained.

    "What makes you think that I can''t beat him?" Zeke answered, not taking his eyes off of his opponent.

    "Okay first of all, the only reason you were able to beat the General is because I took most of the fighting head on. If I wasn''t there to keep him in check, he could''ve easily escaped your poison." de said.

    "And what''s the point to your argument?" Zeke continued, making Cull stretch his bow in order to strike.

    "Fine, let''s make it clear then." de continued. As he said this, Zeke felt cold steele up to his neck.

    de appeared behind him, creating a double without Zeke even noticing. The one being surrounded by his generals dissolved like a mist.

    "You aren''t even a match for me." de continued.

    "Okay. What do you want then?" Zeke answered, taking down his summons.

    There is one thing that he is sure of now. That is  whatever de is nning, it didn''t'' involve his death. If de could perform a skill such as this, then the elf would''ve just done it right after the battle with Erio ended. Plus, de could''ve just easily killed him without the threats.

    "You know what I like about you Zeke? You''re not the same as every other human I''ve encountered. That alone is enough of a reason for me to let you live." de said, taking down his sword as he sat on top of Erio''s corpse  ying with the sword which is stuck to the Generals'' back.

    "Gallio wille back here any minute now. He loves torturing his opponents but he gets easily bored at it." de continued.

    "I''m guessing you want me to go before he arrives." Zeke said, getting a hint on where things are headed.

    "Ding! Ding! Correct! But that''s not all. I want you to help me in the plot I''m scheming." de said, staring nkly at the sky before continuing.

    "You see, I want to murder everyone in my household and all our supporters."

    The words left Zeke in a s state of disbelief. He knew that this is also a possibility but, the chances of de wanting something like this is so low that Zeke brushed the idea aside.

    "Oh and don''t worry. I know just how we can reach an agreement to this." de said, snapping his fingers and creating a sheet of paper that is left nk.

    Zeke''s [Analysis] worked its magic and revealed that the paper is a contract. One that, after getting filled, binds the two parties and making all the rules and conditions set irrevocable.

    "In here, we will discuss all the things that will happen after this incident. You can''t betray me at this point because if you do, I''ll just kill you off. Oh and by the way, the contact is life binding so, going against any of it will have either of us killed." de continued.

    "Right." Zeke replied, knowing that de''s words hold true. He has no choice but to follow de.

    "But! We''ll make this deal as fair as possible. That''s why, I''ll let you decide on three rules while I decide on five."

    At this Zeke smiled. The situation might be unfavorable for him but, if he has a hold on three rules that are to be set then, he can ensure his survivability and also, the highest rewards which could be gained.

    "Let''s alternate. I''ll add two and then you add one. Then I''ll add another two and while you add one more. Then, we both add ast rule. Only one condition can be made per rule so no sub uses can be added."

    "Agreed. Zeke said."

    At this, the contract began getting filled by the following rules.

    "1. Zeke Elwood must eliminate the Leonis household and all its followers except for de."

    "2. The contract must be fulfilled within a year."

    The first two conditions are favorable to Zeke, making him have a wide smile on his face as he gave his first part on this contract.

    "3. Nothing outside the mission may be included by de Leonis in this contract."

    The contract removes a lot of things from de. One is the inclusion of tasks that may be of a great disadvantage to Zeke as, de may add conditions that do not concern the primary goal. The second is, it removes de''s freedom in adding another condition as he will be forced to add a rule which would have the same effect toward Zeke. That''s why Zeke only stated de''s name in the rule.

    de smiled at this, already letting go of the other things that he wanted to ask from the human. ''I''ll have fun ying with you.'' Were the words running through de''s head as he gave out his next conditions.

    "4. Nothing outside the mission may be included by Zeke Elwood in this contract."

    "5. No reward will be given to Zeke Elwood once the contract is over."

    "6. Should Zeke Elwood die while on the mission, a person whom Zeke will entrust everything to shall im a fairpensation."

    "7. No harm wille to de Leonis which is done or acted upon by the other party."

    "8. Uponpleting the request, Zeke and his chosen subordinates will be transported to a ce that is dangerous and unknown to everyone."

    "Thatst one is a bit surprising." de said as the information is filled. A contract mark then appeared on the wrist of both men, sealing the deal.

    "It doesn''t concern you." Zeke answered, moving towards the corpse of General Erio.

    "Are you going to perform that thing you did with the Wood Scouts and the Shadow Wolves?" de asked.

    Zeke didn''t answer and proceeded to conjuring Erio. The me containing the general glowed until it became a crimson red. The me crackled as if wanting to devour everything around it. Zeke stopped it at this point.

    "Looks like you failed." de said.

    "Shut up." Zeke replied.

    He then performed the skill again. Gaining the same feeling but, holding on to the me nheless. At this point, even de can see the me and even hear the cries and agonies of all the opponents which the General destroyed.

    "You will heed my call!" Zeke shouted,manding the me that tried its best to break free from him. The me grew evenrger but Zeke kept it going. Stronger and stronger until the me exploded.

    A strong wind came as a result and, out of the me came the General.

 Chapter 41: Escaping the Capital

    Chapter 41: Escaping the Capital

    A lot of things followed after Zeke conjured the monster. But the most important one on the list is how Allesiah contacted him as soon as General Erio''s conjured version appeared. The female elf told him that she has sessfully fulfilled her mission and is now going to the portal. Zeke immediately went to the same route, leaving de on the battlefield.

    It didn''t take that long before Gallio got transported back to the scene, bringing us back to where things left off. Gallio saw de sitting on the corpse of the dead General  apuding his descendant for being able to beat an elven general.

    "I see that my wife is out of the castle now." Gallio said, looking at a tracker on his hands. Apparently, Gallio nted something like this on the blood of Sylvia and Keith. de is aware of this but, there is nothing he can do if Gallio chooses to run after them.

    "Nevermind her. I''ve got other things on my te at the moment." Gallio said  a response which de expected in the current situation. More than anything else, Gallio waited 1,00 years to reveal himself again and, he won''t dy this for another second.

    The other group which is of concern have now met in the location of the portal. Sylvia would''ve gone to the center of the capital had it not been for Zeke lying to the Windsprite sisters. He told them that Hark is now secured, a message which made them all hurry as they went on their way to the portal.

    As soon as they met up. Sylvia looked at the surroundings, expecting to see her husband together with Zeke. However, the man is nowhere to be found, putting a look of worry on the female elf''s face.

    "Wait, where''s Hark?" Sylvia asked, not seeing his husband anywhere.

    "I''ll exin everythingter. But right now we gotta go." Zeke said but then, the two elder Windsprites refused to cooperate.

    Sylph wanted to get back at de while, Sylvia wanted to find her husband. Both are nuisances to Zeke of course however, just leaving them here to die would leave a poor taste in his mouth.

    "Their deaths won''t benefit Allesiah''s growth." He thought to himself, knowing that a possible oue if they don''t follow his orders is that, they would die. Primarily due to Gallio of course who wishes nothing more than to study the Windsprite genes now that he hase out of hiding.

    "You''re not giving me much of a choice here. There is a great evil waiting for us and, if you don''t cooperate then your son will get caught up in this mess." These words snapped Sylvia back to reality. Between her husband and her son, she knows that both she and Hark would prioritize Keith''s safety. Hence, she went as instructed  with Sylph finally deciding to follow.

    As they returned to the manor, Zeke made the necessary preparations. He knows that Gallio may strike any time and, if this is the case, then he needs to take all members of the household away from the capital. But of course, this isn''t something he can perform. Hence, he asked Sylvia to call out all members of the household for a short meeting.

    "This is how things stand at the moment." Zeke began.

    The exnations were brief and concise, answering every question raised as he went along. The main parts of which stated how, the first king is still alive and that, he shares with Hark''s body.

    "I''m guessing that the king has ced a sort of detection device on both Keith and Sylvia. We do not have the time to look for those but, there is something else that we can do." Everyone listened to Zeke''s words as if, he is the solution to everything that has just befallen Elysium.

    "We are going to split up. I''ll take the Windsprites and two other useful aides. The rest of you need to disperse and run as far away from the capital''swork as possible. Burn the house down and leave no trace as you do this."

    "But I thought there is a tracker on us, how can we escape?" Sylvia asked.

    "I have a solution for that, trust me." Zeke said, giving the group a reassuring smile.

    Right after the meeting ended, Sylvia gave the orders to follow as Zeke instructed.

    Everyone moved in a hurry except for Zeke who sat at a corner  looking at all the notifications that came. Among the rewards for his various quests, there is something which he has yet to im, that is  [A Meeting with the Goddess of the Hunt].

    He has viewed this mission before. During the time when de backstabbed the group and ced a sleeping spell on Zeke, he took his time in editing the settings of the [Gamer''s System] as well as looking at the information of the said reward which reads:

    [The gamer, together with his party members, will be sent to a separate dimension owned by the Goddess Yeager.]

    Having a separate dimension means that, the tracker would not work as it would be out of range. Just like the concept of signals on WIFI and phones, there is a certain limit to a link''s reach.

    The other thing mentioned in the information is about a party system. This is also a reason why he didn''t im it yet. If the option states that he can add other people to the group then, it means that they would share with the benefits of his visit. Furthermore, there would be more use to the reward as a means of escape in a difficult situation  one which is exactly what they are going through at the moment.

    Zeke thanked his fight with General Erio because, as he defeated the elf, his level has gone through level 40, giving the [Gamer''s System] another patch. This led to him being able to do as the information disyed which is, the adding of party members.

    On his right window is a list of people nearby who are identified as allies. Zeke went through the list and added the names of the three siblings, Keith, and the other two elves who would tag along.

    "Master, my sisters areing soon and everyone is prepared to leave." Allesiah said, packing nothing but her staff and a small bag.

    "You probably shouldn''t call me that from now on. Your sisters might find out about the contract and I don''t want more unnecessary conflict." Zeke said, with Allesiah nodding to his request as the other members of Zeke''s group came along.

    "Are we all set?" Zeke asked, with all of them giving their approval.

    At this, everyone moved out of the house, with the group of Windsprite servants moving towards the forest. As soon as they enter it however, the servants would separate as their numbers would raise suspicion on the nearby towns.

    The house began burning with the spells ced inside and, as it did, Zeke opened the panel of the Gamer''s System, clicking on the reward and transporting them without a trace being left. As soon as they did, Gallio has begun his speech to address the continent.

    "People of Elysium. Rejoice!" Gallio began, imitating the voice of Aeolus and his manner of speaking.

    "Sh*t that sounds so gay. HAHAHAHA!" He roared inughter.

    de watched the whole scene nearby, givingmands to their troops to wrap things up.

    "Okay so here''s the deal. I am your king now." Gallio continued. At this, the whole capital fell silent for a moment, as if there is a sort on unimaginable event that has urred.

    "Under elvenw  I Gallio Leonis, first born of the Leonis household, have defeated the current king on a night of the full moon." Gallio sounded triumphant and, he was. There is no way for anyone to beat him as he is and, after he gets the genes out of the Windsprites, he''ll be able to go 100%, without anything being able to stop him anymore.

    "Come on tell them Aeolus." He continued, cing themunication crystal near Aeolus'' mouth. All he got where wheezes of pain with his defeated opponent having great difficulty in breathing.

    "Ahh this suck. He can''t even speak anymore." Gallio continued, kicking the dethroned King and making him hit a house.

    "Anyway. This is all you need to know. Starting tomorrow, all followers of the previous regime will be ughtered without mercy. There will be a great culling and I will make sure that, none of the first council''s households will be left standing before the day ends." He said this while walking towards Aeolus. He then kicked the beaten down opponent on the chest, breaking more bones in the process and making his enemy scream in even more pain.

    "The lion is back on his rightful throne." He said, removing the cape worn by Aeolus and cing it on himself. At this, he threw themunication ne away and proceeded to getting the crown that got stuck in one of the demolished houses.

    Right after the broadcast, Gallio proceeded tomanding his troops to take the beaten-up Aeolus and the dead Gallio back to his base of operations.

    "Their bodies will be beneficial for my research." Gallio said, going immediately to the next task at hand which is, getting the Windsprites.

    Right after everything is dealt with, he proceeded to checking Sylvia''s tracker. As he did, the smile on his face disappeared as he called on his descendant.

    "de."

    "Yes my King?" He replied.

    "Something''s off. Sylvia is nowhere within Elysium."

 Chapter 42: Divine Intervention

    Chapter 42: Divine Intervention

    There is something which urred as soon as Zeke began the transport. Time felt like it stood still and, before he knew it, a familiar feeling enveloped him. One that felt oddly simr to his experience after clearing [Trial Ind].

    "I have a bad feeling about this." Were the words that came to Zeke''s mind as the blinding sh of light enclosed him. Soon after, he reappeared on a ce that he recognized and, before he could even prove his assumptions, someone already came in front of him, floating in mid-air.

    "Hey there mister." Chrono said with a wide grin in his face.

    "What is it now?" Zeke said as the three faced him again.

    As soon as the transport began, the three major deities took Zeke away. Chrono aided in the situation by stopping time itself and, due to this, Zeke wille back to where he left off without having spent a single second. Chrono didn''t like doing things as stopping time because it tires him out but, since the situation needed it, all he could do isply.

    "There are matters which we wish to discuss with you." Nisha said, walking alongside Sinir who still looked at Zeke with disgust.

    The three proceeded to a table, with a single seat left empty. Nisha offered Zeke toe and sit with them, one which he epted.

    "I''m guessing that this is nowhere near a happy reunion correct?" Zeke began.

    "Whoooahhh hold your horses there. We''ll be the ones exining stuff, so you just sit there and listen okay?" Sinir replied.

    At this, Zeke folded his arms as Nisha began speaking. As mentioned, the gods and goddesses cannot make direct interventions in the realms which they create. However, they can send humans to these realms. People such as Zeke are then tasked to resolve major issues on those realms.

    Nisha began with the current state of things. She pointed at Chrono who chose to float in the air; saying that the particr god saw something happen in the near future.

    "An all-out war will break out in Mythos." Nisha said with a serious look on her face.

    Zeke wondered why they put so much effort into maintaining the bnce in the worlds.

    "It''s not like letting us survive benefits them in any way." Zeke thought to himself and, as this crossed his mind, Nisha continued speaking.

    "We are d that Aeolus has been taken down before the position of a ruler consumed him entirely. However, a greater threat rose from where he left off."

    "Gallio?" Zeke asked, making Nisha nod before she continued.

    "Even before we sent you on that mission, we are already aware of the existence of Gallio. However, since the future Chrono initially saw did not involve that man, there was no use in adding him to the objectives."

    "But now things have gone from bad to worse, is that right?" Zeke said, feeling burdened with how things are going.

    "Yes. With the rise of Gallio, a war will begin. One which is on arger and more devastating scale than the Cmity War."

    "This is such a drag." Zeke thought to himself. Initially, the goal was as he predicted. He only needed to defeat Aeolus and then, proceed to the next main task which is going to the [Ruined City].

    However, as things currently stand, he knows that another set of missions would probably be added to the ones which he already has.

    "The problem with this is that, we cannot disclose too much information to you. We can only intervene on a limited scale and, meeting you like this is one of the few options included." Sinir said.

    "It''s fine. Things are simple actually. I only need to defeat Gallio to prevent the gears of war from starting correct?" Zeke said and, before the deities could continue., he added another thing.

    "Oh, and I probably need to look for a decent ruler to fix whatever damage both kings have caused so far. Otherwise, Elysium might be left in a poor state."

    "Wow mister, you''re really smart." Chrono remarked.

    "That''s correct and, adding to this are issues which the other continents are facing. We know that it is much of a burden for a single mortal but, we also need you to go to the other continents as problems have also began rising on each of them." Nisha said, sounding as if she is apologetic for all the burdened they ced on Zeke.

    *Sigh*

    "Like I said the first time we met, I''ve got not say on this matter. You willingly made me an errand boy so, can you at least fix your tone." Zeke''s irritation rose because of how Nisha delivered the words.

    "You''re a really rude mortal. We could just end you here you know." Sinir said.

    "And you are deities who''ve failed at properly programing the worlds you''ve created." He replied.

    "Don''t even think of threatening me with death. For all I care, you won''t have any benefit in killing me right now. With all the things that needs to be done, I doubt you''d find anyone as capable as I am." Zeke sounded proud but, he knows that there is a truth to this.

    If they could, the three major deities would''ve sent more than one person for this job. After all, things will probably be easier if there are more people working toward same goal. But that didn''t happen. Zeke is all alone and, he knows what this means. It means that there are boundaries and limits to the summoning of humans. And for whatever reason this is, he is the only one avable.

    As usual, Chronoughed at Zeke''s words. He knows that this is true after all. However, Sinir who wishes nothing else than total obedience and respect from mortals, wanted to teach Zeke a lesson. This is held back by Nisha who stayed calm andposed.

    "For what it''s worth, we did what we could on all the realms we''ve made. Unfortunately, we cannot control the variables once we''ve finished making a world. Everything is up to the fleeting lives that lives there whether it be for the good or the bad." Nisha said with tone that seemed more serious than earlier.

    "Yes. But you''ve also made it a point that power is always sought after by any mortal. A fleeting life would always desire something that is beyond him or her. Now that I''ve confirmed the existence of beings like you. I understand that, we have this wanting because we''ve been made by entities who hold the power which we seek. It may not be directly your fault but, you hold arge portion of responsibility as to why things turn this way."

    "Nisha are you sure he''s not some kind of god like us?" Chrono said, wondering how Zeke coulde to these conclusions.

    The goddess of darkness didn''t pay any mind to Chrono''s words and proceeded to answering Zeke.

    "Yes. That is correct and, that is also the reason why we send humans of great potential such as yourself."

    "Can we also cut down on the ttery? The only reason I''m here is because you feel guilty from your ownck of foresight." As the discussion went on, the topic haspletely changed. Zeke just wanted to give these deities a piece of his mind. He may not have a choice on the missions but, the least they could do is hear him out.

    "I mean how does that even happen? You literally have a god who can look into the future." Zeke said as he pointed to the floating god of time and space.

    "Oho. I''ll answer this one. Ahem." Chrono said.

    "You see, it''s a bitplicate mister. While I do see things that have not yet urred. It''s in a kind of multiple routed road. I see all the possibilities but, in Mythos, all these possibilities lead to war. That''s why we have you to intervene. An outside variable." Chrono said in an upbeat tone.

    "Also, even if I do see them, it''s not like there is anything we can do about it directly. Plus, I can''t see worlds that do not yet exist. So that exins why we can''t make a perfect world."

    "The energy that runs the things we create is limited. As timees, everything will fall back to the void  into the darkness of oblivion. This limit causes all the imperfections youin about." Sinir added, already feeling a bit better.

    Zeke let out a deep sigh as they finished exining things. He didn''t ask anything else nor did he offer any morements. Zeke didn''t want to drag things any more than it already is.

    "Whatever, just give me the update on the missions and I''ll be on my way."

    At this, the notification of his system appeared before him. The words read:

    [A main mission has been added.]

    "If there''s nothing else, we''ll be sending you back now. It seems that Chrono feels a bit tired from pausing time this long."

    Zeke is thus sent back to where he initially was, travelling into another dimension once more.

 Chapter 43: The Goddess of the Hunt

    Chapter 43: The Goddess of the Hunt

    What awaited Zeke''s party as they transported is a small cabin. The structure is located on top of a mountain and, directly opposite to the cabin''s front is a thick wall of trees that seem to be the entrance to another forest.

    The door to the cabin opened up, revealing a woman with a darkplexion wearing a white tank top. Her bottoms is a loose camouge track pants while her feet are bare. Her eyes look the same as a predator''s and her hair is a darker shade of ck.

    She smiled immediately at the group which just came and began with the words:

    "Took you long enough. Come inside." Yaeger said, not even surprised by the number of people that tagged along with Zeke. The reason for this is simple. The interval that happens in between switching dimensions is actually quite long. While the group felt like it was only a second, what passed was actually a whole day already.

    This gave the goddess Yaeger enough time to prepare for everyone that came.

    "Uhm, who is thisdy?" Sylph asked.

    "Oh and here I thought that I was already properly introduced." Yaeger said, grinning at Zeke who is the recipient of the reward. She then ced her right hand on her chest as she stated:

    "I am Yaeger, the goddess of the hunt."

    "Is this your idea of a joke?" Sylph replied, being a huge fan of the goddess. After all, Yaeger is the patroness of the Wood Scouts. But because nobody has ever seen her  the image portrayed by the elves ispletely different from what is currently in front of them.

    Yaeger didn''t want to exin herself any further and just proceeded inside her house. From her perspective, there is nothing for her to prove to a group of mortals.

    "Juste inside once you''re ready." She said, leaving the door open.

    "Hey, who is she?" Sylph asked Zeke again.

    "It''s as she said. Believe it or not, this is the realm of the Goddess of the Hunt and, I suggest you all follow my lead because I don''t want any trouble." Zeke told them, thinking of the three major deities who might call him back if they treat the goddess poorly.

    It''s not that he''s scared of them of course. He just doesn''t want the hassle of talking with them again.

    "Things are flowing perfectly as it is." He thought to himself.

    While they stood there and talked among themselves, the smell of finely cooked meat immediately crept outside the open cabin door. This made some members of the group drool and while also leaving Keith''s stomach grumbling.

    "Mommy, I''m hungry."

    At this, the group entered Yaeger''s house. The elves thought that it would be something simr to the Windsprite manor which widened as one enters. However, their expectations failed them as the cabin still looked like a cabin from the inside.

    "I got food prepared for you. Make yourselves at home." Yaeger said, making the group drop all their belongings at an area pointed by the goddess.

    Aside from Zeke, nobody else has epted that their host is really the goddess of the hunt but, this doubt on their minds didn''tst long.

    As they sat on the dining table, the food served to them is something which they have never seen before.

    "Dig in." Yaeger said, presenting multiple dishes to the group. They paid their respect and started going through the various delicacies in front of them. Then, Sylph noticed something as she held on to one of the dishes.

    "Is this?"

    "A dragonling? Yup. Killed it this morning, the meat is hard to cook though, you need to boil it inside a volcano before it bes edible." Yaeger said.

    "B-but, those are thought to be divine, nobody has ever fought with them."

    "Missy, the only reason why you mortals call it as ''divine'' is because you can''t reach the level where you can kill it off. That hurt your ancestors'' pride so much that they justbeled it as such, making it as an excuse for not being able to kill one." Yaeger said.

    "So are these" One of the Windspirte servant said.

    "Phoenix eggs? Snatched themst week. They taste best if you scramble them."

    Everything that Yaeger said made no sense to the elves. The food tasted heavenly of course but, taking in the fact that all of it is made from mythical and legendary beasts is just too much.

    "Does that mean that you''re really Yaeger." Allesiah asked.

    As the members of the group began losing their marbles, Zeke just enjoyed the food. He didn''t have any decent meal as he dealt with thest mission. He didn''t care what the ingredients are, he just cared that the food tasted good.

    "That''s up to you to believe kid." Yaeger said.

    "Anyway, I''ve prepared rooms for you to sleep in. If you want to take a bath, there''s a nearby spring across the thick group of trees." She continued.

    At this, the group dispersed. The male servant proceeded to sleeping while, the four female elves went to take a bath together with Keith. Yaeger sat at the balcony of the cabin, with Zekeing out to talk with her.

    "Do you mind?" Zeke asked.

    "No. Not at all." Yaeger replied, closing her eyes as she felt the cool evening breeze touch her skin.

    "So why did you summon me here? I''m guessing it''s more than just taking in a couple of mortals and giving us a tour of your domain." Zeke asked. The question was actually on the top of Zeke''s head the entire time but, he didn''t want to ask it while everyone was there.

    "You must be the type who takes initiative in a bunch of things." Yaeger said, opening her eyes and looking at the mortal who is chosen by the major deities.

    "I was wondering when you''d ask that." She continued.

    The goddess then proceeded to telling Zeke the details of her request. Beginning with the fact that, she felt that a suitable human has finally been summoned for the quest she''s been saving up.

    "You see, that ce is actually filled with monsters that exist on Mythos. However, most of them are evolved forms of the original monsters meaning, even if they have a low rank, they are more powerful than a normal monster with the same rank."

    "Evolution?" Zeke asked again, confirming what he heard. He had to make sure because, as far as his job ss goes, his conjured monsters are also capable of this.

    "Yup. You see, when a monster hits a specific rank, it gets an option to evolve. This ces the monster back at [F] Rank however, their overall stats be much stronger."

    "Doesn''t that defeat the purpose of having ranks in the first ce?" Zeke asked.

    "That depends. You see, it''s only in Elysium that monsters do not get evolutions. This is mainly because, areas popted by monsters are controlled by the elves  removing the normalw which is Survival of the Fittest."

    The goddess then proceeded to telling Zeke how other continents have creatures which evolved. Adding to this is a system devised by the inhabitants of the continent in order to determine the real strength of the monsters.

    "Apart from their rank, the other continents also ced a ss on monsters." Yaeger said, using a spell and summoning a virtual image of a slime on her palm.

    "This would be amon ranked monster." She said, referring to the slime.

    "This is what its evolution might look like. It depends. Usually there are at least two choices on what a monster will evolve to." She continued, changing the image of the slime and giving it a mouth and a pair of eyes.

    "So you''re telling me that, every monster I will encounter beyond your cabin is an evolved species?" Zeke rified.

    "Yup. Correct again."

    At this, Zeke thought of his conjured summons and their current rank. With thetest update, he should be able to make them evolve. However, he still needs to view the details of the [Job ss Update] before he goes through with this.

    "So what does those monsters have to do with my mission?" Zeke asked, already having a bad feeling on the direction of their conversation.

    "You silly. What do you do with monsters? Of course you hunt them down!" Yaeger said,ughing after the words came out of her mouth.

    "Care to be a little more specific?" Zeke asked.

    "Okay. You see, the monsters here spawn through the magic crystals within the forest. Meaning, even if you kill them all off, they''d juste right back up. There are five crystals within the forest, each summoning their own set of monsters."

    Zeke listened intently, not butting in before every detail has beenid out.

    "After a certain number of monsters have been created, the crystals will proceed to creating stronger monsters. And you" Yaeger said, pointing at Zeke.

    "will kill them for me. Bring their bodies here afterwards, I''ve been dying to cook those monsters for a while now." Yaeger finished.

    "If I may, why don''t you just do it yourself? I''m sure that your title as the goddess of the hunt is not a mere decoration." Zeke said.

    "Of course I could! But I want to try something else. I want to see how they taste like if the monsters are not killed by my own hands." She continued and immediately proceeded to adding even more details.

    "You''d only get four of them at first. One on every edge of the forest. North. South. East. And West. After defeating all of them, the fifth one will appear. That thing would be dealt with by me, it''ll be impossible for you mortals to defeat it after all."

    As soon as Yaeger finished speaking, Zeke began cooking up the ns inside his head. epting the demands of the goddess with another notificationing out.

    [A Special Chain Quest has been added.]

    [A Favor from the Goddess of the Hunt.]

 Chapter 44: Evolution

    Chapter 44: Evolution

    During the same evening, Zeke borrowed a training room which is used by the goddess. Knowing that these entities are much stronger than any mortal warrior, he knows that his monsters won''t cause any damage to a training room owned by one.

    He then proceeded to summoning the two additions to his group of powerful conjured creatures. What Zeke is about to perform is connected to the discussion he had with Yaeger earlier.

    Lupus and Erio appeared before Zeke. He then pressed on a button which was still locked at the earlier patches of the System. However, Samael and the other two human type conjures still has this feature locked. Meaning, the function is not avable for them at the moment.

    On both Lupus and Erio there is a notification which reads:

    [The evolution function has been unlocked]

    Compared to the first three monsters that have been merged by Zeke, Lupus is much stronger. Its rank is [A+] with a bunch of passive and active skills added to it. However, Zeke did not dwell on these for too long because, he ns to make Lupus evolve. This means that the skill set will change and so will the ranks and everything else.

    "You''re going to be a bit more dangerous than the three." He told the wolf that stood at a solid 6ft.

    Zeke then clicked on the evolution function which showed four evolutions, one of which is marked by a lock. There is a message attached to it which reads:

    [Requires Rank SSS]

    Aside from this however, are the three other evolution types which are avable. These are as follows:

    [Lightning Shadow Wolf]

    [Information: A rare monster ss whiches as an offspring of a Shadow Wolf and a Lightning Wolf. The monster is quick on its feet and, can even reach the speed of an actual lightning strike. The monster has high resistance to both lightning and dark elements while its body is surrounded by a static electricity.]

    [Werewolf]

    [Information: A monster with human like characteristics. It prides itself with its high intellect and adaptability to any terrain and enemy it faces. They are most powerful on nights of the full moon while they are at their weakest during the new moon. They may enhance any of their physical abilities during a fight but, this will debuff all other ability.]

    [Hellhound]

    [Information: A creature created from the depths of hell itself. The monster is resistant to mes and, has a body that can withstand most attacks. These creatures defend the gates of hell, taking down all outsiders who dares force the gates open. Their kind has one of thergest health pool among the monsters.]

    "So one is fast, one is quick witted, and thest one is basically a meat shield." Zeke thought to himself, rubbing the top of Lupus'' head which seems to be enjoying the treatment.

    Currently, Zeke''s major summons are all offensive type monsters. ''If I choose the first two, I''d have no strong defensive monster.'' Were the words that ran through his head.

    As much as possible, Zeke wants to have a bncedposition of summons. The reason why he even chose the conjurer ss in the first ce is because of this. The versatility of summons would allow him to craft better strategies as well as, having more options on the actions he''ll take inbat.

    Zeke thought that, although the [Lightning Shadow Wolf] shows a lot of promise, it probably cannot defend properly. Thus, Zeke made up his mind and chose the Hellhound.

    He clicked on the option and pressed the [Yes] button which came with system''s question of [The Shadow Wolf will evolve into a Hellhound. Are you sure?]

    The evolution soon began with Lupus howling as its body drastically changed.

    The slim figure of the [Shadow Wolf] began bulking up as soul looking creatures enveloped it. Lupus howled and growled, clinging to the floor as its ws began to stretch. The body of the creature got enveloped by what seems to be the skeletal remains of a hound-like creature. This became the armor of the hellhound as its head is also covered by a monster''s skull.

    As soon as the evolution finished, Zeke viewed the details of his newly acquired monster.

    [Name: Lupus]

    [Species: Conjured Hound]

    [Specification: Hellhound]

    [Rank: F->

    The rank did not disappoint Zeke because, as he went to the skills and attributes of Lupus, he immediately saw the drastic changes. Most notable among the skills possessed by the [Hellhound] are these two:

    [Skill Name: Death Drain]

    [Skill Type: Unique Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: The hellhound gains back health, proportional to the amount of health lost by any living organism that died within a 10-meter radius. This also restores any parts of the hellhound that has been damaged.]

    [Skill Name: Death''s Loyal Pet]

    [Skill Type: Unique Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: The hellhound has a 50% chance to avoid a lethal physical strike. The hellhound has a 50% chance to gain immunity from a lethal spell attack.]

    "This should be enough for the current mission." Zeke thought to himself, putting Yaeger''s request into mind.

    He then proceeded to performing the same function on Erio. Unlike Lupus, Erio only has two options to choose from namely:

    [Archelf Swordsman]

    [Information: Archelfs are ancient forms of elves whomune better with nature. They are a higher strand of elves which is theplete opposite of the warmongering Blood Elves. An archelf swordsman wields the weapon as if it is an extension of his own body  preferring lighter des that allows them to move swiftly through the battlefield.]

    [Blood Elf Swordsman]

    [Information: Blood Elves are ancient forms of elves which crave the ecstasy and euphoria of battle. They are a higher strand of elves which is theplete opposite of the peace-loving Archelves. A blood elf swordsman wields the weapon as if it is their ws  preferring heavier weapons which they swing wildly through the battlefield.]

    "Both are offensive types huh." Zeke remarked as Lupus rubbed its head on his shoulder.

    Even though it is just a conjured version of a [Hellhound], the monster seems to hold affection towards its master. This is primarily because, Zeke''s job ss is connected to raising the dead.

    "Down boy." Zeke told the hound, making it slump to the ground and stopping its tail from wagging.

    He then proceeded to the choices which didn''t take long. There is a weapon that would suit one of the two perfectly which is, the great sword he obtained from the [Secret Dungeon]. Thus, Zeke chose the [Blood elf].

    The body of the conjured general got consumed by a red me, shouting as it felt its own body changing. Soon after, an arm came out of the me, it is covered by an armor which looked more beastly than any normal armor. This is followed by the feet which walked out of the crimson red mes. Then surfaced both the body and the head.

    The former general is covered by a unique red mana which paints its whole armor. Inside, the body is a dark and deep blue while its eyes glowed the same red color of its armor.

    [Name: Erio]

    [Species: Conjured Elf]

    [Specification: Blood Elf Swordsman]

    [Rank: F->

    Just like Lupus, Erio had a very distinct set of skills. However, while Lupus'' skills focused on defense, Erio''s skills focused on offense.

    [Skill Name: Primal Strength]

    [Skill Type: Unique Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: A Blood Elf swordsman can turn any odds into their favor using with this skill. Every percent of health missing is converted into attribute points, greatly raising the overall fighting capacity of the swordsman as the battle prolongs.]

    [Skill Name: Blood Cleaver]

    [Skill Type: Unique Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: Any weapon held by a blood elf swordsman gains the function of storing the blood of its defeated opponents. Upon reaching the cap, this is released as a skill shot which does not consume any mana. The sh created is a lethal weapon which could cut through most objects. The skill may be released earlier at the price of having a weaker offensive output.]

    As Zeke looked at the two, he can''t help but notice how they have simr colors. He did not intend this or course but, the color befitted them as it makes them distinct from every other monster conjured by Zeke.

    "I''m guessing the others would have a slight color variation once they go through evolution." Zeke thought to himself.

    As he finished performing all of this, he a heaviness to his body. The whole day strained him after all, with all that went through and all the details which added up.

    "An ally which turned to an enemy."

    "An enemy who made a contract with me."

    "Making a whole household escape from the city."

    "Dealing with the troublesome major deities."

    "Having anotherrge scale mission."

    "Evolving two of my strongest conjured monsters."

    Zeke thought of all these things as he went on his way to the bath. The group which went there have already returned. Zeke checked where they are and saw them sleeping soundly inside a bedroom.

    "I guess I should also rest and rx my body before tomorrowes." Zeke told himself as he took a short moment of rxation.

 Chapter 45: New Units

    Chapter 45: New Units

    As soon as morning came, Yaeger went to talk with Zeke about something important. Unfortunately, the gods are going to have their monthly meeting and, she is required to attend.

    "You should take care of every exnation needed for those guys." Yaeger said, knowing that Zeke''s mission cannot be hidden from the other members of the party.

    When they hear explosions, screams and other noises, they''d be sure that something is going on inside the forest. With Zeke also going missing at this time, it would only raise their suspicion that he is part of the ruckus.

    Both the goddess and Zeke had this in mind. Hence, right after eating breakfast, Zeke went on to announcing the details of his current task.

    "There is something urgent we need to discuss." He began.

    "Aside from Yaeger going to a meeting this day, I was also given a specific task. That is, to go and summon some really powerful monsters inside the forest."

    Zeke continued by providing every single detail to this mission. Leaving out the fact that he is actually a chosen human who came from another world.

    "Can Ie with you?" Allesiah asked, wanting to get some proper training done. She wasn''t able to go all out with the fight in the castle after all.

    "Wait Allesiah. Before that, I have a question to ask you Zeke. What do you n to do once we return to Elysium?" Sylvia asked this knowing that, there must be something else that he needs to aplish aside from simply helping out an Elven Household.

    "This may be impolite of me but, I doubt that there is any normal human who just goes and puts their life on the line to save a couple of elves." Sylvia continued knowing the bad blood that has formed between the two race.

    Zeke looked at the female elf, thinking of the best answer to make at the moment. He''s d however because, this actually saves him the trouble of hiding some crucial pieces of information. He reminded himself to mix his truths with a bunch of lies in order to cloak the things that they must not know.

    "The truth is, I am part of the rebellion which happened 6 years ago. I was just new to the mining group inside the capital but, I was greatly affected by Mr. Hark''s leadership and courage. However, I was stuck in the mines during those times and so, I was not able to join the group which came out to fight."

    Allesiah squinted her eyes as she heard her master speak. She knows a lot of things about her master but, none of those involves him as a normal human being.

    "What are you saying master? You''re a corpse raising masochist who loves diving into battles with every odd against your favor." She thought to herself as Zeke continued speaking.

    "I honed my skills for years, waiting to have my reunion with sir Hark but then. A huge light from the sky hit me andpletely altered most of my memories." He continued.

    "Ahh that''s the time we found him mom!" Keith said, backing up the information given by Zeke. At this, Zeke smiled a bit; knowing that most of his lies are now believable.

    "I lost my memories but, my skills in battle remained intact. And then, right after that first encounter with the bandits at your house, I was able to regain my memories and began searching for you. Along my search, I was able to find Allesiah and gain some extraordinary skills as I went inside a [Secret Dungeon] with her." Zeke continued.

    Allesiah couldn''t support her master''s ims. She is a bad liar of course so she just kept her mouth shut as the flood of lies continued.

    "What skills?" Sylvia asked, wanting to squeeze out every piece of information.

    "I was given the curse of being able to raise the dead." Zeke said, getting teary eyed as he said this.

    "I''ve seen this firsthand. He can turn dead opponents into his own summons. Although their colors change to shades of blue, with their eyes glowing a bright yellow." Sylph is now the one backing up his ims.

    "With everything that happened, we got caught up with the scheme plotted by King Aeolus. One which involved taking the two of you back to the capital. With the events that followed, what caught me by surprise the most is how the First King has taken your husband''s body." Zeke finished.

    "I see, so you were a previous subordinate of my husband. If I can still refer to him as that at least." Sylvia responded, having a deep expression of sadness on her face.

    Everyone fell silent for a while. Even Zeke didn''t have a clue what he should say at that moment. For the most part, Sylvia has been deceived and lied to. She has been used as another pawn in Gallio''s grand scheme and, Keith is a half - elf born from that very same tower of lies.

    "We can still save him. I have reason to believe that, during the years he has been with you, Hark has fought for control over his own body. After all, what Gallio does is taking over the body meaning, the person who truly owns the body just stays dormant inside."

    Zeke can see the hope in Sylvia''s eyes as he said these words. They aren''tpletely wrong but, he isn''t sure if there is a way to separate the two.

    "Miss Sylvia, right after finishing the task I''ve gotten, I''ll deal with the situation with Gallio." Zeke said, giving more hope on the female elf.

    "You mean you''lle back to the capital?" The two servants asked.

    "Yes. But not without properly training and preparing myself." Zeke continued.

    "Is there anything I can do to help?" Sylvia said.

    "Actually, there are two ways. One is, you hide and make sure that everyone is safe while I perform my mission. And the other is, youe and train with me inside the forest so that you can properly back me up once we return to Elysium."

    "Can you give us a minute? I will just discuss with my sisters about this matter." Sylvia said, bringing the two other Windsprites with her.

    While the three discussed the actions which they would take, Zeke went inside Yaeger''s training room again. He has been given full ess to the ce, making it open up to him but, not allowing everyone else to enter.

    "It''s a simple spell but quite unbreakable." Zeke thought to himself, remembering aic book superhero saying the same line before.

    He then opened his skill shop, a ce he hasn''t visited for a while. He already knows the possible response of Sylvia. She is probably tagging along with him. If this is the case, she''d ask her other sisters to take care of the household.

    "Sylph won''t let that happen since she doesn''t want to separate with the two. Plus, she''d probably want to kill de." Zeke said to himself as he went through the various skills in the shop.

    "That''d leave Allesiah to do the guarding but, knowing how stubborn she is, I''m guessing she''d want toe along. With all that happened, she''s gotten quite strong after all."

    While all this went on inside Zeke''s head, he clicked[Phistophilus'' Contract] raising its rank up to [E+].

    "Which means they''d be knocking on this door any minute now, having the resolution that I''m thinking off."

    It didn''t take long for this to happen. They knocked on the door and, as Zeke opened it, the three Windsprites entered together with the two servants.

    "We''ve decided to fight alongside you until this mission has been seen through." Sylvia immediately said.

    "I figured you''d say that. If that''s the case, I need you to fill something up." Zeke snapped his fingers and, [Phistophilus'' Contract] appeared in front of them.

    He knows how repulsive the contract is for elves. That''s why, he bought a cloaking skill which made the contract look like something else.

    "This is an experience linking contract."

    "Experience link? I''ve never heard of such a term before." Sylph answered and she is right about this. There is no such thing as an experience linking contract on Elysium.

    "Well, that''s because the goddess Yaeger has gifted me with this. Making me the only human who has one." He replied, making everyone believe. If anything, they know that this is a possibility as the goddess personally invited Zeke to her realm.

    "So what does it do?" Sylvia asked.

    "As the name indicates, the contract will make you share on the experience points gained by any member of the group. Adding to this is the fact that, the experience you gain will have an additional 25% increase." He continued.

    "The contract has an expiry date so we''ll set it on a 7-day period. That''s probably the length of time needed for us to finish the task given by the goddess. Does that sound fair?" He added.

    "Agreed." Sylvia said immediately. Zeke made Allesiah sign the same contract in order to make it look like the symbol hiding on her neck is the same as theirs.

    Zeke got excited as they signed one by one and, Allesiah could feel her master''s aura already.

    "This is bad for your health guys." Allesiah thought to herself.

    All that Zeke thought about is how he''s got a new set of noobs which he can strengthen.

    "Once I''m done with you, I''ll make sure that you reach a level where you can take a whole army by yourselves." He thought to himself, adding the thought:

    "Let the grinding begin."

 Chapter 46: Grinding

    Chapter 46: Grinding

    Zeke already knows that conquering the forest is no easy task. After all, it''s thrice as bigpared to the major forest of Elysium. This didn''t faze Zeke at all. Rather, he got excited from the idea that there is a wider variety of monsters to kill and conjure afterwards.

    However, there is a problem that they do not know of. Just like every other dimension, time works rtively different inside the realm of Yaeger. In such a way that, a day spent there is equivalent to a week in Mythos. Hence, along with their strengthening are the changes that Gallio is already performing all over Elysium.

    "Master, what should I do?" Allesiah said, standing right beside Zeke.

    The n he cooked up is simple. The group of Sylvia together with everyone else will take one portion of the forest while Zeke and Allesiah will take care of the rest. The idea didn''t sound logical to the group so Zeke simply summoned his [Hellhound] Lupus to demonstrate just how powerful he is.

    "Are there any more objections to the n?" The group didn''t respond anymore, allowing Zeke to begin another mass ughtering spree of his.

    Going back to the current situation with Allesiah, the sorceress fidgeted with her staff nervously. She knows how insane her master is and, if he is properly insane again today, then he''d probably ask her to take arge portion of the forest all by herself.

    "Allesiah."

    "Yes."

    "You''ll take one side of the forest."

    "Oh...you mean a tiny part that I can handle right?"

    "Uh. No. You''ll take the whole wave provided by one crystal."

    "Ahh I see." Allesiah held back her tears as Zeke left her at her current location. Zeke provided her with a much-needed support of course, leaving both Lupus and Erio to back her up.

    Also, he made sure that everyone is safe. With the party system, all members of the group are provided a [Minimap] and [Voice Chat]. This enabled Zeke to oversee the whole scenario as he began killing monsters.

    The first thing he did is to sell the [Slime Tamer] skill as he believes that there is no point to the skill.

    "I already have Conjure so I could just make the dead slimes into conjured monsters." He told himself, getting the value of the skill which is [5 Skill Points].

    He then invested all these points into strengthening his [Poison Cloud] further, making it reach [D+] rank. Then, the massacre began.

    "Conjure." He said, raising all the monsters, elves, and bandits which he has converted thus far. On the front lines are Samael, Al, Gull, and Cull followed by the leftover Shadow Wolves. On the trees are the Wood Scout and Elven archers. While thest batch are the Elven Soldiers and Bandits.

    "Let''s make this quick. I want to take down one of those beasts before this day ends." Zeke told his Conjures who began attacking the monsters that they see. Zeke followed this up with his [Poison Cloud]  surrounding arge area of the battlefield with this deadly toxin.

    Soon enough, one area of the forest has been cleared. Over the [Voice Chat] Sylphmented on this saying:

    "How is that even possible?"

    "Just focus on your side before those monsters kill you." Zeke replied.

    He isn''t joking about this though. From the looks of it, every monster on the forest is at least as powerful as four shadow wolvesbined. Without his [Poison Cloud] backing up his conjured monsters, they''d be easily floored by the ones inside Yaeger''s forest.

    Among the monsters, the ones fought by Allesiah are the following:

    [Pyke Boar]

    This monster uses the spikes on its back in order to both attack and defend. The spikes are nasty as they can pierce the armor of Samael. However, they are nothing but prey to Lupus which willingly got punctured by them.

    He''d let the boars attack him, biting them afterwards and feasting on their corpses. Allesiah saw as the [Hellhound] perform this and wished that she never encounters a beast such as that on the battlefield.

    [Winged Monkey]

    These monsters seem to pride themselves in their intellect. Judging by how they simply stay up in the air and fire skill shot. There''s no way for units who relied solely on melee to reach them. Adding to this is the fact that they move swiftly in the air, making arrows miss their marks.

    The only way for them to be defeated is through skill shots. Luckily, Allesiah is in the area where these monkeys are. And, as she continued meddling with their spells, she fired off her [Darkness Spheres]. She added a homing effect to the spell, attaching clumps of mana to the intended targets. This way, she didn''t need to control them manually. Thus, she simply focused on disrupting all their attacks.

    Erio is on the ground ensuring that no other creature cane near Allesiah. The [Pyke Boars] who went after the sorceress didn''t stand a chance. Erio swung his de, collecting enough blood for his skill. As he fired it off, arge group of trees got cut down, together with all the monsters that stood in its way.

    Both of the monster ss mentioned are [F+] ranked which has undergone evolution. Aside from them, there is another monster type which is ranked [E]. This is the [Earth Golem].

    The monster towers at a height of 8 ft tall. Its movements are slow but, its defense gives justice to its rank as damaging it takes a lot of effort. Unfortunately for the monster, the elf it is fighting can see the flow of mana.

    Golems have mana cores which gives them life. It functions the same as a human heart; pumping out mana all over the golem. As Allesiah saw these, she simply altered the flow of mana within them. She then turned the golems into ice using the mana cores and shattering the golems into pieces.

    While greatly potent, Allesiah tires out just like any other mortal. For this, Zeke bought her 10 pieces of [Stamina Potion]. As she drank one, she felt her exhaustion disappear and continued battling even more.

    "Would you look at that, Allesiah is actually doing pretty well on her own." Zeke said, observing the minimap while his minions did all the dirty work for him. He then proceeded to looking at the side of Sylvia''s party.

    As for that group, they also have their fair share of [F+] monsters. These are also evolved forms making them stronger even at Rank [F+].

    [Corrupted Serpent]

    These creatures are quite tricky as they have a camouge feature. Their fangs also have toxins which kills anything they bite within a matter of seconds. The serpents are of an abnormal length yet, not enough to overpower their opponents with sheer strength, hence their need for the toxins they use.

    Sylvia dealt with these monsters as she set up a barrier around the group. This allowed them to know the position of all the sneaky serpents whose camouge is difficult to see through. She followed this spell with a forced rain shower. This made the whole area muddy and, also, revealed the serpents which got mud stuck on them.

    This allowed Sylph to snipe them off. Firing five arrows at a time and, using spells in order to reload her quiver with even more arrows. Whatever talent she has at spellcasting, she dedicated it all to her archery; allowing her to make a variety of arrows that are fired as skill shots.

    [Arachnid Wolves]

    These creatures have eight eyes instead of just two. They can also shoot out webs from their mouths, tangling their opponents before they pounce and attack. Though dangerous, Sylvia has already ced an enhancement on the male servant named Sebastian.

    The male servant uses arge shield just like boulder does. He can also set up walls and a barrier around himself. Sebastian serves as a decoy while the female savant Harun went for the kill using her spear. The two acts as a synchronizedbo, with Sebastian setting up the fight and Harun making the attack as the opponents open their defenses.

    As for the [E] rank monster faced by the group, they have the troublesome [Berserker Apes].

    These monsters get stronger as the battle prolongs. Thus, it is best to kill them off swiftly. Sylvia is able to face these monsters using de shaped wind which sliced the neck of the apes thrice before getting removed entirely. The interval of the des is on a 0.01 second count. This makes it impossible for the apes to defend against because, before they know it, the des have already hit.

    Of course, Zeke has also supplied the group with their own set of [Stamina Potions]. Adding to these are [Mana Potions] and [Health Potions] which he did not give to Allesiah. The reason being, Allesiah also uses the mana all around her, making consumption lesser for the youngest Windsprite.

    Although it sounds as if the elves are breezing through the battle, they are actually having a hard time. Upon killing a monster, it takes at least 5 minutes for another monster of the same type to appear. During this interval, they need to constantly trim down the wave of monsters whiches non-stop.

    While every other member of his party had great difficulty fighting off these monsters, Zeke simply conjured these monsters as they died. This is not without any limit however.

    As he reached 200 conjured monsters, a notification appeared with the words reading:

    [You have reached the Conjure Limit]

 Chapter 47: Green Air and a Green Summon

    Chapter 47: Green Air and a Green Summon

    At noon, Sylvia''s group already ran out of Stamina potions and Mana potions. Thus, they are forced to use the [Recall Scroll] item which Zeke prepared for them. As far as the elves are concerned, the scroll is an ancient item and so, they didn''t want to use it so casually. However, Zeke showed that he still has a bunch more, making the group re-evaluate their thoughts on such a powerful piece of paper.

    The scroll is only made avable now together with the [Stamina Potions]. On the system''s [Store] the items are limited to what the patch offers. That''s why Zeke is so thankful that he finally has items such as this. Apart from this are explosives such as grenades which made Zeke think that, in future patches, guns will also be avable in the shop.

    "That''ll be really useful especially if I infuse some spells into them." Zeke thought to himself. But then, an idea struck him. An idea that he needed to keep hanging as someone began to speak.

    "Are you guys still going at it?" Sylph asked through the [Voice Chat].

    "What''s this? You seem to be enjoying themunication channel too much." Zeke replied jokingly.

    "S-shut up. This is the first time I got my hands on such an advanced version of themunication crystal. What''s wrong with using it often." The embarrassed archer replied.

    What the [Voice Chat] function looks like is a small tab that everyone sees on their screen. The members of the party can choose to [Mute] it or to leave themunication open to only a selected number of people. This is done through thoughtmand.

    Apart from this, the party system allows the members to assess the experience bars and the levels gained. Apart from Sylvia who has reached level 90 even beforeing to the realm, everyone is shocked by the numbers they gained from fighting.

    After all, it''s not an easy feat to raise one''s level once it hits 30. Zeke also sees this of course. After all, he monitors the growth of every member of the party, getting more excited than they are.

    "This is like experience grinding for my units." He thought to himself, thickening his [Poison Clouds] and letting the experience pointse rushing in toward himself and his party members.

    "At this point the experience bars look like download bars that keeps getting higher and higher." He thought tot himself, collecting all the materials dropped by the monsters and crafting new ones. He sold the lowest grade materials and items, getting more money to spend for more potions that could be used for grinding.

    "Allesiah wille back soon, just wait for her." Zeke told the group, this made Allesiah respond while also limiting the [Voice Chat] to herself and Zeke.

    "What do you mean? I can still fight." Allesiah replied.

    "Don''t be silly. How many vials of the [Stamina Potion] do you have left?" Zeke answered, knowing that she would''ve also run out of the item just like the group.

    "Fine. But I''ll take one more wave before going back." She replied as if the act is a form of defiance to Zeke.

    Right after they finished talking, Zeke focused on the matters at hand. With all the items he sold, he is able to buy another set of potions, enabling him to continually use mana for his [Poison Cloud].

    Soon after, the area became deserted as his units continued pressing forward until, they surrounded the crystal which continued spawning more monsters. Zeke covered the area with 20yers of [Poison Cloud] draining the health of the monsters as soon as they get summoned.

    The others who''vee back to the cabin saw this on their [Minimap] disy. A group of blue dotted units circled the area with the summoning crystal in the middle. On the same area is a green color and, they saw the red dots vanish after only a few seconds of havinge out.

    "Do you even need to train Mister Zeke?" Sebastian asked.

    "Of course I do. You haven''t seen how powerful Gallio is and, I don''t think his troops will be any weaker than he is." Zeke replied, remembering the kick that depleted his health pool with [Mana Conversion] already activated.

    "He took me out with a single kick. It wasn''t even a skill shot. It was a kick. A kick took out my entire health pool." He said.

    "That''s how strong he is?" Sylvia asked, imagining Gallio to have another body. She can''t ept that Gallio and Hark are one.

    "Yes. That''s why we need to get stronger." He replied.

    "Well we can''t fight on an empty stomach, can we? So you bettere back here for lunch." Harun said as she began cooking. Yaeger gave them permission to use the kitchen, ensuring them that she also uses normal ingredients for food.

    "Yes, I''ll being after an hour. You guys should just rest."

    "Roger that." Keith replied who stayed inside the cabin the whole time.

    At this, they closed themunication channel, making Zeke focus on another task at hand. One which involves the creation of new units.

    Zeke increased the amount of [Poison Cloud] which surrounded the area of the crystal and, made his troops fall further back. This gave more area for the monsters to run off to and, after perfectlyputing the distance they''d run before dying, Zeke proceeded to merging his monsters.

    "Cull." He said, making the debow usere forward.

    As the monster is only a merged version of three adventurers, Cull''s power is the second lowest level on the group with Al being the weakest. The only reason why Al is even strong is because of the sword he is using.

    After calling out Cull, Zeke also called all the sword wielding and bow wielding unit he currently has. He thought how Cull has no chance of evolving anytime soon so, as an alternative, he''ll force the evolution by putting together more units.

    "Conjure Merge" Zeke said, turning all the units into tongues of fire. Therger fire in the middle of it all contains Cull. Little by little, the smaller mes came inside, with the notifications that followed.

    [Merging Seeded]

    [Merging Seeded]

    [Merging Failed]

    [Merging Failed]

    [Merging Seeded]

    [Merging Failed]

    As he performed this, he also conjured the monsters which he fought on his are. Creating new ones topensate for all the units he is currently losing due to Cull''s evolution. Then, he thought of an idea as he took what''s left of the Shadow Wolves and added them to the merging.

    "I hope this works." He told himself, seeing the me turn into a light green which slowly became darker and darker. Then, it began taking in the shape of a wolf''s head and, as it finished, the new monster finally came out.

    The unit looked human, without a small trace of being a wolf including the ears, tail, and nails which looked sharper than normal. The unit also wore the same light armor as Cull initially had. Adding to this is a wolf shaped mask that covered its eyes. The mana emitted by the monster is a dark green, assuring Zeke that this is an evolved monster or one on the same level. Then, Zeke proceeded to looking at its stats.

    [Name: Cull]

    [Species: Conjured Beastman]

    [Specification: Lycan Crossde User]

    [Rank: F->

    Aside from this, an information bar also showed up. This confirmed Zeke''s suspicion of Cull attaining evolution as, it is only his conjured monsters with evolved forms that has an information tab.

    [Information: Lycans are werewolves who have retained their human form. However, parts of their wolf genes still show with their ears and tail, adding to the ws which are as sharp as des. Unlike the werewolves however, the Lycans have a consistent amount of strength which does not grow nor weaken depending on what face of the moon appears in the sky.]

    [Information: A crossbalde user is one with a bow that can be detached and turned into dual des. The weapon shifts depending on the need of the user. On its bow form, the edges of the weapon gains des while, on its sword form, the weapon can fire off shes that does not consume mana.]

    Aside from this, Cull also acquired skills which are beneficial forbat tactics that Zeke has yet to try.

    [Skill Name: Peerless Archery]

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: The skill provides an added 20% uracy to all the shots made by the Lycan.]

    [Skill Name: Pre-Emptive Strike]

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Mana Consumed: None]

    [Information: Every first strike done by the Lycan gains a bonus fear effect, stunning the enemies for a short duration and opening up the enemies for further attacks.]

    "I guess that''s as much as I can do for now." Zeke told himself, as another voice came up.

    "Master where are you? The food''s ready and sister Sylvia doesn''t want to start without everyone being here."

    "In my defense, Yaeger isn''t there." Zeke replied.

    "Ahhhh you know what I mean why are you making things difficult!" Allesiah replied, turning down the voice chat.

    At this, Zeke wrapped up the first portion of the day''s hunt. The number he needs to take down before summoning the real enemies is quite a lot and thus, he needed to make his conjured creatures much stronger.

    He looked at Cull as he thought of this, smiling as he took out his transportation scroll.

    "Let''s continue tonight." He said, as the scroll took effect.

 Chapter 48: A New Weapon

    Chapter 48: A New Weapon

    Yaeger returned to the cabin that same evening. As everyone finished with their meal, the goddess told them that she got tired from doing a week''s worth of paperwork.

    "That''s a figure of speech, right?" Harun asked. This confused the goddess only to be reminded that, she didn''t tell these mortals about the time difference within her realm.

    "That''s right Ipletely forgot to inform you! One day inside my realm is equivalent to a week in Mythos." Yaeger said as she ate her diner.

    This made the whole group panic except for Zeke who calmly chewed down his food.

    "Master." Allesiah moved beside Zeke and began speaking.

    "Won''t that be troublesome?" Allesiah whispered through Zeke''s ear.

    "No it won''t. At your current levels, we can''t hope to beat Gallio anyway. That''s why we need to train." Zeke answered after swallowing his food.

    "But what if something bad happens while we''re away?" Sylph asked, thinking of all the household members who ran away.

    "That is none of my concern. I can''t do anything about situations that I have no control over. What we need to focus is what''s right in front of us. Don''t go trying to be heroes and save every single soul you can think of." Zeke lectured.

    This is a hard pill to swallow for the elves who valued bonds. However, they know that what Zeke said holds true. At their current level, the five of them can''t do much help in the battlefield. If alles to worse, they might just drag Zeke down.

    "That''s some level headed thinking there human." Yaeger said, gaining some interest in Zeke.

    To this, Zeke didn''t respond anymore and quickly finished his meal. He then left the items on the table for everyone to pick up.

    "The [Stamina Potions] you took should be straining your muscles right now. I suggest you rest and continue the training tomorrow." Zeke said as he opened the door of the cabin.

    This is the only downside of the newly added potion type. There is an aftereffect that one will feel once the potion''s effects wear off. The built-up strain on the body wille flooding in. This does not inflict pain but, the effect makes it difficult for anyone to move properly.

    "Take a good night''s rest. Once you recover, take the supplies and continue with your training tomorrow. We''ll be going by the same groups again." He said, stepping outside.

    Zeke took out his [Teleportation Scroll] which led him back to the spot where he came from. The portal only works on areas which a person has already been to. He then looked at the fourponents of the task he currently has. Except for the side of the forest being cleared by Zeke, the other groups have barely made it through a hundred kills.

    "We''ve only defeated this many?" Zeke told himself, worrying about the current number of monsters that has been defeated.

    The mission indicates the number of monsters in, and how many more is necessary before the stronger monsterse out. It is only Zeke who can singlehandedly clear an area. Every other group has it harder as they need to take on the monsters by batches of 10 and lower.

    These are evolved monsters after all. Like it or not, they are stronger than [A] tier monsters which have not undergone evolution. The only reason the elves even stood a chance is because, one of them has been personally trained by Zeke (Allesiah). While, the other group consists of elves whose skills are on an elite level.

    "Poison Cloud." Zeke began, enveloping the area with Death clothed in green.

    He then dispatched all the remaining units which, is not much because of the [Conjure Merge] he performed with Cull. In fact, there are no less than 30 weaker units at the moment. Aside from these, all Zeke has are Cull, Gul, Samael, Al, Lupus, and Erio.

    He then thickened the mist as he went to a safe distance, killing the monsters off without having to fight them. As he did, he tried conjuring the dead monsters which failed miserably.

    "Dammit why are these guys much harder to conjure?" Zeke asked himself, consuming mana as he continued trying until he finally seeded turning one into his creatures. All other tongues of fire broke and vanished meaning, the sess rate is quite low.

    Irritating as it may be, the strength of his evolved summons makes up for theck of units. The three are now a bnced set of Tank, Range, and Melee. As Zeke thought of this, he looked at Samael, Al, and Gull, which have yet to evolve.

    "No, it''s too risky." Zeke said as he thought of merging the three together.

    With his current [Conjure] level, it''s not likely that he''d seed in fusing them together. Thus, he just focused on raising their ranks, hoping that they reach the level where they can evolve.

    Adding to the benefit of his depleted number of units is the fact that, there are now less who need to share with the experience gained. This means that the elves will raise their levels faster and so will Zeke.

    Aside from the constant fighting, Zeke realized that he should make a long-range weapon for himself. One which is not found in Mythos.

    The thought is simple, so much so that it got unnoticed by him. This is mainly due to the fact that he is sent to an old world setting with technology that advances through magic.

    He looked at what his inventory currently stores. There are a bunch of ws that are as sharp as steel. des that came from fighting the bandits and elves, and some core from the golems that stores and pumps out mana.

    "Okay, let''s test this out." Zeke said to himself as he used another new function of the [Gamer System''s] crafting option.

    He disassembled a single de in order to see what wille out and as he did, various materials appeared in his notification.

    [You obtained the item: Rock Steel x16]

    [You obtained the item: Cloth Grip x1]

    [You obtained the item: Iron Ore x1]

    He then proceeded to performing the same process on the other weapons that are currently in his storage. Apart from this, he expanded the slots to his inventory as the number of materials kept multiplying. Just like in some games, the limit to an item being stored is [x99] after this, a new slot is required for the same material.

    Money is not an issue for Zeke as he sold a bunch of items and materials already. Thus, he has enough to make enough room in his inventory.

    After sorting out the materials, he began mixing them together, creating higher grade materials while also looking at what the materials could make.

    "I need two rails, an armature, and a good enough projectile." Zeke told himself, having the concept all in his head.

    He didn''t need to have the crafting skills of an expert in order to build the weapon that he wishes to create. All he needs is tobine the items that would fit the requirement and let the System do the hard work.

    And, what came out of his little experiment are twin pistols. The weapons are of the same color as the weapon of Gallio, an Onyx ck which seemed to hold an ominous amount of power.

    Adding to this are bars at the side of both pistols. These things change with the color of a neon blue as the weapon charges up. Aside from this, every other feature of the weapon looks like a modified Dessert Eagle.

    Soon after came the notification and his [Analysis] which inspected the weapon.

    [Notice: A new weapon has been created.]

    [Item Name: None]

    [Usage Level Requirement: 40]

    [Durability: 100]

    [Rank: A+]

    [Information: The weapon makes use of a maic field created by a maic current charged from the mana core imbued into the weapon. The weapon can store more than 1,000 volts of electricity before the projectile inside is fired.]

    [Information: The weapon requires a charging time of up to 10 seconds at best in order to fire at maximum capacity. 3 seconds are needed for the minimum amount of force.]

    [Information: Materials have been added in order to add an aiming function to the weapon. This raises uracy by 10% and shows the area which will be damaged by the strike.]

    Zeke quickly tried out the weapon, seeing a group of earth golems appear on his minimap. He pointed his pistols at the direction of the monsters and began charging it. Lightning surged through the weapon making it dangerous for a normal human to wield. Luckily, Zeke''s [Gamer''s Body] prevents him from feeling any physical pain.

    At the side of the gun, the charges began filling up and, as it reached maximum output, Zeke pulled the trigger. The bullets flew past everything, putting a hole into whateveres in their way until, they reached their targets.

    The golems got destroyed in an instant. The same monsters which have been difficult to deal with. The same monsters which has an insane amount of health. That monster crumbled down as the bullet pierced through it.

    Zeke smiled as he saw the fruit of his work, inspecting the guns as he held them in his burnt hands.

    "I guess some configurations still need to be made."

 Chapter 49: A Disadvantageous Reward

    Chapter 49: A Disadvantageous Reward

    "I''m sorry but, can you repeat that again?" Sylph said through themunication channel. They''ve just finished breakfast and headed to the forest, following Zeke who went earlier than them.

    Zeke saw them teleport into the forest. As soon as the elves did this, he made an announcement which shocked everyone.

    "We''ll finish the task in six days." Zeke said, not containing any sarcasm or joke in his voice.

    "Are you insane!?" Sylph responded still feeling the aftereffects of using the [Stamina Potion].

    "That depends on your ssification of a ''sane'' person." Zeke replied, thinking that Sylph is much more of a lunatic than he is.

    "We haven''t even reached half of the kills required yet. And you expect us to finish all this in 6 days?" Sylph answered.

    This is a fact that even Zeke cannot deny. The number of units that they need to y are [1,000] for each weaker monster type while [500] is the required kill count for the stronger monsters.

    "We can do it. Judging by how much you guys are growing with every kill, the number we can take down every day will also increase. Plus"

    "Plus what?" Sylph said again.

    "Plus, I''ll give something to all of you by tomorrow to make the experience grinding even faster."

    Sylph had no idea what Zeke meant by experience grinding. But they are assured of one thing  that Zeke''s words hold true. The elves knew that they are really getting stronger. And, at an abnormal rate. The only downside to this training is the conversion of days once they leave Yaeger''s realm.

    Thus, Zeke began hunting monsters again, raising the number of kills faster than the other groups. Using [Mana Conversion] he boosted his traits making him able to run faster. Topping this off is his [Quick Step].

    As he passed through various areas, heunched multiple [Poison Clouds] covering arger area than he did in yesterday. Lupus and Erio came back to assisting Allesiah so Zeke''s firepower is weakened by a considerable amount. However, the small amount of new conjures that he has created are able to face off and win against their normal counterparts.

    With the triple passive that enhances the traits of his summons, the three [Pyke Boars], five [Winged Monkeys] and one [Arachnid Wolf]e out as superior. This is, of course, adding to the fact that they are fighting within the [Poison Cloud] which deals continuous damage to the monsters while leaving the conjures virtually unharmed.

    Zeke then used his dual pistols to deal with the troublesome [E] Rank monsters. A single shot is enough to take one down and, as he proceeded, he also collected more mana cores for another experiment that he is cooking up.

    Aside from this, he went and looked for other monsters. With howrge the forest is, there will sure be monster types that may serve as great materials for weapons. His search did not fail him as he found one new monster at the side of the forest which only he has reached.

    [Ore-Cloaked Armadillo]

    The armadillos are muchrger than the normal ones back on earth. Adding to the fact that they are [E+] rank makes them even more formidable. The various rocks and minerals around it already filled Zeke with excitement as they are shown by his [Analysis].

    "Oh you beauty." Zeke said to the creature, engaging in a close-rangebat with it using a simple tactic  stab and explode.

    Basically, what Zeke does is cut open a wound on the part of the armadillo which is not covered by the valuable items. With the hole made, Zeke punches his whole fist through the wound, leaving behind a bomb before getting away. Soon after, the monster exploded, with its remains scattered all around.

    The other armadillos were horrified at the sight. Especially because, that same person had a devil-like smile as he did this. They tried running away but, Zeke simply made cuts on their legs making them unable to run any further.

    The monsters then focused on offense, curling into a ball and hitting Zeke. The damage dealt is great but, with the effects of [Mana Conversion] in ce, it is nothing too fatal for him. He allowed [Lesser Regeneration] to heal him while he evaded the next set of attacks.

    The armadillos became more horrified as they saw the human literally having broken limbs, yet still running toward them. Zeke then activated [Blood Counter] opening up the armadillos who did not expect the sudden damage that came out of nowhere.

    Zeke then proceeded to performing the same thing, nting more bombs and killing them off. The reason why he rushed to kill them is because, he wanted the monsters to condense on a single area.

    This is the same tactic he used yesterday. He wasn''t able to add the [E] ranks because, just as soon as the poison killed these creatures, the others would have gone far away from the crystal. Hence, Zeke was only able to gather up the weaker monsters, much to his disappointment.

    This time is different however as he killed them himself, adding up the numbers of Armadillos that died on the mission tab. As soon as the area was cleared of these monsters, Zeke immediately went to the spawn point of the monster and covered it with 30yers of {Poison Cloud], he spread the range even more, killing off the weaker monsters along the process.

    The armadillos came out of the crystal soon after. The poison affected them making them go raging but, as they ran, their legs grew weaker and weaker until, just as they stepped out of the poison, their lives are taken from them.

    "Kill the weaker ones that surround this area, let''s gather them up." Zeke said, making his trusted conjures go around and kill more monsters.

    Meanwhile, Zeke began collecting the materials dropped by the armadillos. There is a different kind of joy which he felt from collecting the materials one by one. Because, as he did, he already thought of the possiblebinations that he could create.

    "What weapon should I aim for next?" Zeke thought to himself as he visualized the elves apanying him one by one.

    A spear that will not break and could extend itself and retract at an insane speed. A shield that could nullify spells and reduce the force of physical attacks. A bow that never runs out of arrows and, two staffs that could store arge amount of mana.

    But as he thought of this, he encountered another type of monster that is nearby.

    [Dark-Blooded Imps]

    These are creatures which are as small as Goblins. However, unlike the inferior species of monster, the Imps are fast and precise in their attacks. As soon as they saw Zeke, they began relentlessly pursuing him.

    Zeke got hit a couple of times by these monsters who thought lowly of the human. What they do not know is that Zeke does not feel any physical pain. And, just as soon as they dealt damage to him, Zeke''s body began its regeneration  healing him every 5 seconds. The monsters didn''t notice this at first and continued on their frenzy until, Zeke activated [Blood Counter] and following this up using [Umbral sh].

    He immediately covered the area with [Poison Cloud], leaving the dying imps inside while he took one out and stabbed it in the head. The rewards which followed surprised him. While not wearing any essories, the imps gives things such as this as a reward. And, the stats of the items are not aughing matter. He took all the materials in, taking the specific side of the forest as his items and material looting spot. Then, he proceeded to looking at the progress of everyone on the map.

    Both Allesiah''s group and Sylvia''s group are holding out well against their opponents. But, taking the [Stamina Potion] into ount, Zeke knew that he needed to withdraw them from battle earlier.

    "They probably need to rest now." He thought to himself, remembering the information about the potion which stated that, there will be a built-up strain on the body.

    "We''ll be stopping before the sun goes down. I don''t want to hear anyints. We''ll be having a stricter regime tomorrow. And for that, you guys need to rest and rx your bodies." Zeke said, not leaving any room for arguments.

    "Yes boss." Was Sebastian''s answer to him. Followed by an approval by all the members.

    At this, Zeke began crafting the new weapons that he thought of for the group. He needed to prepare these for tomorrow after all.

    But then, a notification window suddenly appeared I front of him. Usually, the thing indicated would satisfy Zeke as it is proof of his aplishment in Mythos. However, the notification disyed nothing of the sort as, the aplishment is not for him to own. Nor is it something that he is d of at the moment.

    On the [Gamer''s System] panel widow in front of him, the words came as an ominous warning.

    [The Main Quest: Defeat the Evil King has been aplished.]

 Chapter 50: Craftsman

    Chapter 50: Craftsman

    On the first day of his reign, Gallio did as he promised. He wiped out every resistance that still lingers within the capital. He murdered nobles, raped their women and, burned down the estates of all who stabbed him at the back.

    Make no mistake., there were no troops who aided him. He went on a rampage all on his own. He didn''t even put his armor on as he thought that his enemies didn''t deserve the honor of seeing a kingly figure destroy them. All he wore is a white shirt and brown botoms.

    Gallio held his rusted [Leo Rex] in his right hand. He allowed the weapon''s tip to hit the ground, making a sound that turned everything silent. The elves feared that, if they make any noise, then Gallio wille for them.

    Anyone who came out in the open to fight him immediately lost their lives. Blood flowed around the capital as Gallio''s de didn''t rest  devouring every prey it faced. There wasn''t an area that did not get stained with elven blood and, as the sun fell down, it gave out the same crimson color that seemed to cover the capital that day.

    Gallio stood on top of all the corpses, stabbing his sword on the one thaty at the top of the pile. His white shirtpletely turned red and, he looked at a distance as if the experienced bored him.

    de came out fetch him soon after and, the following day, it is only support for the capital that is shown. Within Elysium, Gallio has already taken overpletely.

    The following days came with quickly. On every town, there forces have been deployed, giving all of them drops of the King''s blood which turned them into Half Blood-Elves. This strengthened Gallio''s troops without adding the effect of body transfer which is exclusive to Gallio who earned an evolution of Blood Elf Monarch.

    Two weeks have passed since then and, the elves have now epted the Kingship of Gallio. Not out of respect, but out of fear. And this same fear has driven the masses into following every order given by him. Including, the turning of all male members of the family to the capital.

    Gallio has already begun nning for the war and, his chance is as high as it could get. With every soldier taking a drop of his blood; even the Beastmen who prided themselves with their strength will be no match for his army.

    However, other preparations are still required. Thus, the Lion stood at the balcony of his castle. Awaiting the developments and reposts that are to be given by de that day. Without any more moment lost, a knock came at his doorsteps.

    "Come in." Gallio said, knowing that it is de who knocked. After all, he is the only one permitted by the king to join him at the top of the castle.

    "How did the experiment fair." The king asked, not turning to face his descendant.

    "Everything went smoothly my king. However, Aeolus died in the process." de said not sounding apologetic at all.

    "That''s fine. I was wondering when that elf would die off. Resisting death''s call for two whole weeks is not an easy feat." Gallio said, respecting the former king only at this matter.

    The experiment which will be conducted by Gallio is simple. He''ll mix Hark''s body together with the dead bodies of Aeolus and Erio. Both are capable warriors who have exceeded the level [100] limit. By doing so, Gallio hopes topensate the loss of such a precious material as the Windsprites.

    "Have you caught any wind on where the Windsprites are?" Gallio asked.

    "All our troops and scouts havee back empty handed my king. It seems like, they''ve found a way to vanishpletely."

    "Well nobody can do that can they?" Gallio replied, smirking at the challenge thaty before him.

    "Never mind. I have a feeling that they''lle back and, if they do, I''ve already got a surprise prepared for them." Gallio continued.

    "Yes, my king." Was de''s short answer.

    The elf is amazed at howposed Gallio is outside the battlefield. But then, he remembered how the same king was able to hold out his grudge for a thousand years. This made Gallio even more fearsome as, he is not only a ferocious predator on the battlefield but, he is a level headed ruler outside it.

    As Gallio saw where the sun already is, he gave anothermand to de.

    "Get my horse ready, we''ll visit the remains of the dragons today." He said.

    Within Yaeger''s realm, Zeke has barely managed to finish some of the weapons in time. As soon as he slept, he went on to crafting and, although a lot of materials got destroyed in the process, the results are nevertheless favorable for him.

    He used [Analyze] on every weapon in front of him. Taking pride in being able to create weapons that has far exceeded the technology of Elysium.

    [Item Name: Negation Shield]

    [Usage Level Requirement: 30]

    [Durability: 100]

    [Rank: D]

    [Information: The weapon''s strength grows with its owner making it more formidable for a wielder with a higher level.]

    [Information: The shield is made from iron ores and mana consuming crystals. Adding to this are the Lyirum Mineral which decreases the potency of any physical attack made.]

    [Information: Every minute, the shield surrounds it owner with a barrier. The barrier''s strength is equivalent to the amount of force and spell power that has been consumed. The shield can also be used as a st skill that damages those that surround the shield holder.]

    [Information: The shield will break upon receiving more force than it can store. However, sts can be made as it absorbs more attacks in order to prevent this from happening.]

    [Item Name: Infinity Bow]

    [Usage Level Requirement: 30]

    [Durability: 100]

    [Rank: D]

    [Information: The weapon''s strength grows with its owner making it more formidable for a wielder with a higher level.]

    [Information: The bow is merged with a golem core making it able to store and take mana from the surroundings. The bow uses this to create the number of arrows desired by the wielder.]

    [Information: The arrows can be imbued with elements and skills. However, this is a higher-level skill which requires a lot of concentration on the part of the weapon wielder.]

    [Information: At maximum output, the bow can multiply and be left to float, firing by itself without the wielder having to hold on to them. This allows the weapon user to focus on defending while the bow attacks on its own.]

    [Item Name: Thousand Spear]

    [Usage Level Requirement: 30]

    [Durability: 100]

    [Rank: D]

    [Information: The weapon''s strength grows with its owner making it more formidable for a wielder with a higher level.]

    [Information: The spear can perform and extension and retraction ability. Both takes a second to be performed in order to reach a meter''s length. The spear uses mana for this operation which is supplied by the golem core ced inside it. The longer the extension, the more mana is consumed. The faster the thrust is performed, the more it''ll also consume on mana.]

    [Information: Mastering the weapon will not be an easy task as it requires an agile user. Adding to this is that, the owner must have a good battle sense.]

    [Information: The de of the spear is made from a rare metal that only existed during ancient times. This makes the tip able to pierce anything physical.]

    "Those are some scary weapons." Zeke thought to himself after depleting all the materials in his inventory.

    "The staffs and the weapons for my conjures will have to wait for tomorrow." Zeke told himself as he closed the crafting window.

    After this, he proceeded to looking at the [Skill Shop]. With the main mission beingpleted, he is given a lot of bonuses.

    [50 Skill Points]

    [50 Attribute Points]

    [500,000 Experience Points]

    These are all the things he obtained. Zeke also thought of how, the rewards have been downsized because it wasn''t him who defeated Aeolus.

    "I don''t think I''d need any new skill at the moment." He told himself, adding more points into his [Lesser Regeneration]. At this, the skill finally reached [A] rank with some added features to it. One of which is the skill''s name changing into [Regeneration].

    [Information: Regeneration will ur every 3.5 seconds with 27% of the skill owner''s health being restored.]

    [Information: Regeneration can restore any body part as long as the skill owner is still alive. The regeneration speed is dependent on the fatality of the injury and on the current state of the skill owner''s body.]

    Zeke still has [30] leftover points which he used on [Blood Counter], feeling that it is the most worthwhile skill on his arsenal to upgrade. Thus, the skill upgraded until [B-> raising the amount of damage taken back by the damage dealer to [32%].

    As he thought of these, he went back to the inventory and looked at the new weapons; smiling by himself again.

    "Why am I even worried. Tomorrow, those guys will get so much stronger that, they''d probably not recognize how difficult the training has been for them." Zeke told himself finally allowing his body and his mind topletely rest.

 Chapter 51: Shield and Spear

    Chapter 51: Shield and Spear

    "Is this really mine?" Harun asked, inspecting the spear that could be described as nothing less than the best she has seen her whole life.

    "Yes, and this is for you Sebastian." Zeke said, handing the shield to the male servant who didn''t know what expression to have or what words he should say. The male elf hugged the shield as if it''s his girlfriend and began murmuring to himself.

    "And for my favorite elf, here''s yours." Zeke said, handing the [Infinity Bow] to Sylph.

    "Thanks." Sylph forced the words out of her mouth. She still didn''t like Zeke but, she couldn''t let this favor go without showing gratitude.

    "As for our dear sorcerers, I''ll have to collect materials today. But before that, I want to personally see you guys use those new weapons." Zeke told the three as they all transported at the same spot.

    Zeke then gave the instructions for what will happen the whole day through. With the new weapons in their hands, Zeke wants the first boss to be summoned. And to make sure that it does, Zeke will give the instructions to the new weapon users in order to bnce the offense and defense in the battlefield.

    Even with the weapons, a party must still work with total cooperation and understanding of each member''s strengths and weaknesses. Without this, the mission set by Zeke will fall apart as there will be imbnces to the grinding done the whole day through.

    "We''ll start with Sebastian." Zeke said, making the Defender step forward, carrying his [Negation Shield].

    The opponents faced by Sebastian are 2 [Arachnid Wolves]. The surrounding is secured with Zeke''s Conjures and his [Poison Cloud] assuring that no other monster will be able to step inside.

    The battle began with both monsters shooting out their webs towards the male elf. Much to their surprise however, is how their webs suddenly vanished as this hit the shield.

    "Holy crap it works!" Sebastian shouted.

    "Of course it does. Now wait for the barrier function to kick in." Zeke replied.

    Sebastian did as he is told. The monsters performed the same attack but, seeing as how their opponent does not get affected by the webs, they decided to strike with their ws. One attacked at the front, bing a diversion for the other wolf that went for Sebastian''s back.

    Sylph was about to shoot the wolf that aimed for Sebastian''s blind spot. Zeke stopped her, telling the elf to ''watch closely'' as the barrier finally went up. The wolf was already halfway through its attack and so, it didn''t stop from hitting the barrier.

    No dent was made to Sebastian as he stood within the barrier''s protection. The monsters both backed away, thinking of the next move which they could make.

    "Good. Now force them to attack you. Rush forward and deal with everything they can throw at you." Zeke instructed again. He used the [Voice Chat] in order to ensure that the elf could hear him loud and clear.

    Sebastian did as instructed and dashed forward. This gave a surprise to the wolves which thought that their enemy could not make any physical attacks. They are right however, Sebastian cannot perform an attack yet. That is, until the st is charged.

    The monsters used what seem to be a variation of [Quick Step] as they aimed for the Defender''s blind spots. However, the barrier prevented them from making any advances.

    "Try your best to get them to hit your shield. Otherwise you''ll run out of charge for your barrier and frankly, not enough for a st." Zeke followed up.

    This is the only downside of the shield which he made. If the shield isn''t'' hit, then nothing can be stored as the barrier does not serve as an extension of the shield. Sebastian followed calmly and was able to make half of the attacksnd on his shield. With all this happening, Zeke calmly directed the flow of the battle.

    The wolves then showed a sign of speeding down. With this, Zeke gave the nextmand.

    "Wait for both of them to make a physical attack. Then use the st." Zeke instructed.

    Sebastian followed, nullifying the next set of spells that the wolves used to try and make even a bit of damage. However, Sebastian''s shield just absorbed this, enraging the wolves which finally made a physical attack.

    As soon as they came within range, Sebastian pulled the trigger which hid behind the shield. The outward st took down both wolves instantly, halving their health pool.

    "Now bash them until they die." Zeke instructed, making Sebastian rush forward and continually smash the wolves until they died.

    Throughout the battle, not a single damage was made to Sebastian. However, the fight took too long and needed a lot of preparations. But, Zeke thought that this is okay because, the primary job of Sebastian is to defend and not to attack. The st feature is just there to provide extra firepower in case it is needed.

    "Master Zeke did you see that! I was awesome!" Sebastian shouted through the [Voice Chat]. The male elf got excited because this is the first time he engaged in battle where he is the one making the advances and, also killing the enemies.

    "It seems like Sebastian has grown a liking to you." Sylvia told Zeke merrily.

    "Well he''s liking the wrong person." Zeke said knowing that there''s not much to like about his personality. The only reasons involved in him helping the group is because they''ll help him finish his quests and, the second is his amusement at leveling them up.

    "Okay,e back Sebastian. Harun wille next." Zeke said, making the male elf back away. He then created an opening to his [Poison Cloud] using Erio to strike a division. This allowed three [Pyke Boars] to enter.

    The female servant is already at the center, awaiting her opponents.

    "What should I do sir?" Harun asked politely.

    "That spear works as a sort of extension to your body. Extending and retracting it works through thoughtmand." Zeke told the female elf who saw the [Pyke Boars] approaching from two directions. Two boars ran around while, a single boar came rushing towards her.

    Harun began with her basic stance. Facing in an almost sideward position with her knees slightly bent. Her left arm is stretched forward with her palm facing the direction she is aiming at. The right hand which gripped the spear is held back by a little, with the arm being bent.

    Harun looked closely at the minimap, waiting for the single [Pyke Boar] to reach the perfect range and, just as it did, she thrusted her spear forward. The [Thousand Spear] extended in a sh and, as it came back, there is already blood on it.

    "Oh god." Harun said, having great difficulty inprehending that she now has a weapon that seem to be the perfection of spears.

    "Don''t get distracted. That boar is still alive." Zeke said, looking at the minimap and showing that the boar is still approaching Harun.

    "Yes." Harun said with a smile on her face. She then tried a different stance, using the same body position but, this time, the hand holding the spear is stretched back. She waited for her enemy toe out of the number of tress that hindered her spear. As soon as it did, she made the spear lengthen while also creating a wide semi-circr swing. This sliced the board in half, making the group that stayed on top of the trees p their hands in approval.

    "Nice one Harun!" Sylph shouted.

    After this brief moment, the female elf went back to targeting the other boars which are still alive. The problem is, they kept running sideways with all the trees getting in Harun''s way. At this, Zeke thought of an idea.

    "Harun are you afraid of heights?" He asked.

    "No sir. I don''t believe that I am."

    "Can you try pointing your Spear down and thrusting upward?" Zeke continued.

    "Pardon?" Was the only word that Harun could say. Just words aren''t enough for her to execute everymand that woulde after the first one so, Zeke decided toe down and show the elf what he meant.

    "Lupus, keep those boars upied but don''t kill them." Zeke said, to which, his loyal Conjure howled.

    Zeke then began drawing on the ground using a small dagger. He gave the female elf the same concept of a pole vault athlete. If a human tried imitating this, they''d fail of course. But this woman is a trained warrior whose strength far exceeds amoner from earth. If anything, she''d be able to perform it with only a slight alteration. This is what Zeke thought as he finished his instruction.

    "Retract your spear as soon as you reach the peak of the jump. Then, face downward and extend your spear again. Target the boar as much as you want because you''d have a lot of chances with how fast the Spear''s extension and retracting are." Zeke finished. At this, he dissolved Lupus, making the boars run around again.

    Zeke thought that the female elf would have a hard time understanding what he said exined but, the only thing said by Harun is the word:

    "Understood."

 Chapter 52: Arrows and Levels

    Chapter 52: Arrows and Levels

    Harun began by stepping back a bit, creating enough momentum for herself. Zeke exined how she''d be able to vault herself up and Harun grasped the concept using her years of spear training.

    "What did you tell her?" Allesiah asked Zeke after he came back up to the trees.

    "Just a little skill from where I came from." Zeke replied, watching Harun with an excited smile on his face.

    The female servant executed the skill immediately. She ran forward and, with the built up speed, she pointed the tip of her spear to the ground as she extended it. This made the female elf fly up to the sky, immediately retracting the weapon as she reached a height where she can see the two boards. She then spun her bod in mid-air and, followed this through with a rain of spear thrusts that devastated the area where the [Pyke Boars] are.

    From a distance, the skill looked like a torrent of spears that came from the sky where in fact, it is only a single warrior who performed this.

    "Harun I think that''s enough." Zeke said as the female elf didn''t show any sign of stopping even as the enemies are already lost on the minimap.

    She immediately followed the instruction given. Then, Harun apologized as she got back down.

    "The attack got me a little too carried away." She said as she came back to where everyone is.

    "Yeah we saw that clearly." Zeke replied, motioning for Sylph toe down and follow.

    "Do I even need to test this thing? I''m basically the best archer in Elysium. I''m sure I can handle this bow quite well." Sylph said, boasting of her skills.

    "Don''t worry, I''ve made sure that a sufficient number of enemies would be your training buddies. Enough to not ce any shame into your skill level." Zeke replied. Allesiah saw the look on her master''s face assuring her of one thing; her sister will not be facing anything as easy as the first two did.

    Before Sylvia could even ask further, she saw the minimap almost turn red. With arge number of enemiesing toward her direction. This is because the [Poison Cloud] already dissolved and, Zeke also called back his Conjures. With nothing stopping the monsters, they went and looked for whoever it is that kept causing them harm.

    Zeke nned all of this ahead of time. Using that moment with Harun as a way to drag time in order for the [Poison cloud] to dissolvepletely.

    "What the hell!" Sylph shouted, wanting to back away immediately.

    "What''s the matter? Is the strongest archer of Elysium afraid of the small number of monsters before her?" Zeke provoked.

    It was a childish taunt. But Sylph is a person who''d get provoked easily. Especially so if her skills are being questioned. With this, the female elf made the bow float, adding a couple of arrows made of mana to it. This shocked Zeke as the skill is of a higher difficulty; not something that can be used after acquiring the weapon.

    "Sebastian. My bow." Sylph said calmly, seeing the wave of monsterse closer.

    The male servant quickly threw the old bow of the Windsprite. As Sylph''s hand grabbed on to the weapon, she immediately loaded it with some arrows from her quiver.

    "Watch closely human. This is what Elysium''s strongest archer looks like." Sylph said.

    [Pyke Boar x20]

    [Arachnid Wolf x23]

    [Earth Golem x5]

    This is the total number of monsters that came for Sylph. As they did, she began running around, swiftly jumping from tree to tree as she fired a number of arrows unto the monsters. She then mixed a single explosive arrow to the barrage, creating a st which made the area covered by smoke.

    Sylph looked closely at her minimap as she executed her attack. She took into ount where all the monsters are and, looked to attack on areas where she cannot be countered. This way, she not only made her attacks but also, didn''t leave any opening for the monsters to make their own.

    She continued with her barrage as she shot some arrows into the sky. She followed this up by creating more explosions  forcing the monsters to move into the area opposite of this. Then, without being aware of it, the monsterspiled at a single area.

    Sylph fired four more explosive arrows at the four corners of theplied monsters  preventing her prey from moving out. Then, as this happened, Zeke looked at the sky and noticed something, a magic circle formed where Sylph shot the arrows.

    "Oh this should be interesting." Zeke thought to himself as Sylph caste the spell:

    "Rain of Arrows!"

    The arrows are made from mana. With the new bow that she acquired, she is able to perform a skill which she has been practicing for a long time. The problem with the spell is that, shecked the amount of mana required to start it up and make a decent amount of damage.

    With the [Golem Core] ced inside her new bow, she can take as much mana from her surroundings as needed and, with his, she fired a couple of arrows into the air, containing enough mana in order to set up this specific spell.

    Arrows poured down like a vicious torrent. The monsters weren''t able to do anything but scream as their death came slowly and painfully. Dust clouds rose as the barrage devastated the area, destroying even the [Earth Golems] which are resistant to physical attacks. Then, as it ended, Sylph came back to the group. Holding on to both her bows as the group came down to congratte her.

    Zeke saw how Sylph''s fingers shook. The set of attack must''ve put a strain on her but, her pride didn''t allow her to fall in front of the human who dared insult and belittle her.

    "Well, how was it?" Sylph asked, making Zeke smile.

    "I''ve never seen anything like it." He replied, apuding Sylph who looked away from the human. Thepliment took her by surprise, not expecting the crazy human to praise her skills.

    Right after the little demonstration conducted by the group, they immediately proceeded to taking on the number of monsters provided by a single crystal. Zeke took arger part of this while; he left the others with enough enemies to hone their skills.

    "There''d be no point to getting your levels up without your skills following through." He told them as Sebastian asked why they couldn''t just cover the whole forest with the [Poison Cloud].

    "A strong de is nothing but an ornament in the hands of an unrefined swordsman." Zeke said, making an analogy on level and skills.

    With this, the group finally began speeding up their clear rate. The numbers went up exponentially as Zeke viewed the mission tab and, upon reaching noon, they''ve made it through half the amount needed to summon the first beats. However, they didn''t go home for lunch.

    Zeke said that, in order to wrap things up in 6 days, they need to stay inside the battlefield for as long as they can. Thus, they made Keith their porter, bringing lunch to the area they marked. The boy came using the scroll, ensuring his safety in bothing and leaving.

    The group then took turns at eating lunch. Zeke and Sebastian fought as the female elves ate first.

    Zeke also instructed them to eat properly as, it''s bad habit to swallow down food without even chewing it properly. This is just a personal preference of his but, the party nevertheless followed him. Then, as soon as they finished eating, it was Zeke and Sebastian''s turn.

    The amount of [Stamina Potions] consumed also dropped as, the new weapons made it easier for the elves to deal with the monsters. With this, the group continued advancing and as they did, Zeke saw something on the party tab that got him excited.

    "Miss Sylvia is going beyond level 100 soon." Zeke thought to himself, seeing the female elf''s experience bar go up little by little. He didn''t tell this to the group but, he actually created a bunch of [Poison Clouds] around the forest.

    He was able to perform this by taking out his [Flying Monkeys] and cing a detonate spell on them which contained the skill. He then made them fly towards areas that are heavily popted by monsters and, upon reaching it, he [Detonated] the spells.

    Thus, there are actually multiple sources of experience points for the group. And, as the sun began to set, they''ve finally cleared the necessary amount of monsters within a single summoning crystal.

    They waited around the spawn point which refused to create more monsters. The bright blue crystal then began turning red and as it did, Sylvia suddenly dropped to the ground.

    "Sister!" Sylph shouted.

    "She''s burning up." Allesiah said as she ced her palm on Sylvia''s forehead.

    Everyone saw this happen but, it is only Zeke who truly understood what was happening. Using his [Analysis], a single notification appeared in front of the eldest Windsprite.

    [Commencing Evolution]

 Chapter 53: Assisting the Evolution

    Chapter 53: Assisting the Evolution

    [An Optional Quest has been added: Escape with the group]

    [Reward: 5 Skill Points]

    [An Optional Quest has been added: Help Sylvia evolve]

    [Reward: 10 Skill Points]

    These two notifications appeared right in front of Zeke as his party faced two predicaments. One is the current state of Sylvia while, the other is how the crystal began glowing a bright red. This created a pir of light which reached up to the sky and, after it vanished, the first opponent appeared before them.

    [Name: None]

    [Species: Turtle]

    [Specification: Carnivorous Turtle]

    [Rank: D+]

    Zeke would''ve loved fighting with it but, the quests prevented him from dealing with the creature at the moment. The monster toweredrger than the trees within the forest. Its whole body is covered in sturdier materials than the ones collected and crafted by Zeke. It moved slowly as if to measure its surroundings and, Zeke knew that this is the only time they could escape.

    "Everyone, grab your [Portal Scroll], we''re retreating!" Zekemanded, thinking about the current state of Sylvia as she began getting surrounded by an immense amount of mana.

    Everyone stayed back as, this also damaged those who tried getting near her. Thus, it''s up to Zeke and his [Gamer''s Body] to carry her home.

    The mana covering Sylvia are like des that tore through Zeke''s flesh but, every time they did, his [Regeneration] and [Endurance] just healed through it.

    At this, everyone did as Zeke instructed and teleported back to the cabin. This is just in time as the turtle finally recognized their presence.

    "We''ve got a situation." Zeke said as soon as they arrived. Yaeger saw the female elf held by Zeke and she quickly understood what is happening.

    "Bring her this way." Yaeger said, opening the door to her room. Everyone wanted to follow but, they knew nothing of the situation Sylvia is currently facing. And so, they left things to the hands of Yaeger and Zeke.

    "I expected this much to happen." Yaeger said as Zeke ced Sylvia on a pool looking area created by the goddess. As soon as he did, the water pulled Sylvia in, surprising Zeke. He would''ve taken the elf out if it wasn''t for Yaeger who stopped him.

    "Won''t she suffocate in that?" Zeke said, seeing the female elfpletely immerse within the liquid that turned blue. The liquid then started gurgling as Sylvia had a pained expression on her face.

    "It won''t." Yaeger replied, following through with an exnation of what the substance is.

    Apparently, the thing is like an incubator. The process Sylvia is currently undergoing is simr to a baby being formed in the womb. The pool serves to keep Sylvia within the natural conditions that would ease the burden of evolving.

    "That''s nothing like how Lupus and Erio evolved." Zeke thought to himself, remembering how his Conjures didn''t undergo such a painful looking process to change.

    "The only problem is how she''ll regte the mana that keeps overflowing right now. Although what I provided helps, it''s ultimately up to her if she can handle it or not." Yaeger said and, Zeke got an idea from this.

    "So what if there''s something regting the mana for her?" Zeke asked.

    "Well that''d be convenient now wouldn''t it?" The goddess replied, approving of the idea but knowing no such device nearby which could do this.

    "I''ll show you something interesting then." Zeke said to the goddess as he went through his inventory.

    Along with the fighting they did the whole day, Zeke tried if his Conjures can pick up the loot drops for him. This seeded, making the [Winged Monkeys] his errand monsters. This resulted in him having arge number of various items and materials including [Golem Core x10].

    He ced two of this item within the crafting option. Among the options for the oue, he chose the [Refined Golem Core]. And then, he immediately began crafting; seeding upon the first attempts.

    He performed this over and over again until all the [Golem Cores] have been depleted. This left him with a new item which is [Advanced Mana Core]. Zeke then took various other materials, finding the bestbination in order to make a staff.

    He needed items that could store arge amount of mana and, take out excess mana without backfiring in any way. Yaeger watched the whole thing, gaining more and more interest in the favored mortal of the major deities.

    "For a human, you sure do know a lot of things." Yaeger said, not getting any reply from Zeke who is too immersed in the process of crafting.

    [Crafting Failed]

    [Crafting Seeded]

    [Crafting Seeded]

    [Crafting Seeded]

    [Crafting Failed]

    These notifications came up continuously. Zeke didn''t relent and made the progress go on and on. Sweat started forming from all the details that went through his head in order to create the weapon and, he stopped for a while to add some necessary things.

    He opened the [Skill Shop] buying the [Lucky Gambler] passive. This skill allowed all the functions that are based on percentage to raise the chances of sess by [5%]. A number that is good for a skill at its base level. Strengthening his chances even further is the [Craftsman] skill which he already owns - making his chances of sess rise by [5%].

    "There''s something else." Zeke said, getting out of the room in a hurry; with Yaeger wondering what''s going through Zeke''s head.

    "How''s our sister?" Allesiah asked but, Zeke didn''t reply and just took her staff from her. He then came back inside the room and as he did, he continued where he left off.

    Zeke created a new staff with the [Advanced Mana Core] as a mainponent, ced together with a staff that could regted and control mana flow. Zeke then ced this item on one side of the crafting option and ced Allesiah''s staff on the other part of the crafting. Then, he pressed the [Begin Crafting] option. The cogwheels disyed started turning, with fumes and smokeing out as the cogwheels turned faster and faster.

    Zeke gripped his hands as he watched this. Failure is not an option because he doesn''t have enough materials to replicate the operation. And, as the Crafting began slowing down, Zeke''s heart almost skipped a beat. Then, time seemed to stay still for a second as the notification came out.

    [Crafting Seeded]

    The weapon came to Zeke''s hands and, his [Analysis] did its thing  inspecting the newly made weapon for him.

    [Item Name: Staff of the Sage]

    [Usage Level Requirement: 90]

    [Durability: 100]

    [Rank: A+]

    [Information: The staff is able to regte and store an immense amount of mana. The exceeding amount will be returned to the flow of mana surrounding Mythos.]

    [Information: The staff generates an invisibleyer of [Mana Barrier] using the reserves contained within the [Advanced Mana Core], granting the wielder an automaticyer of defense.]

    [Information: Any excess mana that could damage the wielder will be absorbed by the staff.]

    [Additional Passive: Sage''s Wisdom]

    [Skill Information: Grants the staff''s wielder 10% increase in the potency of all spells.]

    [Skill Information: Grants the staff''s wielder 10% increase in mana pool.]

    [Skill Information: Grants the staff''s wielder 10% increase in the [Intellect] attribute.]

    [Skill Information: Grants the staff''s owner resistance from any mind breaking effects.]

    He ced the staff within the pool. Lying it beside the sleeping Sylvia. Soon after, the gurgling of the water stopped and Sylvia''s expression calmed down. The staff did its magic, ensuring that Sylvia will be able to survive the evolution process.

    "You. How on earth were you able to do that?" Yaeger said, surprised at the result of Zeke''s crafting.

    "I don''t know what you mean." Zeke began.

    "All I did was craft a weapon." He finished.

    This made the goddess below inughter. It is the first time she has ever heard of a chosen mortal crafting a weapon that could cause cmity. Instead of wishing one from the gods or getting it as a reward, the mortal created one for himself. And not only this, it''s not even his own weapon, but a weapon for another person.

    "So are you seeing anyone?" The goddess said, making Zeke furrow his eyebrows.

    "No thanks, I don''t n on having that kind of rtionship with a goddess." He said, making the goddessugh even more.

    "You are really something else. No wonder those three chose you, I''ve never seen a chosen mortal who is as capable as you are." She said.

    "I don''t know where you''re going with this. But, thanks I guess?" Zeke replied.

    The goddess then gave him a look of approval. In fact, she liked Zeke so much that, she now intends to give the mortal an extra present once the mission is done and dealt with.

    At this, the two of them came out of the room. They updated the elves who have been worrying; exining the whole situation Sylvia is currently experiencing. Zeke also apologized to Allesiah who lost her staff and promised to make her a new one.

    "It''s fine, in the first ce it was a gift from you so I don''t have the right to get angry." Allesiah replied, feeling relieved in the fact that, her staff was able to help out in the situation. At this, Zeke took out a Portal Scroll which confused everyone in the cabin except for the goddess.

    "Oh my. Are you going where I think you are?" Yaeger said with a smile on her face. Zeke confirmed this by informing everyone.

    "I''m going to deal with the first boss."

 Chapter 54: A Battle of Regeneration

    Chapter 54: A Battle of Regeneration

    "Damn, this whole ce got packed while I was gone huh?" Zeke said as he arrived to where the [Carnivorous Turtle] is. The whole area is filled with blood as the monster ate a lot of monsters within the forest.

    But this is not the end of it. As soon as the crystal summoned the boss monster, it began summoning the weaker ones as well. These became the target of the turtle which went on an eating spree. Aside from the hunger however is the fact that, all monsters eaten by the turtle soon came out as eggs. These eggs hatched after a minute, creating smaller versions of the turtle which are ranked [E+].

    [Name: None]

    [Species: Turtle]

    [Specification: Crystal Turtle Hatchling]

    [Rank: E+]

    [Name: None]

    [Species: Turtle]

    [Specification: Iron Turtle Hatchling]

    [Rank: E+]

    [Name: None]

    [Species: Turtle]

    [Specification: Rock Turtle Hatchling]

    [Rank: E+]

    The smaller versions are of various materials which excited Zeke. The only problem is that. They have an insane amount of health which makes it difficult to deal with them.

    "Okay time for a little test run." Zeke said, taking out Lupus which is his most capable defensive conjure.

    He gave the orders for the monster to attack one hatchling which is isted from the rest. Zeke stayed at a safe distance, hiding himself from the enemies as he began his experiment.

    The smaller turtle then attacked his conjure and, just like he figured, the hatchlings have a terribly small amount of offensive strength. Lupus didn''t take much damage from the monster considering that its an evolved [E+] monster.

    "So, the tradeoff that came with the insane amount of health is the reduction in offensive strength huh?" Zeke said, taking back Lupus and summoning Erio. The conjured general had [Mol''thaw''s de] which turned into [Crimson Fang] as soon as the general held on to it.

    This is the reason why Zeke took the [Blood Elf] evolution for the general after all. But he didn''t expect the transformation of the de which came along. Adding to this is another passive which made the weapon even more fearsome.

    [Additional Passive Name: Vampiric Strike]

    [Information: All damage done through the weapon is given back to the owner as health reserves. The reserves may be used by the weapon owner to regenerate or to create a damage absorbing shield.]

    "Okay, try attacking that thing." Zeke said, making Erio rush toward the monster and sh it with the de. The smaller turtle had a significant amount of its health chomped off. This created a barrier for Erio but then, the turtle screamed and as it did, Zeke saw the barrierpletely break off.

    "That''s not good." Zeke said, understanding more about the opponent he is facing.

    The barrier which was just made could withstand arge amount of damage. But then, the same barrier got destroyed by a monster which could only create a small amount of damage. This led to Zeke concluding that, the turtles have a skill simr to his [Blood Counter] which converts the damage they have taken into an attack.

    "This also means that their mother probably has a simr ability." Zeke said, d that he didn''t use [Poison Cloud] right off the bat.

    He looked at his minimap and, with the number of hatchlings which would continually use the counter, he would''ve died if no preparations were made. But that''s just about it. He only needed to prepare before using the skill.

    "Poison deals continuous damage so, these things need to use the skill continually, giving me bits of damage instead of arge chunk." Zeke thought to himself.

    He then went to the shop and bought [Medium Health Potions] for the battle that is about toe. This is what ran through his head as he bought the potions:

    Together with the current limit of his [Mana Conversion], Zeke''s health pool will increase by arge amount. Adding the fact that his [Regeneration] skill and [Endurance] attribute works on a health percentage basis. This means that, he''ll get more health regenerated if he has arger health pool.

    However, this much is not enough for the number of turtles and so, he bought potions in order to provide additional healing. His only worry is how their mother could create attacks other than this. That''s why, Zeke will ced the [Poison Cloud] on a level below the [Carnivorous Turtle] ensuring that it doesn''t get damaged together with the smaller ones.

    With all this being set. Zeke began to put his n into motion. He began by summoning all the lesser monsters which he could currently conjure. On all of them, he ced multiple [Detonates] of [Poison Cloud]. He then ordered these monsters to circle around the area where the opponent and its hatchlings are.

    Zeke then restored his mana by drinking the contents of two [Mana Potions] which he followed by his [Mana Conversion] skill. After doing so, he drank another set of [Medium Mana Potions] which he followed by summoning Lupus along with all the other major conjures.

    Within this time frame, his minor conjures have already made contact with the monsters and thus, he began detonating theyers of poison cloud stacked on top of their bodies. He followed this by ordering his major conjures to attack the minor monsters while Lupus and Erio try to distract the [Carnivorous Turtle].

    A lot of screams came after this. Zeke is familiar with the sound as this is the same one created by the turtle which he tested things out on earlier. Zeke''s health began dropping but, just as it did, his [Regeneration] and [Endurance] began their work. There is a considerable amount of health that thisbo could not heal through and, Zeke provided the missing amount using the [Health Potions] which he bought.

    The [Carnivorous Turtle] saw all thismotion but, is currently preupied with the two monsters facing it. Erio basically has unlimited shield as long as he continually deals damage while, Lupus has a set of passives that lets it endure through longer periods ofbat. Zeke knew that these two cannot defeat the [Carnivorous Turtle] but, that''s not their job, that''s his.

    Zeke then took out the upgraded version of his twin pistols which still didn''t have a name. He hasn''t tested the new features out and, he thought that the [Carnivorous Turtle] would be perfect for the first run.

    The new feature basically made it so that, the bullets in themselves already have the condensed amount of electromaic force to fire without charging up. This meant that, the same attack which defeated the [Earth Golems] has reduced its shooting interval to that of normal guns. Along with this is a scope and night vision that appeared in front of Zeke''s eyes.

    Zeke began pulling the trigger, creating bullets that dented the [Carnivorous Turtle''s] hard shell. This isn''t his target however. Zeke aimed for the smaller opening which the turtle has. The only problem is that, they are so small that, he''s getting a hard time shooting through them. However, he was notbeled the God of Gaming back on earth for nothing.

    After 3 shots from both pistols, he now has the weapon''s aimpletely mastered. After all, there are also shooting games back on earth and, killing with only headshots on these games was something that Zeke could perform.

    "You can try hiding those all you want, I''m still gonna hit them." Zeke said, piercing through the openings which made the first boss scream in pain. Zeke followed this up, looking for all the other openings and firing at them.

    The damage began stacking up and, after 30 minutes of moving around and firing at the monster, Zeke is able to take a quarter of the monster''s health. But there is a problem that came up along with this.

    As soon as the smaller turtles began dying, the health of the [Carnivorous Turtle] also went up and, soon after, its health went back to full.

    "Damn, that''s one sturdy monster." Zeke thought, knowing that it''d be a waste of ammunition to continue attacking the monster in the same manner.

    Zeke actually thought of just waiting for all the smaller ones to disappear before continuing but then, the [Carnivorous Turtle] screamed. Its eyes turned red and, crystals from its shell began shooting out. Zeke dodged a few of them that came his way but, just as he did, he noticed something odd. The crystal glowed red which turned brighter and brighter.

    "Crap." Was the word that went through his head as the crystal exploded. It covered arge area, hitting Zeke who took a considerable amount of damage and even lost one of his arms.

    The other explosions cleared out the [Poison Cloud] which he built up. As soon as this happened, the hatchlings went back into their shells making them look like rocks that shot out of the ground. They then began glowing with different colors and, as they did, their health also began regenerating.

    "I guess this much should be expected from a [D+] ranked evolved monster and its minions." Zeke said, thinking of a way to win with the current situation.

    He withdrew his monsters which are still in the battlefield and waited for his arm to regenerate.

    "There''s not much time left before [Mana Conversion] wears off." Zeke thought to himself. Of course, he could just activate the skill again but, the problem is, he''d waste too much money on potions just to win through a battle such as this.

    Then, he thought of another crazy idea. His resurrection skill is avable and, with that in mind, he rushed toward the [Carnivorous Turtle]. He fired two bullets at it, making him get the undivided attention of the angry monster. Then, as soon as the monster saw the human, it opened its mouth and ate Zekepletely.

 Chapter 55: Ending the First Boss

    Chapter 55: Ending the First Boss

    As Zeke got consumed little by little, he only had one thing in his mind. The n which needs to be executed in order to defeat the monster.

    Within his expectations is how the monster easily damaged him. The acids within the body of the [Carnivorous Turtle] made it so that Zeke''s [Regeneration] worked on full throttle. His inability to feel physical pain however makes him able to endure the ordeal without much problem.

    As he expected the monster is soft on the inside. Completely contradictory to its outside appearance which almost has no openings on its defense. Zeke then took out his twin pistols and, began shooting everywhere.

    Other fluids came out and, just as they did, a newyer of flesh covered the wounds which he made.

    "Well that''s also within the expectation I have of you." Zeke thought to himself, smiling as he bought a couple of grenades from the shop.

    While this went on, Zeke made his conjures focus on killing the smaller turtles one by one. By concentrating the forces on lesser targets, they are able to kill off the hatchlings. Of course, each hatchling that died will bring back some health to the [Carnivorous Turtle] but this is also part of the n.

    Zeke stayed inside the monster''s stomach for a while. Damaging it from the inside on and on. Although the monster regenerates, Zeke thought that, there would be a limit to such a regeneration. Once that pops up, he''ll be able to deal a decisive blow to the monster.

    "Unfortunately for you, my regeneration has no limit." Zeke said to his opponent as he merrily fired [Umbral sh] over and over again.

    An hour passed with Zeke performing these attacks until, he finally noticed that the wounds have began healing at a reduced rate.

    "This is it." He told to himself as he nted [Detonations] of [Poison Cloud] inside the belly of the beast.

    On his minimap, Zeke saw that his conjures are also doing their job fairly. The number of hatchlings has been reduced to half and, although the mother heals together with this, it won''t be able to prepare for whates next.

    "Keep on healing then you bastard." Zeke said, cing a hundred bombs inside the monster before using the [Teleportation Scroll]. There wasn''t much interval between the two operations. Zeke knew that the bombs may malfunction if the acids of the monster melt through them. Hence, he waited for the timer to run out and, at thest second he activated the scroll.

    What happened next is this, the gigantic monster dropped to the ground. All the hatchlings looked at the [Carnivorous Turtle], wondering what happened. Zeke didn''t stop and began covering the area with his poison cloud again.

    With the first boss in that state, it won''t be able to perform the same attack that it used earlier on to remove the poison that covered the area. Zeke could see that the [Carnivorous Turtle] is still alive. However, it would take some time before it would be able to move again.

    "Detonate." Zeke said, releasing all the [Poison Cloud] within the monster''s body.

    Outside the monster''s mouth came smoke of both green and ck color. The [Carnivorous Turtle] shouted from pain and began to execute another attack. It forced itself to stand and stomped its feet over and over again, releasing spikes that shot out of the ground.

    This damaged both Zeke''s conjures and the hatchlings. Zeke was also hit by one but he immediately stepped out of range as the monster kept rampaging.

    "Oh. So that''s what you''re after." Zeke said as he saw the hatchlings die one by one due to the spikes.

    With their death, the [Carnivorous Turtle] continued healing and, if it continued even further, the monster will be back to full health.

    However, Zeke didn''t mind and allowed the monster to continue on with what it''s doing. Meanwhile, he brought out his pistols again, dealing the killing blow to all the smaller turtles that are present. As he did this, he noticed how his weapon actually made different sounds as the bullets are released. Kind of like, a melody which is ironic. After all, the weapon is used for killing.

    "I think I have a name for you now." Zeke said, continuing the barrage. Soon after, all the turtles died.

    "Conjure." Zeke uttered, knowing that it''s impossible to raise a good amount of the hatchlings. But, that''s not an issue.

    Out of the hundreds of these that have died, Zeke was only able to conjure ten. He then took a [Teleportation Scroll] as the [Carnivorous Turtle] regained full health.

    "Lupus. Erio. Lead the charge." Zeke said, making the conjures fight the boss except for the newly added hatchlings which he had other ns for.

    As he used the teleportation scroll, he came back to the belly of the [Carnivorous Turtle]. Then, he summoned the hatchlings which immediately screamed as they took damage. Zeke then teleported outside again, facing the monster which now had its health drain little by little.

    "Not so easy with your own minions killing you off huh?" Zeke said to the monster.

    The turtles he ced inside continuously used their [Counter] ability, damaging the boss monster at an unrelenting pace. Zeke then used [Blood Counter] taking out a huge amount of the monster''s health.

    "You can''t regenerate because there''s something constantly damaging you." Zeke told the beast, knowing that the hatchlings would be enough to prevent any further regeneration.

    "Oh, and I''ll give this as a bonus... Blood Counter." With all of the damage taken by Zeke during the fight, the skill dealt arge blow to the [Carnivorous Turtle], making it gush in blood soon after. All over the cracks of its shell, the monster''s blood kept spewing out.

    "We''ll it''s been fun but you''ve got to die now."

    Even without its regeneration ability, the monster still proved to be formidable. It took Zeke another 10 minutes topletely finish the enemy.

    "Hey guys, collect all the stuff for me." Zeke told his conjures, lying on the ground right beside the [Carnivorous Turtle].

    "Oh and get this thing''s eggs, that''s what the mission required." Zeke told his conjures.

    The [Carnivorous Turtle] has eggs within its body. The stacked eggs will only be dropped once the boss monster eats other monsters. The flesh of its prey feeds the eggs with nutrients, allowing them to hatch. However, without these nutrients, the egg will only contain the soft flesh of a baby turtle. This is what the goddess Yaeger is after.

    [Notice: You havepleted part one of the Special Chain Quest -Defeat the Carnivorous Turtle.]

    [30 Skill points are given as a reward.]

    [20 Attribute points are given as a reward]

    "Man, all that hard work and only this? The payoff is not that good miss goddess. That things was titanic." Zeke said out loud, thinking that an actual skill from the turtle would''ve been a nicer reward.

    Then something came up to him, one whichpletely escaped his mind because of how preupied he is with a lot of things. There is actually a title which he received after defeating General Erio.

    "Where can I find that?" Zeke said to himself, browsing through the options. He found it immediately as he went to his profile, knowing that titles are almost always found here.

    "Ahh there you are." Zeke said as he found the [No Title Activated] when he scrolled down.

    Up on the list is the only one avable. And as he clicked on it, the information immediately disyed.

    [Title Name: Titan yer]

    [Source: Defeating an opponent whose level and rank are 3  10 times higher than your own.]

    [Title Information: Once activated, the owner will be able to deal a 10% increase in damage to all opponents who are at least 30 levels higher than the title owner. There is also an increased amount of damage reduction which applies under the same conditions.]

    "Damn I should''ve seen this sooner." Zeke told himself, thinking how the skill would''ve been beneficial for the fight he just went through.

    "Anyway what''s done is done." He added, putting on the title which didn''t make him feel anything out of the ordinary.

    After all of this, Zeke finally stood up. His conjures have finished getting all the materials. This excited Zeke as he could now improve his pistols even further and, he could also make a new staff for Allesiah. This is because there are some materials which would strengthen the sorceress even further.

    "Thanks for all your hard work guys." He told his conjures, dissolving them back into the abyss where they are being stored.

    Zeke then took out his [Transportation Scroll], wanting to sleep already. As he arrived, he saw two figures in the living room. One is Allesiah, holding on to a mug of hot chocte and, the other is the goddess Yaeger who had coffee. Both of them smiled as they saw Zeke, weing the as he stepped inside.

    "Wee home." Both of them said with Zeke wondering why they stayed dup sote. Yaeger then approached him, taking the eggs.

    "I was so excited that I couldn''t sleep actually. Well then, I''ll be leaving you guys." The goddess said, picking up the mission objective which left the sorceress and Zeke together.

    "Shouldn''t you be sleeping by now? Allesiah you have training tomorrow and I can''t have youining about not having enough rest." He scolded the sorceress.

    "Yes I know that but, for some reason I couldn''t fall asleep." The sorceress said, stirring he hot chocte.

    "If you want, I''ll make one for you." Allesiah said, an offer which the hungry Zeke didn''t refuse  sighing as the sorceresspletely evaded his remarks.

    Zeke watched Allesiah as she made the drink for him and, while this urred, a smile crept on his face. Not because of the sorceress, but because of a title which he has yet to unlock.

    There are only five titles avable for him. One has been unlocked while, four have yet to meet the conditions necessary. And among those is a title which Zeke wanted to have more than anything else.

    [Transcending the Gods]

 Chapter 56: The Master and his Disciple

    Chapter 56: The Master and his Disciple

    "We''ve never had the chance to talk like this before huh?" Allesiah told Zeke as she gave him his cup of hot chocte.

    "If you think about it, that''s probably because we''ve always been walking on thin ice." Zeke said, sipping as he finished.

    "That''s also true." Allesiah replied,ughing.

    Before Zeke came to her life, things usually went slowly for the sorceress. She hid herst name, using [Wyrr] as an alternative just in case her sisters came looking for her. With this, she began her days as a sorceress adventurer which, became unbelievably anti-climactic for her.

    The distinct starting point to this is, when she joined Marin''s adventurer party. Unlike what she imagined, most of the missions involved cleaning ces, catching thieves, cooking for people and, even serving as bodyguards. After all, people make request based on their needs and, no person would waste their money to put up a request to eliminate strong monsters.

    This continued, making the life of Allesiah a duller than she imagined. She thought that there would be risks, life or death situations, a chance meeting with a rival and all those other stuff. But none of that ever happened. Allesiah spent her days, holding on to her staff and looking at the blue sky, thinking how nd her life turned out to be. But she couldn''t just quit.

    She needed money to sustain her cost of living. Killing monsters couldn''t provide this, not if she would rely on the loot dropped by the weaker monsters that she could handle. And, aside from this, she can''t hope to return to the capital. Not after her eldest sister went missing while, her second sister became the captain of the Wood Scouts. She got stuck and, at this point, she began to ept that this is all that life has to offer.

    But then, all of this changed as Zeke came. Her lifepletely flipped over when they entered the Secret Dungeon. With this came the betrayal of some people which she put a lot of faith into. She also thought that the rookie would escape but instead, Zeke charged in the front lines, risking his life for people he just met.

    This is actually the main reason why Allesiah willingly signed a contract with him. The human could''ve easily killed her and Boulder but instead, he fought and defended them. He even gave away his share to Boulder who decided to quit being an adventurer soon after.

    "Contrary to what you believe. I think you''re actually a person who cares about others." Allesiah thought to herself as she stole a nce at Zeke who enjoyed his cup of hot chocte.

    "But you know. I was actually surprised that you epted the contract. I mean, elves do have a lot of pride." Zeke said, referring to the information he gathered as he read through books.

    "Well, pride won''t make me stronger. I learned that a long time ago and, I threw that away when I ran from home." She replied, now remembering the things that happened after she struck the deal.

    As soon as the contract was signed, she continued fightingrge groups of enemies. In fact, the only time she yed as a support was when she caged the Wood Scouts inside the forest. Allesiah''s body began remembering the pain, making it tingle softly as a smile formed on her lips.

    She was also taught of a new method of spellcasting. One which nobody has ever thought of in Elysium. Through this and all the training, Allesiah has grown to the point that, she can almost reach Sylvia''s level. But that''s until her sister began evolving.

    "Wait, howe you''ve never told me anything about your life?" Allesiah asked, thinking how Zeke only spoke of fights andfightsandns for more fights.

    "Well, there''s really not much I could tell you about myself." Zeke answered, knowing that, more than half of his life was spent in the world offered by the screens of all the devices he used in order to y.

    "If you want to meet all the personas I had, that''d take forever. But, if you want to know me as me" Zeke then stared at the ceiling for a moment, thinking if there is anything he can say.

    "I doubt I can say anything real." He continued.

    "I don''t believe that at all." Allesiah replied immediately.

    Zeke only looked at her with a smile. Then, he continued on to veering the discussion to something else.

    "Oh by the way." He began

    "I''ve got some new materials here for your next weapon." Zeke said.

    "That''s so like you." Allesiahmented, thinking how Zeke has always been focused on fighting, crafting, and leveling up. As if this whole thing is nothing more than a game for the human.

    "What do you mean?" Zeke asked, furrowing his brows.

    "Nothing. Never mind." Allesiah answered, bringing them back to the topic that Zeke talked about.

    "So what staff would it be this time?" She continued and, with this, Zeke''s face brightened with excitement again.

    ''I''m d you asked." He answered.

    Zeke then continued to exining that, he came from a ce where there is a wider array of weapons which could be used.

    "Once I got here, I got so immersed into the environment that, Ipletely forgot the fact that I could actually create things other than what you guys have been used to." He said.

    "I''m guessing I won''t be getting a new staff then." Allesiah answered knowing where the conversation is leading to.

    "Yes. Precisely!" Zeke answered.

    "But for now we both need to get some shut eye." He continued, getting Allesiah''s empty mug and his own  bringing these to the sink.

    "You go ahead and sleep. I''ll leave your new equipment in front of my door." He added.

    At this, Allesiah stood up. She looked at the back of her master and thought that, for a human, it seems much broader. As if Zeke could carry the entire world if he put his mind to it.

    "I''m going ahead then." She said, following the advice of her master.

    "Oh and Zeke." She said, making the human look at her. She barely uses his real name so it always catches his attention when she does.

    "Thank you." Allesiah said.

    Zeke got a short surprise from those words because, there was something different in that moment. It might be the tender voice which Allesiah used, or the soft smile she had on her lips but, whatever it is, Zeke felt a warmth surge throughout his body. Something which he dismissed as quickly as it presented itself.

    "Don''t thank me yet. You''ve still got a lot of training ahead of you." He said, using his usual smile on the elf.

    This is how the night ended for Allesiah. But for Zeke there were still a lot of things left on his te to finish. And so, after cleaning himself up and sleeping in his room, he proceeded to the new item to be crafted.

    "Right, let''s begin!"

    Morning soon followed. The realm is still dark yet, Allesiah is already awake, barely getting any sleep from the excitement of getting a new weapon. Allesiah went to the front of Zeke''s room as her master instructed.

    Lying in front of the door is a cloth that covered what seemed to be a small set of items. There is also a note which Allesiah read.

    "I won''t be joining you guys for today. With your clearing speed, you can probably summon another boss monster inside the forests. But that''s all you need to do. Once you summon it, disengage and return home. We don''t know how powerful the other beasts will be, nor the skills and abilities they''d have in their arsenal." The first paragraph read.

    Allesiah then proceeded to the second one, much shorter than the first:

    "Anyway, I''m really tired so I''ll leave all that grinding to you guys. If I don''t sleep properly, I also can''t function properly." Were the words written.

    "That first boss must''ve dealt a lot of strain to him." Allesiah thought to herself as she carried the hidden items to the dining table.

    "Oh, sis what''s that?" Sylph said, just waking up with her bed hair popping up on every direction.

    "It''s my new weapon." Allesiah replied, making her sistere closer in excitement.

    "What did that human make this time?" She said, peeking at the contents.

    Both of them thought that it would be something like a dagger or, a retractable weapon. But, these ideas were proven wrong as what wee their eyes are

    "Bracelets?" Allesiah said, looking at the items closely.

    Inside the container are two bracelets which has a dragon swirling in a circr motion. The details to the beast are so well defined that, you''d think it was a master craftsman who made them.

    The dragons had multiple colored crystals which are embedded to their bodies. All of which are alien to both Windsprites. This is the first time they have seen such gems. This made them wonder even more. After all, when ites to gems and jewelries, nobility have been exposed to a lot of these.

    In the middle is a crystalrger than the other ones. The item is silver like in color and, as Allesiah held it in her hands, it felt as light as a feather.

    "So are you going to fight by being fashionable now?" Sylph asked, seeing that apart from these is a set of earrings which differed in colors. One is deep red while, the other is ocean blue.

    If one looks into the earrings closely, it would be noticed that, they actually resemble a set of eyes. As Allesiah wore all of them, she went up to a mirror to inspect the items.

    "Master, how are these supposed to be weapons?" Allesiah thought to herself as a lot of aesthetic value added with the ornament seeming items.

    However, Allesiah knew that Zeke would never waste his time making jewelries. And with this idea is a distinct sight of mana she began seeing all around her. Unlike the level provided by her staff, the flow of mana is much thicker now, as if she can just hold it in her hands.

    She still has no clue as to why Zeke couldn''t just leave an instruction manual for her. Little did she know that, Zeke actually thought things through.

    "Once she tries casting a spell, she''ll understand how it works." Zeke told himself, too tired to write down the whole instruction for usage.

    While the Windsprites fidgeted with the items, Harun and Sebastian have also woken up. And, at the sight of the items, the servants immediately came close.

    "Master what are those earrings? They''re nothing like what I''ve seen from other nobility?" Harun began.

    "Did you take those from the goddess?" Sebastian followed. Thinking that what Allesiah wore is actually owned by Yaeger.

    "Idiots! That''s her new weapon. The human made it for her." Sylph answered.

    This made the servants look at each other. And then, a smile crept on their faces. It was as if they had a telepathic link, giggling before they began teasing Allesiah. This exluded Sylph who is both dense and had no malice in her mind.

    "This doesn''t surprise us at all. You''ve stuck with that human for a while after all. It won''t be shocking if he has fallen to the charms of a pure noble from the Windsprite household." Harun said, smiling mischievously.

    "Master Allesiah, we will ept you even if you choose a human. After all, Master Zeke he has both skills and brain. You can''t ask for a better lifetimepanion." Sebastian continued.

    "What are you even saying! Sylph already said that this is a weapon! It''s a weapon!" Allesiah then began thinking of the concept of a fireball just in order to demonstrate this. But, just as she did, a strong wind came and the Goddess Yaeger soon followed, stopping what could have been a disaster.

    "That was dangerous miss elf. You could''ve burned my house down." Yaeger said, holding the breakfast dish on her left hand.

    "That was some strong pressure." Sebastian answered, forming sweat on his forehead right before the attack came.

    "What was that?" Allesiah said, remembering the feeling of mana that flowed around her. She didn''t even need to take any mana from herself. That fireball was about to be made using the external mana.

    At this, everyone finally believed Allesiah. The spell wouldn''t explode of course. Zeke made sure that enough safety measures were put into the items to prevent them from harming the one who''d use it. Yet, the force made them all believe that it would.

    At this Keith also woke up. This left only two people who have yet toe out. One is Sylvia who has yet to finish evolution while, the other is Zeke who is still fast asleep.

    The group finally began eating. Yaeger served the turtle egg soup which everyone enjoyed. It was both soft and crunchy which made it weirdly satisfying to chew on. Apart from this is the soup like substance that smelled like an evenbination of spices and, in a single sip, they felt themselves being rejuvenated.

    "Well how is it?" The goddess asked.

    "It''s delicious!" Keith replied, forgetting to eat properly as he asked for seconds.

    The group did the same. Eating their fill as Allesiah gave the instructions for that day. The two servantsughed at themand given by Zeke. While Sylph just sighed. Nobodyined however.

    With their new weapons and the strength they''ve garnered through the days of training, everyone felt that they could do as Zeke told. Heck, they even felt that they could just defeat the boss monster.

    "That would surely shock him." Sylph said, seriously considering the idea in her mind.

    With this, they took the supplies needed and headed off. The first thing which the group did however is, seeing just what Allesiah is currently capable of. Hence, they all stood back at a safe distance and watched the sorceress do her thing.

    She then remembered the sensation that surged through her body earlier on that day. The feeling of a spell being formed by merely thinking of it.

    The wind started swirling around Allesiah and, soon after, this began sparking. At this point, monsters have already felt her presence and beganing in to hunt their prey. Meanwhile, the wind around Allesiah continued swirling until it turned into mes.

    This fire grew more and more intense. Yet, in the middle of it is the Windsprite,pletely unharmed. Sylph worried however as, Allesiah continued attracting more and more attention.

    "If things go wrong, you know what to do." Sylph told the two servants who nodded at hermand.

    "So that''s how it works." Allesiah thought to herself, holding up her hand. One of the crystals on her bracelet glowed a bright red and, soon after, came a fireball as thrice as big as its normal size.

    This amazed everyone because, the me only grew bigger. It expanded more and more until; one could not ssify it as a fireball anymore.

    The enemies began appearing one by one at this point. One of which is a new opponent. The monster has a water like substance and appeared close to the image of a cyclops. Upon seeing the elf, these monsters rushed forward.

    They swung their arms which turned into whips of water But, even before they could hit Allesiah, they got blocked by the swirling me. Allesiah then began her assault, hitting the me to the ground.

    This surprised the other elves who expected to witness a disaster. Instead, what they saw are mes that didn''t burn. These mes crept through every direction and, as they touched a monster, the me''s gentle image changed.

    The small flickers of fire rose into a rage of mes. These consumed the monsters which ran around in pain and panic. Even the [Water Cyclops] couldn''t dissolve the mes, making them meet their inevitable end to this strange attack. NO matter what they did, the mes didn''t stop and, what came weirder is how the mes only burnt them.

    Allesiah then followed by summoning something she has never tried before.

    "Shadow Sphere." She thought. The bracelets then created a dark shade as 10 orbs began floating around her.

    "You''re really something else." Allesiah thought to herself as she remembered Zeke.

    If she stayed in that tiny town. If Zeke didn''te. If she didn''t sign the contract. Without these things, she wouldn''t be ale to reach the level she is currently at.

    "I guess I''m considered a veteran now." Allesiah said as tears started forming under her eyes. One wouldn''t understand how she felt. Only she could prize that moment no matter how random the timing might have been.

    For her, getting strong meant the world. A dream that was almost crushed. Yet here she is, destroying a wave of monsters all by herself. Summoning the number of orbs required in order to call someone a master sorceress.

    The moment contained so much joy for her. In fact, she couldn''t control it anymore that, she began to go on a killing spree.

    She fired multiple orbs which came looking for monsters to kill. She then summonedrge columns of ice which froze her enemies in ce before striking them down with thunderbolts. She got so immersed that, she couldn''t even hear herpanions who told her to slow down.

    "This is just like how she was back in the castle. That brat." Sylph said, catching up to her sister and not wanting to fall behind her strength.

    "So uhm, who are we supposed to defend again?" Sebastian said to Harun jokingly, seeing Sylph begin her own massacre of monsters.

    "I guess we''ve gotta settle for the leftovers then." Was Harun''s only reply as the training for that day continued.

 Chapter 57: The Second Monster?

    Chapter 57: The Second Monster?

    "Oh you''re finally awake?" Yaeger said as Zeke came out of the door.

    "Where are the others?" He asked

    "They''re already going at it. Are you gonna follow right now?" The goddess replied.

    "Maybe. I''ll just make a few stretches first. By the way what''s for breakfast?" He askeding forward.

    "You mean lunch. It''s almost noontime mister." Yaeger said, cing the [Carnivorous Turtle''s] eggs on the table.

    "Ohhhhh that looks delicious." Zekemented, sitting down and chatting with the goddess.

    Yaeger stared at the human with delight. She has never felt as much enjoyment from a mortal than what she''s now experiencing. Zeke amused her and; she wanted to make sure that the mortal could amuse her for a longer period of time.

    "Hey, about that extra reward. Wanna talk about it?" The goddess said, wearing a mischievous smile on her face.

    "Fine by me." Zeke replied.

    Before lunchtime even came, the group has already cleared half of the monsters required in order to summon a boss monster. After Allesiah cooled down, the team went and did things more strategically.

    Using her spellcasting abilities, Allesiah targeted the monsters that are too far to notice them. She created a rain of ice that which covered a circr area. This [AoE] skill continued getting smaller. The attack forced the monsters toe toward their direction. Between getting hurt and just moving away from harm, any creature would instinctively choose the safer option. Thus, the monsters moved in slowly.

    Once in range, Sylph followed through with her arrows. Though a bit difficult for a single archer, she is able to manage as there are two bows at her disposal.

    The [Infinity Bow] floated, automatically shooting out arrows depending on Sylph''smands. On her hand is the [Windsprite Heirloom Bow] which made it possible for her to double the damage she dealt and cover arger area with her attacks. Sebastian helped by creating walls of earth that limited the area where the monsters could appear from.

    This meant that Sylph could simply focus on these areas for her attack. Thisbination isn''t perfect however. A lot of monsters are still able to pass through. But this is also part of their strategy.

    Once in mid rage, Harun handles the monsters. Taking down the unlucky ones that escaped Sylph, only to meet a more gruesome end as the spear pierced through their bodies countless times.

    One to two monsters would still be able to get past this defense and, these are handled by Allesiah''s [Darkness Spheres]. Thus, both defense and attack are covered in a bnced manner.

    "How many does that make it?" Allesiah asked her sister who fired from both of her bows.

    "Not sure but, I think three more hours are what we need in order to summon the beast." She said, firing as fast and as urate as she can.

    "Well I hope ites soon. My arm is getting tired from all this thrusting." Harun said, continuing her assault on 10 [Pyke Boars] that came simultaneously.

    "Aren''t we going too fast? Shouldn''t we eat first?" Was Sebastian''s remark  the only member on their group who wanted to stop and eat first.

    "Nonsense. The sooner we finish this, the sooner that beast appears. And the faster we summon those creatures, the sooner we can also return to Elysium." Sylphmented.

    Allesiah didn''t make ament on the conversation anymore. She is too busy on the multiple spells that she is casting. After all, it is not just one rain of ice that she is maintain but,yers of this same attack.

    After the first wave is shoved in, she creates anotheryer which forces in the second batch of spawned monsters. She then dissolves the first one as soon as they enter Sylph''s range. This is because, her spell would hinder Sylph''s attacks. Then, she creates a new one near the spawn point once again.

    "You''re more of a ve-driver than Zeke." Allesiah thought to herself. Smiling as she followed Sylph''s orders.

    This continued on for another hour. They would''ve stopped but, Sylph feared that the built-up adrenaline will also vanish. Hence, they pressed forward. The only rest allowed is the single instance of drinking their stamina and mana potions. Other than this, no other rest was permitted by Sylph.

    As this continued, Sebastian still wished that they could eat their lunch first. And then, as if the gods have heard his plea, someone teleported to their location, bringing the lunch for that day.

    "Hey, how''s everyone doing." Zeke said as he came out of the portal.

    He immediately brough out all his conjures and made them face the wave that is currentlying for the group. Then, he surrounded the area with [Poison Clouds], assuring the group that no monster would be able to reach tem.

    "Eat first idiots. Whose brain dead idea was it to keep on fighting on an empty stomach?" Zeke said, irritating Sylph who gave themand.

    "We just made use of the hype in order to clear through the monsters faster!" She defended.

    *Sigh*

    "Let''s not fight over it. Rest for a while guys and let my monsters do the work." Zeke said.

    His conjures cannot clear the area as fast as the elves. But their force is enough to prevent the monsters from advancing any further. Hence, they are the perfect shield to use if the group needs a breather.

    Zeke made a conjured [Winged Monkey] prepare the area where they would take a break. After the conjure finished its job, everyone sat down to eat.

    "Oh by the way, I''ve taught the monkeys a new trick that you might like. Zeke said, calling one forward which hovered at the back of Sebastian."

    "Master Zeke. That trick isn''t stab and fly away is it?" The nervous servant replied, having a phobia from monsters that gets close to his back. As he became a defender, Sebastian''s back has always been his blind spot. Thus, all throughout his life, his back has experience a lot of damage from monsters. As time went on, this concept made him afraid.

    "Don''t be silly. That monkey will give you a massage., So rx and let it do its magic." Zeke said. Sebastian still has stiffened muscles but, that gradually decreased as the elf felt how flexible the monkey''s fingers are.

    "Ahh that''s the spot." The elf said, finally loving the therapy.

    "Do does anyone else want to try?" Zeke offered.

    At this, one [Winged Monkey] came to Sylph and to Harun. Meanwhile, Zeke sat beside Allesiah and started talking to her about the bracelet and the earrings. The malicious Harun saw this and started giggling at the sight,pletely wishing that Zeke would fall for their youngest master.

    "From what I saw, I''m guessing that you have a clear idea about what the bracelets can do right?'' Zeke said, actually watching the group from a distance before giving them their meal.

    "A little bit. I''m thinking that each color of a rock on these things regte a specific element from the flow of mana." She replied, raising the bracelet and looking at the gems.

    "Hmmm well at least you''ve got one concept right." Zeke replied, smiling at the spellcaster. He wasn''t wrong when he thought that she would be able to use it properly as soon as she casted a spell.

    Zeke raised Allesiah''s hand and held on to the bracelet. He then began his exnation as he spun it around.

    "These things actually came from the [Carnivorous Turtle''s] shell. There is a rock on it that could register a single element and, once it does, it can amplify that spell by 100%." Zeke said, pointing at the gems that has different colors.

    "But that isn''t how it felt like. The amplification feltless." Allesiah replied.

    "Exactly. That''s because I needed to cut down the stone and divide it into pieces. You see, once the stone registers an element, it won''t be able to register a new one. Powerful as it may be, it''ll be useless once you face an opponent whichpletely counters the element amplified." Zeke continued.

    "That actually exins a lot. So how high is the amplification?" Allesiah asked getting her head nearer to the stones. Both of them are focused on the discussion that, they didn''t even notice how close their faces are to each other.

    Both of them didn''t care of course. Zeke is so absorbed in exining his handiwork that he couldn''t care less. On the other hand, Allesiah is just as fascinated that nothing else mattered to her.

    "Right now the amplification is limited to 10%. It was a huge rock and, chunking it down to bits actually failed a bunch of times. Plus, I even refined them as they came out in order to make them more efficient."

    "Is that why they''re as smooth surfaced as gems?" Allesiah asked.

    "Yup. Oh and this is what I added to them." Zeke began, pressing on the head of the dragon which made the bracelet open up. The thing hidden inside is something which glowed a crystal blue color that seemed to flow and move. This thing covered the whole bracelet.

    "This thing is called a mana detector and attractor. Once you activate a spell, it will automatically register the element used. Upon detection, it will single out that mana from the flow that exists around us. It will then collect it until you reach the desired amount for your skill." Zeke continued his exnation.

    "Doesn''t that mean I can actually double the spell power?" Allesiah asked, surprised from all the details.

    "Not necessarily. There''s a limit because, getting that much amplification may damage your body." Zeke added.

    All these things are products of Zeke''s crafting. He not only thought of the concept but also, made sure that he''d be efficient with the limited amount of resources he has. Of course, he could just summon the [Carnivorous Turtle] again and loot it. But that would take too much time and, time is not something which they have a luxury of.

    Hence, as his body slept, his consciousness continually crafted items and materials. Allowing him to create the item which Allesiah is using at the moment.

    "I''m not even going to ask how you were able to get your hands on all those materials." Allesiah said, knowing that her master has a lot of secrets.

    "That actually saves me a lot of trouble." Zeke replied, continuing on with his exnation.

    "Oh, and, the silver cover of the band is made from the same materials as Sebastian''s shield. The crystal inside is very fragile so a container that could handle a lot of damage is needed.

    "Your earrings are made from another special mineral. It allows whoever wears them to see the flow of mana and, gain a certain amount of control over it." Zeke said, now going on to holding Allesiah''s earing. He then backed off as soon as he finished giving the details.

    "Other than that, there isn''t any amplification like you sister''s staff. But I think these items suit you better. After all, your focus is on mana control and disruption, not spell force itself." Zeke finished.

    "So what are they called?" Allesiah asked as the exnation finished.

    "I actually wanted to name them myself. But then I thought, I should give you the honor of doing that." He replied, making Allesiah smile.

    "You even bothered with such a small detail. That''s very weird of you master." She said.

    "Hey if you don''t like it, I can just name them myself." Zeke said jokingly as he stood up.

    Allesiah actually has something at the top of her mind, A name that''d probably give justice to such useful and good-looking weapons.

    "Dragon of the Elements." This is the name she thought off for the bracelets. Seeing as it favors no single element and, has the shape of a dragon; she figured that this name would suit it. As for the earrings, the name she thought of is:

    "Eyes of Mana." Referring to the fact that these earnings let her see the flow of mana.

    Right after she finished her meal, Allesiah went back with everyone else. Harun poked her with her elbow a few times but, she didn''t understand what it was for. Meanwhile, Zeke has already begun giving the instructions for the next part of the training.

    "You guys only need around 100 more monsters defeated in order to spawn the boss. I''d love to see you do that but, we need to be more efficient with our time. So, I''m going to another part of the forest and clear as many waves as I can." Zeke said.

    "''So are we supposed to fight the monster then?" Sylph asked, wanting to use here weapon against stronger opponent.

    "No. Under no means are you to engage with those beasts." Zeke replied with a stern voice.

    "All you are permitted to do is observe it from a distance. Do not provoke it nor startbat." He continued.

    "Pshhh. Fine then." Sylph answered and at this, Zeke finally left.

    After only a few seconds, Sylph faced the other elves who are left behind with her.

    "Okay so this is how it''ll really go. We corner that monster, rain it with attacks and, I''m sure it''ll die by then." She said.

    "Didn''t master Zeke just instruct us to do otherwise?" Sebastian replied.

    "Hey whose side are you on?" Sylph answered back, taking the lead of the group.

    The elves knew how stubborn the second Windsprite could be. And, aside from this, they also wanted to test their limits with the monster. Although what Zeke said made sense, the words of Sylph was enough of an excuse for them to follow through with her idea. Thinking that "Hey, we didn''t think of this. She did."

    In the end, it was only Allesiah who strictly wanted to go against it. Yet, she didn''t stop her sister; thinking that she probably has enough strength to defend Sylph.

    The group then continued their assault. This didn''tst long and, soon after, the crystal stopped summoning monsters.

    At this, the group began their preparation for the monster that woulde. Allesiah begun this by creating spells that has a simr nature to Zeke''s detonate. The spells are already formed and, mana has already been condensed for them to work. The only thing left is for Allesiah to give the signal and, all of these will fire simultaneously.

    As for Sebastian, he has begun setting up a thick wall of earth. They n to cage the monster in order to limit its area of movement. Through this, Sylph can freely create a rain of arrows within the area while Harun will deliver the finishing blow after the barrage.

    "This actually seems like a decent n." Harun thought to herself, amazed that Sylph could think of such a strategy. But then again, she was once he leader of the Wood Scouts, an elite group of elf archers.

    As they finished their preparations, the crystal began emitting a bright red color. The same thing that happened with the [Carnivorous Turtle].

    "It''s starting. Get ready guys." Sylph said, and thenit began.

    They didn''t even wait to see what kind of monster came out. Allesiah began with a fury of thunderbolts that struck down from the sky.

    "Those idiots." Zeke said, seeing the disy on the minimap. Of course, he saw how the summoning crystal has already change color and, of course he''s noticed how there are no monsters spawning. He has been carefully observing the party from day one after all.

    "Fine, I''ll let you guys have a taste of your own medicine." Zeke though to himself, not teleporting to the area right away.

    "Continue the assault. Don''t reduce the force by a small bit!" Sylphmanded, firing the rain of arrows and following this up by a barrage of explosive arrows. They all waited for the agonizing screams of a beast. But all they got was silence. Getting a creeping idea in their heads that, they haven''t done any damage.

    Smoke and dirt rose from the enclosed space created by Sebastian and, while this onught continued, Harun looked for her target. She already has the proper posture for the assault and, was about to dive into the field. But then, she stopped.

    "Harun why aren''t you attacking?" Sylph asked in shock.

    "It''s not a monster." Harun replied, as the smoke cleared out.

    What came from the smoke is a human figure. However, there are horns sticking out of his head, making the group think that it is a Beastman.

    "What are you guys doing? No matter how human he looks, he came out from the summoning crystal! That''s a monster kill it!" Sylph ordered. Allesiah immediately followed, releasing her [Darkness Spheres]. Coupled with this are bullets made of condensed air. Sylph also followed this through by firing a couple of arrows to the enemy.

    The horned human simply looked at the attacks in a bored stare. And, in the blink of an eye, he danced through the attacks, dodging everything without even the slightest look of strain in his movements.

    The opponent then took out a sword that the elves have never seen before. It is a katana, the prided weapon of the Japanese Samurais. The enemy ran towards the walls and, easily enough, he was able to tear them down like they are nothing more than wet sand piled together.

    Then, Allesiah activated [sh Freeze]. Onerge enough to cover the whole area in ice. She breathed heavily after performing the spell, knowing that it is too much for her even with the equipment she has.

    "We need to go." She ordered, looking at Sylph with a serious expression. The older Windsprite bit her lower lip, knowing that Allesiah is right. However, things didn''t go as nned.

    "Leaving so soon?" The words were both cold and indifferent, sending a chill that ran through their body. They knew instantly that it was the opponent who spoke. However, their bodies couldn''t match the speed of their thought.

    They wanted to turn and attack but, the opponent was just too swift. And, just before their heads got shed, they heard something graze past them.

    "This is why I usually work alone." Zeke said as he came out of the shadows holding on to his twin pistols.

 Chapter 58: A Connection to the Lost

    Chapter 58: A Connection to the Lost

    [Name: Heron]

    [Species: Dragon]

    [Specification: Dragon Morpher]

    [Rank: D+]

    These are the details which Zeke saw as he watched the fight from a distance. What bothered him more is how small the opponent is and, how calm its movements seem to ne. It''s as if the creature is just toying with the elves.

    "This is probably going to be a lot trickier than fighting the [Carnivorous Turtle]." Zeke thought to himself as he approached. He brought out his twin pistols which he now calls [Death''s Symphony].

    The name came from that instance when he used it against the first boss. The different sounds that came as he pulled the trigger actually felt like a melody is being formed.

    Going back to the situation at hand, Zeke didn''t like everything that is currently happening. Unlike the turtle and its spawns which he has able to observe from a distance, this new enemy is faster. Adding to this is the fact that it already saw the elves. So, even if escaping may be possible, it may put them in danger. Thus, Zeke decided to just do what he can with the elves.

    "Did you not understand a single instruction I''ve said?'' Zeke told the group as he forced the enemy to back away. The speed of his bullets are fast enough to catch up to the monster. And so, it measures its steps, waiting for a chance to attack.

    "It''s all my fault." Sylph replied, feeling apologetic for the current state of things.

    "There''s no time to talk about strategies, just follow my lead and do what you can to support." Zeke said, continuing his attack.

    The opponent then fired a sh which Zeke blocked by summoning a part of Samael. This is another trick he is practicing. A move which creates parts of his conjures without summoning the whole conjures. This way, he has better control of the movements. And at the same time, there would be no dy with his orders and their execution.

    What Zeke didn''t expect however is the speed of the dragon which is a bit faster than his. Right after the sh and, as soon as the conjured Samael disappeared, the monster was already in front of Zeke. Allesiah was able to respond to this and created multiple [Darkness Spheres] which chased down the enemy.

    "I can''t match the speed but, those things will keep homing until they hit their target." Allesiah said through the [Voice Chat].

    "Nice work." Zeke replied.

    Zeke can already see the elves creating a formation. Sebastian covered them closely while, the three female elves did their best to try and hit the opponent. At every opening, Harun thrusted her spear. However, the dragon would just pivot its body, or picot it to another direction. At other moments, it would suddenly stop from the movement it is making. The dodges all seemed unreal, making Zeke more worried.

    Sylph also tried to help using a rain of arrows. She gave a signal to Zeke who jumped back as soon as the spell was cast.

    "That should do some damage." Zeke thought to himself, looking at the relentless volley. But then, the dragon raised its hand and, mes came up, burning the spell itself.

    "Can someone exin to me what the hell that was?" Zeke said over themunication channel. He followed this though with [Quick Step], summoning both Erio and Lupus as they continued fighting the monster.

    "I''m not sure. I have never heard of a spell like that before. It must be ancient magic, one that has been forgotten through the ages." Allesiah replied.

    As soon as the magic circle burned, their strange enemy came forward again. Zeke tried hitting his opponent but, the monster simply dodged every bullet. The monster followed with a lightning strike to the ground, forcing Zeke''s party to back away. With the distance created, the dragon pointed its sword on the ground and, mist suddenly surrounded the area.

    "This doesn''t look good." Zeke thought to himself.

    The mist covered the whole area, making it difficult for Zeke to see past the mist. What worried him more is how his [Minimap] got disrupted.

    "Guys can you hear me?" Zeke said which did not receive any reply.

    "It would be dangerous if I continued fighting you guys together. So I figured I should just split you up." The opponent came out of the mist but, this time, there are three of it appearing in front of Zeke. The monster then appeared and reappeared at various areas, preventing Zeke from making any attacks

    With all the problems created by the mist, Zeke actually found something that benefited him. For Zeke, this is the first time he''ll talk to a monster and, this actually picked his interest.

    "So do we fight now or do you want to say something?" Zeke replied, knowing that there''s nothing in his arsenal that could dispel the mist. If he panics and tries to rush off in killing the monster, then he might end up dead.

    Hence, Zekeposed himself as he always does and, talked normally to the beast. This surprise the creature a bit, smiling as its multiple clones moved around Zeke.

    "This is the first time I''ve everid eyes on a human after hundreds of years. That goddess has trapped me in this forest for so long that, I''ve actually lost count of the days." The monster said.

    "Trapped? I thought that you guys are just spawned creatures from the summoning crystals?" Zeke replied, wondering about the words uttered by his opponent.

    "Well yes, that is true. The goddess has defeated me a long time ago. However, she also trapped my spirit in this gem and, from time to time, would make games in hunting me down and killing me." The monster continued.

    "So what now? Should I pity you and start a fight against an omnipotent being?" Zeke replied, knowing that this is not an option. He also didn''t take this idea seriously.

    The dragonughed at his remark, thinking how cold andposed the human is. In fact, it even reminded him of an old ally one which the dragon used to have in the Forgotten City. But that''s part of history, something burnt, with all the four continents choosing to forget the ce and all that transpired there.

    "I thought that you''d immediately attack me. What made you halt?" The dragon continued. As Zeke stalled for time, the dragon is actually doing the same. Preparing a leverage inthis barttle.

    "Well, that''s really difficult you see." Zeke replied, seeing his enemy vanish into the mist and reappear at random locations. All without making a single sound.

    "I have the same question to you. Why aren''t you finishing me off?" Zeke replied.

    "Don''t take me for a fool. I may not be as strong as I was in my prime but, I have mastered countless battles during my lifetime. Yours however is the first I have seen and, with the things you''ve shown, I''m guessing that there''s something up your sleeve once I strike." The dragon replied.

    "So we''re both stuck huh?'' Zeke answered, not knowing how to deal with the situation. There''s no [Minimap], no [Voice Chat]. He doesn''t even know if he is still in the same ce or if the spell is actually a hallucination. He has no way to confirm as he cannot sense pain and, even if he could, the spell might include the registering of senses.

    Zeke is not empty handed however. There is a trump card he is hiding, one that is supposed to appear any minute now.

    "There''s a bunch of things that you said to me. I don''t even understand why you''ll tell it to random person. How are you even sure that I''ll keep my mouth shut?"

    "You don''t need to. Because there are only two oues to this encounter. One is that I kill you. The second is that you kill me and tell my tale. However, the goddess may not like how you spread the information of how: She dragged a soul into a summoning crystal and ruthlessly tortured it for hundreds of years." The dragon said, stepping in the air then vanishing again.

    "But the thing is, you want to escape right?" Zeke answered.

    "Yes. But that doesn''t matter." The dragons said, finally having a fixed image in front of Zeke.

    "I''ve finally regained my full strength in this form. y time is over mortal, you will now witness the might of a pureblood dragon."

    At this, the mist circled round them. Zeke tried to fire at the monster as this happened but it is no use. The mist seems to suck his bullets, leaving the enemy undamaged. Then, came a notification window which irritated Zeke further.

    [Temporary Invulnerability: Please wait for the transformation to finish.]

    "Ohe on! Why do I need to get stuck with this clich option of waiting for the enemy to finish getting powerful?" Zeke said out loud, summoning all his conjures and trying to destroy the dragon in the mist. All of these creatures got swallowed in and, nothing ever came out.

    As the mist thinned out however, his [Minimap] and [Voice Chat] also came back. Thus, he immediately used it to update on the current situation of his allies.

    "How are you guys? Are any of you hurt?" He said over themunication channel.

    "We''re all fine. We got stuck in the mist but nothing came to attack us." Allesiah replied.

    "Okay, I''ll go to your position so just wait there." Zeke said and, as soon as he did, the dragon screamedgetting bigger and bigger, towering higher than the size of the [Carnivorous Turtle].

    Attacks soon came but, Zeke blocked these using his conjures. The shes are almost transparent, making it difficult for him to try and dodge. Thus, he relied on his conjures to take the blows for him. Then, as he moved through the continually thinning mist, he finally saw the group  with Harun waving her spear at him.

    "Should we leave?" Sebastian said as soon as Zeke was within hearing range.

    "We should but there''s a problem with the scrolls. It''s not allowing us to escape." Zeke replied, actually trying the idea earlier on.

    "So what do we do? I think that thing is a lot bigger than what we can chew." Harun replied and, at this, Zeke smiled again feeling another presence nearby.

    "Don''t worry. I think we''ve got thigs covered." As soon as he said this, the dragon finished its transformation. Then, without any second lost, it fired a beam toward the group.They all closed their eyes except for Zeke who stood up to face the attack because, someone came to their rescue.

    "Prism Barrier" The attack created multiple mirrors. This diverted the angle of the beam making it bounce all around the area until it finally shot up to the sky.

    The monster didn''t stop here and flew up to get away from any melee attacks. However, a small figure followed the dragon, flying around as the dragon tried to finish it off.

    "You can open your eyes now." Zeke said to the group which still waited for the attack that would nevere.

    "What happened?" Sebastian sad.

    "She''s finally awake." Zeke replied, looking at the sky where the fight continued.

    "Is that?" Allesiah began.

    "Yeah. It''s Sylvia."

 Chapter 59: A Link to the Past

    Chapter 59: A Link to the Past

    [Name: Sylvia Windsprite]

    [Species: Elf]

    [Specification: Archelf Element Witcher]

    This is what Zeke will see as soon as Sylvia joins the group again. But, at the moment, that same elf is battling a dragon and all the other members can''t do anything but watch.

    "Can she handle that all by herself?" The sisters asked Zeke, worried about their eldest. They saw the battle continue, with both Sylvia and the Dragon firing dangerous spells one after the other.

    "Well, she can probably win against it at her current state." Zeke replied, confident about what he said.

    The reason for his remark is this  during the evolution process, Zeke created a staff for the elf which continued storing the overflowing amount of mana for her. Hence, aside from the fact that Sylvia''s mana pool has greatly increased, there is an unbelievable amount of mana contained in her staff at the moment. Zeke felt this as soon as Sylvia arrived. He felt a presence which held power outside the normal levels.

    "Right now she might just be on par with that thing." Zeke smiled, watching the fight that continued in the sky.

    The dragon pressed its attack by summoning dragon shaped lightnings that continued following Sylvia. The sorceress dodged all of these, creating [Ice Sprites] that continued hitting the [Lightning Dragons]. Feeble as the attack may seem, it is a verypetent attack. The [Ice Sprites] stuck on the bodies of the summoned dragons until, they''ve beenpletely consumed in ice.

    Sylvia clenched her fist, shattering the dragon shaped ice. Her opponent got thrilled at the sight, knowing that the battle would be worth its while.

    It then stomped on the sky as if there is a ground it is stepping on. The monster continued doing this as Sylvia fired orbs of fire toward the enemy. All of this is nullified by a shield of mist that is thinner than normal.

    "It''s good. I can see the flow of mana being shaped in a weird way." Allesiah said as she observed the attack from the ground.

    Sylvia didn''t relent however and, increased the number of mes that she released. This continued until the point that, her spell looked like a machinegun firing at a wall. Then, little by little, the dragon''s [Mist Shield] got prated until all of Sylvia''s attack passed through.

    This didn''t reach the dragon however. It tuned back into its half human form, flying at the same speed as Sylvia. It used its katana to slice the spells that Sylvia formed. Then, just as it cut the pirs of ice which Sylvia fired; it finally reached the back of the sorceress.

    The dragon tried cutting through Sylvia''s body but, he is met by a force which halted his de from advancing any further. The dragon then backed away, holding its sword in a guarding position as Sylvia turned to face it once more.

    "Your group is full of surprises." The dragon said through amunication channel that is only liked to Zeke.

    This surprised Zeke of course. More so because he finds no reason for the monster to continue speaking with him. That is, unless it had other motives.

    "I think you should focus on the fight." Zeke warned the dragon which turned back to its real form.

    "This sorceress is a bit tricky indeed." The dragon replied to Zeke as it casted more [Thunder Dragons] that followed Sylvia around the sky.

    "It''s a shame though, I wanted to kill yourpanions quickly so I can continue talking with you." The dragon said, catching Zeke by surprise once more.

    This is thest message it said though. The dragon knew it needed to focus on its enemy because, a few [Air Spears] already grazed its body.

    The creature then spawned more [Thunder Dragons]. The sorceress danced through these creatures, firing the same spell that froze them earlier on. However, the dragon began charging a beam at this point. It thought that, the elf couldn''t react to both at the same time. However it has been proven wrong.

    As soon as the beam was fired, Sylvia created two prisms that contained the attack inside a condensed space. The spell requires both arge amount of mana and a high level of concentration as, the beam fired by the Dragon is not a weak nor flimsy attack.

    Thus, Sylvia is forced to continue flying away from the [Lightning Dragons] as she continued forming a fist. As the motion finished, she clenched her fingers  breaking the condensed beam altogether. She then focused back to the dragons, creatingtwice the number of ice sprites that collision with the beats.

    One of these escaped however. The Lightning turned red and, as it did, the spawned dragon began moving faster. It would''ve hit Sylvia if it weren''t for the shield which Heron the [Dragon Morpher] is yet to understand.

    Sylvia shifted her attention to the main enemy which had misting out of its mouth. The dragon roared again, swirling in the sky and surrounding itself with the same tricky mist that gave Zeke problems earlier on. Sylvia answered this attack by pointing her staff at the mist  casting a caging spell. This halted the forming mist which Sylvia then destroyedpletely by what seem to be portals.

    "Zeke I''m bringing it down." Sylvia said through the [Voice Chat]. The human understood what he needed to do and ushered everyone away from the sight.

    "What does she mean by that?" Sylph asked.

    "It means we''re gonna get fucked up if we don''t get away soon." Zeke replied.

    "me Devourer!" The dragon shouted, firing the same ancient spell that burned down Sylph''s rain of arrows. Sylvia didn''t back down from the spell. Instead, she met the firepower head on with her own [Ice st].

    At the start, it looked as if Sylvia''s spell will get burned down. However, as the seconds added up, her ice began equaling the strength of the mes and, in the end, everything turned to rain as both fire and ice dissolved.

    "Hail Storm!" Sylvia released a vicious torrent which forced the dragon to raise its guard as it prepared for a counterattack. Sylvia didn''t allow this to happen however.

    She used [Force] a spell she learnt upon evolution, allowing her to bend gravity to her will. Of course, the spell consumes a lot of mana but, Sylvia didn''t need to worry about that. As far a she is concerned, there is so much mana that she feels like she will explode.

    Hence the sorceress continued firing high level spells, still having tons of mana reserved for more attacks.

    As the dragon did not expect the attack, its body began falling from the sky. As soon as it did, the creature tried to resist by pping its wings and casting a lightening spell. But this isn''t enough. Sylvia floated don top of the monster and as she did, she casted [Force] once more, adding to theyer that already weighed the dragon down.

    The creature came crashing to the ground, creating a cloud of dust and a tremor that felt like an earthquake. Parts of the earth also protruded while Zeke and the other elves watched everything from a safe distance.

    "Should we help now?" The servants asked Zeke.

    "I don''t think your master needs any help." He replied, feeling that the sorceress still needed to let outa lot of mana.

    "Shield yourselves." Sylvia said as the sky darkened.

    Everyone looked at what is going on and, they saw a giant mass of rock being formed. Sylvia held her staff up and, one can see the earth spiraling toward the center of the giant boulder she is creating.

    The dragon has just recovered and rose from the ground. But then, Sylvia applied [Force] once more, forcing the monster to stay on the ground, trapping it to its inevitable end.

    "ze." The sorceress continued  surrounding the mass of earth with fire. And with this, she flung it from the sky  its force enough to send blows of wind that would sweep any normal person from the ground.

    The dragon, with its head facing sideways, saw the attack that is about to hit it. Then, it smiled, as if understanding the fate that awaited it.

    "Meteor Strike." Sylvia said as soon as the spell made contact with the beast.

    The attack in itself would have destroyed the whole forest if it wasn''t for another spell that she casted alongside this. She created a barrier that prevented the force of the explosion from leaving the are of the dragon. Again, this consumed a lot of mana on her part but, that didn''t matter because her mana is now bnced.

    The sorceress has used up all her mana reserves. Watching the catastrophe that unfolded below her. As she did, she continued floating right on top of the spell. Prepared to attack the dragon once more if it is strong enough to survive the attack.

    "It''d be bad news if it does." Sylvia thought to herself, knowing that the amount of mana she has left cannot be any match for the dragon. However, she rested easier as she saw Zeke who approached the mes which seemed to rage without end.

    Unlike the other elves, both Zeke ad Sylvia felt that the opponent may still be alive. This suspicion is confirmed as something happened which caught him by surprise. He felt time stop which isn''t supposed to be possible. Then, he noticed something, the raging mes still continued moving. However, it moved so slowly that one would mistake everything to have ceased movement.

    "That elf is surely strong. I cannot beat her as I am now." The dragon said, appearing beside Zeke. This surprised him. He wanted to take out his pistols right away. But, as soon as he thought of this, his movement got t sluggish as if he''s not moving at all while the dragon paced normally in front of him.

    "Don''t bother trying. This is a spell that uses up my life force as a sacrifice. In return, I can do something which is supposed to be limited to the god of time Chrono. I can disrupt the flow of time, although, as you can see and experience, it is nowhere near perfect." The dragon then pointed its finger at Zeke and, soon enough, he moved properly again.

    "You may be wondering why I''m still speaking with you." The dragon said, looking at the human which has now calmed down. Zeke knew that there is nothing he could do to oppose the dragon at this point and, it didn''t seem like the dragon could harm him. Hence, he spoke casually to the beat, knowing that he still has one resurrection left for the day. If worsees to worst, he''d just pretend to die and wait for the spell to finish.

    "You shouldn''t think much of it. I just wanted to feel my oldpanion again." The dragon said in a calm voice. As Zeke looked at the human form of the dragon, he can''t help but feel a feminine side to it. The dragon''s figure is covered by its clothes so he as no way of confirming this. Another thing which made him feel doubtful is the voice which is both low and thick, probably because it is a dragon.

    However aside from this, the [Dragon Morpher] has a long and silky white hair, beautiful violet eyes, and lips that are peach like in shade.

    "I''m ttered. Though It think that human is a much better person than I am." Zeke replied, making the dragonugh at his remark. It then sat down and waited for Zeke to do the same. The human thought there''s no harm in following a dying creature''s lead and, continued to doing as it motioned.

    "I know this is a bit rude but, what happens once we kill you?" Zeke asked, making the dragonugh again.

    "Well, you probably know that from all the monsters you''ve ben killing these past days. My spirit would return to the crystal while this created from of mine will leave a corpse." Heron began.

    "The goddess loves eating dragon meat and as such, I am the most frequently summoned by her" It continued in a more mncholic tone.

    "That exins why you''re a lot stronger than the turtle." Zeke replied, thinking that even if the goddess is overwhelmingly powerful, the dragon would be able to develop aset of skills in order to put up a fight.

    "Surely you jest. All of us here are taken from the ancient times  our species have died out a long time ago and, it is only through there crystals that the goddess continues to eat our kind." It replied.

    "Is it my turn to ask now?" the dragon asked.

    "Sure. Fire away. Oh, and not the literal kind please." Zeke said.

    "Don''t worry I''ve already used most of my energy and life force to use this spell." It replied, smiling at Zeke.

    "So, onto my questions then. Which deity summoned you?" It asked, a question which shocked Zeke.

    "How did you"

    "Know?" The dragon finished.

    "Thepanion I kept telling you about was also an other-worlder. He used various weapons and strategies that didn''t seem logical to our world. Plus, his skills and job ss were also not part of the ones that people knew of." The dragon then raised its katana and at this, Zeke felt an enlightenment.

    "So that weapon came from him?" Zeke asked.

    "Yup. It was a present he gave me before we went to our final battlefield." The dragon replied.

    "Anyway, you still haven''t answered." Heron continued.

    "Oh right. UhmI''m Zeke Elwood. I came from a ce called earth. That''s probably where yourpanion also came from." Zeke said, feeling a simrity to introductions he made during elementary school.

    "Yes! As I thought!" The dragon said with glee, getting closer to Zeke who held his palm forward.

    "Don''t like people getting close to you huh? That''s a lot like him." The dragon said, smiling as it moved away again.

    "Ahhhif only I knew right away, I would''ve used this spell from the start." It said.

    "Unfortunately, you were bombarded by mypanions." Zeke replied.

    "Yeah. Well, that''s something we monsters get used to." It replied.

    "This spell is ending soon. My only request is that you take my life." It said as time began moving back to its normal speed.

    "Let''s wrap this up then." Zeke said, standing up and feeling a welling up sadness for some reason. Little did he know that the dragon is connected to him more than he thinks of and, this won''t be theirst encounter although it will be the shortest.

    At this, time moved properly again. Chrono felt the disruption in his domain but paid it no heed as the disruption ended soon. The whole conversation of Zeke and the dragon onlysted for two seconds but, this filled the monster with much happiness.

    All this time, it thought of the human. And now, after hundreds of years, it faced someone who looked and spoke in a manner simr to this person. She felt happy about this and, although she wanted to spend more time talking with Zeke, she knew that this isn''t possible.

    Zeke stepped forward, requesting the finishing blow from Sylvia which was immediately granted. The dragon stood proudly in front of him and, with a smile on its face it said:

    "Farewell."

 Chapter 60: Double the Trouble

    Chapter 60: Double the Trouble

    Zeke couldn''t exin why but, as soon as he shot the dragon, a deep sadness weed him. It was nothing which he has ever known or experienced at an earlier moment in his life. Nor did he understand why he felt something like this from a creature which he just met.Here it is, dragging his

    The emotion felt heavy and burdensome. Like it was something which he has carried for thousands of years. Zeke is sure of himself that he has never met the dragon. And yet, the encounter made him feel like he was home. Theplete opposite of the demise which shattered him to the core as [Death''s Symphony] went past the head of Heron, creating a bullet hole right through the dragon''s forehead.

    The moment reyed in his head over and over again. As much as he wanted to shove it to the farthest recess of his mind, the memory simply emerged back up. It forced its way to the top of Zeke''s thoughts, disturbing the human who wanted nothing to do with a boss spawn in a goddesses'' own realm. Hence, he continued trying to dump all his emotionspushing them at the corner of his being as there is no logical exnation for them.

    On the scene left by Sylvia''s attack, the dragonid lifeless on the ground. It went back to its original form, making Zekee even closer. He touched its head as if waiting for a voice to speak but, there was nothing  only a silence which disappointed him. At this, the other elves finally reached the scene.

    The two younger Windsprites hugged their sister right away. They held their sister close as if, she had been gone for a long time. Sylvia answered in kind, chuckling as she the top of both Allesiah and Sylph''s head.

    "You little imps. I''m going to personally punish you when we get back." Sylvia said, getting information from Zeke. He continued speaking with her through the [Voice Chat] and, Sylvia did this while fighting an evolved [D+] monster.

    Zeke looked at the eldest Windspirte, trying to pre-upy his mind with something that will distract him the who day through. The image of Heron the [Dragon Morpher] is nothing which he wees dly. Hence, Zeke continue his observation of the female sorceress.

    Sylvia actually looked different from her previous appearance. There is arge change including her hair which is now a silky jet ck while her eyes are crimson red. He body is bewitching which, gives justice to how a lot of men ogled at her while she was still in the capital. Aside from this however, there isn''t any change to the behavior of the elf. She still moved and spoke to her sisters the same way she did before the evolution.

    The eldest Windsprite then approached Zeke, thanking the human for his assistance during her evolution. The image is a bit hazy for him but, Zeke knows that it isrgely through Zeke''s help that she survived.

    "I didn''t do much." Zeke said with a low amount of energy.He couldn''t bring himself to be cheerful for some reason and, that bothered him more than anything.

    "That''s not true." Sylvia replied, smiling at the human.

    "If it weren''t for you, there would have been chances of me dying in that process. Thanks to the staff you made, that feeling went away and, as it did, the evolution came as a sess." Sylvia continued.

    "Don''t mention it." Zeke replied, getting more and mor irritated about the fact that, he can''t remove thest word uttered by the dragon to him[Farewell]

    With this, Zeke finally resolved to do one thing  to talk to the goddess Yaeger about the current state of things.

    "Guys, I''ll leave you to do that work." Zeke said to the elves which all made sound s ofint.

    "You still have a debt to pay for acting without my permission. I hope that you properly use your bodies for that task." Zeke continued, making the group fall in silence and continue butchering through the dragon''s corpse.

    "Do you need to be somewhere?" Allesiah asked, worried about the strange behavior of her master. Not only did Zeke fail to make a series ofmand  the human is also strangely quiettoo much for Allesiah''s ownfort.

    "It''s nothing, the goddess just called me back. I need to attend to her summons in order to get a favorable result after all of this is dealt with." Zeke replied, using a teleportation scroll and not allowing any further questions to be asked.

    There were various things that Zeke needed to rify. First is the topic of having human predecessors which the deities have summoned to Mythos. Second is, if these warriors have a connection to each other. While thest is, how often do gods intervene on various affairs of the world.

    As soon as Zeke arrived at the cabin, he saw the goddess Yaeger shaping the tips of her arrows using a dagger. The goddess nced at the figure which just came, smiling at Zeke as she continued her work.''

    "You''re back early." The goddess began as Zeke approached her.

    "Yeah well, Sylvia did most of the dirty work for us." Zeke replied, standing just in front of Yaeger who did not stop from her activity. The goddess blew on the arrowhead that has just been shaped. She then closed her right eye  focusing on seeing the arrowhead with her left eye.

    "Care to tell me what you are thinking?" The goddess added, seeing something different in how Zeke looked at her. She felt the cold eyes of the human stare at her as if she is a viin. Clearly, the goddess is not such and so, she pressed on with this question. This is, until the point that Zeke finally answered her question.

    "The idea just urred to me that, you guys may not be the good guys in this story." At these words uttered by Zeke, the goddess stopped at what she was doing. She then made a sigh and, shortly after, continued shaping the tip of another bow. She finished this one faster than the other, doing the finishing touches the same way she did when Zeke watched.

    "What makes you think that?" The goddess replied to Zeke.

    Zeke wanted to answer straight on. He wanted to tell the goddess about the summoning crystals and about all theints of a soul that just wants to break free. He wanted to tell her that, a thousand years is probably enough of a punishment and that, the monster should be allowed to go where it needs to be.

    This was all new to Zeke himself. Before meeting Heron, he wouldn''t have cared no matter how many monsters he killed. Now however, a mncholic smile haunted his head, showing the dragon as it repeated the same word over and over again.

    "Farewell."

    "Farewell."

    "Farewell."

    Zeke still heard it ringing in his ears. He heard it so loud that he began thinking how the dragon could''ve nted a spell on him. However, the moment felt so real and so did the experience e of moving through a slowed down dimension.

    "Zeke." The goddess started.

    "I don''t even understand what all this fuss is a out. As far as I''m concernment, you guys are doing apretty decent job in aplishing the task I set out for you." She continued, inspecting the new arrowhead which she just finished shaping.

    She then looked at Zeke with a stern expression. The goddess didn''t like being questioned about her methods. More so is this distasteful for her when a mere mortal asks her the question. However, Zeke is special and the goddess just wanted to let the event slide. If only Zeke would relent from the questions.

    "Look, you epted the at request. You could''ve denied my request and I would''ve been more than willing to bring you back to Elysium. Yet you''re here. You epted my invitation and, even this petty task that I had prepared." She said, staring at the mortal''s eyes. She then took another arrow from her quiver and continued performing the same activity.

    "Look Zekeyou are a special human. On the history of the deities, there has only been two which those three chose." Sylvia continued, referring to Nisha, Sinir, and Chrono.

    "The first one died hundreds of years ago while, the next one isstanding right in front of me." She added.

    "Then can you answer my questions?" The mortal said, wanting to get the dead dragon out of his head. This is also the safest route for him to take. With the goddess wanting to keep him alive, he''s sure that it would take something more beneficial than his death to make it change its minds.

    "Yeah sure but, under one condition. You know, knowledge between the gods is something confidential. Hence, I need to ask you of something of an equal caliber." The goddess Yeager said, finally finishing thest arrow for her quiver.

    "What is it?" Zeke asked.

    "You need to defeat the [Fifth Boss Spawn] all by yourself."

 Chapter 61: Update on the Continent

    Chapter 61: Update on the Continent

    Four days. That is the exact length of time which Zeke''s party has used within the realm of the goddess. At this span of time, a lot of things have already transpired. The creation of new weapons for the elves, the evolution of Sylvia, the upgrade of Zeke''s conjures and, the non-stopping rush of experience points and skill improvement.

    With this, one would think that they would be prepared for whatever they would face in the capital. However, Gallio didn''t sit idly on the throne like some kings. He continued moving, strengthening the military might of Elysium. And, this spells trouble for their return of Zeke and his p[arty members.

    The length of time which passed in Yaeger''s realm means that, a month already passed in Elysium. During this time, no servant of the Windsprite household has been held captive. There are three reasons for this. One is that, they are still hidden from the men of Gallio. This didn''t mean that Gallio''s troops are ipetent.

    In fact, they were actually able to find some of the savants. And this is the second reason why no captives are ever taken. The servants of the Windsprite household are actually trained in battle. This is a tradition created and maintained by the Windsprites, making it the only nobility to have elites as butlers and maids. Hence, upon encountering troops sent by Gallio, they''d fight their way out of the situation and go back into hiding. However, if they cannot win the fight, then there is another option which they took.

    The third reason why no captives have ever been taken is because, these servants would simply kill themselves on the spot if there is no chance of escape. These servants are also loyal followers. Even before Sylvia took headship of the house, the servants have always been loyal due to the kindness and care shown by the previous heads to those under them. Hence, they would always choose death over getting captured. Fearing that, the form of interrogation may take some information out of them.

    This rose Gallio''s anger of course. A month has already passed and yet, there is still no sign of any Windsprite. He feared that the sisters may have passed through to another continent. And, if this is the case, there is not much that he can do. In fact, he has already done much and, even more. In order to find Sylvia, Gallio used every means he could think of. Yet, not even a strand of hair nor any shadow of the Windsprite seem to be left in Elysium.

    "Aren''t you a clever human." de thought to himself as all of this went on. To him, Zeke is still a human who is shrouded in a lot of mysteries but, he couldn''t care less as long as interventions to Gallio''s ns are continually being made.

    However, there is no other setback aside from this. Within the month that passed, everyone in Elysium noticed the same change everywhere and, in a constant daily basis. That is, the heavy militarization of the continent. This came in a number of ways.

    The first among these is Gallio''s gathering of every able-bodied male within the continent. Be it human elf, or any other race that has slipped their way inside Elysium; Gallio took all the able-bodied male into the ranks of his army. Then, what came next is how he forced his soldiers to take a drop of Gallio''s blood mixed inside a strange red wine - colored drink.

    This turned all the soldiers into lesser [Blood] creatures. The drink forces an evolution into any creature who takes it. This, however, is not on the same level of Gallio''s own evolution. They are inferior beings and yet, they could feel a huge amount of power burning inside their body.

    Of course, the blood of Gallio in itself cannot cause this. The forced evolution is not an ability learned by Gallio but rather, something he developed through the hundreds of years he spent researching how to strengthen his own body. Furthermore, Gallio developed this form which he needed in order to execute therger scaled n of his.

    The drink also had other practical uses. One which Gallio used in order to raise his poprity with the masses. You see, the blood can also cure diseases and illnesses. Under normal circumstances, the drink would strengthen a person. However, if the person is not healthy, then the drink would work on destroying all the things that causes the abnormal state of the body. This turns the person back to normal, however, no further strengthening can be done.

    After making all the soldiers drink his blood, Gallio proceeded to presenting something which made the soldiers his loyal subjects.

    "This can only be drank once. Otherwise this will happen to you." Gallio said, taking out a noble who was forced to take the drink once. Gallio forced the liquid into the noble''s mouth.

    "What my form does is force your bodies into a kind of power spike. As such, this puts a lot of strain into your body even if you cannot feel it." Gallio continued as the noble began screaming in pain, getting more and more swollen.

    "With another cup of the same liquid, your muscles will start expanding beyond the normal amount. This will continue until" The noble popped like a balloon, leaving the entrails and other organs scattered around the area.

    "that happens to you." Gallio finished.

    Gallio then took another noble in front. The elf is tied to a wooden column, trying to say something but is hindered by the same rope which is tied to his mouth. Gallio then patted the head of the noble before snapping his fingers.

    "All of you have that same liquid running through your veins." He said, making some men scream at first. This ispletely understandable because, they aren''t all soldiers. Some of them are normal citizens who are forced into this situation. Nevertheless, Gallio snapped his fingers again, blowing up someone from the crowd.

    "I don''t like getting interrupted when I speak. Another scream and I''ll blow another person up." He said, silencing the crowd with some new recruits biting their lips.

    "Good." Hemented, continuing with his presentation.

    "I didn''t strengthen you without putting a preventive measure. For all I know, some of you might try to revolt against me and I can''t let that happen." Gallio continued, pacing about.

    "The drink has a toxin which is connected to me. By just thinking of it, I can blow all of you up. I don''t even need to snap my fingers actually, I just thought that it would add some effect for the presentation." He said, smiling menacingly.

    "Anyway, with that in your blood, I''m guessing you won''t kill me. After all, you''d all die if my heart stops beating." He finished.

    de watched the whole presentation. He himself was forced to drink Gallio''s blood. This is the reason why he was able to fight Erio head on even though the other elf was more experienced with both de andbat. What Gallio doesn''t not know hover is that, de already invented a cure to the toxin. Gallio does not know of this of course as his descendant made sure to keep every detail of this experiment a secret.

    Unfortunately, the soldiers doesn''t have that same cure. This trapped the soldiers in their situation. There is no escaping from Gallio''s clutches. After all, this elf nned everything for a really long time.

    Aside from the forced evolution of the military, Gallio also began taking monsters from various areas. The forest is already empty and, de exined that the Wood Scouts were able to wipe out every threat in the forest. This is a lie of course. de wanted to prevent any mention of Zeke as Gallio might ask where the human''s corpse has been dumped.

    The monsters are all bound by chains and immobilized in every way possible. With the number of strengthened soldiers which Gallio has, taking the monsters came in a breeze. Plus, this also served as the first form of training for most of his soldiers who came from non -bat professions. The public didn''t like this of course and thus, some people decided to raise their voices on the days that followed.

    This didn''t happen for long. With the strengthened military might of Gallio, he immediately dispatched his men to various towns within Elysium. An order given to these soldiers is to decapitate the heads of all those who oppose the government. No trial will be made, no listening to the voices of these individuals. Their heads roll on the ground where their bodiesy bloodied and, these heads are taken to the center of anymunityimpaled on a spear in order to show everyone what happens to those opposing Gallio.

    Hence, silence and obedience born of fear came. Nobody wanted to oppose Gallio anymore, no matter how unfair or unjust the treatment seemed to be. The soldiers themselves are the biggest victim to this fact, knowing tat their lives are literally one thought away from ending.

    Right after this, what came next is the focusing of all resources in military might. The economy focused on creating armors, weapons, and items which would be used for the war that ising. Everybody knew that this is the inevitable. With the pacing of Gallio, they knew that war ising soon.

    With this being done, everyone is provided the same amount off food rations to eat the whole day through. As such, the citizens have only enough to eat. This made the upper-ss citizensin while, the poorer ones escaped the grumbling of their stomachs. There is just enough for everyone. And, this actually made the lower ss citizens happy, knowing that those in the upper - ss are limited to the same treatment as they are.

    There are no festivities. No banquets. No vanity of any sort. Gallio ordered the creation of more military training and research facilities. Of course, there is not enough space in the capital to do this. Hence, he ordered the demolishing of all establishments that served the vanity of the people. Restaurants, fashion shops, prostitution areas, gambling houses, and everything else. The same men which he took from their families were tasked to aplish this in three days.

    Gallio gave this order in order to improve the physique of his men even further. After the monster hunt, he needed to make sure that they still continued being on the move. Hence, he gave this with not much time being given for them toplete it. This ensured that the soldiers will not have any rest until the sun falls each and every day.

    The days came with the loud sound of rocks falling down and wooden nks breaking. There is the sound of shattering ss and, wheels of carriages continually going on the move. Men continued hammering down the walls, digging out the rubble, and doing every other work required of them. These same men would be given more than the rations provided to every other citizen.

    Gallio continued providing them with monster meat as their stable food. Using another ancient trick which he learned, Gallio was able to transform inedible meat into something which can be eaten by everyone. The greater reason for this act is because, monster meat provides more nutrients than normal meat. And, the torn muscles of these men which continued working the whole day through would have their muscles repaired thicker than ever.

    Hence, in the span of three days, Gallio was able to bulk up these men who continued finishing the task assigned to them. They had no choice after all. If they failed inpleting this, their family and loved ones will be killed by the king on the spot. As soon as they finished this, Gallio gave the next orders to them. That is, to build the training and research facilities required.

    Time is of the essence to the King. He wants to advance his ns as soon as he could because, the more time he wastes, the more preparations the other continents could perform. They aren''t even the main opponents which the King wishes to face. In fact, Gallio just needs enough force to have an upper hand once he deploys his men to all the continent because, as soon as he does this, he ns to go and do what he really intends. That is, to enter the Ruined City.

    As far as the King knows, he is the only one aware of the existence of the Ruined City. Records of the ce have been destroyed and, the ones who knew of its existence are long dead. However, the King does not want to take his chances because, as soon as he opens the gates that connects Mythos to the Ruined City, that same portal will appear on all four continents.

    This is the reason why he needs his army. This is the reason why he ced his blood on all his subjects which would go to war. He wants to enter the Ruined City alone and, he wants nobody else interfering with this n.

    The gates to that ce will open soon. While everyone is still fixed on the idea that Gallio is a war mongering barbarian; the King continued plotting how he can enter the only ce on Mythos which could turn him into a God.

    The list of things which he needs to aplish still goes on. There are also a lot of experiments that are still conducted up to the present date. And, assisting him in all of this is de. This leads us to the present date  one month passed.

    As all of this went on, de couldn''t help but think of hispanion. The human has not contacted him ever since the day they killed the General. It doesn''t help that he can''t even find any clue as to where Zeke is. Though he knows that Zeke cannot betray him. Although, he''d still rest easier upon getting updates from the human.

    "I hope you''re not thinking of just barging into the capital as you didst time. Things are different now. The soldiers are stronger than before and, we have creatures that are as hideous as the amount of strength they possess." de thought to himself. Noticing his bracelet change color; making the elf leave his room in a hurry.

    He entered a secret passage that leads deeper underground. Only he and Gallio knows of this area and, it is where most of the experiments take ce. The areas is also filled with traps, ensuring that nobody else benefits from the fruits of Gallio''s research.

    As soon as he arrived. de immediately saw the king who sat on what seems to be an operating table. Gallio is half naked and, on his arm are things which looked a lot like needles. Gallio sweated profusely indicating that he''s been working on the experiment for hours now.

    "That''s an early start." demented.

    "I don''t have time to waste." The king replied with a serious expression.

    "Hand me the me the next batch of needles." He continued, pointing de to the tray that sat on a table near his.

    de immediately did as he is told. The needles are actually the counterpart of syringes on earth. These are extracted from nts and, can store any liquid substance inside them. There is also no chance of spilling.

    One would squeeze the tail of the needle. Depending on the pressure applied, there could be a gush of liquid, a normal stream, or drops of liquiding out. Using Hark''s body, the king continued sticking these into his flesh.

    The needles contained various samples of monster DNA, liquified crystals, and liquids from other creatures. He has mixed these things in various ways ever since the day he lost his original body. That body of his which could only be described as a gift from the gods, was able to contain such a massive amount of raw power.

    He realized how inferior other bodies are as, they would always limit his abilities. Of course, this is also because he gets stronger with every host transfer. But, Gallio would like it if he could actually find a host which could take down all these limits.

    The closest to his ideals is this body of Hark. However, as it is a human body, there are certain limits and fragilities which cannot be avoided. Hence, he continued testing things out with it and, one of the few sesses which he achieved is the merging of the Erio''s genes with Hark''s

    At the moment, de couldn''t do anything to hinder Gallio''s advance. All he could do is to continue gaining the king''s trust as he handed Gallio another needle.

 Chapter 62: Level Spike

    Chapter 62: Level Spike

    "Defeat the fifth boss." Yaeger thought that these words would be enough to deter Zeke from asking any further questions. However, Zeke didn''t stop. On the contrary, this fueled him to go even further.

    He turned his back on the goddess immediately after she said these words. When Yaeger asked what Zeke is nning to do, the human answered with confidence: ''I''ll defeat any monster you throw at me." This made the goddess roar inughter,pletely forgetting the fact that, Zeke is nothing like the other humans which she has encountered.

    Within that same day, Zeke went back to the forest clearing out a decent number of monsters along the way. Zeke targeted the two areas left  those which still has [Boss Monsters] that are yet to spawn. Zeke summoned his Conjures, employing the same tactic which he used on the [Carnivorous Turtle].He ntedyers of [Poison Cloud] on his loyal spawns and, immediately ordering them to go within the areas designated. He then detonated the spell  beginning another monster massacre.

    "I''m sorry guys but, the training needs to be cut shorter." Zeke thought to himself as hepletely contradicted the original n.

    What was supposed to happen is a steady pacing of leveling and honing of skills. With Yeager''s challenge however, Zeke cannot afford to waste any time. After all, he does not even know if he can defeat the fifth boss in a single day. Hence, he ns to finish off the remaining bosses the following day, stopping with exactly one [E+] ranked monster on both areas to be killed before the bosses are summoned.

    "That should be enough." Zeke said to himself as a number of notifications came up.

    [You have reached level 70]

    This is the first thing which weed him. Zeke''s leveling capacity got even higher as he collected an artifact from Heron''s loot. The artifact''s name is, [Prodigy''s Bracelet]. The bracelet raises the amount of experience one can gain by 30%, making it possible for Zeke to reach the current level he is now at.

    With the levels adding up, Zeke invested a lot of attribute points into his [Intelligence Stat] and, finally decided to raise his [Mana Conversion] skill which did not rank up like the other skills did. As soon as he added points to the skill, [Mana Conversion] turned into [Mana Conversion II] which required 20 skill points inorder to rank up again.

    Zeke thought that, the amount of skill points needed for the upgrade is quite understandable. After all, the skill suddenly went from [F] rank to [D+] in just a single upgrade. Though this costed Zeke [15] skill points, the upgrade benefited him much as the percentage of conversion went up significantly.

    Aside from this, there are features added to the Gamer''s System which delighted Zeke so much.

    [Scope Function  The system will provide a scope function whenever the gamer uses a long-range weapon. This will cover a significant distance and, upgrades to this feature can be bought from the store; reaching until a [x32] scope range. The range however does not mean that the projectile fired will reach that length, it only means that, the distance which can be aimed from can get higher.]

    [Night Vision  The user of the system can see even in darker areas. As it is a night vision function, the gamer cannot see anything more than what Night Vision devises can offer.]

    These two came in handy for Zeke. With the added features, Zeke can now move to creating another weapon which may be used with his [Death''s Symphony]. This is a sniping weapon and, Zeke ns to make two variations of the said weapon. One is for pinpoint assassination, creating a bullet that is small, fast, urate and, capable of prating most, if not every object. The other is arge-scale weapon which could devastate arge number of opponents in a single instant.

    Apart from these, there are other features that Zeke benefitted from greatly.

    [Conjurer III]

    The upgrade to his job ss finally came. The first rank up happened as he reached level 60, with the patch giving him [Conjurer II]. And now that it reached the third stage, there are a lot of benefits which Zeke can now enjoy.

    [Information: The conjure cap is now raised to 500.]

    [Information: Hierarchy function has been enabled for the conjures. The gamer may ce the monsters in a hierarchy, permitting those whom he/she favors to lead the weaker ones. Various toons can also be added and, these groups may also be divided based on their function.]

    This is the thing which made Zeke all jittery. As soon as this notification came, his mind got flooded with new ideas. Those which were not possible at the base level of his skill.

    With the leveling up of the [Conjure], time will soone when Zeke no longer needs help from anyone. In short, he will deal with every situation himself, no matter how many opponents need to be faced or how strong these opponents are.

    He can make toons which focuses on support. toons on long range assassination through sniping and, close range assassination through stealth. He will also be able to make toons that focuses on tanking for the group while, there will be damage dealers of four categories. Melee, short range, mid-range, and long range.

    However, there is a limitation to the upgrade. Zeke didn''t mind this so much as he can easily find a way to get through it.

    [Additional Information: Monsters with the [Intelligence] attribute of [50] or lower will have a detrimental effect on leading. Mistakes wille although, making these conjures lead is not prohibited.]

    Aside from this, there is another information about the [Conjure] update. Unlike the previous information, this one is beneficial to Zeke and to his tactics.

    [Additional Information: Every toonmander will have an influencing aura on all their subordinates. Depending on what Conjure is used to lead, there will be different buffs to the group.]

    Then, there is another information which isn''t connected to the creation of the hierarchy.

    [Information: The master of the conjures may freely use the weapons of all the creatures he/she owns. This will give the master a conjured copy of whatever weapon this may be.]

    With all of this being stated, Zeke took great joy in learning that, the sess chance of raising a defeated opponent has also gone up significantly. In fact, he now has a [30%] chance to raise an [A+] ranked opponent. The percentage may be low but, he took delight in knowing that this used to be just [5%].

    "This would probably be enough for those bosses." Zeke thought to himself, finishing with his training for the night earlier than he excepted. Along the way, he also conjured a lot of [Dark Blooded Imps], merging them together to form an [Imperial Imp].

    This is how Zekepleted the fourth day in the realm of the goddess. He walked home instead of using another [Teleportation Portal]. He figured that, it would a nice change of pacing, enjoying the night sky on Yaeger''s realm which has an aurora nketing it for this specific time of the night.

    As he walked, Zeke thought of the interval between Yaeger''s realm and Mythos''. There are sure to be a lot of changes and, probably even more problems. But this is exactly the reason why he strengthened the elves which came with him. Aside from ensuring that they will not be dead weight once he fights Hark, Zeke also wanted to make sure that they could properly fend for themselves.

    After all, both Gallio and de are tricky creatures. Both have yed Zeke quite well and, frankly speaking, Zeke does not have a countermeasure for everything. Hence, the least he can do is to raise the chances of survival for the elves that came with him. Giving them experience points, battle tips and, stronger weapons.

    While it may be true that Gallio is also aplishing great progress in his ns, Zeke hasn''t exactly been cking off. Even with the elves which he is currently strengthening, Zeke continued finding ways to make himself stronger without having to necessarily raise his level.

    He was able to create a lot of weapons, even for himself. And, with the new functions., he has a chance of creating even stronger weapons before leaving the realm. If he still has spare materials after creating his own weapons, Zeke will use the remaining materials in order to improve the weapons of the elves. As they are however, the weapons are already strong enough but, these can grow even stronger if the proper materialse from the next bosses which they would face.

    At this note, he stopped in ce, having an important detail rush to the top of his head. Just this day, after defeating the [Dragon Morpher], there was a massive amount of experience given to all the ves of Zeke. During that specific time, Zeke still hasn''t recovered the [200] conjures which was greatly cut down. Thus, the elves shared and evenrger amount of experience points among themselves. Adding to this is the [Carnivorous Turtle] which also handed out arge amount of experience points.

    "Don''t'' tell me." Zeke began, looking at the [Party] option and seeing the names of both Allesiah and Sylph blinking in another color. As soon as he did, the [Voice Chat] opened up, with Sebastian updating him on the things that are currently happening in the cabin. And Zeke knew what the male elf would say of course.

    Allesiah and Sylph. The two of them are now:

    "Evolving."

 Chapter 63: The Busy Gamer

    Chapter 63: The Busy Gamer

    "What''s the situation?" Zeke immediately said as he transported back to the cabin. Sebastian weed him, leading the human to the Goddesses'''' bedroom. Yaeger have, of course, began dealing with the current predicament

    As soon as Zeke entered the room, he saw Sylvia performing her part. The staff used by Sylvia can regte the flow of mana and absorb as much as it can. However, as there are now two elves instead of just one.

    Thus, Sylvia needed to do things manually as the staff would have great difficulty operating by itself on two sources of mana. Sylvia directed all of the mana and served as the connector between the evolution process and the flow of mana that harasses her sisters.

    "I won''t even ask if you can keep that up." Zeke remarked, seeing the female elf focusing as much as she can.

    With this, Zeke began performing another crafting. He cannot reproduce the same staff of course but, he can still create items that can store a lot t of mana. The process this time is much easier than when he needed to make the staff. And also, unlikest time, Zeke is not under time pressure. After all, Sylvia is already doing much on the part of regting the flow of mana.

    Hence, Zeke did everything as thoughtfully and thoroughly as he can. Making sure that he moves swiftly enough and, creating the best output with the time given to him. This time, Yaeger didn''t watch the operation and just waited outside.

    The room got even mor cramped than thest time as there are more people inside. And, Yaeger didn''t like having that many people on a small space. Hence, she decided to just go out and have some fresh air while Zeke did his thing.

    "Just a bit more." Zeke said, finishing one machine core-looking item. He then repeated the same process which produced there more items which looked simr. At this point, Zeke didn''t merge the items anymore and simply ced them inside the liquid  the same act he did with the staff during Sylvia''s evolution.

    At this, the mana got calmer. This also helped Sylvia loosen up a little bit and, his time, she was able to talk with Zeke.

    "Is that how I evolved?" Sylvia asked, seeing her sisters fully immersed in a strange liquid. The cores are with them and, around these cores are spiraling mana.

    "Yup. Although your evolution took more effort out of me." Zeke replied, exining the whole process to Sylvia. He remembered that they haven''t gotten the chance to talk right after she finished evolution. Zeke wanted to ask the specifics of the evolution and, if that same operation could be avable for him.

    Of course, Zeke is aware that the [Gamer''s System] may prevent this. However, he also knows that the system would provide an alternate option if the evolution is not possible. With that in mind, Zeke continued asking Sylvia as, thest recorded evolution of any elf was along time ago. A really really long time ago.

    "At first it felt painful. It was like my body continually got burnt by fire from the inside. I kept squirming  trying to fight through the pain but this just made things even more painful. I couldn''t even open my eyes anymore and, couldn''t even process what you guys were talking about even though I was conscious during the earlier parts of my evolution process." Sylvia said, still concentrating on the task of aiding her sisters who have shared the same fate.

    "It felt like mana would burst from my body any moment. It felt like I was continually getting poured with power, so much so that it almost drove me crazy. But then, all of this became a lot more bearable for some reason." Sylvia remarked.

    "And the goddess Yaeger have already told me the reason for this. So, although this is already a bitte, I want to thank you Zeke. Thank you for all the support and guidance you have provided. I''m sure that, if you weren''t with us, I wouldn''t be able to evolve and, even if I did undergo the process, I would''ve had a higher chance of dying without the same environment you provided.

    "It''s no big deal." Zeke replied, brushing off thements as he is not a big fan of ttery. He just did what he wanted, not because these were ordered of him but because, these things benefited him. And If they didn''t  these acts would at least entertain him. The same, of course, is true with the evolution of Sylvia.

    Zeke felt the challenge of needing to make Sylvia evolve safely. With this is the problem of economizing. This requires the thinking of the possiblebination of materials in order to create the desired item. Hence, Zeke enjoyed the process having very little care of the Sylvia''s operation in itself. This didn''t mean that he is detached from the act however. He just doesn''t like the thought of doing things for other people because he cared for them.

    Zeke doesn''t want to get attached. As far as he is concerned, this will only bring him trouble and, hinder him from his goals.

    "I can have as many acquaintances as possible but, I can''t have myself caring about anyone too much." Zeke though to himself, knowing how dangerous things would be if there are actual creatures that he cared about.

    After all, in al the games that he yed, it is always because of care, concern, and undoubting trust that leads characters into dangerous situations. Zeke also experienced this firsthand when de used a skill to make him sleep back in the town.

    Hence, even with all the appreciation which Sylvia shows, Zeke still remained indifferent. He also continued asking more questions  with the evolved female sorceress answering as concretely as she can.

    "So you felt the changes as soon as you regained consciousness am I right?" Zeke rified.

    "Yes. As I woke up, there are already a bunch of spells that came into my head. It was as if I''ve studied them all along and, only forgot to use them. As you saw in that fight, I actually made use of one of the spells." Sylvia answered, referring to the skill [Force].

    This skill can both push things away from the caster or, pull things closer. It cannot, however, be used in such a way that the caster can freely move things at any direction. This information is also imprinted into the evolved Sylvia, making use of both functions. The push function was used to pin down the dragon while, the pull function was used in order to create the giant boulder.

    Aside from this, Sylvia also exined that force could be used as a sort of protective barrier. Zeke also saw this in action twice. The first one being, when Sylvia dodged the sword slice of Heron while, the second instance is when the lighting dragons got redirected aftering close to her.

    With all this information, Zeke finally finished interviewing Sylvia and, continued to other matters which are of importance.

    "You can''t help out in clearing as things stand am I right?" Zeke asked, thinking how Sylvia needs to stay in order to continue aiding her sisters. Of course, she could just leave the staff but, nobody knows what catastrophe that may bring with two evolutions going under way.

    And even if she coulde to the boss fight the next day, the sorceress would basically be weaponless. This meant that she would be of not much use to Zeke who needs to utilize everyone thates with him for the boss hunt.

    "Yes, sadly that is the current state of things an I apologize for not being of much help." Sylvia replied.

    "No. It''s fine Miss Sylvia. Don''t apologize. This isn''t your fault and, we all knew that the evolutions woulde sooner orter. Though I would''ve loved it if the evolution waited for us to finish all the four bosses first." Zeke replied.

    "I''m really d that you''ve aided us this far Zeke. Without youthings may have turned for the worst." Sylvia replied and to this, Zeke didn''t make any remarks orments.

    "It''s fine no need to thank me." Was Zeke''s only reply as he got up and went for the door

    "I''ll be sleeping then." He continued, knowing that he already spent a lot of time in making those four orbs. Sylvia simply nodded at the information given by Zeke as the human went out of the room.

    As he did, Zeke thought of a, lot of things. First is the fact that, there are two monsters which he needs to face when the sun rises the next day. The second is that, he cannot bring anyone with him.

    As it stands, Harun and Sebastian by themselves will not be any help to Zeke. Thus, even if they are able to help, he will not make theme with him.

    Another problem is that, he still doesn''t have enough materials in order to craft the other weapons which would be of great use for the uing fights. After all, thest fight has taught him that, the monsters can have different things maxed out. And, if his enemies are as tricky as Heron then, he''d be in trouble.

    As he thought of all these things, Zeke reached the front of his room. He smiled, thinking how the train of thought got him so immersed that he almost bumped into it.

    "I guess I''ll just have to find a way out." Was Zeke''s remark to the uing fight as he entered his room.

 Chapter 64: Timed Movement

    Chapter 64: Timed Movement

    [2:00 am]

    Zeke began the fifth day on Yaeger''s realm early. He woke up before everyone did. He looked at the time on the [Gamer''s System] and saw that it''s still 2:00 in the morning. He slowly adjusted his eyes to the light and, made a few stretched of his muscles before getting up.

    "This is going to be one busy day." He thought to himself, getting a [Portal Scroll] and proceeding immediately to the forest.

    The whole area is still dark. There is not much that Zeke can see with his human eyes. But this is not a problem anymore as he has the [Night Vision] function which came from the [System Update]. Zeke could see the monsters, the terrain, and everything else clearly. Giving him an upper hand against other monsters who do not have something simr to this function.

    However, Zeke does not n to go on another monster killing spree. His target is rather specific this time and, the unlucky pick are the sturdy [Earth Golems]. This area is already cleared with Heroning as the boss monster in the area. Zeke does not intend to raise the creature again as there isn''t enough time for that. What Zeke intends is to collect as many [Earth Golem Cores] as he can.

    "Conjure." Zeke raised his trusted summons and, with this, he began grinding for materials.

    [4:00 am]

    "One hundred all in all." Zeke said to himself as he finished getting the cores he needed.

    The [Winged Monkeys] helped greatly in t Zeke''s goal. After all, they are his nimblest and fastest units. Adding to the fact that they can just stay in the air, far away from the reach of the golems.

    With every [Earth Golem] that dies, the [Winged Monkeys] will swoop down to gather the materials left. The other conjures of Zeke helps in making sure that, the [Winged Monkeys] do not get harmed in the process. Zeke himself did his part and continued shooting at the [Earth Golems].

    The [Earth Golem Core] is amon item as all golems would have one automatically. After all, the core serves as the heart of the [Earth Golems] pumping the mana needed by the creature.

    "It''s still a bit early so I''ve got time to do other stuff." He added, going through the areas where the next monsters wille out. He nted many [Detonations] on both areas, filling them with the usual [Poison Cloud]. Zeke made sure that there are enoughyers of this to both cover arge area and to make a significant damage.

    "All right. I think that''s all for now." He said, seeing the morning sun begin to rise. With all the sweat and dirt that built up, Zeke wanted to take a bath and eat before continuing on with the tiring day ahead.

    At this, Zeke took out a [Teleportation Scroll], immediately heading back to the Cabin.

    [6:00 am]

    "You''re up early." Yaeger remarked as he saw Zekeing back from the forest. The human is drenched in sweat and has dirt sticking to his clothes. Zeke didn''t even bother fixing his bed hair as all he needed to face are monsters.

    "Yeah well, I''ve got a big day ahead." He replied, passing by the goddess and entering trough the front door.

    Yaeger smiled at the human. She knows that Zeke is making a lot of ns again. She''s also excited about the oue of the uing fight between Zeke and the final monster which the mortals would face in her realm.

    "Don''t die on me." She thought, thinking of Zeke as she nced at the sky.

    Inside the cabin, Zeke saw Keith performing a sword stance. The small half-elf bent his knees in a solid posture. Then, his hand is ced to the side of his waist where a sword should be. Keith doesn''t have any real sword of course as he is too young to wield one. However, Hark has given the boy some secret training sessions, permitting the child to hold a sword whenever Sylvia was not around.

    Zeke didn''t have any formal training in swordsmanship. Neither does he n to use one as his primary weapon. After all, Zeke believes that a sword is too limited in the functions it can perform. Yet, he admired the little boy as he saw Keith make a shing motion.

    "He must''ve learned that from Gallio." Zeke though to himself, removing the idea of Hark still existing altogether. Whatever happens, even if by some sort of miracle Harkes out during the fight; Zeke has steeled himself to killing the person. This is the only option he has because, he can''t take any chances.

    This left a bitter taste to Zeke. He feels guilty even though he hasn''t performed the act yet. He has continued lying to Sylvia and Keith after all, giving them the false hope of Harking back to them.

    Zeke clenched his fist and avoided the child; immediately going inside his room. He proceeded to picking up a new set of clothes and going to the bath inside the forest. He used a [Portal Scroll] again, knowing that there are a bunch of things which he still needs to do.

    [6:20 am]

    "Right then." Zeke said, summoning Cull and Lupus. He gave both the order to guard him as he takes a bath because, Zeke ns to get a bit of a shut eye as he dips into the warm water.

    This function would not have been possible earlier on. But, with the level spike of Zeke, [Conjure III] gave the option of retaining [Commander] units even if the owner loses consciousness. Zeke would''ve preferred if this included all his conjures but, that would probably be something added on the next patches.

    "Ahh that feels heavenly." Zeke said out loud, enjoying the water that began rxing his muscles. During the past days, Zeke felt a rejuvenating effect that is added to the hot spring. Although there is no mention of this through his [Analysis] skill, he still felt it working through his body.

    Soon after, he fell to sleep. As soon as he did, Zeke began crafting the new item he needed for the uing fight. With the current state of things, Zeke cannot hope to beat two boss monsters without being properly prepared.

    With a hundred [Earth Golem Cores] being avable, Zeke knew that there is a high chance of sess to the crafting he will perform. And, the goal for this time is to create a weapon that has the same destructive power as a nuclear bomb.

    [Crafting seeded!]

    [Crafting failed.]

    [Crafting seeded!]

    [Crafting seeded!]

    [Crafting seeded!]

    [Crafting failed.]

    [Crafting seeded!]

    As Zeke went on with the crafting, the grade of materials made also continued going up. As such, the percentage of sessfully crafting a material goes down every time an item is crafted of higher rarity and value. However, with the [Lucky Gambler] skill in effect, the percentage is raised by a considerable amount. This made it easier for Zeke to breeze past the initial crafts.

    [Refined Mana Core has been created!]

    Zeke was able to create four of these without much difficulty. There were failures of course. But then, Zeke still has a lot which he can use. Zeke then advanced from this point, trying to create a core of a higher rank.

    [Crafting failed.]

    [Crafting seeded!]

    [Crystal Mana Core has been created!]

    [Item Grade: B+]

    [Durability: 100/100]

    "That''s one down." Zeke said, not thinking about the wasted [Refined Mana Cores] that shattered when the first attempt failed. This left Zeke with exactly [50 Earth Golem Cores] left.

    Zeke continued performing the same crafting procedure. He made use of the fact that time moves slowly when he is in his subconscious state. And, as he woke up, two of the same items has already been made.

    "Luckily, I seeded in making that." Zeke said, holding on to the cores on his hands. He felt the water do its magic, loosening his stiffened muscles and, although he wanted to enjoy the bath a little while longer, time does not permit hi to do so. Thus, he got out of the bath, dried himself and wore the clean set of clothes which he brought, then teleported back to the cabin.

    [6:45 am]

    Sebastian and Harun were already preparing the table for breakfast when Zeke came. The two servants greeted Zeke who also bowed at them; a sort of greeting which is also used in Elysium.

    "What''s for breakfast?" He asked, getting near the table and wishing that his guess is wrong.

    "It''s scrambled eggs, sliced slug flesh and, noodles that were fighting back when I cooked them." Harun replied, allowing a sigh of relief to escape from Zeke''s lips. If there''s one thing that will ruin his appetite, it''s the cooked flesh of Heron the dragon.

    "Okay, just call me when everything is set." Zeke replied, going to his room and finishing the final part of the crafting process.

    He took out his twin pistols [Death''s Symphony]. As was mentioned, this weapon has already been tweaked once, removing the effect of harming the user and reducing the firing time to the speed of a pistol which is, as fast a you can pull the trigger.

    On the side of both weapons is a small circr spot that is left empty. Zeke designed this to be such because, this is where he will ce the cores he crafted. Unlike the previous crafting, this one has no chance of failure as, all that needs to be done is to ce the core into the gun  without any revisions to the model nor shaping of it to something else.

    Zeke already prepared the area  designing the metal that holds the gun together in such a way that, it will not blow up no matter how much mana you store into them.

    "Well, it''ll probably blow up if normal mana levels are exceeded." Zeke thought to himself, making the calction based on the amount of mana he has seen and experienced thus far. The strongest of which is Sylvia''s during the moment after her evolution.

    [Insert Core into the Weapon?]

    The system notification came up. Zeke answered ''Yes'' with nothing much to think about the choices. At this, the cores disappeared from his inventory and, his pistols glowed a light blue color and, before Zeke could even blinkthe next version of his pistols have been made.

    [Weapon Name: Death''s Symphony II]

    [Added Feature: The user can now store a skill into the bullets used. This requires the shells to be made from materials that are both empty and capable of storing mana. The user can also store mana and, use it to create stronger damage output.]

    [Warning: Since the cores used are of higher grade than the materials used in making the pistols, the weapon would break once the levels exceed the capacity of the pistol.]

    "Ahh I knew this would happen. Though I probably don''t need to exceed those levels." Zeke thought.

    At this, someone knocked on his door. Making him get up and proceed to eating breakfast.

    [7:45 am]

    Zeke did a bunch of things aside from eating breakfast. One was the discussion of the n for the day and, second is what needs to be done right after he finishes defeating the two bosses.

    The information given by Yaeger states that, thest opponent will be summoned as soon as all the four boss monsters have been defeated. As such, they need to be ready once that happens.

    Yaeger won''t help them out because, that''s part of the deal Zeke made with her. One which involves Zeke finding out more details about Heron and the Ruined City. This time, Zeke became stricter with the elves, telling them that he will confiscate their weapons once they disobey his orders.

    The servant elves made sounds of anguish as Zeke said this. They love their new weapons after all. So much so that they''d probably sell half of their remaining life just to keep them. As such, they nodded in agreement to Zeke, knowing that this is the only logical choice.

    "Okay, everything is set." Zeke said, proceeding to the middle of the forest. He then summoned Lupus and Erio with each monster going to a different part of the forest  finding thest monster required to summon the boss.

    This didn''t take long and, Zeke gave the order to kill the monsters immediately  amand which both Lupus and Erio obeyed.

    "Detonate." Zeke began, covering half of the forest in [Poison Cloud] and killing off the remaining monsters within both areas.

    "Conjure." He continued, summoning all his monsters and, positioning them at strategically nned spots.

    "Conjure." He added, sessfully reanimating a lot of monsters that died due to the [Poison Cloud] and, with all this happening, the summoning crystals finally glowed red.

    Zeke wore a smile on his face as he saw the beacons of light rise to the sky as he said:

    "Let''s get this going."

 Chapter 65: The Cunning Gamer

    Chapter 65: The Cunning Gamer

    [Name: None]

    [ssification: Golem]

    [Specification: Steel Golem]

    [Rank: D+]

    [Information: This creature is made up of sturdy materials which makes movement difficult for the creature. Thisck is greatly outweighed by the amount of defensive capability which the creature holds. Aside from its health, the monster has an outeryer which can deflect most attacks instead of just absorbing or taking them in them. Hence, it makes the [Steel Golem] impervious to a lot of head - on assaults.]

    [Information: Though the core is the most vulnerable part of the creature; this same item is hidden within the deepestyers of its armor. Hence, the weakness cannot be treated much as one since it is nearly impossible to reach it through normal means.]

    [Information: The monster can use only two skills. The first is [Ultimate Defender] which raises the defensive capabilities of the monster by twice the amount. With this skill, any attack that is within the scale of causing it damage, would only leave dents once the skill is activated. The other skill of the monster is [Ground Shatter] which creates an earthquake that selectively opens up the ground on areas where any hostility is located. The same skill can close up the opened cracks on the ground, trapping any opponent and crushing them to their deaths.]

    [Information: Although having a powerful dual skill, the creature does not have any other skill to back these up. Hence, its rank is only a [D+] although it could go higher if it had two more skills up on its arsenal.]

    "This is bad." Zeke said to himself as he viewed the monster from a distance. The [Steel Golem] is asrge as the [Carnivorous Turtle] and yet, it seemed to be muchrger with the set of skills and attributes it has.

    Zeke can see the monster''s information clearly. With the leveling up, various operations of the [Gamer''s System] also gained some patches and updates. However, none has taken any nerfing so far which made Zeke a bit worried. After all, a game always has debuffs especially on areas where yers deem it to be necessary.

    Zeke got this out of his mind as quickly as the thought rose. He hasrger problems to worry about after all. And, this isn''t in the figurative sense.

    With his upgraded [Analysis] Zeke can see more details about the monsters and, even the information on their skills. The same system function cannot work on higher level beings however  only disying the names and levels of these creatures. Also, the [Analysis] skill has a weakness against cloaking spells, those which can hide a person''s identity and specifics.

    However, at that moment, he could see the [Steel Golem''s] attributes and skills quite clearly. The monster walked through the poison, receiving an almost unnoticeable amount of damage from Zeke''s most trusted spell.

    Aside from this, all the monsters Zeke sent only got captured in the monster''s skill. Every conjured being thates attacking it would eventually fall for the [Ground Shatter] as the skill would create more and more areas for the golem''s enemies to fall off to.

    Zeke even tried hitting it with [Death''s Symphony Mk.II] yet, even his otherworldly weapon only created a small crack to the monster''s defenses. As soon as he tried firing again, the [Steel Golem] simply used its [Ultimate Defender] skill, making Zeke''s bullets seem like pebbles hittinga wall of bricks.

    "Okay change of ns, I need to see what the other opponent is capable of." Zeke told himself, using the [Teleportation Scroll] to transport immediately to where the next opponent is located.

    [Name: None]

    [ssification: Snake]

    [Specification: Corrosive Viper]

    [Rank: D+]

    [Information: These creatures prolong their lives by devouring other creatures and consuming their life essence. The longer these creatures live, the longer and bigger they also get. With this, they also grow stronger, gaining an increase in their attributes the longer they stay alive.]

    [Information: These creatures aren''t physically strong. They rely on their speed in order to fight and, tangle their opponents using their bodies. They have deadly fangs that contain a [Corrosion] which is thought to be one of the deadliest in the whole of Mythos.]

    [Information: Depending on the number of creatures which the monster kills, it will be able to drop out better materials once defeated. However, this will also cause its growth. This forces its opponents to kill it off. Not minding the absence of the reward which may jeopardize their lives if they choose to let the monster grow any stronger.]

    [Information: The amount of corrosion which the creatures can use is on the level of melting most sturdy materials. This makes them even more dangerous as they can easily pass through the vanguards of any opponent.]

    A different feeling rose as Zeke saw the enemy viciously devouring all his summons. The poison is working its way to the creature unlike the [Steel Golem]. However, there is something troublesome with this monster as well.

    The [Corrosive Viper] shocked Zeke with how fast it killed off the conjures. Right then and there, Zeke knew that, he''d run out of [Mana Potions] before he could take out the monster. If he relied on his conjures to face it, the onught will only continue and, although the reward also tempted Zeke, he knew that allowing the monster to grow any stronger is not an option.

    Zeke tried shooting at the monster but, his bullets only caused the monster to grow even more ferocious and, as it ate more of Zeke''s conjures, its health went back to full. This meant that, the conjures aren''t much of an option and, if Zeke chooses to drag the fight using his poison, the creature may just escape to safety.

    "I''m in a tough pickle right now." Zeke thought to himself, thinking of the two monsters which are theplete opposite of one another. One focuses on its force while, the other focuses on its defense.

    But, just as disaster stroke, an idea came to Zeke. One which he wanted to risk things on at the moment, knowing that it has a high possibility of working out. At this, he went down from the trees, positioning himself to where the [Corrosive Viper] could see him. He smirked at the creature as he shot it in the eye.

    This caused the monster to give Zeke its whole and undivided attention. Chasing down the human who used a [Teleportation Scroll].

    The [Corrosive Viper] immediately looked around, searching for the prey which magically vanished. And then, it received another bullet to the body, making the creature hiss in pain as it saw Zeke on a far away area.

    The [Corrosive Viper] slithered its way to where he is, dodging the next set of bullets as it quickly made its way to him. But just as it opened jaws for the strike, Zeke disappeared again, using another [Teleportation Scroll] which made the [Corrosive Viper] bite on a tree that immediately melted due to the [Corrosion Effect].

    "I definitely don''t want getting hit by that." Zeke said as he saw what happened to the helpless tree. He then continued firing at the monster which chase him down, getting more and more furious as the chase continued.

    Zeke doesn''t'' n on using this mechanic to kite the monster until it gets killed. Rather, he''ll use the same mechanic for another function  one that is simr to the kiting system in some games.

    Kiting is mechanic used by ranged and nimble characters. This tactic is only possible if one is sure that their character can continually get out of range from a hand to hand melee with a usually stronger opponent. And this is to secure one of either two goals.

    The first possible goal of kitting is to drain an opponent''s health points in a safe manner. Moving away from the opponent as the character deals damage ensures a kill without much of a threat. No matter how strong a melee character is, if it can''t get a hold of a ranged kiting character, then it would only result in the death of this unfortunate yer.

    Zeke cannot employ this tactic as, the continuous use of [Teleportation Scroll] would use up all his [Gamer Coins] and, even at this, there is a high chance that the [Corrosive Viper] would just run away once its health goes down to a critical level.Zeke cannot risk this possibility which led him to using the same mechanic for its second function.

    Kiting, though poprly used to kill off a strong melee opponent, may also be used for a strategic trapping or luring of an enemy. And this is what Zeke is currently employing. With the amount of [Teleportation Scrolls] that he is making use of, Zeke lured the [Corrosive Viper] slowly within the terrain of the [Steel Golem].

    He has never seen monsters attack each other within the forest. But he has seen a boss monster kill off smaller and weaker opponents. Meaning, if the [Corrosive Viper] suddenly goes within the range of the [Steel Golem], there is a high possibility that the [Corrosive Viper] will get stuck on one of the [Steel Golem''s] attacks. With this, the monsters will need to deal with each other and, Zeke will be able to be in the middle of this fight, angering both creatures to the point that they contrinually damage each other.

    "Come on then, keep chasing me down you idiot." Zeke said, firing another bullet at the [Corrosive Viper] which has noticed him appearing once again. This time, Zeke didn''t use another Teleportation Scroll. Rather, he used his conjures to dy the movement of the angered viper. This allowed the creature to restore its health as the monster continued eating through the wave of Zeke''s summons.

    This is also part of his n. The [Corrosive Viper] will be too busy eating through the conjures to realize where it is heading and, this assumption is as good as a scientific fact because, without the creature even noticing, part of its body fell into arge crack in the earth made by the [Steel Golem].

    Perfect." Zeke said, taking down all his conjures and letting the two monsters meet each other''s gazes.

    The [Steel Golem] seem to be indifferent to the new creature''s presence but, the [Corrosive Viper] which has been continually angered by Zeke wanted to throw its frustration at any creature it sees and, fortunately for Zeke, it has now set its eyes on the [Steel Golem].

    The [Corrosive Viper] hissed as part of its body went underground. Soon after, arge part of its tail section came out to where the [Steel Golem] is. The monster could not react to the swift creature as its movements are too sluggish. This cause the golem to get wrapped.

    However, it continued fighting back, using both its offensive and defensive skill. The ground where part of the [Corrosive Viper''s] body is located suddenly got tighter  crushing the monster inside and, making it pull back its tail immediately. The viper proceeded to slithering its whole body out of harm''s way.

    At this point, Zeke didn''t even need to intervene. Within an area surrounded by his [Poison Cloud] the two bosses are about to kill each other off.

 Chapter 66: Hitting Two Monsters With One Strike

    Chapter 66: Hitting Two Monsters With One Strike

    Zeke watched the fight unfold from a safe distance. The [Corrosive Viper] continued moving around, avoiding every break in the ground created by the [Steel Golem]. The viper then continues to using a bunch of skills which dealt some damage to the golem.

    One is [Tail de] which turned the tail of the [Corrosive Viper] into a sharp and hard object. With this, it continued shing at the [Steel Golem], targeting only a single spot ion order to deepen the cut which only started out as a scratch.

    Zeke understood immediately that the monster is bad news. It quickly adapts to its enemy and develops a way in order to deal with the situation. This means that, the [Corrosive Viper] has a decent amount of battle sense. This does not directly trante to intelligence because, the [Corrosive Viper] fell for Zeke''s trick after all.

    Although, it was in an angered and irritated state during that time. This would exin why he was able to fool the [Corrosive Viper] which showed a promising performance during the fight. But then again, its opponent is not falling short on creating countermeasures.

    The [Steel Golem] noticed the cut being gradually made. Hence, it began using [Earth Shatter] on the areas where the [Corrosive Viper] made its attacks. The viper slithered its way around the cracks which continued increasing in a steady pace. This limited its movements more and more as the breaks in the ground continued increasing. Then, after a few minutes of dodging and attacking, it inevitably got a part of its body fall to the [Steel Golem''s] attack.

    The [Steel Golem] didn''t miss this chance and tried to squeeze [Corrosive Viper] in. Thetter monster hissed in pain but, immediately got out of its predicament by spitting [Corrosion] on the part where its body got stuck, creating more free space which allowed it to get out move to a safer location.

    "So corrosion will not work on its own body. That means the information given by Analysis is urate." Zeke thought to himself, observing how the vile liquid didn''t deal any damage to the [Corrosive Viper''s] skin.

    The fight then continued. However, while the [Corrosive Viper] did a bunch of attacks, there seemed to be little to no damage done to the [Steel Golem]. However, Zeke knew that there is a greater n to the continuous attacks of the [Corrosive Viper]. And, as this creature dodged another [Earth Shatter], he finally had his guess proved.

    The [Corrosive Viper] secreted its venom on the area where arge cut has been made. The [Steel Golem] didn''t scream in pain like a normal monster. But Zeke saw the attack dealing its damage, causing the health of the [Steel Golem] to finally start decreasing in a considerable amount. It then began being more aggressive with its [Earth Shatter]  cing the [Corrosive Venom in a difficult predicament as it continued trying to avoid the breaks on the ground which increased more and more.

    As the area of movement for the [Corrosive Viper] decreased more and more, Zeke knew that it would have no choiceter on. The viper needs to coil itself to the [Steel Golem] and fight in a melee. Otherwise, it''ll just get trapped in the increasing number of traps created by [Earth Shatter].

    "Do I need to kill you guys by myself?" Zeke thought to himself knowing that there is a chance for him to resummons them as his conjures if he kills them off himself.

    "Let''s just wait and see for now." He continued, thinking of his current arsenal and what means he could employ in order to push though with this n.

    Zeke knows that the fight is not a fool proof n to defeat both monsters. If the [Corrosive Viper] escapes, the [Steel Golem] would not be able to catch up to it and, at that point, Zeke needs to deal the finishing blow to the monster. However, that much is difficult as he could barely deal any damage to the [Steel Golem] once it activates its [Ultimate Defender] skill.

    Zeke left the thought hanging for the moment as he continued observing the battle. Things continued with the [Corrosive Viper] finally being able to constrict its opponent.

    However, it could not squeeze the [Steel Golem] as this creature is too tough and sturdy. The viper then bit on a part of the [Steel Golem''s] armor, digging its fangs deep within its opponent. Zeke saw the damage slowly being dealt. The [Steel Golem] didn''t allow itself to be beaten by such a pathetic attack. It started stretching its arms outward, tearing the body of the viper which did its best to keep the constriction in ce.

    The [Corrosive Viper] secreted more [Corrosion], adding even more damage to weaken its opponent. As it stands, both monsters didn''t let up. and, Zeke had an ideaing out from viewing these two monsters in their current dilemma.

    He used a [Teleportation Scroll] and got even farther away from the fight. Then, he brought out [Death''s Symphony Mk. II] and began charging it with [Umbral sh]. He continued feeding the skill to the mana cores installed within his twin pistols  storing more and more damage which Zeke noticed as the weapon felt heavier every time he allowed it to consume more of the skill.

    "Just stay in that position." Zeke said as the attack actually takes a lot of effort and time to create.

    The monsters continued battling each other. The [Corrosive Viper] moved its head around the [Steel Golem] trying to find a weak spot. Yet all that met it are the hard and sturdy parts of its opponent. Both creatures fought with an equal amount of force  pressuring each other to be on alert and look for an opening to strike.

    As they did, the [Corrosive Viper] finally felt the presence of Zeke, or rather, therge amount of mana building up in a single direction. Zeke saw the [Corrosive Viper] looking at his direction.

    "Crap, That''s not good." He said, thinking that he is actually on a far enough distance for the monsters not to notice him. After all, he is using the [x32] scope of the system which means that, he should''ve been too far to be noticed.

    The [Corrosive Viper] immediately tried to break away from the [Steel Golem]. This made Zeke worry for a second but then, the [Steel Golem] is able to hold on to a part of its opponent locking it in a spot and pressing its body down on the ground.

    "That was close." Zeke said as his pistols began getting cracks all over.

    He remembered the warning given by the system as soon as he finished creating the weapon. ''Upon generating more than what it can handle, the pistols will break.'' And Zeke clearly remembers this. However, the situation requires him to go beyond the limits as, he has only one shot at defeating both monsters.,

    His weapon will break after he fires the charged attack. Furthermore, if he attacks with anything less, the monsters will just be wary of his presence  making the situation less favorable for him.

    With how things flowed, Zeke knew that this attack is his only chance of finishing the fight in the fastest and simplest way possible. After all, he still needs to prepare for the fifth boss which is supposed to be on a whole other levelpared to the monsters which Zeke has already faced.

    With the fight that continued, the [Corrosive Viper] still tried to get away. And, it was able to do this with its slippery body. But then, it got stuck in one of the breaks in the ground created by the [Steel Golem]. In its panic to run to safety, it got a bit careless, trapping it in its current predicament.

    Unlike it, the [Steel Golem] does not feel the presence of Zeke. As mentioned, the monster is simple to the point that, itcks a lot of functions with only its defense and AoE attack being avable. This benefitted Zeke who has an unmoving chunk of steel as one of his targets. While the other target is a squirming gigantic viper stuck on the ground.

    [Warning: The pistols will explode if even more mana ate stored in to it.]

    At this, Zeke knew that he is at the breaking point of his weapons. He then activated his [Scope] function. He aimed for an area where he could clearly hit both monster at the same time. The pistols are now covered by a ck static, with the same dark glowing out from the cracks in the weapon.

    Without missing a heartbeat, Zeke pulled both triggers. This sent him flying back and hitting a tree, which broke all the bones on his arms in the process. The attack itself appeared in a sh, an enormous dark beam with the same ck static covering it. The [Viper] couldn''t escape from the attack as the charged [Umbral sh] even covered the spaces where [Viper] could''ve moved to.

    This applied even more so to the sluggishly moving [Steel Golem]. The shot of Zeke devastated everything it grazed, digging through the ground where its passed and, destroying all the trees that stood on its way. Soon enough, the attack met its target and, devoured both monsters within the darkness of Zeke''s bullets.

    The human didn''t stop with his attack. Right as his arms recovered, he teleported to the scene and, just as he expected, the [Corrosive Viper] died to the strike. The [Steel Golem] is still alive however and, Zeke immediately act red based on the situation.

    Zeke''s guns are now both shattered. However, the cores are still fine. Although they could break at any moment. Zeke charged one of these with enough mana for it to explode and, on his other hand, Zeke summoned the de used by Erio. Gaining all the attributes thates with the [Blood Elf Swordsman''s] de.

    Zeke moved with haste, using [Quick Step] to dodge the [Earth Shatter] which the golem could still use. Then, he jumped up and swirled around on the air. Zeke hit a part that already cracked open due to his first strike and, with the de continually hitting it, the area crumbled even more showing the [Steel Golem''s] hollow inside with an item that glowed blue in the middle.

    He couldn''t fit in the hole and thus, decided to throw the damaged core inside, supplying it with onest burst of mana. This overcharged the core which immediately lead to its explosion. Zeke couldn''t'' get away from the st and, in an instant, a blinding sh of light covered the whole area. This destroyed the remains of the [Corrosive Viper] and shook the earth so much that, the servants waiting in the cabin worried about Zeke''s current state.

    The quake continued for a few more seconds and, dust covered the whole area, swirling around the center of the explosion. As soon as all of this settled, Zeke came out on top of a shattered [Steel Golem]. Holding the monster''s core in the palm of his hand.

 Chapter 67: The Fifth Week

    Chapter 67: The Fifth Week

    "How many does that make?" Gallio asked as he shed thest opponent in half.

    The king stood on top of a mound of monster corpses. These monsters are generated through the same technology that the Wood Scouts used in order to summon a hundred [Shadow Wolves] on the forest. This is an invention of Gallio, one which he has used mostly in order to continually sharpen his skills  fearing that theck of practice would make his movements in the battlefield dull.

    "That makes a two-thousand [Shadow Wolves] in total my lord. Adding to the two dragons which you also slew, there are a two-thousand and two monsters which you''ve defeated in the past hour." de reported, counting the number of summoning crystals used by Gallio for this exercise.

    The raw power of his ancestor never fails to amaze him. Yet, he didn''t like the existence of such an abnormal entity, one who could easily tip the bnce on the continents of mythos.

    "I think I''m getting a bit weaker de. Send in two more dragons and well be done for this morning." Gallio said, swinging his de while jumping up continually in order to keep his body warmed up.

    "As much as I want to follow that order my lord, you have a meeting with the war generals this morning and, punctuality is of utmost importance." de replied.

    He is the only one who could talk this casually to the king. After all, he has shown his unwavering loyalty to the Leonis household and, most especially to Gallio. This is also the reason why de is such a fearsome opponent. Even the king himself who has experienced beings tabbed inn the back by his most trustedrades could not see how de is plotting his demise.

    "Okay then, tell the soldiers to clean this mess up and deliver all the meat to the kitchen. The soldiers have a lot of beefing up to do before we go to war next week." The kingmanded, making de bow and continue on with hismand. Two female servants came after, aiding the king and leaving de on the practicing field.

    "Honestly, how does he even summon that much power." de said, breaking three summoning crystals which immediately released 300 [Shadow Wolves]. The monsters locked their eyes on the elf who stood in the middle of the bloodied corpses of their kind. The creatures knew instantly that he is their opponent.

    "Let''s have a go then." He said with a smile on his face, beginning the onught of the monsters.

    The whole field seemed to be covered by a ck mist as, the [Shadow Wolves] moved quickly, attacking in groups as they tried to corner and pin down de.

    Unfortunately for them, their opponent is nowhere near an easy prey. With each step that the wolves take, de also finds his way to close the gap between him and a single member of the pack. Using the weapons left by the dead General Erio, de seemed to dance through the battlefield, attacking and defending in a fluid motion.

    With each passing second is a [Shadow Wolf] corpse added to the number which has been in. This ddened de who had a lot of stress built up. The primary reason for this stress is none other than Zeke.

    "Why isn''t that human contacting me until now. What are you up to Zeke?" de jumped in the air, avoiding an attack from one of the [Shadow Wolves]. Another one tried to capitalize on this moment however, de simply jumped on top of this monster''s forehead and, proceeded to stabbing it near its jaws using the shorter de. He then chopped off the body in half using the longer de, needing not much effort in performing the sh.

    "War ising in a week and, he''ll definitely have a harder time once the King joins the campaigns." As de reached the ground, he bolted to the nearest wolf which tried to bite him. Unfortunately for the monster, de''s long sword is faster and, the weapon found its way within the mouth of the monster. de immediately took out his sword as two more wolves came rushing in.

    "Body Double." de said as the wolves grabbed on to his body using their fangs. More wolves pounced in, tearing de''s body into multiple pieces. Little did these creatures know that, what they are eating is nothing more than a copy of de''s body and, one which has a surprise inside it.

    The real de appeared at a blind spot, killing a single [Shadow Wolf] that was on that area.

    "Such dull creatures." de thought to himself as he snapped his fingers, causing his cloned body to explode. This destroyed a lot of the wolves and, made them search the area for whoever it is that cause the attack.

    de looked at the shadow which came from the window and, it told him that it is almost time for the meeting. Hence, he sped things up even more, raising his sword to the sky.

    "This may just be an imitation but, it''s enough to kill you all." de told the monsters which finally noticed him.

    "Imitation Spell: Rain of the Thunder Dragons." At this, lighting bolts fired from the top of the room.

    Normally, this would cause an earthquake and make a loud and disturbing sound under. However, de has already made sure to conceal his activity as he enveloped the whole room in a cloaking spell which contained everything that transpired, absorbing both noise and vibrations within the spell.

    He watched the scene, thinking how useful his imitation skill is. This attribute of his not only allows him to copy skills but also, make revisions on it as long as de knew the principles behind the spells. Then, de finally went for the door, brushing then single spec of dust that stuck to his clothes as he fought with 300 Shadow Wolves.

    "To think that the king fought all those with one arm tied behind his back and, not suing any skills. Honestly, that elf is not mortal anymore." de thought to himself, proceeding to the war room where he expects the generals to already be at.

    The days have felt longer for the citizens of Elysium. With how busy the military activities are, there isn''t a time for the citizens to have any decent sleep nor enjoy any rxing or pleasing activity.

    Wherever one looks, a citizen is bound to smell the pile of corpses that is about to rise. They could smell the fear of the soldiers, mixed with the excitement of those who wanted to test their new found strength against the other races.

    Nobody can stop this anymore. Whether they like it or not. Whether the war is distasteful or not. Nobody can stop King Gallio from proceeding with his ns.

    "Give me a status on the training of our soldiers." Gallio began as all the generals have already been gathered.

    "As of the moment, we have properly categorized the soldiers within our ranks. There are long range, heavy artillery, assault, defenders, cavalry, sorcerers, and a decent number of elites per group. We have also divided the number of elves equally in order to fight all three continents at the same time." A long-bearded general said.

    Gallio knew that, by starting a war, he would also break the thousand-year peace treaty which has been established in Mythos. Thus, he needs to have enough forces to fight all of them and, at equal terms.

    "What about the monsters?" Gallio continued.

    "At the moment, we are still charging a hundred crystals my King. We''ve already used as many corpses as we could but, we stillck the amount of flesh to be sucked up by the crystals." A spectacled general replied.

    "That''s a shame. If only they monsters within the forest were still alive, we''d have enough for those." Gallio said regretfully. He then proceeded to hismand.

    "Get all the useless citizens. Kill them and offer their life to charge the remaining crystals." Gallio finished, making themand with indifference in his eyes.

    The elves in the room did not fear this order. After all, King Gallio has promised to spare all their loved ones and every member of their household if they do as hemands. Everyone within the war meeting is from a distinguished household  holding a decent amount of power and resources within their grasps.

    By threatening these individuals, Gallio ensured that he could make use of all their resources while also not needing to manage them directly. While he can continue changing hosts, he cannot be at two ce at once and, with the number of preparations which he needs to make, he requires the best men for the job.

    "Let''s move to the weapons and supply." Gallio stated, leading the group to look at the general who wore an eyepatch on his right eye. The general is not actually half blind, he just thinks that the eyepatch makes him look a bit badass.

    "All supplies have been secured and, all weapons have been handed to the soldiers. The porter teams are also ready and, have been well trained for their duty." The general said.

    "Good." Gallio began, satisfied with the reports of his generals and, proceeding to his main battle n.

    "As we have discussed, the troops will be divided into three. Each will be transported to a different continent within Mythos. We have already created the portals on each continent, ensuring that each ahs been ced within the capital." Gallio began.

    The transportation he speaks of is simr to Zeke''s [Transportation Scrolls]. However, these can transport a whole army at once and, to the locations specified by the crystals. Through Gallio''s links and connections, he was able to ce all the crystals within the areas that are most advantageous to his soldiers.

    This is the only way for them to win. With the shock that woulde from suddenly getting attacked, mobilization of a continent''s army would not be executed properly. At this, Gallio''s forces will already have an upper hand, securing the most powerfulnd within every continent.

    Gallio stood and faced the window just behind him. He saw the horizon before him, stretching endlessly. He wanted it all, he wanted to conquer everything and destroy all which stands in hiss way.

    "I''m done waiting. As soon as the next full moon rises, the whole of Mythos will bathe in the color of crimson."

 Chapter 68: A Strange Weapon

    Chapter 68: A Strange Weapon

    [1:00:00 left before the Fifth Boss Appears]

    This notification came as soon as Zeke came down from the [Steel Golem''s] corpse. He wasted no time and began collecting everything in sight. Zeke would''ve remained an nted more tarps for theing enemy. However, he knew that what he needs is to collect the rewards first as, these would be crucial.

    With two more questspleted, Zeke would gain [Skill Points] which he wouldter spend depending on what kind of monster he would face. Of course, part of this consideration would be the usefulness of these skills in the long run.

    "Gull, Erio, hold on to the quest materials for me." Zeke said as he sorted the newly acquired items. There are actually a lot, including blue tier and even two orange tier items. He then proceeded to taking out a [Transportation Scroll] which led him back to the cabin.

    "Tell me these are what I think they are." Yaeger began, seeing Zeke who just transported to the front of her home. Alongside Zeke are two conjures that held the items required to finish the four-part quest [A Favor for the Goddess of the Hunt].

    "Those are the me ores from the [Steel Golem]. I have zero clue as to how a creature like that could drop a loot like this but, hey I finished the quest right." Zeke said, presenting the first item which is a hundred pieces of ck shiny rocks.

    Zeke already viewed the information connected to this item as his [Analysis] automatically worked. This is what was disyed as soon as he picked up the item:

    [Item Name: Ignition Rocks]

    [Information: These rocks require the only a flicker of fire in order to begin heating up. Whoever it is that lights the ores can the control the amount of heat being released. In terms of cooking however, the stones can regte themselves to the optimal temperature depending on how the food is supposed to be cooked.]

    [Information: The rocks are consumable items which have fixed durability. Once this is used up, the rocks get destroyed immediately.]

    [Number of Uses Left: 10/10]

    Zeke thought how useful the item could be. Apart from its kitchen use, the rocks can be further crafted in order to make items that Zeke could make use of in future missions. The other quest reward is also something which Zeke could potentially benefit from.

    [Item Name: Venom of the Corrosive Viper]

    [Information: The venom of the corrosive viper, although deadly, can be diluted using different liquids. This will result to it having multiple effects. One of these being, the cleansing of monster meat into something edible. Another effect is corroding any dangerous substance that enters the body of anyone who drinks the mixture.]

    Again, Zeke kept some of this item for himself. After all, whenever he defeats a monster, another set of lootes off of the monsters. These are the ones provided by the [Gamer''s System] making thempletely separate from the items which monsters would already hand out.

    Although the mixture is not stated, Zeke has enough of the venom in order to try it out with different substances. And, other than this, Zeke knows that he may just be able to find a way in order to cerate a simr potion. This is by using different ingredients that does not require the [Corrosive Viper''s] venom.

    The goddess pped her hands as she marveled at the aplishment of Zeke. The human is both under leveled and, ultimately weaker than the boss monsters if attributes alone are looked at. And yet, Zeke was able to defeat all four monsters. Adding to this is the fact that, one boss monster got defeated each day. With the more shocking addition of having two more boss monsters defeated at the same time.

    "To think that you''ve only been on this world for a couple of months." Yaeger told herself, looking at the human that mocked all strength with his tactics and strategies.

    Sebastian and Harun were also there to witness the whole thing. Just like Yaeger, the two servants are shocked with the results. They know that Zeke is a capable and a very reliable person. However, they didn''t know that he would actually be capable of performing the feat he sought out to aplish.

    "Now you''ve really got my interest. Zeke deary, don''t die to the final boss okay? I''ll give you a bunch of rewards right after you finish that creature off." Yaeger said, holding on to the rocks and rubbing them on her cheeks. She then looked at the vials which contained the venom, shaking it as if to see if it''s the real deal.

    "Okay you''ve finished the quests. Congrattions Zeke andpany." The goddess continued, with Zeke finally getting the notification from the [Gamer''s System].

    [The third part of the chain quest - A Favor for the Goddess of the Hunt has beenpleted!]

    [20 Skill Points are given as a reward.]

    [10 Attribute Points are given as a reward.]

    [The fourth part of the chain quest - A Favor for the Goddess of the Hunt has beenpleted!]

    [20 Skill Points are given as a reward.]

    [10 Attribute Points are given as a reward.]

    [The Chain Quest - A Favor for the Goddess of the Hunt has beenpleted!]

    [20 Skill Points are given as a reward.]

    [You have received the Blessing of the Goddess of the Hunt]

    [Blessing Information: While battling monster ss creatures, the receiver of the blessing gains an additional 10% offensive and defensive capability.]

    [Blessing Information: The receiver of the blessing gains a 15% efficiency on weapons when battling non - monster type enemies.]

    [Blessing Information: The receiver of the blessing gains the passive skill [Blood Scent] which could track nearby enemies that have already been marked by the blessing receiver.]

    A mark appeared on Zeke''s wrist which represented the blessing. The two servants saw this and, wanted to have the same mark on them. But then, they knew that it is impossible with their current skill level.

    "Well, what do you think of the reward?" The goddess asked as soon as Zeke looked at her.

    "I''d say that, with the materials and evolutions that came with the quest, everything is worth it." Zeke replied, looking at the mark on his hand and, seeing if it could be removed if he rubbed it with his thumb. As he did, he looked at the countdown timer before the fifth boss appears.

    [00:31:48left before the Fifth Boss Appears]

    Like what he always does, Zeke began making the ns for the uing fight. He left the group to themselves and went back to his room.

    At the moment, there is one problem which weighs heavily on Zeke. That is, his primary weapon is now destroyed.

    Although he could simply use the weapons of his conjures, these aren''t as efficient as his [Death''s Symphony Mk. II]. After all, the weapon is fast, urate, and has a high amount of damage output added to it. Not only this but, the weapon also serves as a way fore Zeke to always be on a distance where he could dodge whenever an enemyes for him.

    He''d make a new weapon but, hecks a bunch of things. One is the number of materials needed in order to create the twin pistols. He already used most of his materials in order to create a weapon for everyone and, aside from this, his revision of the pistols drained whatever was left of the materials on his storage.

    The [Steel Golem] did drop a lot of high-ranking materials. However, Zeke has no idea what wille out of cing them together. Nor is he satisfied with his current sess rate in crafting as, the materials are low in stock while being high tiered. This meant that, if Zeke fails in crafting, there''d be none left for him to use.

    Adding to this is the problem that, there is only one core left. The other core which was embedded into the pistol was used to blow up the [Steel Golem]. This used up one of Zeke''s reincarnation for that day and thus, he only has one more left.

    Then, Zeke thought of something. Another idea which would potentially save him from all the troubles he is currently experiencing.

    "Harun,e to my room immediately." Zeke ordered through the [Voice Chat]. The female elf servant came shortly after.

    "I''ll be needing the tip of your spear for a while." Zeke said, telling Harun to give up the de of her weapon. Harun wanted to protest of course but, the weapon is a gift from Zeke. One which the female elf servant did not even earn through her own merits.

    Thus, she simply sighed and, gave the weapon away.

    "Thanks. You may leave now." Zeke added, making Harun leave with a heavy heart. She proceeded to hugging Sebastian as she beat her fists on his chest.

    Meanwhile, inside the room, Zeke finally began performing his n which went like this. The first thing he did is raise the rank of his [Lucky Gambler] skill. With the number of upgrades performed, the skill reached an added [30%] rate of sess for [A+] tiered items.

    This is exactly what Zeke needs as, the metals from the [Steel Golem''s] loot are ranked [A+] and above. Zeke then picked up Harun''s spear and proceeded to disassembling it. He took the de from the tip which, as was mentioned before, was crafted to the extent that it could pierce most objects.

    Zeke wanted to raise this, he wanted to make that de pierce through anything, even the [Carnivorous Turtle''s] shell and, the [Steel Golem''s] defenses. Hence, he added the metal from the material loot and, beganbining these together.

    [Crafting Seeded!]

    [Crafting Seeded!]

    [Crafting Seeded!]

    [Crafting Failed!]

    [Crafting Seeded!]

    As this continued, Zeke added some of the [Venom Vial] into the mix. The system did not hinder him and thus, Zeke knew that thebination is feasible. Then, he took thest core from his [Death''s Symphony] and proceeded to crafting this together with what is already being made.

    Time ran fast and, with only a minute left before the fifth boss appears, Zeke finally finished his weapon. He smiled at the de created as he held it in his hand and, with another [Teleportation Scroll] he proceeded to where the final boss is.

 Chapter 69: How Many Heads?

    Chapter 69: How Many Heads?

    [Name: Sting of the Void]

    [Rank: A+]

    [Durability 100]

    [Information: The weapon can pierce through any physical defense. This does not include spell made defenses.]

    [Information: Due to the corrosive venom added  the weapon can speed the toxic substance to anything upon piercing the flesh.]

    Zeke looked at the new weapon in his hand. It doesn''t look much, not as badass as Erio''s sword. Also, it''s much shorter as the weapon is nothing more than a dagger.

    Zeke still prefers using long ranged weapons but, this is the only thing he could create at the moment. However, the weapon is strong enough to pierce through any physical object. And, for Zeke, this is all that matters.

    "You know that you need to do right?" Zeke said over the [Voice Chat], contacting both Sebastian and Harun.

    "Yes, we''ll handle giving the ns to our three masters." The servants replied, closing the [Voice Chat] as the timer had only a single minuet left.

    "This isn''t a very ideal situation for me." Zeke said as he looked at his surroundings  trying to get a better grasp of the terrain in order to have a bit of a leverage over the monster that would appear.

    He doesn''t have time to ce the detonates. He doesn''t have time to do anything more. As the mission states, the monster must be fought immediately or else it will simply go back to the crystal. Hence, it isn''t an opponent which Zeke can strategize against. It is a monster which he needs to face head on and, develop the ns as the fight prolongs.

    "Conjure." Zeke said, releasing all his faithful servants into the toons they have been assigned to.

    Leading this is the group of Lupus who has Samael as the vice leader of the [Tank toon]. Part of this toon are the [Carnivorous Turtle Hatchlings] which has a high defense trait. Due to Lupus leading the group, each member to the toon gained an additional amount of health and, has the same speed of regeneration as Lupus does. As the vice leader, Samael has an added amount of defense and, could also use the same counter skill of the hatchlings.

    The other group is led by Erio with Cull as the vice leader of the group. This set of conjures focuses on offensive capabilities. With Erio leading, the whole group has an added 10% in their attack damage while also gaining a berserker trait  allowing them to get stronger the longer they remain in the battlefield. Cull, as the vice leader of the group, can use a floating ability simr to the [Winged Monkeys]. The strong conjure may use this in order to dodge some attacks that require it to move freely in mid-air.

    Zeke viewed the crystal in front of them which continued getting an even darker shade of red. That is, until it turned into a ck color which bursted like a pir of me. A strong wind also came that is coupled by a terrifying roar.

    Zeke backed away immediately and, so did all his monsters. But then, a tail quickly came out from the pir which caught Zeke by surprise.

    He dodged this by jumping up. However a lot of his weaker conjures got hit and, what shocked Zeke even more its how that single swing of the monster''s tail wiped out most of his summons.

    "This isn''t good." Zeke continued, looking at the eyes of the monster which glowed a dark violet as it emerged from the pir of ck mes.

    One head.

    Two heads.

    Three heads.

    Four.

    Five.

    Six.

    Seven

    Ten

    The beast had ten heads in total and Zeke knew right away what kind of monster this is.

    "It''s a hydra." He began.

    Without any further dy, the monster began its attack. Spitting out three emblements at once. One is a torrent of mes, another isa storm of frost, while another mouth shot out a green colored air which seemed to be poison. This made Zeke rule out the possibility of using any poison type attack, making the situation even more dire than it already is.

    In an instant, all the offensive type monsters of Zeke got wiped out, with only Lupus, Erio and Samael remaining on the battlefield. Lupus immediately healed from all the deaths that came from the attack while, Erio swung its sword toward the monster''s tail, hoping to create enough damage in order to heal back some of his health. Unfortunately for the conjure, its de couldn''t pierce through.

    The Hydra noticed this right away and proceeded to using its ws in order to wipe out Erio and Samael.

    "Conjure." Zeke said again, this time, releasing his summons on multiple areas. This prevents the monster from wiping them all out in a single strike and, prolonged the interval between the deaths of Zeke''s creatures and their re-summoning.

    Zeke backed a way a bit and, drank a mana potion. He then activated [Mana Conversion] and began analyzing the opponent. However, not much information was offered to the unfortunate human as the monster is of a much higher caliber. Hence, the added feature of [Analysis] refused to work properly.

    [Name: Serzk''hra]

    [Species: Dragon]

    [Specification: Dragon Hydra]

    [Rank: C+]

    [Information: The monster has ten heads, with each being able to use a separate element or trait.]

    [Information: ???]

    [Information: ???]

    [Information: ???]

    "Gee thanks that''s really helpful of you." Zeke said to the system, already gaining this idea with the earlier attack and, having nothing else provided to him.

    "Try damaging the monster." Zeke ordered his conjures. The hydra immediately noticed this and, with its ten heads, it began spoutingdifferent spells all over the battlefield.The [Winged Monkeys] escaped this as  all the attacks focused on the ground while, both Lupus and Erio survived trough the damage. All the conjures hit the monster separately but, not even a single scratch was made against the beast.

    Zeke examined the skin of the beast and saw the thick looking scales that covered it everywhere. Even the heads of the hydra is covered with the same kind of material. He didn''t notice this at first because, the scales are so small that one would just mistake them for lines on the monster''s skin. However, with the deflecting of Erio''s de, Zeke saw the skin shine in a luster that is not produced by normal flesh.

    "A skin that must be much harder than the [Steel Golem''s]. A range that is longer and wider than any monster I''ve ever faced. Speed that goes beyond the normal for its size and, such arge destructive capability"

    "how do I win against you exactly?" Zeke thought to himself and, with this, a solution came to him through the [Voice Chat].

    "Master Zeke, the two have finally woken up." Sebastian said, with Zeke''s mind already racing through the possibilities.

    Zeke remembered the cores which were used in order to regte the mana during Allesiah and Sylphs'' evolution. Adding to this is Sylvia''s staff which would also be overflowing with mana.

    "Sebastian you''re a real life saver do you know that?'' Zeke said over the [Voice Chat].

    "Eh?" Was the servant''s only response as Zeke immediately added anothermand.

    "Once I give the signal, you guys will teleport to my location and, shoot at the beast do you copy?"

    "Yes master." Was Sebastian''s response as Zeke proceeded to making an opening for the elves.

    "I''m going to have to finish you as quickly a I can." Zeke told himself, jumping up from the branch where he stayed and, proceeding to facing the monster. He made an immediate stab to its body and, unlike his conjures, his dagger got through without any problem.

    "Would you look at that." Zekemented, feeling like he is simply stabbing through marshmallow.

    The hydra screamed as it noticed the new opponent which dealt it damage. The creatures is not be used to getting hurt. And so, it began furiously directing its attacks towards Zeke.

    The human then conjured all his creatures with all of them being at a single location. And at this, all the heads of the monster fixed its gaze on Zeke and the conjures. Then, with a smile on his face, Zeke finally gave the order.

    "Now!" As soon as he uttered this word, the monster breathed all its spells on Zeke. Wind, fire, earth, water, ice, poison, darkness, electricity, light, and poison. All these attacks targeted Zeke and his conjures. And while this went on darkness began consuming the sky.

    The hydra immediately felt the strong amount of mana which suddenly came but, it couldn''t turn its head any longer. Floating on the sky are two elves which forced the Hydra to lower its head. The hydra felt like the who sky is weighing it down as it couldn''t move that much.

    Then, A rain of arrows followed though which began wounding the beast little by little. Walls came soon after, blocking any escape path for the hydra and, while it tried to break its way through the walls using its tail, a fortifying spell was used in order to further strengthen the walls.

    The onught continued with the rain of arrows tripling in numbers and, being even sharper than they were before. The monster then realized that it needs to focus on raising its defenses but, even this would not be enough for what was about toe.

    With two sorceress'' working on the spell, the object that blocked the sun grew evenrger. The meteor not only got formed faster but, evenrger than the one fired on top of Heron. Adding to this is are ck orbs which began going within the meteor, covering it in the same darkness that burned intensely.

    The hydra screamed with all its might and, Harun came to pick up Zeke who is still alive due to thest reincarnation he has for that day. And then, with all of them finally getting at a safe distance, the two sorceress'' proceeded to their attack.

    "Abyss Meteor!

 Chapter 70: Headless Corpse

    Chapter 70: Headless Corpse

    The whole group watched as the ck mes consumed the monster. The scorching inferno is selective with its target as, the evolved form of Allesiah has better control over mana flow. Hence, the [Dark Spheres] she added to the meteor actually had an effect of selectively burning the target and, will not stop until there is nothing left to the enemy but ashes and dust.

    Sylvia further strengthened this using the stacked-up mana within her staff, feeding more mana into the mes to the point that, it could be described as something close to the mes of the underworld.

    Right after firing this spell, the two elves focused on fortifying the walls even more. The barrier became immune to any burning effect and, an addedyer of defensive spells came covered the sturdy looking walls.

    "That''s some scary looking skills you''vebine there." Zekemented seeing the perfect execution of spells unfold before him.

    The [Dragon Hydra] screamed in pain and began hitting multiple parts of the walls. Unfortunately for creature, it could not get out no matter how hard it tried. Even with parts of the wall getting destroyed by its attacks, Sylvia and Sebastian would simply patch this area up. Allesiah will then proceed to cing the fortification spell on the newly restored parts of the wall.

    "Don''t leave me out of all this fun." Sylph said over the [Voice Chat] and, as soon as she did, Zeke saw threeyers of magic circles stacking one after the other. It covered the whole area where the [Dragon Hydra] is.

    "Now that I know you''re awake, let me show you how much stronger I''ve be." Sylph continued, sounding like a child showing off a new skill to her parents. Zeke then watched as the arrows shot up to the magic circles one by one. He couldn''t identify what types of arrows these are. But, seeing as how they all looked distinct from one another, Zeke figured that these will create different effects.

    Zeke then saw what seemed to be lightning pirs shooting out of the magic circle. This is followed by explosions that came from within the walls. The ground shook continuously, making them feel like an earthquake was actually formed. Yet, this is nothing more than an added effect from the explosions that continued viciously.

    "Well? What can you say about my attack human?" Sylph said over the [Voice Chat]; obviously fishing forpliments from Zeke.

    "Cheeky bastard." Zeke thought to himself, forming a smile on his lips as he watched thebination of all the skill at y.

    "Itcks a bit more force. I actually wanted to see more from an elf who already underwent evolution." Zeke replied teasingly.

    "You dare mock my archery?"Sylph added,ining because the current attack actually takes up a lot of effort in order to execute. And, with the mana stored from evolving being depleted, Sylph knows that she can''t repeat the attack again.

    "I''m kidding. You did a good job, although I believe that you still need to get a hang of properly harnessing all that strength." Was Zeke''s truthful answer.

    "I''m d that you feel that way human." Was the closing note of Sylph who felt proud of herself.

    Zeke couldn''t see the totality of what happened within the walls but, he knew that the [Dragon Hydra] has a high chance of dying from the barrage. As he watched from a distance, Zeke couldn''t see any possibility for the beast toe out without sustaining any serious injuries. If worstes to worst, Zeke thought that there would at least be a considerable amount of damage dealt to the monster.

    "I want everyone to focus on the monster we are fighting. Don''t let your guard down for even a second." Zeke said, warning everyone about the Hydra which continued screaming.

    "What are you talking about? Are you blind human? We''ve basically got this in the bag." Sylph replied, confident that they would be able to defeat the [Dragon Hydra] without much problem.

    Under normal circumstances, Zeke would believe these words. However, Zeke couldn''t rest easy as the questpletion is not being notified.

    "If the monster is really dead then, I should have received the notification from the system by now." Zeke thought to himself.

    At the moment, Sylph''s [Rain of Arrows] is still in effect. The sound of the monster''s scream could not be heard anymore and, a cloud of dust covered the area, making it impossible for the two sorceress floating above to get a clear view. This is also an issue for Allesiah as, along with the flow of mana, the [Rain of Arrows] actually made the mana around the creature seem all hazy. Yet, they could still distinguish the ck glow of the mes which ensured them that the monster is still getting burnt.

    Even with all this going on, Zeke can''t shake the feeling that something is wrong. That''s why he can''t wait for Sylph''s skill to finally end. And, just as soon as he thought of this, the spell suddenly halted, or ratherit made a different sound.

    shes of light came out of the clouds of dust and, this viciously rained on the whole area.

    "Take cover!" Zekemanded, taking Harun with her and ensuring that the female servant is safe. There wasn''t any thinking needed in order to distinguish that, the things hurling at them are actually the arrows from Sylph''s spell.

    "Sylph stop you spell immediately!" Zekemanded, seeing the whole area turn into what seem to be a warzone in a single instant.

    "That''s not possible! The skill isn''t something that can be forced to stop!" Sylph replied, also understanding the situation.

    "I think I can find a way through this, please do your best to dodge in the meantime." Allesiah replied, focusing on the threeyers of magic circles that have been formed. She looked at the flow of mana, aplex one at that, which constituted the spell.

    It is a powerful spell and, disrupting it is not an easy task. However, with the newly evolved Allesiah, this is something feasible at the moment., Hence, Allesiah focused her attention and, with a snap of her fingers, the three magic circles shattered right before everyone''s eyes.

    Yet this isn''t the end of the group''s problem. With Allesiah focusing on disrupting the spell, the [Dragon Hydra] finally made its move. The monster quickly used its tail in order to break a part of the wall while everyone was busy dodging the reflected attack.

    The creature then proceeded to breathing multiple spells which the group dodged. The two sorceresses finally went to the ground, covering for the group which immediately joined together. As soon as they did, Zeke heard Allesiah''s voice in his head.

    "There''s something weird going on master. The mana of the [Dragon Hydra] is being concentrated at a single point." She began, with Zeke understanding that the telepathy like skill is probably a result of Allesiah''s evolution.

    As far as Zeke knows, it is only Allesiah who can urately see the flow of mana. This means that, she''ll be the first one to notice any disruption in this flow.

    "How bad is it?" Zeke asked through his thoughts, thinking that this is how the skill works.

    "The energy from its heads are being cut out one by one. And judging by what''s currently happening, the thing that woulde next is far worse." Allesiah added

    Zeke immediately thought of possible solutions of the problem. As it stands, he currently has 40 skill points left. And, with the pinch that they are in, he might just be forced to buy ''that'' skill. Although, Zeke wanted to buy it ater time, specifically, he wants to have that skill when it''s finally time to square off against Gallio.

    Then, the attack finally began decreasing in intensity. The whole group would''ve felt relieved if it weren''t for Zekemanding them to be alert. He then gave the next set ofmand to the group as the two sorceresses held up the front. Zeke knows that it would be too risky for the elves to try an attack while the monster is still breathing out skills.

    "Attack as soon as the skills finish firing out. Make sure that you''ve got each other covered and, I''ll try to deliver the finishing blow." Zekemanded.

    The attack took longer than expected. In actuality, the group felt like the [Dragon Hydra] would not cease in its offensive strike. But then, after a few more minutes, it finally did.

    There is still a thick cloud of dust covering the monster. This made it difficult for the group to see their opponent but, the same also applies opt the [Dragon Hydra]. However, Zeke''s party has the upper hand as they have the [Minimap] function. Hence, they focused their attacks on the big red dot on the map, aiming as urately as they can. At this, Zeke also made his way away from the group - sprinting using [Quick Step] and, adding to his speed using [Mana Conversion].

    "Conjure." Zeke began, summoning all his creatures which also assaulted at different directions.

    The tail of the beast soon cam out which destroyed a lot of his conjures all at once but, this is also part of Zeke''s calctions.

    "Blood Counter" Zeke said, adding more damage to the creature using the amount of damage he received as the monster killed him a while ago. This made blood gush out from parts of the monster and, at this, Zeke knew where to strike.

    "Here goes nothing." Zeke began, having the concept all figured out on his head.

    He used [Quick Step] in rapid session  nting the de on the monster''s body and immediately proceeding to slicing off bits of its flesh piece by piece. This is an improvised skill which uses up a ton of mana but, is one which Zeke thought to be the most effective against an enemy asrge as the [Dragon Hydra].

    He continued hitting it over and over again and, together with this are the attacks performed by the group. The massacre continued with Zeke unrelentingly continuing his attacks. One head got decapitated, then two, then, he used [Quick Step] again and sliced off the five heads. This he did until all the heads were cut off entirely.

    The monster thrashed its body around, with a rain of blooding from all the wounds untilit finally dropped to the ground. Everyone saw Zekeing out from the cloud of smoke and, behind him is the lifeless body of the [Dragon Hydra].

    It took a few seconds for everyone to register what just happened. But, with Sylph beginning the shouts of cheers, everyone also woke up to the reality of what happened.

    "We did it!" They said, proud of the feat which has just been made.

    The game notification also came up which relieved Zeke. The mission is cleared and, at this something important must be noted.

    The two servants immediately went to the corpse. They did this in order to gather the materials left by the creature. Zeke, still contemting on the skill, felt that he could create a lot of improvised skills as time goes on. As was mentioned, Zeke can only focus on a single task at a time which meant that, nothing else existed as Zeke thought of the applications to the skill.

    Allesiah also saw how the flow of mana left the body of the creatureand yetwith all this happening, fate seemed tough at the group as Zeke''s notification came up once again

    [The mission is reset.]

    Soon after, two objects flying at theing from where the [Dragon Hydra''s] corpse is. Sylvia shielded the group with ab barrier that created a st of blood becausewhat came flying at such a high speed, are two elf corpses with their heads removed.

 Chapter 71: The One Who Cheated Death

    Chapter 71: The One Who Cheated Death

    "NOOOOO!" Sylph screamed, recognizing the corpses right away.

    Sebastian still has his shield on his arm. And, Harun has her former spear on her back. The scene itself is hard for the group to believe. But, that''s just how things are. Zeke didn''t expect that the quest would reset. Nor did Zeke think that this is a possibility with the [Gamer''s System].

    The group didn''t even have time to collect the dead. The [Dragon Hydra] roared and, Allesiah immediately saw an overflowing amount of mana. However, it is nothing like the normal mana which she normally sees as, the one being released by the [Dragon Hydra] was dark and, off putting. The hair on Allesiah''s skin rose as she witnessed this and, the mana began growing even more immensely. This made Allesiah puke as the sight was too much for her to bare.

    The [Dragon Hydra] didn''t waste any time to continue on with its attack. With the mes covered the ground, making it impossible for them to step down. Zeke couldn''t give any orders anymore. The development came so suddenly and abruptly that, there was only time for all of them to dodge the attacks. He didn''t allow the corpses to get tainted any further however. He brought out two conjures which picked up a respective body and immediately brough the dead elves to a safe spot.

    The [Dragon Hydra] followed through with its attack. With the ground being cleared of the enemies, it made sure that they cannot move freely on the terrain as another head began releasing magma, turning the terrain into an uninhabitable state. Two more heads roared and, the sky darkened, with the clouds covering any light that came from the sun.

    Zeke didn''t care about the n anymore. He knows that they need to run away because, right now, the enemy has finally shown its true colors. During boss fights in games, some monsters gradually increase in strength and, at a certain percentage of health, these opponents would suddenly change attack patterns and deal a lot more damage.

    Zeke could adjust to these games as he would simply follow through with the flow of the game. But this is different. The monster waited for the whole group to dish out everything they could and, just when everyone thought that the fight is over, the creature rose again  releasing even more power than it initially did.

    Zeke counted the heads of the [Dragon Hydra] which appeared to have healed from all the damage it acquired. Instead of just [10], there are now [20] heads with the newly created ones shooting out the other elemental attacks. Just like before, Zeke couldn''t see any information about the monster. The rank remained at [C+] but Zeke could feel the monster being more powerful than this.

    The beast turned its gaze on the remaining members of the party. Then, Zeke gave the order for the group to close in together as he summoned the [Winged Monkeys]. These are the only conjures he could make use of at the moment as, the magma still boiled on the ground. Zeke added a detonate to these creature - containing two spells. One is the [Poison Cloud] and the other is [Umbra sh].

    As soon as they got near the monster, Zeke released the [Poison Cloud]; preventing the monster from making any urate attack. Zeke followed this up by releasing the [Umbral sh] which bought enough time for Zeke to regroup with the others.

    Then, two heads roared which made the sky crackle with the sound of thunder. The creature then stomped its feet, creating a barrier that covered the whole area. This is nothing like the earth wall used by the group to contain the [Dragon Hydra]. The barrier is dark colored with a semi - transparent effect as, Zeke could still see beyond this. On the minimap, he also saw the range which this spell covered.

    "This is bad, we need to run away." Was the immediatemand of Zeke to the group.

    "What are you saying! We need to avenge Sebastian and Harun!" Sylph responded with rage. Zeke could understand what the female elf felt at the moment. He knows that, out of the Windsprite siblings, it is Sylph who is the most emotionally attached to those around her.

    But this didn''t mean that Zeke supported the idea. And so, he sent a p to the female elf''s face  shocking the whole group especially Sylph.

    "This isn''t some heroic story where you could suddenly win just because you''re fighting for a just cause. That monster is beyond anything you can handle and, if you still want to continue, then knock yourself out." Zeke began, bringing out his scroll and motioning for Sylph''s sisters to do the same.

    "But I don''t think those two would be happy with the pointless death of someone who could''ve easily run away." Zeke finished. He looked at the map and saw how his [Winged Monkeys] fulfilled their job properly. They got crushed by the [Dragon Hydra] soon after the [Detonates] have been released. With that being said, Zeke resummoned the creatures  cing more detonates unto them and sending them to the enemy.

    "Hurry up if you want to escape." Zeke said, not forcing the group toe with them if they wish to continue the fight.

    The two sorceresses are more level headed than the second Windsprite. Hence, they agreed to the n, immediately bringing out their transportation scrolls. They didn''t force Sylph as; they knew that she is not that much of a fool to not listen to the logical exnation of Zeke. Hence, Sylph bit her lips and proceeded to doing the same act.

    [Commencing transport]

    And, just as Zeke thought that they could escape disaster struck once again.

    [Transport failed.]

    "Crap." Zeke said, realizing what happened right away. He knew that the interference must be due to the barrier as, nothing lese could exin what just happened.

    "It must be the field created by the [Dragon Hydra], there must be a form of jamming which it could create." Allesiah added, still unable to recoverpletely. Now she knows that, seeing the mana flow could also backfire at her. Her eyes now have a distorted vision of the mana flow, unable to analyze the barrier at all.

    The [Dragon Hydra] felt this attempt and, immediately focused on the group once again. It ignored all the [Winged Monkeys] which have just finished releasing the [Detonate] of [Umbral sh] and [Poison Cloud] once again. The creature roared once more and, at this, the winds swirled in a fury that began creating a tornado.

    Two more heads screamed and, a set of tornadoes rose with it. One being a lighting covered tornado while, the pother is made up of water. This created enough pressure to suck in the things around them as they swirled towards the group. The [Dragon Hydra] then screamed once more and, as it did, the three tornadoesbined, creating an evenrger version of the spell  more vicious and destructive.

    The group felt the crushing force of this spell that began sucking them in. Sylvia did her best in order to counter the effects with her [Force]. But, by doing so, she ispletely unable to perform any other attack. Like what was mentioned, she has run out of the mana reserves which could be used and, this applies to the other two Windsprites who went all out at the first attempt to kill the beast.

    "Allesiah, create a tornado that spins the on the other direction." Zekemanded, with the sorceress forcing herself back on her feet. There is no time for any rest and, even though she still feels weakened, Allesiah was able to do as she was told. Out of all the members, it is only Allesiah who can draw strength from the flow of mana. And so, even without the mana reserves, she can find a way to match the output of the monster''s tornadoes.

    As soon as she did however, the monster released another spell. These are yellow orbs that began flying toward the group at a fast speed. Sylph covered for them, hitting these down with her arrows. And, upon contact, these orbs exploded  cancelling out the two hurricanes with the sheer force it created.

    There was smoke and dust that came right after. Then rain began falling from the sky which the [Dragon Hydra] forced to turn dark. The monster didn''t wait for all the smoke and dust to clear out as it began shooting out gigantic sharp needles which aimed at where Zeke and the Windsprites are.

    With hurricane finally dying out, Sylvia was bale to use [Force] in order to change the direction of this attack. Zeke saw the strain of the spellcaster as she turned the needless around the area until, they hit the [Dragon Hydra]. This gave an opening for Zeke to carry out a n.

    "Focus on the offense for now. I need to prepare something." Zeke said as he opened the [Gamer''s System] in front of the elves.

    "Store"

    "Skills"

    He said in quick session. Knowing that, there is only one option left in order for them to win. And that is, to destroy the [Dragon Hydra] with a single strike. Hence, he finally bought the skill which he was reluctant to get earlier on. With it, he could''ve saved both Sebastian and Harun but, there is no time for him to regret his decisions.

    "Miss Sylvia, use force to push me toward that monster." Zeke said, holding the dagger in his hand and, buying the costly skill from the shop.

    "Please use as many defense raising skills on me but, don''t nullify the damage." Zeke added.

    The sorceress immediately followed thismand and, as she did, Zeke activated [Mana Conversion]. The enemy spotted Zeke soon after and began creating attacks. Zeke evaded these by using the [Winged Monkeys] which he partially summoned one after the other.

    The Windsprites still continued on with their attack. And, this created enough opening for Zeke to strike the chest of the beast. Apart from the head, Zeke knew that this is also a possible way for a decisive blow to be dealt. He released all his remaining mana into the strike, spreading the corrosive effect quickly.

    The monster screamed in pain and, is able to hit Zeke with its tail. It then created another barrier which prevented the Windsprites from hitting it any further. And then, the [Dragon Hydra] gathered the dark clouds on the sky, healing the wound at the cost of clearing out whatever skill it was charging up. It then proceeded to pinning down Zeke to the magma.

    "Don''t try and save me." He said over the [Voice Chat] as the monster poured out skill after skill on the body of Zeke which got torn apart. This didn''t happen quickly as, all the defenses put up prevented him from dying right away. However, this didn''tst long and soon after

    Zeke Elwood died.

    [The gamer has fulfilled the requirements for the skill''s activation.]

    [Death is attained.]

    [Activating Skill]

    [The One Who Cheated Death]

 Chapter 72: Ethereal Form

    Chapter 72: Ethereal Form

    [Skill Name: The One Who Cheats Death]

    [Cost: 40 Skill Points]

    [Rank: N/A]

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Information: Upon death, the user of the skill momentarily gains a body that is immune to all kinds of damage. This is in the form of ck mana, the same that emanates from the goddess of death and, the goddess of darkness.]

    [Information: The skill stacks up all the damage received by the user before death. The damage received is turned into attribute point which will be divided evenly to the skill user''s stats.]

    [Information: While on this state, all the gamer''s skills are automatically upgraded to their highest ranking. And, additional skills only avable to this form are added to the ones which can be used.]

    [Information: Although seemingly strong, the user of the skill cannot damage those that did not take part in killing him or her. And, upon taking down the murderer, the user will go back to his/her original body. The skill user will then pay the penalty of having his/her level decreased day by day until, he/she goes back to level 1.]

    [Information: The skill cannot be used by the same person twice under normal circumstances.]

    This is all the data which Zeke considered before buying the skill. The reason why he was reluctant to get it at first is because of thest set of information given by the skill. If he uses it now, he cannot use it again against Gallio and.

    Another problem which has nowe up is that, he needs to fight Gallio as soon as possible. With his level decreasing day by day, his attribute points will also go down. Hence, after this fight he needs to find a way in order to beat the Elven King within the shortest interval of time.

    No matter what monster he defeats and, no matter what strategy he employs, there is no escaping the level subtractor. As soon as the [Dragon Hydra] is defeated, things need to proceed quickly. With all this considered, Zeke still bought the skill.

    He knew that the situation demanded that he buys this skill. There isn''t much of a choice as the barrier also prevents any means of escape. Adding to this is the issue of having more heads to deal with.

    And thus, Zeke bought the skill. He fought the monster using all the health added; as well as all the defensive buffs. Meeting his inevitable demise, Zeke''s skill proceeded to activating. And right now, all of them are to witness a creature whose strength cannot be rivaled by any mortal.

    Dark mes rose from the part of the magma where Zeke''s body was drowned. This stopped Sylph who thought of going in and saving Zeke. The mes grewrger andrger until, the sky swirled with ominous dark clouds once again. This time however, it is much thicker. As if the heavens are not allowed to see what would happen next.

    Then, the dark me became a strong beacon of darkness that connected to the swirling clouds. This created a strong wind that sucked everything nearby. Even some of the [Dragon Hydra''s] heads began getting sucked in. This forced the creature to back away as it also felt the danger looming in.

    The leaves on the trees rustled and, the branches began cracking one by one, torn due to the force of the winds which became even stronger as the seconds passed. It was almost as if a ck hole formed. This thought on the head of the Windsprite siblings'' head even got stronger as, they saw the [Dragon Hydra''s] skills get absorbed by the dark pir of mes.

    Then, the me finally bursted outwards. This destroyed all the spells which the [Dragon Hydra] currently used. Nothing was burnt from these ominous mes and, in the middle of the st is a creature that floated on top of the magma. It has the form of a human being, with eyes that glowed white. Yet, there are no clothes, no armor, no hair, no facial features, only the figure of a mortal human  cloaked in ck mes that continued ascending upwards.

    Everyone felt a cold chill run down their spine and, even the [Dragon Hydra] halted from making any further attacks. There was only silence and, this came from the ck shadowy figure that rose from the magma. At this, Allesiah immediately screamed; averting her gaze from the creature as soon as it came out.

    "Allesiah what''s wrong?" Sylvia said, worried about their sister.

    "That thing. It''s emitting an even stronger corrupted mana." She said, covering her eyes with her hands and trembling in fear.

    "I only looked at it for a second and, it already felt like my heart would instinctively burst from fear." She finished.

    They couldn''t confirm it but, they already had the idea that this creature is Zeke. Allesiah even added that, the me looking substance is actual corrupted mana. And, with how immense it is, even Sylvia and Sylph can see it in the form of mes. No logic could exin to them how in the name of Mythos could a human turn into an incarnation of darkness itself.

    Zeke looked at the enemy and, the [Dragon Hydra] instinctively backed away from fear. But then, its pride got the better of it. Not epting that the tiny creature could possibly be any threat to a hydra such as itself. Hence, it began attacking and, this time, releasing everything it''s got unto every spell that mixed together and rained upon Zeke.

    Wind. Ice. Fire. Magma. Thunder. Light. Darkness. Explosions. Water. Crystal. Earth. Steel. Snow. nts. Poison. Corrosion. Decay. Tremor. Barriers. This is everything that the [Dragon Hydra] has in its arsenal. And yet, none of it worked on Zeke.

    With a single sh of his hand, all the skills got nullified. The [Dragon Hydra] prepared to strike again but then, Zeke pointed his finger at the neck of the beast and made a horizontal line. Immediately, the necks of the [Dragon Hydra] got sliced off one by one.

    "How is that even possible?" Sylphmented, looking at the shadow-like figure toy with the same creature which cornered them a while ago.

    "I''m not sure but, if that thing is really Zeke then I''m sure that there is arge price to pay after that form ends." Allesiah said, refusing to look at the creature as it will only make her feel nauseated and dizzy.

    Meanwhile, the ethereal form of Zeke continued toying with the [Dragon Hydra]. He made a single step and, suddenly vanished from everyone''s sight. One would think that Zeke disappeared but, this is not the case.

    Zeke used [Perfect sh Step] with the added skill of [Shadow Movement]. The [Dragon Hydra] felt the corrosion from the dagger again. This weapon is still stuck to its body and, holding on to it is Zeke. He looked up with his glowing circr white eyes and, a mouth suddenly showed as Zeke made a menacing smile.

    The [Dragon Hydra] immediately went for a counterattack. Its tail aimed at Zeke without any hesitation but, this is stopped by Zeke''s hand without even any effort. He then continued to slicing the de downward and, as he did, the lower body of the [Dragon Hydra] got sliced in half.

    The creature screamed as blood continued flooding out of its body. And this caused it to rampage even more. This time, releasing skills which aimed for the Windsprites. However, this is once again countered by Zeke as, his conjures came out to shield the blow. Something different also happened with his conjures as, they zed with the same dark mana that covers Zeke. And as his powers grew, so did his conjures.

    The battle continued a while longer. By sacrificing two of its heads, the [Dragon Hydra] was able to heal through the fatal wound caused by Zeke. But then, Erio and Lupus stepped up and cornered the monster as they brought a bnced mix of offense and defense.

    Erio then nted his sword unto the monster''s foot. This is followed by Zeke conjuring the same sword four more times. The des floated around him as he jumped up. The [Dragon Hydra] wasted no time and used [Hail Storm] on Zeke. Yet, this had no effect once again. Zeke then continued to stretching his left arm and, using his pointing finger to aim at the monster''s other feet.

    He then made a shooting motion one after the other. And at this, the des followed through. At first, the [Dragon Hydra] was able to block the blows. But the, Zeke only created more swords  continuing the assault on and on until all four feet had swords that dug right through them. Following this right away is a ck version of [Poison Cloud] which immediately killed of a lot of heads from the [Dragon Hydra].

    The monster did continue regenerating with more headsing out each and every time. However, this didn''t matter as Zeke still overpowered the creature. And, as [The One Who Cheats Death] states, the skill won''t end until the target is killed.

    Right now, Zeke isn''t fully conscious. But his ethereal form still recognizes the need for materials in order to survive the de-leveling process. Hence, he added the number of [Hydra] heads intentionally. Knowing that, when severed, these will be valuable sources of materials after the fight.

    The sisters watched this scene. There isn''t anything they could do at the moment. Not with the Hydra having more and more heads as time passed. And, they couldn''t possibly aid a creature that felt too dangerous to get close to.

    Then, with the [Dragon Hydra] finally reaching a hundred heads, Zeke conjured two new creatures to the battlefield.

    With all his skills getting maxed out during [The One Who Cheats Death] is in duration, it means that his [Conjure] is also at its peak. And, one of the functions of [Conjure] is the automatic animation of any party member or ve which has bee killed in battle. Hence, Zeke summoned Sebastian and Harun, with both servants having the same color and aura as he.

    The [Dragon Hydra] roared, now containing a hundred different spells which it can use. But this didn''t matter. Zeke proceeded to stabbing the creature right on its chest one again.

    Sebastian followed this through by creating walls that held down each and every head of the [Dragon Hydra]. Sebastian then proceeded to covering each mouth with a defensive spell that fumed with the same ck mana. The [Dragon Hydra] tried its best to fight but, it couldn''t do anything with the current situation. And just like this, Harun vaulted up on the sky using her conjured spear and, in a split second, sliced off all the heads of the Dragon Hydra.

    Because of the interval in cutting out the heads, there is a high chance that the [Dragon Hydra] will not resurrect anymore. But then, Zeke made sure to end the creature''s life as began mumbling a bunch of ancient and archaic words.

    "Reizon!" The ethereal Zeke said, bursting the ck mes right through the monster''s body. And, finally, the quest window popped up once more.

    [The Dragon Hydra has been in.]

 Chapter 73: Clearing Things Out

    Chapter 73: Clearing Things Out

    When the fight finally ended, Zeke''s ethereal form also vanished. A swirling dark mist covered him and, as soon as this disappeared, everyone saw the human lying on the ground pletely alive but unconscious. On his wrist is the mark of using [The One Who Cheats Death] which also served as a way to prevent him from essing this skill again.

    Allesiah immediately went down and the other Windsprites soon followed. They felt secured especially as, the [Dragon Hydra] held no signs of life any longer. After all, all its heads are now severed and, even its heart has been pierced through by the burst of dark mana.

    Two conjures are still on the scene namely the defender and the spear woman  Sebastian and Harun. Both of which appeared in their conjured forms. But the ck mana that covered them earlier has now settled down to the same blue mana which covered most of Zeke''s conjures. With using [The One Who Cheats Death] duration finally ending, all of Zeke''s skills came back to their current rank.

    The sisters recognized the elves and hugged them. Both conjures showed no emotion whatsoever. Being a conjured meant that, life has already passed for whatever creature was formed. And as such, emotions could neither be felt nor expressed.

    Allesiah went to the side of Zeke who slept calmly as if he didn''t just wreak havoc a few moments ago. Zeke cannot force his body to wake up as, this is another result in using the skill. Zeke needs a good number of hours of sleep before he could regain consciousness again. The elves didn''t know about this; causing them to worry that the skill might have left Zeke in a state of eternal slumber.

    This thought didn''tst long. After all, they are within the realm of an almighty being. And, if Zeke is really in that state, the Windsprites thought that Yaeger could break the effects.

    Looking at the carnage left by Zeke, they saw the vast number of [Dragon Hydra] heads thaty scattered on the battlefield. They didn''t let these materials go to waste. Especially both Sylph and Allesiah who could hear Zeke nagging about the need to constantly gather materials.

    The only problem is that, they couldn''t see the item and material drops that came from [The Gamer''s System]. This is the reason why Zeke allowed both Harun and Sebastian to stay conjured. They are the ones who''d collect the said materials as, Zeke''s conjures can also see rewards that came from his [System].

    Although the Windsprites couldn''t see the item drops of Zeke''s [System] - the scales, head, teeth, eyes, and other parts of the [Dragon Hydra] was out for the taking. Hence, the three finally decided to begin their task, with Allesiah doing something beforehand.

    "I''ll bring him back to the cabin." She said, carrying Zeke on her back. The human is actually light weight. So much so that Allesiah feared she may be heavier than Zeke.

    "I''ll help collecting as soon as I safely bring him there." She continued.

    "No, that is not necessary. You can take care of the human. Sylph and I are capable of finishing this ourselves." Was the response of Sylvia.

    Of course, there was resistance on the part of Sylph. She epted the task nevertheless. She felt this as an obligation for not being of any help to the real battle. In fact, she even caused a bunch of problems for the group.

    There are two instances when she made thingsplicated. The first is when the [Dragon Hydra] deflected her arrows. This almost caused them to all get in danger. The other problem she caused was, when she almost fought the monster all by herself. This would''ve led to a pointless death and, no matter what noble cause she has, nobody would remember an archer who was defeated because of her own untamed emotions.

    At this, both Sylvia and Sylph stayed behind. Harun and Sebastian already began doing their part as they picked up the item drops once by one. With the barrier being gone, Allesiah was able to use the [Transportation Portal] leading both her and Zeke back to the cabin.

    As the owner of the realm, Yaeger can feel everything that transpires within her domain. And so, she was already standing at the front of the shelter when both Allesiah and Zeke arrived. Yet, there was no trace of the same vibrant and jolly goddess as Allesiah looked at Yaeger. In fact, the goddess almost seemed as if, she is ready to kill Zeke at any moment.

    "Hand the human to me." She demanded.

    Allesiah wanted to fight back. In fact, she was preparing to use a spell. But then, the goddess sighed and, released a portion of her mana. This made Allesiah drop to her knees as they weakened from the sheer force of the goddess.

    "I''ll only repeat this once. Hand me the human." She demanded, with her immense predator-like bloodlust directed at Allesiah. Yaeger moved closer and closer toward the two.

    The female sorceress still felt paralyzed but, with all the strength left in her body, she hugged Zeke closer. This made Yaeger stop for a while, surprised that the elf could till move.

    "Ohh?" She said, watching the elf tremble in fear and yet this same elf red at her as if saying that the goddess is not allowed to harm Zeke.

    At this, Yaeger released her bloodlust. She returned too her usual jolly self and continued talking to Allesiah.

    "Don''t worry deary. I''m not nning on killing Zeke." As soon as Yaeger said this, she vanished from Allesiah''s sight and, reappeared close to her ear. She then hand chopped the nape of Allesiah, forcing the female elf unconscious.

    "He''s too fun to be allowed to die in my own realm. Plus, the main deities would probably screw me over if I harmed their prized mortal." She continued her exnation, knowing that this is ssified. As such she couldn''t tell it to Allesiah while she was still conscious.

    The goddess then proceeded to carrying both Zeke and Allesiah  with the human on her left shoulder and the sorceress on her right. They then proceeded within the cabin, policing Allesiah on themon room while she took Zeke to her own bedroom.

    "I know you can still hear me human. It''s just that your body is unconscious." Yaeger said, already getting an idea that Zeke can perform certain functions even in his sleep.

    "I''ll begin giving you the information you want so you better listen closely." She added.

    There are a bunch of things that surprised the Goddess. If Zeke''s party wished for it, Yaeger would''ve simply gone to the forest and defeated the monster herself. All it would take her is a single arrow. However, there was no cry for help that came. Rather than this, she felt a power close to that of a god appearing on the battlefield.

    She couldn''t distinguish the mana at first but then, as she focused, she got her answer. It was Zeke and, this same human suddenly got an immense amount of mana that could never be attained through any conventional means.

    With all of this, the group was able to manage and defeat the monster. Yaeger didn''t like the idea of disclosing such information but, tis is also a result of her ownck of judgment. She didn''t think that it would be possible for Zeke''s party to win and yet, the results proved otherwise. Thus, the goddess began with this:

    "A thousand years ago, there was a nation that opposed the rule of the Supreme Beings. This is because, out of all the realms created by the deities, it is only Mythos which was able to develop such powerful mortals." She began, looking at the marking on Zeke''s wrists which gave Yaeger an ominous feeling.

    "The four continents you now see now are actually offshoots of onerge continent. Before, there was only one ce on Mythos and, that is Mythos of course." The goddess continued with a heavy and burdened voice.

    "You wouldn''t be able to gather information like this as; all records have been burned down and removed from Mythos'' history." She added, looking at the window of her room and deciding to close the curtains before she proceeded.

    "A bunch of things happened on that continent. Themunity flourished and, was able to advance in ways that made the other worlds look like toddlers. Crawling on all fours while Mythos was already standing on its own two feet and, exploring the vast horizon before it." She added.

    "The dwellers of Mythos could execute ultimate level spells continuously during the day. They created weapons that were unparalleled in strength. They developed technologies to better improve the lives of the citizens." Zeke heard all of this in his subconscious state. Thinking that there is nothing which Mythos did that could stir the anger of the gods. But then, the next words of Yaeger ced the pieces of the puzzle together.

    "All of this would''ve; been fine. But then, the dwellers began to develop the serum which could lead to the ultimate taboo Immortality."

    There was a long dreading silence that filled the room. Even Zeke in his subconscious state felt the shift in Yaeger''s voice. He thought that, whatever the goddess would say next could probably risk her very existence.

    "I know I shouldn''t be saying these things to you. But a promise is a promise after all." The goddess continued, with a smile that showed deep sadness before she continued speaking.

    "The gods were angered by this and, a lot ofmotion urred on the council of the deities. Afterall, reaching immortality meant that the dwellers of Mythos would not die anymore. And if they continue advancing the way they did, then time may soone that these very creatures would reach the level of the gods. A lot of those on the council room disliked the idea. Hence, the protests began in order to destroy Mythos."

    "This was the only moment within their immortal existence that they felt genuine fear. They felt fear from the idea that the creatures they created may just be able to destroy them. A lot of things were voted through and, even though the main deities are more powerful, they couldn''t do anything if the majority of the deities wanted otherwise. And as such, they began sending in monsters to Mythos, causing the inhabitants to learn about war and battle."

    "Of course, the gods seeded at first. Causing a lot of death on the part of the dwellers within Mythos. But then, the dwellers were able to adapt. They began fighting back and, not only did they win but, in time, was also to reduce the number of causalities per battle. Until, no lives were lost anymore in the battles."

    "This angered some of the gods and, while the three main deities wanted to maintain the neutrality, the number of gods and goddesses who hated what happened continued increasing. As such, they plotted something sinister. They schemed for the dwellers to fight among themselves."

    "Cutting to the chase, they seeded and an all-out war broke out between the dwellers. This caused the continent to eventually split into four parts. The ce which is now called the [Ruined City] is a waypoint. An area that exists at the center of it all."

    "That is where the Dragon Morpher - Heron came from. And, unlike whatever lie she has told you; I am not the enemy here. In fact, the reason why I needed to summon her over and over again is to prolong her lifespan until someone worthy is able to pick her up and, bring her somewhere safe where she can lead a normal life."

    "But why would you do this?" Was the question ying on Zeke''s mind and, it was as if Yaeger heard this as she answered.

    "Because I am her mother."

 Chapter 74: Fear

    Chapter 74: Fear

    "Hiii!"

    "So uhm. I stopped time for a while because I realized that Yaeger is giving some really juicy information to that mister. Don''t worry I won''t tell anyone because, my job as the keeper of time is watch the normal flow of events without my divine interruption."

    "Oh yeah. If you still haven''t guessed who I am. This is Chrono and, what I''m about to show you is the collected time shard of Mythos'' past. I figured you guys would need it because a bunch of things would actually happenter on that is connected to what I will show you. Furthermore, I added some extra information to clear out any questions which you may have floating on your minds."

    "So without further adoLet''s begin!"

    [Time Shard has been selected]

    [Beginning years of Mythos and connected events has been selected.]

    [Beginning the rey of the time shard]

    There is a paradox that exists within the grand scheme of the gods and goddesses.Each and every day, they proceeded to creating new worlds and universes. And why is this you ask?

    It is simply because they desire to create a kind of perfect society  a perfect world. In all the eons of creation, the gods and goddesses always had a hard time aplishing this feat. After all, with all the variables that came into y, it was amon urrence for imperfections to arise.

    Yet they did not stop in this pursuit. They continued making more and more, hoping that the ideal world woulde sooner ortter. And then, on another regr day of creation, with all the variables being put into y, they were able to create this by chance.

    This is none other than Mythos. And which had a perfect system which is led by the [Dwellers]. This is the collective term for all the races with rational thinking which were born in Mythos: Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Divine Beasts, Demons, Angels, and a lot more.

    With them coexisting, the [Dwellers] immediately found the safe boundaries and limits with each and every race. The Divine Beasts led this as they are the strongest and wisest among all the [Dwellers]. Through this, they prevented conflicts early on and, were able to reach a neutral ground wherein every race benefited from the existence of the rest.

    There was no division created. The [Dwellers] stood united and, with this, they began making use of the various resources in Mythos. Initially, all the gods and goddesses loved what transpired in Mythos. In their head, they felt proud that the ideal realm which they dreamt of was actually taking shape right in front of their eyes. And yet, there was another feeling that slowly began creeping in one which wouldter contradict the wishes of the deities.

    The [Dwellers] advanced in such an unprecedented speed that, it felt as if hundreds of years have already passed. Yet in reality, all the major breakthroughs happened within the span of a year. Farming systems, livelihood, politics, rules andws, medicine, and technology  all of this progressed efficiently. This is because, work has been divided evenly among those who are most potent on any specific the field. And, with all the resources evenly shared, there is no shortage of any materials that are needed.

    The gods and goddesses loved this of course. They loved how Mythos flourished. Yet, that strange feeling which creeped on them finally began sprouting to the surface. With all that happened, there was a fear that grew on them. But what is it exactly that cause this fear?

    Basically, these supreme beings have gotten used to the idea that, whatever they create will always have imperfections. On some worlds, lust has consumed their creations. On others, there is war wherever one looks. On other worlds, there is corruption and deceit. And then, on the vilest among these, there would be abination of the worst traits and qualities. Lack of resources, famine, monsters, and a lot more. These are things which troubled other worlds but, these same issues came to Mythos'' [Dwellers] as nothing more than a passing wind.

    They handled everything so well that, they really began exemplifying what an ideal world should look like. Just, moral, equal, fair, even, and untied. With all of this being said, there is actually nothing which the gods and goddesses could do. They couldn''t go against the [Dwellers] as, no valid reason could be made in destroying such a wonderful world.

    Thus, the fear of some gods and goddesses continued growing even more. And this ispletely normal for all exiting things. Even to gods and goddesses who are not as omnipotent as they seem. Just like any mortal being, they could also experience fear but, the only kind which applies to them is this  The Fear of the Unknown.

    On somes, the early dwellers feared the sound of thunder and the appearance of lightning on the skies. They''d hide within their shelters to ces where they believe they cannot be seen  simply because they think that an enemy is nearby. Namely, one which is too overwhelming for them to handle.

    No matter what creature this may be, once it encounters something which loomedrger than their own existence, that creature would always opt for self-preservation. Hence the gods did the unthinkable and, this is where the paradoxes in.

    The same supreme beings who longed for the creation of a perfect world  now wished nothing more than chaos and destruction to fall on a forming perfection. In short  they wanted to destroy Mythos.

    The [Dwellers] are not aware of this of course. For all they know, what they are doing is nothing more than simply bettering the lives which existed within their world. But then, they made one dangerous mistake. Something which they should never have thought of starting.

    [The Immortality Project.]

    The name in itself would be enough to describe what the program is about. With all the advancements that the [Dwellers] reached. There is still one thing which they could not escape. That is, death. No matter how much they flourished. No matter how advanced their society could be. Every life will soon end, with the essence of the dead passing to somewhere else. And to where exactly? They have absolutely no idea.

    And so, the [Dwellers] began this project. The boldest and most grand research ever performed. Immortality meant a lot of things and, all of them blinded the [Dwellers] into thinking that they could finally escape death. These are the things which are part of the project.

    One is immunity from virtually anything that could cause death, Number two; this also meant that they would no longer age. Number three is that, every [Dweller] will simply remain with their current looks. There is also the possibility of them appearing younger as, the project included a regeneration ability. This is the fourth element included and, the concept for this is a [Regenerative Ability] so potent that, it could heal anything on the same speed of blinking an eye.

    It is at this point that the malicious members of the council of deities began plotting a world''s demise. This desire was limited to Mythos alone. Like what was mentioned, it is only Mythos which reached the ideal perfection which the gods and goddesses always yearned for. And so, it is also the only world which will experience the collective wrath, malice, deprivation, and scheming which the other worlds did not got through.

    [Memory Shard Ended]

    "Well that''s all that I''ll give you. I know that I didn''t give you everything but, that should be enough to guide you through the current state of things. PLUUUUS! I actually paused time just to give all of this to you. So you better appreciate me more whenever I appear!"

    [Time Pause Ended.]

    Zeke listened to everything that Yaeger said. The goddess continued her exnations but, Zeke''s mind was focused on the thing that Yaeger just revealed. Heron is her daughter and, there is another revtion which went with this.

    Yaeger was actually a former human.

    She was part of Mythos'' first set of [Dwellers]. An elf who wasn''t good at any practical stuff that already existed in Mythos. That is, until the gods sent hostile monsters which the [Dwellers] needed to face off.

    Instinctively, Yaeger knew what to do and, while everyone ran away from the first wave of monsters, Yaeger faced them head on. Winning without acquiring any sort of damage. And, this is how she knew her purpose. It is to hunt and to kill.

    There were others who also showed promise on this field. However, almost nobody could match the amount of talent and skills which Yaeger possessed. That is, until she encountered a [Dragon Morpher] named Helios. And this is no ordinary dragon. It is the leader of all the tribes of dragons, holding the title of the strongest among his kin.

    While Yaeger has both strategy and skills, Helios has unparalleled and overwhelming strength. The two of them sparred a couple of times before they finally decided to be lovers - creating a short earthquake on the first night they made love.

    Soon after, they were able to have a child of their own. And this is Heron. This is possible as, a [Dragon Morpher] can alter their DNA and make itpatible with whatever species they mate with. However, it is also at this time that the gods have begun corrupting the minds of some [Dwellers].

    Thus, on the day Heron was born, the influenced [Dwellers] decided to attack the defenseless veteran. Helios didn''t let this pass of course. He defended his wife and their child with all his might. But, since some [Divine Beasts] also got corrupted, he was eventually pinned down.

    On his final breath, Helios was able to cast a spell which transported both Yaeger and their newborn to a sanctuary. The chaos which followed this event snowballed continuously. This began with the division of the [Divine Beasts] among themselves.

    The [Dwellers] also began doubting each other at this point. With the monsters continually being sent by the supreme beings, there was no room for division among themselves. And yet, this only continued until, the continent divided into four.

    Yaeger and Heron appeared some yearster. Together with them are the remaining [Dwellers] who still held true to the code of unity. Together with a human secretly sent by a deity, they fought against the gods and the [Dwellers] they influenced.

    The tides of war actually went on Yaeger''s favor. However, the [Dwellers] which the gods and goddesses twisted were able toe up with a n of their own. They surrounded Yaeger''s camp, preventing any supplies froming in. With hunger slowly draining them, Yaeger decided to take the untested first sample of the [Immortality Project].

    Yaeger felt strength coursing through her body and, on that same day, she was able to defeat the forces that tried pinning them down. The gods and goddesses panicked at this point. But they also knew that they could intervene even more with what just urred.

    They watched everything after all. They saw how Yaeger got stabbed over and over again. Yet, the mortal only recovered each and every time. Not only this  her strength also exceeded what is normal. AN example is when she threw a spear and it passed through 100 defenders who are both enchanted defensively and, holding the best defensive items. And so, the council decided to take her in as a goddess, giving her a rightful seat as the goddess of the hunt.

    They didn''t do this without a leverage of course. They trapped Heron on a crystal, telling Yaeger that, the only way for them to be reunited is for the mortal to ept her seat in the council. And so, Yaeger epted, watching thest mes of the resistance die out in her absence as she reced the former goddess of the hunt which summoned the human who assisted them.

 Chapter 75: Time Pressure

    Chapter 75: Time Pressure

    Right after the goddess finished her exnations, Zeke was transferred to his own room. The sisters visited him that same evening but, this is all before he woke up. Yaeger also gave the exnations to the Windsprites, telling them that Zeke is fine and that, he would probably wake up tomorrow morning.

    But Zeke actually woke up much earlier. To be specific, he woke up on that same evening. The moonlight gave him a rough idea of what his surroundings looked like. Then, he felt something warm touch his hand and, saw the figure of the female elf Allesiah; with her head resting on the side of his bed.

    Zeke smiled at her, not because the female elf is beautiful. Nor is it because this same beauty was even more evident through the moonlight hitting her cheeks. The reason why Zeke smiled is, because of all the details shown by his [Analysis].

    He didn''t; have much time looking at this during the fight. After all, thest opponent was so problematic that it left Zeke with his final card.

    [Name: Allesiah Windsprite]

    [Species: Elf]

    [ssification: Mana Wizard]

    [Information: This is a rare evolution that can only be acquired if the user attained a level of proficiency on the following: [Mana Maniption], [Spell Jamming], [Spell Disruption], and the ability to see the flow of mana.]

    [Information: Mana wizards do not have a high amount of internal mana. This ispensated by their ability of using the mana around them to cast their own spells. They are also highly skilled in terms of spellbination and alteration as, all of these are dependent on the flow of mana which exists all around us.]

    [Information: Upon evolution, a Mana Wizard goes back to level 1. The leveling down is not a problem. With the flow of mana which exists everywhere, a Mana Wizard can use as much of this as he or she wants, creating any level of spell.]

    [Information: There are other features to this evolution that can be attained as the Mana Wizard levels up.]

    "I think you''ve grown beyond the goal you''ve set out for yourself." Zeke said to the sleeping wizard; brushing the hair that covered her face behind her ears.

    Zeke then proceeded to getting up and putting the sleeping Allesiah on his bed. He stretched his body and felt every muscle working as they should. He was actually kind of worried that [The One Who Cheats Death] would create a kind of detrimental effect to his physical body. But, seeing as he is still fine, that didn''t seem to be the case.

    Aside from the mark on his wrist which showed [???] there didn''t seem to be anything off. Then, he opened the [Main Quest] connected to the [Ruined City]. With everything mentioned by the goddess of the hunt, Zeke knew that updates will also be made to the quest.

    [The main quest: Enter the Ruined City  has been updated!]

    [Information: It is possible to create a door to the city using ancient noble blood. The portal is easier to create if this [Dweller] is still alive.]

    "That''s actually easier than I thought." Zeke said to himself as there are two [Dwellers] which he has already met. Although there is a slight problem as, one is a goddess while the other needs to be summoned from a crystal.

    But then, as if the system read his thoughts, a sub quest appeared. One which could potentially take all his worries away.

    [A Sub Quest has been unlocked!]

    [Quest Title: Release the Dragon Morpher Heron]

    [Quest Information: The gamer must take Heron out of the Yaeger''s summoning crystal.]

    [Quest Reward: Summoning Crystal x2]

    [A Sub Quest has been unlocked!]

    [Quest Title: Stop Gallio from reaching the Ruined City''s capital.]

    [Quest Information: Danger looms for the Ruined City as the Blood Elf Monarch has the means to ess the Ruined City. You must stop him by any means necessary from doing so.]

    [Quest Reward: Summoning Crystal x2]

    "Both sub quests arecking in details. But at least they aren''tpletely far from my initial goals." Zeke thought to himself.

    With everything told by Yaeger, Zeke is now aware of Heron''s origin and even a means to enter the [Ruined City]. With the things proceeding as they are, there is a single worry that ran through Zeke''s mind. The [Dwellers] were creatures of intellect and strength and, more specifically, they had too much of this. So much so that the same beings which created them also caused Mythos to turn as imperfect as the other worlds.

    It is fear that drove some deities to destroy the [Dwellers]. And, there is a possibility for the same creatures to turn their eyes on him once he enters the [Ruined City]. But this is still an assumption; one which he didn''t let worry him for the moment.

    "I should probably prepare for tomorrow''s departure." Zeke thought to himself, opening the system and initializing both the [Skill Store] and the [Crafting] options.

    Right as he opened the storage, there is an item which picked his interest. This is aponent found all over the body of the [Dragon Hydra] and also, something which Zeke now has in excess.

    [Material Name: Scales of the Dragon Hydra]

    [Grade: C+]

    [Quality: Evolved rank.]

    [Information: These scales have been made to endure the passing of time. With the Dragon Hydra''s trait of regenerating through forcibly removing its heads, it stays alive for a long period of time. This causes its scales to rise in their defensive capability to the point that, piercing through them bes nearly impossible.]

    [Information: The scales take in the element of the head. This lowers the overall defensive capability of the scales but; it develops a certain amount of resistance toward that same element.]

    [Information: The stored element boosts the spells used by the Hydra Head.]

    [me Scales x50]

    [Water Scales x50]

    [Earth Scales x50]

    [Darkness Scales x50]

    [Light Scales x50]

    [Magma Scales x50]

    [Poison Scales x50]

    These are only some of the scale types which Zeke acquired. He didn''t want to waste them so he proceeded to looking at the other items in order to get a clearer idea on what he should craft. After all, what he ns is to face Gallio as soon as he can.

    [Name: Wind''s Willow]

    [Loot Type: Anklet]

    [Information: Raises evasion rate by 10%]

    [Name: Darkness Orb]

    [Loot Type: Weapon]

    [Information: Changes the personality of the user. Gives an additional 30% boost when using darkness affiliated spells.]

    ..

    [Name: Hydra Chainmail]

    [Loot Type: Armor]

    [Information: Made from pure Dragon Hydra scales, the armor rises in its defensive capabilities based on the rank of the wearer.]

    [Name: Corrosive de]

    [Loot Type: Weapon]

    [Information: Raises corrosion damage by 10% and gives the de the effect of corrosion on as a passive.]

    [Name: Dweller''s Clothing]

    [Loot Type: Clothes]

    [Information: The clothes of a dweller add 20% defense, 30% speed, and 10% intellect. This makes it the ideal clothing which was mas produced during the ancient times in order for everyone to wear.]

    [Cloak of Deceit]

    [Loot Type: Clothing]

    [Information: The cloak is capable of hiding the real level and strength of the wearer. It also grants an added 10% to the capability of the wearer to fool those around him or her.]

    These are the highest tiered items from the ones umted by Zeke. Just by reading the names, Zeke already had a rough idea on what the items could do. Among all of them, Zeke''s interest falls mostly on the [Cloak of Deceit] and the [Dweller''s Clothing].

    What ran through Zeke''s mind is this. The biggest problem for him is how the gods and goddesses may fear him once his levels and strength get too high. Just by demonstrating his strength when he used [The One Who Cheats Death], he knew that problems would''ve risen. Luckily, he was in the realm of a goddess. This prevented the other gods and goddesses from having a peak as, the realm of a god or goddess works like a kind of sanctuary where others of their kind cannot take peek nor trespass.

    Of course, he is also aware that some gods may have all seeing eyes. But he left that worry forter. For now, he took the [Cloak of Deceit] and the [Dweller''s Clothing] and, with these, he nned on the skills which he needs to buy.

    "Honestly, it''s one enemy after the other in this world. It''s like taking a break would be a crime at this point." He thought to himself, snapping his neck and proceeding to the skill shop for the moment.

    Although the skill points used on [The One Who Cheat''s Death] did not get any refunds, the system was able to make a way to at least give him [20] additional points right after he defeated the [Dragon Hydra]. Aside from this, there are other skills which came as rewards from the quest. But, all of them seemed to be useless for Zeke and hence, he sold them all in order to gain even more skill points.

    All in all, Zeke has [80] unused skill points and, he needed to allocate these properly for the uing fight. He invested 40 points immediately on [Counter], raising its rank up to [B+].

    [Information: 40% of all kind of attacks have a chance to be countered. If there is no means of countering, the skill owner will simply dodge and move closer to the target.]

    "That should give me enough fighting chance." Zeke thought to himself as he looked on all the defensive skills and traits he has thus far. Regeneration, Counter, Endurance and, Reincarnation. All of these will be avable once he fights Gallio and, if these aren''t enough then he can simply use [Blood Counter] in order to finish off his opponent.

    However, he didn''t want to bet his luck on these. He proceeded to making a new armor for himself, one which made use of all the scale types provided by the [Dragon Hydra] and. He ced these one by one on the [Dweller''s Clothing.] Covering it as the scales worked their way all over the clothing. And then, his whole room glowed with all the colors of the elements as soon as he finished. As soon as he was able to look, his eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the new armor.

    "This is"

 Chapter 76: Overgeared

    Chapter 76: Overgeared

    [Name: Adaptive Armor of Scaling]

    [Notice: The item''s name is changeable.]

    [Grade: N/A]

    [Durability: 100/100]

    [Information: The armor refreshes its durability every day. Depending on the fight which the wearer gets into, the armor will create a resistance to the most potent attack type. If there are multiple attack types, then the armor will equally distribute this potency to the kinds used by the enemy.]

    [Information: If the armor breaks, it will simply regenerate and, after a week, it can be used once again. Upon getting broken, it will develop a strong resistance to whatever it is that broke it.]

    [Information: The armor takes in all the regenerative ability of the user and, the higher these are, the faster the armor can regain its durability.]

    [Information: Materials have been added in the crafting which increases basic attributes. Hence, the wearer of the armor gains a 30% bonus on all attributes.]

    "Now would you look at that, I finally gained something that could match the skills and attributes I''ve faithfully distributed all my points to." Zeke told to himself, getting excited on the idea of using the armor.

    Another thing which made him d is that, there is no level requirement for suing the armor. Hence, even if he continues leveling down, he can still use this armor in order to better defend himself.

    With the scales he ced on the armor, he was able to gain the resistance provided by each kind of [Drago Hydra] scale. But things didn''t simply end there. With the [Dweller''s Clothing] being added to the mix, Zeke was also able to add the feature of boosting the attribute points of the wearer. Something which Zeke badly needed as his attributes will begin decreasing dayin and day out.

    Aside from this, Zeke made various items in order to support himself better. The first is [Death''s Symphony V3].

    The added feature to this weapon is that, both guns now has a retractable de. This de is made from the same material which Zeke used to pierce through the [Dragon Hydra]. It is the remnant of Harun''s [Thousand Spear]. And, adding to this is Zeke using the core of Sebastian''s shield on one gun while using the [Refined Mana Crystal] on the other gun. He also dissected the shield, making it the base of the gun while also adding in the scales of the [Dragon Hydra] to better control the influx of elements whenever he needs to use them.

    Thus, in the end, he was able to create a weapon which can be used for both close and long rangedbat. Due to the [Dragon Hydra] scales added, each bullet can have a different property to it. Zeke crafted the bullets in such a way that, they functioned simrly to a mana absorbing steel.

    Whatever element Zeke thinks of, the guns will create it for him  condensing the type of mana into the bullets and, firing it on an output based on how long the charge was made.

    Other than this, Zeke also made a ne which boosted his mana by 30%. Adding to this are shoes which improved his [Quick Step] even further, enabling him to reach a level which is faster than [sh Step].

    Aside from this, Zeke also made a belt which can deploy shields. The shields are made of mana and so, there is a certain limit to their durability. However, as they are made of this, the shields can also regenerate, giving Zeke enough chances to fight back no matter how monstrous an opponent may be.

    Apart from this, the shield also has another function. They also serve as a type of amplification to the shots made using [Death''s Symphony.] With the problem of having to charge up his bullets again, Zeke thought of a way to pass through this obstacle no matter what element he chooses to use.

    With the belt, Zeke can deploy small funnels in front of the guns. The bullets will pass through these and, with every funnel passed through, the bullet will increase in strength by 10%. Hence, Zeke can still fire rapidly without losing any damage output. He was also able to make a [Sniper Rifle]. Although this one hasn''t gotten through the testing phase and currently has only two bullets which could be used.

    Zeke didn''t stop here. He made enough armor and weapons for all his conjures. He spent all his [System Coins] ensuring that all his conjures are properly geared for the uing battle.

    Then, with all of this being set, Zeke bought one final skill and added it to his arsenal. Together with this is another item which he is excited to use. And with this, the human went to sleep once more, instinctively knowing that the day which awaits him will be longer and more tiring the rest he has experienced thus far.

    The sun didn''t rise yet but Zeke was already out of the Cabin. He wen into the forest just as he was instructed and, found Yaeger on the spot where Heron is being kept.

    "You came. I thought that you''d at least think this through before actually agreeing to my next request." Yaeger said, almost sounding like she regrets seeing Zeke. After all, the burden she''s about to give the human is muchrger than any normal mortal could bear.

    "Let''s just get this over with, shall we? I still have a long day ahead of me." Zeke replied, holding his stance against the goddess.

    When Yaeger exined everything to Zeke, she also mentioned the only way for Heron to be released. That is, a mortal must defeat her in hand to handbat.

    For the fight to be fair, the human can set five rules. But none of these should include handicaps that are too impossible. Nor any of the sort which would put the goddess in an obvious disadvantage.

    "I only have two condition. One is that you can only use normal weapons without any divine element added to them. And the second is, you aren''t allowed to use any divine skill." Zeke said, knowing that both of these would make the fight an easy win for the goddess.

    "Agreed." The goddess replied, stretching her body and preparing to fight. She then looked at Zeke who is already at his fighting position and then, without a moment of hesitation, Yaeger bolted in for the kill,

    Zeke managed to dodge this by a hair''s breadth. The [Counter] skill activated immediately, making his pistols aim at the goddess. Unfortunately for him however, Yaeger has unnaturally fast reflexes and thus, she was able to use her hands to twist her body immediately, kicking the guns up as she regained her posture.

    The goddess wasted no time and began firing hundreds of throwing knives at Zeke, all aiming at the human''s vitals.

    "Conjure!" Zeke said, releasing all of his summons at once. Sebastian, Lupus and Samael shielded most of the knives while, the other monsters either parried the blow or became unwilling victims to the strike.

    The [Winged Monkeys] and the [Carnivorous Turtle Hatchlings] all scattered atrium the battlefield as a result  all of them being unable to make a single move as the goddess proceeded to taking out two hunting daggers.

    Sheshed out at Zeke who also took out the des on his pistols. The goddess is not surprised at the weapon as, she has already seen various sorts from all the worlds that have been created.

    "That''s what you''d call a gunde am I correct? You have quite a poor taste for weaponry human." The goddess talked nonchntly to Zeke as if she is belittling the skills of the human.

    Zeke knew what the goddess was trying to do. She''s simply provoking him, trying to make him drop his guard for a moment. Unfortunately for the goddess, Zeke has already encountered all types of toxic yers back on earth. As such, the goddess'' words had no effect on him.

    Both his guns have already began charging. But the goddess didn''t back away. Instead she twisted her body in ways that Zeke couldn''t follow. Yaeger tried to find the angel where she could make the gunde shoot at Zeke. However, the human has [Counter] effect. This made the Goddess'' n nearly impossible as, Zeke was able to step away.

    He then used quick step and, with his new boots, Zeke moved like a sharp wind through the forest. Both guns are still charging and the goddess is aware of this. Hence, she just waited for the bullets toe; confident that she could dodge or parry them. And this happened sooner than she thought.

    The bullets came as abination of lightning and fire  both projectiles swirling to the point that theybined together. The goddess felt the immense amount of strength condensed on this attack and smiled from the thrill of having to face it head on. However, she is quickly disappointed as she was able to parry this shot upward pletely deflecting it without getting harmed.

    But then, she felt something sharpere for her neck and, the goddess immediately summoned two shields; blocking on the direction where this feeling came from. Unlike what happened earlier, she didn''t know what to expect from the attack. That is why, as the swing brough her flying, the goddess was caught by surprise.

    She as able to get over this shock easily and,nded with both her feet on the trunk of the tree. She then leaped forward to where Zeke is but then, the human spun to the side as [Counter] took effect once again.

    Zeke then aimed at the nape of the goddess. But Yaeger was able to predict through this; sweeping her legs on the ground and forcing Zeke to jump up in order to not trip over. Zeke saw the goddess smirk and, in an instant, he is sent flying just like how she did a few seconds back. Zeke wasn''t able tond as gracefully as Yaeger as he broke a lot of his bones.

    The goddess appeared him no time. It is a real battle after all and, in a real battle, pauses and time outs do not happen.

    Zeke used his shields in order to block the blow while these also served as tforms for him. He then began releasing a mass of [Poison Clouds] within the area and, the goddessughed at this.

    "You think a bit of poison is enough to stop the goddess of the hunt?" She said, feeling Zeke''s presence and diving through the poison without sustaining much damage. Sure enough, she was able to get Zeke but then, the human moved out of range once more, hitting her with bullets from within the sea of [Poison Clouds].

    The goddess figured out the strategy of the human right away. ''He probably ns to use the poison in order to get me confused.'' The goddess thought to herself which she found to be unfortunate for the human. After all, as the goddess of the hunt, she has a natural way of tracking down her prey and so, even with the sea of poison surrounding them, Yaeger knew exactly where Zeke is.

    She then prepared for herst strike. She found it unfortunate for the human but, she also knows that Zeke can still resurrect. So, even if she kills the human, no actual harm would be done.

    "It''s been fun Zeke, but I guess you won''t be taking my daughter out of here." And at this, the goddess transformed into a giant dark wolf which moved at light speed toward her prey. But, he was not there. Or rather, he has already moved away.

    This is followed by a rain of bullets which contained various ellements. The goddess ispletely caught by surprise and, has no idea what to do anymore as the onught continued, registering Zeke on various areas all oat once.

    The damage built up little by little until, Zeke finally ran out of bullets. At this, Yaeger found her chance to strike. And, to her surprise, Zeke took her attack without any effort to dodge.

    "What is the meaning of this? Are you giving up?" The goddess said as she reverted to her human form.

    "You should look at your surroundings before you assume that." Zeke said and, at this, the goddess used her hunter eyes to better analyze the area. There was nothing at first but then, as she looked at the poison cloud even further, she noticed some blue particles mixed together with the poison.

    "Don''t tell me" The goddess began in disbelief.

    "Mana cores? Yup. Finely grinded and almost dust like in appearance. Each of those has the capacity to take in an element and, all they need is the stopping of my heart I order to detonate."

    At this, the goddess'' eyes widened in horror.

    "The barrage I made earlier wasn''t mean to finish you off. It was meant to give these tiny particles the necessary firepower in order to take them out of dormancy. Once an element gets absorbed in them, they''d blow up inside of you. Now I''m not sure how strong a goddess'' body is but, I''m betting one of these should finish the job for me." Zeke said, grinning excitedly.

    The goddess still found everything to be unbelievable. But, as she began epting reality, Yaeger beganughing. She took out her hand from Zeke''s stomach and snapped her finger, using godly powers in order to heal himpletely. And at this, the goddess of the hunt admitted her defeat.

    Zeke Elwood became the first human to defeat a god.

 Chapter 77: The Goddess of the Hunts Realm

    Chapter 77: The Goddess of the Hunt''s Realm

    [Shadow Dive]

    This is the skill which Zeke used on the goddess in order to create the barrage of shots. This skill works in a way that, wherever there is a nearby shadow, Zeke can appear there. This uses nearby shadows as a portal and, although the skill used up a lot of [Skill Points] to buy, Zeke knew that the effect is worth it. Adding to his constion is the mana cost of the skill which only requires [10 Mana Points] per use.

    With Zeke''s [Intelligence] attribute, Zeke can regain [50 Mana Points] per second. And so, Zeke can continuously use the skill. He did so, cing his conjures on strategic positions and, continuously pulling the trigger as he appeared out of them one by one. And, the defeat of the goddess which came shortly after leads as to the current scene.

    Right after the fight, Zeke gained another mark from the goddess. This time it is shaped like a dragon''s head with various scales forming the figure. The mark has warm colors that made it seem to be on fire. Yet it wasn''t; and that''s what made Zeke even more impressed.

    "This is actually better than your own mark." Zeke said, referring to the goddess'' blessing which was bestowed upon him.

    "In my defense, have no control over how the mark will turn out. That is shaped using the mana''s understanding of the mark''s function. That''s actually what makes it more dynamic and alive. Plus, the mark I''m using as the goddess the hunt was also the one used by the previous goddess. Apparently, I can''t change it as it also symbolizes the power held by my title." Yaeger exined, giving another information to Zeke which mortals do not get hold of so easily.

    The mark ascertains Zeke''s position as Heron''s master. Yaeger then proceeded to exining how the mark works. Basically, it binds Heron to Zeke''s mana which meant that, as long as Zeke lives, Heron will also live. Furthermore, in case Zeke dies, there is already a countermeasure prepared which would allow the [Dragon Morpher] to continue living on. She does not need to feed on Zeke''s mana however. He just needs it to exist and, other than this, Heron can live her life normally.

    "So she''s like a virus that needs a host." Zeke said, making the goddess furrow her brows.

    "I know that you''ve beaten me a while ago but, that doesn''t mean that I''ll let every word of yours slide. It''ll only take one shot from my [Divine Bow] to take you down." She warned but, Zeke didn''t listen to this. After all, he is the only ticket for her daughter to get out of the realm.

    "I just said what was on the top of my head at the moment. No need to get all angry about it." Zeke replied.

    The goddess sighed as she looked at him. But this isn''t one of sadness, irritation or hopelessness. Actually, she felt overjoyed about the fact that, her daughter can finally have a normal and decent life. Although, she''s not sure how decent this will be as she needs to continually be on Zeke''s side.

    "Take this. The goddess handed Zeke a ne which had a gem that looked a lot like a summoning crystal. Upon closer inspection however, Zeke noticed that within the crystal is a seeming red me which continued swirling around.

    "I''m guessing your daughter is already in here?" Zeke said without even any care on his words. Taking up the ne and looking at it more intently using [Analysis].

    "Yes, although you cannot bring her out right away. The crystal needs a month at most in order topletely register your mana to match with hers. It''s only after this that she can be summoned out of it and, once she''s out, the mark will activate. That''ll shatter the summoning crystal and turn her back into a normal mortal." Yaeger exined in detail.

    "I''ll keep a closer eye on you from now on so you better not try anything funny with my daughter got that?" The goddess followed up, thinking how weird and mysterious Zeke the mortal could be at times.

    Zeke nodded in agreement and gave the goddess a reassuring smile. This is the onlyfort he could provide her as; he cannot assure that Heron would live much of a normal life as long as she sticks with him. After all, there are still a lot on Zeke''s te which he needs to finish and, he''s not even done with any of the [Main Quests].

    However, Zeke knows that two quests would soon be dealt with. He''ll be facing Gallio soon. This is an inevitable fact as, the contract with de prevents him from taking any longer. Other than this, he needs to fight as soon as he can as, the de-levelling process will surely be taxing on him. But Zeke thought that this is okay. With every item he has, it wouldn''t be hard to bet that he could win against the monstrous blood elf monarch.

    Aside from this, Zeke can also finish the task connected to the [Ruined City]. Although only curious about who the [Dragon Morpher] is at first, Zeke now wanted to have her. Especially because she will serve as his ticket in entering the [Ruined City] and, all the glory which the city holds. After all, its advancement was to the point that, it was able to give birth to a goddess. Namely, Yaeger.

    "That takes care of that." Zeke said finally standing up and, as he did, Yaeger looked at him like a fragile mother who is about to burst into tears. It was the first time Zeke witnessed this and, the sudden softness of the goddess took him by surprise as this same creature wrapped her arms around him, making Zeke feel a warm sensation he has deprived himself back on earth.

    "Thank you." Yaeger said, not allowing the human to see her face at the moment as she buried it on his shoulder.

    Zeke couldn''t say anything back. In fact, he wasn''t even sure what to make of the situation. And so, he just patted the back of the goddess; feeling that it is the safest move to make at the moment.

    They then headed back to the cabin to make the final arrangements before leaving the realm.

    One thing was agreed upon by the party and the goddess. This is that, the corpse of both Sebastian and Harun will be buried in Yaeger''s realm. As the goddess of the hunt; the elves have always held Yaeger in high regards and as such, it would be of the highest honor to be buried in her divine realm.

    Yaeger allowed this and even made it a point that she would see their burial site each and every day. A tree will always grow where an elf corpse is buried and as such, the goddess ced both bodies on the sides of her cabin. Making both servants stay as close to her.

    "This is the least we could do for them." Were the words that Sylvia used tofort Allesiah who also grieved the loss of their loyal servants. They looked at the graves which now began sprouting out leaves. Sebastian''s leaves are an autumn color while, Harun had peach - colored leavesing out.

    Zeke didn''t keep the conjures of both Sebastian and Harun. In fact, he allowed these to be rsed as, he believes that the soul of also gets captured with the conjure.

    "You guys don''t need to fight endlessly for things you don''t want to." Zeke said, releasing the tongues of me that contained both conjures and, letting them dissolve as they floated up in the air.

    After this, his head shifted downwards. He then saw He then saw Sylph who was standing farther back, hiding her face from everyone. Zeke approached the female elf who began wiping her face with her sleeves.

    "You know you can me me if you want. It''ll at least lessen the burden you''re carrying." Zeke said, not minding the responsibility at all. In fact, he can pretty much handle it even if the whole world hates him.

    After all, he is also about to murder the husband of Sylvia. For a whole week he has been with this person, helping her grow and making normal interactions with her. Yet, as soon as theye back, he''ll make sure that not even a shadow of Hark will be left on Elysium. And this in itself is enough to make him understand that, being able to act all indifferent and cold is needed in order to aplish his quests.

    "No. I hold as much responsibility in what happened to them as everyone else here. I won''t be a proper master to them if I med someone else for my own weakness and ipetence." The elf said and, Zeke apuded the response.

    With their farewells being done and over with, the group finally prepared toe back to Elysium. They stood on the same spot that they appeared on and, this time, Zeke is with three Windspirtes who have evolved in to higher forms of elves. Adding to this is the fact that they also have improved weaponry. All of this made them a hundred times more formidable than when they left Elysium.

    Yaeger looked at them before she began chanting the spell. And then, a yellow light began crawling on the ground; forming a circle which had Zeke and hispany inside. As soon as the figure formed, the mark glowed even brighter and, Yaeger said some incantations which went with this. She then gave Zeke one final look and, the human looked back with a cheeky smirk on his face.

    "Arrogant bastard." Were the words that ran through the goddess'' head as she finally snapped her finger  transporting Zeke and his group out of her realm and, back to Elysium.

 Chapter 78: The God of Mischief

    Chapter 78: The God of Mischief

    As the transportation began, there is only one thing that ran in Zeke''s head. Beside him is Sylph, probably saying something important. However, he is too preupied with the various tactics that could be employed with his fight against Gallio. Taking into consideration all his money from the shop, his skill set, his items and, his summons  he thought carefully on the best way to optimize all these factors. That is, also taking into consideration any unfortunate circumstance such as, an earlier encounter with the Blood Elf Monarch.

    On the other hand, Yaeger is also preupied with a single thought. That is, the adventures which her daughter would finally be able to take out of her realm. Now that she isn''t bound to Yaeger''s territory, her memories wouldpletely be wiped out. Yaeger didn''t tell this to Zeke on purpose. After all, the human may back out if he learns that he needs to babysit a dragon with a nk memory.

    Even the three sisters had thoughts running through their heads. Allesiah thought of going to the rtives of both Harun and Sebastian. Although dead, their loved ones are still alive and, the Windsprite household has the duty to properlypensate them for all the services which they offered. Their loved ones will gain all these, with Allesiah thinking of ensuring that these elves would live secured lives from that moment on.

    Sylph thought of facing de immediately. She wants to get things straight with the elf whom she''s been closest with. She wants to know every single detail and, would not allow her former servant to escape without answering all her questions truthfully.

    Lastly, Sylvia thought of a lot of things. On the top of all this is restoring the Windsprite household. She thought that, their missiones as a sess, she has no other choice but to ascend to the throne. Nobody has taken her spot as the next queen and so, this responsibility falls on her whether she likes it or not.

    Hence, it is not only Zeke and Yaeger who are lost in thought as the transportationmenced. Even the elves had their minds full. Hence, they forgot to take one thing into consideration. Although the chance for it to happen is one in a million, the minor gods might interfere soon. Many of these beings still have their eyes on thend of Mythos. Fearing that their creation would once again evolve beyond safe levels, there are those that never left their eyes on the mortals that thrived there.

    After all, they did not change the creatures that lived there. They simply divided them and made them fight against each other. And, if a unifying element is born all of a sudden then, the Golden Age of Mythos might once againe. They all know how easily the creatures of Mythos could adapt and grow and, this in itself is enough to send shivers down their spines.

    One more thing that both Zeke and Yaeger forgot during the transport is this: time flows differently in the realm of the gods and goddesses. This isn''t'' something which Chrono decided himself but rather, something that came together with his existence. Hence, this cannot be altered.

    Slower.

    Faster.

    Normal.

    The duration of time is different all throughout the heavens. The deities then choose where to ce their realm and, there is no argument on spots to take as there is an infinite number to choose from. And, on some of these spaces, time moves even slower than it already is. Strangely enough, this is the only kind of space which is limited.

    Thises as a rarity probably because time moves so slowly, to the point that it would seem as if time has stopped entirely. Since these spaces may cause problemster on, Chrono decided to take over all of them. Nobody argued of course and willingly cooperated with Chrono or at least that is what they made the god of time believe.

    "This isn''t good. I sense arge amount of mana being transported to Mythos." One of the minor gods said, entering into a room lit so poorly that it seemed to be the inside of a cave.

    "Aren''t we banned from sending creatures there without the whole council''s approval?" Asked another who followed inside shortly after.

    Soon enough, a lot of these gods came together in a space they hid with all their efforts. This space is one of those where time seems to stop altogether. The reason why Chrono wasn''t able to im this one is because it is hidden.

    The minor gods and goddesses ced all their efforts into hiding the space and making it untraceable. The reason for making such a space should be quite obvious. It is because, they did not want the major deities to know of their schemes. After all, Chrono alone, the youngest of the three, is enough to wipe them all out at a snap of his finger.

    Of course, they also knew the dangers of creating such a space. But all of these worries is wiped out because of the ace up their sleeves. Although not being a major god, his skill set is enough to ce him on their radar. This is the god of mischief and deceit  Pier. This same creature soon entered the space and, spoke in a voice that made every other minor god quiet down to listen.

    "Idiots. Those are residents of Mythos. If you could just stop panicking and actually look at the mana they contain, you''d know that what I say is true." Pier said, holding his ck staff with a floating obsidian stone. Nobody ever figured out what the stone is actually made of, giving it an ominous feel.

    "But isn''t that prohibited? We aren''t supposed to take any dwellers into our realm." One minor goddess replied.

    "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. My gooddy, you''ve been living all your immortal life and yet you forget to ce some important rules into consideration." Pier replied, knowing that one of these buffoons would soon ask him.

    The minor goddess lowered head head, ashamed of even raising the question. The other minor gods and goddessesughed at Pier''s remark as if they knew what he is actually talking about.

    "Let me exin." Pier began by using a spell, creating puppets that glowed a dark violet color on the floor. Everyone looked at the demonstration presented.

    "The things we create are generated in such a way that we cannot take them back. Nor alter their form on a whim. These are restrictions that we did not enforce upon ourselves but instead, exists as an invisible rule." He said, making one of the puppets levitate and hit an invisible ceiling over and over again.

    "If you remember, we didn''t alter anything from those Mythos dwellers. Not because we don''t want to but simply because, a naturalw makes us unable to perform such acts: both taking these creatures and altering them after the design has been finished." Pier continued, lifting one more human like puppet and adding various animal parts to it. The parts immediately dropped to the ground; not actually getting attached to the sample.

    "That doesn''t exin anything." One of the minor gods replied.

    "That''s true my impatient sir. You see it''s because I''m just about to say the reason now. So, if you guys could just continue shutting your mouths, that would be really helpful." He continued, creating enough menacing aura to make minor gods and goddesses like him to feel fear for a second.

    "Let me continue." Pier said, thumping his staff on the ground and creating even more miniature puppets.

    "We cannot get them directly but, if they are taken to our realm by another creature from another world, that''s another story altogether." Pier ced a yellow glowed puppet in the middle of two dark purple ones.

    "To make things even simpler, that specific creature bes a kind of boatman; taking them through ces where normal passage should be forbidden. The naturalws permit this because, it is not these creatures who are directly getting transported, but a creature outside that world''s algorithm. Making him or her an exception to the rule and thus, applying the same exception to the creatures with him or her."

    Nobody in that space actually remembered this rule. In fact, they''ve never heard of it actually being said. And this much is understandable because, this was never written down. The gods and goddesses simply presumed that, with all the worlds and universes being created so far, they would already have a clear idea of this concept.

    "Then who is the otherworlder with them?" Another minor god asked and, as soon as he did, his eyes widened in shock.

    "I''m guessing you already know the answer yourself." Pier replied, having a sly grin on his face.

    "I cannot remember thest time when the major deities chose a human. But when they did, that human stroke as much fear to us as the dwellers of Mythos. A seemingly perfect human who was blessed by those three. So much so that, he almost came to our level." Pier stated, moving around the space and looking at every minor god and goddess present

    "But he didn''t." One of the minor gods jested, proud that he was there to witness the dying moments of that human.

    Pier gave this god a menacing smile. In an instant, the god found it harder to breathe, as if his heart would burst out any minute. But the feeling died out as soon as it came, covering the god with beads of cold sweat that ran down his forehead.

    "That''s right. And this time, another human who seemingly has more talent hase. Choosing a blessing that has limitless potential for growth." Pier continued.

    At this, the room''s atmosphere got even more serious. They all know of the things that are about unfold in Mythos and this made them d. That is, until the very moment when Pier disclosed every information to them.

    Everything was actually going ording to their n already. With the Blood Elf Monarch Gallio and his troops, Mythos would be divided even more than it already is. With this unexpected wild card added to the mix, the chaos that died out will once again resume. This will lead to further destruction, confusion, pain, and agony. And, if this is the case, then they do not have much to worry about anymore.

    But things are different now. With what Pier just disclosed to them, the minor gods and goddesses are now worried. If a human chosen by the three major deitieses to the mix together with hispanions, then their nt of devastation maymence at all.

    "Can''t we do anything about this? At this rate, Gallio may just be defeated even before he wreaks havoc upon Mythos." A goddess said in a panicked voice.

    "Calm down will you." Pier immediately remarked, holding his hands in front.

    "You seem to be forgetting one crucial part. They aren''t back to Mythis yet. They are in the middle of being transported from an area outside their allowed domain."

    "Which means what exactly?" This remark made by anther god widened Pier''s smile to its limits.

    "Which means we can send them to spots where they would be most exposed to danger." He finished. This made hos aplices smile with him, finally realizing the genius of this n.

    The transport would look to be the fault of the minor god or goddess who transported them. They would leave no trace as Pier could easily tamper with the data of their spell jamming and tampering. And so, this leads to a certain problem for Zeke and those with him.

    The end result of the transportation magic used by the goddess Yaeger changed altogether. Zeke and his party members all got transported to difference ces within Elysium. Of course, it would be easy to just use a transportation scroll in order to go back where the others are. But the problem is, they are still registering where they have dropped off to. Another part of the equation is the confusion as to why the others aren''t with them. And the greatest factor to this is that, Gallio''s forces began attacking as soon as they were seen.

    Pier smiled immediately from the heavens as he watched the sight unfold.

    "Amuse me Zeke Elwood.

 Chapter 79: A Demonstration of Strength

    Chapter 79: A Demonstration of Strength

    de felt it. Just as the transport finished, he felt the contract binding him to Zeke finally activate once again. Yaeger designed the transport to be stealthy and discreet but, with Pier''s meddling, the transport came much shier. There is a tall pir of light which indicated where the transport ended. Gallio wasted no time to order his troops, also sensing a familiar presence nearby.

    "Kill whatever that brought."

    Although surprised, de didn''t show any visible sign of what he is experiencing. After all, the dominant feeling he has is thrill and excitement. He knows that the human will note unprepared and, knows that although a bit boastful, Zeke has the skills and brains to back this up.

    "What have you been up to you bastard." de thought to himself, feeling Zeke''s presence in a dangerously closer area.

    Meanwhile, Zeke has just finished brushing off the dust on his shoulders. He looked around him and noticed immediately that the transport separated him from the group. He actually felt this during the process, it was like another aura came in and messed up the whole process.

    "This spells trouble." Zeke thought to himself as he is now aware of the fact that, higher beings are probably keeping a close check on him now.

    "Where am I exactly?" He asked himself. Although the surroundings may have changed, his [Minimap] does not lie to him. He opened this and, on top is the indication of the area he is in.

    [Capital of Elysium] were the words ced on it. More specifically, Zeke is in the heart of the capital. The same spot where Gallio beat Aeolus for the throne. A ce easily essible to the soldiers as there are multiple alleyways that lead to his area. However, this alone is not enough to make Zeke worry. What actually troubled him a bit is another detail.

    "Damn, that''s a lot. It''s like I''m looking at a colony of ants." Zeke said, seeing the multitude of red dots surrounding him. These are hostile enemies of course, otherwise the [Minimap] will not brand them with that color.

    Another thing Zeke noticed is how there are only a rare number of neutral colored dots. This meant two thigs. One is that the capital of Elysium is now heavily popted by armed forces. Two is that, the civilians left must have some kind of use for the uing war. Gallio, as Zeke understands, is a cunning creature hence, he will not waste space on those who are not needed for his goals.

    Zeke saw the red dots closing in on him. As Zeke viewed them on the [Minimap], they moved in groups which meant that, they have been properly trained by Gallio in the art of fighting and war. However, there is still a fair amount of distance between him and the troops. This made Zeke excited, smiling unconsciously from the thrill of what is about toe.

    As mentioned, Zeke already thought of the sequence of events that would follow. He thought of the battles that need to be faced and, what to do on various disadvantageous situations. Although this is a lot sooner thane expected, Zeke already has a preventive measure in mind for things such as his current predicament.

    "Mana conversion." Zeke began, raising all his attribute points to a certain extent. He followed this up quickly by using [Medium Mana Potions] from the shop; restoring his mana points back to full.

    "Conjure." He continued, raising the [Winged Monkeys] first. These are his fastest, nimblest, and most dynamic units as they can also fly through any obstacle present. Thus, Zeke prioritized getting them out over any other and, ced [Detonate] on each and every one of them.

    10yers of [Poison Cloud]. This is the number of he ced on each [Winged Monkey] he owns. This in itself is enough to decrease his mana by a considerable amount but, Zeke still ahs a lot left in order to set up the area where he is standing.

    "Sorry but, if the system gives you a red color, then that automatically leaves me no choice but to kill you off." Zeke continued, sending the flying monkeys on every pathway found on the minimap and, as soon as they reached a group of enemies, he gave a single instruction.

    "Detonate" Zeke said, releasing a mass of [Poison Cloud] on his enemies. He continued this process, making his [Conjures] fly all over the area. Once they finished, he made theme back to load [Umbral sh] within them. Zeke can''t ce two different detonates on the same creatures and so, he needed to make them finish scattering the poison beforeing back.

    He wasted no time in following this up by conjuring the remaining number of his troops. Screams soon followed which left a smile on Zeke''s face. Lately he''s been enjoying fights more and more, especially the part where he mixes up strategies and stilles out wining the fights.

    "That probably means that the poison is taking effect." Zeke said to the [Winged Monkey] he is currently preparing.

    "Okay you guys can go now." He continued, finally finished preparing his [Conjures].

    The toon in charge of tanking the enemy, circled the whole area preventing anyone from getting any closer to Zeke. With Lupus leading, every creature in the toon gains an added boost in defense. The whole group can take a lot of damage and, even if they can''t, Zeke will simply summon all of them over and over again until the enemies have thinned out significantly.

    Then again, he couldn''t just rely on his [Poison Cloud] and his line of defense. That''s why he sent out the [Winged Monkeys] once again.

    "Detonate." Zeke said, releasing a barrage of [Umbral shes] on his enemies. With their formation breaking down bit by bit, Zeke now has more room for his offensive units. Thus, Zeke conjured Erio and the toon in charge of attacking.

    If Zeke didn''t break their formation, fighting head on would be much more problematic. An option would be to keep using long ranged attacks but, this could bring more risks as he can''t fire from all sides at once.

    Hence, Zeke first decided to thin them down even more through physical attacks by his summons. He has no idea what kinds of enemies are beyond the [Poison Cloud]. All he knows is that, if they have no means to even reach him, then they aren''t even worth analyzing.

    "Kill every hostile youe across. Don''t let anyone slip by the vanguards." Zekemanded, letting his [Conjures] go on a rampage in the battlefield.

    Themanding conjure, Erio, made the most contribution to this assault. It didn''t matter which member of Gallio''s troop Erio faced, he swung his sword with so much force that nothing they did against him worked. Some soldiers saw the resemnce of the Blood Elf Conjure to their former general but, that didn''t matter in the battlefield.

    They pressed forward, trying to defeat the creature before them. But all their attacks prove to be futile as, Erio would simply recover with every hit of his de. Their horror increased even more as he posed into a stance, swinging his de on the next second and releasing a wave of crimson that cut everything which stood in its way.

    "What is that monster!" One of the soldiers screamed. He thought he already saw the strongest being on the by being in front of King Gallio but, he never experienced the fear ofbat against creatures near Gallio''s caliber.

    And Erio, does not fall short on this list. His eyes gleamed a bright yellow through the clouds of poison that blocked the sight of his enemies and, at the next instant, the soldier who screamed saw the world turning upside down, his head falling from his neck and rolling on the ground. Erio didn''t even wait to see if his attack is effective. He simply continued massacring everyone on his path.

    Cull isn''t any more forgiving. With his dual style of fighting of both melee and long range, nobody could adapt to his movements. Either they face the archer version or the swordsman version. No matter which it is, the bouts are too fast and they would have nothing but a pierced heart, a method which Cull found to be the most effective way to deal with his opponents.

    Meanwhile, the [Turtle Hatchlings] all got ced with a [Detonate] on them. If any of the survivors came to their spot, Zeke would simply activate the skill, releasing a surprise of more poison to deal with. And even if they choose to fight the [Hatchlings], in the state they are in, they won''t even leave any scratch on these creatures.

    "I need to get as much attention on myself as possible." Zeke thought to himself. Since he is in the capital, there is a high probability for Gallio to show up. Zeke is ready for this of course. Although the transportation came as a surprise, he now has the field all prepared to give him as much advantage against the Blood Elf Monarch as possible. That''s also the reason why he continued defeating the troops all at once. If no stronger enemyes, then they could just wish all their troops goodbye.

    "I sure hope he''de soon. Unless he wants his men to all die in vain." Zeke said, finally taking out [Death''s Symphony Mk. II] and, as he pulled the trigger, the amount of deaths cause by his weapon took him by surprise.

    It must be remembered that before this incident urred, Zeke only fought against immensely strong beings. Specifically, these creatures have a stronger defensive capability than normal. Hence, he is used to not generating enough damage to instantly kill off his enemies. But now, with creatures that fall bellow the [Earth Golems''] level of defenses, his bullets cleared out 50 - 60 red dots on the minimap. Showing him just how much carnage, each bullet could cause.

    "I was worried for nothing." Zeke continued. As he did, something moved from underneath making Zeke leap away; just in time to see the ground open up. The minimap showed himrger dots of red, indicating that whoever or whatever came, it would be much stronger than what he is already facing.

    He didn''t waste any time for chatter and immediately fired two more bullets against the enemy. However, there was no st created which gave Zeke a bad feeling about the kind of opponent he''d be facing.

    "As I thought, your weapon uses lightning doesn''t itssie?"

    Zeke didn''t respond. He used [Shadow Dive] and appeared to a [Winged Monkey] he stationed floating high up in the air. Zeke thenmanded Lupus to fight whoever the new arrival is. This gave him enough time to change the element of his bullet.

    "You think petty tricks like this is enough to stop me?" The enemy said, destroying Lupus after a few seconds. But this didn''t matter as Zeke simply continued re-conjuring the creature.

    Meanwhile, he charged [Death''s Symphony Mk.II] using [Umbral sh]. Everything was toote when his opponent noticed him again. Zeke fired the pistols, releasing beams of darkness toward the enemy. During this interval, all defensive troops have already closed in on the foe, giving him no option for escape.

    "You went inside my area with no idea what I''m capable of." Zeke said, finally dropping to the ground as soon as his attack finished. The enemy is still there but, is now unable to move. Flesh is burnt all over and, Zeke could see some bones sticking out.

    "In your next life, remember to prepare before you attack." Zeke fired his pistol point nk, killing Zabi, one of Gallio''s Generals.

 Chapter 80: Unexpected Foe

    Chapter 80: Unexpected Foe

    I. Sylph

    "Arghhh these guys just keeping. There''s no end to them." Sylph said as she rained arrows upon her pursuers. While Zeke began the onught on the capital, the sisters each had their tes full. All three of them are in the same predicament, each facing a whole wave of soldiers that has enough force to fight with the other continents.

    Another problem is that the [Party] system got interrupted. This means that, Sylph and the other two cannot use the [Minimap] function of Zeke''s system. Hence, Sylph couldn''t see the exact number of her opponents. All she knows is that they just keep oning without end.

    "Can I at least exin myself first?" The elf said, cing three arrows upon her old bow and, upon release, she sessfully sniped down three more pursuers.

    There is a reason as to why she didn''t use her [Infinity Bow] just yet. With the numbers advantage of the enemies before her, she needs to have one ace up her sleeve. She needs one attack which could catch them of guard and surprise them. In her arsenal, there is only one weapon which could provide her this. And that is the said weapon.

    Currently, it is strapped to her back, with the quiver of arrows also being used up little by little. Fortunately for the elf, other archers tried fighting back against her. Not knowing that she is an evolved elf served to her advantage as, these enemies took her a bit less seriously than they should. This enabled Sylph to dodge their arrows which, in turn, became a way for her to refresh her ammunition.

    "Okay, time for a little game of hide and seek." She said, going behind one of the trees and activating [Camouge] a skill learned by all Wood Scouts. The skill in itself cannot permanently hide her presence but, Sylph didn''t; intend to stay in that state forever. She used a wind spell, making the leaves on the tree rustle and, diverting everyone''s attention to it. At the same time, she leapt away and entered a seemingly empty alley.

    "Damn this is tiring." The elf said as she drank a bit of the [Medium Stamina Potion] and [Medium Mana Potion] which she still has. In the process, Sylph tried to open the [Party] option again but to no avail. The system still refused to work and, just as she is trying, a seemingly innocent child walks up to the alley she is in.

    "Shhhh" Sylph motioned as she ced her finger on her mouth and, the child nodded in agreement. But just as she stood up, that same child shouted:

    "She''s here! That''s definitely the Windsprite!"

    "Ahh kid. I hope you get eaten by a [Giant Mucus Toad] when you grow up." Were the thoughts on Sylph''s head as she once again leapt to the roofs. Unfortunately for her however, many of the soldiers have already caught on to her tactics and positioned themselves on a higher position.

    "You''re dead now!" Soldiers ran towards her, bringing their swords and spears. But Sylph only smiled at them and shot an explosive arrow on the roof they are stepping on. Soon enough the whole ceiling copsed, bringing down the soldiers in the process.

    "That''s it, I''m done with all of you." Sylph said out loud. She''s annoyed because, no matter how many times she one-shots therades of her enemies, the soldiers seem to not mindat all! They continued pressing on.

    "If you want to die so badly then, I''m going to give you just that. Death." Sylph continued

    Under normal circumstances, an archer cannot win against arge number of enemies. This is because, there is a limit to an archer''s ammunition. Specifically, once the arrows are depleted, then an archer practically bes powerless.

    If the weapon, the bow, breaks before this then an archer bes even more useless. However, Sylph has the [Infinity Bow] providing he with a limitless amount of ammunition. And not just this. She has her [Rain of Arrows]; a skill which can a cause a huge amount of damage in arge scale. Adding to this is the fact that she has evolved and, still has potions of both [Mana] and [Stamina] reserved.

    With all of this, fighting a measly group of speed trained soldiers is not a big deal for her.

    Sylph finally unstrapped the [Infinity Bow] and made it levitate in mid-air. As expected, this made all soldiers focus their attentions on the bow for a single second. And this is all Sylph needs to fire three spell charged arrows into the sky.

    "We''ve been ying tag all morning and, unfortunately for you, I know all the areas where it would be safe to fire this skill." She continued, actually running around to collect information on the town.

    Currently, there aren''t many civilians on the ce. Aside from the annoying brat that she saw, there is only one ce for civilians to stay in. The majority of the town is popted by the soldiers who are armed for deployment.

    "Rain of Arrows!" The barrage came like an unexpected and harsh downpour. Everyone had their hands full on the seemingly endless number of arrows that kept oning. And this isn''t the end of their problems. As soon as Sylph drank the [Medium Mana Potions], she used the [Infinity Bow] and her old bow simultaneously.

    "Range Multiplier."

    "Double uracy."

    With this, Sylph continued firing corrosion emitting arrows all over the ce. Upon contact with anything, the arrows released green gasses which immediately spread. She used [sh Step] in order to swiftly pass through the whole area. This made it impossible for the soldiers to escape as, passing through the thin mist of corrosion created by the arrows burns through their flesh in the blink of an eye.

    Loud screams of pain and agony followed the sound of arrows cutting through the air as they dropped from the sky without mercy. The clouds of dust rose and rose until it seemed like a mist. And, as soon as this died out, Sylph is left with nothing but the dead bodies of the arrogant soldiers who fought her.

    "That''s what you get for being so cheeky." Sylph said, cleaning out the leftover soldiers which still showed signs of life.

    "I should meet up with the others now." Were the next words spoken by the elf before a st hit her back.

    "AHHHH!" Sylph shouted as she hit a nearby debris.

    She didn''t even feel the opponenting nor sense any hostility. Yet now shey on the ground, looking at the silhouette of the person who attacked her. An identity covered by the rays of the sun that beamed just behind this creature.

    "Don''t worry. I''ll bring you there personally." Were thest words she heard before losing consciousnesspletely.

    II. Allesiah

    "Drop the floating orbs of death and we promise to turn you in peacefully." Amanding officer said.

    Allesiah floated in the middle of arge group of soldiers. While transporting, she felt the flow of mana getting disturbed, as if another being tampered with something they shouldn''t. And not only this, she felt how cleanly this was executed meaning, whoever the culprit is, it would have a better grasp of mana control than her.

    "Yeah I''d love to but, you keep trying to shoot me down with spells so I can''t do that." Allesiah replied. Unlike Sylph, she wasn''t lucky enough to get any head start against her opponents. She spawned in the middle of what seems to be an arena, with the soldiers preparing for battle.

    The color of mana they emitted gave them away immediately. She felt blood elf aura flowing through them and, arge number of these could not be at one ce at the same time. Evolution is rare and, she has never heard of beings that have semi-evolved before. Until that very moment at least.

    Allesiah immediately did what she could to control the situation. She sted off the ceiling, ensuring that no surprise woulde from the top. She then surrounded herself with 10 [Darkness Spheres] and, made an invisibleyer of wind which could either destroy an iing projectile or, deflect it at a random area.

    The soldiers wasted no time and tried attacking her but, soon learnt their lesson the hard way. Allesiah''s [Darkness Spheres] worked so rapidly and urately that, in the end nobody knew how to react anymore.

    "What ss is that? How in the world do we fight something of that caliber?" A soldier asked as he tried falling back. Unfortunately, two orbs found their way through his legs, cutting them off entirely. Then the same orbs curved back, hitting his throat and, piercing through his stomach.

    This continued until all soldiers have been informed of the massacre going on in the arena. Soon enough, the area got filled. There are even some flying units which Allesiah could see from the corner of her vision. And, this leads us to the current predicament.

    "I don''t think you have any right to order me around, not when you are as weak as you are." Allesiah said proudly. Nobody could figure out how she is attacking and, have no idea that the ornaments she wears are what aides her spells.

    Allesiah knows better than to negotiate with her enemies. The only reason she is speaking is to somehow buy time. She knows that the same could also be true with her enemies but, this is the safest chance she''s got to get out of the arena.

    Themanding officer and Allesiah locked stares and, though nervous, the officer spoke themand for all the forces.

    "Do it now!" He said, releasing a gravitational field that immediately pulled Allesiah down. At this, the soldiers came up bit by bit but, as they did, Allesiah dispelled her orbs and created them again on a distance which is not covered by the [Gravity Bind].

    With the assaulting enemies getting wiped out instantly, those next in line had second thoughts about recklessly charging in.

    "How do you like that? You think you can juste inside our training grounds without any consequences?" Themanding officer said with a proud smile on his face. He is also afraid of the [Darkness Spheres] but, did not let the enemy see this, continuing to speak as if they''ve got the upper hand.

    "Gravity altering magic is a lost art to us elves. However, with King Gallio leading, we were able to reconstruct something like this! An almighty spell that can bend any opponent to their knees!" The officer continued and, at this Allesiah already got annoyed. There are a lot of things that need to be done and she can''t waste any time with these fake blood elves.

    "Shambles." Allesiah said. There actually isn''t any spell with this name, it is an original made by her through her understanding of the flow of mana.

    Zeke told her that, giving names to her spells will make it easier for her to conceptualize what she wants. And hence, she created this spell named [Shambles]. A skill which disrupt the flow of mana in spell as long as Allesiah understands what actually makes it work.

    Everyone in the field got shocked as [Gravity Bind] broke. Allesiah floated up again and,manded the next spell which she has been preparing. There is enough mana around them to create a massive scale AoE attack. Her only problem is knowing just how far it should be applied. This was provided for as her enemy continued talking to her. While she pretended to be trapped, she continued analyzing just how far the malicious mana reaches. And, upon getting the urate range, she released her spell.

    "Sub Zero." She uttered, covering the whole area in ice instantly. With every creature being filled with mana themselves, Allesiah could alter even this. Thus, everything turned to ice with all signs of life vanishing in a split second. But then, arger pool of mana repapered which gave Allesiah shivers.

    She was able to sense it a bit toote as, this gigantic pool of mana struck her, mming her to a pir of ice and leaving her unconscious.

    III. Sylvia

    The eldest of the Windsprite didn''t enter into as much predicament as her younger sisters. Although Keith is with her, she had no problem dealing with her opponents. All she did is summon a gigantic meteorite while pressing every opponent down with [Force]. The area covered is so massive that, as soon as she casted both, she needed to chug down the remaining [Potions] she still has.

    The result is an overwhelming victory. Leaving nothing but burnt copses and cinders from her spell. But then, a person stepped forward, pping his hands as he saw the massacre that had bene done.

    "Look at you, destroying a whole toon all by yourself." He said with a wide grin on his face.

    There was a moment of shock that left Sylvia vulnerable. The man before her wasted no time in grabbing this opportunity. He snapped his fingers and, Keith suddenly had burns showing around his face. The boy screamed in agony while Sylvia could only shout:

    "Stop!"

 Chapter 81: Destroying All Hope

    Chapter 81: Destroying All Hope

    What Zeke and hispanions do not know is that, a wave of soldiers, the primary ones, have already been deployed in every continent. In short, they arrived a second toote in order to stop Gallio. And this is mainly due to Pier''s tampering of the transportation.

    He made it so that, Zeke and his allies woulde to Elysium a weekter. This is possible because, the god of mischief and deceit has a hundred minor gods backing him up. Within this span of time, a lot of things have already urred. The first is Gallio''s deployment of his forces to every other continent.

    In a war, information is everything. The two key figures in this fight learned this through different means. Zeke understood this from all the strategy games that he yed. Skill cooldown, terrain advantages, special buffs, single use items, all this and more contributes to gaining more chances in wining. As for Gallio, he learned this lesson after he got burnt in one of his fights a thousand years ago. Without knowing that his enemy is a half dragon, he went into a fight thinking it would be another normal soldier.

    Gallio applied this when he began the invasions. None of the continents were aware of the horrors Gallio did in order to strengthen his troops. They did not know of the mutations, the trainings, the experiments, and the forges. With this, the seeding events aren''t shocking anymore.

    Magic nullifiers.

    Mutations imitating ancient monsters.

    Technologically advanced weaponries.

    Half Blood Elves

    This is what fed Gallio''s forces. Aside from the initial shock of portals suddenly opening up within their continents, the surprise of all thising from and that six supposed to be filled with peace loving elves caught all continents by surprise. This led to a lot of regrets painted by the massacre of their forces, destruction of towns and, looting of resources before any proper countermeasure has been formed. This is also the reason why Zeke and hispanions did not see any war brewing within Elysium.

    Gallio handled everything so well that no harm came to the elven continent. With his forces pushing forward with overwhelming strength, the natives of each continent had no other choice but to focus on defense, with very little to offer when it came to offense.

    And, just as Zeke and hispanions began fighting back, Gallio also had his fair share of fighting in the front lines. An act he continued even as de finally contacted him.

    "My King." de began.

    "This better be a reasonable excuse as to why the second wave of our forces haven''t been deployed yet." The king said, swinging his de and destroying three gigantic robotic contraptions made by the dwarves.

    "My report is actually something concerning that my King. You see, we seem to have gotten ourselves into a bit of trouble." The king couldn''t see it but de is actually wearing a wide grin on his face at that very moment. And although Zeke and hisrades have yet to even halve the troops of Gallio, de found the perfect opportunity to end it all.

    "Well? Spit it out then!" Galliomanded, with the sounds of screaming and explosions being hard over themunication channel. Gallio ran on top of another mechanical contraption that began spewingva on the ground. This melted some of Gallio''s troops but, not for long as the elven king hurled the machine back to the elves. This sent theva spraying everywhere. Gallio also got stung but, with his level of regeneration, a few third-degree burns aren''t a problem for him.

    "There are intruders that have entered our camp and, our forces are rapidly getting decreased by them. The most problematic of these is the one in the capital, that''s why I diverted some of our forces there." de continued.

    There was a short pause and, de got nervous over this. He thought that his cover might have gotten blown by something he said but, this didn''t seem to be the case as the Kingughed a secondter.

    "HAHAHAHA" The king roared, making the dwarves back away a bit from the intimidation they felt.

    "Ahh all this fighting got my head clouded for a bit. de, it seems like part of those intruders are my wife and son." The king replied, in a tone which de could recognize to be full of excitement and thrill.

    What Gallio said is due to the trackers ced on his wife and son. Ever since Zeke and crew left Mythos, Gallio couldn''t sense nor track Sylvia no matter how hard he tried. This intrigued and infuriated him who developed that tracker to have no ws whatsoever.After two months of being unable to track her, he finally gave up and as such, he forgot that the sensor even works in the first ce.

    With de''s report he finally realized that it activated. Meaning only one thing, they are both back. Thest pieces of the puzzle are now back carrying Windsprite DNA. The final ingredient to creating his perfect vessel, one which could release his whole potential and strength.

    "What should we do?" de continued.

    "That much should be obvious. Release those creatures once the number of deaths has reached the necessary number. Find out where my wife is located and, transport me there as soon as you can." de could hear a whole wall copsing over themunication channel. He also heard the sound of more flesh being shed and more screams being offered because of the war begun by the mad king.

    "Understood." Was de''s short response as he performed themand.

    This short response exins what happened to the Windsprites. At their current location, de released [Chimeras] and, if only Zeke could see them with his [Analysis] this is what would''ve shown:

    [Name: None]

    [Species: Chimera]

    [Specification: Summoned Chimera]

    [Rank: Unranked]

    [Information: A creature which died off during the time of the Dwellers in Mythos, the chimeras were a source of fear to all the original inhabitants. These creatures could adapt to any situation and, evolve ordingly if not killed off. The Dwellers decided to finish all of these creatures off in order to make Mythos safer, seeding in the act but finding outter on that researches were conducted on the summoning of the creature.]

    [Information: A summoned chimera take the shape of whatever it is that has been offered in order to awaken it. Adding some parts from monsters in the mix, it nevertheless retains the shape of the sacrifices made.]

    [Information: Although overwhelmingly powerful, the conditions in order to summon a chimera are very difficult to aplish. The first is that, a single blood type amounting to as much as ake''s worth of water should be present. The second is that, the offerings should be in a close enough distance with one another, otherwise the summoning would fail.]

    [Information: Once released, Chimeras will register every mana emitting object as an enemy. The only way to stop them is for the summoner to say so or, to have their timer of (1 minute) wear off, dissolving the summonspletely.]

    The conditions could be met because, all of Gallio''s solders have his blood flowing through their veins. With the war ensuing, Gallio knew that a wild card such as this would be needed in the long run and, he is proven right. Even on the battlefields of war, he has already summoned a couple of Chimeras and, since their summoning time is so short, the enemies do not even have any time to analyze them. Either they run away from the creature in fear or, die before they could even begin stepping back.

    de can also perform this summoning. As Gallio''s most trusted aide, de was given this skill in order to defend Elysium. Not because Gallio loves the continent but because, all his researchboratories and information gathered are located within the continent.

    "Summon." demanded, activating Gallio''s blood and creating [Chimeras], monsters whose presence cannot be felt unless one has the ability to see mana.

    This led to the seeding events wherein, both Sylph and Allesiah got easily taken down by the Chimeras. However, de did not finish them off. Unlike Sylvia, Gallio ahs no tracker ced on these sisters and, he knows that there is a chance to make them indebted to him somehow. Hence, he stopped the Chimeras from dealing the finishing blow and instead, ordered these creatures to hide the Windsprites before their summoning duration expires.

    Of course, de did not spare Zeke. He also summoned two [Chimeras] in his area just as soon as the human defeated one of Gallio''s generals. This does not breach their contract as it is not de who is causing Zeke harm. It is Gallio, who''s intention is extended through de.

    "If you can''t beat those, then don''t hope to evene close to denting Gallio." de thought to himself, waiting for the results as he finally opened the portal which lead Gallio to Sylvia''s location.

    The Blood Elf Monarch watched everything from a distance. He couldn''t help but feel a sense of pride in having Sylvia as his wife although, she is technically not his but rather Hark''s. This much didn''t matter anymore because he dominated Hark''s bodypletely, without any resistance from the human for a long time now.

    The next parts came quickly. He entered Sylvia''s field of vision and immediately activated a virus he nted within Keith''s body. This is enough to leave Sylvia''s head in a haze on what to do next.

    Gallio moved swiftly, jumping up and reaching Sylvia by the throat. He got Keitha and threw the boy on a nearby tree, deactivating the virus as he felt the child would already be dead. He then mmed Sylvia to the wall over and over again until, he felt consciousness drift away from her.

    The king roared inughter as he saw the battered elf and the half-dead child. With a single tear dropping from his eye, Gallio felt Hark fighting back for control for the first time. A resistance which the king found to be futile as he showed all his teeth in a hair-raising smile and, saying merrily to Sylvia.

    "Honeeey. I''m home."

 Chapter 82: Zeke and The Chimeras

    Chapter 82: Zeke and The Chimeras

    One minute.

    That is how long a summoned [Chimera''s] life is supposed to be worth. This is the exact duration used up by these creatures which summoned at both Allesiah and Sylph''s location. However, there is one unique factor connected to the duration once a [Chimera] has been sessfully created.

    If there are excess materials, corpses fitting the initial requirement, lying around then these can be used as extenders. The duration of a [Summoned Chimera''s] existence gets prolonged, using up the materials found near them.

    And, unlike the startup requirement, the maintaining amount of sacrifices is considerably lower. Hence, with number of deaths Zeke has already caused, the [Chimeras] have 30 minutes at best in order to fight with the human.

    This is the kind of opponent Zeke is now matched against. Monsters of ancient strength that have been wiped off for fear of their further evolution. Of course, the duration will still increase if Zeke kills off more soldiers. He can''t avoid doing this after all as they might surround him. But Zeke is yet to learn all these as the [Chimeras] have just been summoned.

    "What the hell is it this time?" Zeke thought to himself as he saw tworge red dots on the minimap. These ones arerger than what his earlier opponent created.

    Together with the summoning of these creatures is a quest that came from the system. This is followed by another quest rted to what happened to their transportation.

    [Sub Quest: Eliminate the Chimeras]

    [Reward: Doctor Regulus'' Notes]

    [Information: Summoned Chimeras are creatures which resulted from the research of doctor Regulus. Information on the method of their creation have been thought to be destroyed but, there seem to be data that was sessfully stored somewhere.]

    [Information on the Reward: Doctor Regulus'' notes contains information on a bunch of summoning techniques for ancient creatures. With the world data, the Gamer''s System can recreate the notes.]

    "I''m guessing the onesing right now are the [Chimeras]." Zeke thought to himself, watching the dots move towards him. He wanted to read the other quest but, the creatures are moving so fast that he decided to save that task forter.

    Then, something weird happened, the dots disappeared from the minimap; as if their existence vanished. But Zeke''s body soon learned that this is not the case.

    The [Chimeras] both appeared in front of him. One aimed for Zeke''s head while the other aimed for his heart. Under normal circumstances, Zeke would get hit by these but, he has the [Counter] ability. One which he invested some points on during his stay in Yaeger''s realm. Because of this, his body automatically moved, blocking both attacks but still getting sent flying as, the monsters quickly followed up their initial attack. This time, [Counter] did not activate and so, Zeke found himself hitting a nearby wall.

    "Okay, this is definitely some hack level monster." Zeke thought to himself, thanking his armor and his regenerative ability for healing him quickly.

    Zeke continued, feeling his heart skip a beat as he viewed the creatures from a distance. They have a human figure but, every other part seems to havee from beasts and monsters. Scale covered wings, wolfish ws, serpent-like tails, and eyes that gleamed red. These are the only things which Zeke is able to observe as the creatures once again disappeared from sight. But this time, the human is ready.

    "Shadow Dive" he said, transporting himself to the opposite direction of where he was a second ago. During this time, Zeke looked closely at his minimap and finally understood the whole situation.

    Zeke saw two faint red lines on the map, so faint that one would not even think that they exist and, at the next second, these lines turned into solid red dots  appearing on the location where Zeke''s initial location was. The wall came crashing down and, the monsters locked on to their target once again.

    "That more or less exins what happened a moment ago." Zeke said with a smile on his face. With him understanding this much, Zeke used the skill again as soon as the monsters disappeared from the map.

    "Shadow dive." Zeke repeated, this time choosing to at the gap between two [Poison Clouds]. With the [Chimeras''] innate tracking skills, they are able to sense Zeke without much trouble. Hence, they ran like rabid predators, suffering no damage from the [Poison Clouds] they passed through.

    Zeke saw their movements on his minimap, still amazed at how fast these monsters are. If he will continue diving into nearby locations, he''ll have no chance of beating the monsters. Hence, he made the winged monkeys fly at different locations, farther and higher from where he currently stood.

    "I don''t think even Erio stands a chance against these beasts." Zeke said, feeling the levels of the [Chimeras] to be even higher than those he fought in Yaeger''s realm. What is even more troublesome is the fact that, he can''t even use [Analyze] properly. The skill requires him to look at the targets and read the descriptions disyed. And, with enemies as fast and deadly as the ones he is facing, he doesn''t have the luxury of time to actually do this. For the first time, Zeke has no choice but to fight his opponent head on without much information.

    However, with his title being active, Zeke knew that there is still a high chance for him to win without putting his life on the line. The brain of Zeke went on overdrive, thinking on the fastest and most efficient route to take in this fight and, as he looked at the ground, the gamer smiled. The same kind of look he wears on his face when he''s excited to use another idea in a fight.

    "Shadow Dive." Zeke repeated jumping to one of the Flying Monkey''s shadow. He began charging bullets in [Death''s Symphony Mk. II] one by one. Currently, there are still 6 bullets loaded per gun and, charging them takes quite a few minutes to aplish.

    "It doesn''t matter how fast you guys are, you won''t be able to finish me off if you can''t catch me." Zeke thought to himself. With the area being popted by enemies and, no hostages to take against him, Zeke can continue running away without much consequence.

    One by one, Zeke charged his bullets while running from the enemies. Along the way, Zeke also intentionally walked towards the direction of the enemies, thinking that the [Chimeras] would not view the soldiers as allies. And he is right on the money. They shed and ripped everything on their path, whatever it is that stood in the way before they could reach their target.

    "COME ON IS THAT ALL YOU GOT!" Zeke shouted, sessfully provoking the Chimeras which made a howl-like sound. They then began floating in mid air and, Zeke could feel it. The monsters are about tounch an attack which ispletely different from the first one.

    "Not good." Zeke thought to himself as, even he could feel the immense mana being gathered by the creatures. He used [Shadow Dive] again and, in the nick of time as he watched a whole line of the city getting burnt by the monsters. The attack didn''t even end there. As soon as they felt where Zeke transported to, they turned their heads and, along with this is the attack that still went on.

    "That''s illegal! How the hell can they move a friggin beamser weapon!" Zeke said out loud, thinking of all the games where beams would disappear once fired at a specific angle.

    The [Chimeras''] attack didn''tst long, They stopped the breath attack and went back down to the ground. Sensing that their target is still alive, they screamed in irritation, disappearing once again from the map and, towards their target.

    This time, 10 bullets in total have already been charged. Just a bit more and Zeke would be able to execute his n. Zeke used [Shadow Dive] in order to escape. But circumstances have changed. The [Chimeras] have caught on to him somehow and, once again tried hitting his vital spots.

    Zeke dodged but, felt shivers run down his spine. Zeke saw that there is only one [Chimera] on the ground.

    "Where is the other o---" Zeke instinctively used his [Shadow Dive] to escape and, he was right to do so. In the location he was in earlier, a beam of mes have hit the ground, turning the whole field into a seeming pool of hot magma.

    As mentioned, [Chimeras] have been feared because of their ability to adapt quickly. This adaptationes in the form of evolutions and mutations. Their parts would upgrade depending on their enemy, finding the bestbination of attributes in order to finish off their enemies. If they only existed for a single minute, Zeke would not have any problems. But, with the thirty-minute duration, the [Chimeras] have begun evolving at a rapid rate especially because of the tricky opponent they are facing.

    Making things even more difficult is the increasing number of dead soldiers. This continued feeding the [Chimeras] with more life force. With all things considered, Zeke couldn''t adapt as quickly to the ever-changing fight style of the Chimeras  with the difficulty rising rapidly.

    But the fight may not even reach that long. Zeke has finally finished charging thest two bullets and, with this, the confident smile on his face came back. Taking out all the bullets from his guns. He also made sure that there are Winged Monkeys directly above him, on a height that far surpasses the [Chimeras''] flying range.

    With the enemies finally disappearing from the map once again, Zeke threw the charged bullets into the air and, just like the [Chimeras], Zeke vanished.

 Chapter 83: Zeke and the Chimeras - End

    Chapter 83: Zeke and the Chimeras - End

    [Advance]

    This is a term used in some games while, other games have another term to use for the concept. It''s not a skill shot within the game nor any status point buff. Lastly, it ain''t any system bonus that suddenly strengthens a yer''s avatar.

    [Advance] is a concept with this specification: the yer makes attacks at a certain location where they estimate the enemy to be soon at. Any attack done with this in mind uses a lot of things in consideration.

    One of these is the understanding of the patterns and movements of the enemy. One cannot simply make an [Advance] without knowing the limits and patterns of their enemy. Any attack done using this concept in mind usually has no lock on effect. Hence, they depend on the yer''s understanding of their enemy in order to improve the uracy and chances of hitting.

    Instead of throwing the bullets at his fast-paced enemies, Zeke knew that [Advance] would be the best move to use in fighting against them. And right now, the [Chimeras] have stepped into his carefully executed n.

    On the ground, Zeke ced a [Detonate] which contains [Umbral sh] within it. This is not intended for the [Chimeras] which, Zeke thinks to be difficult to damage. The [Detonate] is intended for the bullets which he threw in the air.

    "Detonate." Zeke said, releasing the umbral shes which hit 12 fully charged bullets. One of the [Chimera] appeared at the spot in mid-air where he [Dived] to. Zeke used [Shadow Dive] again. This left the two [Chimeras] at the perfect spots for Zeke and his attack. Right at the moment where they''d take the full blow of his nned attack.

    The explosion is nothing like Zeke expected. Even as he [Dived] to a considerable distance away from the enemies, he could still see the attackbination widen in range. There is a spiraling orb that continued expanding, as if it would not end. Everything near it got sucked within as the sphere looking darkness swirled with destructive force.

    Zeke looked at his [Minimap] and, saw that more than one problem got solved because of the skill. The enemies got devoured by the skill, and so did Zeke''s [Poison Cloud] and summons. Although, he is not concerned about thetter as his conjures do not die, they just return to him.

    "What about those things?'' Zeke thought to himself as he viewed the map. A grin crept on his face as he found that even the [Chimeras] have vanished, neatly out of his [Minimap]. Their existence extinguished by his attackor so he thought.

    Before Zeke could even rest easy and proceed to further actions, he felt the sudden surge of auras more menacing than before. Without any idea on the clear skill set of the [Chimeras], Zeke gambled on the bullets finishing off his opponents. However, now that the soldiers have been wiped out, the [Chimeras] have more sacrifices to use. They regenerated using these, sucking out every bit of energy from the fresh corpses and, without even a minute''s worth of time, the [Chimeras] havee back. But, unlike before, they are now of a shadow like figure, with all the features being indistinguishable  save for their eyes which still gleamed a murderous blood red color.

    "Oh, you''ve done it now. That''s not how you deal with Chimeras idiot." de said merrily over themunication bracelet of Zeke, surprising the human.

    "I don''t think this is the right time for a touchy reunion." Zeke replied, putting into ount the fact that two months have already passed in Elysium during his short stay in Yaeger''s realm.

    "Aweee and here I thought you''d be happy to actually hear my voice." de replied, hearing Zeke''s heavy breathing over themunication bracelet.

    "Well I''m not necessarily fond of backstabbing snakes such as yourself." Zeke replied, having to [Shadow Dive], multiple times as his enemies just continue disappearing from the map. A few moments ago, he could still see them but now, there is only a single second of dy before they disappear from sight again  making Zeke break into a cold sweat as he couldn''t think of any preventive measure against the [Chimeras]. If only he still had [The One Who Cheats Death], the [Chimeras] would stand no chance against him. But, he can''t rely on a skill with a single chance of usage.

    [Quest Update]

    [Additional rewards for killing the Chimeras have been ced.]

    [50 Skill Points will now be given upon the sessful defeat of one Chimera.]

    "That''s nice to see." Zeke said out loud.

    "What is?"

    "Nothing. Just stay where you are and watch." Zeke replied, realizing that hismunication bracelet is still on.

    "Okay you''re the boss." Was de''s reply, not speaking back anymore.

    Both what de said and the quest update assured Zeke of one thing. That there is a way to defeat the [Chimeras] he is facing.

    "Conjure." Zeke began, releasing all his summons at once. With all the enemy forces being wiped out, Zeke only needs to focus on the enemies in front of him. And so, all the summons which he acquired thus far are now waiting for their nextmand.

    In the crater created by Zeke''s earlier attack, the [Chimeras] and Zeke''s [Conjure] army looked each other up. But unlike Zeke who wanted to calcte the next move to make, the Chimeras simply pressed on with the same prideful attitude of their original forms.

    The first thing which Zeke did is to try hitting them with [Umbral sh] charged bullets. If his guess is right then, Zeke can move forward and eliminate the other ideas which have already entered his head.

    Again, the human used [Advance] for his attack. Zeke dived over and over again, calcting the follow-up speed of the Chimeras and, after a few seconds, Zeke now has a grasp on the new pattern made by the monsters. Although this did note without a price as, his body got wed by the monsters twice.

    Zeke didn''t mind and continued [Diving], making his opponents think that all he ns to do is run away when in fact he has been charging one bullet per gun. And, uponpleting this, he fired at the spot where the [Chimeras] would show up. Sure enough, the creatures were there on the moment of contact.

    Smoke covered the monsters and, Zeke didn''t let his guard down, cing Lupus beside him to defend in case the Chimeras make their next move. And they did, only two seconds after the attack.

    Zeke was able to steal a nce at their health bars as he jumped up. He saw that, not even two percent of their health got depleted. Lupus got hit by both [Chimeras] but, was still able to remain standing with a little below half its health.

    "Okay that confirms it. You develop a sort of immunity from the attack that almost killed you. Great. Just great." Zeke said out loud, wanting the [Chimeras] to hear him even though he is not sure if they could understand what he is saying.

    And yet, there is a smile on his face once more. He remembered watching a clip from [Devil May Laugh] where the angel was overfed with holy aura and thus, destroyed. And, Zeke now ns to employ a simr tactic against the [Chimeras].

    Zeke cannot visit the store to check his coins nor browse for a new skill as there are no reserves of skill points left for him. Instead, Zeke gambled with what he currently has. He returned [Death''s Symphony Mk. II] to his [Inventory] and, brought out the mana potions he has left. This is together with and, his all cutting de [Sting of the Void] on the other.

    "Ahh just thinking about what I''m about to do gets my head hurting." Zeke told himself as he made a deep sigh. The [Chimeras] chased him down again but now, instead of running awayZeke headed toward the creatures. His enemies always arrive at the spot of their target without any problems but, he has never seen them attack him as he charged nor was this a move he did earlier on. Hence, the [Chimeras] are caught by a split-second surprise and, Zeke ce a [Winged Monkey] in front of him knowing that it would first be hit before he is. Sure enough, the [Monkey] got destroyed and this gave Zeke an estimate on how long it would take for them to collide.

    5

    4

    3

    2

    1

    "Now!" He shouted, releasing both Erio and Cull at his sides. Lupus is ced a bit further back. The human stabbed his de in the air and, this caught one of the [Chimera] while the other collided with Lupus.

    Boasting of its defensive ability, the [Chimera] was not able to finish off Lupus in one go. And, with all the deaths in the battlefield, it is not only the Chimeras who benefit from it but also the [Hellhound] Lupus who recovered instantly.

    Lupus bit the [Chimera] which screamed in pain while, the one caught by Zeke also did the same. What happened next is this. Zeke continuously summoned and released his conjures, making them appear at various ces for only a split second. Through this, the [Chimeras] cannot attack his conjures and, cause them confusion from the barrage that seemingly covers every spot. They made their attacks, carving their way through the bodies of the summons while Zeke also ce himself in the mix  [Shadow Diving] on and on and, sessfully using [Sting of the Void] to wound the [Chimeras''] bodies.

    As mentioned, this de can cut through any physical defense. No matter what resistance the [Chimeras] produce, they can''t develop a countermeasure for a weapon which is sharp enough to even slice through the adaptive capability they possess.

    And not only this, the different forms of attack used by Zeke''s [Conjures] overloaded the [Chimeras''] bodies. With everything harming them at the moment, Zeke''s opponents finally found themselves into a dangerous predicament. As [Chimeras], they can only adapt to one thing at a time, and having all these rain of them made their bodies go haywire. At a certain point, Zeke finally saw them unable to recover for the wounds and, their shadowy figures started deforming into smudgy unrecognizable creatures.

    "Time to finish this." Zeke said, taking a shadow version of Erio''s sword which is now charged by all the death''s it harvested, He used it to aim at the necks of his enemies. And as soon as the de found its way within their flesh, Zeke shouted

    "Shadow Dive!"

    The three of them transported to the shadow of a [Winged Monkey], on an area far away from the battlefield. Meaning, the corpses of the soldiers are nowhere nearby and so, the [Chimeras] have no life force to absorb anymore.

    Zeke''s sh continued, with him shouting as the de went through the [Chimeras] necks. During the ancient days, dwellers would form groups to hunt down one [Chimera]. But today, at this very moment, a single human managed to defeat two all by himself.

    Zeke, the human, now stands higher than any past Dweller of Mythos.

 Chapter 84: The Blood Elf Monarch - I

    Chapter 84: The Blood Elf Monarch - I

    [You have sessfullypleted the Sub Quest  Eliminate the Chimeras]

    [You obtained 100 Skill Points as a reward]

    [You Obtained Dr. Regulus'' Notes as a reward]

    "That more or less confirms they are dead right?" Zeke said out loud, panting heavily as he sat on the ground. All his [Conjures] got released and, Erio''s [Conjured] sword also vanished in the process. The [System''s Notifications] didn''t end there however.

    [Alert!]

    [Due to the effects of: "The One Who Cheats Death", the yer cannot level up.]

    "Ahh yes. The tradeoff in using that skill." Zeke is aware that he cannot level up anymore. But, actually seeing the system notify him about this makes him a bit irritated. He wanted to level up some more but, due to the consequences of using the skill, this won''t be happening anytime soon.

    Zeke didn''t ponder on this for too long. He summoned his [Winged Monkeys] again and, made them collect all the materials left by the dead elven soldiers.

    Zeke did a huge amount of damage to the capital and, he knew that he couldn''t simply leave things as they are. Of course, Zeke has zero clue about the war that has already begun. But he soon will, if he sessfully defeats Gallio.

    "Man, those things sure cornered me real good." Zeke said, looking at the loot of the Chimera which dropped. Unfortunately, no tongues of fire came out and so, Zeke couldn''t perform the [Conjure Summon] on the enemies he just faced. However, something interesting dide from the fight. As Zeke continued collecting the loot, he grabbed onto a Gold - Titled item. An Egg.

    [Item Name: Morphing Egg]

    [Type: Egg]

    [Information: These are eggs which existed during the earlier years of Mythos. These eggs can contain any of the monsters that have existed on Mythos. However, other creatures can also be born from the eggs. All of this depends on how the egg is taken care of.]

    "Yaeger would probably cook you." Zeke said to the egg, deciding to ce it in the inventory for the moment.

    There are, of course, more items found by Zeke. And as he collected these, he thought of the strategy he just used against his enemies. The [Chimeras] are no small fry monsters. They are high grade predators which have the potential to be invincible. But facing an opponent as level-headed, versatile, and quick witted as Zeke made things a bit moreplicated for the creatures.

    After he finished with what he is doing, Zeke went to the list of quests and finally viewed the one which he failed to open earlier on.

    [Optional Quest: Find out who interfered with the transport]

    [Reward: Chrono''s Broken Stopwatch]

    [Bonus Reward: Random Max Leveled Skill]

    [Bonus Reward Conditions: Kill those who interfered]

    "This sounds dangerous for an optional quest." Zeke thought of the rewards and, having a bonus reward is definitely not something which woulde from a normal quest.

    "I''ll definitely die for good if it''s a god level being." Zeke continued, thinking of his current state. With enough time and preparation, Zeke knows that he can reach that level. But since the effects of [The One Who Cheats Death] are still in effect, Zeke knows that he should be careful for now.

    "You never fail to amaze me." de said over themunication bracelet.

    "Shut up and update me already." Zeke said over the channel. de didn''t mind being talked down to. No matter how Zeke treats him, it is still the human who will do the dirty task for him. All de needs to do is to intervene as much as he can in order to make the conditions favorable to Zeke.

    "Okay so here''s the deal, you just destroyed the capital all by yourself. Things are looking really bleak for you right now. Once Gallio learns of this, there won''t be any ce for you to hide to. He''ll hunt you down like the predator he is." de exined.

    "Can you dy it?" Zeke replied, wanting to sort things out before facing Gallio.

    "That''s actually a problem. The eldest of the Windsprite is already within Gallio''s custody. I''m not concerned for he in particr but, if you choose to wait too long, Gallio will dissect that woman, take her parts, and finally have a host which could handle his whole power." de exined.

    Zeke thought of these and all the other variables he could mix in. Then, quickly came to a conclusion as he always does.

    "Give me two." Zeke said.

    "Two days?" de replied thinking that two days is enough to make decent preparations.

    "No. Two hours. Dy him for that long and I''ll definitely bring that monster down." Zeke replied, a statement which de found to be quite exhrating.

    "I do hope that you''re not saying that to impress me. Otherwise you''re as good as dead." de replied but, Zeke didn''t say anything more. Instead, the human ced his strongest [Conjures] around him and, went to sleep.

    Meanwhile, de prepared to make his report. In a few more minutes, Gallio himself will learn of what happened and, if de does not report by then, the Blood Elf Monarch will suspect him of being a traitor.

    "He''s probably begging the operation by now." de said, not sounding worried at all. With what he just witnessed; de is sure of one thing. Zeke has a high chance of winning against Gallio.

    Within the same time of Zeke defeating the two Chimeras, Gallio has alreadye back to his mainboratory, bringing Sylvia with her. Again, he felt resistanceing from Hark but, the human didn''t have enough strength to take over the body.

    With all the modifications done by Gallio, Hark no longer exists as a person but as a kind of specter. One which still exists with him; yet not a noticeable entity. Intrigued by the sudden attempts of Hark to take over, the kingy the specimen on aboratory table while he proceeded to a nearby mirror inside theb.

    "You''re quite energetic today." Gallio said, talking to Hark by facing the mirror. Of course, there isn''t any response. But the king didn''t n to stop just there. He went on to provoking Hark, trying to get the human to respond again.

    "That woman is going to be torn open any second now. I hope you realize that." Gallio continued, smiling menacingly. Then, something unexpected happened, the whole of his left arm moved on its own, punching him in the face before bingpletely submissive again.

    Gallio staggered a bit, feeling the force from the blow. But more than the shock he felt, Gallio roared inughter.

    "HAHAHAHA!" The king became entertained by Hark''s disy of will, conviction, and strength.

    "That''s more like it Hark. Remember, the only reason why I''m owning this body is because you are weaker than me. This whole thing is yours to begin with and, the only reason why I control it is because you are weak." Gallio continued.

    Gallio quickly got bored of talking with the human. Hence, he proceeded with what he needed to do. Gallio began by locking Sylvia into ce and, to ensure that she won''t wake up anytime soon, the king injected a serum into the elf''s bloodstream. The effect is quite simple, for q whole day the injected person will not wake up. This is a somewhat natural serum, meaning there won''t be any significant changes to Sylvia''s body itself as Gallio wants the specimen to be in its top shape.

    "Shall we begin my wife?" Gallio continued, holding up a scalpel on one hand and, a bunch of tube looking objects with pointed ends on the other. But right before he proceeded, de finally made the report.

    "My King." de began.

    "This better be important de." Gallio replied, holding down his equipment.

    "It is my King. Something unexpected happened in the capital." de''s n is simple. He will draw out the conversation by cutting the report piece by piece. As a master of words, de knows how make people go round and round over the same topic. This is a bit more difficult to perform with Gallio but, nevertheless, de knows that he can manage.

    "I''m listening." Was Gallio''s short response.

    "My King, I find this hard to believe myself but"

    "But what?"

    "All our forces from the capital have been wiped out." There was a moment of silence. Gallio had trouble registering what de just said.

    Although the amin forces have already been deployed, Gallio knew that the next wave of troops are no pushovers. Especially the ones locate within the capital.

    "Didn''t I tell you to summon [Chimeras] on all the locations?" Gallio continued, holding back his temper.

    "You did my king. And, I even summoned two in the capital just to make sure but, even these have been defeated somehow."

    "Defeated? Did I hear that right de?" Gallio responded, knowing that [Chimeras] are not beings which could be taken down by any measly warrior.

    "Yes my King. Even with their consistent mutation and evolution, our [Chimeras] have been killed." de could feel the air getting denser around him. He knows that, even without the King beside himGallio is already getting heated up.

    "How many enemies." Gallio replied, thinking how such an impossible feat had been done to his forces and to the Chimeras.

    "One."

    "de, you know damn well how I don''t enjoy childish jokes."

    "Yes my King. This isn''t any joke. A single person wiped out all our forces."

    At this, Gallio''s blood began to boil. His anger ceased and is reced by a more dominant emotionexcitement. And why is this you ask? Well it is quite simple.

    If there is a being who can destroy all his forces and, two Chimeras at the same time, then there is no doubting it. That is the perfect host for the Blood Elf Monarch.

    "Send me the coordinates. I''ll handle him myself."

 Chapter 85: Blood Elf Monarch - II

    Chapter 85: Blood Elf Monarch - II

    "I am not sure about the exact location my king but, it seems that remnants of his mana are still left within the capital." de responded buying more time. Even if he can''t reach the exact 2-hour mark, de has other things up his sleeve.

    "Fin where that infiltrator is." The king replied, extracting blood from Sylvia who is still yet to wake up.

    "I''m going to make a temporary mixture while you''re at it. I''m only giving you an hour so make it quick." Gallio continued, mixing the blood with various substances of different dark colors within hisb.

    "Understood my king." Was de''s short answer, still thinking as to why Zeke only needed two hours.

    Meanwhile, Zeke isfortably sleeping around the protection of his strongest [Conjures]. But, by no means is this human actually rxing.

    Within his head and, specifically during his sleep, Zeke''s time is much slower. With this being the case, he can perform more even with the limited time that he has.

    "Everyone wants a piece of me. It''s irritating." Zeke told himself thinking that everything was supposed to work out well. Except for the fact that, somebody messed up with the teleportation, bringing them in the most undesirable situation possible.

    "One the effects of that skill wears off, I''m going to kill every bastard that gets in the way of me clearing all the missions in this world" Zeke pressed on the [Skill Shop] and on the [Item Store]. Knowing that he can''t level up anymore, he is stuck with the current [Skills] and [Items] present in both stores but, this doesn''t mean that he can''t do anything about them.

    With his [Forging Skill] and [Skill Merging], Zeke can createbinations that would greatly benefit him. Even without the specific items present, Zeke can still create something worthwhile. Plus, with the [100 Skill Points] he earned from fighting the Chimeras, Zeke can buy new skills that would suit the uing fight.

    "He has physical prowess probably. And on top of that, I should expect a bunch of elementsing from him." Zeke continued, upgrading [Counter].

    [Skill Name: Counter]

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Grade: A]

    [Information: The chances of countering any form of attack is raised to 45%. If the skill owner does not have means to perform a certain range and specification of attack for the counter, the it will be nullified and simply be a dodge instead of a counter.]

    "That''s not a bad number." Zeke told himself, thinking how high the payoff is for spending only [30 Skill Points].

    Then, Zeke bought another skill in the shop which looked to be really useful for the uing fight. And, something which he thinks would prove reliable even in the fights that are yet toe.

    [Skill Name: Sun Eater]

    [Cost: 30 Skill Points]

    [Skill Type: Active]

    [Grade: Ungraded]

    [Mana Cost: 100 per minute]

    [Information: Upon activation, the caster can continually gather strength from the sun. By doing so, the caster also widens his or her own shadow. This can stretch out indefinitely and will turn into a circr area which darkens everything within its path by a little bit. The area is considered as a proper shadow.]

    [Information: The collected energy also manifests in the weapons used as a unique spell without an element. This can be used as soon as the caster chooses to stop the activation. Depending on the weapon type, the garnered energy could either be a melee through a ded weapon or a projectile through ranged weapons.]

    He also upgraded both the [Peerless desman] and [Master Bowman] skills respectively. Both of which reached the [C-> rank which made his melee and long rangebat style [27.5%] more potent. Tehn, the remaining points were invested into the [Warrior''s Toughness] skill which rose to [E] rank, allowing Zeke to take [15%] less damage from all sources.

    "This should be bnced enough." Zeke thought to himself, remembering that aside from this, he still has 2 revives left from [Blood King''s Curse] remaining. If both of these are used up along with Zeke maximizing the amount of damage he''ll take, then [Blood Counter] will be his trump card when its time to end the fight.

    Then Zeke went on to forging. He brought out [Sting of the Void] and [Death''s Symphony Mk. II]. Together with these are some newfound materials he got from the fights earlier. He acquired a lot of sturdy metal and, bybining them together, he got an even denser material.

    [Myzthal Ingot]

    [Grade: A+]

    [Information: This material cannot normally be used to craft weapons or armor. The dwarves gather a lot of these in theirnds but, has been unsessful in trying to make use of it until this very day. It is said that, it can create the most durable weapon.]

    "I can''t use this for myself." Zeke told himself. He knows that, although he can create as stronger weapon, there is a problem with the leveling system that woulde with the weapon. If the level on the weapon is greater than his own, then he will lose two handy weapons for the price of an overpowered one which can''t even be held.

    "Still. I can use you for my conjures." Zeke continued, thinking of crafting a new armor using the [Myzthal Ingot] as the primary material.

    Then, the gamer used up all the bonus attribute points he has stacked up until that very moment. Zeke didn''t know where to invest them and, since his [Luck] attribute is the only one which seem to be left out, he decided to pour it all on this. The attribute made it possible for Zeke to have a higher percentage of sess in all status, skills, and activities that are chance based. Hence, even his [Counter] ability''s percentage rose.

    [Crafting Sess!]

    [Crafting Sess!]

    [Crafting Sess!]

    [Crafting Failed]

    [Crafting Sess!]

    [Crafting Failed]

    There are lesser failures due to the attribute raise. This made the use of the material even more efficient, even raising the stats of all that he crafted. He even made a new shield for Samael which is made of the same material.

    "Well there it goes." Zeke said, not regretting that he had to use it all up. Having his strongest conjures gain an added defensive capability is the best option if he can''t use the material for himself. Plus, Zeke thought how the material will just be wasted if not used early. Plus, with the weapon conjure, Zeke can also use the weapons of his summons without the level restriction.

    "But I guess there won''t be a problem if Ibine the two of you right?" Zeke said as he viewed the weapons, thinking of a bay type structure for his weapon.

    "Okay let''s try it out then." There is only one chance for Zeke and he can''t fail it. But he didn''t worry because of the [Luck] attribute boost.

    "Let''s do this!"

    [Commence Forging]

    [Forging Sess!]

    [You acquired a new weapon!]

    [Name: Death''s Void]

    [Weapon information: With the materials used in forging, the weapon has dual features. There is a hiding within thepartment of the gun. Thus, the weapon can both be melee and long range.]

    [Weapon Information: The weapon has the durability of both materials used. Bullets have an added amount of piercing power while; the melee form can generate an aura depending on the element loaded into the bullets.]

    "Yup, this works fine." Zeke told himself, knowing that no such weapon has ever been seen in Mythos before.

    There isn''t anything more that Zeke could do. He is as prepared as can be, with all the resources he currently has. Normal warriors would certainly feel nervous and, even terrified if they are to face someone like Gallio. But Zeke; he isn''t like any ordinary warrior.

    With the battle closing in, Zeke couldn''t help but smile in excitement. He thought of what strategy he can use and, how he''ll be able to go all out with the skills he upgraded. He also thought of the applications of [Sun Eater] and, how it''ll be a goodbination with his new weapon.

    With all of this, Zeke finally opened his eyes. Returning him to the crater he created earlier on. Beside him are his conjures. He gave them all the items he crafted, raising their attributes in arge spike. Then, he finally called de to deliver his enemy.

    "Are you all prepared now?" de began.

    "Just bring him here already, I need some practice target." Zeke replied.

    "Cheeky as always. I''ll deliver him to the middle of that crater you made." Was de''s response.

    The king also finished with his preparations during this time. He sessfully synthesized Sylvia''s blood with his own and, although temporary, de can unleash his full streth without worryinga bout the vessel he is currently using.

    With de finally contacting him, the king found himself to be smiling with excitement. Both he and Zeke have this same habit but, unlike Zeke who is thinking of strategies to use, Gallio wishes to do nothing more but overpower his opponent.

    "Put on a good show for me. Otherwise I''ll get bored." Gallio said, finally having the portal open up before.

    Neither he nor Zeke knew the grand scheme that is about to unfold because of this battle. Neither of them knew that, this will start the cogwheels of a war that''ll decide the fate of the whole universe.

 Chapter 86: The Blood Elf Monarch - III

    Chapter 86: The Blood Elf Monarch - III

    This is how the fight began and, how the first few minutes proceeded. Zeke activated [Mana Conversion] in the get go and refilled his mana immediately through his [Potions]. On the [Minimap] is a dark violet color, telling Zeke that the opponent is there already.

    As Gallio left the portal, he immediately sensed his opponent''s presence. Whileing to the capital, Gallio actually wore a wide grin on his face. However, his excitement toned down a bit as he felt the measly aura emitted by Zeke. But what shocked him more about this is how he recognized the aura as, owned by someone who is supposedly dead.

    "de I may be mistaken but, isn''t this the same person I killed before dealing with Aeolus?" Gallio began, starting to sound suspicious of his descendant. de simply grinned as he heard the words, feeling no pressure or nervousness from the quick catch-up of his ancestor.

    "I am not sure my King. As you know, I do no poses the same sensing skills as you. All I know is that he is the one who killed our troops and, created arge crater in the middle of the city." de replied with ease.

    "Let''s deal with thatter. Anyway, I think there seems to be some kind of mistake. All I sense is a small fry." Gallio spurted, not minding the fact that his opponent is supposed to be dead.

    "My king, he is the only presence left in that area. If he isn''t the one who killed our troops then I don''t know who did." de replied.

    The king had an unimpressed look on his face. With [Mana Conversion] alone, Gallio didn''t feel like Zeke could pose much of a threat against his life. And, if the kid bores him too soon, he will simply hack off Zeke''s head and return to meddling with Sylvia''s body.

    "Come to think of itI haven''t tasted a woman since the war broke out. Hey you don''t mind if I make your woman mine, don''t you?" Gallio said to Hark and again, the human tried taking control of the body but failed miserably.

    "That''s'' it. Keep struggling. Otherwise this won''t be any fun." Gallio said, finally finishing with his dialogues and, waiting for what his opponent has in store for him.

    "Sun Eater." Zeke continued, feeling the mana drainage thates from activating the skill. It isn''t much but, Zeke could sense that it is there, slowly reducing his mana points like a leak in a water bucket.

    "Ohhh now that''s something interesting. You remind me of an opponent I had a thousand years ago." Gallio said, finally stretching his muscles as he sensed Zeke''s power still rising.

    "Don''t die easy kid." Gallio continued, cing himself in a sprinting position and, dashing out of sight.

    "Damn he''s fast." Zeke said, activating [Shadow Dive] immediately and, transporting to a nearby building. ButZeke felt a chill creep up upon him. Even before the transportpletely finished, Zeke heard a voice whisper behind his back.

    "That''s a nice party trick." Zeke couldn''t even react on time, he is sent flying by a kick made by Gallio.

    "That''s just 20% kid!" Gallio taunted as Zeke crashed to the ground, covering himself in dirt as his body dug through it. The kick was enough to break some of Zeke''s bones but, because of the [Gamer''s Body] Zeke didn''t feel any pain.

    But things didn''t end there. Gallio unleashed a powerful barrage of wind skill shots, shing the air over and over again as the barrage went on.

    "sh Step!" Zeke said, repeating the skill over and over again. He couldn''t stop because, if he did, then the barrage would hit him head on. By the looks of it, the skill won''t be ending anytime soon and Zeke didn''t want to get one of his trump cards [Blood King''s Curse] getting exposed to the enemy before it proves to be beneficial to him.

    "Conjure!" Zeke summoned two [Winged Monkeys] and [Cull]. And, even though it''s a huge gamble, Zeke tried abination with what he currently unleashed.

    The first thing he did is to use [sh Step] again. He fired two bullets from [Death''s Void] as he did. The king needed to do three things against this attack. The first is dodge it. The second is block it. And the third is get hit head on. The third is the least probable of them all and, true enough, Gallio evaded the attack. Halting his skill barrage for a second and giving Zeke an opportunity to make a counter y.

    Cull began barraging Gallio with arrows which the king continued deflecting. The king got bored of the measly attack easily and, vanished once again. He reappeared near Cull but just as he was about to sh the Conjured creature in half, Zeke used [Shadow Dive].

    If there is something that is almost impossible to perform, it is changing an attack when it is at full momentum. The king had this specific circumstance with his swing. He couldn''t do a single thing even as he saw the [Conjured] creature ready to take the blow. Another creature appeared on the ground where the king is standing. Lupus head came out and bit both feet. Meanwhile Zeke repapered on the sky, on the shadow made on the back of a [Winged Monkey] that floated just below another.

    Zeke aimed for the head, wanting to finish the fight even before his opponent could power up. But at thest second, the king powered up. Releasing 30% of his strength and, pouring his mana onto his weapon. This is all it took for Zeke''s n to crumble.

    As soon as the King''s de shed through the conjure and hit the ground, a huge amount of wind was released. This blew away Zeke and destroyed Lupus along the way. Zekeposed himself again releasing all his conjures as hended on the ground. With what he just witnessed, Gallio got his smile back on his face,

    "Okay I take it back, this''ll be fun." Gallio continued, seeing the mass of mana-filled creatures before him. He couldn''t even begin toprehend how the number of creatures before him are all summoned by a single creature and a human at that!

    With all the forces that he has, Gallio instinctively knew that only a few of his troops could match up to some of Zeke''s conjuresnamely the [Commanding Conjures] and the [Vice Commanders].

    Both Zeke and Gallio measured each other up. The king looked at his opponent''s eyes and felt himself getting even more excited. With this, he finally unsheathed his sword from its scabbard meaning one thing  Gallio is beginning to get serious.

    Zeke didn''t mind the sudden pauses made by his opponent. After all it benefits him greatly. With [Sun Eater] being active, Zeke continually gets powerful as the battle prolongs. He drank two [Medium Mana Potions] knowing that Gallio won''t suddenly attack like earlier.

    Zeke knows that Gallio contains a power that has been cultivated over the course of a thousand years. What he doesn''t knows is how much power this actually is. He can see the stats of his opponent and, at the moment, Gallio is already too strong to attack head on.

    "I can think about it when I''m actually dead." Zeke thought to himself, unleashing an attack using his [Conjures]. Gallio dly epted this invitation and rampaged through Zeke''s troops. Only to be halted by the [Blood Elf Swordsman  Erio].

    "I know you." Gallio said, looking at the [Conjured] version of Erio which seemed to resent him.

    The two battled with their des and, although Erio is losing, he is able to keep his stand against Gallio. This is mainly because the [Conjured] do not feel any pain and, can regenerate immediately as long as Zeke feeds them with mana.

    Gallio''s troubles didn''t end with Erio. The synchronized attack of all the [Conjures] made Gallio break a sweat, feeling his body''s temperature rise and his heart thump a bit faster. Zeke knew that this isn''t enough to finish the opponent. If it was, he wouldn''t have gotten into all the trouble of running away from the capital in the first ce.

    True enough, Gallio beganughing like a madman. The king began getting more serious, raising his power output up to [35%]. He tried escaping from the formation of the [Conjures] but, found it to be a difficulty because of the long-range assault lead by Cull. With an infinite supply of ammunition, Cull continue shooting down Gallio  limiting the king''s movements.

    Gallio tried taking down the archer, only to get blocked by Lupus which is sturdier than any other conjure. Every time he wounds the monster, it simply regenerates back. And to top it all off, he needs to seriously swing his de just to deal damage.

    As mentioned with all the deaths happened earlier, Lupus'' regenerative ability even exceeds Zeke''s. So, unless Gallio one shots the beast, he has no chance of winning. Not only this, Zeke also nted [Poison Cloud] and [Umbral sh] on the [Winged Monkeys]  deploying them toward Gallio without a second''s hesitation. As for the [Carnivorous Turtle Hatchlings] Zeke ced [ground Spikes] on each of them, making sure that Gallio will not be able to move freely within the terrain.

    During this time, [Sun Eater] has continually absorbed energy, expanding Zeke''s own shadow. This means that aside from the primary effect of a power boost, Zeke benefits from therge shadow area which he now owns.

    "Pathetic." Gallio stated, using a wind spell to blow away the [Poison Clouds] which Zeke have just detonated. But, as soon as he did, the [Umbral shes] came at him. Dealing a fair amount of damage to the king who has little [Darkness Resistance] developed.

    Drops of blood finally came. Adding to the mix is Erio sessfullynding a blow to the King''s waist. But instead of feeling the chances of victory go up, Zeke only felt malice grow much stronger around the king.

    "Okay. You passed." The King said, finally using up his physical boosting skills. And increasing his power output to [50%]. It must be remembered that, when he used his skills against Aeolus, not even top tier magic could harm him. But this didn''t concern Zeke at all. He doesn''t specialize in magic; he specializes inbinations.

    With a single sh, the king found his way through all of Zeke''s units and, it didn''t stop there. The king effectively damaged Zeke himself. Even with all the passives rted to defense, Zeke''s health bar still went down to half as he took the blow head on.

    He couldn''t adjust to how powerful the king got in a matter of seconds. Actually, the change is so quick that no normal human being could possibly adopt to it immediately.

    "Surrendering and begging for your life is out of the question kid." Gallio followed up his attack with wind shes once again. Zeke dodged this but found Gallio appearing beside him, shing with his sword.

    Zeke''s [Counter] activated at that very instant. It''s a good thing that it did because, Zeke felt that the blow would''ve cleanly cleaved him in half. Zeke shot two bullets from his guns and, made the king back away with a hole on his shoulder.

    "You''ve got my blood boiling so were going to continue this until one of us is dead." Gallio said, as if he didn''t feel any pain from the wound he got a few seconds ago.

    "For someone who''s about to be a corpseyou sure do talk a lot." Zeke replied, effectively rousing theughter of Gallio and, a secondter, the two continued with their bout.

 Chapter 87: Blood Elf Monarch - IV

    Chapter 87: Blood Elf Monarch - IV

    Zeke''s vision spun as he is once again hurled away. Even with everything on his current arsenal, Zeke is having great difficulty matching Gallio. If it isn''t for Samael''s shield which he [Conjured] to defend him, Gallio''s attack would''ve certainly destroyed him.

    "Conjure Weapon." Zeke said once again, this time summoning Erio''s sword and, making one quick sh before taking back the weapon. He needs to diversify the attacks because this is also a way for him to ensure that the enemy would not figure out his fighting style.

    "Was that supposed to hit?" Gallio said as he appeared on Zeke''s back  piercing through the lungs using his sword.

    "That''s payment for the hole you made on my shoulder." The king continued as he prepared to slice up. But Zeke casted [Shadow Dive] once again; teleporting over and over to various parts of the battlefield. As he did this, he continually tapped the ground.

    Gallio couldn''t effectively read Zeke''s movements anymore. One moment his opponent blinks away, and then use a speed up skill, then blinks away again. Due to thebination of [Shadow Dive] and [sh Step], Zeke made his movements less predictable.

    Zeke isn''t nning on running away. All he wants is to buy time. [Sun Eater] continued making him stronger but it still seems to not be enough against Gallio. But that didn''t matter becausethe timer for [Mana Conversion] has almost run out.

    "I gotta admit, even with my skills unleashedbined with 50% of my raw strength, you still hold out pretty damn well." Gallio said and, to his surprise, Zeke stopped moving all around the ce like a rabbit.

    "I don''t like how you keep talking down on me." Zeke said, taking out two more [Medium Mana Potions] which he drank. Gallio didn''t stop his opponent because, in he believes that the end result will be the same no matter what. He will win against Zeke with brute force.

    "And why wouldn''t I? You make all those shy moves but can''t even deal that much damage to me." The king mused.

    Again, Zeke didn''t mind thement nor did he lose any confidence or faith in his abilities. After all, the next phase of his n is now in motion becauseone of his skills have ended.

    [Notice]

    [Mana Conversion''s effects have worn off]

    The system notified Zeke and, even Gallio could feel it  his opponent has be weaker. The king made a deep sigh, as if he lost all the built-up excitement.

    "Hey don''t tell me that''s all you got?" Zeke smiled at thement of the king because, the reason why he drank [Medium Mana Potions] is to bring his [Mana Points] back to full. All for the sake of activating the skill once more.

    "Mana Conversion."

    [Sun Eater] is a skill with a simr effect to Mana Conversion. Both skills raise the stats of Zeke for a certain period of time. [Mana Conversion] bases the powerup on Zeke''s overall mana offered, not exceeding the mana cap he currently has. Meanwhile, [Sun Eater] is a gradual strengthening skill which continues adding points to all of Zeke''s attributes and

    This includes his mana.

    "HAHAHAHAHA! THAT''S MORE LIKE IT!" The king shouted in excitement feeling a huge spike in Zeke''s power level. For the first time in their fight, Gallio actually thought of the possibility of losing against a human.

    That''s why Gallio wanted to move immediately. Unfortunately for him, he couldn''t move his body. This is all due to Hark who gained even more control over his own body as the king got a bit tired. However, this onlysted for five second. Yet, this is all Zeke needed in order to drink two [Large Mana Potions] restoring everything back to full.

    He threw the empty sks away and, as soon as he did, he disappeared from Gallio''s sight. The king knew exactly where Zeke would reappear and, prepared to sh down on that direction. True enough, Zeke appeared at his side but, this alone is not enough to stop the gamer from executing his attack.

    "sh Step." Zeke said, disappearing right in front of the king. The skill amplifies the current speed of the caster. With Zeke being as he is, even Gallio''s cannot follow Zeke''s movements anymore. But, with his instincts, Gallio knew exactly where the human would be.

    With 50% of his powers unleashed, the king can now redirect the motion of his physical attack. Hence, the swing of his de that was supposed to go downward suddenly turned its direction horizontally.

    Zeke predicted this much, summoning both Lupus and Samael to cover the blow for him.

    ''sh Step." Zeke continued, forcing his muscles to change direction at thest moment, tearing them down and regenerating them right away through regeneration and Endurance. And where did he appear this time? Zeke came out near the feet of Gallio, specifically, he appeared at the tendons connecting the upper and lower leg, slicing through these cleanly with [Death''s Void  Melee Form].

    The King dropped to his knees and, this alone is enough to make him snap in rage. Zeke went for the killing blow, summoning both Cull and Erio to help him hack down the king but, Gallio will have none of that,. The mad king skipped through all the teasing with his enemies andwent 100%.

    He screamed. It wasn''t even a skillonly a normal regr scream. Yet this was enough to make a force so strong that Zeke needed to back away for fear that his body would tear apart from the sound made.

    "You dare make me fall on my knees? Me the king of Elysium?" Zeke prepared to move once more but, as he blinked Gallio disappeared, the next thing he knew, there is a de piercing his heart.

    Zeke began coughing blood and saw his health draining rapidly. Gallio took out his de by swinging upward; cleaving through part of Zeke''s body before holding the human on the head and raising him up.

    "I''ve been toying with you throughout this fight boy. But don''t assume for even a split second that you could measure up to me." Gallio said in a pissed expression.

    Zeke used [Shadow Dive] to create some distance but, instead of arriving to a safe location, he found his face in the dark. Gallio sprinted as soon as he dived, arriving at the same location where Zeke would reappear. The king then nted Zeke''s face on the ground and, kicked him in the gut, sending Zeke flying to the wall of the city.

    Zeke was just about to escape from it all when a barrage of wind shes came. He couldn''t even react anymore. The skill tore him open over and over again, to the point that even with his regenerative ability, there is no hope of recovery. Soon enough, the walls crumbled down on Zeke and, the gamer died.

    [Curse of the blood King Activated]

    As soon as Zeke recovered, he drank a [Large Health Potion] to recover the portion of his health that is still missing. With the 3 second immunity time of the skill, Zeke is able nullify any further attacks for a short while.

    "What the hell am I even supposed to do against that?" Zeke told himself, thinking how overpowered Gallio is. Both [Mana Conversion] and [Sun Eater] continued within their duration thus, Zeke''s power still rose. Just as he was about to get out of the rubble, a hand reached for his head, crushing his skull a bit as it pulled him out.

    "Found you." Gallio said, still not finished with the human. He nted Zeke''s face on the wall of the capital and, began making use of it as a carving tool  shoving Zeke''s head on the concreate as Gallio ran like a madman around the walls.

    Even at de''s current location, he could feel the earth shaking as the walls began crumbling down.

    "This isn''t good." He told himself as he sensed Gallio''s full power being brought out and, to make matters even worse, the king has yet to activated [Ultimate Berserker] a skill which, would once again, bring Gallio''s strength to unprecedented levels.

    Even the minor gods felt the strength of Gallio  almost equaling to their own. It is, after all, a power that has been cultivated for a thousand years, gaining all the strength and attributes of the hosts that came and went.

    "How will you handle the situation human?" Pier said, merrily watching the whole scene unfold.

    Zeke didn''t let things end as they are. Even with his head nted on the wall, the human has continually released his [Conjures]. Gallio either didn''t mind or didn''t notice as he is too preupied in killing him off. And, as soon as all his creatures have been sessfully put in ce, Zeke used [Shadow Dive] once more transporting to the farthest shadow of his [Conjures].

    "I really didn''t want to do this but, you''re leaving me no choice." Zeke said taking Samael, Lupus, and Erio together.

    Chances of winning have be slim. Really slim, even less than what Zeke has anticipated. And this is why he took this risky option.

    "Conjure Mutation." This began thebination of the three and, unlike what Zeke thought, the mutation is actually taking a lot of time to finish.

    Meanwhile, Gallio already spotted Zeke and made his way. The human did what any sane mortal would do. He [Shadow Dived] again, reaching the other side f the city in an instant. No matter how fast Gallio is, he can''t teleport like Zeke. Hence, Zeke only needs to continue this. He needs to prolong the fight and to buy as much time as he can until the [Conjure Mutation] has finished.

    A few more minutes into this and, Gallio has finally regained a bit ofposure. All the chasing without any actual battle made his head clear a bit. With this, the king finally activated his trump card. Deciding to finish off Zeke and to not waste any more time.

    [Conjure Mutation Sess!]

    "Force Activate. Ultimate Berserker."

 Chapter 88: The Blood Elf Monarch - V

    Chapter 88: The Blood Elf Monarch - V

    [Name: Samael]

    [Species: Knight]

    [Specification: Overworld Grand Knight]

    [Rank: S]

    [Information: The creatures exist only within the legends of Mythos. It is said that, even before the dwellers came, there were 10 of these creatures which roamed as nomads all over Mythos. Their fights would cause so much destruction that the terrain would change significantly. Each Grand Knight has their own specialty.]

    [Information: Samael the Grand Knight specializes in utilizing the corpses of dead beings and the life force around it. There is no limit to this power however, it can go out of control, harming even the Conjurer along the way.]

    Aside from the basic information give, Zeke also looked into the unique passives of the creature. Samael, as a mutation of three strong [Conjures] has a bunch of skills that proves its worth.

    [Skill Name: Knight''s Vow]

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Information: 50% of the damage done to Samael''s master will be treated as his own. Furthermore, the master gains 50% of Samael''s defensive attributes and capabilities. ]

    [Skill Name: Will of the Dead]

    [Skill Type: Active]

    [Information: Samael is able to create his own undead army based on the creatures which died on the battlefield. The deaths must at least be within a day in order to count. There are no unique summons, all will be generated and categorized as knights using shields, spears, swords,nces, and arrows.]

    [Skill Name: Grand Chariot]

    [Information: Samael''s ultimate move which creates a pocket dimension. Inside, Samael gains a 100% boost on all his attributes. The skillsts for only a minute and, will force Samael to be unsummoned once the duration is over.]

    Both Gallio and Zeke looked at the figure which loomed. Zeke in particr didn''t have high hopes that the Conjure would seed. If anything, he thought that he could just prolong the fight even more if it fails as he still has some cards up his sleeve. And, even if it would seed, Zeke though that the chances of getting a monster which could actually rival Gallio is slim.

    Yet, here it is. A [Conjure] which is not only evolved but also, of an [S] ranking. This defeats all expectations of Zeke for the monster. But, like all good things thate so suddenly, it is not without a price.

    [Notification: Summoning Disparity]

    [Message: The system registered a creature that goes beyond the Gamer''s current algorithm and numbers value. As such, the creature will be locked from usage until the Gamer has reached level 100. Aspensation, the system will allow 1:00:00 of free usage on the monster before applying the rule.]

    [Thank you and have a wonderful day.]

    "I knew it. This is just too good to be true." Zeke told himself as he viewed the creature and the timer. The numbers on the countdown are already going down meaning, Zeke doesn''t have much time. He needs to utilize Samael as much as he can and, hopefully end the fight before the [Grand Knight] disappears.

    Samael wears an armor which looks even morepact than before. Adding to this is a derge enough to be held by two hands yet, Samael only uses one. On his other hand is a shield and, not just any kind, but an upgraded version of what Zeke initially gave him before the fight begun. To make it eve mor frightening, Zeke saw an interesting passive embedded on the shield.

    [Abyss Barrier]

    [Information: The shield may absorb a whole physical attack from time to time. Skill shots may also be absorbed but, only by half. The shield has a limit and, upon reaching it, the weapon will break.]

    Zeke didn''t take that much time browsing through all this information. With [Inner Archive] all he needed was a quick and clear nce at the abilities, getting them memorized immediately. This note is important because, Gallio didn''t wait that long. A few seconds after Samael was summoned, the king leapt to face it head on.

    "Shadow Dive." Zeke created as much distance as possible between him and the two, hoping that Samael would be enough to fight back on equal terms against the king.

    "So you want me to decide between killing you and actually having some fun?" Gallio said, looking at Samael which had eyes that burned a bright yellow. Gallio could feel the gaze of a predatoring from the [Conjure], making his smile widen even more.

    Samael wasted no chances. As soon as the second swing of the king came, it ced its shield in front to cushion the blow. With [Abyss Barrier] activating, Samael suffered no damage from the attack nor did it contain any force. This surprised the king who got shed on his armor, getting flung away as small burns appeared where Samael''s sword hit.

    "I take everything back now." Gallio continued, pressing the me using his palm and waiting for it to die out.

    "You''ve properly entertained me." The king leapt towards Samael who prepared to use the shield once more. Moments before impact, Gallio nted his sword on the ground and, ced his feet on the blunt part of it, all while still holding on to the weapon.

    This made Samael''s timing go wrong. Gallio then leapt forward, punching the shield with his gauntlet. A swing to the side of Samael followed, giving the [Conjure] a taste of what just happened to the king.

    At the corner of his eyes, Gallio sees Zeke running around the battle area. The king is no fool. He knows that ying with the creature will make things more difficultter on as, his real opponent is a cunning human. But he has no worries. Gallio believes in his strength and, this is even truer with his [Ultimate Berserker] state active.

    Samael made a primal howl and got itself to position once again. Its shield is ced in front while, the sword is extended to his back. The creature''s legs are bent down, with the left leg positioned a bit back for momentum. Then, it disappeared colliding with the king who decided to match the [Conjure''s] force.

    The first blow is unlike any other which the creatures of Elysium have ever experienced in their entire lives. With a single swing of their des, Samael and Gallio have widened the crater even more and, released a force so strong that it made nearby structures crumble down.

    "Yes! This is what I''ve been waiting for!" Gallio said in excitement, using his other hand in order to punch through Samael''s armor. But the monster simply blocked it with its shield once again. They then exchanged looks and, Samael proceeded to creating skeleton knights around them.

    "You think that''s enough to stop me?" Gallio mused, backing away and, swinging his de rapidly. Force came from every swing, destroying Samael''s summons even before they could make a move. This didn''t matter. As soon as Gallio got to the ground, skeletal hands reached for his feet and, even before the king could move, Samael has already dashed toward him. Bashing him with the shield and sending the king flying.

    "Now that is a proper hit." The king said, seeing a part of his armor actually getting dented. He went back immediately, returning the favor to the [Conjured] creature. Samael again deflected with the shield but, because [Abyss Barrier] is still on cooldown, the creature is also sent flying  hitting a number of rubble. Samael screamed and Gallioughed even louder. And thus, their fight continued.

    Meanwhile Zeke is concerned with the timer left on his creature. There is [45:00] of usage left for the creature and, if Gallio is still standing by that time, then Zeke would once again be backed down to a corner. And so, he began devising a n, going around the area of the fight while Gallio has his hands full with Samael. Zeke can''t afford for the creature to get destroyed so; he also sent other conjures to assist Samael in the fight on any means that they can.

    Samael on the other hand have once again summoned skeleton knights and, this time, it is not just a few but enough to fill the crater created by Zeke. The monsters all had the same yellow glow on their eyes, just like any other conjured monster of Zeke and their bodies are also shaded by blue. This is mainly because, the source of their summon is also a conjured. Hence, they share the same form with Samael.

    Gallio simplyughed as he began rampaging through the knights lead by Samael. The king began getting hit on every spot, getting his armor chunked bit by bit. His hair also began getting all roughed up. Finally, Gallio began sweating profusely - like he ran five wholeps through the continent.

    "Keep iting!" Gallio said in excitement,pletely getting engulfed in the fight. So much so that, he even forgot that Zeke is still there and that the boy is the source of the [Conjure''s] presence.

    Zeke thought how lucky he is with this fight. Even I if Gallio has enough strength to destroy the whole of Mythos all by himself, the king is more dedicated to fighting than to actually using his brains on fights. Gallio relies on instincts and on his raw strength to dominate. It gives him an exhrating feeling that nothing else canpare to.

    If it was de who had this power, Zeke would already be dead. The elf would definitely begin at 100%, destroying him even before he could even make a move.

    The destruction continued as the battle raged on. A tremor began, with all the movements of the skeletons and all the attacks made by either Samael or Gallio. This didn''t stop and, even on the farthest towns of Elysium, everyone can feel the same tremor faintly.

    Gallio began slicing through multitude of enemies at once, using a reverse grip as he zoomed through his opponents. A wave of wind follows this, destroying another set of summons. Samael didn''t allow this to continue on for long. The [Grand Knight] blocked the next swing of Gallio, nullifying the attack and, following this up with its own swing. The king blocked this using his armguard but, the amor gotpletely destroyed, breaking a bunch of Gallio''s bones along with it. And not just this, the swing came with mes which instantly burned through Gallio''s skin.

    "Hang in there." Zeke thought to himself as he continued moving without any pause.

    "My preparations are almostplete."

 Chapter 89: Grand Chariot

    Chapter 89: Grand Chariot

    As the fight prolonged, Zeke can''t help but notice that there seem to be a huge gap in strength forming. He expected as much with an enemy like Gallio. Someone who continually scaled up and proved all of Zeke''s preparations to be useless against his raw force and brute strength.

    [00:27:43]

    Zeke read the notification on Samael''s time limit. There isn''t much time and, Zeke knew that maximizing the remaining minutes will probably be the deciding factor of the fight. Hence, he observed closely, not failing to continue preparing the other things he has in store for Gallioter on.

    Again, Gallio made a huge swing which disregarded all defenses. Samael has no choice but to block this as, the creature knew instinctively how the blow would deal a devastating amount of damage. Using the sword, Samael blocked the swing and yet, this proved to be insufficient.

    The [Conjure] got pushed back considerably by the attack. This is Zeke''s reason in believing thatGallio has continued getting stronger. On their first exchange of blows, Samael and Gallio found themselves evening out each other''s blows. Neither of them moved an inch as they barraged each other with attacks. However, this time it''s different.

    Bit by bit, Samael continued getting pushed back by Gallio''s swings. While some do get absorbed by Samael''s shield, there are just too many swings done within intervals. This left the [Conjure] with no room to make a strong blow.

    "What the hell is going on here?" Zeke said to himself, looking at the king''s abilities. He actually thought that Gallio would somehow have a skill that could effectively hide all of his attributes and abilities. de has something like this, one which fooled even the [System''s Analysis] as Zeke actually believed the elf to be on the same level of Sylph before.

    "Don''t mind if I do." Zeke continued, peeking into the whole set of details connected to the King''s fighting prowess.

    As always, it is Gallio''s prideful attitude that told him not to hide these. Because, even if the enemies see all his stats, there is still no way for them to defeat him. In his head, Gallio believes that he is the strongest. Since childhood, the king has always won his battles. It didn''t matter how many foes he faced, at the end, it is always the Lion who stands triumphant. This same cheekiness may just be the only weakness of Gallio but, only a few are able to utilize it well. This includes the leader of the traitors 1,000 years ago, de, and Zeke.

    "That exins a lot." Zeke said as he saw the skills in front of him.

    [Skill Name: Crimson Beast]

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Information: A skill thates with the activation of Ultimate Berserker. The skill creates three effects that activate together with Ultimate Berserker.]

    [1. The skill owner gains +10 in all attributes for every minute that passes.]

    [2. The skill owner converts all damage received into temporary attribute points.]

    [3. The skill owner will gainaboost in attributes for every percentage of health missing.]

    It is somehow simr to the skill owned by Zeke''s [Blood Elf desman  Erio]. Butpared to Gallio''s skill, the one owned by Erio seem nothing more than base level skill. Zeke instantly knew that the skill is bad news, especially if wielded by someone like Gallio. A living and breathing being who has honed his skills to perfection and, someone who owns a lot of powerful skill is bound to get more out of it.

    This is the reason why Gallio didn''t mind no matter how many times he was hit. With every damage done to him, he only grows stronger. But there is nothing Zeke could do about this. He has no means to chunk out all of the King''s health in one blowor maybe there is.

    "Samael keep it going buddy." Zeke said, continuing to charge his bullets.

    During the fight with the [Chimeras], Zeke used twelve bullets in total. It took that many bullets to finish the creatures. With the numbers in mind, Zeke intends to charge thrice the amount. This will be problematic for Elysium once unleashed. But Zeke is not stupid enough to release a continent destroying attack to defeat a single enemy.

    He has a n.

    Samael and Gallio still fought. But, with his increasing power, Gallio began getting bored with the Samael and the other summons. This is a bad habit of his. He gets easily bored when fighting measly opponents. With his whole skill set being released, the king wants nothing more than an opponent which couldpletely level the floor with him. Hence, he finally decided to join Zeke in on the fight, getting swords from the nearby summoned knights.

    He then threw them to Zeke, surprising the gamer who used [Shadow Dive] once more.

    "Why is he attacking me all of a sudden?" Zeke thought to himself.

    Both [Conjures] and [Summoned Knights] cover the battlefield. There is no safe spot for Gallio to take and yet, he seems to not care. With the sword in his hand, Gallio continued destroying all enemies in his path.

    [Archer]

    [Pdin]

    [Swordsman]

    [Defender]

    All these creatures simply get obliterated with a single strike of Gallio.As he is already forced to fight, Zeke began being more forceful with his attacks. Creating [Conjured] creatures over and over again while waiting for the perfect opportunity to begin hisbination.

    Gallio found a hole through Zeke''s attacks and, began sidestepping throughout the battlefield. Apanying this are more summons getting destroyed by the king. Reaching Zeke, the human used [Shadow Dive] again to escape. The king followed through but, Zeke used [sh Step]. And yet, even with this, the king is still able to catch him. Zeke repeated this over and over again, trying to get the king off his tail. In fact, Samael even tried stopping the king but, Gallio simply dodged the [Conjure] wanting to continue his little game of tag with Zeke.

    Understanding the situation. Zeke teleported to a favorable area for him. The king soon followed with a swing of his de - sessfullynding a hit. Yet, to his surprise, the human remained standing even after taking the blow.

    At this point, [Sun Eater] has already umted enough to make Zeke endure through Gallio''s onught. Not only this, he also has [Knight''s Vow] which adds even more defensive abilities to him. The king is unaware of this or course as, in his mind, Zeke is already far below the summoned Samael. Hence, his momentum got destroyed, giving Zeke the perfect opening to begin his counter y.

    "Okay old man. Let''s dance." Zeke activated [Mana Conversion] again. He waited for the fight to resume before activating it again in order for the king to drop his guard. The sudden burst of power skyrocketed Zeke''s attributes yet again. This time, Zeke has reached the level of Samael.

    Utilizing the [Shadow Area] created by [Sun Eater], Zeke continued [Shadow Diving] all over the battlefield. Aside from this, Samael did his part by limiting the, movements of the king. Suddenly, Gallio found himself in even more trouble than he hopped for. And yet, the smile on his face is still stered.

    Zeke used [Death''s Void - Melee Form] while charging the bullets one by one. Even with the number of swings and shes he made  Zeke still can''t cut through Gallio''s [Leo Rex]. Leading him to conclude that, the weapon is somehow magically enchanted as, his weapon is supposed to be able to cut through any physical defense. The same is true with Gallio''s armor which, Zeke needed to exert effort on in order to actually make a decent cut.

    Gallio, however, has no trouble cutting Zeke over and over again. Yet, with [Knight''s Vow] and all other defensive skills of Zeke, these same attacks are greatly minimized. To the point where it feels like a goblin is attacking him.

    "This is getting more and more exciting kid! Keep it up!" Gallio said, once again destroying a group of [Conjures] and [Summoned Knights] and, hitting Samael''s shield. [Abyss Barrier] activated, leaving Samael with zero damage once again. The king knew of the trick and, with his innate gift on fighting, he already adapted countermeasures for the move.

    "Shockwave." The king continued, sting Samael away  effectively tearing off parts of the [Conjure''s] armor. The king didn''t stop there. He threw his sword toward Zeke''s direction. The human dodged of course but then, something hit his napeit isn''t a skill shot not a decent weapon. It''s a pebble which the king picked up. With his senses getting sharper and sharper together with his continually growing power, Gallio has once again reached the point where, even with the two of thembined, Zeke ad Samael are having a difficulty fighting back.

    However, he isn''t the only one adapting. Zeke has also made a bunch of moves already. As soon as he began his counterattack, Zeke has actually continued leading Gallio on.

    "Ground Spikes" He began, surprising the king from the pointed things that shot up from the ground. The human then continued this with a mass of [Poison Clouds] wide enough to cover the whole area in a thick mist of deadly poison. Zeke gets damaged by this but, with all of his regenerative abilities and damage reducing skills in y, he just heals through the poison even without any poison resistance.

    "Why did you have to ruin all the fun I''m having?" The king got disappointed right away, shing through the mist of poison. But just as he did, a newyer came up to fill the gaps. The king shed through this again and yet, newyers came up over and over again.

    Outside the king''s field of vision, Zeke ced 50 [Poison Clouds] on each [Winged Monkey] he owns, making them circle around the battlefield and, effectively releasing the poison over and over again. On the ground, detonates of the same poison are in effect and, together with these are the spikes. Hatchlings also popped in front of the king continually, only for them to disappear as soon as they use their [Counter] ability  dealing damage to the king using his own attacks.

    While all this went on, Samael continually charged at the opponent. With more of his senses being dulled by the poison, Gallio''s strength greatly decreased, turning the tides against him once more. Adding to his troubles are the [Ground Spikes] which still continue popping from the ground.

    Both attacks aren''t meant to finish off the king. They are meant to confute and distract him during the fight. Zeke knew that this won''t work for long and, the king would once again find a way out of the predicament. Yet, even before the problem could arise, Zeke already has a way out of it.

    [Sun Eater] now upied most of the battlefield. As such, Zeke freely moved around the terrain without any restrictions nor limitation. Together with Samael, they madebos afterbos against the king. From time to time, Zeke would summon the [Hatchlings] which would simply die after activating [Counter].

    Pain crept all over the king''s body as Zeke did not relent from the attacks. Watching this, both de and Pierughed their hearts out in amusement. To see a human defeat a monster thatpletely outsses him is not something you see every day after all.

    Over and over again, the hits have made their way through Gallio until, his armor finally shattered into pieces, leaving the king bare. With only a minute left in Samael''s timer, Zeke told the creature to activate its trump card.

    Samael screamed and, emitted an almost dark blue mana. Then, everything went dark as the notification came.

    [Grand Chariot Activated]

 Chapter 90: One Step Ahead

    Chapter 90: One Step Ahead

    The changing of the dimension greatly strengthened Samael and, not only him but also his wielder Zeke. With [Knight''s Vow] active, Zeke took in the added defensive capabilities offered within Samael''s [Grand Chariot].

    The king, confused with what just urred, had no time register everything. And Zeke doesn''t n to give him any time to do so. Both he and Samael still continued on with their attacks.  leaving the king dumbfounded from the blows that seem to have no end.

    Yen, even with the shy disy  one fact remains the same. For Gallio, it is only the strongest who would win. No matter how many tricks, moves, or fancy named skills are used, the one left standing at the end of every battle is always the strongest.

    The king also knows one thing, that nobody could defeat him. With this, he activated another skill from his hidden arsenal. Suddenly, the king got armored again and, this time it is [Dark Mana] that covers his whole body.

    A Lion''s features can be seen all over the armor. Aside from this, Zeke felt Gallio getting stronger again. Yet, he didn''t dare stop because he knew that if he did, the king would gain momentum once more.

    "Whatever armor that is. I''m going to break through it." Zeke thought to himself.

    "Weapon conjure." The human dived again. With the whole space being like a limitless shadow, there is no restriction to where the gamer can appear next. Then, he made abo, alternating between [sh Steps] and [Shadow Dive]. shing the king at some point while, using the shield to defend himself whenever the king caught up to his attack.

    Over and over again, the king tried hitting him but, the human either cleanly evaded or blocked every blow. With the built-up momentum, Zeke still sped up  hitting the king''s back. Again, the king moved to attack but, on thest second, Zeke used [Shadow Dive] once more. The human reappeared right in front of the king''s wide-open chest. He stuck the shield next to Gallio''s armor and said:

    "Release."

    All the stored force within the shield got out. This blew Gallio away immediately. Yet the king is also relieved, believing that such a strong attack can only be used once; a presumption which he soon regretted.

    Zeke kept popping out all over the ce. In his hand is the same shield, releasing the same amount of force each and every time. The shockwaves continued on and on, destroying the king''s armor bit by bit. As the weapon is nothing more than a conjured version of Samael''s it can imitate the current state of the weapon every time it is conjured. This is the reason why Zeke orderer the creature to never use the attack; a decision which is currently paying off.

    Again, the king found no way to recover from the attack and, although able to make blows from time to time, it isn''t enough to stop Zeke. But then, the notification finally came up, telling Zeke to hasten his pace.

    [Grand Chariot''s duration is about to end]. The system noted.

    But this isn''t the only thing ending soon. Even Samael''s duration is about toe to an end. None of this worried him as, all the pieces of his n are already in ce.

    With the armor of Galliopletely destroyed, Zeke has found a way to cut through the King''s flesh. He finally took back [Death''s Void] targeting the side of the king using its melee form. Gallio answered by hacking at the human. This almost cut off Zeke''s left shoulder. The king thought that this would be enough to stop him yet, the attack didn''t end. Zeke''s thrust dug deeper and deeper into the king''s flesh.

    He punched and kicked the human. But Samael came to hold down the king. Then, Zeke looked up to him smiling after cing the whole weapon inside.

    "Let''s hope your insides are as strong as your armor." Zeke continued as Samael proceeded to taking its master out of the pocket dimension. Zeke stayed just enough to see the results of his attack. The sphere of darkness becamerger andrger until, the human is once again back to seeing a in blue sky.

    As it stands, Zeke has no means of condensing the force created from the charged bullets. With theing of Samael and [Grand Chariot] it didn''t take Zeke that much effort to knit together the details. Within the pocket dimension, space is limited and, can be limited even more by Samael. With this in mind, Zeke proceeded to executing this startegy.

    He destroyed every armor of the king. Not caring about the damage he dealt, the human continued targeting the only hindrance to his n. On the pocket dimension, this became a problem as the king generated a new armor. Yet, with the shield of Samael being fully charged, Zeke found another way to break through his opponent''s defense. Move after move, he tried to stay ahead of the king giving him the upper hand no matter how strong Gallio became.

    With the second armor beingpletely shattered, Zeke finally charged head on. He cared not about his own life, knowing that one more charge of [Blood King''s Curse] is still avable. And so, Zeke is able to nt the bullets within the king''s body. No matter how strong he is, there isn''t a way for him to escape an attack that is inside his own flesh.

    Zeke sat at the battlefield, looking at the small crack on the sky. And, after a few seconds, the timer for the pocket dimension finally ended. This made a huge gust of wind which blew away all of Zeke''s [Poison Cloud]. The explosioning from his bullets have just ended and, in front of him is the kingor what''s left of the creature. The king''s remains arepletely burnt, making Zeke think that thest attack was too much of an overkill.

    [Samael''s free trial has ended. Level requirement needs to be met in order to summon the creature once more.]

    "Yeah yeah I know." Zeke said, smiling. But the smile disappeared as soon as it crept up. There are two things missing from the current moment. One is, the mission rewards thates frompleting the main mission and, the second is the contract''s eight use actually taking effect.

    "Come on aren''t you dead yet?" Zeke said as he looked back at the corpse.

    A cold chill ran down Zeke''s spine telling him that things are far from finished. And, this is confirmed by the clouds forming up on the sky, swirling with darkness toward a single direction. Lighting ran through it and, Zeke found himself starring at something iprehensible.

    The king has evolved yet again. With the near-death experience, his body grew even more and developed a simr skill to Zeke''s [Blood King''s Curse]. And to make things even worse, Gallio''s version restores him to full health.

    "It is always the strongest who will win." Gallio said merrily, locking his eyes on Zeke who didn''t summon any [Conjures] anymore. The king thought that, his enemy has now exhausted all resources and, is waiting to simply get killed by him, the prefect mortal.

    "As a way to show my gratitude. I shall offer you a swift death." Gallio said, finallying into stance. The seeding events followed swiftly. Zeke''s blood sttered all around as Gallio used the human as a living punching bag. Hitting him in every direction possible and, following through even with the human using [Shadow Dive] and [sh Step].

    "Hundred Fangs!" Gallio shouted, creating a hundred swords imitating the attributes and bonuses of [Leo Rex]. Gallio shed over and over again. Every time Zeke tried to dodge, Gallio would simply appear at a different direction, as if the skill had an auto aim system installed within it.

    "That makes fifty kid!" Gallio continued, not relenting and, even getting stronger with every blow. This is what make the skill so dangerous. Not only is it a shy disy of a hundred floating swords, the skill also strengthens the user with every de used. And the reason why Gallio used the skill is because, [Ultimate Berserker] has also ended.

    The barrage continued reaching 70 swords used.

    [80 Swords]

    [85 Swords].

    With the nieth sword, Gallio''s attacks began releasing mes of crimson red, burning up Zeke who coughed and screamed in agony. The king enjoyed the sight and did not relent.

    With Zeke''s body being tattered and torn, the human finally got flung up in the sky. All the used swords pointed at the human while Gallio held the original Leo rex in his hand. Then, the king gave an order:

    "Ravage!" He shouted, releasing all the des which continued piercing Zeke''s body. The human got nted to the ground and, left a cloud of dust with him. Then, Gallio took thest de and dived to the human, digging through Zeke''s flesh and creating a shockwave of mes so strong that it burned up the whole crater with it.

    [You have died.]

    This is the natural response of the system to the attackbination made. But, even in this situation, Zeke has something up his sleeve.

    [Second Activation of Blood King''s Curse is now in effect.]

    [You gained three seconds of immunity.]

    Zeke always thought about it after seeing the three major deities. What would happen if light and darkness shed? Where would Chrono be in all of that?

    "Time to find out." Zeke said as he used [Blood Counter]. Gallio began spewing blood all over and, Zeke didn''t miss this opportunity. He punched through his enemies'' wound, making the king scream in pain as Zeke ced his whole fist inside and even moved it around.

    "Crazy bastard!" The king said, punching the Zeke away. But what he didn''t know is thiseverything up to that moment is still within Zeke''s calctions.The other [Death''s Void] into his enemy. This is charged with a dozen bullets as, he decided to save some up on thest second. Adding to this is [Sun Eater''s] duration ending. This gave his weapon light attributed bullets which stored all the energy he gained throughout the fight.

    The end result is simple, both bullets exploded, colliding with each other: the dark attributed [Umbral sh] and the light attribute generated through [Sun Eater]. The area grewrger andrger until, they began sucking each other up. Light tried to dominate and Darkness forced the same. In the middle is Gallio experiencing the pull from both sides, ripping his body into two, bit by bit. Zeke went as far away as he can while watching everything unfold. And then, it finally formed, a ck hole which is unbound by the rules applied by this world. The hole had a ruling of its own, even time itself.

    The attack became the deciding factor of the fight and, everything that came next.

 Chapter 91: The Final Trick

    Chapter 91: The Final Trick

    On the realm of the gods, everyone witnessed what the new chosen human of the major deities have aplished. Or rather, what that same human is currently creating.

    "Oh?" Was all that Nisha could say, interested in the current act of the human. She swirled a liquid on her wine ss which looked a lot like the night sky.

    Her counterpart, however, is nowhere near satisfied. In fact, the only word that could describe Sinir''s current state is furry. She didn''t like the fact that, a mere human imitated the genesis of creation itself.

    Chrono on the other hand couldn''t help butugh from the sight. The god of time continued floating around with his hands on his stomach. ''I knew you''d be someone fun.'' Was all that the god of time could say, entertained with Zeke Elwood.

    Meanwhile, within his own realm, Pier alsoughed because he knows what will soon happen to Zeke. The human will receive the scorn of many minor gods. If there is one thing that the god of mischief knows, its that the minor gods do not want any mortal entity that could rival them. Meaning, after the fight, Zeke will have things to worry about other than Mythos.

    "That''s a bad move mortal." Pier said in a malicious wide grin.

    Down on the human realm, Zeke''s skill continued eating up everything on its path. The skill now turned into a giant orb with orbiting rocks and debris''. Lightning surrounded the massive ck hole and, within all of this is Gallio. The skill didn''tst for much longer. Without any mana being fed to it, the skill naturally ended on its own little by little. The ck hole shrank until, it vanishedpletely.

    "You can''t possibly survive a ck hole, right?" Zeke came closer to the scene. Without any shadows to dive to, Zeke used [sh Step] to get nearer.

    This time, there is nothing left. Not even Gallio''s bones nor any drop of his blood could be seen. Everything got eaten up by the skillbination. But, the human still couldn''t rest easy until the quest rewardes. And it did, a few seconds after.

    [The Main Quest  Defeat the Evil King II has been Cleared!]

    [200 Skill Points are given as a reward]

    [100 Attribute Points are given as a reward]

    [Bonus Reward: Mystery Chest]

    Even with the rewards for the main quest, something still didn''t feel right to Zeke. Then, he remembered how thest use of his contract with Gallio is yet to ur.

    "What''s the meaning of all this?" Zeke said to himself. A question asked a second toote. Because now, Zeke has a crimson red spear piercing through his chest.

    A lot of confusion covers the current situation. And to clear everything out, we must look at the perspective of the culprit who continued slithering through his enemies until this very moment.

    ...

    ...

    ...

    Standing next to the sleeping Sylvia, de continuedughing as he saw the sorry state of the human. His hair is now white while, his skin is of an almost red color. Beside him is a vial which contained Gallio''s blood seconds ago. de drank it even before the skill of Zeke ended. Through the vial, Gallio can transfer bodies once again and, the process was excruciating for de who did his best to im control.

    "Good work my descendant." Gallio said as he slowly took the body from the elf.

    "Thanks." de said as he took a vial hidden in his coat  one which he personally made for the moment.

    "Now go and join the dead." He continued, chugging down the liquid. There was a lot of screaming and thrashing around that followed. Until, finally, the one who came on top was de. His features changed greatly, coupled with him inheriting all the attributes and skills of Gallio. But other than this, the elf retained his personality. Killing Gallio through the vial which poisons the part of Gallio''s blood which contains the king''s body takeover.

    This event soon followed the ending of Zeke''s skill. Ultimately leading to two things. One is the sessful fulfillment of Zeke''s main quest but, as for the contract, it had no way of being aplished. Especially now that it doesn''t register de since, what he just performed changed who he is entirely.

    "Let''s clean things up before he notices." de continued, bringing out the crimson spear out of thin air.

    "Homing, Presence Vanish, Teleportation, Added Pierce." de activated all these skills at once and, threw the spear which immediately disappeared from his hand and, reappeared sticking through Zeke''s chest. Leading us to the present moment.

    The spear caught Zeke by surprise. There was no presence, no warning, no sound, no mana, no pointer on the [Minimap]. Nothing warned him of the projectileing and, what surprised him more are the things that came with it.

    [Information: All skills are momentarily disabled.]

    [Information: Regeneration has been disabled.]

    [Information: Every other defensive and restorative skill has been disabled.]

    [Information: You are paralyzed by the Crimson Spear.]

    [Information: The weapon forces you to register pain.]

    "Come on, you gotta figure out that it''s me." de said out loud as he watched the scene from the safety of Gallio''s hiddenboratory.

    The elf nned two things, the killing of all the Leonis members and, the death of Gallio. With how rushed the pacing has been, Zeke had no way to think of every factor involved. In fact, it must be remembered that, in his timeline, only 6 days have passed. And, the human did not expect to have such a chaotic entrance back to Mythos.

    If the gods did not interfere, things would definitely have worked out for him. Part of what he couldn''t properly think and n about is the real goal of de. And now, he is paying the price for the tampering of the gods toward his original goal.

    "How?" Zeke said, looking at what just happened to him. There is nobody on the battlefield but, it didn''t take Zeke that long to figure out the culprit to the attack.

    "GLADE!" He shouted through themunication channel. The human thought that he would be safe from the elf''s clutches because of the uses added to the contract. With the elf even adding that it needs to be Zeke who''d finish off the king, he thought even more of how the elf would safely watch in the sidelines throughout the fight.

    Bu he wasn''t aware of the contract being void once one side of the party dies. de did  seconds ago with the blood of Gallio, he has been sessfully reborn into a new Blood Elf.

    "Ohh this is just golden." de said merrily. He then took out two ordinary spears and ce the same set of skills to it. Then, he released them from his hands. One hit Zeke''s leg while, the other pierced through his shoulder de. With the crimson spear activating all his pain receptors, Zeke screamed in agony.

    "What did you do!" Zeke said again, feeling death slowly crawl over his skin. He is in pain of course but, this didn''t stop the gamer from trying to find a way out of the situation.

    "Isn''t it obvious? I double-crossed you...idiot." de continued.

    [Notification: Crimson spear''s final effect is now starting. You will die after five minutes.]

    Even if his skills stopped working, Zeke''s [System Features] are still in effect. But there is no way he could benefit from things like these. Especially with the deadlock he is ced in.

    "You''re about to die but, I won''t let it end that peacefully."

    Another spear came out. This time, it hit the other leg of Zeke, forcing the human to drop to his knees. Then another came, piercing through his throat. Running out of breath, the human still refused to surrender.

    With every ounce of energy he has left, Zeke ced all his equipment back to his inventory. He also collected all the loot left from his fight with Gallio through conjuring [Winged Monkeys]. Conjuring is a system feature and hence, it cannot be disabled by the [Crimson Spear''s] effects.

    "I have no idea what you''re trying to pull. But let me tell you this." de began, using another spear to hit Zeke''s left hand and, this pulled the human to the ground. Then, one more followed, targeting Zeke''s lower spine.

    "That body of yours will soon be mine. I''ll tear it apart and use every fiber and muscle of your corpse in order to strengthen me even more." de continued. With his windpipe and vocal chords all destroyed, Zeke couldn''t speak anymore, let alone breath. His vision began getting hazy and, the cold embrace of death crept up to him.

    "Elysium will be formed anew. I''ll finish the war Gallio began and, im everything for myself!" de said, sounding more and more like Gallio. There wasn''t any resistance at all and, Gallio watched the human''s life slowly end.

    With the power of Gallio imed as his own, de now stands on top of any mortal in Mythos. The only thingcking with Gallio is the wit and calm possessed by his descendant. With de taking control, the power cultivated by Gallio will finally be optimized to their full potential.

    "You were too focused on the small details my dear ancestor." de said to himself as he held thest spear on his hand. Zeke is still helplessly on the ground, with a pool of blood bathing him.

    "This body of yours. I''ll make sure that not even the gods can''t destroy it." With this said, de threw the final spear causing the death of the gamer - Zeke Elwood

 Chapter 92: What Followed

    Chapter 92: What Followed

    Allesiah and Sylph woke up within what seem to be a hiddenbyrinth. Confused on a lot of things, they tried to get up immediately but, found shortly after that both their hands and feet have been shackled in order to prevent any form of escape. These are connected to chains that stick to the cold concrete below them.

    Sylph immediately tried taking them off with brute force - swinging her arms around. This proved to be ineffective as the shackles have been made to ensnare and capture even a dragon. On the other hand, Allesiah tried to analyze the whole situation.

    Tall walls surround them wherever she looks. Contrary to a prison cell, there are no bars that keep them from the outside. Meaning, they are probably within arge enclosed area that cannot be escaped easily. Then there are the shackles. The disciple of Zeke looked intently on the material, thinking of what it is exactly.

    If only Zeke was there, they would have known every single detail about the item. But he wasn''t there andhe wasn''t anywhere in fact. The human died from de''s attack. With Analysis, this is what would''ve shown on the information of the shackles.

    [Name: Nullifying Shackles]

    [Grade: S]

    [Information: The shackles are made from ancient crystals infused with metals that could absorb their attributes. Anything that uses up mana is rendered useless and, any attempt to use these methods will result in the release of poison on the cuffed person''s body  making them feel immeasurable pain for a whole minute.]

    Allesiah experience this right away as she tried to use the mana flow around her. She felt something poke her flesh from the inside of the cuff. Soon after, the poison ran rampant through her veins.

    "AGGGHHH!" Allesiah screamed as she felt its effects immediately.

    "Hey bastards what did you do to my sister?" Sylph shouted but, found only silence as her response. There aren''t any escape routes which they could take and, neither will any form of assistancee anytime soon. With de controlling every situation connected to Elysium, the sisters are left to themselves.

    The area is far from the city itself. The whole structure is located underground with Minotaur guarding the entrance and, every other part of it. Any unregistered person who enters within the area won''t survive the number of traps, guards, and defenses which de prepared. Even with the loud screams of Allesiah echoing, nobody would hear her.

    Soon, the one minute of agony ended. Allesiah learned not to use mana and, warned her sister from performing the same. Everything about their current predicament just spells bad for Allesiah. In fact, both of them could feel how odds seem to run against their favor. Yet, Allesiah haven''t lost hope.

    "Master. I hope you''re safe." Were the words running through her head as she thought of Zeke''s safety. There are even details that she needs to inform him off; details which will be crucial upon discovering who tampered with their transport.

    Meanwhile, the elf who ced them on thebyrinth have just arrived to war. Donning an armor of ck which represents neither elves nor blood elves, de stepped into the battlefield as if he owned the ce. Soon enough demons came flying toward him and, the new king answered in kind by taking out ance.

    "uracy Increase, Ultimate Berserker, Monarch''s Domain, Curse Expansion, Damage Multiplier." He used all these skills and, threw thence to the flying enemies. The attack didn''t end and, continued moving toward the backlines of the enemies. An explosion soon came which swirled in pitch ck.

    He then snapped his fingers, summoning Chimeras to help with the battle. He continued by bringing out a sword that imitated the same effects of Leo Rex. With a single sh of this weapon, de effectively cut the wings of some flying enemies, making them crash down to ground where the elven forces are waiting.

    By this time, the forces of the enemies have already recognized how dangerous the new enemy is. The elf dly walked toward another group of forces rushing toward him.

    "Double Barrier. Shield Strengthen." de simply said, creating an invisible wall which blocked all projectilesing toward him. One by one, the elf tested out all the skills which Gallio never used. Gallio only used a number of skills as, he dislikes suing most of his skills. In his opinion, close quarterbat is always the best because, this is the only chance his enemies have of actually damaging him.

    de didn''t care much about this philosophy of Gallio. He simply used enhanced long-range skills, maximizing the output of each skill used bybining strengthening and amplifying spells to them. He threw spears,nces, projectile spells, and addedyer afteryer of defensive skills on him. Even if, by a stroke of luck, one attack passe through his defensive skills, it won''t amount to much as the armor he wears can absorb 90% of the damage inflicted.

    It didn''t take long for the battel to bnce out. When he initially arrived, the elves have actually began losing. But, with his appearance, de sent a torrent of damage to the enemies, pushing them back and evening out the battle. With the momentum being regained by the elves, de finally found a chance to ask the current state of things.

    He teleported to where themanding officer is located, surprising the elves but, remaining calm nheless. With the disy put up by de earlier, they have a clear idea of how dangerous the person is.

    "Give me the coordinates where I need to strike." He ordered. There wasn''t much resistance put up by the officer. He went on to presenting the amp of the battle and, putting a red marking on all locations which are vital for the fight.

    "Understood. Tell your forces to back away if they value their lives." Was all that de replied as he floated up on the sky and, began to charge anotherrge-scale attack.

    "Chaos Sphere." He began, creating a whirlpool that continued getting stronger with each passing second. The sky turned darker than it already is and, lightning continued striking the ominous sphere created by de.

    But, the insanity of the skill didn''t end there. de is nowhere near satisfied with his skill practice. Hence, he activates more skills to blend with the initial one he released.

    "Mimic." He repeated this skill four times, creating four more orbs that swirled around the initial one. The demons didn''t simply stay silent as this urred. Some of them found a way to get within range. Yet, even this is a futile attempt.

    "Clone." de said, creating two mirror images of him which fought the devils that tried to interrupt his experiment. Each clone only has 50% of de''s attributes. But this is more than enough to overpower the demons.

    "Amplify Darkness." He continued, making the spheres grow even more in size. Then, a finishing touch was added to the other mimicked versions of the original one.

    "Remove Restriction." This made the mimicked [Chaos Spheres] as strong as the original one. Huge cyclones have now formed and, even de has trouble seeing so he activated another skill that lets his vision get clearer. Another skill was activated to further the distance of his sight.

    Nothing could stop him now. The demons who are known to be both cold blooded and indifferent couldn''t stop their inner instincts to act up. They felt the fear of death. One which is so assured that, some of them even froze in ce to ept their fate. Luckily for them, this came swiftly with the next actions taken by de.

    "Instant Teleport. Area Expansion." de chanted, making his skill disappear without a trace. The following events came so quickly that, it took everyone by surprise. In fact, the sight was so unbelievable that, nobody knew what to make of it. Lightning turned ck wherever the skill hit; the earth continued shaking so violently that cracks began to show up. Those unlucky enough got swallowed by the breaks on the earth''s surface which closed as quickly as they opened.

    This onught continued on for another ten minutes. Nobody could attack properly and, everyone simply focused on trying to survive. Then, the sudden m came and, with it is de transporting back to themanding officer.

    He threw a head to him. One which the elf recognized to be owned one of the strongest warriors within the demon continent. He released it immediately from shock and, slumped on the ground.

    "I presume you can finish things here?" de said, having carefully analyzed the situation.

    "Yes sir." The officer said; still unsure of what to make of the situation. Some soldiers were able toe to him up close and, thought immediately of King Gallio''s right hand man - de. Yet, the features and aura are all different from de. Even his hair and skin color have changed, making the same soldiers doubt themselves.

    Before themanding officer could even ask anything more, de has already disappeared from their sights. He went to the remaining continents, ensuring that the tides of battle will always be in favor of Elysium''s forces. With Zeke''s party destroying most of the backup forces, de has no choice but to deal with matters himself.

    Yet, he dly ced this task upon himself toplete. de needs a way to measure his newly attained power and, what better excuse to use excessive force than on a war. But, these gears of chaos which de have put into motion does not end in Mythos. For, even in the realm of the gods, everything is in turmoil.

 Chapter 93: The Trial

    Chapter 93: The Trial

    A trial followed Zeke''s death. This trial is, of course, within the realm of the gods. All of them seemed to be floating in a giant space, with stars adorning the whole area. Around them ares that are suspended in space. The gods and goddesses came in various forms and sizes. Some have human characteristics. Some look more spirit like. Some look like the incarnation of death and evil itself. While, some look mortal. Of course, when facing humans, they retain a human figure. This is to avoid too many questions that may be asked by humans they encounter.

    On top of all the minor gods are the three major deities. Just like the minor gods, these three are in their original forms. Nisha has horns sticking out of her forehead. Her eyes are darker than the void, her skin is just a bit lighter than her eyes while, she is dressed in what seems to be a ck hole. Sinir is the exact opposite. Although she always tones it down in order to avoid blinding some minor gods  the goddess of light and creation has wings of the devil and, the tail of a dragon. Contrary to people''s idea of angels, Sinir looks more like a dragon of light than an actual goddess of it.

    Meanwhile, Chrono retains the same figure shown to Zeke. Although he also has an original form, Chrono has been using the childlike body for a long time that, he dered it as his original.

    The same three deities have no words to express how they felt at the moment. Not only have they lost a really capable, gifted, and versatile human, but they have also lost a valuable piece in restoring order to Mythos.

    Furious, they didn''t wait a second longer. With a snap of their fingers, all the gods and goddesses got transported to the Council of the Divine. Exining the whole agenda to those gathered, the questioning began immediately. Of course, their only lead is Yaeger and so, she is the one interrogated.

    "The goddess Yaeger will now exin herself before the council of the divine."

    Zeke isn''t the first victim of these suspicious events. In fact, there was already one case in the past that they found to be suspicious. However, there weren''t clear hints on the case. This led to it beingbeled as an ident. But this time, with a human of Zeke''s caliber being wasted, the main deities will not rest until every weed within the council has been executed.

    "Why is it that your transport led them to the middle of the enemy camps?" Said the interrogating god. Yaeger just wanted to snap his neck but, that would be unprofessional of her. And seeing how the three major deities are present, even she knows better than to be disrespectful with her actions.

    "That wasn''t my intention. The transport was safe and, I assured this myself." She said in reply, presenting them with a magic form recorder. The item, just like the name suggests, can record everything connected to a spell used.

    This isn''t a god made item. It is one of the many innovative inventions of the Dwellers. But, this in itself isn''t enough to convince those around her.

    "That is made by mortals and therefore faulty. Can you show any other evidence proving your innocence?" The interrogator replied. Yaeger already has a thousand ideas on how to murder the irritating god. But again, she made sure to keep her calm. The goddess knows that, those behind this would benefit if she caused a scene.

    Other gods began making low mumbling sounds. Sinir gave them a sharp stare, making them roll back their tongues and close their mouths shut. There are a few gods which they didn''t want to anger and, on the top of this list are the main deities. Sinir, in particr, only needs a snap of her fingers to hit them with the same force of a red supergiant''s explosion.

    "Guys. You know how much I hate your guts right?" Yaeger began, knowing that on the council, she is the only goddess who was first a mortal. Not only this, she loves Mythos and, has always believed in the goodness of people. A goddess such as herself is the least likely to cause any destruction or harm to mortals.

    "Answer the question." The interrogating god continued.

    "I have no idea. You can rewind what happened and, you''ll see that I created a safe transport for them. One which was supposed to be directed at Elysium''s forest." She said, suggesting that they use Chrono''s powers to look at the events.

    "LIES!" Calitha, the god of fire said. He was there when Pier meddled with the transport and, unlike the other gods, he couldn''t hide his nervousness from what is currently transpiring. Other minor gods began making noises. Soon enough, the interrogation felt more like a one-sided trial.

    "There he goes again." Pier thought to himself. He knows the god quite well and, knows that the same god cannot remain calm under pressure. Even though he isn''t the one being interrogated, Calitha feels as if the major deities are on to him.

    With the ruckus caused, Nisha began to act. The room began getting darker with every passing second. Everyone felt the cold embrace of death approach them even though they are gods. There is a feeling of emptiness that began welling up inside them, as if their existence is slowly getting eaten up. This caused them to fall silent, making Nisha discontinue from her action.

    Sitting perfectly still on her chair, the goddess put the reigns on the other gods. She didn''t even need to speak in order to show her dominance. This is the reason why Chrono brought a nket with him, he knows that it won''t be long before the minor gods stir Nisha''s wrath once again.

    "Forgive me for my imprudence!" The god said as he backed off. Pier couldn''t help but giggle as he saw the Calitha stumbling like a mortal.

    After using Chrono''s powers to get a rewind of the events, Yaeger continued her defense. The three deities knew her very well. Although she is referred to as the goddess of the hunt, Yaeger has done nothing but hunt the monsters generated in her realm. She does not like violence nor does she involve herself in any conflict or war. Out of all the gods, it is only her who dislikes getting involved with the majority.

    "I was once a citizen of Mythos. In fact, I was part of the original Dwellers. And believe me, I''d rather murder all of you than cause any more harm to the ce that was once my home." She continued.

    Sinir didn''t like the sharpness of Yaeger''s tongue. Nisha on the other hand remained indifferent. While Chrono loved the strong personality of the goddess. All the minor gods still kept their mouths shut, fearing the rage of Nisha which maye if they cause any moremotion.

    A lot of other questions were given to Yaeger. However, none of them ced her in any trouble. Over and over again, the goddess of the hunt proved her innocence. This made Calitha nervous once again. His heart, in fact, could be heard thumping through his chest. Pier on the other hand remained calm, knowing that no harm woulde to him.

    The gods finished the meeting without aplishing anything. But, the three major deities created a task force which would investigate the events. They already have their suspicions on Pier but, since the god remained calm all throughout the trial, the major deities decided to gather more evidences.

    "For now, investigations on the transportation will be made. This won''t take long, the gods we assigned will finish investigating within 24 hours." Sinir began.

    "Whoever it was that got involved in this, I hope you''re ready to be my new ythings." Chrono continued.

    The gods and goddesses began preparing to get out. But then, the goddess of darkness and void used her skill once again. This time the power is multiplied twice, giving all those present a difficulty in breathing. She stopped it as soon as some fainted from the attack.

    "I assure you, not even a speck of dust will be left on your existence once I''m through with you." Nisha warned them, still unable to get over the fact that Zeke is dead.

    "You are dismissed." She continued, returning the gods and goddesses to their daily businesses.

    Within Mythos, it isn''t only Zeke who died. A lot of deaths have been caused by Gallio''s greed and de''s ambition. This includes the thousands of soldiers which were killed by Zeke and the Windsprites. There was no other choice but to end the lives of the Half Blood Elves that have been tainted by Gallio''s blood.

    Among these deaths however, is one which was uncalled for. On the ground, Keithy with life finally escaping from his eyes. With the poison than ran through his body and, the hit made by Gallio, the poor frame of the child finally gave up. But this isn''t the end of it.

    A few seconds after his death, the boy''s fingers began twitching. The boy who is supposed to be dead, began getting up until he was able to stand uppletely. His hair changed to a silvery gray and, his eyes burned a crimson red - as if the body is foreign to him, the boy tried moving around.

    "I''m sorry you were brought into this mess." Were the first words spoken by Keith as he said onemand:

    "Open status bar."

 Chapter 94: End of the Ark

    Chapter 94: End of the Ark

    Mythos is thend which almost reached perfection. The gods, wanting a trouble-free world even for once finally created one by ident. Sure, there were still some problems that came with the world. Dangerous areas, gues, sickness and all that. Yet, these were all ovee by the intelligent and wise Dwellers. This is what the inhabitants of Mythos once called themselves. All races and joined hand in hand in order to continue growing with the world they are given.

    Materials were used efficiently day by day. Even if some would be wasted dues to experiments and some unexpected troubles, the Dwellers would recover from these all on their own. The holes and cracks were patched soon enough and, out of these, bloomed greater knowledge which made them reach new heights. They treated every problem as an opportunity for growth and, always faced everything head on.

    They weed all questions. They weed all queries. They bnced everything out, nting only values which would benefit the whole and, uproot those which are unbeneficial. Not all Dwellers liked this, As expected, there are few who questioned a bnced society where the powerful cannot stand on top of the others.

    These individuals have been exiled to farawaynds using the transportation devices created by the Dwellers. Yet, they were not left without care for, they''ve been given enough provisions and supplies to use until the day they die. That is, if they do not use these in excess. With these weeds rooted out from the fold, the Dwellers continued growing on and on.

    Every race was thought to be an equal. Some has physical prowess, some were highly intelligent, some were gifted with mana, and there were many others. They had different skin colors, different sizes, different traits and, unique behaviors. Yet, there was a peace that was maintained. Nothing destroyed their bnce, as if they could clearly see what would tip the scales off bnce.

    Through the passing of the years, the Dwellers only continued growing and, the gods loved this at first. Yet, years passed and these same gods began to fear. This fear turned uncontroble causing the first time for the minor gods to unite almost unanimously, disrupting the peace created in Mythos. They said that:

    "Mythos is too perfect for mere mortals."

    An ironic statement from the same divine beings who wanted to create a trouble-free world with self-sustaining creatures dwelling there. With the minor gods uniting this way, the three major deities had no choice but to listen just this once. Hence, they allowed the minor gods to meddle until, Mythos bes perfectly unperfect.

    Little by little, they dipped their finger on Mythos. The Dwellers felt this and, created countermeasures. But such things could only do so much against the powers of the divine.

    War and famine soon came. Doubts sprang from the Dwellers for the first time and, this ran like wildfire. For, with it came all the other negative emotions and behaviors that they have been trying to suppress for so long.

    Some raped the women.

    Some stole.

    Some murdered.

    Some tried to rule over others with sheer force.

    And those exiled came back, wanting blood.

    Yet hope was not entirely lost. Arge group of Dwellers came together to prevent their beloved world from falling entirely to ruin. Tribes and races of every kind joined hand in hand in order to force back the corrupted Dwellers. Leading their warriors are Yaeger and his husband. Once again, the scales began bncing out.

    But even this proved to be futile for. The minor gods have Pier as their leader. The one and only god who could trick mortals into thinking that they are behaving justly. Hence, the final wall of resistance crumbled. Yaeger became a goddess as a punishment, with her one and only daughter being trapped as a monster within a [Summoning Crystal]. A creature which Yaeger herself has to y over and over again in order to prevent her crystal from decaying.

    Years of chaos followed. With it came the extinction of a lot of races. There was much blood spiled and, although the gods only wanted to stop the Dwellers from advancing, they now saw what little chaos could bring upon thend.

    A small pebble thrown into arge pond will always create arge ripple. Horror and regret filled some of them. And though they wanted to restore the bnce once more, they did not know how. For, the naturalws forbade them from creating more changes to the world. Hence, they watched in terror as, what was once their greatest masterpiece turned into the most grotesque and gut twisting scenery they ever bore witness to.

    Years and years passed. Until, finally, the chaos began dying out. They promised to themselves that this will never happen again. To seal this treaty, the gods created a contract. One which would sentence any god who went against it to instant mortalization - a punishment more severe than death. This means that any vitor would be stripped of their powers and be given sickly bodies to tend to.

    This warning proved to be useful for, nobody went against the code. Or at least, not while the major deities could sense it. For even with the contract beingid out, Pier continually meddled and tweaked with a lot of worlds. Causing the things befitting his tittle: The God of Mischief and Deceit.

    With the years passing by, the major deities finally thought that it is time to seal the deal with Mythos. They needed to patch up all the holes and, in order to do this, they needed the most capable human for the job.

    For years on end, they tested a lot of humans. Those who failed were sent back to the mortal realm and, even if some seeded, their scores weren''t good enough for the task awaiting them. They went and scouted from the most sessful entrepreneurs to all top-ss athletes. They even tried to go for the people with the highest IQ but, none of these ever proved to be enough.

    That is, until they chanced upon Zeke Elwood. With the suggestion of Chrono, they tried one thing they never thought of before. That is, to get the strongest gamer on earth and turn him in to the hero of Mythos. Wellthat isif he would pass the test.

    Soon after, Zeke entered [Trial Ind]. A lot of records were made by Zeke but, on top of all these are the following. Zeke finished it within the shortest amount of time, needing only a week to deal with all that [Trial Ind] has in store. Then, there is also the fact that he finished it without sustaining much damage nor, being ced in too much risk.

    The skillbination, the creativity, the imagination, the adaptive capability, the calmness, and the wit of the gamer excited the deities. Hence, they took him right after the test ended. The gamer who ranks first in each and every game on earth - Zeke Elwood.

    When he was transported to Elysium, there was one thingher he nor the major deities were aware of. That is, Pier has already began tapping into the world bit by bit.

    This god was the one who informed the Viper Bandits of the whereabouts of Hark and Sylvia. This caused Zeke to take fatal damage from high leveled professional bandits although he was still at level one. He was also the supplier of the form for the crystals which could house a hundred [Shadow Wolves]. Ones which would''ve ended everyone''s lives. He was also the reason why Gallio was able to survive for so long and, also helped in finding Hark, the perfect host for the king. But more important than all this is the fact thathe is the benefactor of de Leonis.

    He loved how sinister the boy was. At a young age, de already knew how to fool everyone around him. He''d put poison on food just because it was fun and, let someone else take the me for it. He''d smile in front of a ymate then stab them on the back simply because he wanted to test how good his sneaking ability is. He could act out any role and fool anyone.

    Pier loved the boy and watched him grow more and more. Then, when the time was right, he began sending hints and messages which were undetectable to the gods. Thus, their alliance began. Destroying Mythos effectively including Zeke Elwood  the precious champion of the major deities.

    Pier couldn''t help but burst inughter when he aplished this. Although they are higher beings than him, his champion was able to outsmart theirs. And to top it all off, de has even began conquering Mythos  destroying the scales of bnce even more and shifting all powers to himself.

    The trial which followed Zeke''s death came swiftly. With Pier''s masterful scheming, the god Calitha took all the me and, was forced to be mortalized - leaving the seat of the god of fire open for a while.

    Years soon passed with Pier''s sessful imnting of evil within Mythos. There was nothing stopping him from his goal and, the chaos only continued on and on. The major deities began their search once more but, finding someone of Zeke''s caliber is one in a million.

    Even if they chose a human, one wouldn''t be enough for the task at hand. de changed Mythos so drastically that the danger level skyrocketed. Hence, even though they thought to would be risky, they chose more humans.

    They added more and more to the selection. Drafting and weeding out the weaker ones bit by bit. Until, finally, with de reigning supreme on all of Mythos, they have deployed thest hope of that world. Twenty heroes in all, working together toward defeating de and restoring bnce.

 Chapter 95: End of the Ark II

    Chapter 95: End of the Ark II

    There is much to be said about thend of Mythos but, one of it is how prone it is to falling into chaos. Zeke was there to prevent this however. The human created significant changes to thend of Elysium in his short stay within the continent.

    His first aplishment ispletely wiping out the bandits which trouble the citizens o of thend. He effectively cleaned up thergest bandit and mercenary organization in not less than a day''s worth of time. And not only this! He was even able to clear the forest from all the monsters that inhabited it. Then came the defeat of the first evil king which, unfortunately was followed up by an even stronger evil king.

    But Zeke was also able to clear this problem after he dealt with the almost impossible task given to him by the goddess of the hunt. With all the disadvantages that got in his way, Zeke was still able to ovee every obstacle but, a human can only do so much. At the end of the day, Zeke is still mortal and thus, wed.

    de saw this starting from the moment he first encountered the human. He saw how efficient Zeke is and, even tested out how the human would handle cases that proved to be more difficult from thest. All were cleared by Zeke; making de even more exhrated for he knew right there and then that; the human would be the solution to all his problems with the ultimate warrior  Gallio Leonis.

    He effectively forced his way to Zeke, creating a contract which made the human believe that he would be the one to finish of Gallio and not de. Yet all of these are part of de''s masterful scheming with the help of his benefactor, Pier.

    During the fight of the two, de had only a single thought running through his head. Even if one of the two lives, that person would be too weak to face him off. Gallio would be a more troublesome opponent, requiring de to actually bring out a cursed weapon which could eat his life away. But, this didn''t happen. The human came out triumphant and, with this, de is able to assimte Galliopletely, finishing off the human before he could even move from where he stands.

    With the death of Zeke, nothing stood in the way of de anymore. The elf turned the whole of Mythos upside down, bringing chaos and ruin upon thend. He wreaked havoc wherever he went and, days of unending torment came to the poor citizens.

    With Gallio''s rule, de learned how fear is the most effective way to discipline the people. Thus, he continued enforcing strict and harshws to the people. Those who vited hisws got sentenced into a hallucinatory torture. They''d get injected with a serum that immediately ces the used within an unending nightmare loop. While this goes on, their real body is left within a prison cell. As soon as their hearts stopped beating, de''s men would decapitate the head which would have a specific look stered on it. His men would then stick it up a pole in the middle of town, with the look of fear permanently glued on these poor victims.

    Even with this, there were still some who dared challenge de. Resistance Groups were put up by the people. The Dwarves, the Elves, the Beastmen, and the demons all did what they could to push back the forces of the mad king. Yet, all their efforts couldn''t possibly match someone who has assimted all the skills and attributes of the strongest creature in their world.

    If only the continents worked together toward a single goal, they would''ve stood a chance. This much could be proven because, the Dwellers fought on equal terms with the gods. Yet, even working together was impossible. With the war raging on all continents, they had no choice but to focus their attentions on defending their ownnds. The fights raged on and on with, each continent using up all their aces to fight against de and his forces.

    None of these tactics ever worked and, everything they did simply proved to be futile against the new king. With Pier backing him up, de could trick and fool anyone without much effort.

    "You would''ve been a better opponent than these guys." de said to himself. Remembering Zeke who singlehandedly defeated Gallio at full strength. The two of these were the only hindrances to his n and so, having them fight each other to death gave de the opportunity finish them off at the same time.

    Pier told himter on about how furious the main deities are with him. The elf simplyughed about this as he proceeded with his ns. Within all continents, he took the shards which were forgotten with the passing of time. These are called [Chaos Shards] and what could they do exactly? A lot of things.

    They can give energy. Strengthen creatures. Be materials for weapons and, so much more. However, the reason why this material was forgotten with the passing of time is because of the danger it possessed.

    The improper use of it can cause the death of those who wield it. The power it holds can also corrupt and thus, no matter how powerful these gems are, nobody dared make use of them. Even as ast resort, they rare not worth risking on as, some cases of users going insane have also been recorded  eliminating both kin and foe.

    de isn''t concerned with this at all because with him is the god who was able to decipher the material and make proper use of it. The obsidian stone floating on top of Pier''s staff is made of condensed [Chaos Shards] which has been refined to the point that, the minor god continually gathers negative energy everywhere.

    This same item was gifted to de. Of course the gods would know if Pier opened a portal and so he didn''t resort to this. The god knew that this material could be found on various corpses of [Mythical Beats] just lying under the surface. He gave instructions to de on how to mine it and soon enough, de was able to gather all of these with the exception of some which were only found at the [Demon Continent of Helios].

    He couldn''t get thesest pieces because they were ced in the bottom of a [Rift]. There was [Chaos Poison] being emitted out of it. A substance that killed de''s soldiers just by standing on top of the rift. Aside from this, there were also monsters that dwelled on the bottom, making the operation even more dangerous. Hence the king decided to disregard the area altogether, knowing that nobody would ever be able to enter it.

    "So you left that huh? Such a pity." Pier said which gained the irritation of de.

    "Not everyone is immortal like you so shut up." de said in reply.

    "Oooooh scary."The god said in reply.

    Using the [Chaos Shards], de was able to revive monsters from the ancient times. Including the Chimeras themselves and dragons which evolved into [Chaos Dragons]. There are ten of these in total and, it only takes one to destroy a whole continent overnight.

    de didn''t stop here. He personally took and trained a lot of warriors under his wing. He made them undergo experiment after experiment, ensuring the warriors that, their families would be safe. And if there''s one thing which de is good at, it is keeping his end of the bargain within the promised uses.

    Some of these warriors didn''t care about such things and only wanted to get stronger. The majority of these are those from the Beastmen''s continent and the Demon continent. These individuals also proved to be the most useful for de as, they came out more resilient than the other races.

    With the fruits of all his experiments, de made the evolved warriors the leaders for every continent. He based the amount ofnd ruled by these warriors depending on their overall capability, not just their strength. Hence, some weaker warriors were able to gather morend than those which only had brute strength backing them up.

    Aside from this, he created supreme rulers for every continent. He gave these individuals the title of [Counts].

    These are individuals who have already evolved and, are proficient in both leadership and fighting. All generals report directly to whoever [Count] leads the continent. This ensured that things were all in order because, de didn''t want topletely destroy Mythos. All he wanted was to recreate Mythos; to a version befitting his ideals and his desires.

    The years went on and, de easily got tired of the easiness of everything. After all the fighting and the war, the hype continued rolling downward. But this isn''t the end of everything for de. He has grander schemes which are yet to be put in motion.

    But a mainponent to this n is one thing - entering the [Ruined City]. Within it are all the stored knowledge of the Dwellers. Beings strong enough to eb feared by the gods themselves. Aside from this, there will surely be artifacts waiting for him.

    Hence, de ttened everything out. He asked the help of Pier once more, thinking that someone like Zeke would be sent again. He was assured that nothing of the sort will happen for, the ones being trained by the main deities are weak when separated.

    In preparation for this, de made sure that all his generals have been trained properly. If worstes to worse, he''ll have to release his [Chaos Blood Dragons]. But he had confidence in his troops. Especially the supreme ruler of each continent who wields enough power to rival Gallio Leonis himself.

    With all the preparations finallyplete, de began constructing his n to enter the [Ruined City]. He was helped by Pier of course, the god who knew the ins and outs of the ce. This same god carefully gave instructions to de which were followed without question.

    Thus it came to pass that, after several months, de finally entered the [Ruined City]. This was through a portal positioned within Elysium. And there isn''t just a single portal.

    There are a total of four. With one positioned in every continent. de figured that some enemies might get lucky and destroy one portal so he made these many in order to ensure that he coulde back to Mythos.

    Furthermore, the king positioned his finest generals on this area. Also cing [Chaos Dragons] nearby in for extra measure. After all, de knew that it would take him a while before he could gain all the power which the [Ruined City] had in store.

    "Everything will go ording to my will." de told himself, not detecting the presence who watched as he entered the portal.

    A shadowy figure watched de leave Mythos. Nobody detected his presence nor did he emit any sort of aura or mana. Hepletely hid all of these, making him good in scouting and assassinating operations. The figure smiled and reported immediately to a person who awaited the updates.

    "Daddy he''s gone." The figure said through amunication device more advanced than the ones being used by de''s forces.

    "Good job Morpheus. What of the forces?"

    "Nobody has seen me. They look weak though. Should I kill them now?" The creature named Morpheus suggested.

    "Patience. Everything will happen ording to my ns." The man said, with a humanoid dragon standing right beside him.

    "Let''s make sure that bastard has nothing to return to." The voice continued saying, ordering the Morpheus to fall back into nothingness.

 Chapter 96: The Elites and The Guest

    Chapter 96: The Elites and The Guest

    Mythos isn''t a ce which could easily be restored to normal. With all the chaos that is already going on, it would take nothing short than a miracle to aplish this.

    With de ruling the world as the Supreme Overlord, more difficulties arose. This is mainly due to the fact that Pier is assisting the elf in making the changes. The dragons were bred into Chaos Dragons. All other monsters got tamed and turned into chaos versions of the originals. All of these serve de''s forces together with his trusted soldiers and, his forty generals.

    Hence, the three major deities did sufficient preparations. The first of this is choosing only humans whose skills canplement one another. They remembered Zeke as they did this, thinking how the human is an all-rounder who is capable of anything. From that human''s fighting style, the gods got an idea of what job sses they need.

    [Defenders x5]

    [Artillery x2]

    [Magic x2]

    [Assassination x1]

    [Trap Expert x1]

    [Attribute Booster x1]

    [Healer x2]

    [Scout x1]

    [Fighter x2]

    [Tamer x2]

    [Champion x1]

    Zeke''s ystyle relied heavily on defenses and regeneration. Real fights can take unexpected turns and, in order to increase his chances of surviving, Zeke made sure that both attributes and skill types have been properly strengthened.

    They were a bit picky with the backgrounds of those they chose. What they need is a team which can cooperate and work together. Hence, they disregarded skilled individuals with shaky personalities. This in itself would''ve cause them problems as  those who follow the rules are usually incapable of killing, let alone fighting.

    This is the reason why the humans were first sent to [Trial Ind] one by one. The gods became very meticulous with their methods and their selections. They didn''t need humans who can''t handle holding weapons. They didn''t choose those who can''t survive on their own. They didn''t choose those who cannot adapt. And the list goes on.

    This is why they took an even longer time than they did when Zeke was chosen. Furthermore, after all the twenty humans were chosen, they got sent to [Trial Ind] once more. But this time, the difficulty was raised considerably. All the experience points they got from fighting this time around was retained for them, with each member of the group not falling below the [Level 50] mark.

    This is, again, a preventive measure created by the major deities. With Mythos'' difficulty getting even higher, they needed the heroes to be fully geared and prepared. This included giving each of them an S Rank skill of their own choosing.

    When their training finally finished, the gods were happy with the results they got especially so with a certain human who somehow reminded them of Zeke  Quinn Regulus.

    As if blessed by the heavens, the boy was born with a strong physique and a face that could rival any top model on earth. His intelligence is also of another level. Hence, whatever he ced his mind into, the boy achieved without fail. Be it in music, sports, arts, or even gaming. But thest part is disputed for, without Zeke, he could neverpletely im the number one spot on gaming.

    Just like Zeke, he swiftly finished [Trial Ind] but, the major deities never revealed to him who had the higher score. They said that the records are irrelevant because the former is already dead. That is why, Quinn has made it a goal for himself to aplish what Zeke couldn''t. That is, restore Mythos to a calm and peaceful world.

    He, together with the other elites, were sent to Mythos on a specific date. The major deities waited for the time when de would try and enter the [Ruined City], just like what his ancestor originally nned on doing. As soon as this happened, they got sent to an area far away from any danger  a farm site on the far ends of the Demon Continent.

    And this, is where all the cogwheels of fate started turning once again. For, it isn''t only the main deities who waited for de to disappear. A certain farmer within the Demon Continent also awaited the same.

    "What continent is this again?" Jake asked the group. Among the members, he is one who didn''t care much about the details. One earth, Jake is a world-renowned athlete who specialized on throwing javelins. As such, the same human chose a modified javelin for his weapon.

    "It''s the Demon Continent. We''re far from de''s main camp and, that means were a bit safer." Kaguya replied, a gifted Japanese scientist who got taken to NASA at the age of 16. She headed the aeronautics research and, was responsible for creating a spaceship that could reach up to Pluto.

    "And here I was thinking that we''d face him right away." Jake continued, making a deep sigh.

    "Yeah right, like we could beat the king on our first day." Vostok, one of the defenders, replied.

    "Enough of that, let''s find a ce to rest for now. We''ll split into groups of two. Go around the area, but not too far. If anything seems dangerous or suspicious by even a small bit, back off immediately." Quinn instructed his teammates.

    "Oh and who made you the leader exactly?" Jake responded. The whole group didn''t like how Jake was acted so arrogant. But with Quinn, they''re assured that the javelin user will be kept in check.

    "Jake this isn''t the tie for your silly games. I''ve already dealt with you a hundred times; do we need another bout to see who''s stronger?" Quinn replied, making the whole group shiver. Quinn doesn''t like anyone going against him. Hence, before they went to the realm, Quinn challenged each and every one of them - to any field that they wanted. Each and every time, Quinn won without breaking a sweat. That is how talented the young man is.

    "Always keep the party system in check. If anyone gets damaged or debuffed, immediately respond to their area." Quinn followed up.

    Jake bit his lip and took Vostok as hispanion. He didn''t say anything more and simply followed Quinn''s orders. He knows that there is no way for him to win as he is at the moment. That''s why he ns to earn more experience points by fighting off more and more enemies. If he fights more, he''ll have more experience points. Soon enough, the gap between him and Quinn will widen and he will assert leadership within the group. Or at least, that is what''s running through Jake''s head.

    The farm is actually a wide area. With the houses of the worker being a bit farther from the fields itself. They saw the weird creaturese instantly and, thought that they came from king de. The natural response of the farmers to such an event is to hide. They feared the king and, knew that he''d have no second thoughts on wiping them all out. The women and children all took shelter while the men went outside, with the elder leading them.

    "How may we be of service?" Said the old man who had a tail behind him.

    "Oh hi. Ummm we were wondering if you could help us get somece to rest?" Jake said politely.

    The old man immediately looked at his fellow farmers. Some of which made slight shakes of their heads in disapproval. Jake wanted to pressure them into taking them in but then, Vostok went up front and showed the insignia of Nisha.

    The farmers'' eyes all widened in amazement and in the next moment, all of them knelt down  their heads looking at the earth below them.

    With the training they''ve gotten is also the teaching of Mythos'' current situation. This also came with assurances that creatinmunities will ept them wholeheartedly. In the Dwarven continent, Chrono''s insignia could be used. In the continent of the Elves, it is Sinir''s. While on the Demon continent, believers of Nisha almost dominate the area.

    On Rak''shan, the continent of the Beastmen, beliefs are more diverse and so it isn''t safe to gamble showing off insignias in that ce. Hence, they chose the one with more believers and, firm ones at that. For even with the torture and persecution they received from de, the demons never relented from making offerings and prayers to Nisha. One which pained the goddess so deeply for a lot of years.

    "Praise the goddess!" Was the only words that the old man could say.

    "Damn, she''s really something else entirely huh?" Jake whispered to Vostok who only nodded his head slightly.

    With this, the group is able to secure a ce for them to stay at. The farmers offered them the town hall as their resting ce. And although food is scarce, they were able to set up a feast for the heroes. One which the group dly epted.

    Night soon came and, unlike Zeke''s experience, no problems came for the group of humans. They bathed and rxed but, before going to sleep, Quinn gathered them for a meeting. The group began discussing what actions to take base on the amount of information and time they have.

    While this went on, a shady person entered a soldier encampment near the farm. His ck hood hid his face and, on his hands are strange weapons that nobody has ever seen before. His whole body seem to be cloaked by shadows and, the area around him seem toe to life. As if there are other creatures lingering about.

    "Let''s finish this quickly, I got a lot of other things to attend to." The soldiers immediately attacked the person, with one of de''s generals sittingzily at the back  waiting for his men to finish the job.

    This isn''t the first time that they got attacked by some inhabitants who think of themselves as hotshots. In fact, they''ve experienced countless raids and sneak attacks in the past. But, none of this ever worked against them. For their general is the infamous Iron Steelheart, a demon whose defensive spells and attributes have been optimized tost even with a thousand strong men attacking him at once.

    The man began donning his armor as, the opponent killed his men one by one. Indeed, he has seen a lot of attempted raids but, none has been so bold to attack alone.

    "You''ve got balls I''ll give you that." Iron began, holding his trusted shield on his left while, his axe is gripped tightly by his right hand. Then, he made all his soldiers back down while he went to deal with the intruder himself.

    "Someone seems to be overestimating themselves." The cloaked intruder said.

    "Well, that sure ain''t me." Iron replied, releasing a skill which closed them off within a limited space. This is a terrain magic which also increases all defensive stats of Iron twofold.

    "Let''s do this." The proud general continued.

    Outside the created dome, the soldiers cheered their captain. Some began drinking while others continued shouting. All of them are confident that, the winner of the bout will be their general.

    The earth continued rumbling and shes of light could be seen from the top of the dome. Cracks also began showing which, the soldiers found odd. For the longest time, nobody has ever seen General Iron''s dome getting cracks on it. Yet this time, they saw more than this as, the dome began crumbling down. Screams came from inside and, this made the soldiers slowly stop with their cheering. The soldiers heard a resemnce to their general''s voice but, thought that they heard wrong. There''d be no way for Iron to lose right?

    "HELLP!" Was thest word they clearly heard and, this time everyone surely heard right. It was Iron''s cry for help.

    The dome crumbled downpletely and, in front of them the enemy, sitting on top of the general''s corpse. He then said a word which had so little voice that they couldn''t make out what it was. But then, creatures began forming from a thick blue mist. And while the enemies had no clue what to do next, their guest have everything nned out saying only a singlemand to the creatures which surrounded him:

    "Devour."

 Chapter 97: Venturing to the Unknown

    Chapter 97: Venturing to the Unknown

    "How are things going on your side?" The man asked over hismunication bracelet.

    Just a few moments ago, he defeated General Iron and, not long after this, he haspletely wiped out the forces within the general''s camp. All of this is due to his summons which now includes some of the general''s men and, even Iron himself.

    "It''s a bit tricky than what we expected master but, things are going well." A female''s voice said over themunication bracelet. He could hear a lot of screaming and explosions over the channel and, this gave him a rough idea on how deep within thebyrinth they are.

    Hispanions have a specific target of course. But this same target is so deep within thebyrinth that getting to it takes some time. Not only this, there are various traps and monsters guarding the ce and, adding to these are the defense mechanisms that could handle either mana or physical attacks.

    And where is thisbyrinth exactly? It is within Elysium, one which is built and maintained by none other than de himself. Hence the exnation as to why infiltrating it takes a lot of time.

    "Okay, I''ll be seeing you soon. Be careful. Even if that sneaky bastard is gone, we have no assurance that everything will run smoothly." He continued.

    "Understood master. We will do what we can." Said the person being talked to.

    With this, they stopped themunication. The man took off the cloak which is made of nothing but Dark Mana. His features are now reveled under the moonlit night sky. His build is so much different from the body he remembers but, that doesn''t mean he hates it. In fact, the bodyes with a lot of perks. But all of this will be revealed at ater time.

    The man gazed up and thought how weird it is that, the moon''s color is different for every continent. He''s gone to all of them but, the demon continent seems to be his favorite.

    The glow is a dark purple which almost seems blue. This makes the sky look as if it is eternally slumbering within a dream that cannot be woken up from. And, just the idea of this made him have a dreaded smile on his face. To him, there is nothing beautiful about Mythos and, he wants nothing to do with the world anymore.

    "I guess it''s time I introduced myself to those kids." He continued, taking every loot on the area and, sending a distress signal to all nearby generals of de. This is the specific message he sent using Iron''s voice andmunication bracelet:

    "An S rank danger appeared, send backup immediately!"

    Early in the morning, one of the heroes named Curio began his morning routine. Bringing with him his training clothes, the English assassin went out to begin his morning jog. Although he now has skills and increased attributes, Curio feels that it is his obligation to his body to maintain his physical workout habits.

    The other heroes are still asleep by this time, not even the sun has yet peeked out from where it hid. The air is cold yet refreshing and, Curio weed all this openly. He loves the cold breeze. The faint smell of the morning that is to begin and, what he loves more than these is to jog until the sun greets him good morning. He made a few more stretches but, before he could even begin, he saw another person already moving around.

    "I guess demons need lesser sleep than humans." He told himself as he began hoping up and down, feeling every muscle in his body. He wanted to jog with the demon now. After all, it isn''t everyday that he''d meet someone who has the same habits as him.

    "Sprint." He used a skill in order to catch up with the person whom he believes to be a demon. The man looked at his direction and, Curio could see the seemingly white hair of the person. He even saw this person grin before speeding up.

    "Hey wait up! I want to talk to you!" Curio said, increasing his speed even more. As an assassin, all of Curio''s attributes are directed to both his speed and his stealth. Training was a bit hard for him because, he didn''t only need to run straight. He needed to run through each and every obstacle present while maintaining his maximum speed. Yet, Curio adapted to this training quickly  as if he was blessed with understanding on how his muscles worked.

    That is why he is confused with what is currently happening before him. With his [Sprint] activated, Curio could move thrice his normal speed without anyg or pause. But, even with this, he still falls behind the person who jogged before him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t close the gap.

    This irritated Curio who has never experienced falling behind a person for so long. The first time this happened was with Quinn and, he will not have his pride and reputation get sullied once more.

    "sh Rush." He said, bolting out of sight. This is Curio''s S ss skill, one which gives him so much speed that it would seem as if he has vanished from sight. What he wanted to be a normal morning jog suddenly turned to apetition.

    This much is understandable because back on earth he was the star of the sprinting scene. Curio defeated every person who dared face him and, broke every record on the said field; ones which were also made by him.

    With his S ss skill active, Curio slowly closed the gap between them. Until, the man in front of him vanishedpletely. Curio stopped in his tracks  surprised with what happened all of a sudden. Then, he felt someone tap his back and say to him:

    "You''re gonna wake up the whole neighborhood." Curio immediately turned but, saw nobody there, just the wind spiraling on the spot where the person once was. He wanted to go look for the person but unfortunately, he reached the limit of using his S ss skill. All his muscles are now sore and so, Curio has no other choice but to end his jogging session earlier than expected.

    On top of a tall tree, the man watched Curio with a yful smile. ''Geez these guys are amateurs.'' Were the words running through his head as he remembered the way they acted on their first day.

    He knew they''d be beneficial to his cause. That is why, he decided to attack the general nearest to these humans. He made them avoid at the get go  knowing from experience how, transporting to danger never leads to anything good.

    Yet he also sent the distress signal. And from his calctions, it would only take the other generals two good days in order to reach where the heroes are. He doesn''t n to kill them of course. He just wants to test how capable they are.

    "Killing monsters is a lot different from killing creatures who could think and feel like us." He continued, wanting to ensure that the humans are capable of taking lives. If not, he''ll abandon them altogether and do everything himself.

    "Oh mywhat''s this?" He continued, feeling a strong gaze from the cabin directed at him. He knew that a skill is involved and, before any information could be taken out of him, he flicked his finger with a burst of mana. Then, he once again vanished.

    During breakfast, two members of the Elites had irritated looks on their faces. One is, of course, Curio who just lost to apetition of speed. The second is Amare, a dark toned human who came from Africa. She has curly hairs and a curvy figure which, in no way,pliments her skill set as a scout and archer. On her forehead is a reddish mark she got from the man she tried scouting.

    "Hey what''s with the gloomy look guys?" Jake aske immediately. He wanted to be on the good side of everyone so that, when its time to defeat Quinn, there''d be those supporting his leadership.

    "None of your business."

    "Meh."

    "Hey I was asking nicely!" Jake continued, making Quinn hit his cup with a spoon.

    "We''re not supposed to make a scene Jake. Calm down." He said and, proceeded to asking the same question to the two. But all he got were the same answers.

    "I saw this guy earlier who was jogging even earlier than I did."

    "Now that is a good reason to get pissed off. I mean, who''d want someone jogging earlier than them right?" Jake said sarcastically.

    "Idiot. That''s not why I got pissed." Curio continued, a remark to witch Jake responded by trying to fight back. This time it is Kaguya reprimanded him and, said how he should listen to the whole story. Just like how everyone didn''t want to mess with Quinn, they also had a lot of respect for Kaguya who got powers directly from Nisha.

    Curio continued with his exnation. Everyone in the room couldn''t believe what they heard. Curio is the fastest in the team. The only reason why Quinn won when they raced was because, the area wasn''t a straight path, hindering Curio from dashing to a full force sprint.

    "Maybe you just got past him without knowing." Jake replied.

    "I would''ve also thought of that. But then, something came right after he disappeared. Something that looked a lot like the shadow of someone running." The Elites do not have full knowledge of Mythos. They only know the basics and, those they wanted to know more about. Among them it is only Quinn who has extensive knowledge and, he knew that the shadow might''ve resulted from a skill.

    "I think I understand what Curio is getting at." Quinn said.

    "What do you mean?" Vorst asked, making Quinn begin his exnation.

    "On Curio''s skill tree, there is a skill that he has yet to attain. One which is also on the S ss. This skill allows him to move faster than [sh Rush] but, has the disadvantage of leaving the caster''s shadow along the way." Quinn continued.

    "It wouldn''t have been enough for him to vanish from my sight. But he did so I''m just at a loss for words." Curio continued, making the whole hall fall silent.

    "You mean to say thatin this town there is someone faster than you?" One of them replied.

    "Yes." Curio said reluctantly. Admitting that he is inferior to a mortal in mythos. Him who was personally trained by the three major deities, was outran by someone else.

    They continued on to Amare''s report. With both of these being made, the Elites understood that there is someone dangerously strong looming around them. Quinn liked the idea. He wanted to have a decent challenge presented to him at the start of this journey.

    "We have no time to worry about someone whom we can''t even catch. Right now, we need to focus on the amin task."

    "Are we really going to start with that?" Their healer asked, nervous of the mission Quinn thought of.

    "Of course I am." Quinn replied.

    "Get yourselves ready. We''re going to seal King de''s transport point."

 Chapter 98: Moraly Stranded

    Chapter 98: Moraly Stranded

    Everyone began their preparations within the cabin. The operation will happenter in the evening when a surprise attack is possible. In the meantime, everyone took their time and did what they wanted with the little amount of peace and quiet.

    "You''re free to spend the day however you wish. Just don''t go too far from the vige nor think of leaving it." Quinn instructed the group. He wanted all the members to be as calm as possible before the operation starts. Hence the decision he made.

    The group immediately dispersed with each of them doing a different activity. Some just stayed within their rooms, some roamed around town and mingled with the demons, then, there are those who trained their bodies, making sure that every muscle in their body is properly heated up before the fight.

    Meanwhile, Quinn and Kaguya went up to the vige elder to talk about the specifics of their ns. Although they have been generously epted by the town, Quinn still thinks that it is their duty to inform the leader of the town about the path they are about to take.

    The old demon''s face remained indifferent throughout the exnation of Quinn. Kaguya observed this and thought how amazing the demon is. No matter what race or creature it may be, there is always a natural reaction to danger. And this should apply greatly to the leader of a group because, there are lives which he or she is responsible for.

    Yet the old man only had a stern look on his face. No sweat fell nor were there any signs of nervousness in his behavior. Even Quinn noticed this and thought how good the leader is. Hence, after his exnation, he wasn''t at all surprised with the response of the demon.

    "I''ll inform the citizens immediately. Some of them will surely go against this but, I believe your course of action is correct." The demon said.

    "If I may ask sir, what makes you so sure?" Kaguya said, wondering why the demon could say such words so calmly.

    "I''m not fond of making things difficult. When someone is corrupt, we exile them. When there are small problems, we patch them up immediately." The elder began, pointing at Kaguya''s hand which also holds the insignia of Nisha.

    "The goddess blessed your group. I know how a proper insignia of the goddess looks like and also, the aura it emits. And if youe here with those goals, it means the goddess came to us with those goals. Demons such as I hold the goddess in high regard and, we know that she would only do what is best for us." He continued.

    The elder then proceeded to giving them some of the reasons as to why he approves of the humans and their methods. With the little time they spent within the farm, the elites have noticed how the backs of the demons seem to be wounded. And now they know why.

    All their wings got cut off by the king. The demons gain power from the mana flowing around them and, this is gathered by their wings. Aside from its usefulness for mobility, the wings give them a huge advantage on mana storage. Knowing how dangerous this is, de made sure that all of the demons would have their wings torn off and, sealed to avoid any sort of regeneration.

    The only ones spared from this punishment were the demons who took part in the warrior training and experiment. Some of which were forced toe against their will.

    Aside from this, their crops and livestock have also been regted by de''s empire. The generals are the ones managing the farms as the king has other matters which he attends to. And since the king does not directly govern them, the generals in charge have been taking more than what they should. General Iron, the one in charge of therge farm, takes bulks and bulks of harvest each and every day.

    He feeds his troops with a feast during the day, and they merrily drink all the produced liquor every night. This left the vigers with virtually nothing to eat, causing them to starve at the expense of other stomachs being filled. Furthermore, they take women from the town and y with them until dawn breaks. There are other reasons but, the elder said the list is too long for all of these to be mentioned. Instead, he ended with these words:

    "Just tell us what we can do."

    Quinn, as the leader asked nothing more than for the viger to stay safely within their homes. This is out of concern for them. Unlike Zeke, Quinn is much more of a righteous person, gaining all that he needs and those that he wants through proper means.

    That''s why he challenged every member of the elites before assuming leadership. He wanted to make it clear how he is far better than any of them and so, even if some expressed their dissent, they have no other choice but to follow his leadership.

    With this both Quinn and Kaguya left the elder''s house. They are amazed at how strong the leader''s beliefs are. Even if none of them has ever encountered Nisha, they believe in her goodness and benevolence so much that they''d ept anything as long as it came from her. Both of them liked the idea because, they''ve only met the three major deities.

    Unlike Zeke, they do not know of the dark history of Mythos. How the gods caused the world''s demise and how the human sent before them died because of meddling of these same gods. They do not hold the grudge of those who were yed with by the gods because, if they did, they would surely revolt against them.

    While this went on, Jake got out of the farm without anyone''s knowledge  contrary to the instructions given by Quinn.

    "You can''t boss me around if I''m stronger than you." He said, getting the information on the nearest monster spawn point from one of the town''s kids. Luckily for him, it isn''t far from where they are and, it is within a cave so he won''t be causing much of a scene.

    "I''m going to stack up some experience points and surpass you guys in no time." He said to himself, entering the ce. Goblins soon greeted him, reminding the human of the first monster type he encountered on [Trial Ind].

    He threw his javelin forward,pletely piercing through three of them at once. This shocked the only goblin which remained as Jake punched the monster''s gut. This momentarily ced it on a state of pain which gave Jake enough time to pull his weapon out and, into the final goblin''s head.

    Indeed, he is already proficient when ites to monster hunting. But he felt something oddly different with these goblins even with the little light avable he could make out that they are a dark shade of blue and, another odd thing is how their eyes glowed yellow in the dark. He wasn''t told that there were goblins such as these nor did he think they could possibly exist.

    Then, something more peculiar happened. The ones he just killed suddenly disappeared  leaving a thick blue mist which ran toward the depths of the tunnel. The human would''ve continued going forward. However, he felt an ominous presence lingering at the far end of the cave.

    Then eh felt it, fear one which is so vivid that he couldn''t simply dismiss it. He froze in ce with his breathing getting heavier and heavier. Hence, the human immediately retreated. No matter how much of a hotshot he thinks he is, Jake knows when the odds are too one sided.

    As he came back to town, he saw Quinn and Kaguya walking back to the cabin. He brushed all the dust on his clothes and, made sure that no cave-like smell lingered on his clothes. Then, he proceeded to joining the two who told him about the elder''s decision. And as all of these came to pass, night finally came.

    "Is everyone set?" Kaguya asked, being the second inmand to the group. In terms of raw power, Kaguya beats Quinn by a hundredfold. But, since Quinn can use tactics efficiently, this gap was destroyed. Making Kaguya the biggest fan and supporter of their leader.

    "Mirio is still in the bathroom. I think he''s a bit constipated from nervousness." Curio said, making some membersugh.

    Among the elites, Mirio is the oddball member. He is a nervous wreck and a clumsy airhead. Yet, because of his innate skills in fighting, the gods still chose him to be part of the group and, this is something which can only be seen once the human holds on to his weapons.

    It didn''t take long for the elites to finish their preparations. All of their gears and weapons have been properly set. But just before they left the cabin, they heard hurried footstepse their way. A man soon barged through the front door, breathing heavily and having a panicked look on his face and, behind him is the elder.

    "We''ve got trouble." The old man said, wearing worry on his face.

    "What happened sir?" Quinn replied, asking Kaguya to manage theirrades as they listened to the old man.

    The group got shocked from the news. Even before they made their move, a general has already been killed. But it doesn''t stop there, even he general''s men have bene wiped out entirely, leaving their camp with nothing but a pool of corpses.

    "Where did you get this information?" Quinn asked, staying calm despite the situation they are in.

    "Every afternoon, before the sun sets, we send some of our vigers there to deliver the food. And that''s when they saw the gruesome sight." He said, confusing some of the elites.

    "Maybe it was a rebellion?" One of them suggested.

    "No. That''s not possible. Iron and his men aren''t that easy to take down."

    "And yet here we are." Jake replied, making Quinn give him a sharp stare from his disrespectful remark.

    "The trouble doesn''t end there." The elder said, throwing themunication bracelet to the group which immediately yed. This is the same message given by the hooded figure who wiped out General Iron and his forces.

    "With this, the other generals wille to this town. The horrors that would follow will be nothing like what we have experienced. And I fear that, you will not be able to escape if they found you wandering outside town." The elder said, worried about Nisha''s chosen humans.

    "I understand, please give us a minute before we give you a proper response." Quinn said, making the old man stay in the lounge while the group went to the dining hall to discuss.

    There are various factors to consider. But the most concerning factor among these are the generals who are on their way. With Quinn''s righteous attitude, he won''t allow the vigers to be left unprotected. Hence, the meeting went to a single direction and, came to a conclusion favorable to Quinn''s wishes.

    The group will stay in town and defend it against the generals.

 Chapter 99: Preparations

    Chapter 99: Preparations

    "Just like I thought, they''re gonna defend those demons." The man said, looking at the scene from far away. He is currently relying on the eyes of one of his summoned creatures in order to get a clear view of things. Through this, they can''t detect him and, even if they do, he could simply release the summoned creature.

    As he did this, the man meditated within the same cave which Jake tried entering. The goblins killed by the javelin user were actually summons made by him in order to ward of any intruder. If these are killed, he simply needs to release some of his mana and, anyone would back away immediately.

    And why does he need to meditate exactly? It''s because his body has a lot of problems attached to it. The blood flowing in his veins, the talent possessed by his mortal frame and, the blessing of a strange old man. All this made things a bitplicated for him and so, he continued performing this meditation each and every day. Cultivating his body so that it won''t suddenly get destroyed.

    "I wonder how they''re going to handle those generals. They''re a bit troublesome if not taken care of quickly." He continued, with mana vividly orbiting around his body. There are different colors to these, signifying the different elements connected to them.

    "All those bastards are at least level 100 or higher." He finished, not giving any morement as he needs to maintain the bnce in his meditation. He was able to see some interesting stuff being cooked up by the humans so, he enjoyed the sneak peek at the fight that''s about toe.

    "Set the traps on all the locations I''ve marked." Quinn ordered, making Zilg proceed to the task given to him. His specialty includes all sorts of traps includingnd mines and other surprising things. There is a single factor whichmon to all his traps and that is, he needs to ce a magic circle on the areas where the traps are supposed to set off. It''s a bit like Zeke''s [Detonate] with the difference of Zeke being able to store any sort of skill within [Detonate].

    The traps can be asplex as a reflecting beam, or as simple as an exploding mine. Quinn decided on using thetter - scattering it around thend. This will make the enemy forces a bit more careful on the movements they make and, for a while, they''ll have to regroup and strategize their next action. But Quinn won''t give them this chance.

    As every member of the Elites posses an S ss skill, there are a lot of attack patterns they can use. But there is a specific skill which Quinn has at the top of his mind: Kaguya''s S ss skill - [Oblivion].

    Upon activation, it creates arge ck hole on the sky. Both the range and the force can be controlled by Kaguya and, all these factors are dependent on the amount of mana she can use. The hole actively devours everything within its radius called [Event Horizon]. Its victims have no other choice but to force themselves out of its pull because any attempt at escaping will only lead to their quicker demise.

    However, there is one major w to the skill. With Kaguya''s current capacity, she cannot wield the skill any longer than 10 seconds. Forcing the skill to be kept active will tear her body apart but, Kaguya has already steeled herself to this choice if the need arises. With Quinn leading them, Kaguya felt assured that this choice won''t be necessary anytime soon.

    "Make sure there''s enough of a distance to trap our enemies within a limited area." Quinn followed up, nning. With both the mines and the Kaguya''s skill, the enemies would be at a disadvantage on where to move. Even aerial forces would prove to be futile because of the four long range attackers including the two mages and the two archers.

    "How are the defenses?" He asked Vostok who leads the five defenders.

    "The vanguard is all set. We''ve ced an invisible defensive barrier around the farm and on the areas you''ve told us. We''ll keep adding more mana into them just in case." He replied.

    The defenders are diverse in the defensive ability they maxed out. Each of them has a different S ss skill to go with their job ss. But, what they have inmon is that, all of them can create this invisible wall of mana which could hold against a certain amount of damage. As a [B+] skill, it won''t hold out much on its own. But the thing is, there can beyers uponyers of this skill. Furthermore, if one part of the barrier gets weakened, the skill will automatically bnce itself out, covering any hole at the expense of thinning out the defensive mana shield. Even if one [Barrier] gets destroyed, there can beyers uponyers of the skill, making it a really troublesome defense to go up against.

    "We''ll have a bit of an image trainingter on. Tell Merlin to prepare his conceptual magic." Quinn continued, not having even a single second of rest while the preparations went on. As the leader he felt it his obligation to be the most dedicated one of the bunch. But what he doesn''t know is that he is simply stacking up the burden upon himself.

    Yet the human took this as a challenge. He thought that, just like all the times in the human world, he could gain what he wants when he puts his mind into it.

    Quinn made sure to utilize every member of the elite without missing a single one. He has ns for every situation and countermeasures in case these ns fail. There is no doubt in Quinn''s mind that they would seed and this is not born out of cockiness nor anything of that sort. Quinn knows full well how capable his whole team is.

    Even if there are those who''d be able to break through [Oblivion] the long-ranged attacks will be there to wee them. Traps have also bene set on every strategically advantageous spots. What''s more, if worstes to worst and the barrier is broken, Jake, Quinn, and Mirio are all ready to fight them head on.

    Defenders will be there to hold back the number of attacking forces while, directly aiding these will be the healers of the group. Buffs will also be provided even before all of this begins and, as the battle progresses various other buffs will be given.

    Their healers are also ready in ce. The reason why there are two of these in the group is for the reason that, if the case arises where one of the two would be injured, the other one can heal the injuries. Therefore ensuring that, both healers will always be avable for deployment. Furthermore, one vanguard per healer has been assigned and, they''ll also be equipped with defensive buffs.

    Aside from their usefulness in healing, the healers are practically useless in fights. That''s why they''re taken care of so much because, in exchange for theirck of fighting capability is their immense potential in healing and regeneration. In fact, their skills are even greater than Zeke''s regeneration but, that''s only because Zeke has his healing skills as passives and depends highly on potions to speed things up.

    Reckless as his style may be, Zeke has continued producing results over and over again. But Quinn doesn''t want to just produce results. He wants to produce clean, one-sided, and undeniable results that would show his team''s superiority over Zeke. It may seem as an obsession of Quinn to surpass a dead human but, he just wants to im the seat as the peak of humanity''s evolution.

    The preparations continued for two days starlight. Without General Iron'' men constantly exploiting their harvest, the demons finally had enough food to have decent meals. Not only this, they even prepared a banquet for the humans, thanking them for their courage and their uing disy of heroism.

    The man who defeated Iron continued watching them from inside the cave. But he fears that the humans are bing too attached to the demons. Within this short span of time, the elites got to know the demons even better. With this, they befriended some while some of the elites enjoyed the attention attached to their title as heroes. But they didn''t growcent nor did the humans bex. In fact, Amare continued scouting for any signs of enemies approaching.

    Due to all the fun they had in the vige, many of the elites began forgetting that they need to fight. But this reality was soon reminded to them as Amare came to Quinn, informing the approach of arge cluster of enemies.

    Quinn used his S ss skill and, was able to see the same thing Amare did. There are at least 200 soldiers in total, including the monsters and the aerial units. In the middle of this group are two warriors who wore armors that stood out from the group. One wore dark violet while the other wore grass green colored armor. Both of them emits so much bloodlust that, even if they are still far away, Quinn couldn''t help but feel a shiver run through his body.

    But the human didn''t falter. As the leader of the elites and, as the person relied on by the demon farm, Quinn remainedposed. With at least a 2-kilometer distance standing between the farm and the enemies, he raised his hand and gave the signal.

    Zilg smiled as he released the spells saying:

    "Detonate!"

 Chapter 100: The Elites in Action

    Chapter 100: The Elites in Action

    Everything began just as Quinn expected. Explosions came one after the other, with enough force to make the ground beneath them shake. The vigers all went back to their homes with the exception of a few who wanted to help out. Quinn doesn''t know how that''ll work out but he allowed them to stay nevertheless.

    "My n is perfect after all." Quinn said in his mind.

    "They''re hit! I see a lot of wounded soldiers!" Amare reported, using her skill [All Seeing Eyes] in order to get a clear view of the enemies.

    "Mages and Archers!" Quinn ordered, making a barrage of long-range attacks follow. Before leaving the defensive barrier, magical circles awaited these skill shots. These are made by their enhancer Zera and, as they passed through, the number of projectiles multiplied threefold.

    They continued releasing low level skill shots with the intention of disrupting the enemies and prolonging their confusion. Not only this but, as they tried to step forward, they are met by another set of traps which made deadly spikese up from the ground. These spikes had a single second of dy before shooting up even higher, creating a wall of iron spikes which the enemies have to deal with first.

    "Oh? Not bad kids." The shadowy figure said.

    "Keep them busy while I deal with some stuff first." He continued, as if his intentions are integrated with the ns of the elites. Then, he vanished through his own shadow.

    As was mentioned, Quinn has no intentions of letting the enemies fight back. With the number of surprises, they presented, the enemies would have a hard time figuring a way out of their predicament. But Quinn didn''t want to take any chances and, this is where Kaguyaes in.

    Through a portal created by their mage Merlin, Kaguya got transported instantly to an open field in the middle of the enemies and the farm. Her eyes turned an abyss ck and, dark mana began flowing out of her as she said:

    "Oblivion."

    The skill began with a small crack which appeared on the sky, an image which onlysted for a split second. This small gap of darkness grewrger andrger into a spiraling mass of darkness that covered the sky above. All those beneath began getting sucked in by its sheer force.

    Although Oblivion is strong, the range of casting is not that far. Hence, they needed to set everything up and ensure safety before they sent Kaguya out. This came as a sess and Kaguya retreated immediately, leaving the spiraling mass do its work of devouring the enemies.

    As expected, some of them tried to escape and this is where the extra barrierse into y. Quinn ordered Vostok and his fellow vanguards to activate the barriers, an order they willingly followed. The enemies met the end of the line earlier than they expected.

    Some of them tried to use skill shots in order to destroy the invisibleyer of defense hindering them. [Oblivion] cancelled these out, sucking up even the mana released by the enemies. Of course, just backing away is also an option but, even at their back, shields have been deployed to present retreat.

    "All the areas are now secured." Vostok updated, making Quinn have a wide grin on his face. He thought that the enemies would prove to be much more of a difficulty than this but, with how things are going, Quinn believes that he has set his standards and expectations too high.

    "Do it." He ordered Zilg who still has stacks of explosive traps waiting on thend where the enemies are stepping on. The human dly took this offer and, detonated more explosives.

    For a few seconds, the earth seemed toe to life. With the earth below them getting torn apart, the enemies had no stable footing to rely on. Hence, more of them got sucked up by the skill. This came just in time because, Kaguya''s skill just ended, with the dark mass of the void thinning out bit by bit until, it disappeared entirely.

    "That makes ten seconds." Quinn said, executing every part of the n perfectly. All the other members of the elites already know how capable he is but, actually seeing how his n effectively made use of all the skills present amazed them even more.

    Their leader is already pretty confident that they won. He ordered Amare to take a look at the situation in order to make sure. But even before their female scout got a good look of the area, a dak violet mist covered the whole area which stopped just outside the barrier.

    "Clear the mist quickly!" Quinn ordered the mages who did just that, they fired two wind tornadoes outside the barrier. The wind pulled all the mist towards it. Yet this wasn''t quick enough as, enemy units began shooting up from the covered area.

    "Theypletely avoided the mines." Quinn said, thinking that flying units are the only ones which are able to pass through. This isn''t the end of their worries as, when he looked back down, the tornadoes have already vanished and the thick mist still surrounded the area.

    "Amare use analyze on that thing." Quinn ordered.

    "On it!" The female responded. With their vision beingpletely disrupted, the humans have no choice but to focus on defenses and targeting the enemies which they could see. Quinn thus ordered the strengthening of the barriers and on the enhancement of all projectile type skills.

    "Kaguya how much of your mana is restored?" He continued.

    "Not enough tost five seconds." Kaguya responded, sitting on the ground as she collected dark mana from the surroundings. Quinn bit his lips because he knew the risk of doing this. The goddess Nisha advised against this because dark mana isn''t exactly the purest of substances. Without being properly filtered, it may cause the corruption of any mortal. But the situation demanded this.

    "Mirio and Jake we may be up soon. Get ready." He said, as the seconds progressed. Bit by bit, the flying enemies did their numbers against the barrier. But, with most of the efforts focused on defenses, they are able to endure.

    Then, with Kaguya signaling her chargingpleted, she stood on the edge of the barrier, releasing [Oblivion] in the middle of the mist. Unlike the tornadoes, Kaguya''s skill did the trick, sucking up the mist which gave them an unexpected surprise.

    On the outer edge of the barrier are the two generals touching it. The Elites weren''t even able to respond anymore as the generals createdrge magic circles  destroying allyers of the barrier without breaking a sweat.

    This is all it took for Kaguya to lose concentration and release [Oblivion]. With a bit of the mist still remaining, they couldn''t rebelieve what they sawmore soldiers marched behind the generals. With everything happening, Quinn couldn''t help but smile.

    He snapped his fingers making the two magicians work together into making abined S ss skill. It is something which they have been preparing from the very moment that Quinn decided to protect the town.

    These mages continued cing mana into the earth and, now that they released it, a hundred earth golems joined their ranks. Adding to these are the flying creatures created by their summoner. Then, war broke out.

    All the soldiers of the enemies marched recklessly. Answering why they weren''t destroyed by thendmines, Amare updated Quinn that the mist is actually a magic jamming spell. Through it, all the traps set by Zilg were rendered useless. Furthermore, those walking within the mist will seem as if they are simply walking on air, hence not making any sort of sound. And not only this, it served as a means to cloud their vision, enough for the forces to reach them.

    "Tricky bastards." Jake said, watching the fight unfold.

    The three vanguards protected as much as they can while the other two focused on their respective healers. Summons distracted the soldiers, buying enough time for an elite to step in and deal the finishing blow. The fight looks to be evenly matched but, the elites actually have the upper hand as the enemies couldn''t progress any further. Zilg also activated a gravitational trap ced within the barrier. This made it harder for the other forces to act freely while the golems and summons still moved at their normal speed.

    "I thought Iron''s dying words were a bluff. Yet here I am proven otherwise." The demon said, bringing out his greatsword which has the same height as Quinn. A lot of summons tried attacking him but, with a single swing of his de, they all got destroyed. Nevermind the gravitational trap, the demon general moved as if the spell does not affect him at all.

    "This''ll be worth all the hassle. Too bad the other two missed on all the fun." The beastwoman continued, bringing out twin daggers which had a weird effect. She could teleport to wherever the daggers are ced and, every single strike she did is strong enough to kill one golem summon.

    Facing them are the warriors of the elites. Quinn, Jake, and Mirio. They didn''t wait for the two generals to escape their sight and, immediately went to their targets. Quinn ordered the enhancer to boost their attributes and, this is done immediately at the cost of depleting most of their enhancer''s mana.

    "Mind if I borrow your skill Mirio?" Quinn asked, exchanging stares with the demon general.

    "Since when were you the asking type?" Mirio replied, approving of Quinn''s request.

    It hasn''t been mentioned yet but Quinn''s S Rank skill is an oddball for his job ss of [Champion]. Quinn has the ability to imitate all S rank skills owned by those marked as his teammates and, although the output is a bit weakened, it is still a useful skill especially because Quinn could swap between S ss skills.

    And not only this, his role gives him the exclusive skill called  duel. It disallows any interference from the outside until the [Champion]  Quinn, is finished fighting with a target. The ss exclusive skill can only be used once per day and, it boosts Quinn''s attributes and skills twofold while it decreases the enemy''s overall power by half.

    "Are you worth my time boy?" The general asked Quinn which is answered by the use of Curio''s [sh Rush] and, followed by Jake''s [Piercing Thrust]. The general, shocked from the sudden burst of speed, had no time to react properly. Thus, the side of his armor got destroyed, making the general bleed before backing away.

    "Worthy? Please. You don''t even deserve to breathe the same air as me."

 Chapter 101: Courting Danger

    Chapter 101: Courting Danger

    With the enemies right before them, all the Elites did their job and fought with all their might. The two mages, Merlin and Zane used all the skills in their disposal. They didn''t need to hold back on the kinds of skill and the range of explosion. After all, the troops they are rallying are only summoned creatures and so, even if they get hit there won''t be any problem.

    me Pirs.

    Lightning Bolts.

    Wind des.

    The two mages alternated between skills, not relenting nor pausing in between. Zane, as an [Elementalist Mage] has better control and understanding of these skills. While Merlin as an [Archmage] can perform all fundamental skills at their maximum capacity and efficiency.

    "Hey let''s see who can kill more." Zane said, making Merlin chuckle as he looked at the other magician.

    "You''re starting to sound a lot like Quinn." He remarked, creating two fireballs that homed on their enemies. Upon contact, these createdrge explosions which killed five soldiers in total.

    "I''ll take that as a yes." Zane said, creating five of the same fireballs and pinpointing enemies as they turned into sharp bullet-like weapons.

    "Are they seriously ying at a time like this?" Curio jested, looking at the two mages. He then made a deep sigh and, shifted his attention to all the enemies in front of him. There are ten soldiers in total and two of these are busy with the golems while some are trying to break away from the group in order to attack the rear.

    "Route." Curio began, using his assassin exclusive skill that showed him the optimum movement to make in the battle. This is in the form of a green light that guides his eyes. He does not move automatically to this and, it changes direction depending on how the nonevents around him are being made. But nevertheless, Curio can adapt to these.

    "Death''s Way." He continued, creating another line. This time it is colored red, showing him the best areas to attack the enemies where he will move to. With both of these being active, Curio finally continued with [sh Rush] moving so fast that nobody could even catch up to him.

    Thinking about how some of the soldiers tried to attack the back of their ranks, Curio went and targeted the archers. Trained as these soldiers are, he would''ve had a hard time if they saw himing. But with the nimble and swift assassin, all they heard was a gust of wind before all their throats got slit open. More archers soon came to back the group up, making Curio back away for the moment and restore some of his mana.

    The defenders also did their job and remained vignt of the whole situation. Like the healers, the defenders all need to see where they can use their skills. Maya who specialized in barriers did all she could to constantly supply one for her teammates while making sure to watch over her mana pool. Some of them would get hit from time to time without noticing it and, the reason for this is because Maya''s [Barrier] is there for them. Sometimes however, this isn''t enough.

    Maya saw Curio stepping way after receiving a barrage of arrows. Her [Barrier] couldn''t withstand the attack and, their assassin''s health got considerably depleted. Yet with Julia and Red''s healing abilities, these wounds are patched up quickly. Julia invested more on regeneration while Red focused on burst heals. Hence even if a limb is lost, it can be restored through thebination of these two. This is also the reason why Maya provided them with the thickest shield among all. She protected Julia while; Red is protected by Mordred.

    "Hey aren''t you supposed to be like really close to me?" Red said, continuing his job while also worrying about the actions of his guard. Although a defender, Mordred acts really different as she continued bashing the opponents that tried getting near them.

    Screw defenses. Mordred only became a vanguard so that she wouldn''t need to worry about the damage and bulldoze through the enemies with her offense type shield. Although the barrier skill was forced onto her, most of the female defender''s skills are focused on offense and body protection in order to fulfill her dream of being a human tank. Plus, she enjoyed the amount of hurting she receives,ughing even harder with every damage that is taken.

    "This woman is batshit crazy." Red said, already knowing that Mordred is like this butnot to this extent. He continued healing her nevertheless as all the enemies who are supposed toe near them are all dead.

    "Ahh I pity your souls." He said to one of the corpses, remembering how that same soldier looked the most surprised by getting bashed over and over again by a shield. Then, the multitude of screams made him focus his attention on Kaguya.

    Her job ss was also supposed to be a [Tamer] but instead of having an army of summons, Kaguya tamed darkness itself.

    This is the reason why Nisha has taken a special liking to the mortal. It isn''t every day that she encounters a warrior who could move darkness at her will. Hence the reason why Nisha even gave the human her blessing, making Kaguya the most deadly member of the group.

    Spells and arrows tried passing through her armor of void but nothing could get through. With the armor, every attack gets absorbedpletely and of course, there is a taxing tradeoff for such a powerful skill. But Kaguya needs to instill fear unto her opponents in order for them to discontinue making attacks.

    They did this immediately after they saw her as a shadow with white and glowing eyes. Everywhere she steeped on left a trace of darkness behind her and from this, came arms that held on to the nearest opponent. No matter what the soldier did, once grabbed by these hands, they could expect nothing more than their own deaths as the hands would slowly take them into the rift of darkness created by Kaguya.

    "That''s even scarier." Red remarked, as Kaguya''s disy made Mordred seem nothing more than a child throwing tantrums by bashing her ymates to death.

    Meanwhile, their other summoner, Horus, focused on supplying more and more summons. His specialty is [Image Creation] making any creature that runs on his mind turn to reality. However, these needs to be living creatures without mechanical parts or modification. And the other limit is, the stronger the monster he cerates, the more mana it consumes.

    Hence he is always careful of the amount. But seeing his winged creatures battle the enemies flying above them reassured him that no further summons are needed. He looked at itzily, thinking what they''d have for dinnerter.

    Then one of the soldiers found his way through the waves of summons and into the human. Horus looked at the creature with the samex expression and, clothed his whole hand with the w of a beast, shing upward and ripping the soldier''s armor off. He then summoned one giant wolf that began eating through the soldier''s flesh. Upon finishing, Horus took one of the dead soldier''s bone and threw it away.

    "Fetch." He said to the gigantic murdering wolf which dly frolicked through the corpses of the battlefield while causing mass murder.

    The other three defenders focused all their strength on creating a wall of iron which prevented the full force of the enemies toe through. Their enhancer also did the job of providing an added defense to this wall, making it have resistance over all elements although notpletely.

    Meanwhile, Zilg enjoyed himself as he continued cing detonates on the earth golems  making them run toward the enemies and giving them warm cozy hugs before exploding. He tried out various traps which made the soldiers scared all the more as sometimes it would be spikes or lunging out or even freezing the body whole.

    They ran away from the madman and every golem which had the seal of detonate on them; knowing exactly the fate that awaited them if any of these got near.

    All the vigers saw these from afar. Nothing touched them nor their crops as the humans effectively dealt with the enemies. There isn''t even any inch of danger that came close to them. All the demons who wanted to fight earlier on, now found no ce within the fight thinking that it would bring the humans more harm than good if they joined into the fray.

    They looked intently on the fight, thinking how a lot of areas within the demon continent would be freed after winning. Hence, all their focus went mostly on the fight between the three humans and the two generals.

    Mirio held nothing but a pair of brass knuckles. His shy and collected attitude vanishes as he puts them on, as if his personalitypete changes for some reason. He relentlessly pursued the beastwoman, not letting her get out of sight.

    With his job exclusive skill of [Ring] both he and the enemy are required to fight within a limited space. Trying to leave or escape would automatically lead to the death of the enemy, making this one of the most feared skills of the Elites. He can also choose to have a teammate while the enemy has no other option but to fight solo. Thus, Jake aided all of his movements, effectively thrusting his weapon at the opposite direction of all Mirio''s attacks and body sways.

    The general, unable to keep up with the pacing of the humans and their unorthodoxbination, has no choice but to focus most of her efforts on defense. With Mirio always getting dangerously close to her, she couldn''t fire any long-range skill nor did she have the luxury of time to think which skill to use as, Mirio''s attacks came in quick sessions. And even if she attacks, the human would only use his footwork to doge the skill before getting back into range, punching the female general''s armor over and over again.

    "Don''t die on us now, we''re just getting started." Jake said, using his skill [uracy] to alwaysnd a hit where Mirio wouldn''t be at. This is only an added uracy and most of the effort is actually on Jake and his talent on pinpoint attacks. Quinn saw the potential in theirbination, hence the reason why he tested this theory out in an actual battle.

    "Hey, where are you looking at?" The demon general''s shadow loomed at the back of Quinn who dashed away before a swing was made. The earth on where he previously stood is now gone and covered in dark purple mes. Ever since the initial hit, the demon general has been more careful with his moves, making things a bit more difficult for Quinn.

    "I''m sorry, you just seemed so boring." Quinn taunted, angering the demon general even more who tried using long range skills while maintaining a shield on himself. Quinn smiled, thinking how the angry general still knows what to do about the situation. But none of it could prepare the enemy for what he was about to do.

    "Okay time to wrap this up." Quinn said, using a backhand grip on his sword and proceeding to the quick session of skills owned by his teammates. me, Lightning, Pierce, Sudden summons, Heal, Defensive Barrier, Explosions. The general couldn''t keep up with the surge of skills that came in quick session. Without the general even realizing it, Quinn has already made his way under the general. Touching the enemy''s armor before saying:

    "Oblivion."

    The general screamed as the attack consumed him slowly. This surprised many of the soldiers and even the female general herself. With this sudden shock, all the Elites knew what they needed to do next. They made perfect use of the opportunity and, killed all the enemies that were left.

    With their forces dwindling at an unprecedented rate, the remaining forces tried to escape but, this time, the archers did their job. Snipping all these enemies as they turned tail and ran. Leer and Naz effectively cleaned the leftoversturning the battlefield into a one sided andplete victory.

    Everyone began screaming in joy, especially the vigers. But then, they all felt somethinging from Quinn''s small [Oblivion] hole. Out of it, a hand came out and then...the whole general followed in one piece.

    Yet this time, without his armor, the demon pped its strangely hair tingling wings. Its horns burned in bright purple while its eyes also glowed the same color. The weapon is now split into two parts, making the demon a dual wielder.

    "Well done humans." He said, looking at the remains of the other general who was not as fortunate as he.

    "Let me repay you for all that you did to myrade and to all our troops." With these words, the Elites experienced a havoc they never thought could happen.

 Chapter 102: Back From the Grave

    Chapter 102: Back From the Grave

    While the Elites are doing their best to fight against their remaining enemy, the strange hooded figure has once again made his presence felt. As soon as the fight began in the farm, he also went his way to the bases of both generals. In fact, during the time when the mist covered the battlefield, he has already reached the second base. Leaving his summons to finish the job on the first base.

    "Your king actually did a pretty decent job of equally dividing the forces." Heplemented, seeing how the number of defenses on both fortresses seem to be the same.

    There are soldiers remaining on both camps but, this didn''t matter much as hepletely overpowered them. Around fifty soldiers marched to greet him with their steel and, he epted their invitation dly.

    The whole group got blinded by a sh of lightning that onlysted for a second. But, as it disappeared, they saw how the attacking soldiers all had their lower bodiespletely destroyed, with the earth below them getting scorched by the same attack.

    They couldn''t believe their eyes. But as soldiers, they stood their grounds and fought. The hooded figure was amazed at their resolve but knew that it wouldn''tst for long. He continued by killing them one by one, making sure that they witness how the heads of their subordinates are getting torn of as he pulled them straight off using his bare hands. The spines would sometimese with this, making the scene even more grotesque.

    "Save us!" Were the words screamed by one of the soldiers. This sentiment is shared by all soldiers who screamed the same words in their head. After all, there''s no logical exnation as to how a thousand soldiers are overpowered by a single intruder.

    "Keep quiet, you''re going to wake up the neighbors." He said, moving around the fortress without much worry. Some archers and mages tried hitting him using a long-ranged attack but, even though these hits, no damage seem to have been made to the enemy. In fact, he only grinned at them as their visions went upside down  their heads twisted by summons which appeared behind them.

    He didn''t go to their fortress out of a whim. The reason why he did is actually because of two agendas. One is finding more information about an ancient magic while, the other is something he has finally stumbled upon.

    "Ahhh there it is." He continued, finally reaching the portal. On the first fortress, finding it was a lot easier. The structure of that ce is so straightforward, telling him how their leader is probably a simpleminded individual.

    The portal glows a dark color, making it seem like a portal to another dimension. Soldiers are supposed to be stationed on the area for deployment. But because of the sudden intrusion, they all went to fight with the hooded individual.

    Unknown to Quinn and the elites, their enemies are actually summoning more troops through the portal. This is the reason why Amare only saw a handful of soldiers together with the general. They didn''t want to raise too much rm and, as they can spawn the portal anywhere, they figured it would be best to rally more troops once they get closer to the farm and assess the whole situation.

    "Stop!" The guards shouted, five in all. They are stationed around the portal making their intruder a bit surprised.

    "Let''s see. An Archmage. A Spearman. A Healer. And two Vanguards. Not a bad lineup guys." He said cockily; bringing out his weapon which weirded out the guards. It seems to be a de type weapon with a weird shaped handle.

    He made his way immediately, dashing towards the five guards. But unlike his initial presumption, they are actually more prepared than the soldiers of the first fortress.

    Suddenly, the earth shook and a giant wall of steel came up from nowhere. The hooded figure backed off as he looked at the towering height of the defensive wall they summoned.

    "So its connected to the fortress." He thought to himself as he analyzed the sturdy looking wall.

    "How do you like that?" The guards said proudly; actually skipping a beat from the idea that their enemy may just be able to break through the all with ease.

    "Not bad." Was his short response as he began dodging the spikes that extended from the wall. The thrusts came one after the other in quick session, making him back off more and more. The guards saw this through the small openings provided for their sight, rejoicing on how the enemy could easily be defeated.

    The Archmage guard assisted by using seven [Shadow Spheres] which shocked the hooded figure. The smile on his face washed away and, there is only a neutrality shown on it now. With his enemiesughing and, with him almost reaching the wall of the room, he finally made an attack. Firing from both of his weapons, catching the enemies off guard with the thought that it is only a melee weapon.

    The force of the st was enough to create a huge hole through the wall. The guards looked at the portal; d that it is still intact. But, with the hand of the enemying through the wall, their emotions suddenly shifted to fear.

    They all did their best to hold him back. The healer minimized the damage done to the two vanguards while, the spearman safely attacked from behind. Thebination itself could only be described as top grade as, they wlessly executed their movements without missing a single beat.

    Adding to the danger of thisbination are the spells of the Archmage.He continued using [Shadow Spheres] and while he did, he also ced elemental buffs on all weapons of the guards. Yet, even with all of this, their hooded enemy dodged effortlessly.

    This continued on for a few more minutes. Until, by a stroke of luck, the spearman was able tond a hit on him  revealing someone which shocked them.

    "A boy?" The vanguard said, shocked at the young man hiding beneath the hood.

    His eyes are a crimson red while his hair is a silvery white. He has dominating aura of Gallio while, most of his other features resemble Sylvia. The surprise in itself was enough to put ag on their movements and, their enemy did not miss this opportunity to finally end the fight.

    He summoned three creatures at the same time and moved quickly all over the battlefield. They saw no skills being used aside from the intimal summoning skill. Now they are facing monster like creatures which has blue mana flowing out of them. With the added distraction, they found it even more difficult to focus on their main enemy,

    He moved quicker and quicker until only afterimages of the boy are left for them to follow. They got hit once, twice, over and over again. It''s as if their enemy is simply toying with them and not taking them seriously at all. This angered the spearman who used his ultimate skill, releasing a thousand thrusts in a single second.

    The young man danced through the thrusts of the spear - not even breaking a single sweat. His face remained static all throughout this, with boredompletely painted on it. The vanguards continued on by also using their ultimate move. Creating two copies of the same wall but, smaller in width. The walls began closing in on him while the Archmage focused his ultimate skill on the space in between, where their enemy is trapped. He released a beam of light so wide and quick that, not even a general could get out unscathed.

    Adding to this is the spearman who climbed on top of the wall as he repeated his ultimate skill - his arm bleeding from the forced repetition of it. Then, after theirbination ended, everyone fell to the ground from exhaustion. There is rubble and dust covering the location of their enemy and, while they wanted to stay on guard, the skills they sued were more taxing on their bodies than they thought.

    They called for their healer immediately. With this member''s ultimate skill, they could be restored to fighting shape in a split second. But, as they looked at where their teammate stands, all they saw was a pool of blood as the summoned creatures feasted on the healer''s flesh.

    "No it can''t be!" Their Archmage shouted, knowing full well what the image meant.

    More than their healer getting massacred right in front of them, the sight of the summons meant that their enemy is still alive. This sent the cold winds of death running through their veins, feeling the ending nearer and nearer by instinct.

    They heard his footsteps but could do nothing else. They wanted to move their bodies but, there is just no energy left for them to expend. Then, out of the dust came the young man, still unscathed from all that they did.

    "I was having fun until you used these things." He said, holding on to a [Shadow Sphere] which made absolutely no sense to the Archmage because, [Shadow Spheres] are supposed to damage anything it touches.

    "I''m going to use that portal to go where your general is." He continued and, even before one of their vanguards could object, he gave such a dominating re that, the bulky soldier couldn''t make any voicee out.

    "You guys won''tst long. But because you reminded me of a certain bunch of people, I''m going to at least reward you with my name." He continued, pointing his weapon on the enemies.

    "Carry it to hell." He fired his weapons as he said:

    "Zeke Elwood."

 Chapter 103: Level 1

    Chapter 103: Level 1

    Twelve years ago, right before Zeke Elwood''s life was taken from him, he fell unconscious. In this state, the spear used by de does not affect him meaning, he can use all his skills freely. But, none of these are useful for his current predicament.

    While he ispletely fine in his subconscious, as soon as he returns back to the living world, he will be paralyzed. His skills will all get restricted once gain and, death woulde only a few seconds shortly after.

    "I''m really going to die then." Zeke said, thinking how futile everything has been up to the recent point. Each and every part of his mission has always been interfered and tampered with; making things harder than they are supposed to be.

    But just when he was ready to die, the notification bar appeared in front of him.

    [Notification: The final skill [???] imed from killing all monster''s in Elysium''s forest is now unlocked.]

    [Name: Soul Transfer]

    [Rank: Unranked]

    [Mana Cost: None]

    [Requirement: The skill owner must be moments before their death.]

    [Requirement: The skill owner must use the skill outside the physical realm.]

    [Information: The caster will transfer to a random body which just died. Any corpse with too many broken parts isn''t part of the random selection. Small wounds taken by the body transferred to will automatically heal.]

    [Information: Upon transferring, all skills umted will be lost and the transferred body''s level will be reset to 1. The system will be retained, however, the features will also go back to level one and some slight modifications might ur.]

    [Information: Any negative statuses or modification done to the body transferred to will all be removed. Skills of the body''s original owner will be retained.]

    "I don''t really have any choice on this matter, do I?'' Zeke thought to himself as he viewed the skill and then, a smile formed on his face. A thought came across his head. One which would ce everything in his favor.

    "System, will the main deities be able to trace me in my new body?"

    [Answer: Since it is not the human body blessed by the deities, the connection between you and them will be lost.]

    At this, Zeke finally understood the full gravity of the skill which he just acquired. There wasn''t even any hesitation in his mind when he said:

    "Soul Transfer"

    A blinding sh of light soon followed. It was an indistinguishable feeling but, it was as if his soul constantly shifted from being heavy to being light. Like it was fighting the natural order of things as it searched for the new host.

    Then, he finally woke up. The gamer slowly rose and felt the huge difference with his new body. Everything about it felt like he was small and this made him nervous. Turning his eyes to his hands, this thought has been more or less confirmed.

    "You gotta be kidding me." He said out loud as he distinguished the small hands to be owned by a boy.

    "Status window." He continued, looking at the information on the new body and, immediately having his eyes widen in shock.

    "Keith?" He uttered in disbelief.

    The gamer immediately looked around him and, saw how the whole area is actually devastated. The traces of fighting were not present as, what the scene showed looks more like a one sided massacre. With the whole area beingid t by what seems to be a giant meteorite. And he knew exactly who it is that can create such an attack.

    "He was with Miss Sylvia before he died." He said to himself, getting an ominous feeling regarding the state of his party members. Unfortunately for him, with his level going back to [1], his [Voice Chat] feature and [Party] feature are both lost. Giving him no means tomunicate with them.

    Plus, he figured how dangerous his position is. The body of Keith itself may be something which de would look for. Gallio probably ced some sort of tracker on the boy but, with thest use of the skill, [Soul Transfer], he figured that it won''t be an easy task.

    "I''m sorry but I need to survive first." He said to himself, regretting his current state which cannot hope to save anyone.

    Zeke knew that the secret underground base of the Leonis household will not be safe. Burnt houses will also prove to be problematic for the young man. What he needs immediately is a ce far from the capital and any of the towns.

    With his understanding of the continent''s geography, Zeke headed west; using the sun''s position as hispass. He ran until night and, finally stumbling upon his desired location.

    There are various forests within the continent but, the smallest of these is one which nobody ever bothers going to. There are only a handful of trees, making it a bad spot to gather resources. Monsters do not live there, making it less likely to be visited by adventurers or any warrior. It is also far from any of the towns which makes visiting it unprofitable. And it is precisely because of the said uses that, Zeke decided to stay there.

    He went on to viewing what Keith''s abilities are and, frankly speaking, the starting attributes of the kid is superb. This much is to be expected as he is son of the famed demaster although it is just Gallio hiding within Hark''s skin. Then there''sdy Sylvia who is considered to be the strongest mage in the continent. But the most notable thing about Keith is the only skill which he owns.

    [Skill Name: Mana Cultivation]

    [Rank: Unranked]

    [Skill Type: Permanent Scaling]

    [Information: The owner of the skill is able to use the mana flowing around the world and absorb them within his or her body. This is highly dependent of the user''s understanding of mana flow and on the awareness of the skill''s existence.]

    [Information: Upon reaching a higher stage, magic circles can be formed through the blood veins of the user''s body, making the vessel itself arge mana container which could be used for various purposes]

    [Information: Although it does not level up the user, the skill raises all basics attributes without any limit. Depending on how it is used, there is no end to the possibilities which the user can reach.]

    "Well isn''t that something?" Zeke said to himself as he understood quite clearly what the skill meant.

    Through it, he can go undetected for as long as he wishes. Zeke''s goal now is to make de feel safe and secured. If he seeds, there wille a time when the elf would let his guard down and, this is the moment when Zeke will strike.

    "Let''s see how you like it when you''re the one getting surprised." Zeke thought to himself, with the system notifications showing in front of him again.

    [The Main Quest: [Escape the Capital] has been cleared.]

    [10 Skill Points will be given as a reward]

    "Of course there''d be a quest like that." Zeke thought to himself, understanding how the changing of the body may have also altered the quests which he needs to aplish.

    As a boy, it isn''t logical to give missions connected to the killing of kings and the restoring of peace. Hence, even with the notification popping up, Zeke wasn''t surprised at all. Zeke focused all of the points on surviving, buying two skills which greatly increased his chances ofsting through the first few days with his body.

    [Skill Name: Iron Stomach]

    [Cost: 3 Skill Point]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Information: Allows the user of the skill to eat meat or herbs which would normally be poisonous or dangerous for consumption.]

    [Skill Name: Farmer]

    [Cost: 1 Skill Point]

    [Rank: F->

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Information: Makes the skill owner more proficient in taking care of both farm animals and crops.]

    [Skill Name: Earth''s Blessing]

    [Cost: 6 Skill Points]

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Information: Allows the user to speed up the process of growing nts.]

    "Okay, let''s start from scratch." He said, beginning another tiring and long journey.

    On the first year, Zeke focused on strengthening his vision of the mana flow. With the skill given to the boy''s body, it naturally entails that Keith has a high affinity towards mana. Day by day, Zeke would simply sit under a tree, removing all excess thoughts and trying to grasp the flow of mana which surrounds the world.

    It was a hard task for the gamer who wasn''t ustomed to such trainings. What made it even more difficult was how there weren''t any instructions as to how mana flow could be seen. But, with the time he spent with Allesiah, he knew that this is doable. And, after a whole month of practice, Zeke started seeing strings of mana around him.

    Then came the actual assimtion of the mana flowing around him. Normally, there would be no clear determinant if the process works or not. But with Zeke''s analyze, he could see all the attributes and how much they get affected.

    At first it was random.

    Speed.

    Agility.

    Luck.

    The attributes did continue going up with each and every passing day but not with the desired results. He didn''t like it of course so he tried to find a way in order to get this done more efficiently. After another month passing, Zeke finally seeded with the [Gamer''s System] integrating with his skill. Thus, new features were added to the skill including [Transcendent Eyes] and [Mana Flow Control].

    [Transcendent Eyes] lets him see the flow of mana around him at base rank. With each rank upgrade it gets, Zeke''s eyes will allow him to see different mana colors signifying the difference in the mana and their effects on his body. Even with this knowledge, Zeke will still have little to no control over which could enter his body and, this is where [Mana Flow Control]es in.

    The skill allows Zeke to force the mana around him to bend to his will. At base rank, this proves to be really difficult. Even though he can only distinguish blue mana, Zeke still couldn''t take it all by force and, needs to concentrate on acquiring it through meditation.

    More years passed and slowly, Zeke ranked both skills up through the natural means. Since Zeke came back to level one, his skills can only rank up from constant use. Hence, he practiced using these skills each and every day in order to make them stronger.

    [Optional Quests] offered Zeke with additional skill and attribute points. He bought more skills with the points he gained, those which could be made use of without getting noticed.

    [Dig]

    [Cave Explorer]

    [Limitless Lungs]

    [Iron Body]

    [Greater Defense]

    [Regeneration]

    [Torment]

    [Unbreaking]

    [Relentless]

    [Focus]

    [rity]

    [Object Maniption]

    [Phase Shift]

    [Area Control]

    [Mana Conversion]

    [Detonate]

    [Poison Cloud]

    He bought more and more skills with the focus of creating an underground pathway. Zeke needed to enter the Demon Continent first because, it is only on thisnd where detection skills are a bit more difficult to use. Hence if he starts here, de will have a hard time finding him and so will all those unidentified entities which continued toying with him.

    Zeke''s level never went up. It stayed at level one. But, with how much stronger he got, two items from his inventory finally activated. One is the [Summoning Crystal] while, the other is the [Morphing Egg]. This gave Zeke two new subordinates in the form of Heron who has a nk memory and a creature which is shaped like a human but has horns of a minotaur sticking out of its forehead, a tail of a dragon and, wings like that of a demon. He called this boy Morpheus, thinking of how the child looked a lot like thebination of a lot of creatures.

    The three of them lived under the cave and, Zeke never failed to train these two. Zeke continued extending the length of the cave and, as soon as the exit was made to the demon continent, Zeke permitted them to go hunting. Discreetly, the two creatures carried out this task every day, ensuring that they get stronger while not leaving much traces of their activity.

    Day in and day out, this is the routine of the group. Zeke in particr continued cultivating and, simply bought a skill which allowed him to share experience points with the two. This allowed him to reach level 20 soon enough, gaining back his [Conjurer] ss.

    Alot of other things have happened within the past years but, all of these will reveal themselves at the right time. For now, what matters is that the gamer is back and, his two newpanions are within thebyrinth in Elysium, saving the captured Windsprites.

 Chapter 104: The Gap in Stregth

    Chapter 104: The Gap in Stregth

    During the same time when Zeke finished destroying the second fortress, the Elites have continued doing a decent job of prolonging the battle against the general. But the gamer cannot assist them just yet as, he is still looking for more data on the item he needs.

    But Zeke needs to be quicker because, the same set of chosen humans are about to get massacred by their enemy.

    The Demon General [Grat''zie], without any armor on, sustains no damage from any of their attacks. With only his duals words aiding him, the general has effectively brought ruin to the Elites and, there is a good exnation as to why he could perform this.

    Right now, the Demon General [Grat''zie] is in a form which is called [Primal State]. Something which all of the generals could transform into. The metamorphosis itself is easy to describe. It is simply a forced evolution which turns any general into a creature which could rival any [S+] ranked Evolved Monster.

    This is the reason why de could leave so nonchntly from Mythos. He knows that, aside from Zeke, there is no natural inhabitant of Mythos which could rival his generals. And, even if the main deities bring new humans, they could never hope to match a general in the [Primal State]  walking cmities which destroys everything in their path.

    However, the skill is not without its consequences. Since the flow of power reaches this much, a general has a high chance of dying after activating this skill. With the forced evolution and the forced progression of growth, they would naturally receive a bacsh greater than the amount of power they gained. And even if they live after the skill''s duration ends, they will basically be incapacitated for the remainder of their lives.

    Due to all of its negative effects, the skill is something which only serves as ast resort. With their own capabilities, every general is strong enough to challenge the former General Erio. That is how strong they are, or rather, how strong de made them to be.

    "Any ns Quinn?" Jake said, pointing his javelin toward the enemy even though most of his muscles scream for him to run away. But, with everyone steeling their resolves to stay, he couldn''t muster any strength to perform this.

    Quinn shook his head and, tried toe up with something. But even with the multitude of ns he prepared, there is nothing he has in store for something as illogical as this. Thus, he froze in ce, unable to give anymands.

    "Let me tell you what yourbinationcks." The demon general uttered, walking carefree as if nothing could destroy him now. A thought that may just as good as true.

    "You are too organized with your attacks." He continued, not getting any response from the group.

    One of their archers, Gawain, tried shooting him down through a headshot, cing a condensed amount of mana onto a single piercing attack. The arrow created such a strong gust of wind that, everyone''s eyes got dust on them, making them blink for a while. Yet as soon as they opened their eyes, they saw the general holding on to the same arrow using only two fingers.

    "Hey, this doesn''t even pass as a joke." The archer said. Feeling both his arms go numb from the sheer amount of force he needed to pour onto that single strike.

    "What a rude bunch." Grat''zie said, releasing a single swing with his left de. This targeted the three vanguards who created a barrier for the townsfolk. Immediately, their defenses got shattered and, so did their shields and armor. The three men got sent flying, making the residents all run away for their lives. Some children stayed behind, protecting the unconscious defenders.

    Then came Horus who did his best to distract the general  releasing more summons of lower caliber. But these summons only created enough damage to irritate the Demon General as they couldn''t actually produce any decent damage. Yet, the tamer didn''t stop here.

    He created his ultimate summon, sacrificing some of his blood which he forced to drip from his wrist. Out came a [Hellhound] the same creature which Zeke himself used while he was on Yaeger''s realm.

    The creature''s strength got fueled by all the deaths around the area and, everyone thought that the monster could deal somesting damage against the general. Yet, as the [Hellhound] pounced at him, Grat''zie simply dropped one of his des and punched his fist right into the mouth of the monster.

    "ze." He said, releasing purple mes as the summoned creature squirmed in agony. Again, the elites are at a loss for words as, their enemy continued moving towards them. With a look on his face that tells them, the demon is bored with them.

    "I''ll give you till the count of three to give me a good fight." He finally said, releasing so much killing intent that, some of the elites got their knees shaking from fear.

    "Quinn what do we do!" Kaguya said but, still having no response from their leader. Then, the monster finally began counting.

    "One."

    "Quinn!" Kaguya shouted at him, getting disappointed that their leader still has no n.

    "Two."

    Kaguya bit her lip and began gathering dark mana once more. She could feel a faint whisper of evil that is mixed into it but, she didn''t have time to think of something so trivial.

    "If you won''t do anything, then I will." She said, using [Oblivion] forcefully. The general saw this and, tried moving out of range but, the pull of the skill is so strong that even he is stuck in ce.

    "That''s more like it! Make my dying moment entertaining!" The general continued. He released a massive amount of purple me targeting oblivion. The generalughed as the skill simply absorbed it and, slowly pulled him in.

    "That''s it, we can win!" Amare said, hoping that [Oblivion] could kill their opponent. But the general simply used the same skill again and this time, did not stop from pouring it out. Yet again, [Oblivion] kept absorbing everything which gave the elites a sense of relief until, Kaguya began screaming in pain.

    "AAAAHHHH!"

    The healers immediately went to her. They began performing heals for Kaguya but then, purple mes beganing out of her body. Quinn finally acted up, telling Kaguya to stop the skill and yet, the female elite refused to do so.

    "IF I STOP THIS, HE''LL BE ABLE TO MOVE FREELY!" She screamed as pain continued overflowing from all the veins in her body. The mes crept up from time to time, giving more burns on her body which the healers tried remedying as quickly as they can.

    Grat''zie is still held back by [Oblivion] which is to be expected. Aside from it being an [S] ranked skill, Nisha''s blessing gave Kaguya an added [30%] effectiveness on all dark type spells she uses. Yet, Kaguya is not all powerful.

    Forcing her body to take in dark mana at a continuous rate and, continually getting burnt by demonic mes, it''d be nothing short of a miracle if she survives the aftermath. With this, Jake finally snapped, punching Quinn in the face and sending their leader stumbling to the ground.

    "Get a f*cking grip of yourself!" He said in anger. The other members would''ve stopped him but, they shared the same sentiment; wanting Quinn to get back to fighting shape.

    "You were so cocky in saying that you''ll be our leader and this is where you made us end up?!" He continued, pointing his javelin on their fallen leader.

    "You''re useless." He finally said. And this is one word which Quinn cannot ept. If there is one word which does not exist in Quinn''s vocabry, it is words connected to [useless] and [failure].

    "Yeah, like you can do a better job." Quinn finally uttered, regaining hisposure and standing back up. He brushed Jake''s javelin away and, began takingmand once more.

    "I''ll only say everymand once, do it as quickly as you can and we might get out of this predicament." Quinn said in his usual confident tone, to which every other member finally felt relieved.

    From the state of things, Kaguya can''t hope to sustain the skill for much longer. Any more than what she has already done and, some permanent damage would be done to the female elite. Hence, Quinn asked only one thing and, that is to break the spell after five more seconds. Kaguya nodded in agreement, knowing that Quinn already has everything under control. And she isn''t wrong for there are steps to the n which Quinn has already devised.

    The first of which is cing barriers on all of the fighters who''d face the general, Quinn, Jake, and Mirio. The second of this is being given elemental boosts from their mages and, getting some detonates from Zilg ced on some rocks and pebbles. Then came the order for the archers to prepare their strongest arrows.

    "He caught it because it would''ve probably damaged him." Quinn said, making the archer realize that the attack earlier was notpletely useless. Then, he made Horus prepare his strongest monsters once again.

    "You know how much blood that''d cost me?" He said to Quinn, referring to the blood ritual required to create these summons.

    "I know, and I''m sorry." Quinn replied, making the tamer sigh. Horus didn''t n to go against it and, he knows that this is probably the only way for them to get through the fight.

    Then, Quinn added a few more instructions and, finally, he the beginning of the end.

    "Now!" He shouted, making Kaguya stop the spell as the three fighters rushed towards the general.

    "Imma bring you with me to hell!" Mirio said as he used [Ring] once again.

    "Transcendence." Quinn continued, overwriting the skill Mirio used and adding more features to it. He increased the number of allies which Mirio can bring forth and, give all these allies the same buff received by the skill user.

    Grat''zie was about to swing his de but, Mirio is already there to stop him from doing so.

    "I don''t think so." He said, punching the general''s wrists and, backing away immediately as both Quinn and Jake began attacking the general.

    Grat''zie smiled as he felt the blow of Mirio''s attack. Thebination of Quinn and Jake didn''t fall short of the general''s expectation either. The two humans, with all the buffs they received, can now follow the general''s pacing.

    The general effectively dealt with both using his dual wielding style. But then, Jake backed off, surprising thegeneral as Quinn threw some rocks at his face. Zilg activated detonate right away, making all these rocks explode with Zilg''s stronger explosion trap. Then, Quinn followed up by shing the back of the general''s knee, with Jake performing the same. They ced their full strength on the blows but, as expected, the enemy is still standing.

    "That''s not enough!" Grat''zie said.

    "I know." Was Quinn''s short reply as a figure came on top of Grat''zie.

    It is none other than Mirio who jumped up and, ced enough force on his fists to put a hole through a mountain. He punched the top of Grat''zie''s head with this and, made the enemy fall to his knees.

    [Ring''s] duration ended within this time. Hence more attacks could pass through. This began with Horus using the tentacles of his void summon, making sure that the general is held down.

    Quinn sliced through both of the generals'' wrists and, Jake followed by using his ultimate skill [Longinus] which made his javelin the sharpest weapon for a few minutes. With these, they were able to cut off the hands of the general who screamed in pain as he dropped his weapons.

    Quinn and Jake did not relent. They continued on to forcing the demon''s wings to be cut off. Then they followed by doing the same to his horns.

    Then, with the interval created, the archers fired from both sides, hitting the left and right temple of the general''s head. This sent another strong gust of wind which created a small tornado. Quin rode this and, took Jake''s javelin with him.

    "Double Longinus." He said, adding more damage to the already fatal skill. And then, he threw it down the torrent of wind, increasing its uracy through Amare''s ultimate skill and, adding elemental damage to it through the mages.

    The blow was so strong that, everyone needed to back away. There was a huge dome of light which ate up everything in its path as it continued stretching outward. Kaguya screamed for Quinn to get away but, there was no response.

    The light faded slowly until, the area became clear again. Then,ing towards them is the figure of a person, holding in to another in his arms. This didn''t make any sense because, the only person who was left with the general was Quinn.

    The group tried to go into their battle positions again. All their muscles are sore and, most of them are already on the verge of copsing. But with the chance of an opponent showing up, they couldn''t afford to lose consciousness.

    "Get ready." Jake said, as the person finally stepped out of the light.

 Chapter 105: Zeke and the Elites

    Chapter 105: Zeke and the Elites

    "Woah you guys look like a mess." Zeke said, holding on to the unconscious Quinn in his arms. The elites still have no idea what to make of what is currently happening but, because they can''t sense any evil mana or killing intenting from the person, they decided to back off.

    Adding to the fact that, Zek is carrying Quinn out of the explosion, his features look a bit regal. There is a manly side to him brought about by the genes of Hark, and a touch of elegance brought by the royal blood of Sylvia and also, the elven blood residing in his current vessel.

    "State your business!" Jake said, still cautious of the person in front of them.

    "Well, aren''t'' you a rude person?" Zeke said, still walking towards them. He ced Quinn on the floor, near enough for the elites to pick him up and then, he backed off for a bit.

    "I suggest you begin healing his wounds first. Oh and, do it fast because he won''t have long otherwise." Zeke continued, snapping his fingers which released a mana so dense that, even the elites could see it. This began pouring down on them like rain and, they felt their mana being restored bit by bit.

    "Who are you?" Amare asked but, Zeke just ced his finger on his lips. Telling them to keep quiet for the moment as he continued walking away. And then, within a few more seconds, they heard the rumbling of the earth.

    Amare quickly took a peek as far as she could and, saw something unbelievable. There are thousands of soldiers which are marching towards their direction. And the person who just appeared is walking towards them.

    "Mister you''re going the wrong way! Come back here!" Amare shouted, afraid that the person would get killed instantly by number of soldiers she saw. But unlike her estimation, there are actually 5,000 soldiers in total, all moving towards the farm.

    "Honestly, they''re such a loud and energetic bunch." Zeke continued, feeling that they''ve be his responsibility somehow. After all, they are victims just like him. Those that were chosen against their will to fight battles which they have nothing to do with.

    Hence, out of consideration and an [Optional Quest] connected to the safety of the elites, Zeke created an invisible barrier of mana which prevented the elites froming through. And this works both ways as, the barrier also serves to protect the farm from theing forces.

    Zeke didn''t need to use his own mana for this. He just condensed the mana around the area and, morphed it into this desired result. Something which Allesiah would be capable of if she is still alive.

    "In front of him, de''s forces are marching without end and, Zeke thought that this is the perfect opportunity for him to test out his new [Conjures] and features of the [System].

    With all the killings he did right after de left Mythos, Zeke can now summon half a thousand [Conjured] creatures all at once. And, he did this immediately, excited to see the oue.

    "Conjure." He said, raising arge river of mes which divided him from the enemies. They stopped for a while, figuring out how dangerous the scenery in front of them is. Yet this didn''t take long as, one of the five generals who came to this mission created ayer of stone on top of the mes. She marched forward gantly on a horse-like creature. And, all the other soldiers followed her.

    Yet, this didn''t stay for long as the [Conjures] of Zeke began rising one after the other. Their hands punched through the makeshift bridge and, soon enough, the whole thing crumbled down, burning all the soldiers which dared pass on top of it.

    The general was spared however as, she created another pir of earth, high enough for a winged creature to grab her out of the predicament.

    "Such brave leader you are." Zeke said, watching the coward fly back to the backlines.

    With the summoning being finished, the mes have also died out, giving room for the soldiers to finally march onward. Unfortunately, among the elites, it is only Amare who can see all the events as they unfold.

    "Oh god. What on earth is that?" She said, constantly using her S rank skill as, the little party trick Zeke performed on them allowed the elites to have a seemingly bottomless source of mana.

    "Kill all enemies of the empire!" One of the generals said. He rode on a [Chaos Wyvern] just like all the other generals.

    "Why does everyone feel like a hotshot?" Zeke thought to himself as the soldiers marched quickly toward his summons. And, just as they were about to reach each other, Zeke finally gave themand:

    "Devour."

    At this, all his summoned creatures attacked relentlessly. The soldiers had no choice but to face these even with Zeke, the summoner, standing idly at the back. The summoned creatures are an assorted bunch with flying units also mixed in. This provided Zeke with enough fighting force to hold back all five thousand soldiers used by the enemies.

    Zeke also bought some skills recently. With the constant fighting, his level has finally began increasing once again and, right now, he is at [60]. With this, the mechanics for increasing a skill''s rank has changed into the one he was previously ustomed to, that is, buying the ranked-up versions through [Skill Points].

    [Legion''s Banner]

    [Alpha''s Domain]

    [Merlin''s Blessing]

    He raised all these skills to the maximum rank as, there wasn''t much for him to spend his skill points on during the past twelve years of hiding. Through the various optional quests which mainly included [Sleeping] [Eating] and [Taking a Bath], Zeke umted skill points little by little. These didn''t have any use with the previous skill ranking system that relied on usage to increase rank. Basically meaning, Zeke is overflowing with [Skill Points] to spend.

    "Merge Conjure." Zeke said, clumping some of his units together in order to create a stronger one. The problem of merging limitation is still there but, Zeke already has a skill to work against this.

    "Refresh." He uttered, resetting then number of [Conjure Merging] which he can do in a day. This is limited to ten uses a day at [S+] rank and, Zeke dly spent all the usages with the ongoing fight.

    But just as he was enjoying himself, the generals have made their way through the wave of [Conjured] creatures. Zekemended their ability to do so especially because, passing through his aerial [Conjures] is not an easy task.

    He is greeted immediately by a wave of ice that crawled on the ground. He dodged this but, a general wielding a scythe soon followed. Again, Zeke dodged this by bending his neck and twisting his head to the side.

    Zeke followed by simply dashing forward; punching the scythe user in the gut. The general is immediately sent flying  hitting the barrier set up by Zeke. He ced a string of mana on this general and, pulled him back to the fray, hitting another general head on and, making them both stumble on the dirt.

    The other generals soon came to back their allies up. One used a giant axe, another used a Morningstar, the one who released the wave of ice holds a staff while the scythe user is still recovering from Zeke''s punch. Then, the fifth general is up in the sky, with a book on his left hand and, a magic circle being formed on the right.

    Then, an idea came up to him. Zeke thought that ying with the generals for a while wouldn''t be so bad. And so, he released a lesser amount of strength while snapping his fingers. Unknown to them, the generals have been trapped within a cloak of mana, distorting their vision of the fight their soldiers are having against the [Conjures].

    The generals heard theughter of their forces with the passing of the fight. They are focused on Zeke but, from what they can hear and what they can see from the corner of their eyes, their troops are winning the fight.

    "We won''t allow you to give up!" the general using a scythe said, swingling his weapon which created invisible shes that homed toward Zeke. This hit some of his hair but nevertheless, no real damage was done to the gamer.

    The attacks continued on and on until, the one holding a book finally instructed his allies to back off. They did this instantly and, Zeke could see the sky darken even more. Zeke could see them getting out of the veil he created which the gamer found to be unfortunate.

    "I guess I can go all out against this." Zeke said, gazing at the meteor falling down on him

    Meanwhile, all the generals have nothing but shock on their faces. The veil Zeke created shrouded the real state of things. Unknown to them, Zeke ''s [Conjures] massacred their forces little by little. With [Legion''s Banner], [Alpha''s Domain], and [Merlin''s Blessing] all being ranked [S+], the conjured version of the soldiers easily overpowers their normal counterparts.

    The five generals have arrived just in time to witness the final moments of the massacre. And, even before they could make their way to fight the summoned creatures, they felt a chille from behind them.

    The veil of mana created by Zeke disappeared little by little and, they saw the meteorite turning into frozen ice. Ity idly on the ground with their opponent, standing on top of it. He then fired five bullets from his weapon, causing massive damage to all the generals.

    Knowing the amount of danger they are in, they all resorted to activating their [Primal State]. And even though they are far away from the fight, the elites couldn''t help but feel the danger looming around them. Yet unlike them, Zeke only smiled as he jumped off the frozen meteor.

    "Let''s finish this, I''ve got kids to attend to."

 Chapter 106: A Reason for Caution

    Chapter 106: A Reason for Caution

    There is still a limit to how strong Zeke is and, fighting five generals in their [Primal State] definitely includes this. But it is not because he can''t finish them all off. In fact, he can win against them but, the aftermath of the fight would probably be too devastating that most of Zeke''s quests would fail and, if there''s anything that Zeke does not like, it''s failed missions in games.

    "This''ll take too much toll on me." Zeke said out loud, preparing a spell to end the fight immediately without causing more damage to the surroundings.

    He [Conjured] monsters right in front of the generals who have just activated their [Primal State]. The summoned creatures touched the generals but, received no response.

    From the intel gathered by Zeke, he knows that there is a five second dy before someone could move after transforming to their [Primal State]. They are invulnerable within this time but, it doesn''t mean that nothing could be done to them.

    "Mass Link Transportation." Zeke said which, immediately released a lot of mana from him. The five generals disappeared immediately and, in their ce are trees found on the forest where Zeke stayed at on his first year.

    "Phew, that''s exhausting." He uttered, slouching to the ground and getting the desired results.

    The skill he just used is something he bought for good measure. There have been a lot of instances where, enemies of the highest caliber fought against him. Most of the time, these creatures were lured toward him, making him face dangers with each and every turn. And if there''s one thing that Zeke understood from these encounters, it''s that it isn''t always necessary to finish them off. Especially if they have a time limit set with their life or their transformation.

    Within the time spent by Zeke hiding, he was able to gather more information on things. One of these is about the [Chimeras] which actually had limited lives. Had he known this earlier on and, if only he had a way to transport them, then he wouldn''t have gone through the hassle of fighting the unfairly strong beasts.

    Furthermore, even king Gallio''s ultimate form has a time limit. If Zeke had the transportation skill back then, he would''ve been able to drain the time limit of Gallio''s transformation. With all these regrets being carried over by Zeke to his next body, he made sure that he''d obtain a skill of this sort.

    Thus, Zeke bought [Mass Link Transportation]. At a costly price of [50] skill points, the spell swaps any physical entity, be it living or non-living, with another entity from another area which could also be either living or non-living.

    [Mass Link Transportation] does not have a limit on where it could bring the opponent. But this needs to satisfy three conditions.

    [First Condition: The destination must be one which the caster has physically gone to before.]

    [Second Condition: A mark must be made on both targets of the spell. Mana would be imbued onto the item, registering the spell to work on swapping the locations of those marked.

    [Third Condition: Depending on the range and the total power of the enemy, the amount of mana to be used differs. Hence if Zeke has a low mana pool, the skill won''t work. Especially with five individuals who scales on the same power level as Gallio himself.

    "It''s not my style but, this is the safest way to do things." Zeke said to himself, collecting all the loot automatically with another skill called [Winner Takes All].

    With all these being done and dealt with, he came back to the farm. Amare can onlyugh at the spectacle she just saw. She exined the whole thing to the other elites who felt their efforts go to waste.

    "He did what?" Gawain said.

    "I swear, the enemies suddenly turned into a bunch of trees." Amare said, wanting to convince even herself of this fact.

    "Are you sure that you can still see things clearly?" Curio stated.

    "Yeah I mean, we''re all in a pretty bad shape. You must''ve been seeing things." Mordred continued.

    But before Amare could give a response, Zeke was already standing right in front of them, raising his hand and saying:

    "Sup."

    There was a short moment of surprise of course. But with the fight that just happened, They''ve somehow made the assumption that - the silver haired elf is an ally.

    "Seriously? You''re not done healing until now?" He continued, walking straight towards Quinn.

    "Wait!" Jake said, holding up his javelin to stop him. Zeke smiled at this and, waited for what the human would say.

    "I''ve got no idea who you are but, if you try anything funny" Zeke didn''t even let Jake finish his sentence. His years of hiding inside a cave has made him a bit impatient and so, just for fun, he released mana so menacing that Jake''s arm lost its strength altogether.

    "Careful where you point that spear. I''m not as kind as I seem." Zeke replied, returning to his carefree nature and saying that he''ll heal Quinn.

    "I thought you guys had everything covered. But at the rate you are going, this one will die." He said, pointing at Quinn.

    "And this one will probably turn into a viin." He continued, pointing at Kaguya. He could clearly see the dark mana surrounding the human and, with his knowledge on mana, too much darkness will never produce anything good.

    He took off his coat and, rolled up his sleeves. He then proceeded to emitting two different types of mana  one on each of his hands. Everyone witnessed how elegant the process all seems.

    Right at that moment, the elites have cleared all doubts on their minds.They wanted to ask who he is right away but, as soon as he finished healing Quinn and Kaguya, the farmers suddenly popped up out of nowhere. They flocked over Zeke and the elites, giving them an overflowing amount of appreciation.

    A few hours passed after this and, the demons did all they could to attend to the needs of their saviors. Meanwhile, Zeke stayed on another house. One which is far away from all the others - refusing to sleep under the same roof as the group.

    "I''d love it if you don''t disturb me for a whole day." He said to the town elder, an instruction which the elder dly followed. It is, after all, a small price to pay for all the help which Zeke offered them. Although, he hasn''t even introduced himself nor the reasons as to why he came to their aide.

    Meanwhile, the battered elites stayed quietly within their cabin. Aside from the fact that most of them are recovering from some serious damage, members such as Quinn have begun forming doubts on their heads. About how impossible the goal actually is and, about the probability of them even living through it.

    The training with the main deities proved to be difficult of course. They have also been warned about all the dangers that they will face. But, with all the powers they gained, the elites seem to have forgotten that they are still human.

    Even the superheroes fromic books have their weaknesses and, even the gods from myths could fall. They forgot this, just like how Achilles forgot his own mortality. And they paid the price for it dearly.

    With a half dead Kaguya, an almost paralyzed Quinn, and the defender Vostok having most of his bones broken. And, most importantly, a wounded ego which may ever be regained. And on all their heads, there is a single thought circting.

    "We need to get stronger."

    Meanwhile, within his own cabin, Zeke did his best to survive the bacsh of all the power he released. He screamed in pain and agony, trashed the house all around but, nobody ever felt this nor heard it because Zeke has ced a special barrier within the house, preventing any damage to be done and, for any noise to be heard outside.

    He wed the floor and punched the ground over and over again. He screamed so hard that it would seem as if his vocal cords would snap any moment. Sweat came profusely and, all the mana forms he stored within his own body began going haywire. But even more dangerous is the amount of heat he felt.

    It was as if his body was burning altogether and he hated it so much. He hated the so called [Blessing] which he received and, he hated how the [Gamer''s Body] was never acquired again. He hated the agonizing amount of pain and how he needed to endure it each and every time.

    "I''m not going to give up. Nor will I lose ever again." He said to himself, slowly regaining all his senses and bearing with the feeling of all his body parts feeling like they''d be torn apart. Slowly, he collected mana, breathed more deeply and, tried his best to heal through all the damage.

    Even with all the powers Zeke has acquired, he is still mortal. Even with Keith''s body, one which has been blessed by both physical prowess and talent for mana control, Zeke needs to be careful. Through the years, he ced so much strain on it by pushing it over the limits countless times. He seeded of course but, never managed to find the perfect bnce to all his strength.

    If he went a bit longer against the army, he would''ve been in such an unstable state that, his vessel would probably explode  destroying the whole of the Demon Continent in the process. Of course, Zeke could escape through [Soul Transfer] but, that''d mean he''ll return to square one.

    "I''m not going to tolerate this any longer than I''ve already done." He said, mediating for the whole remainder of that day.

 Chapter 107: Testing the Waters

    Chapter 107: Testing the Waters

    While Zeke continued recovering from the bacsh of using too much power, a lot of ruckus is being made on Elysium by both Heron and Morpheus. They''ve just reached the end of the Labyrinth and, thanks to Heron''s reality altering skill [Cloud of Dreams], not much danger hase to them.

    [Name: Cloud of Dreams]

    [Mana Cost: 20 per second]

    [Rank: S+]

    [Skill Type: Continuous]

    [Information: Surrounds an area with a mist. Those trapped within it cannot affect the outside world nor escape in any way.]

    [Information: The skill allows the caster to create illusionary scenarios. Anyone within the mist will be easier to fool as, the air itself will have brain tampering mana particles mixed within it.]

    [Information: The only way to stop the skill is to make the caster end it. Otherwise, the skill will move on its own until it is satisfied with the results.]

    Through this skill, Heron and Morpheus were able to slip through every problematic situation within the dungeon. In fact, all which the two encountered is nothing less than what the Labyrinth itself has in store.

    But this doesn''t mean that they didn''te through any difficulties. Day in and day out, the two needed to be stealthy while also making progress. Adding to the fact that, Heron needs to sustain the skill meant that, she couldn''t help much in the fights. This didn''t concern Morpheus who could handle his ground pretty well no matter the opponent.

    He is, after all, a [Chimera Morpher]. One which has been personally trained by Zeke Elwood to be tactical and deceitful. Hence, he can optimize all situations within the [Cloud of Dreams] into one that is favorable to him.

    Be it monsters, elves, or other intelligent creatures, every living being has a desire. And because Morpheus can decipher these desires pretty well, these are optimized based on his needs.

    With that being said, it took them 4 good days in order to aplish their mission. Heron was a bit disappointed by this because, she actually thought that they could do aplish it even faster. But because of some unexpected roadblocks, they got slower from achieving their goal. Yet, there they stood proudly in front of the cell  the endpoint of their mission.

    "Those generals sure are persistent." Morpheus began, stretching his arms after having transformed from a bird.

    Next to him is Heron who began dispersing the [Cloud of Dreams]. She has a long katana with her and wearing a traditional Japanese yukata. Something which she preferred over all the suggestions Zeke made for her armor.

    "Tell me about it." She replied, finally finished in dissolving the skill. At the moment, all the creatures within thebyrinth have been neutralized. But the higher ups of Elysium have yet to learn about this because, the Labyrinth only gets checked on once a week.

    "Let''s hurry up. I''m excited to see dad!" Morpheus continued, treating Zeke like his own father.

    In front of them is the cell which is supposed to contain both Sylph and Allesiah. ording to their intel, the two have not only been hungered half to death but, also tortured to the point of breaking to madness.

    Zeke worried about them of course but, knows that Allesiah is also the perfect bait which de could use against him. If there is even an ounce of possibility for de to believe that he is alive, he wants to erase thispletely. And the only way to do this is not to search for Allesiah and, to stop himself from trying to rescue her if he does.

    de''s power level isn''t something which Zeke has a clear grasp on. Moreover, with those strange spears that the elf used against him, Zeke knows that most pf his efforts may just go to waste.

    But now that the king is gone, Zeke is free to save Allesiahthat isif she is still alive. Something which Heron and Morpheus are about to find out.

    "So are we going there or not?" Curio, the assassin of the elites asked. Apart from the fact that elf helped them yesterday, he also has to rify the facts  whether the elf is the same individual who raced against him.

    "Are you really that eager to forfeit your life?" Amare replied, being the most sensible and rational member next to both Quinn and Kaguya.

    "It''s not like were going there to cause him any trouble. I mean, we''re just gonna ask him about some personal stuff." Red defended, wanting the same thing Curio does.

    "And what is that exactly?" Was Merlin''s response, being on the same camp of those who are wary of Zeke.

    "You knowwho he is and how to learn the nt transformation magic  those kinda stuff." The moment these words came out of Red''s lips, he felt silly. So silly that he wanted to vanish.

    There they are, Elites or so they called themselves. Personally trained by the three deities and, handpicked among all the human candidates on earth. They have the best skills and job sses which fit their personalities. Yet, there they are, defeated by a guy who turns overpowered generals into trees.

    "I swear it sounds dumber every time someone actually says it." Was Jake''s short reply.

    The group still waited for Kaguya and Quinn to recover. While Quinn is already fully healed, there is something broken with his pride that made it difficult to get up namely, almost killing Kaguya on their previous fight.

    Meanwhile, the same person he is thinking about is still unconscious. Although Zeke was able to extract the negative effects of absorbing too much dark mana, it would be difficult for the person herself to wake up. After all, it isn''t the kind of mana which can easily be tampered with.

    "Come on weren''t you taught by your parents how to properly thank someone?" Curio said, disguising his real intent with the thought of showing gratitude.

    "Why not wait for Quinn to recover yeah?" Amare said and, just as she did, they heard a knock on their door.

    "That''s probably the elder, I''ll go get it." Horus said. Everyone continued talking as he did and then, they heard a thud to the floor.

    "Guuuys!" He continued, making everyone go to where he is. And there, right in front of their front door is their savior.

    "So uhmmmay Ie in?" He said. Jake and Curio pushed Amare forward, making her automatically in charge of talking with their guest. All the other members immediately backed off.

    "Traitors." Amare said in her mind, beginning conversation with the person in front of her.

    "Pleasee in." She said, with Zeke dly epting her invitation.

    "He''s not gonna kill us right?" Red asked Jake. Their visitor then looked at their direction as if he heard what they are saying; smiling at them before proceeding to their table.

    "So uhmmm" Amare began as soon as Zeke and all the elites have sat down.

    "Your number seem to have dwindled down from thest time that I saw you." He said immediately.

    "Two of our members are still recovering." Amare replied, holding back her nervousness and wishing they don''t get turned to trees.

    "Hmm I see" He said.

    "Oh sorry! Where are my manners." Zeke said, standing up to introduce himself to the group.

    "My name is Zeke Elwood, an otherworlder just like you guys." He said. This produced a long moment of silence because, nobody could process what he just said. ording to the gods, Zeke is already dead and yet, the elf introduced himself to be him.

    "WHAAAAT?!" Was the first reaction which came from Jake. This is the same voice screamed by everyone in their heads of course.

    "There''s a long story behind this and you''re not required to believe me. But I need you to listen to what I have to say first." Zeke replied, waiting for everyone to calm down before continuing.

    The first thing Zeke said is for his message to be passed to the real leader of the group. He exined a lot of things, including, primarily, the strength of the enemies which the Elites need to face from this point onwards.

    "Those guys are easy to deal with on their base forms but, once they activate their skill [Primal State], you guys got zero chances of winning. And even if you do, your group will be too battered to do anything more." Zeke began.

    The elites knew full well that what he is saying is true. After all, they have experienced the [Primal State] of one general on their previous fight.

    "If both those generals got that form activated, you''d hold no candle against them." He continued and, although what he says is painful, they know that this is a fact.

    "So are you just hear to talk us down?" Jake replied.

    "Oh it''s the rude bastard." Zeke replied, smiling to the human who decided it''s best to keep his mouth shut.

    "You may have the same idea as that guy." Zeke continued, pointing to Jake.

    "Believe me when I say that my intents are actually pure. Although I cannot disclose every single information to you; believe me when I say that, in theing days you won''t be able to find any safe ce to hide to." Zeke continued, giving a serious tone to his voice.

    "With a total of 10 generals being killed, the governing body for every continent will begin to move. And if you can''t even handle that small portion which was handed to you, then I believe you know what''ll happen once they seriously hunt you down." Zeke continued.

    "Waitten?" Amare replied, counting back the number of generals which were defeated.

    "Oh sorry. I forgot to mention. Myrades killed two generals while I killed one days before I helped you out." Zeke said, not adding the fact that he was the one who lead the two generals toward the elites.

    "Why are you telling us all these things?" Mordred replied. There is a multitude of bad news given and, frankly speaking the elites do not know how to deal with it.

    "Well it''s simple actually." Zeke said, standing up.

    "Let''s go to an open field. I want all of you to fight me." Zeke continued, making it an order and not a request.

    "Are we supposed to duel against you?" Red said nervously, thinking about how a healer can''t actually fight.

    "Don''t tter yourselves. All of you wille at me at once."

 Chapter 108: An Order

    Chapter 108: An Order

    "What''s taking those kids so long?" Zeke thought to himself as he satfortably on the ground.

    On his hand is a wooden stick as long as a regr sword and, aside from this, he has nothing else. Meanwhile he specifically instructed the elites to go all out and bring all their equipment with them.

    The location of the fight is the same area where he fought against the five generals and their forces. The giant meteor of ice has already shattered and melted, making some parts of the area wet and muddy. While waiting for them, he began going through the forging options, thinking of the elites and, all the job sses and attributes he saw.

    He told them to bring their best equipment because, this is the only way for him to show them their ws. Without actually showing him what they''ve got, he can''t improve them in the most efficient way possible.

    "Those gods probably gave them some vague training." Zeke thought to himself, knowing that the gods have no real fighting experience whatsoever. All they do is watch over the worlds and, make decisions based on therger scale of events.

    Just remembering them made Zeke even more irritated. He wanted to finish everything as soon as possible but, for that to happen, he needs some proper backup namely, the elites. And just as he thought about this, the group finally came right in front of him.

    "Oh good you''re finally here." He said, not even surprised.

    Jake got embarrassed about this. He was the one who asked Merlin to use his mana to teleport all of them at the same time. He said that ''we could at least faze him by showing something shy''. For some reason, a lot of them liked the idea. But seeing how the result is, they immediately regretted following Jake''s flow of thinking.

    Meanwhile, Zeke patted the back of his pants and, began stretching his left arm. They couldn''t take their eyes away from the stick he is holding and how, their enemy is only wearing in clothes.

    "Okay are you guys ready?" Zeke said, looking at the elites holding on to their battered equipment.

    "Where''s your weapon sir?" They asked him, looking at the stick on his hand.

    "Oh can''t you guys see it?" He waved the stick in front of them.

    "This asshole is really underestimating us." Jake said immediately,ing forward with his javelin.

    "Okay sir, if that''s all you''ll use against us, then I''m enough to take you down." He continued, waiting for the other members to actually hold him down. But, none of the sort came.

    He stared at them but, all members simply stood safely at the back. Curio smirked at him while Amare could only stick her palms together in a praying position, wishing his soul to be sent to a good ce once reincarnated. All the other elites wanted to scold him for acting all cheeky again. But, they thought Zeke would probably be a good lesson for their arrogant member.

    "So a 1 on 1? Okay if that''s what you want." Zeke said.

    Jake couldn''t do anything more but to fight on his own. Everyone else has no problem with this. They just sat on one corner and waited for the show to begin.

    "Let''s get this over with kid." Zeke continued, finally entering into a stance.

    Jake did the same. Knowing that there''s no backing down after the initial fight request was made, he began by cing all the status buff skills which he has. Then, he added the same amount of buffs to his Javelin.

    "Not too shabby." Zekeplemented, thinking how such usage of skills is efficient.

    There was a moment of silence, with the wind seeming to blow colder than usual. All of Jake''s muscles have tensed up while, as he looked at his opponent, he couldn''t help but feel how rxed it seems.

    Then the wind blew again. Even with his warmed-up body, Jake could feel a chill creeping on his skin. Sweat was starting to form and, his heart began thumping harder. He knew how impossible the fight actually is. He is aware of how strong his opponent is and so did he body. So, before all his muscles told him to run away, he did the opposite.

    "Pierce Drive." At this, Jake seemed to disappear into a sh of light. This skill is faster than Curio''s [sh Rush] but, unlike the assassin''s skill, Jake couldn''t use it for much more other than dashing quickly at a short direction.

    Zeke dodged to the side, with the edge of his stick being destroyed by the blow. The attack was so cleanly executed that, it seemed like a knife destroyed his stick. Jake stopped after dashing a few meters more.

    He made the skill halt by stabbing his javelin to the ground; cing all of his mana on his arm so that it won''t break. This is quickly followed up by using the velocity and speed built up to spin his body.

    The session of movements only took two seconds to execute. With Zeke not even being able to make a turn, Jake immediately followed the attack by throwing his javelin at the opponent. He added [Absolute Pierce] on the attack, making it unblockable.

    None of the elites could follow what was happening but, Zeke has learned a thing or two about things suddenly piercing through his body. He bought a lot of skills connected to enhancing his senses. Adding this to his mana sensing abilities and his heightened attributes, it would take more than a lightspeed attack to even graze him.

    He made a quick spin, held the javelin''s body as it passed at his side. And though it did push him back for a few centimeters, Zeke stopped the attack without even breaking a sweat.

    "AHHHHH! WHY DIDN''T THAT HIT!" Jake said, now out of weapons to use. His breathing is now heavy and, his heart thumped even faster. The session of movements took too much out of him in terms of both focus, control, and uracy.

    Zeke simply smiled at the boy. And while the duelists both knew who won, the other elites still have no idea what just happened. All they know is that, the ground seem to have magically been dug up by something burning as a glowing red disy covers these changes to the earth.

    "He attacked me with full force from the get go without assessing my strength. That''s a huge risk to take in itself. But then he followed up by an unexpectedbination which would''ve caught the previous version of myself off guard. This kid has talent." Zeke said as he approached Jake.

    "Why did you begin with such a reckless attack?" He asked, wanting to get every information correct.

    Jake was hesitant to answer him. But since he lost the battle, Jake knew better than to disrespect Zeke.

    "I knew I couldn''t match you once you start to get serious. Knowing that, I gave my all to thebination to raise my chances of winning." He said, still regretting that he couldn''t even scratch his opponent.

    Zeke on the other hand already took a liking to the javelin user. But he didn''t let it show much and proceeded to challenging all the elites at once.

    Without both Quinn and Kaguya, the strength of the elites is greatly reduced. But, each of them are still promising talents especially as there is a good bnce between the attacks, defense, support, closebat, and long range all at the same time.

    The only problem is their coordination. Zeke believes that, the major w is how their strategy cannot adapt to sudden changes and how linear the thoughts of all the members are. If properly handled, they would''ve minimized the dame against the general they fought although, a huge blow would''ve still been dealt to them.

    With a more serious training, the elites will actually be worthy of their name. But for the moment, Zeke simply enjoyed being in thepany of other humans Although his body is now that of an elf.

    The fight went on throughout the morning. The farmers could hear the ruckus but, paid it no mind as they were told beforehand of the little exercise which would be done. The elites are already tired but, refused to quit so easily  making Zeke even more impressed with the group.

    "I like how determined each of you are." He said, spinning his body in mid-air to avoid three projectilesing at him.

    Zeke intentionally prolonged the fight to make an urate assessment of every member of the group. But with lunchtimeing soon, he figured that the fight needs to end already. In order to thank them for entertaining him, Zeke figured that he should also make them witness something interesting.

    "Conjure." Zeke said, releasing 10 summons that came from the soldiers of the generals. All of these have already been modified and merged, making them stronger than usual.

    "Hey that''s not fair!" Amare said, forgetting the fact that they also have a bunch of summoned creatures on their camp. Namely, the earth golems of Merlin and the summons of Horus.

    "So do we continue?" Zeke said, standing at the back of two defender type summons.

    There were no words replied to him. The elites simply continued on with their attacks. They knew they couldn''t win of course but, they just wanted to assess how wide the gap actually is between them and the former choice of the main deities.

    The fightsted for another 10 minutes which surprised even Zeke. He thought the [Conjures] could wipe the floor with them but as it turns out, the elites are properly talented individuals.

    In the end, as some of them finally got pushed to the brink of exhaustion, Zeke finally took back his summons. He pped at the group for their wonderful performance and, smiling, he said:

    "Come to me once those to are healed."

    "That''s sounds more like an order." Jake replied.

    "That''s because it is." At this, Zeke vanished without leaving a tracegiving the elites something bigger to worry about.

 Chapter 109: The Leader

    Chapter 109: The Leader

    "Master!" Heron said as soon as they returned.

    "We''ve got trouble, the sisters are"

    "Master?" Heron and Morpheus looked around and saw that Zeke is not inside the cave. They''ve just returned from their mission with some unfortunate news. They opened the [Voice Chat] option which just activated, a more convenient form ofmunication than the bracelets.

    "Master where are you?" She said, wanting to deliver the message right away.

    "Oh hey, I''m inside the farm right now. Anything you need?" He replied, continuing his mediation.

    "DAAAAD!" Morpheus butted in, totally ruining Zeke''s concentration. The boy wagged its tail so much that it hit Heron''s face.

    "Ackkk you know how I feel about all that shouting Mory." Zeke replied.

    "I''m sorry dad, I just wanted to talk with you is all."Morpheus replied, which Heron immediately cut off.

    "Just pat his headter. Anyway, we''ve got a problem. The sisters are missing from their cell." Heron continued.

    This is something within Zeke''s expectations. After all these years, de would''ve properly dealt with the Windsprite sisters because there''s something special about their genes. He knows this because de did mention it to him. Meaning, if they aren''t locked up in prisonthey must''ve been brought somewhere and made into test subjects.

    "I understand. Let me finish my meditation first, you two are free to do what you want for now." Zeke replied which, both of his allies agreed to.

    Immediately, everything round Zeke began cracking. Just by him sitting in ce, the earth below him rumbled and the sky above darkened. There''s enough rage to go around and, aside from him being toyed with over and over again, he hates his own helplessness.

    "Just you wait. I''ll tear everything apart with my own hands." Zeke continued.

    "That looks like one nasty storm being brewed up there." Vorst said, finally healed from all his injuries and looking at the sky.

    "Yeah well, there are things scarier than storms in this world." Amare replied, looking at the same sky Vorst is gazing at.

    With the message left by Zeke for them, the group began wondering what it is that they should do. Of course they can''t turn him down but, following him won''t necessarily be leading to anything good. There is too little information offered and, just because the elf said that he is Zeke Elwood, it doesn''t mean that they should believe him right away. And there is another thing which Amare herself is worried about

    Zeke Elwood is the same human which caused an uproar on earth as soon as he went missing. The gamingmunity grieved internationally and demanded an answer as to where he went. The public event went as far as to me his parents which caused so much negative effect on the couple that they died of depression.

    They haven''t told this to Zeke yet and, they believe it is something which should be left out if they wish the best for their mission. It''s not impossible for the human to turn against the gods because, for some reason, they all believe that he can and, he has the ability to beat them down.

    "So what do you think about the offer?" Vorst asked, breaking Amare''s train of thought.

    "I think that we''ve not been trained enough. I think that this world is more dangerous than we made it out to be. And I think that the only logical choice is to follow a man who can beat us all up with a stick if we want to survive theing battles." Was Amare''s reply. Logical as it may be, she is still not fully convinced of this for some reason.

    "Your words sound so convincing yet your voice doesn.t''" Vorst replied, smiling gently.

    Around their cabin, everyone shared the same sentiment. They thought how the offer seemed too good to be true. With Quinn stillcking motivation, the group is a bit lost on what to do next.

    Although the gods told them to finish the quest, there weren''t any punishments included for failing to do so. No negative implications were added in case the group failed to aplish the mission at hand. Hence, they have the choice to live peacefullybut this leaves a bad taste in their mouths.

    They would''ve consulted Kaguya but, she is still unconsciously lying on her room. Zeke told them that the time for her to wake up isn''t assured and so, all they can do is wait and hope that ites soon. And on the room of the said member of the elites, is a trusted ally speaking about her worries.

    "Miss Kaguya, we''re really in a pickle here." Lizzie their enhancer said. She continued staying at the vicemander''s room, feeling that it is the safest ce within the whole cabin. She adores Kaguya after all and, wants to be just like her. Courageous, headstrong, yet calm and collected when needed to be.

    "I came here because I thought I was special. For once, nobody treated me like I''m some kind of inferior human being. That''s why even though it''s scary and my spot is just safely at the backlines" Tears began pouring uncontrobly from her eyes. So much have went on ever since they arrived and, frankly speaking, there was too little time to adjust to the new environment.

    In games, you''d expect battles with some weak opponents to be the first encounter. But, as soon as they arrived, they got dealt with some boss ss monsters, leaving them in a battered and beaten up state.

    "I-I don''t know what t-to do anymore. I d-don''t wanna go h-home either." Lizzie continued, feeling pathetic for herck of resolve and indecision. Yet, the universe seem to have answered her pleas because, a warm hand touched her cheek.

    This surprised Lizzie who immediately looked up, with her tears still flowing uncontrobly.

    "Miss Kaguya?!" She continued, receiving a weak smile from the female elite who have just woken up. Lizzie immediately hugged her and continued crying on her chest.

    "Lizzie, if you don''t mind. I''d like to continue breathing." Kaguya replied, feeling Lizzie''s hug to be too tight forfort.

    "MISSS KAGUYAAAA!" She shouted, rubbing all her tears on Kaguya''s clothes. The elite who just woke up have no idea what is going on but, from the reaction of Lizzie, she guessed that something bad must''ve happened.

    Some members soon followed inside the room, mming the door open. Their eyes widened in surprise as they saw Kaguya finally awake. The vice-leader gave them the same smile and then pointed for someone to take Lizzie off.

    From this point, a lot of things happened. The first of which is the group giving Kaguya time to recover more strength. But knowing that Zeke may not give them this leisure, they asked Kaguya toe to the meeting hall before sundown. She agreed of course, asking also how Quinn is doing to which nobody was able to responded to.

    Sundown came quickly and, Amare was the one charged with disclosing all the information. From the moment that Kaguya lost consciousness until the order given by Zeke, Amare was careful to tell things as they are, without making Zeke look bad or making Quinn look like a coward for refusing to get up.

    Kaguya epted all that was said without anyints and, shock showed minimally on her face. And with all the information finally being given, they waited for what Kaguya would say.

    "I think its safe to say that, Zeke isn''t an enemy of ours. First of all, you said that he massacred all 5,000 soldiers that came for us." Kaguya began.

    "Yeah, but what if that was just a set up for us to gain his trust?" One of them replied.

    "I believe five thousand strong men and five generals is too much of a sacrifice don''t you think?"Kaguya continued.

    "If one general was enough to push us to our limits, then why do they need to sacrifice five more just to gain our trust? Anyway you look at it, the so-called Zeke is an ally for now."

    "For now?" Amare replied.

    "Yes. For all we know, he may have ulterior motives. But I believe that the best choice is to follow his orders. The portal used by King de is probably infested with his troops and a lot of surprises. We have to minimize the risks once we go there and, that includes getting someone stronger than the generals on our side." Everyone agreed on this, it wasn''t part of the original n but, it seemed to be better anyway.

    They have one problem left though and that is their leader. But even this part has been though of by Kaguya already. He told them to get Quinn to face Jake, one which thetter dly epted.

    "So does that mean" Jake began.

    "I won''t ept anyints from the other elites. If Jake wins the fight, then we are changing leaders. We can''t have a cripple leading our group." She continued.

    "Wait so Jake''s going to be our new leader?" Mirio replied.

    "Not yet. Once Zekees, tell him about the situation. If eh wants us, I bet he also needs a strong leader he can rely on. Let him watch the fight." She said in a serious tone.

    Before they could even reach a conclusion, they heard someone knocking on their door. Lizzie came to open it and, what came inside were two creatures which surprised the group.

    "Ohh so these are the guys dad approved?" Morpheus began.

    "I think they''re too dull." Heron replied.

    And with this, the meeting which should''ve ended with the choosing of a new leader, will soon turn into something else entirely.

 Chapter 110: Training

    Chapter 110: Training

    Within the corners of his own room, Quinn continued contemting about a lot of things. Unlike what hisrades are thinking, their leader has actually moved on from the minor setback and is now determined to get even stronger than Zeke. But for that to happen, he needs to fight even more opponents who are at the same level as the generals of de''s army.

    With how he is however, this is impossible without the help of all other member of the elites. But there is actually an unexpected surprise which came with his victory. Quinn gained a massive amount of experience points because he was able to kill a general on her [Primal State].

    Of course, every other member of the elites was given a portion of experience. But, therger part of this channeled to Quinn. Hence,pared to the other elites who only gained around [10] levels, Quinn leveled up to [80] giving him the option of job ss promotion.

    This is another blessing endowed by the main deities. They couldn''t simply outright give the humans the strongest job ssed because, there is a limit to how much a human body can umte at once. This is same with Zeke who received a [Gamer''s System] that allowed him to scale as he leveled up.

    Through the day that passed, Quinn continued contemting on what promotion he should get. There are a bunch of options and all of them are quite good. But one of these stands out from the rest and, that is the [Avarice] job ss. Although the name itself sounds to be one which would be taken by a viin, what the job ss does is actually quite useful.

    [Information: All skills seen and experienced may be imitated. Once perfected, Avarice will turn it into the same skill.]

    [Information: Attribute points equivalent to [2%] will be stolen from every opponent defeated. This will turn into permanent attribute points.]

    [Information: There is a 10% chance to steal blessings and titles from the enemy.]

    [Information: Because of the nature of the job ss, an opponent must be defeated every day or else, all built up effects of avarice will be negated.]

    "This should be enough." Quinn told himself.

    But just before even before he could click the option, his door got mmed open by a woman he doesn''t know. She held her sheathed long katana on her right hand and, looked directly at the human who now decided to get up.

    "Aren''t you supposed to be surprised?" Heron asked. Wondering how the human could stay as calm as he is.

    "You didn''t exactly make any noise and, if you''re able toe up here without riling up myrades, then that probably means you''re not an enemy." Quinn continued.

    "Aweee look at this kid. You actually use your brain, don''t you?" Heron continued, praising the human for his deductive skills.

    As they talked, all other members of the elites stayed with Morpheus who created a giant shield which prevented anyone from following Heron. They would''ve destroyed it of course but, they feared that doing so would cause the two to turn violent. If that happens, it is not only them who''d get in trouble but every demon living in the farm.

    "And who might you be?" Quinn replied, taking his sword in his hand. He is still wearing his sleeping clothes but he didn''t fret about the details much.

    The woman looked oddly Japanese. This in itself tells Quinn that, a human has influenced his strange visitor. There is a limit to the number of humans in Mythos and so, he safely concluded whose ally the woman is.

    "The name''s Heron. Master is currently attending more important matters. So, me and Morpheus figured that we should begin training you guys." She said casually.

    There are a lot of elements to what she said that Quinn can''t make out. So he did what any normal person would and, continued asking more questions. Heron answered everything in kind and, as soon as they finished talking, the two headed downstairs where everyone waited patiently.

    "See? I told you big sis won''t kill him." Morpheus said, smiling at the group as he brought his barrier down.

    "Could you give us a minute." Quinn said to Heron, with the dragon nodding in reply as she stepped back. Morpheus continued and waited for the short meeting of the humans to end.

    Frankly speaking they didn''t have enough time. Heron only gave the group five minutes to resolve everything. But with Quinn''s impablemunication skills, he was able to deliver the whole idea to the group without any confusion. They all nodded in agreement to what is about to happen and, as soon as Quinn looked at Heron, she activated her skill.

    A cloud of mana soon surrounded the group. This began getting thicker and thicker until, everything around them vanished. All that''s left is an area of misty white. It isn''t thick enough to cloud their vision yet, is just enough to give an illusionary feeling.

    It''s the same skill she used against Zeke during their small encounter in Yaeger''s realm. However, this is a bit different because, the skill allows Heron to create a temporary subspace. Zeke believes that the acquisition of the skill is due to the fact that, she stayed within the realm of a goddess for quite a long time.

    "Listen here." Heron began, getting everyone''s attention.

    "We need to teach you guys so you won''t give master a headache. Judging by the rate he is going, master will be fully healed by tomorrow and, that means, you guys will be up for a lot of information uptake and training." Heron continued, snapping her fingers andpletely distorting the surroundings once again.

    Every member of the group got sent to a different terrain, one which is unfavorable to their skill set. This drains a lot of her mana at once but, she is with Zeke after all so, she always has bottles of [Mana Potion] ready.

    "I can sustain this space for about 10 minutes." She continued, showing up on all terrains created and holding up both hands and all of her fingers.

    "It''s actually longer than what I said. For some reason, this space works on a different ne of existence. Making time move rtively slower inside my skill. So that means you guys actually have around a day to train with us." As Heron said this, multiple versions of Morpheus came to the different terrains.

    Each version looked slightly different than the others. One has a giantnce and red hair. One has female features using double ives. Every Mory on the battlefield is pitted against an enemy based on their weakness. Heron made sure that, all the fights would be to their disadvantage because it is only through this that they can break through their limits.

    "Okay Mory, give them hell." And so, the training of the elites has begun.

    While the group started getting stronger, Zeke just finished with his mediation. He moved his fingers and stretched all his muscles, making sure that nothing was left out.

    "Good." He said, feeling satisfied with the results of his meditation.

    It''s difficult for his body to contain all the power that he has, that''s why he can only go all out for a limited amount of time and, judging by its effects from the previous fight with the generals, Zeke knows that he can onlyst 5 minutes on his prime.

    "I need more levels to gain unlimited ess." He told himself, adding an extrayer of mana coating to all his muscles and veins in order to prevent them from suddenly tearing apart in the future.

    Zeke then proceeded to contacting Heron. A task which he is unsessful with. Knowing that both she and Mory may still be enjoying themselves, Zeke decided to check on the elites for the moment.

    Although he''ll take them by force, Zeke was actually thinking of giving them all the considerations possible. This is for the benefit of the whole group because, if he treats them as tools then they might rebel against him in the future. Plus, he knows that their loyalty is still with the three main deities. One which Zeke hated entirely.

    "I wonder if their other members are okay now." Zeke continued, using his [Shadow Dive] skill to immediately transport to the front of their cabin. But then, he felt Heron''s mana working its way around the ce. The thick mist which nobody else notices is produced by the [Dragon Morpher].

    "Seriously?" Zeke said out loud, worried that hispanions are probably beating up the elites too much.

    "Those kids are nowhere near their level yet. What are they thinking?" Zeke continued, snapping his fingers and automatically dispersing Heron''s skill.

    A lot of noise soon followed inside the cabin. With Heron''s voice on top of everyone else''s screaming "MASTER IS COMING!". Zeke waited for this to die out, folding his arms below his chest and counting patiently.

    "Yup. That should be enough." Zeke said as the noise finally decreased  entering within the cabin of the elites.

    Zeke actually wanted to give a good scolding to Heron and Morpheus but, he saw something interesting. With his [Analysis] he was able to see the progress of all the elites and, some shocking things have actually happened.

    Every member of the elites gained at least two new skills during the short training. These aren''t [S] ranked skills but nevertheless, acquiring two within the amount of time they had is something to be proud of. And not only this, their levels also went up by the same amount.

    "Master." Heron began but, Zeke simply put his pointing finger on his lips, telling her to keep quiet.

    "You both did a good job." He continued, smiling at them which made both Heron and Morpheus proud.

    Among the crowd, there are a few new faces: those which were not able to participate in the mock battle against him. And, Zeke can clearly see how these two are a lot stronger than the other elites.

    "I can see that you''ve been trained well." Zeke began, then proceeded to asking them one question.

    "How about we do a remedial on the test I gave?"

 Chapter 111: Remedial Test

    Chapter 111: Remedial Test

    Unlike in the previous run, Zeke doesn''t have any named [Conjures] yet. In fact, most of his previous [Conjures] got wiped out except for Samael. However, the restriction still remains on this creature as, he can only summon it once he reaches [Level 100].

    Hence, all that Zeke has are the [Conjured] version of all the opponents he defeated thus far. Mostly being de''s soldiers within the demon continent. But, Zeke knew that these would be enough for the test he has in mind for the Elites.

    They went back to the same area but this time, Heron is there to provide more protection. Zeke believes that the test may go out of control because of the slight training received by the humans from his two subordinates. This theory is further strengthened by the fact that Quinn and Kaguya are now with them  the humans who caused the most trouble for the demon general they faced.

    "Okay here''s the deal, I''ll listen to some of your requests if you can beat all my summoned creatures." Zeke said, stretching his body. He still fears that something may go wrong if he unleashes his power soon after recovering and so, he decided to use his [Conjures] instead.

    "You mean the same guys that mopped the floor with us? Wait that''s wrong, I mean the guys who mopped the floor using us." Lizzie replied.

    "Yes, but I don''t'' think the results would be that simr this time around. Although that all depends on how you fight." Zeke continued and with this, a hand was raised from the crowd.

    "What is this a school ss?" Zeke said to himself before he replied: "Go on."

    Quinn came forward, wearing his normal armor. He already activated the new job ss and, Zeke is excited to see how it''ll turn out with the uing fight.

    "Can you give us at least five minutes to get a strategy going?" Quinn said in a manerful yet authoritative tone.

    "Listen kid, in a real battle, you don''t ask an ambushing group of enemies to wait. You strike with what you have and hope that you and your teammates are working on the same page." Zeke replied. This much made sense but, Quinn still insisted.

    "Yes, but usually, those who perform sneak attacks are weak. That''s why they need to sneak in order to gain an advantage." Quinn replied and, Zeke smiled at this.

    "So are you saying that you are weaker than my [Conjures]?" Zeke asked.

    "That depends on the results. But with what Lizzie said, it''s obvious that those things wonst time correct? So yes. I guess we are weaker." Quinn answered, getting annoyed about the fact that he needs to admit losing a battle he didn''t fight.

    "Okay kid, then how do you exin the movements of creatures like lions who wait for an opportunity to pounce at their prey? You''re not telling me that lions are inferior to gazelles, right?" Zeke''s mind is actually made up on giving them time to prepare. But he wants to see how the leader of the elites would answer his question.

    "That''s because lions are inferior." Quinn replied.

    "Ohh?"

    "A gazelle may outrun it. A group of bulls may stampede. A rabbit may hide in a hole. A lion is inferior to it because if it isn''t then there''s no need to sneak upon its prey. If it is as fast, as crafty, or as many, then it''ll strike without hiding anything." Quinn continued and at this, Zeke smiled, agreeing with all that Quinn said.

    "Five minutes. After that, we''ll be resuming training." With this Zeke turned around and the group smiled at Quinn who masterfully delivered the message.

    "Who knew you could make him change his minds." Jake began.

    "I didn''t. From the beginning he wanted to give us time to prepare." Quinn said, looking at Zeke''s elven form  talking to both Heron and Morpheus.

    "He just wanted to test me out." Quinn continued,ying out the n for the whole group to execute.

    Exactly five minutes passed after this and, Zeke is already standing in the middle of the battleground to be used. He already exined all the rules to the group and he didn''t bother repeating them again.

    Meanwhile, Heron began creating another thick mist which hindered any skill froming out of the field. Zeke amplified this, making the skill also block all noise and vibration.

    "Shall we get started?" Zeke said, with all members of the elites getting into ce. Again, he grinned in excitement as he said

    "Conjure."

    A thick blue mist covered the whole area where they stood. mes of blue light covered the ground and, out of it came all the creatures possessed by Zeke Elwood. Right now, each of his soldier is as powerful as a Vice-General because of all the aura buffs that Zeke has. Aside from this, through Zeke''s conjure merge, he was able to create 10 creatures on the same level as base formed generals.

    "Seriously, everything all at once?" Jake replied, viewing the whole army coated in blue  their eyes glowing a yellow color while Zeke''s eyes burned crimson.

    "I''ll give you thirty minutes. If you can survive within that time then I''ll continue taking you under my wing. But if you die, then there''s no point in making you my allies." Zeke said as he finally instructed his conjures:

    "Devour."

    mes soon shot up from the sky as the [Chaos Wyverns] circled around the elites. Riding on them are soldiers using bows and arrows, with each strike releasing an explosion of blue mes.

    The five defenders immediately performed the same formation, making sure that the healers are well defended while therger portion of them focused on covering for the whole group. This time however, they didn''t need one defender per healer. In fact, Vorst is the only defender guarding the two as he acquired the new skill [Absolute Defense] which linked all defensive abilities he uses to the two healers.

    Lizzie amplified this and, unlike before, she can multiply the attributes of 5 teammates instead of just two. Hence, she immediately used one on Vorst  making his skill extend to Quinn, Jake, Mirio, and Kaguya who stormed through the ranks of monsters.

    Meanwhile, their archers focused on taking down the [Chaos Wyvern Riders] which was a bit tricky. Arrows have a difficulty finding their target because of the wind produced by the [Wyverns] but, thatck has been ovee. Both archers have acquired a [Wind Immunity] skill and, not only this, they can even infuse wind on the arrows shot, creating a kind of vacuum that increased the amount of strength each arrow has depending on the time before impact.

    Two [Chaos Wyvern Riders] soon fell to the ground with their mounts. The wings of the beasts have been destroyed and, soon enough, they vanished.

    "So they do use their brains." Zeke said to himself, witnessing the growth of the elites in such a short amount of time; one day to be exact.

    Meanwhile, Kaguya has used the same ability she used during the previous fight. [Darkness Veil] allowed her to be infused with Dark Mana. Zeke would''ve worried but, he saw how the output is decreased, making the skill both stable and have a longer time of staying active.

    She perfectly handled 10 soldiersing her way and, together with Mordred to back her up, there was no [Conjured] creature that could sneak up on them.

    "You guys did a good job of training them. I''m actually surprised." Zeke said to Heron and Morpheus.

    "That''s rude dad! We learned how to train effectively from you so of course it''d work!" Zeke brushed Morpheus'' hair who sat on hisp. The child pouted at him, making Zeke want to tease him more.

    "They could only grow if we pushed them to their limits. Unfortunately for your conjures, they have been outgrown by these humans." Heron continued, proud of the results of their training; although short lived.

    "Yeah well, their new skills still need to be sharpened. They''re too excessive with the usage and their movements, it''s such an eyesore." Zeke said, still feeling that a lot of improvements could still be made by Zeke.

    The fight continued and, this time, it is Mirio who showcased his new skill, proving Zeke wrong. He thought of how he could enhance himself even without using [Ring] because, the skill is too limited to be useful. And, his character type gave this answer by providing him a new skill called, [Internal Ring].

    This ability allowed Mirio to sustain the triple status buff effect for a longer period of time. And this time, he is not limited to a single enemy The only setback is that, it cannot contain an enemy nor could it be used to chain the buff to other allies.

    This didn''t matter though because, with the short training Heron has given them, there is no need to do anything of the sort. Adding to this skill is [Gauntlet], a buff which allowed Mirio''s whole fist and brass knuckles to be as hard as the shield of the defenders, giving him a way to defend himself from attacks.

    Then, Zeke''s eyes shifted to Jake. There wasn''t that big of a gap between Jake and Mirio. In fact, with Jake''s experience, he knew that what he needed the most was to act even quicker and a way to always have his javelin with him. Hence, he developed two skills including, [Javelin Blink], and [Overdrive].

    He threw his weapon at one soldier,pletely destroying its head. The javelin, got buried to the ground and, Jake used [Javelin Blink], sending him to the location of his weapon right away. He followed this up with [Overdrive]. This skill allowed his mind to work [10x] faster than normal, making his body move based on his brain''smands. Hence, Jake executed his next movements seamlessly, making him able to destroy all the enemies nearby before resuming normal control over both mind and body.

    "Not bad." Zeke said as he again shifted his attention and, this time toward the leader of the Elites. He had a particr interest on the human because of his job ss [Avarice].

    Quinn moved through every enemy without missing a beat, swapping from one skill to the next while alsobining some skills based on the number of opponents and the situation. He continued going on the offense without ever being forced to defend himself.

    "Internal Ring." Quinn said, boosting all his attributes as he rushed toward the general leveled [Conjures].

    "Darkness Veil." He added, making all his enemies fall to the pit of darkness he quickly created. Unlike Kaguya however, he cannot use it to its full potential as he is not blessed by the goddess Nisha.

    Then, his weapon turned into ance with shadow like mana oozing out of it. His whole armor is d in darkness and, he did not even have any hesitation as he dashed toward the general ranked conjure.

    His opponent noticed his presence immediately and, with its gigantic sword, tried to hack Quinn down. The human used [Overdrive] making his movements transcend human limitations. He jumped up the sword as he let go of hisnce and then, summoned dual des which he used to sh through the neck of his enemy.

    Quinn followed through with [Detonates] on all the wounds. Then, used [Weapon Blink] toe back to hisnce while activating the [Detonate]  making his enemy explode. Quinn added the finishing touches to thebination by pouring all of [Darkness Veil] unto thence. He followed by using [Strength Enhance] before finally throwing hisnce to the enemy.

    Immediately, the conjure got destroyed and so did two other general leveled [Conjures] nearby. After this, Quinn stepped on top of his weapon and nced at Zeke before continuing the one-sided destruction he brought.

    "Cheeky bastard." Zeke said as he smiled in excitement.

 Chapter 112: The End of the Trial

    Chapter 112: The End of the Trial

    Unknown to everyone, Zeke actually keeps a tally of the number of [Conjures] defeated by every member of the elites. He ced the counter as soon as the fight began, and this isn''t as simple as cing a single count per kill of a [Conjured].

    All the skills used.

    Every digit of damage dealt.

    The speed of the fight.

    How many can be killed at one.

    Zeke ced much attention on all the data provided, having a huge screen in front of him provided for by the [Gamer''s System]. Quinn leads on some aspects but, when ites to healing done, support provided and, the amount of damage received, he ispletely beat.

    Zeke also made sure to note every move that wasn''t necessary. Every habitual act that could ce their lives on danger. Every pattern that is too risky and all these other things.

    "Not too shabby." Zekemented, witnessing the final moments of the fight.

    It must be noted that the elites are already tired because of Heron''s training. In fact, it would''ve been better to give them a shuteye first. But what Zeke needs is data of their fighting capacity when they are on the brink of exhaustion. He already has an understanding of their full power. What he wants to know is how well they deal with situations even when both their minds and bodies are already strained.

    A few more minutes passed after this and, the elites have finally mowed down all of Zeke''s [Conjures]. Even with the general ranked [Conjures], the elites didn''t have too much of a hard time. After all, Quinn already defeated three all on his own, leaving only two for the group to eliminate.

    *huff*

    *huff*

    "We''re done here right?" Mordred asked, looking at the cleaned-up battlefield.

    *pant*

    "Yeah I guess so." Was Kaguya''s reply who had a harder time breathing because she only woke up recently.

    Some of the elites actually thought that they could gain experience points from the fight. Much to their surprise however, there wasn''t anything added to the count. This is because the [Conjures] are summoned by Zeke who isn''t a hostile enemy. Thus, no experience points cane out of it.

    "That''s a shame. They would''ve easily gone past 20 levels if the [Conjures] provided any experience points." Zekemented, finallying down from where he is and towards the exhausted Elites.

    He pped at them as all their attention is already fixed on him. Beside Zeke are Harun and Morpheus who both gave a huge thumbs up to the group.

    "You actually did it huh." Zeke said  as if there was some doubt in his mind that the elites wouldn''t win.

    "Of course we did. We''re the elites after all." Quinn replied proudly.

    "Ahh yes, the cockiness thates with being young and ignorant." Zeke thought to himself, holding himself back from actually telling this to Quinn.

    "First of all, I need you all to look at this." Zeke said to them, snapping his fingers and creating a data screen provided by his [System].

    "That includes all of the statistics thates with your fight earlier. It''s good and all that you can kill my [Conjures] but if you don''t have any idea how it is that you did so in the most efficient way, then you''re just improving without any clear goal." Zeke said to them.

    The realization immediately dawned on the group. They looked at the numbers but, because of all the strain that they are already on, they couldn''t make a good understanding of all the data. Zeke saw this and, decided to just leave everything else forter.

    "Okay it''s settled then! You guys areing with me." Zeke continued and before the group could even make anyments, Zeke followed his statement.

    "I''ll provide you some of the details after but, for now, there''s somewhere I need to be. Heron and Morpheus will tend to all your needs." Zeke said, turning around and givingmand to his two subordinates.

    "Oh and, as a graduation gift from being useless to being not entirely useless, I''ve given each of you a set of equipment that''d help you get even stronger. Feel free to get them at our hideout." At this, Zeke vanished, leaving the group all to themselves.

    "He seems to be fond of doing that." Jakemented, remembering how Zeke used the same move on their first mock battle session.

    There is are a limited number of ces where Zeke cold go. Although the demon continent is vast, he will not go to areas such as fortresses of generals that have already been conquered. So where is he exactly?

    "Let''s see, a hundred from the north, and some hundred and fifty from the southwest area. Hmmm not much going on the other parts huh." Zekemented as he looked at his [Minimap]. The gamer floatedzily on top of the farm, high enough to not be noticed by any of the demon farmers.

    On his [Minimap] Zeke keenly observed all the red dots that came closer and closer toward the farm. They are at least a whole day away from the farm but, Zeke doesn''t n to let them get any closer.

    Even though it is only a single day which has passed, Zeke knows that news travels fast within the Demon Continent. In fact, he figured that it would only take another day before the generals make their move again. But his expectations were exceeded. Because right now, troops are already marching towards the farm.

    "Those mounted soldiers are probably their runners." Zeke said, begging his preparations.

    The only reason Zeke could think of as to why the number is this much is to ensure that, at least one of the soldiers could run back  bringing with him or her all the information gathered from the farm. Zeke apuded the foresight of the generals but, pitied how shortsighted they still are.

    He took out his twin pistols and, loaded a single bullet on each. Without the enemy soldiers even noticing it, Zeke has begun surrounding them with a cloud of mana simr to that which is being used by Heron. But it is much thinner, making it seem as nothing more than normal air. Unaware of it, the soldiers are entering unto an area that has all mana, noise, and all other things silenced.

    [Explosion]

    [Burst Damage]

    [AoE Amplification]

    [Death''s Embrace]

    [Range Extension]

    [Greater uracy]

    [eleration]

    Zeke activated seven skills at once, adding their effects to the charged bullets. He checked the coordinates carefully, ensuring that all enemy units enter within the special area he created. They couldn''t sense it, let alone see it. And, as soon as all of the troops got inside, Zeke pulled the trigger, releasing a mass of light that sliced through the air.

    Both bullets shot looked a lot like meteors falling from the sky. Staying only for a second as they reached their target. Immediately, the bullets expanded into humongous explosions, spiraling around a single area which is covered by Zeke''s mist.

    The soldiers all screamed for their life but, everything is toote. The bullets only took a moment to do their job. Within two seconds, the skill effect cleared. And on the ground, there is nothing left but scattered blood and remains of creatures which are too dismantled to make anything out of.

    "Conjure." Zeke began his normal ritual, wanting to have as many of these summons as possible before he lets loose and wages a war against the whole continent. While he performed this, Zeke looked at all the lot gained from his little surprise attack. There''s not much to the items but, once forged, Zeke could create [S] tier equipment out of them.

    He then proceeded to the next area and as he did, an arrow came flying towards him. The arrow itself is infused with magic, making it faster and able to pierce even better. He caught it of course and immediately fired a bullet toward the direction it came from. Zeke didn''t hit anything, telling him that the opponent is probably even farther than he thinks.

    He then looked at the arrow on his hand. Something about it seemed oddly familiar even though he already has a new body. There is a gut feeling that Zeke just couldn''t shake off. And, to his surprise, a message is tied to it. Zeke took this off and, soon enough a smile formed on his face.

    "We have seen your face. Rest assured that our forces will soone hunting you down." There is nothing noteworthy with the letter itself. In fact, it passes as nothing more than an empty threat as Zeke could even wipe out 5,000 soldiers all on his own. But, it is the emblem burnt at the bottom of the paper which got him riled up.

    "It''s interesting to see how the Windsprite sigil is being used by some general on this continent." Zeke said, cing the piece of paper on his inventory

    He knows that there are still a lot of pieces to the puzzle which he has yet to discover. He also knows that de won''t leave the continents without actually having reliable individuals guarding them. And so, even with all his strength, Zeke still treaded carefully. After all, a lot of things can happen in the battlefield. And with the letter he just read, he feels that some unpleasant events are soon to follow.

    "Okay, I think that should be enough for now." Zeke said, finally returning to the hideout to meet the elites.

 Chapter 113: The King and The Ruined City

    Chapter 113: The King and The Ruined City

    "Hey, you guys are supposed to be nothing more than skeleton soldiers. Why are you making me exert this much effort?" de said as he began decimating the army of [Skeletons] around him.

    Right now, the king of Mythos is stuck in the middle of a valley. Mountains cover the whole area and, wherever he looked, there are [Skeleton] type monsters waiting to attack him. He would''ve chosen a different direction but, Pier insisted that it is the shortest route.

    As he arrived there, skeletons began rising from the ground. The earth shook as their full number came to life. de didn''t run away because, he knew that this is also part of Pier''s n. If he ran, it would probably entertain the god. So he did the opposite, he stood still waiting for their full number toe out.

    There are various kinds to these creatures which he is currently fighting. There are even [Skeleton Mages], [Skeleton Hounds], [Skeleton Chivalry] and others. This in itself would''ve bene a breeze for de but, the problem are the leaders of the group. Two figures towered on top of the mountains. They scream in rage because they are forced to stay on the ground. Their eyes gleamed an undead green, imitated by all skeleton soldiers. Their tail wraps the top of the mountains and, their ws release a poison like liquid, flowing down the mountains and into the valley.

    "Come one, I''m sure you''re aware that thisnd is already forgotten by the gods right? No need to be so angry about it." de said, taking out a giant bow and loading five arrows made of pure mana unto them.

    On each arrow is a different element infused. de wanted to make sure of one thing before going all out and that is, the elemental weakness of his opponents. Also, he analyzed the situation carefully, thinking of there''d be any conditional activations that woulde from any of his actions.

    The arrows immediately found their way to their targets. Each was able to deal a significant amount of damage but, it is the [Light] attributed arrow which was able to produce the most effect. At this de smiled.

    "Your attribute is definitely corrupted." de continued, bringing out two spears which are coated with [Light] attribute. He added ten more skills to them before throwing the weapons toward his enemies.

    Immediately, hundreds of the skeleton soldiers have been crushed by de. He continued by using [Area Freeze], jamming any kind of trap around the battlefield he is in. The king continued by using his mana to make him float up on the sky, bringing another spear with him.

    [Damage Amplification]

    [AoE Expansion]

    [Effect Multiplier x4]

    [Effect Multiplier x3]

    [Effect Multiplier x2]

    [King''s Triumph]

    [Death''s Door]

    [Heaven''s Blessing]

    With all the skills he used, de threw the spear down the valley. It didn''t take long for the whole ce to be covered with light, angering the two dragons who watched all their troops go down.

    "Oh don''t be such crybabies. You''ll being next." de said, creating a barrier that blocked the corrosive mes crated by the dragons. These are strong enough to burn even magma and yet, de is able to handle them perfectly well without even breaking a sweat.

    "Mirror." de continued, reflecting the attack of the dragons back to them. The mes quickly crept up the creatures but, just as he expected, they are immune to it.

    "Okay let''s try something else then." He said, getting near one and stabbing a spear on the opponent''s skull.

    He then ced the same spear on the other dragon and, floated in between the two. Then, the clouds above swirled ominously as the sound of thunder began. The dragons couldn''t even do anything against the attack as de said:

    "Lightning Dragon."

    The spears served as rods for the attack, urately pinpointing the target which devastated the [Bone Dragons]. There was nothing left from the attack but ashes of the enemies, and de went back to the valley with apletely wiped out skeleton army.

    "I should get going." He said to himself, following the map provided by Pier.

    de has already spent a couple of days within the [Ruined City]. With the troops he deployed on each continent, de is sure that nothing troublesome wille to his kingdom. On the portal he used, there are [Chaos Dragons] guarding together with some of his finest generals. Thus, he continued treading through the [Ruined City] without much worries but nevertheless doing his best to attain his goal quickly.

    "Ahh yes, another horde of monsters." de continued, viewing the wide ins that followed the mountain. Again, this is the only choice for him to take but, the King decided to rest for a while and recover some of his mana.

    Everywhere de goes is a monster infested area. A vile purple mist covers thend and, not much could be said about finding anything edible. The rivers are bubbling with a toxic green color while the nts are all withered. Those which are not proved to be nothing more than monsters in disguise.

    On the skies, various dragons roam around freely and, from time to time, de would be stuck in ce as these beasts fight for aerial dominance. He could win against them of course but, that''d attract more attention to him and bring more monsters in the process.

    Yet even with all of these misfortunes, de is actually enjoying himself. He knew that, if things are this difficult then, he''ll surely have great rewards waiting for him. Of course, he also needs to bear with the god of mischief who continues toying with him.

    "Hey got any updates yet?" Pier said over an unrestrictedmunication channel.

    Since the forgotten city is technically not part of Mythos anymore, no restrictions apply to the area. Hence, gods could evene down there themselves but, there was never any reason to do so because of the thought that nothing worthwhile woulde out of it.

    "Nothing yet, the map you gave me says that I''m still a week away from the research facility." de responded, creating scouting owls which he scattered everywhere. He added a little something to them which allowed the owls to explode as soon as they make contact with monsters.

    "That''s a shame, I thought that my favorite elf is already near." Pier continued.

    "Please, can we drop that favorite elf charade of yours. I know you''ve got ns to double-cross me soon." The king responded indifferently, receiving a chuckle from the god of misfortune.

    He is thankful for the fact that Pier has helped him advance his goals up to this point. But he has never ced his whole trust in the god, not even once. In fact, it is in his nature to doubt everyone, thinking that every individual has the same line of thinking as he does.

    "Silly human. You know that I could''ve just outright killed you once you entered this realm. And yet here we are, you''re still alive and I''m still guiding you." Pier continued, watching the elf closely.

    "Say anything you want. You''ve got no chance of convincing me that you''re openly helping me out." He replied and at this, Pier chuckled before finally ending themunication.

    "I''ll make sure that our positions are reversed soon enough." de thought to himself. His owls finally finished doing their job with some of them actually exploding. de made his way to the nearest area which has been counted as safe while keeping Pier''s directions in his head.

    Although the ce in itself is a wastnd, de has already gathered a lot of materials for his research. Even without a handy system like Zeke''s, de can store items using [Infinite Box]  one of the ancient skills owned by Gallio.

    It can store any item and has no limit. The only problem is that it doesn''t have an auto-sorting system so, de has to do this all on his own once he returns to Mythos. But none of this would matter if he can''t get his hands on both the form for immortality and, other forms which could help him reach divinity.

    "I won''t be your ything for much longer. Don''t you worry." de said, walking casually through the safe route provided by his owls.

    Throughout his life, de has been able to get stronger by always allowing himself to be stepped on by stronger individuals. He allowed himself to be a servant of the Windsprites in order to gain more of Gallio''s trust. Of course, he directly served Sylph but, their positions are now reversed.

    He then served for the purpose of the Blood Elf Monarch. Doing all of his biding no matter how trivial or irritating they may be at times. He continued following Gallio''s orders and, soon enough found the perfect opportunity to consume both him and all of his powers.

    Right now, de only needs to worry about Pier. He needs to make sure that none of his real motives actually show until he gets an upper hand. After that, all thats left is [Ragnark]  the battle with the gods which would usher a new era of divinity.

    "This system is so rotten." He said as he looked at the wastnd created by the greedy gods. From his birth until the present moment, de was able to see the real state of things. The greed of both men and gods and, the evil that reeks wherever he goes. Yet, no matter what happens, it is only the mortals who gets punished and never the gods.

    de thought how unfair this is. Unknown to him, his goal and Zeke''s are somehow aligned but, neither of them knows this yet. In the meantime, Mythos'' King continued moving forward, step by step, and destroying everything that dares slow him down.

    "I''ll make sure that you pay for all your sins. Each and every one."

 Chapter 114: Testing Equipments

    Chapter 114: Testing Equipments

    Right after he destroyed all the scouts, Zeke''s mind was in a constant buzz. There were a lot of things which were bothering him but, what shook him the most is how the Windsprites sigil was found on that specific letter.

    It was strange and ominous at the same time. Nothing of the sort should have been there after all but, there it was. Reality struck him soon enough, telling him that the Windsprites are probably nearby and that, they won''t be siding with him. What bothered him even more was how everything seemed to be staged. It was as if they knew he would attack and so, brought that to shake him up a bit.

    But just as he was thinking of all these things, Heron suddenly messaged him. This broke Zeke''s train of thought as the female dragon didn''t even leave a second to know if Zeke is busy with anything. Her message is urgent and, badly needs his attention.

    "Master they''re making a lot of unreasonable demands here." She began.

    Over the [Voice Chat] Zeke could hear a lot of shouting already. They sounded a lot like siblings fighting over the inheritance left by their deceased parents. Zeke sighed at this and decided to patch things up quickly before thinking of the Windsprites further.

    "I''ll be right there." Zeke replied, transporting out of the battlefield and into the front of the Elites'' cabin.

    Even as he stood just outside, Zeke could hear the loud noises made by the group. He heard things like "mine" and "trade" making him understand what it is that''s going on.

    "Ahh yes. I forgot to putbels on those items." Zeke thought to himself, opening the door in order to proceed to what needs to be done.

    "Okay break it up you guys." Zeke said, seeing that even the strongest of the group are part of the littlemotion. Everyone wants to have the best equipment after all or rather, the best-looking equipment. They don''t have [Analyze] like Zeke does so nobody knows who owns which.

    Of course, some items like the weapons, are distinguishable. But this only goes for single job ss weapons. There is only one [Javelin] one pair of [Brass Knuckles] but other than that, there are plenty of [Shields], [Bows], and [Staffs] to go around.

    "Sir that sick looking armor is mine right?" Jake said, gripping on to it tightly with three other members. Zeke''s brows furrowed and he reached for the back of his neck.

    "God you''re like kids." He said to the group as he snapped his fingers, making the items teleport back to his inventory.

    "Hey what gives man! I already had that,." Jake said, angry that he didn''t get the awesome looking crimson armor.

    Zeke then flicked his finger, sending a bullet of mana that hit Jake''s forehead. He''s not really in any mood to y with them but, he knows that he can''t just vent all his irritation at them. So, Zeke simply gave that little pinch to relieve himself before continuing.

    "The items are specified based on your job sses already. Unfortunately, it seems like the main deities forgot to give you eyes that could analyze or identify items." He began.

    "Yeah but that badass armor is mine, right?" Mordred butted in, making her receive the same flick which Zeke gave to Jake. The female [Defender] is much sturdier however and, was able to prevent herself from falling down. But Zeke anticipated this and actually added another which caught Mordred off guard, sending her to the same fate as Jake.

    "There won''t be modifications nor would there be any trades that would be allowed. I made these things to fit your needs. These are free you dumbasses so ept it gratefully before I change my mind." Zeke said to the group.

    "I don''t mean to ask but, what makes you so sure that your equipment is better than ones made by the gods for us." Mordred said, getting back up.

    "Yeah. I mean you''re just as human as all of us are." Jake continued, although he forgot the fact that Zeke isn''t necessarily a human anymore but an elf.

    "Fair point." Zeke said, looking at Heron who automatically knew what she was supposed to do. Immediately, the mist of mana swirled around them and, in not less than a minute, the group got transported within her domain once [Cloud of Dreams].

    "Here." Zeke said, throwing two shields to the pair. Jake held on to the old one while Mordred held the new shield made by Zeke.

    "Hold on to those things as tight as you possibly can, They''re the only things that''ll stop me from killing you." Zeke continued, bringing out his twin pistols and loading a bullet each.

    "Since you brought up the question. Let''s test it out shall we." The gamer immediately saw the worried expression on Jake''s face, motivating him to continue teasing them both.

    "Don''t worry, these are just test bullets."

    "How do we know that you''ll equally ce mana on both?" Quinn asked, worried about hisrades. Zeke knew that this question woulde however and, already prepared something for it.

    "I''ll let thatdy put the mana on it so that everyone is sure that its an equal damage each." Zeke said motioning for Kaguya toe near. The female elite followed and soon enough, Jake couldn''t stop breaking into cold sweat.

    "Uhmyou''re sure we''re not going to die right?" Mordred said, still unsure of the defensive capabilities of Zeke''s shield. And, making things worse was how Kaguya was used in order to load the bullets - the same elite who can eliminate arge number of enemies with just a single skill activation.

    "I can patch you up right away so don''t worry about the details." Zeke said which immediately received a bunch ofints from the group.

    "Anyone who makes another sound won''t be getting a new equipment." Zeke dered, silencing the crowd while Jake and Mordred looked at all of them thinking how their own kind betrayed her when they needed it the most.

    They both looked at Kaguya next. Out of all elites, she is the most caring after all. Their eyes pleaded that she lowers the output. But all Kaguya''s eyes said was:

    "I''m sorry I really want that staff."

    "Okay that takes care of that." Please hold on to those shields and, ce as much defensive skill as you want. You can decide to put some or none at all on mine. Zeke said and the humans began cing buffs. Saying the chants one by one but, even before they could move on to the third, Zeke fired, creating a st sorge that it looked a lot like a fireworks disy.

    Clouds of smoke soon followed and, right there still standing perfectly still is Mordred - unharmed. He didn''t even fire on Jake and simply released both bullets on the shield he created.

    "WHAT THE HELL MAN!?" Was Mordred''s reply to what she just experienced.

    "Calm down will you." Zeke replied, snapping his fingers and creating data sheets again. Each member of the elite was given one of these, showing them the numbers connected to what just happened.

    "Okay now that we''re done with all of that, let me exin things clearly. The gods can''t intervene too much with the world. Even those three deities are limited in the number of blessings they can bestow upon you."

    "What''s that got to do with the little disy you put on?" Zilg asked.

    "Think about it kiddos. If they could simply bless a single human to the utmost limits, then there won''t be any need for you guys to follow." Zeke ced his hand on his chest before continuing again.

    "I myself would''ve bene enough for the mission. But that isn''t the case. There arews preventing them from doing all they want because even gods need to have restrictions. Oh, and don''t even bother asking me how I know of this. I just do so zip it." Zeke said furthering his argument.

    "These shields are made from one of the finest metals within Mythos. I cannot forge a new material which does not exist in this world but, I canbine the materials that do exist in order to create a weapon that doesn''t. Hence the exnation for my pistols." He said, showing off his guns to the group.

    "The same is true with that shield. Hey try cing your mana on it will you." Zeke ordered and, as Mordred did this, a de came out from the tip of the shield.

    "I observed all your fighting styles and, of course you can''t improve that much in just a single day''s worth of training. So, what I can do is provide you guys with equipment that greatly supplies whatever youck. And from what I saw, thatssie there is fond of attacking although her job is a defender." Zeke said, pointing at Mordred.

    "Not that there''s anything wrong with that of course. But if she wants to be that kind of defender, then she needs the proper weapon to back this up. Giving her both offense without reducing her amount off defense. Zeke said, throwing Mordred''s old armor toward her.

    "Cut that for me will you." Doing as she is told, Mordred dly shed through the armor. The de was able to cut through half it, stopping just before it could fully slice through the item.

    "That was given to you by the gods and look just how much it could protect you." Zeke continued, sounding like someone who doesn''t trust the gods at all. And he doesn''t.

    The elites wanted to ask him about why he spoke of the three deities so antagonistically but, Zeke cut them off. He told them that the training is over and that he''s hungry. Giving him an excuse to stop the little skirmish and proceed to diner.

 Chapter 115: Feast

    Chapter 115: Feast

    Right after giving them all their equipment, Zeke allowed the group to train using them within Heron''s makeshift realm. There wasn''t any problem because Zeke could simply supply more mana to the female [Dragon Morpher] but, the strain itself is not something which Heron could recover quickly from.

    At most, all the group had was a day''s worth of time within the realm. And this much is already a strain for Heron who already used the skill thrice within the same day. There were a lot of happy screams and shouts includingughs of excitement. Zeke somehow remembered the time when he gave Sebastian and Harun their weapons because of the scene. He removed the thought quickly because, he didn''t want to remember the other things connected to their deaths.

    Hence, with all of them getting familiar with their weapons, the realm dissolved.

    The group proceeded to eating dinner together. Zeke wanted to reject the offer but, they insisted that he joins them. Hence, he got stuck with the group who had ulterior motives. Namely, getting more information about Zeke and the things which happened to him in Mythos.

    "So thepensation that you want is information on how I lived and how I transferred to an elven body?" Zeke repeated, finding no merit to the inquiry. Quinn is the same as him in this thought but, the elites outnumbered him and Kaguya 18 to 2, making the decision final.

    "Yes. It''s just so weird seeing a human turn to an elf." One of them replied.

    Zeke thought of all the events and all he went through. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes for a bit. He needed to filter the information of course but, if he takes too long then the group may think that he is lying. Hence, after a minute of thinking things through, he proceeded to telling them the details of what happened.

    "During the final moments of my battle against King Gallio, I suddenly got attacked out of nowhere." He began.

    "Waithold up. So you did win against that king?" Zilg replied, having doubted the main deities when they told that the first one they deployed was a single human.

    "Yes I did. But it took a lot out of me." Zeke proceeded to saying the details of how he first got into a couple of fights with the army, a general, and two [Chimeras], before finally facing Gallio. Everyone was in awe as they listened to his story, thinking how grain-like their skills arepared to Zeke.

    "Anyway, as I was saying After the fight, there was a spear which pierced through my chest that prevented me from moving and from using any skill." Zeke continued, pointing to his chest.

    "That doesn''t sound convincing." Jake replied, referring to how Zeke survived if that was the kind of attack which hit him.

    "I agree. Even I thought that I would die but, luck was on my side on that single moment. There''s a skill which activated, one that I gained a few quests before fighting King Gallio and, it helped me escaped." Zeke said.

    "Care to exin sir?" Was Red''s reply before eating some food on his te.

    "Of course you''d want details." Zeke said in reply and proceeded to telling them some more information.

    "I''ll be skimming through some stuff to make things short. Evidently, I transferred bodies and, this isn''t any other body but the body of the King and Queen''s son  Keith Leonis." The group went into an uproar as any sane human would from the shock.

    "So that''s why you look so regal!" Lizzie replied which Zeke smiled to.

    "I''m not the one who looks decent, that''s Keith''s body." He replied, knowing that the word decent doesn''t necessarily match his former appearance.

    "I needed to go into hiding after that because, I couldn''t risk being found out. When I got this body, it was still a child''s and, if de sensed me in some way then I would''ve died again." There was a moment of silence, with everyone internalizing the fact that the person in front of them has died twice already, not counting the number of times he used [Blood King''s Curse] which revived him instantly.

    "There was also something that bothered me. It felt like there were stronger forces backing up de and, if that was case, I couldn''t risk being out in the open too soon." Zeke added this as a bonus for the group, ending his story by saying:

    "I hope that answers your questions." To which all the elites nodded.

    "Can we ask something else?" Merlin said, making Zeke smile. That in itself is a question already. But Zeke decided not to pint this out.

    "That depends. Go on let''s try your luck kid." Zeke continued, making some of the elites nod with each other.

    "If you are really who you say you arethen howe the gods never noticed your presence? Aren''t they supposed to be able to see your every move?" Merlin continued in a serious tone.

    "Okay now that is a question worthy of the test I gave you." Zeke replied, smiling gleefully at the group.

    "I''d tell it to you guys anyway but, you bringing it up just speeds things up." Zeke said, creating another data window for each member of the elites.

    I''ve restricted some information but you can see my basic status on that. He said and everyone looked closely at it. Actually, they didn''t even need to go further to see something odd with the sheet.

    "I think there''s a glitch here because your name isn''t Zeke Elwood it''s"

    "Keith Leonis." Zeke affirmed to the group.

    "You get the implications thate with the name right?" It means that although my soul is that of Zeke Elwood, I am making use of another individual''s body. I''m not sure of the details but, simply put, all my ties with the divine was cut off entirely." Zeke continued.

    "The only reason why I could continue on hiding for so long was because of this fact. I''m sure that the other gods had a way to see all that I did and, I didn''t ce this into consideration before. But now I am careful, even with all of you I''m careful not to get stabbed in the back and I hope you do the same. Enemies are always lurking around and you''re never sure when they''d strike next." Zeke gave this advice nonchntly, which weirded the group because the only person in the room whom they have yet to trustpletely is Zeke himself.

    The group talked among themselves as they continued browsing his data. Zeke didn''t mind it because, as mentioned, he already filtered everything shown there  ensuring his own safety including his trump cards like [The One Who Cheats Death].

    "Is there anything else?" Zeke asked the group, feeling generous enough to answer another question for them. He didn''t want to admit it to himself but, he is enjoying the small amount of peace he now has with his fellow humans.

    They whispered to each other for a while. Probably thinking of the best question to ask and, as soon as they reached a verdict, it was Quinn who asked the question.

    "If you don''t mind us asking what is your real goal exactly?" This question made Zeke have a bit of regret in allowing them to ask once more. Even before he could speak, Kaguya followed up this question with a statement.

    "For us we were sent to restore the bnce in this world which starts with destroying the portals where de could pass through. What happens after that is still a daze but I guess we''d start by eliminating all of the king''s forces." She said, with Zeke looking less carefree because of their query.

    "My goal is simple andplicated at the same time. I want to restore the bnce in this world. I guess on that note we are simr."

    "But that''s not my personal goal  it''s the goal of the [System] which I use. I don''t know if there is an [End Mission] or if the [System] will actually congratte me at some point but, I have no other choice but to keep moving forward for now." Zeke continued.

    "I cannot fail for the sake of all those who sacrificed their lives for this goal. I could''ve escaped of course but, this world is all I have now. Without the link, I don''t even have a way to return to earth nor do I believe there is anything waiting for me there." Zeke said and, this brought out an awkward silence.

    Zeke didn''t wait for any response. He then stood up, finishing his meal without anyone even noticing it.

    "Thank you for your hospitality but, I think mypanions and I best be leaving you to yourselves." Morpheus looked like he was about toin but, Zeke gave him a sharp stare, making the boy finish all that''s left on his te immediately, still munching as he went to the side of Zeke.

    "If there is anything else that you need, feel free to use themunication device I left for all of you." He continued, walking out of the house together with the two.

    They are already far way from the elites when Heron finally decided to ask Zeke who still has a serious looks on his face.

    "Master if you don''t mind me asking why did you leave so suddenly?" Heron inquired, looking at her master who still had a serious look on his face.

    "It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth every time I think about it. All of it." Zeke said, staring at the sky.

    A lot has happened to him ever since he arrived at Mythos. But never was he left with any time to think abut the bigger questionswhat does he do when the quests actually end? And, why is he still pursuing the goals assigned to him?

    With the skill [Soul Transfer] Zeke could change bodies once again but, he doesn''t know if something of the sort would be worthwhile. He just wanted to finish the missions and, end everything as he told the elites.

    That is. Bringing bnce to everything created by the gods.

 Chapter 116: Plans and a Surprise

    Chapter 116: ns and a Surprise

    As soon as the next day came, it seemed as if nothing even happened. Zeke was back to his usual self but, nobody wanted to dig even further about what happened to him. Everyone stayed as they are and only focused on the task at hand. Namely, the meeting held by Zeke in order to brief them about the n. Namely  raiding more fortresses before finally closing the portal in the Demon Continent.

    "Our main concern is preventing de from returning to Mythos." He began, opening a holographic map showing the whole of Mythos and, zooming in on the demon continent. A pointer is ced on their current location and, on all other fortresses owned by the generals of the continent.

    "We still have that many to fight?" Mordred said in aining voice.

    "Calm down Rei. I''m sure that mister Zeke has everything sorted out already." Kaguya replied, using Mordred''s nickname. Zeke nodded at her in agreement and proceeded to exining more.

    "Our goal isn''t to fight all of these generals. The main goal is still to close all the portals which de could use. Everything else follows after that." Zeke snapped his fingers, lowering the number of fortresses present on the map.

    "The problem is this, we can''t simply close the portal itself. That''s the tricky part about it. There are gems which keeps it active and, these are hidden on the fortresses of some generals." He said to the group, pointing to the ones left on the map.

    "I''ve registered the mana type connected to the crystals. I''ve been able to do that since, I already have one in my possession." Zeke proceeded to taking out the crystal which glowed a bright violet color.

    "Our target are all those areas. Before I continue, do you have any questions?" Zeke asked, seeing Amare''s hand raised.

    "So does that mean we need to clear out all these areas first? Even with the numbers decreased, these are still a lot and, they don''t look to be near each other." Amare said, already feeling her bodyin about the amount of work she needs to put in.

    "Well yes. That''s the only option that we have. Some of these are actually fakes but, the mana type is too simr to distinguish." Zeke said in reply. He knows that de''s benefactor is the one responsible for this as, there is no way for a mortal to tamper that much with mana crystals.

    "Does that mean we need to use the same technique on the other continents?" Merlin proceeded to asking.

    "Yes and No. You see, the crystal type is different for each continent. I''ve already done a study on these crystals some time ago and, there is only a certain type of mana crystal which could activate within a continent." Zeke said, showing the other continents on the map and, revealing the number of fortresses that needs to be raided.

    "Since we don''t have a crystal to sue as a reference on the other continents, we can''t narrow down the raids yet. For the moment, this is what we need to deal with."

    "Isn''t this a bit unreasonable?" Jake said in reply, viewing the thousands of fortresses present.

    "I think  ''a bit'' is an understatement." Zeke said in reply.

    "This mission in itself is close to impossible. It is both impractical and illogical. So, if you n on chickening out now, I won''t stop you." He continued. Zeke didn''t mince his words; he wanted the group to know just how difficult the mission actually is.

    "If this was a video game, then you''d be noob yers stuck on [Hell] difficulty. I''d be carrying your sorry asses through the stages but even that would prove to be difficult. Your precious deities knew of this and yet they still sent you as band-aid solution to this wound-rotting problem." Zeke furthered.

    "What are you implying right now then?" Quinn said in reply, his ego getting hurt the more Zeke speaks.

    "What I''m implying is that, you lot need to get stronger fast. Because that''s the only way we canplete this mission. And for that to happen, you need to battle stronger enemies within shorter intervals. And this will be the start of that." Zeke showed them another part of the map, one which specifically has the word [Raid] on it.

    "For now, this is the main goal. I need to see how well you''d fair all on your own. The area I marked is owned by one of the strongest generals wing this continent. By going there, we''d automatically wage a war against all the neighboring generals, making it arge-scale battle." The group got a bit worried by what Zeke said but, with their new equipment and the gamer backing them up, they are sure that it would be doable. But then, Zeke added something which drained their confidencepletely.

    "If you think that I''ll be joining this battle, then you have another thinging. I won''t be helping you because, like I said, I need to assess your strength on situations as difficult as that." Zeke said to them. Someone from the group was about to say something but, Zeke sealed this part of the conversation saying:

    "This isn''t negotiable."

    The group became worried of course but, they knew that Zeke is right. They need to prove that they can handle the tough battles that are toe and, more importantly, win. Zeke then continued exining the other details to the group.

    "There''s a bigger reason why I can''t join the fight. I''ll be maintaining arge [Cloud of Dreams] together with Heron. Through this, we''ll be assured that most of the continent won''t be rmed." Zeke showed a zoomed-out version of the terrain, including all the neighboring fortresses.

    "As you can see, on some parts, there is arge gap between one fortress and the next, those will be the endpoints of the skill. We''ll be able to make an illusionary scenario, showing that the fortresses are still fine. We''ll also silence the whole area, preventing any sound froming out of the mist of mana. Any kind of ruckus will be contained until Heron and I disable the skill." Zeke furthered.

    "How long can you maintain the skill?" Quinn asked.

    "If the condition is that, we need to fight within a non-permanent skill effect, then that means there is also a time limit to the fight correct?" He continued.

    "That''s correct mister leader. You only have 3 hours to finish the task. Anything longer than that would cause permanent damage to both my body and Heron''s." Zeke said in reply.

    "What if we finish it in an hour and a half?" Quinn inquired, making all other elites widen their eyes in horror.

    "What the actual f*ck are you saying?" Were the words written on Jake''s eyes as he stared at Quinn. But their leader simply gave him a nk expression.

    "Oh now that is a surprising question mister leader." Zeke said in reply.

    "Okay, if you guys could aplish that then I''ll share something with you. One which the gods never told you about. Does that sound fair?" He continued, smiling at the leader who nodded in agreement.

    After this little bargain, Zeke proceeded to telling them other parts of the mission. He continued by telling them about the letter he received and how it spelled trouble all over. The message itself was vague but, Zeke knows that the enemy has some sort of idea that a group is working against the government.

    "Waitif they know that we''re here then doesn''t that mean that the king will being back?" Mirio replied worried.

    "Don''t worry about that. You see, they can''t report what happened to de."

    "Why? Is there some kind of problem with theirmunication channels?" Curio asked.

    "No. Of course not. Things work perfectly fine and I''m guessing that even on the portal, there are soldiers ready to deliver a message to the king. But, there''s one fatal w that de wasn''t able to ovee."

    "You see, the government he set up is one which he deemed to be perfect. Mr. leader, you know what that means right?" Zeke said, with Quinn actually having an answer prepared already.

    "Yes, it means that he will not tolerate any kind of failure. IF he himself was the one who knit the government together and, in such a long time, then he''d expect nothing less but a wless performance." Zeke gave the human three ps for the masterful response.

    "That is exactly right. de''s higher ups have been trained to do things properly. If it was made known to him that, nine of his generals died including thousands of soldiers, then what do you think woulde next?"

    "I''ll tell you. Execution. Death wille to those whom he put into power in order to make them living examples of whates with failure. Hence, these generals and officials he appointed will try their best to clear things out themselves and, not just this, they won''t make this news public for fear that the other continents will catch wind of it  reporting everything to de in order to gain the favor of the king." Zeke said.

    "Damn, these are some ruthless bastards." Jake said, creeped out by the fact that everyone within the ranks of de''s government are working for their own self-interest.

    "But that doesn''t mean that we''re safe. That''s why we need to move as fast as we can because, if de somehow finds out through his own efforts, then I guarantee that all of you are done for." Zeke said in a grim voice.

    "He wont even need a minute to eliminate all 20 of you and I can guarantee that."Everyone felt terror rush down their own skin. They knew that things would be more dangerous from this point on but, they aren''t sure if they''re prepared to actually face someone like de.

    But even with all of this, the elites decided not to back down. In fact, Quinn asked Zeke a minute after all the details have been given saying: ''when do we start.'' To which Zeke smirked to as he snapped his fingers and said:

    "Now."

 Chapter 117: Beginning With The Continents Strongest General!

    Chapter 117: Beginning With The Continent''s Strongest General!

    "Woahhhh hold up we haven''t even had breakfast yet!" Jakeined, seeing himself up on a mountain. Together with him are all the elites, Heron, Morpheus and Zeke.

    Downhill, the fortress of the demon general [Kel''Thraz] could be seen. There are soldiers guarding every post and, the walls are high enough to hinder even giants from stepping in. On top of the sturdy looking structure are ballistics prepared to be utilized.

    There are also magic crystals on top of poles.Zeke exined that these things are like barriers which prevented the ce from getting raided. But, like any other shield it has a limit and, that is something which the group needs to reach soon.

    On the sky are [Wyvern Riders] the same ones Zeke encountered. There are at least twenty of these troops roaming on the skies. They cannot see Zeke and hispanions because Zeke has ced a cloaking spell on the group which hid both their mana and their presence. They themselves could be seen by the naked eye but, with all the trees surrounding them, this is very unlikely.

    There are also war horses nearby and, Zeke could see some of the soldiers doing their morning training. Wolves are also kept roaming near the gate. This meant that the wolves will be the first ones charging in case an enemuyes. Upon using [Analyze] Zeke saw that they can also smell hostile mana, making them difficult to deal with.

    "We attack, specifically at the first break of dawn because they wouldn''t suspect any attack during this time. Soldiers aren''t thexest at night. When everything seems to be clearly seen, with the help of the sun giving them vision, this is when they wouldn''t expect any ambush." Zeke said in reply to Jake''sint.

    "Your breakfast can wait, right now we need to clear our goal." Zeke opened the [Settings] and went to the [Party System]mand.

    "First of all, I''ll form a party with you so that everyone can use the [Voice Chat] option of my [System]. You can speak with each other by just using your thoughts, so there''s no danger of enemies overhearing. This is only when you allow themand to activate so you don''t have to worry about your allies overhearing your private thoughts." Zeke didn''t wait for their reply and activated the skill.

    "This is how it works." Zeke uttered in his mind, with everyone else hearing him clearly.

    "Oh and don''t use the voice filtering option, I don''t want to hear alien, robot, or chipmunk sounds from you guys." Zeke continued, with Curio being tempted to actually do so. Everyone gave their approval and Zeke went on to the next instruction.

    "For now, Heron and I need to set up the barrier. While we do so, you guys should make a strategy. I won''t be meddling with it. Just know that when I give the signal, that''s the time we begin fighting." Zeke didn''t say the words out loud, he just thought of them and everyone heard it clearly, making the group amazed at the feature of Zeke''s [System].

    The gamer didn''t wait for their reply and went on his way. Left with the elites is Morpheus who guarded the group closely. Although his body is still that of a boy, Morpheus is a lot stronger than any of the elites  a fact which they themselves experienced firsthand during the training with Heron.

    "Okay so what''s the n?" They asked Quinn who already took a stick and began drawing the basic structure of the fortress son the ground.

    "From what we can see, there are around twenty guard posts. Units are also roaming both on the sky and the earth, with most of the ces covered."

    Quinn gave the next set of instructions to the group in an easily understandable way. Every question was answered and every worry was given a solution. Quinn only took ten minutes to brief the group and, they began preparing soon after. This is a good thing because, only five minutester, Zeke finally gave the signal saying:

    "Begin!"

    The elites started with long ranged attacks. With Lizzie enhancing the archers, mages and Kaguya, spells rained down on the fortress while Kaguya covered the whole area with [Oblivion]. Soon enough, the barrier began cracking and, shortly after this, it shatteredpletely.

    The soldiers were in turmoil and a loud bell was rung. They knew that it was meant to rm everyone inside the fortress. It didn''t take long for the soldiers to actuallye out, swarming the whole area and preparing to fight. Quinn didn''t allow this and continued barraging the whole base with projectiles.

    Horus followed up by summoning a group of skeleton soldiers. These aren''t as strong as his other summons but, they can be summoned in multitude, making them look like a proper army. Zilg ced [Detonates] on each soldier, making them ticking tie bombs.

    "Go and introduce yourselves." Horus told his summons who immediately marched downhill. As soon as these creatures were seen by the soldiers, they made their way out of the fortress to attack.

    "Who dares attack the fortress of the great General [Kel''Thraz]?" The soldiers said, virtually one-hitting every skeleton summon of Horus.

    While this went on, Merlin already finished creating a transportation circle  one which would transport some of them inside the fortress. As he does not much information on the structure of the enemy base, he can''t simply send them anywhere. That''s why Quinn was the one who marked the location, ensuring Merlin that they can handle what woulde.

    "You guys know what to do next." Quinn said to the group who nodded before Merlin finally teleported them.

    Just as they disappeared, the skeleton summons already began dwindling in numbers and so, Zilg finally activated the [Detonate]. The skill created a massive area of explosion. Both [Oblivion] and the rain of projectiles was halted because Quinn and the other members are now inside.

    "Summon." Horus continued, creating stronger creatures - Hobgoblins] and [Goblin Riders]. These began ravaging the areas within the fortress. Meanwhile, Kaguya already began regenerating mana in order to use [Oblivion] again. She knew from past experience that; the skill needs to be maintained as shortly as possible in order to conserve mana.

    Zeke gave her a ring which allowed dark mana to be umted effortlessly and, he also created a ring which filtered the dark mana umted by Kaguya. This way, the tamer of darkness is safe from the negative effects of it although, not entirely.

    "Don''t'' expose yourselves too much. End fights as quickly as you can." Quinnmanded, with his fellow elites going in groups around the fortress.

    The leader of the Elites himself is all alone. He didn''t want anyone to be nearby because, he needed to kill as many enemies as he can in order to feed [Avarice]. Soon after, he finally encountered three soldiers making their way outside. They saw him and immediately went for the human who said:

    "Let the feast begin."

    Quinn threw his sword, piercing through the helm of one soldier. Before they could even react, he was already in front of them, pulling his sword from the dead soldier and, shing horizontally to slice the other enemies in half.

    Quinn went straight to the main building, killing every soldier that came his way. With the numbers stacking up, Quinn grew stronger bit by bit.

    "I think I''m loving this new job ss now." Quinn said as he continued dealing with the soldiers that came for him.

    With the suddenness of everything that happened, the soldiers are at a loss on what to do. There are enemies outside and, there are also enemies inside. But the elites knew that this confusion won''tst for long. These are trained soldiers after all. And in order to continue messing with the heads of their enemies, they needed to make as many shy attacks as possible and also, attack from all sides.

    "Is everything set?" the archers asked, eager to use the newbination skill that they learned.

    "Yeah I''ve just finished it now." Merlin replied, assisted by his fellow mage. Around the fortress, he has created multiple one-way teleportation portals. The archers then steadied themselves and, made sure that there is a tree to lean on near their back.

    "Rapid Fire" They said, releasing 20 arrows each second without pause. These all went through the portals created by Merlin and, sent the arrows flying to all corners of the fortress. Vorst and two other defenders followed up by raising a barrier on the center of the fortress, preventing anyone from getting inside.

    Kaguya then activated [Oblivion] on the area that was left out by the barrage of arrows. With the area of battle greatly limited, Mirio, Jake, Curio, and Quinn dominated the battle, finishing out every soldier that dared get in their way.

    Jake''s weapon is now a spear which can be extended and retracted. Mirio''s brass knuckles now have an area of effect which creates a wave of mana behind anything hit, dealing [50%] of the damage to these. Curio got mana gloves which allowed him to create throwing knives and daggers to use whenever he wished; all of which falls short from the sharpness of Zeke''s weapon by just a bit.

    "Don''t let up. Keep pressuring them." Quinn ordered as he finally reached the inner parts of their camp. And, here, the enemies are much stronger, with cavaliers and pdins present. But even these proved to be no match for the leader of the elites who finished them with little trouble.

    This didn''tst for much longer. A giant, meteor like object fell to where Quinn stood, sending him flying by a bit. The human thrusted his sword to the ground, using it to stop himself from getting blown even farther away. A cloud of dust surrounded the object but, as it settled, he saw the goal which he had from the beginning.

    d in dark armor and having dragon like features, the demon general [Kel''Thraz] came to give his regards.

 Chapter 118: Pushing Forth!

    Chapter 118: Pushing Forth!

    "Guys I found the general." Quinn said as he created some distance between him and the enemy.

    "Do you need backup?" Jake said in reply. Quinn continued to evading once more as the general tried pinning him down.

    "Just continue doing your task there should be plebnty of enemies left for all of you to kill." Quinn replied as he used [sh Step] to dodge again.

    "Kaguya will take charge for a while. Make sure to keep a lookout for iing enemies." At this, Quinn turned off his [Voice Chat]  barely dodging the skill shot of the general which came at the same time.

    "You''ve got a lot of nerve attacking the strongest general of this continent." The general proimed, swinging his mace from a distance. It shouldn''t have hit but, it did. Quinn felt the blow touch his body  immediately breaking the shield he casted on himself.

    "What the"

    "Don''t bother thinking boy." The general continued, swinging again and this time, Quinn knew better than to stay put. He moved out of range and sure enough, the structures behind him got smashed down.

    "This''ll be a bit interesting." He said to himself as he decided to close the distance between him and the general. If the enemy has a long-range advantage, then he can do nothing else but to get closer. Although, having a mace as a weapon is not assuring of his chances in this distance.

    "So you decide to court death?" The general said, having his weapon glow with ck mes.

    "Yeah, I''m not so sure with the courting part. But somebody is definitely dying between us." The Elite''s leader replied.

    At this, Quinn used abination of [Detonate] and [Explosion]. His enemy swung so hard that he was sent flying. Quinn activated the skillbination and, the general got caught with the explosions created.

    He got burns from the general''s swing but since it only got attached to a piece of his armor, he just took it off. Quinn wasted no moment and proceeded to creating [Oblivion] one as big as the general himself. All the smoke from the previous attack got sucked in and, as he expected, there is little to virtually no damage done to his enemy.

    "This is going to be more difficult that I thought." Quinn said as his enemy forced [Oblivion] to close; a feat which he never saw anyone aplish before.

    [Attribute and Skill Boost]

    [Internal Ring]

    [Darkness Veil]

    Quinn activated these three skills and brought out the samence he used during the fight against Zeke''s [Conjures]. Through the skillbination, his attributes are greatly amplified in a short amount of time. Hisnce weapon burned the same ck color as the general''s mace and, this made the enemy grin in excitement.

    "That''s more like it!" He said, swinging his weapon again. Quinn was just about to jump but, this time, the attack hit him sooner  sending him flying to the nearest wall that crashed down immediately.

    Suddenly he felt a rush of pain flow through his body. A lot of bones cracked and, although he just wanted to roll on the floor and scream, Quinn knew that there isn''t much time.

    He felt another attacking and, used Merlin''s teleport to change his location although just within a short distance. He then followed by summoning two creatures to divert the general''s attention. Quinn felt hazy while doing all this but nevertheless was able to execute thebination.

    "I wonder how many times he had to deal with stuff like these." Quinn said to himself, thinking about Zeke who fought all by himself 12 years before.

    Meanwhile, the general engaged with the creatures summoned by Quinn. The human used his blood to create the creatures, making them stronger than normal. But even this would hold no candle against a general. That''s why he it so that, one is a full defense type while the other is a full healer type monster.

    The general would not be entertained by these creatures for long of course. Quinn knew that the fight would still end short so he proceeded to healing himself. He activated the healing spells of his team one by one, focusing on conserving his mana while bringing out the speediest recovery possible.

    "Where are you hiding boy!" The general shouted, already killing the summons created by Quinn. He thought that his enemy is already heavily damaged but, he got another thinging as needle sized projectiles began hitting him like rain.

    Quinn is already fully healed and, proceeded to shifting his weapon to a bow and arrows. His weapon could change forms because, Zeke made it so. Using genes of morphing monsters, Zeke was able to create a weapon that could change shape at the wielder''s will  a perfect fit for Quinn and his multi-functioned [Avarice].

    "This is not enough to defeat the mighty general Kal''Thuz!" The general shouted, swinging his weapon once more andpletely burning down the spells.

    But Quinn didn''t let up. He followed this by using the [Golem Summon] of the mages, mixing the attack with three different elements of fire, ice and wind orbs which hit the enemy at intervals.

    [Speed Increase x4]

    [Projectile Cloning]

    Using all of these skills, the general had no chance of performing the same feat he did earlier. A cloud of smoke soon rose, covering the general whom Quinn still stayed alert for. He waited for his enemy to speak or make a move because, Quinn knew that the self-proimed strongest general of the Demon Continent would not go down so easily.

    "Is that all!" The general replied, blowing a gust of wind that cleared out all the smoke created by Quinn''s attacks and, revealing a shield held on the general''s right hand.

    "Of course he''d have a shield." Quinn thought to himself, thinking how a heavily armored general would probably have one.

    Suddenly, hands came up from the ground. Quinn summoned golems while the barrage wen ton earlier and, made them mix with the earth below. He added detonates to these creatures ensuring that they''d deal damage to the general.

    "Explode." He continued, making the summons shattered into a thousand pieces as they are forced to bes suicide bombers.

    Quinn followed up by activating one of Jake''s skills named [Pierce], as he morphed his weapon back to ance. Then, he activated a skill which he acquired together with his new job ss

    "Quick Activation. Skill ModificationQuartet."

    Quinn seemed to disappear from the whole area, all that was left was a line of darkness that suggested where he is or, where he passed through. The general who was still caught up with the explosion, had his vision clouded. But he paid it no mind as, the attacks leading up to it virtually did nothing to him.

    That is, until Quinn finally stabbed through him.

    A huge explosion of ck mes appeared at the back of the general  shattering his armor almost entirely. The clouds of smoke from the explosion cleared up quickly and, the general could only look in horror as to what became of him.

    In front of him is the human, with thence piercing through his body. Blood flowed out of his body uncontrobly and he began to feel it get colder by the second. But even in this state, the general refused to give up. He raised his mace, ready to hit Quinn again. Yet, even this is within the human''s calctions as he said:

    "Burst."

    A second explosion of ck mes came.The already devastated general was turned half-dead, with the dark mes consuming him. Kal''thuz fell to his knees, feeling all energy leave his body, not even having enough to scream in pain.

    Quinn followed by creating hands from the shadow veil to hold the general down and adding to this is a blood sacrifice for summoned creatures, just like Horus performed. He immediately got the general immobilized and, Quinn continued on to taunting the enemy:

    "Come on now, is that all a general can do?'' Quinn uttered and, this was all it took for the general to snap.

    Kal''Thuz screamed like a madman, having nothing else but Quinn in his eyes. The human backed away as he felt the transformation starting and, he smiled as he watched this. Slowly, all the wounds of the general began healing and, Quinn could feel his hair rising from instinctive fear. Yet, even in this situation, Quinn smiled because everything is still ording to his n.

    "Quinn what the hell are you up to?" Jake asked, feeling the intense amount of manaing from their leader''s direction."

    "Quiet now. My enemy is still transforming he said in reply."

    "Wha Quinn!" At this Quinn cut off themunication, knowing that Jake already realized what he meantin front of him, the self-proimed strongest general of the Demon Continent has activated his [Primal State].

    "AHHHHH!" Jake shouted as he killed more soldiers.

    "Fine asshole, you wanna die so badly? Then be my guest!" He continued  running toward a group of cavaliers mounted on their horses. This surprised the group which had always experienced enemies either running way from them or standing perfectly still.

    "Pierce!" Jake uttered extending his weapon as he slid his feet.

    "Overdrive!" he continued, creating a quick motion of extension and retraction which minced the cavaliers into pieces.

    He left one of the horses to himself and, rode the animal which violently resisted him. Jake did nothing more than ce his de under its neck and utter: "Follow me or you die" - in order to make the animal obey his every bidding.

    They galloped through the battlefield, heading towards the gates of the fortress. By this time, reinforcements from other fortresses would begining in and, Jake was assigned to lead the charge against these enemies. He still has the thought of Quinn on his head, making his blood boil as he saw nothing but the arrogant leader''s face whenever he faces a new soldier.

    "Help me relieve some stress will ya?" He continued, jumping off the animal as, around him, are a hundred soldiers altogether. Supporting him are the archers who stayed safely on top of the mountain, together with most of the defenders.

    But.

    Just before they could begin.

    Arge explosion came from where Quinn and the general fought.

 Chapter 119: Quinns Second Fight Against Primal State

    Chapter 119: Quinn''s Second Fight Against Primal State

    "Quinn!" Kaguya shouted, wanting to make her way to their leader. Unfortunately for her, the enemies just keep piling up as if there is no end to them.

    Every other member of the elite has it just as hard. The group in the mountains have finally been discovered and, hundreds of soldiers have been making their way there. However, with the elites present there  the two mages, two archers, defenders, and two healers; things were manageable enough.

    They continued fighting on and, although their mana and health bars are still fine, they felt a different kind of strain on their body. One which they are not yet aware of. And Zeke observed at a distance as this finally caught up with the elites.

    "They seem to be doing just fine master." Heron said, watching as closely as Zeke is. But, unlike her, the gamer has a worried look on his face.

    "I guess I haven''t trained you well enough. Look closely Heron." Zeke replied, making the female dragon wonder what her master meant. She stared more intently at the group; using her [Dragon Eyes] to see even the flow of mana and, at this, her eyes widened in horror.

    "Oh no." She said, wanting to assist them quickly but, Zeke stopped her.

    "Master. At this rate they might just die." She continued, but Zeke only swayed his head sideways in disapproval.

    "Let them be. They need to pass this trial on their own merit." Zeke said.

    The gamer thought that he needs to teach the group to be independent. That is, the thought of him saving them should never cross their minds. He isn''t a savior nor a saint after all. Zeke just wanted to get things done with and, for this to happen, he needs to move as quickly as they are. So he stood up, getting a questioning look from Heron.

    "Their leader said that they can finish it in an hour and a half." Zeke said, referring to Quinn.

    "I''ll hold on to that promise of theirs. I''ve already supplied enough mana on my part. Continue sustaining the barrier until the time limit set by that leader of theirs." Zeke said.

    "Wait. Where are you going master?" Heron asked again, seeing that Zeke ns to go off somewhere.

    "My body seems to bepletely healed now. So, I''ll be paying my regards to the other fortresses." He said in reply, coating himself in dark mana.

    Heron could do nothing but sigh, knowing that she could do nothing to stop Zeke. She only nodded and asked her master to not overwork himself.

    "Don''t be silly Heron." Zeke replied, finally disappearing from the scene. He knows full well that, the only way for them to get out of the hellhole they are in is for him to always push his body to its limits. There''s no other way than this and, Zeke knows it. That''s why, even though he needed to dedicate himself to guarding the elites, he decided to hasten things up and actually fight on his own once again.

    "They''d be fine." He thought to himself as he arrived at the first fortress.

    "That prideful leader of theirs won''t fail me."

    Everyone heard the explosion happen and, on the site itself are both Quinn and the general. Quinn''s armor has parts of it broken by the attack while, the general stood perfectly unharmed. His body is now purely covered in dark mes, making Quinn wonder what the [Primal State] of his enemy could actually do.

    "I''ll exin it to you so that you understand." My power in this form develops an ultimate resistance to every element type and skill type that hits me. The more you use, the lesser options you''ll have." The general began, holding a one-handed axe,rger than any great sword which Quinn has ever seen.

    As it turns out, the mace and shield of the general are actually parts of a single weapon. The mace itself is the handle while, the shield is cut in half, revealing axe des hidden inside it. Quinn remembered the first general they faced and how, the [Primal State] of that general also offered a different weapon.

    "I hope you can deliver boy." The general said as he made a huge swing with his axe. Quinn had a lot of options for a counter-attack but, every vein in is body screamed for him to run away. To evade, to dodge to hide. And he followed this instinct.

    On where he previously stood, the earth got split in half and so did the sky. A wave of ck mes came with the swing  making the earth shake with the power it held.

    "You should''ve finished me earlier boy." The general uttered, getting close to Quinn without him even noticing. But the human was able to activate [Overdrive], making him able to react to the surprise of the general.

    He changed his weapon to a shield and, met the next swing of the general head on. He activated all defensive abilities within his arsenal in order to lessen the damage and the impact. Yet, even this is not enough.

    With the full force of Kel''Thraz'' [Primal State] Quinn was sent flying. He hit building after building, sending them down like they are made by nothing more than stacked up bricks. His armor shattered entirely, leaving nothing but his clothing.

    And, because Zeke used up all his defensive abilities on the blow, Zeke was left with nothing more than his own shield to soften the crash, using [Overdrive] once again in order to force his body to be in the best defensive state even though he is already in mid-air.

    "Here''s another thing boy. All the attacks you use against me gets converted into my own energy." The general said, having his axe overflow with mana.

    The attack I used on you just a while ago contained half of the damage you dealt to me." Kel''Thraz went into stance, with his Axe greatly outstretched to his back.

    "This is the other half." He finished, swinging his axe so hard that even space itself seemed to get split in half. All the force of the attack got aimed at where Quinn crashed to. With the general knowing that he doesn''t have long to live, he wanted to end the fight in the most glorious way possible.

    The whole battlefield heard the sound of the explosion and there was arge beam of darkness which rose towards the sky. The Elites knew that this may mean danger as, it once again came from the area of battle between Quinn and the general.

    "You better not die until I defeat you." Jake said, finally finishing off the hundred soldiers surrounding him and, moving on to the thousands marching forward. Joining him are Mirio and Vorst who have just about finished cleaning up the enemies within the fortress.

    Meanwhile, the general wanted to proceed to where the other intruders are. In fact, he was so sure of his victory that he already turned around and prepared to make a leap.

    "You were a worthy opponent boy." The general said but, before he could even jump up, a voice spoke back.

    "I''m not sure if I could say the same for you." Quinn replied, punching the back of the general so forceless that; the general couldn''t even feel any strength in it.

    He turned around to see the tattered enemy. From the looks of it, the boy didn''t have much to live. Yet Kel''Thraz wondered how Quinn was able to creep up to him in such a short amount of time and, without making any sound.

    "I see that you want to die facing your enemy." The general said, raising his axe up.

    "A worthy choice." He continued but, before he could even swing, Quinn whispered something.

    The feeling of getting hit by explosions after explosion soon followed, shocking the general who was sure that he hadplete invincibility against these attacks. What came next was the sensation of his body getting pierced through by thence and coupled by the feeling of his flesh getting burnt by dark mes.

    His real body was intact. No damage was actually done to him yet, the general was in so much pain that he didn''t know what to do next.

    "That skill is a little something I learned through my own merit. Do you like it?" The leader of the elites said, regenerating right in front of Kel''Thraz.

    The general made a beast-like howl as he forced himself to stand up again. Quinn could see how the tips of the general''s mouth is salivating and, the human simply got disgusted with the creature.

    He uttered the same spell again and, this time, the pain multiplied a hundredfold. The demon general continued swinging his axe like a madman while Quinn finally stepped away. There was no force to it as the strength slowly left the general''s body. Again, no real damage was being made yet the general could feel the pain.

    Quinn then began using new skills. Real ones damaging the general. And this added more to the amount of pain he already needs to bear with. Then Quinn used the skill again, making these newly added skills add to the sensations felt by Kel''Thraz.

    And, after a few more minutes, he dropped to the ground. His eyes turned nk and, consciousness slowly drifted away from the general. Quinn walked up to him and touched his head, deciding to finally end the fight.

    "Thanks for all the attributes and skills you''ll give me." Quinn began as he said:

    "Consume."

 Chapter 120: A Darkness Forming

    Chapter 120: A Darkness Forming

    It was exactly within an hour when Quinn finally defeated the general. There were a lot more enemiesing their way and, frankly speaking, there are not enough forces to hold them all off.

    Kaguya decided to make everyone enter the fortress and fortify the defenses there. Since most of the earlier waves have been cleared already, this was the best action to take at the moment.

    As soon as they grouped up, the healers of aided all wounded members while Lizzie made sure to enhance everyone as much as she could. Zilg teamed up with Merlin and ced [Detonates] everywhere while Horus prepared his summons.

    "A thousand straight ahead and, some hundred on all sides. The hills are covering my vision but, after that everything is good." Amare said to the group who used her eyes to get a good look at the swarm of soldiersing at their direction.

    "Heron should I help them out now?" Morpheus asked, still with the group. Throughout the fight, he didn''t do anything because Zeke specifically ordered him not to aid them.

    "No. You''ll only intervene once there''re half dead." Heron replied, still hoping that some miracle would happen. But as far as she is concerned, without their leader, arge portion of their chances have just washed away.

    Nobody still knew what happened to Quinn. As far as they are concerned, their leader is now dead after the two explosions which came earlier on. Quinn never replied to them after all. That is, until that moment.

    "Hey guys, sorry for taking so long." Everyone fell silent, not knowing if they should believe the voice they heard or not. Kaguya''s eyes welled up with tears and so did Jake who thought of Quinn as both friend and rival.

    "You got us worrying a**hole!" Jake said, making Quinn smile.

    "Yeah well, some stuff happened and we still have that bet with mister Zeke right." He replied, with the whole group hearing his footsteps through the [Voice Chat].

    "Wait, where are you exactly? We need to regroup." Kaguya said and, before they could even get an answer, Amare already said something,

    Uhm guys I believe that''s him. She said, pointing to the man walking outside the fortress and, directly heading for the thousands of soldiers that is toe.

    "Are you crazy man? Get back here. You''re gonna get yourself killed." Curio said, thinking that what Quinn is doing is virtually suicide.

    "Has he gone cahoots after seeing how strong mister Zeke is?" Horus said jokingly which some of the members took offensively. He raised both hands and, made a zipping motion on his lips, meaning he won''t say anything more.

    "Don''t worry about me. Amare, how many are these guys exactly?" Quinn said and, although Amare wanted to deny him information, she knew that Quinn is far from crazy.

    In fact, the only reason the elites kept surviving in critical moments was because Quinn was there. So, she did as told and, used the full strength of her eyes in order to give the information asked.

    "There are around 3,000 of them. I believe some generals are mixed with the group." She said, getting terrified by the sheer number of enemies.

    "I see." Was all Quinn replied as he began stretching his body.

    "Okay this is the n guys. You cover all other sides. Stay safely within the fortress and, the melee will handle those that passes though the defenses. Continue setting up mines and make sure that all summons covers every side as fodders util someone from our groupes as backup." He said, not having any break in his instruction.

    At this, the group is assured that Quinn is still sane, or maybe something else happened to him. The Quinn they knew would never be out all alone to face 3,000 soldiers all by himself, but they left all the thinking forter.

    "Quinn, can you at least answer me this.": Kaguya began, having their leader look at the group who stood on top of the fortress'' wall.

    "What are you trying to aplish exactly." She followed up and, Quinn simply smiled at them as he answered:

    "Proving our usefulness." And at this, he disappeared from sight.

    Everyone still had doubts on their minds but, they knew better than to try and fight all the soldiers at the same time. For one thing, they knew that Quinn had a point and, they had no other choice but to believe in him at the moment while they focused on offense.

    "Amare, proceed to finding the gem in this fortress and other valuable items. We''ll handle everything else." Kaguyamanded, having both Amare and Mordrede down from the wall and into the innermost parts of the fortress.

    They all pushed themselves to the limit, not knowing that their chances of winning are actually lower than [50%]. In fact, Zeke knew that the mission is preposterous for the current skill level of the elites and yet, he still deployed them. Knowing that it is only on real trials that strength can be obtained. And Quin proved this as he began fighting 3,000 armed soldiers all by himself.

    "Where''s the enemy!" One of the Vice-Generals shouted, looking at the whole area and hearing nothing more than the screams of the soldiers and bodies flying everywhere.

    Although there is a great advantage in their numbers, there is also one fatal w with it. That is, they cannot utilize their numbers effectively against one opponent. That is why Quinn did his best to take them out slowly, one by one. Knowing that if he wipes out arge portion of them all at once, then that''ll only create arge space for the group to create a formation. Hence he continued moving through the ranks of the enemies, killing them off swiftly while maintaining minimal damage.

    The group tried to move a way from him of course but, with the barrier set up by the elites, Quinn knew that the members who are able to pass through him won''t be able to do any harm. In fact, he saw one of the cavaliers approaching the barrier and, getting snipped down by one of their archers.

    "Good job.: Quinn thought to himself as he dedicated himself to fighting the enemies.

    Unknown to the whole group, Quinn is actually counting down. He is urately counting the number of minutes which they have already spent in fighting and, how many more minutes are left for this fight. He knew that there isn''t enough left but, if he rushes things then an unfortunate ident might befall them. Hence, Quinn decided to continue as he did, pilling up the bodies one by one without any problems.

    "Kaguya. Give me a report as soon as you''ve cleaned out all the enemies on your side." He said, dodging a de that came swinging for his neck. He returned the favor and hacked 20 heads off using a whip-de type of weapon.

    "Understood." Was all Kaguya said knowing that things are under control.

    Quinn continued on, killing more and more soldiers and he felt the burden of all this. For some reason, there is something heavy weighing him down and he doesn''t know what it is. This is the same thing experienced by all the elites who already felt their bodies getting heavier by the minute.

    Heron watched all this and got worried, knowing that what ails them cannot be undone that quickly once it reaches theter stages. But, she stopped herself from interfering, taking Zeke''s orders as absolute.

    "You need to get through this all on your own." Heron thought to herself, watching the group kill more and more soldiers by the minute.

    Ten more minutes of this went on and, some of the members are already close to fainting. The healers couldn''t understand why, seeing all the members having full health bars. But, nobody dared to take a rest, knowing that their leader is also doing the same and fighting even more than they are.

    "Come on you wussies! Put your back into it!'' Jake shouted, making some of the memebers smile at the energetic hot headed warrior. They shouted back and, somehow gained enough energy to continue on.

    With five more minutes passing, the group finally cleaned up the remainder of the enemies. And Kaguya wasted no time to inform Quinn about this.

    "Okay." He said, falling back after creating arge explosion. He went to the edge of the barrier created by the defenders and, began charging a skill which he has stolen from the consumed general Kel''Thraz.

    "I hope he won''t mind making me a new weapon." Quin said, charging the skill on the forged weapon of Zeke.

    "Skill modification. Primal Weapon." At this, the weapon bursted with dark miasmic mana which made Heron almost take down the [Cloud of Dreams].

    "How does he have that?" Were the words in her head as the hair on her skin rose from terror. And the next moment came swiftly as Quinn uttered a single word:

    "Singrity."

    The whole world seemed to return to a deafening silence and, everyone felt time slow down by a millisecond. All the colors around them also seemed to vanish and, althoughsting for only a split-second, it already scarred their very being.

    Yet this same skill brought so much more to the unfortunate victims of Quinn. Each and every member of the marching soldiers got sliced into two and, all their blood seems to have left their bodies. There is a look of terror on their faces, as if they faced nightmare itself.

    The leader of the elites stood still. His weapon shattering from the use of the skill.

    "Holy sh*t man what the hell was that?'' Was Jake''sment in amazement after seeing what Quinn could do. But their leader couldn''t; turn, let alone move and, soon enough, Quinn dropped to the ground.

    "Quinn!"

 Chapter 121: Something Left Out

    Chapter 121: Something Left Out

    Before Quinn could even fall to the ground, someone caught him. It wasn''t any of the elites but Morpheus himself. Contacting Heron immediately.

    "Heron, this is the time I intervene right?" He asked.

    "Yes. Please take care of things." Was her short reply. The elites soon followed, surrounding the area where Quinn and Morpheus are.

    "Roger that." Morpheus said, bringing out his weapon which made the group back up a little bit.

    Morpheus saw the expression on the faces of the elites. He thought of the whole situation and how the seem to have intentions of attacking him soon.

    "Ohhh don''t worry. I don''t n on killing him." Morpheus began, cing his weapon on the ground as he took out three white crystals embedded on it.

    "Dad told me to help you guys use these in case the need arises." He continued, cing one of the crystals on top of Quinn''s chest.

    "Contain." Morpheus said, activating the function of the crystal as it absorbed all the miasmic mana covering Quinn. There was a strong wind that followed and everyone saw it swirling weirdly - with Kaguya even seeing the faces of the dead through this.

    "Mory what" Before one of the elites could evenin, Morpheus looked at everyone and shook his head sideways. Of course he''d exin thingster but, at that exact moment, he needed to focus on Quinn.

    "Allow me to fill in the information for Morpheus." Heron said through the [Voice Chat].

    "Miss Heron, what is it exactly that is happening right now?" Kaguya asked, worried about Quinn.

    "Well, there''s a lot of exining to do. But let me start with this. Within the Demon Continent, the mana flowing around is a bit weird."

    "What do you mean by that?" One of them asked, with every member still looking intently on what Morpheus is performing.

    "Well, to put it simply, there is a kind of curse on the mana. Every time you kill an individual within the continent, a portion of cursed energy gets absorbed by your body. Taking this in bit by bit everyday won''t be a problem but, if you umte arge amount all at once, then you''re sure to die. It''ll infect all your organs and rot your body from the inside." Heron continued, shocking everyone.

    "Why hasn''t anyone told us this?" Jake asked, referring to the three main deities who should''ve told them beforehand.

    "That is probably because it''ll decrease the chances of some of you joining. They can''t have promising talents back out of this fight after all." Heron continued, thinking that this is a possibility with the gods and goddesses.

    "This is so frustrating." Merlin said, seeing another crystal ced on top of Quinn''s chest. The first one was removed and, everyone saw its color turning pitch ck from its previous pure white.

    "Of course it is. That''s why master has been working non stop in order to prevent any of you from dying. He might seem cold and distant at times, and even cruel. But he actually cares about you especially because he himself is a human from earth." Heron continued.

    "And a proof of that is the crystal which Morpheus owns. On all your weapons, there is the same kind of crystal. Please go and check." The elites did as they are told. Amare actually noticed this earlier but, paid it no mind as there are no readings made from the crystal. For her it is just empty but, it is actually so much more.

    "Those things don''t absorb your mana automatically. In fact, it waits for the activation code." Heron continued, making the elites wonder the reason for this which she immediately followed up.

    "The crystals cannot purely contain miasmic mana. That means, it''ll also take out your normal mana. That would''ve been problematic while fighting since, without any mana, you won''t be able to use any of your skills." Then, they all observed the material, thinking how helpful yet dangerous it is at the same time.

    "So all this time each of us had a [Pure Mana Crystal]?" Horus replied, embarrassed about the fact that he thought of Zeke as azy bum and a bad guy.

    "Yes and, mind you, those things aren''t exactly easy to make. A pure mana crystal is actually something which is created and not something naturally existing in Mythos. The only way to have one is to take a mana crystal and suck out all the mana inside it."

    "That sounds easy enough." Merlin said in reply, looking intently at the gem and rolling it on his hand.

    "It does sound easy. But, actually doing so is close to impossible. Usually, taking out the mana on a crystal entails shattering it in the process. That''s because the mana within the crystal is also the only thing holding it together."

    "Wait so how did you get your hands on these?" At this point, the group saw Morpheus moving on to thest crystal he holds on to. Sweat has formed on his forehead and it seemed that he is having a difficulty with the task.

    "You should look at the details yourselves." Heron said in reply, mimicking Zeke''s [Information Window] which allowed the members of the elite to view the details to the crystal they are holding.

    [Name: Pure Mana Crystal]

    [Item Type: Crystal Storage]

    [Item Grade: S]

    [Where to Acquire: N/A]

    [Information: These crystals are made from continually extracting the mana within normal mana crystals. Through the crystal, the owner can extract mana from any single target.]

    [Information: There is a limit to the amount of mana that could be stored on the crystal. Upon reaching its full capacity, the crystal will glow whereupon, if not extracted by that time, would simply shatter and make the mana contained explode around the area.]

    [Information: The crafter of the item is Zeke Elwood.]

    "That''s a lot of data to take in." Jake said in reply, not being a huge fan of reading a load of information.

    "The likelihood of making one is so rare that even the [Dwellers] of Mythos found a difficulty aplishing this task. However, for master Zeke, this was a piece of cake especially because the cave he created had a lot of crystals lying around. He bought a lot of skills connected to [Mana Maniption] and, things went smoothly after a year of practicing." Heron said in reply proudly, knowing that it is only her master who could create one at the present time.

    "I''m pretty sure there were ssified pieces of information mixed on what she just said." Kaguya thought to herself but, didn''t voice out her concern.

    "Oh and I forgot to say this. You guys should also begin getting the miasma out of your bodies. I''ve ensured that the whole area is now clear from any attacks. Just say the word ''Contain'' and that''ll do the trick." Heron continued, with everyone following the order

    Unlike Quinn who had a seemingly raging storm around him, the other elites had it easier. In fact, they only felt the wind touch their skin gently as they watched their crystals turn ck. But this isn''t the only effect which they felt.

    Their breathing got lighter. And all their muscles got the tension decreased by a significant amount. Their heart rate got better and, everything else about them just seemed lighter. And, they finished at the same time Morpheus did, sitting on the ground and holding three ck crystals on his hand. All other elites dropped to the ground,pletely drained from the extraction that just happened.

    And so, Morpheus stood up immediately, carrying them one by one and bringing them to Heron. Meanwhile the [Dragon Morpher] finally gave the updates to Zeke who just began raiding his third fortress.

    "Master, we''ve secured the area. All that''s left is the crystal and then we''re done." She announced.

    "Good job. That fortress is ours now. Make yourselves at home and take a break. After I return, we''ll be talking about the next phase of the n." He continued, watching his [Conjures] beat down all the enemies in the way while he walked casually around the halls of the stronghold.

    "What are these freaks? Why aren''t they dying!" One of the soldiers screamed, seeing the [Conjures] rise from the ground as soon as they are killed.

    The general of the fortress is already killed. In fact, this is one of the few which Zeke finished; knowing that it would take him a longer time if these guys activate [Primal State].

    "Do we need to set up a barrier?" Heron asked.

    "There''s no need for that. I''m taking care of things as we speak." At this, Zeke closed themunication.

    The fortresses he raided aren''t actually part of the list of those which contained the crystals. In fact, he is sure that no crystal could be taken from the ce. However, the reason why he still pursued this is because of the transmitter found on all three.

    It is on these areas that the signal formunicating is strongest. And Zeke knew that it won''t even take a day for some of de''s forces to learn of what happened. Thus, to prevent the information from spreading like wildfire, he decided to jam allmunications within the continent and, also outside of it.

    "Ah here we are." He said to himself, arriving at the control room without any problem.

    "Okay. Let''s stir things up." He continued, recing the crystal on it with one which he created. This immediately made lines of mana run around the walls of the room, the same thing which happened on the other two control rooms of the continent.

    "Well, that takes care of that." Zeke said to himself, clicking the rewards for the missions set up by the system and proceeding to the next one. He opened the quest menu and, on it is the next area he will teleport to.

    [Destroy all of the King''s forces surrounding the Demon Continent portal.] Zeke couldn''t help but smile as he said to himself:

    "dly."

 Chapter 122: Green Death

    Chapter 122: Green Death

    There are a few ces within each continent that are always heavily guarded. And these areas are the same within all continents. The first of which is always the main stronghold of King de. This is the ce where the king stays at and, because de is someone who is always cautious of his surroundings, there was never a record of any group sessfully infiltrating it.

    Then there''s the castle of the one in charge of the Continent. Each one of these individuals are considered to be a bit lower, if not at par, with de''s strength itself. They don''t even need much security because they could handle battles perfectly fine by themselves.

    Lastly, there is the portal securing the king himself from any intruder who could possibly interrupt his current undertaking. Around the area, there are two chaos dragons waiting to be deployed. Aside from these, three [Generals] as strong as [Kel''Thraz] are in position and most of the soldiers around are as strong as [Vice-Generals]. There are also a bunch of traps set up within the area  making it impossible to enter without umting damage.

    Barriers of the strongest kind have bene ced on the portal itself and on all areas of defenses. There are also mages, long range artillery units, and healers present. Each of these have been modified by de just like every other soldier, making them both stronger and more obedient because of the poison nted within their bodies.

    With all this information, it is a fool''s errand to try and infiltrate the portal area. Yes, it is a fool''s errand and, Zeke Elwood just entered the area.

    "INTRUDER!" One soldier shouted as he saw Zeke appearing out of nowhere. Zeke silenced this enemy immediately by using a [Conjure] which stabbed the poor victim at the back. This was enough to raise the rm of the whole area and, soon enough, the enemies beganing in like a massive wave.

    "Boy, this ce sure is crowded." He said to himself as he released a mass of dark mana, making the enemies back down just a bit. He smirked at them as he finally said:

    "Conjure."

    Before proceeding, a lot of exnation need to be made. One of which is how Zeke found a way to the innermost parts of the stronghold without breaking a sweat. Again, it must be noted that even a thousand strong men would have a hard time just reaching the barrier. Normally, a person would be left half dead from all the traps set up. There are also magical crystals lying around, the types which could be fatal once all the conditions are met.

    And so the question now arises. How is it exactly that Zeke Elwood entered this area so effortlessly? Well the answer is simple, Zeke used the same skill he activated on the five generals he faced.

    Using the [Swap] skill of his, he could easily change locations with one item that he has marked with the skill. And so, even before meeting up the elites, he already ced the link on various crates within the farm. He knew that one of these would be bound to get inside the area and, it did, giving Zeke an opportunity to break-in with ease.

    Of course, with all the surprise that came with Zeke''s appearance, the soldiers couldn''t responds as quicky as possible. In fact, the soldiers on this area arexer because of the barrier. They have already tested it out, even being able to cancel the mes of a [Chaos Dragon] and, if it could withstand that much then it could withstand anything.

    "Where are the others?" One of the toon leaders asked. All he saw around him however are the [Conjured] soldiers, burning with blue mes of mana, attacking everything in sight.

    "Devour." Zeke continued, raising even more [Conjured] monsters, including the [Wyvern Riders].

    Zeke had everything covered and, he watched safely from a distance as all of this unfolded. His [Conjures] did a fine job of protecting him especially because, he once again morphed some of them into stronger [Conjures]. He raided three fortresses beforeing there after all so, he was loaded with both materials looted and newly [Conjured] creatures.

    "Where are the generals?" One of them asked. And as if to answer the cries of theirrades, Zeke saw the a general galloping into the battlefield.

    "We''re saved!" One of them said but, Zeke thought differently, firring two fully charged bullets from [Death''s Void]. This destroyed the unexpecting general, leaving nothing but dust where he stood.

    "What was that again?" Zeke said which he thought would dishearten the soldier. But the opposite happened, they attacked more ferociously. Zeke watched this cautiously from a distance, looking at his [Minimap] for two objectives.

    The first are the [Chaos Dragons] stationed on the portal. With each of these being strong enough to destroy a whole continent all by themselves, Zeke didn''t n on fighting two of these and the remaining generals all by himself.

    "I don''t want to damage the mana circuits I just repaired inside my body." Zeke thought to himself, knowing that he can handle it perfectly well but needing him to release most of his powers once again.

    But Zeke saw something else with [Minimap]. Red dots everywhere without even an inch away from each other, Zeke saw a swarm of enemies on his [Minimap].

    "Okay I''m definitely reaching a hundred after this." He thought to himself, already leveling up thrice from all the fighting he already undertook.

    More and more soldiers came for blood. Zeke decided to exert more effort and finally nned on activating a skill which he has been itching to use for a while now. But for that to happen, he still needed to find something. He first took multiple [Conjures] and ced [Detonates] on them, making sure that all areas within the stronghold are covered.

    With the massive number of summons Zeke had in the center, all the soldiers had their attentions focused. And Zeke made sure that this was so, creating [Explosions] one by one in order to raise rm.

    Zeke then proceeded to making a few shots with his bullets. He knew that the generals would soone and, he wasn''t entirely confident that he could one shot them the way he did with the first general who came.

    Spells came flying toward him but, Zeke simply dodged them all, bringing out the des of his weapon and proceeding to melee. This made the soldiers even more focused as, the long-range units needed to aim carefully, seeing that their target is now mixed in the sea of soldiers.

    The fighting continued on and on until, Zeke reached the edge of the barrier. Every soldier had a menacing smile on their face, thinking that they finally had their opponent cornered. But Zeke only gave them the same look on his face because, his [Conjures] are now in ce.

    The [Conjures] which moved around had three tasks. One is to find the [Chaos Dragons] and cast a sleeping spell on them using the [Detonate] Zeke ced. It won''tst for long but within the time that they are asleep, Zeke knew that he could at least shave down the number of enemies significantly.

    The second is to find the crystals which controlled the barrier. Zeke didn''t want it to be put down. He wanted it to stay as it is. Locking him up inside together with the soldiers. Andstly, they have been scattered in order for Zeke to finally deliver a skill which he wanted to use for a long time now.

    "You know, the barrier actually works two ways. It stops anyone from entering but, it also stops anyone from leaving." Zeke said, as if giving the group a lesson. The group thought that this nothing but a bluff of course. For all they know, the infiltrator is now cornered and, all his [Conjures] are nowhere to be found.

    "Quit bluffing."

    "There''s nowhere to run now."

    "We won''t give you a swift death."

    These were only some of the things told by the soldiers to the gamer. Zeke could feel the cockiness on their voices which was ironic because a few minutes ago they were still screaming like kids.

    "You''re right. There''s no escape." Zeke continued and finally [Detonated] his skill, saying:

    "Poison Cloud."

    A dark green mist covered the area immediately. It rose as quickly as it was seen and, soon enough, the whole area was engulfed by the skill of Zeke.

    With his training, he didn''t forget to refine this skill as well. Because he stayed at level one for a long time, he needed a way to continually damage himself in order to strengthen the [Endurance] type skills and, the best way he thought of was always activating the skill [Poison Cloud]. He didn''t buy any [Poison Resistance] skill which made him feel the full damage of [Poison] that ran through his body.

    Each and every day, this was the training of Zeke. He clouded himself in poison while he meditated and healed himself at the same time. He developed his body to the point that, he started getting hallucinations. But, all of this paid off with the scene unfolding right before him.

    The screams soon came from the soldiers who started feeling the effects of Zeke''s maxed out [Poison Cloud]. This isn''t the only thing which his [Poison Cloud] did. In fact, the skill also has a corroding effect, melting the insides of anyone who gets even a short whiff of it.

    "I figured your boss would probably develop a resistance for all of you because, he saw firsthand what poison could do when stacked up. But, he''s not the only one thinking ahead." Zeke continued, walking past the soldiers who curled up on the dirt.

    There are, of course, more resilient soldiers but Zeke knew what to do with them. He knew exactly how to torture these.

    "All this poison is making me a bit violent so I''d like it if you die as slowly as they do." Zeke continued, making the cloud turn a venomous violet color.

    "Chaos Poison Cloud."

 Chapter 123: The Conjurer

    Chapter 123: The Conjurer

    A harsh wind ran throughout the stronghold. It was cold, but not the normal type. It''s the same type of coldness you''d feel when visiting an underground burial site, with hundreds of corpses being housed. And, this is as urate as it could get.

    With the barrier''s controls damaged as it is, nothing stopped Zeke''s poison from spreading and being contained at the same time. From afar, one would see the mass of violet color that formed a dome. It swirled in a counterclockwise direction and, although nothing could be heard outside the barrier, there were actually a lot of screams and cries for help that urred.

    "Look at all of you, dying without my consent." Zeke said to himself, walking around leisurely even the more problematic soldiers, those who has a higher resistance were down for the count and, Zeke could see their veins protruding  as if these are about to burst out.

    "Don''t worry, you''ll still be serving someone. But not that lousy king of yours." Zeke continued, seeing all the blue tongues of fire that came out from the dead bodies of the soldiers. Yet, he didn''t collect these because, finally, the generals came to greet him.

    The two came out practically unharmed from Zeke''s poison and he somehow knew why. From his [Analysis] he could clearly see that, the remaining generals are now in their [Primal State]. He isn''t sure if the two could see him already but, Zeke was able to clearly observe them.

    "Of course you''d get serious from the start." He thought to himself, realizing that he caused the death of all living creatures within the stronghold.

    One general had a weird weapon on both hands which seem to be oversized gauntlets, or they could also be shields. He wasn''t entirely sure because of the structure of the weapon. So his [Analysis] gave the answer for him. Together with the weapon of the other general.

    "So that''s called a shield basher and, the other one is using a double crossbow weapon." Zeke said and, at that moment, the generals finally recognized his presence.

    "Who dares infiltrate our domain?" One of the generals said. It was weird because, Zeke could see that his [Chaos Poison] still had no effect on them.

    "The five second immunity from transformation should''ve been over minutes ago. Just what is going on here?" Zeke thought to himself. As far as he knew, there was no being on Mythos who ever developed a resistance to [Chaos Poison], meaning they have probably adapted to the poison upon transforming. These were the thoughts of Zeke as he raised his hand, as if he was in school.

    "That would be me." Zeke said, as if it wasn''t'' obvious enough with him being the only one left standing.

    The generals wasted no time and immediately executed their attack, with the melee general making his way to Zeke while the other general already fired a few arrows toward the gamer. Zeke dodged the first by creating conjures which used heavy shield while he allowed the other general to pass through, opening his arms out wide as if saying that "you can attack me freely."

    This angered the general because he was taken so lightly. And so, he decided to add a little speed boost to the attack, making him appear right in front of Zeke five seconds shorter. Yet even this was not enough as Zeke escaped through [Shadow Dive]  teleporting to the farthest [Conjure] which he owns. He wanted to simply keep on running until their timer runs out but, Zeke needed to actually fight. After all, he''s not sure if he could easily use this kind of strategy on every instance.

    "Deception." Zeke began, releasing a massive amount of mana which then turned into copies of himself. Any opponent would have a difficulty figuring out which one is real because, the mana signature of all Zeke''s are the same and, not only this, they have a certain amount of mana which they can use.

    Although the skill is strong, there is a certain limit to its usefulness. That is, the clones can be easily destroyed. In fact, it only takes one decent hit to destroy a clone formed through [Deception] and so, Zeke programmed them to only use [Shadow Dive] and, only on moments when they are about to get hit.

    This confused the generals of course. But what made them even more so were the bullets that came for them. Zeke had a lot of these already charged and, he didn''t n on saving up his ammunition.

    He continued raining down the bullets on the enemies but, to his disappointment, the melee general actually had a decent defensive ability. The double crossbow user stood at the back of this general as a shield was made. Four shield shaped mana were also created, circling around the two generals.

    Zeke''s bullets weren''t able to get through because of this. But he also noticed that one of the shield-shaped mana shatters every time his bullet sessfully makes contact.

    "Okay then how about this." Zeke continued, activating two skills at the same time. One elerated his bullets while the other created two exact copies of the attack with a deduction on damage by [50%].

    They would''ve easily countered the attack of course. But the problem is that, Zeke continued changing directions using [Shadow Dive]. And since there are multiple copies of him around, the generals didn''t know which one they should be attacking.

    "We don''t have much time left." The crossbow using general said and, the other general nodded in agreement.

    Zeke knew that the two would probably use their trump cards at that point. And he didn''t allow them to have things their way.He had to make sure that no life-threatening injury woulde to him and so, he released a mass of blue mana.

    This surprised both generals who now knew which of the copies is the real one. But even before they could make a move, Zeke raised his left hand, as if taking the soul of the ground itself. The air wailed with all the souls of the dead and, for a moment, the generals were at a loss on what to do.

    It wasn''t because they weren''t trained for battle. It also wasn''t because they are weak. They couldn''t; move because, for some reason, whatever Zeke performed hindered all their senses and numbed all the veins on their body.

    The gamer closed his eyes as the amount of mana intensified. Adding to the ski he is channeling; Zeke also had a lot of passive skills backing him up.

    [Lucky Gambler]

    [Master Necromancer]

    [Soul Trapper]

    [Mana Maniption]

    All these skills were already at their maximum levels. And it is through these skills that Zeke was able to have a higher chance of seeding whenever he conjured. And at that moment, the gamer''s crimson red eyes gleamed like a predator''s. And, unaware of it himself, Zeke was also covered by the blue me  like mana, making him look like a [Conjured] monster himself.

    The generals began fighting against their body''s response to what is happening. What they witnessed was the same sight experienced by the [Skeleton Goblins] to which Zeke first demonstrated the skill to.

    The tongues of fire glowed so brightly that, even the generals could see them. They heard the cries of all the dead mixed within the cold sharp wind and, this swirled around in a raging blue color.

    It didn''t take more than two minutes for all of this to ur. And after the mana finally burned the brightest and strongest, Zeke gave themand which would begin the fight.

    "Conjure"

    Soldiers came up from where the soldiersy. The sound of steel armor and weapons could be heard all around. The other conjures of Zeke were already present and, hit the ground with their weapons. Bow, sword, shield, staff,nce, and spear, all hit the ground simultaneously as the creatures awaited the birth of their newrades.

    They all had blue mes surrounding them and, helms that looked different from that of de''s soldiers. They all had the same yellow glow on their eyes and, everything about them just seemed underworldly eerie.

    At that point, the generals were finally able to break free from whatever it was that was binding them. They began making their way toward Zeke but, the gamer had other things nned.

    With his whole army of [Conjures] being present, they all made their way to protect their summoner. With each advance made the generals, they found a [Conjured] creature blocking their path. And, every time they destroyed the creatures, these just kept getting summoned back up from the ground. As long as Zeke supplied mana, there was no end to the number of [Conjures] which would appear.

    Zeke didn''t finish with just this and proceeded to merging once again. He merged over and over while the soldiers relentlessly attacked the two generals. Zeke didn''t let up and made sure that they''ve got themselves busy with the existing [Conjures]. Although they kept decreasing, the value of those present are as useful because, they kept getting stronger with each sessful merging.

    "I need something as strong as Samael." He said to himself, continuing the process no matter how many times it failed or shattered his [Conjures]. He has a lot of stocks left after all and, Zeke wasn''t afraid of using these all up. After all he, still has a lot of enemies which he could destroy and, thus, more conjures which he could summon.

    Then, arge blue me finally lit up. A [Conjured] creature went out of the mes and into the open, showing features simr to Samael but, much slimmer. On its hand is a weapon which had a handle on the middle and des on both ends.

    "Ah there we go" Was all that Zeke said after the [Conjured] finally came out. The generals recognized this new enemy and, with the weaker [Conjures] unsummoned by Zeke, there was nothing standing in their way from finally finishing their targets.

    "Okay. Now let''s fight."

 Chapter 124: The True Blood King

    Chapter 124: The True Blood King

    The battle urred with both Zeke and his new summon fighting a general each. He knew that the enemies don''t have that much time and so, would definitely rush to finishing him off. And this is true enough as, the general fought by Zeke released the spikes on his shield.

    The spikes flew, chasing after the gamer who continued dodging them one by one. He didn''t let any of these hit because, there might be a certain effect that woulde off upon contact. He tested this out by having one of his [Conjured] hit it and, surely enough, the [Conjure] got encased I iced within a matter of seconds.

    "Now that''s intense." Zeke thought to himself as he continued fighting the enemy general who still had a bunch of spikes left. Zeke thus proceeded to shooting them down from a distance using a single fully charged bullet. With a bunch of uracy rted skills being activated, Zeke''s bullet was able to make contact with three spikes.

    An explosion quickly followed.But to his surprise, the spikes came out from the cloud of smoke created by the explosion. Still perfectly fine and, not being affected by the explosion. Not just this, but they suddenly sped up - almost hitting Zeke who had to quickly [Conjure] again in order to shield him from the attack. But it didn''t end there. In fact, the attack froze the ground where Zeke was about to step on and, surely enough, the gamer slipped on the ice.

    He recovered quickly, using the de of his weapon but, the enemy was also quick. He already fired the second batch of these homing things while also throwing his shield at Zeke. The gamer dodged this by jumping up and, it is a good thing that he did because the shield suddenly released four des on its sides  making it look like a ive.

    "To be honest, I have no idea what the hell this weapon is supposed to be." Zeke thought to himself - seeing the weird form of the weapon of his enemy.

    This shield-ive also had a boomerang effect, returning from the direction it came. Zeke tried shooting it but, the shield was too sturdy to be taken down by a half-charged bullet.

    Zeke took the fight as seriously as possible. In fact, he decided to take it so precisely because, he''d probably fight hundreds of these generals soon. As far as he can tell, things like destroying a whole continent''s military forces cannot be hidden for long. And so, he measured it out, dodging, attacking and seeing how much damage he could really deal.

    "Stop moving around!" The general said irritated.

    On the other side of the battlefield, Zeke saw through the corner of his eyes that his new [Conjure] is doing fairly well. In fact, it is doing so well that is was able to cut off one of the arms of the general. This triumph didn''tst for long because, the general automatically regained a new arm as rapidly as the blink of an eye. This was an odd and off-putting sight. It almost seemed like an illusion, how the arm was cut off because of how fast it regenerated.

    "I''ve never really tested the regenerative abilities of these generals." Zeke thought to himself.

    Then, his enemy made him focus as the general threw the shield once again. The gamer wanted to observe more but, he thought he should see it for himself in order to understand the skill better. That is why, he performed a quickbination of skills.

    He dashed toward the general and summoned three conjures around then, he performed [Shadow Dive] over and over again. This is coupled by a skill called [Burst Stream]  forcing his body to elerate forward even without any momentum and, this is as fast as the speed of sound, making it virtually impossible to defend against.

    Hence Zeke made continuous cuts to his enemy, three in fact, cutting off the general''s two limbs and one arm. The amputated general was just about to hit the ground when, all his body parts came back but, Zeke noticed how the regeneration was a bit dyed.

    "That looked a bit slower." He said to himself, trying out thebination again before the enemy could regain hisposure.

    This time, he added six more [Conjures [ positioned around the general and, using the de of [Death''s Void], continued hacking through the enemies. Each and every time, Zeke would look at the speed of recovery while the enemy screamed in agonizing pain. Yet, the general couldn''t do a thing because he could not follow Zeke''s pacing who relentlessly attacked. It should be remembered that, [Death''s Void] can cut through any physical object, making it the ultimate piercing weapon even without having to add any skill to it.

    The only downside is how short the des are but, that didn''t matter because Zeke could reach his enemy perfectly fine. And, even if the general tried attacking him, he could simply switch to the gun mode and pull the trigger.

    "Tell me which part I should cut next." He said, taunting the general who seemed to get tired the more he needed to regenerate. After the enemy finally dropped to his knees, Zeke stopped the assault, understanding the abilitypletely.

    "Tell me, does every general have that insane regenerative ability?" Zeke said to his enemy who now sweated profusely, drooling from the side of his lips.

    "Why should I tell an enemy of the empire." The general said and Zeke sighed with frustration.

    He knew that many of the soldiers and generals were actually forced to join de''s ranks at the start but, seeing one now made him realize that they are beyond saving. Power has probably made them cling on to the king, wanting more of it after getting a drop of taste. And if that''s the case then, [Primal State], the epitome of all this is then iparable to everything else since it gave the biggest number of benefits to whoever has it.

    "Forget it, we''re done here." Zeke said but, just as he was about to end the miserable life of his opponent, the general smiled at him. And, this sent an immediate response to Zeke''s body knowing that, something mortally dangerous is about toe.

    The general is actually famed not because of his offensive ability but, because of his defensive powers. Although not having much when ites to offense, the general could win even without havingnded a blow. And that is because, he had the same skill which Zeke had back then. Or rather, the same skill which Zeke wanted to have on his first run in Mythos  [Backfire].

    The skill has two effects. The first is that it returns all the damage dealtpletely. There is no escaping this, because it is not a projectile nor homing skill. It uses the damage dealt to the skill owner as the base amount and, multiplies this depending on the level of the skill.

    The second is, the person owning the skill could also choose the targets and even multiply them Meaning, the damage umted on a single battle could be divided to as many opponents as the general deems to be dangerous. And not only this, the name[Backfire] is named so because of something that happens to the bodies of those affected.

    Adding to the damage returned, an explosion of mes will burst within the organs of the enemy and, the full explosion of this would be released at the back of the enemy in the form of mes. Kind of like how a bullet would have arger exit hole, than an entry hole because of the scattering of particles inside.

    With Zeke understanding the situation, he tried to back away from the general but, his enemy triumphantly said:

    "TOO LATE!" - using the skill and, sending back all the damage to Zeke Elwood. The explosion came soon enough, with the general focusing the whole skill on Zeke, thinking that his ally could handle the summon decently well.

    He stood up, regaining even his armor d in ck because of the mana emitted by his [Primal State]. He brushed the dust off if his armor and, proceeded to the fight of hisrade.

    "You had no chance from the start." Were the words he said as he watched the pieces of Zeke''s flesh rain down.

    Unfortunately for him, the gamer is already well versed with all of these things. With all the trickery and deceit and surprise attacks that caused hisrades'' lives to end, Zeke knew better than toe to a battle unprepared. In fact, from the moment that he decided to finally get out of the cave, he already had a preventive measure for everything.

    And for his specific skill type, Zeke had one of his old skills [Blood King''s Curse].

    On its maxed-out form, the curse gives two things to Zeke. One is partial immortality based on the conditions and, the second is, an increase on attribute points depending on the amount of excess damage dealt to him. This attribute increase Is time bound and so, it''ll fade in an hour but, before that could happen, Zeke made sure to make full use of it.

    With the cloud of smoke that made him seem dead, Zeke immediately used [Presence Vanish], making the enemies unaware of his presence. He also mixed the mana of [Cloud of Dreams] around him, enabling even the sound he cerates to vanish.

    With [Blood King''s Curse], Zeke ''s weapons turn into the weapon of the Blood King himself: a Halberd. One which Zeke would only use for the second time now. The weapon still felt weird when held but, Zeke didn''t mind because of all the power it gave him.

    The gamer got coated in a crimson red cloak, mixing with the dark shade he already put on. Making him look something that came from the depths of the underworld. His eyes glowed even brighter as if it resonated with the skill, making the gamer look more like a predator  ready to devour its prey.

    Then, with all of this set, he made onerge leap, catching up to the general using two shields. Zeke swung the halberd and, only needed to use the blunt part of it to shatter both shields to pieces. This sent the general flying toward the other one and, upon impact, both of them hit the edge of the barrier.

    Zeke then threw the weapon at them, cleanly piercing through both which made blood stter around.

    "Crap. I forgot I''m not supposed to be throwing it." Zeke said out loud, still unused to a weapon he has only used for the second time.

    "Well no matter." Zeke continued, snapping his fingers and making the halberd glow a crystal red color. It shone brighter and brighter until, it began consuming the two generals within it. Zeke saw the gruesome scene and, wished that nothing of the sort would happen to his body.

    Slowly, the flesh of the two generals, together with their armor, got consumed by the weapon. They screamed from the immeasurable amount of pain, but there was no escaping the skill. Once it activates, it''ll continually eat anything it touches until nothing is left.

    After a minute, the two gotpletely sucked within the halberd which theny on then ground. The color seemed toe to life but, slowly died out as it vanished into thin air. Zeke still felt some danger to the weapon but he paid it no mind.

    "At least I know it''s effective." He said to himself, finally deciding to move to the dragons.

 Chapter 125: Updates and a Shot

    Chapter 125: Updates and a Shot

    [Congrattions! You have sessfully defeated the three generals guarding the portal.]

    [The achievement counts as a Sub Mission]

    [50 Attribute Points have been given as a reward.]

    [Congrattions! You have sessfully wiped out all the forces guarding the barrier.]

    [The achievement counts as a Sub Mission]

    [More information about the Ancient Skill is now recorded on the System''s data.]

    [Congrattions! You have raided the area without awakening the dragons.]

    [The achievement counts as an Optional Mission]

    [You have been given 20 Skill points as a reward]

    The notifications came up one after the other which Zeke allowed. He needed to see all the missions that finished because of his current actions. But from the looks of it, he still had some things to do and, three more missions greeted him connected to the portal area.

    [Optional Quest: Defeat the Chaos Dragons]

    [Optional Quest: Close the Portal Temporarily]

    [Optional Quest: Find more data about the Ancient Spell]

    "How exactly do I do that?" Zeke thought to himself.

    All the missions which the [System] gave him were problematic.Having them as [Optional Quests] should''ve made him think less about actually performing them but, the payout forpletion were actually decent. But still, they were all burdensome, especially thest [Optional Quest]. This is because he doesn''t necessarily have a listid out for him that tells him what the parts of the Ancient Spell are.

    Aside from the fact that it is an [Optional Quest], Zeke doesn''t know much about it. He only knows of the effects which it would bring once he has imed it. But, other than that, Zeke had nothing going for him.

    "Let''s move on to the level." Zeke said out loud confirming themand to the [System] which generated the data involved. He walked slowly, enjoying the moment that he doesn''t need to rush like most instances. The [Chaos Dragons] would still have around 10 minutes before waking up and, this was plenty of time for Zeke to walk around and to see the updates on the [System].

    [You have leveled up!]

    [You have leveled up!]

    [You have leveled up!]

    [You have leveled up!]

    [You have leveled up!]

    [You have leveled up!]

    The notifications on Zeke''s level came like a flood. He expected as much seeing how he defeated three generals and what he estimates to be around 5,000 soldiers once again. Without using the [Conjure] army which he has, Zeke was able to umte all experience points without having to share it with his summons.

    "How much experience points did I gain exactly." Zeke said to himself, opening the data on enemy type and the experience points gained from killing each type of unit.

    Before getting killed by de, Zeke''s system didn''t require him to meticulously do all this. Everyone else is unaware of it but, Zeke actually had a hard time optimizing the new settings of the [System]. With the changing of the body, it seemed like the internal algorithms of the [System] also had a few changes. And, one of these which Zeke hated the most was the removal of his [Gamer''s Body]. But, a tradeoff for that feature is something which he saw before him at that instance.

    [You have acquired the System Exclusive Feature: Gamer''s Mind]

    "Now what do we have here?" Zeke said to himself, getting excited from the name of the feature itself.

    [Information: The feature makes the gamer immune from all mind corroding or affecting skills. Aside from this, the feature also makes the gamer more proficient in the use of the same types of skills.]

    [Information: The gamer will always be calm and collected. Veen when he shows anger, worry, or fear, the brain processing pf the gamer will always work towards the best course of actions.]

    [Information: Owning this skill means that the gamer cannot attain the other System Exclusive Feature  [Gamer''s Body] as only one of these two can be acquired at a time.

    "What do you mean by that?" Zeke asked the system.

    [Information Unlocked]

    [Answer: The feature appears based on what the gamer trains the most. Before the reboot, the gamer seems to have focused much on physical strengthening, defense and regeneration, making [Gamer''s Body] activate. This time however, you have chosen to stay within a cave and trained mentally  creating the optimal requirements for the acquirement of [Gamer''s Mind]. ]

    "That actually exins a lot.": Zeke said to the [System] which didn''t create any notifications based on his words.

    For what it''s worth, Zeke liked the effects of [Gamer''s Mind] better than [Gamer''s Body] and, seeing how he only acquired the feature at that time meant that, the feature is of a higher caliber. Something Which Zeke understands why.

    "Even without the [Gamer''s Body], this feature could give me the same results by just activating its effects." He said, thinking how the skill also had a use saying that the gamer remains calm and collected on any and all situations.

    "That kinda makes me a robot then I guess." He said, thinking how he wouldn''t probably be angered or aggravated on future instances because of the skill.

    But he didn''t mind it, in fact, he liked the idea of being indifferent all the time because, even on his life on earth, this was always something which Zeke strived to achieve.

    "Okay that''s enough of that." Zeke said to himself, seeing that his level is now at [99].

    He wondered why it hasn''t reached a hundred yet with all that happened. But, he also figured that if he killed one of the [Chaos Dragons] he''d get the necessary amount of experience to level up once more.

    Zeke then looked around, seeing what is left of the area which he attacked. The barrier was still up as expected. On his inventory, Zeke had a couple of great finds which couldter be forged into properly useful items. Some of those which came as the greatest additions are materials from the weapons and armor of the generals which died.

    Aside from this, Zeke had a new [Conjured] creature which, admittedly, was still not as strong as [Samael]. But that was a small problem because, one he reaches a hundred, Zeke would be able to [Conjure] this creature again. But for now, he figured he should bestow a name to his new pawn.

    "Conjure." Zeke said, raising the new creature which still looked humanly in size and in frame.

    "For a strong [Conjure], you look too normal." Zeke told the creature which just stared at its master. Zeke noticed that its color is not actually blue but a shade of green close to it  making Zeke understand that the creature was already on an evolved state.

    He liked how it matched his pacing and, even moved like a normal human being. The two of them walked until they reached the dragon because, Zeke was still unsure on what to name the creature.

    The dragons still slumbered as they were and, with Zeke''s [Analysis] he quickly saw how strong they would be as opponents.

    "These se two are definitely on a level higher than the three generals." Zeke said to himself, with his [Conjured] creature prepared to attack. Zeke stopped it of course, not wanting to wake the dragons up and just wanting to get a more detailed information on them.

    "I know the [Optional Quests] told me that I need to kill the [Chaos Dragons] but, I just don''t think it''ll be a healthy choice to make." Zeke said to himself.

    He was sure that he could take one out but, doing so might cause the whole continent to get destroyed in the process as, he cannot handle two flying targets at the same time. Not because of the power difference but because, even with theirrge body, the [Chaos Dragons] could move as swiftly as the [Winged Monkeys].

    "Annnnd done." Zeke said, using another round of the sleeping spell in order to ensure that the dragons won''t be waking up. And thus, the gamer finally made his way out of the scene.

    Everything went as he nned. In fact, he already began the transport portal which took a bit of time. This is due to the barrier''s effects which prevented any foreign teleportation skill to work within it. Hence, aside from the ones used by de''s army and, counting the portal itself, other instant transportation skills are hindered. But, this coudlnt stop Zeke who had aprehensive understanding of the flow of mana. And while he did this, Zeke thought about the elites and how the mission given to them went.

    "They''re probably back within the hideout by now." Zeke said as he began hacking the barrier''s internal programming. Although it is made of mana, the barrier works like any software program, requiring specific strokes of mana here and there in order to activate. And Zeke saw all of these clearly.

    While he did so, he also opened the party feature. He looked at all the names there and saw how each and every member of the elites still had their names with colors meaning, they are still alive. A dead party member would have gray color on their profile and, an empty pool of both health and mana.

    "It''s good that they''re all alive. I probably need to make new equipment for some of them though." Zeke thought again as he finally reached the final phase of hacking the barrier. And, soon after, his transportation spell began.

    But just as he did, he felt somethinge. Something which was both dangerous and life threatening. Zeke''s eyes quickly shifted its gaze on the direction of this and, just as he did

    a projectile broke through the barrier.

 Chapter 126: An Untimely Encounter

    Chapter 126: An Untimely Encounter

    "This is bad." Zeke thought to himself, seeing how the projectile was able to pierce through a barrier which even the mes of [Chaos Dragons] cannot destroy. This same projectile traveled so fast that, before he even knew it, Zeke had no choice but to defend against it.

    With the [Gamer''s Mind], Zeke was able to prepare for it even though in real time only a second has passed. He activated three defense prioritizing skills. Then, he summoned multiple [Conjures] which he hopped would be enough to cushion the attack. Then, he took out a shield from his inventory but, this came toote as, the projectile came faster than expected.

    It pierced through all his [Conjures] effortlessly which was expected because of the first feat achieved by this attack. Zeke then had no choice but to grab on to it and, upon doing so, he confirmed that it was an arrow.

    But this knowledge didn''t help him in the situation. The projectile was still strong and, dragged the gamer to the edge of the barrier. Not only this, Zeke also noticed how, two more of these were about to hit him. They weren''t even through the barrier yet but, Zeke could recognize it clearly as he was already holding on to one of them.

    "I might''ve angered someone dangerous." He said, activating [Shadow Dive] which allowed him to get off the trajectory. He soon saw how two more holes were made through barrier and, on where he was a second ago, the arrows devastated the areapletely, suddenly exploding with a spiraling rage of wind as they reached the edge of the barrier.

    There aren''t a lot of things that could surprise the gamer. In fact, the was so prepared that it would only be de''s tricks that could catch him off guard. And yet, there he was, amazed at how there was a creature who could continually pierce through the barrier.

    He then felt more of thesee and, this confirmed his suspicion. Whoever it is that is attacking him, that person can casually fire arrows of this caliber without any problem. The gamer dodged them again but, this time, the arrow followed him, changing trajectory sharply which even Zeke would never expect from an arrow.

    He barely managed to dodge it by twisting his body to the side but, more arrows like these came after. This proved to be really problematic as, Zeke hasn''t adjusted to the first arrow yet. And at that moment he had at least ten more going for him with the same speed.

    "Fine, let''s do this." Zeke said to himself irritated by the relentless pursuit.

    The gamer held on to one which immediately dragged him again. But, Zeke utilized this opportunity to quickly make abination before the arrow could explode on his hand.

    Zeke used [sh Freeze] to turn the ground around him and everything nearby into ice. He then continued, by using [Center of Gravity] which allowed the gamer to never be off bnce. Adding to this skill is [Gravity Enforce] which made his body heavier than it is supposed to.

    Because of the arrow he caught, Zeke continued spinning on and on. This was part of his n of course and after a few swirls, he was able to get the amount of momentum needed. He disabled the explosion that came with the arrow and, held on tightly to the arrow. Then, Zeke proceeded to his counter attack.

    He used the same skill owned by the javelin user of the Elites. Unknow to them, Zeke also had the skill within his arsenal but, unlike theirs, it is fully refined and evolved.

    [Overdrive] Zeke said, coupling the this with a strengthening skill. Then, with both of these being activated, he threw the projectile back through one of the holes created. Even if Zeke had no idea where the enemy is actually located, the traces of mana told him the estimated coordinates of his enemy. And, this is what he used to aim.

    On top of a mountain, a few kilometers away from the portal, the assant stood in a firing stance. She saw the arrowing back to her and, immediately fired another one to meet it head on.

    "Child''s y." She said, brushing off the strands of blonde hair that fell down from her continuous barrage of arrows.

    She was sure that this would hit but, just before the collision came, something weird came up. Zeke switched with the projectile, leaving him in mid-air but, nevertheless getting a good sight of the enemy.

    "Got you." Zeke said, smiling mischievously as he aimed [Death''s Void].

    The assant was about to draw another arrow but, this was toote. With Zeke''s [Overdrive] coupled by [Gamer]s Mind] he could move faster than the enemy''s drawing speed. Hence, Zeke pulled the trigger which immediately brought the desired results.

    A mass of darkness came through the mountains. It destroyed everything instantly without much resistance. Zeke watched this from a distance, seeing even the streaks of lighting that coated this attack. While this took ce, Zeke was able to dodge the arrow which was supposed to collide with him by simply grabbing hold of it and, throwing the arrow somece else. It might seme easy but, Zeke actually needed a reaction and movement time which surpassed 1 second in order to aplish this and, the arrow could easily drag him if it took him any longer.

    The gamer then used [Air Step] in order to safelye down from where he was. But things didn''t end there and Zeke was sure of it. That''s why, as soon as his feet touched the ground, he called out to his enemy.

    "Whoever you are, I''m sure you''re still alive." He said getting closer to the location a few seconds after his shot cleanly wiped the top of the mountain off the map.

    He then proceeded to looking at the surrounding but, s, there was nothing for him. Not a clue nor any evidence of what the enemy is. Well, that is, save for the intense amount of mana he felt from above.

    Zeke looked up and saw a gigantic magical circle floating on the sky. This continued, turning in a clockwise direction until, the rain of arrows finally came down on him. He would''ve dodged but, the circle also covered the ground, leaving him trapped between a condensed area of assault.

    Aside from this, something interrupted with his spell casting , preventing him from teleporting anywhere out of range. And with this, the storm of arrows began.

    Zeke wasn''t any pushover to allow this to take him down. In fact, he could''ve easily dealt with the enemy after using [Blood King''s Curse] once again. But, from the situation he was in, he also knew that there was also the probability of the enemy bringing reinforcements. And, topping all of this up was the fact that, the [Chaos Dragons] were just slumbering on the ground but were soon to wake up.

    So this was the course of action taken by Zeke. He faked his own death, screaming enough to make the opponent think that he was actually dying and that he was caught off guard. While doing so, Zeke continually created tiny parts of his [Conjures] which blocked most of the arrows that would''ve otherwise hit him. This was the minimal amount of spell casting that he could perform.

    Due to [Gamer''s Mind] being active, Zeke could calmly think about what was happening while also doing his best to live through the attack. He figured that, there was probably a way for the enemy to detect his mana output, hence the reason why he chose to only summon bits of his [Conjures] which used only 5 mana points every time. He didn''t use anything more than this and, tried to analyze the skill that hindered him from teleporting earlier.

    "What is it what is it." He thought to himself, also trying to figure out where his opponent is.

    Zeke needed to know all of this because, in order for him to fake his own death, he needed an angle to disappear from. All these things didn''t take long for Zeke and, as soon as he figured everything out, he began emitting [Cloud of Dreams].

    As the skill itself has the unique trait of having its presence hidden, the enemy wasn''t able to identify it. Unaware of it, the enemy was already being consumed by the illusion which made Zeke''s death look as realistic and gruesome as possible. Through the [Cloud] Zeke was able to cloak everything and so, he prepared to make his exit.

    Zeke threw crystals that contained explosion within them. This didn''t use up any of his mana and so, the enemy had no way to detect that it was emitted by him. Arge explosion soon came which Zeke timed together with his [Shadow Dive]  enabling him to masterfully escape without leaving any trace.

    "So he blew himself up in order to destroy all evidence. Clever." The archer said, floating on the sky, just above the [Rain of Arrows]. Meanwhile, Zeke looked at her intently from a safe distance.

    "That should be enough to entertain her." Zeke said, [Analyzing] the archer and clenching his fist before finally heading back to the base.

    From the projectile that hit him, to the masterful uracy of hitting an arrowing towards her, and making a rain of arrows as quickly and wlessly as that. There was no way for Zeke to be mistaken at all. With the Windspirte sigiling to him earlier on that week, there was nothing doubting the data that appeared on his screen.

    [Name: Sylvia Windsrpite]

    [Job ss: Archelf Windrunner]

    [Specification:]

    [Count of the Demon Continent]

 Chapter 127: Who is Stronger?

    Chapter 127: Who is Stronger?

    It wasn''t long before Zeke was brought back to the hideout. He still had a lot of things on his mind but, for the moment, he allowed them to be pulled back. The gamer looked around and, felt the familiarity of the ce he lived in for 12 years.

    It wasn''t actually as cave-like as he made it out to be. In fact, the ce had enough rooms for a hundred guests. And these aren''t normal rooms but luxuriouslyfortable ones. When he designed these, he thought of how there are those who have a difficulty sleeping when inside somebody else''s house. And so, he designed the rooms for maximumfortability, with multiple designs to meet the multiple needs of whoever his guests would be in the future. And now, these guests are the elites.

    Aside from the rooms, Zeke''s cave had a lot of other cool areas. It had a pool area, a hot spring area, and a normal bathing area. Furthermore, there are various training areas which could be used to enhance different facets of strength.

    Lastly, there is also a designated area where people teleporting will arrive. This was made for two things. One is to ensure the quick response of whoever is already inside the cave. The second is to destroy any foreign entities as, there is a defense system installed on the magic circle below the transport area. Thus, Heron and Morpheus were already there waiting for their master''s arrival. And upon appearing, the two immediately greeted Zeke.

    "Master what happened to your clothes?" Heron asked as he saw the tattered rags that his master had on. Zeke actually had his armor tucked underneath the [Costume] which he set. Nobody can see it but, Zeke is actually always fully geared for battle.

    "Oh?" Zeke realized that he didn''t change his [Costume] before [Teleporting] and, made a snap of his fingers. Immediately, the one he wore got deleted by the [System] and, out came a new set of clothing just as in as the first one. A normal viger outfit that didn''t stand out from the rest. That is, except for the fact that, his is of a ck color which is contrary to the usual violet or brown color of clothing worn by the famers within the demon continent.

    "Sorry, I didn''t notice." Zeke said right after, too focused on the thought of Sylph to actually have his thoughts on other matters.

    "How was your mission daddy?" Morpheus asked, eager to hear just how much destruction Zeke caused.

    "I don''t really want to talk about it for now." Zeke said in reply, looking around and, seeing that the elites were nowhere to be found. But he didn''t even worry a bit because, he knew that the group would seed no matter what and, even if they didn''t, Morpheus was there to save them.

    "And the group?'' He asked, with Heron making a double thumbs up to her master  wagging her tail which came out due to her excitement.

    "They did better than expected master! Especially that new human Quinn!" Heron began but, before she could even continue her exnation, she heard Zeke''s stomach grumbling, making her pause and apologize for not thinking of her master''s current wellbeing.

    "Forgive me master it didn''t ur to me that you might actually be hungry from all that you did." Heron said, although unsure what it actually is that Zeke did after leaving the mission area.

    "Can you tell us what you did now daddy?" Morpheus asked again and, as Zeke saw the eyes of the boy, he couldn''t resist it anymore and gave a short summary of what he did.

    "Oh I just destroyed three heavily guarded fortresses which houses themunication system used by the whole continent. No biggie. Oh and I also destroyed the whole stronghold positioned on the portal area. Three generals were stationed there who had the same strength as the strongest generals of the continent. Plus, I also managed to make the dragons sleep long enough for me to do what is needed. Then, I found an oldrade who almost got me killed. Nothing much actually." Zeke replied casually which made Heron''s jaw drop from disbelief. But then again, she remembered that this is Zeke and so, there was nothing that should''ve made her less amazed.

    "Anyway, I''m a bit tired so if you''ll excuse me, I need to take a quick nap." Zeke told his tworades who nodded and left their master to himself. He didn''t even bother eating anymore because, he wouldn''t be able to eat much with how tired his body is.

    Zeke had a lot on his mind. In fact, there was too much on it that he needed to organize everything while also decluttering. With the [Gamer''s Mind] Zeke knew that this would be even easier and so, he proceeded to sleeping, organizing everything within his subconscious state.

    Strategies on the next fights.

    The safety and survivability of the elites.

    Possible interference of de and other equally powerful forces.

    Skills that need to be sharpened and bought.

    Weapons and items to be forged.

    Zeke needed to think of all these things because, he is the leader of the group. The data on all these things appeared in front of him through the [System''s] window. He sat down with his legs crossed and, rubbed his temples as the ideas came one after the other.

    Zeke needed to have the widest insight, thinking of the worst-case scenarios and how these can be survived through. As he performed this, he also began constructing all his mana veins again. With the fight that just urred, he needed to exert more effort than needed. And, although his mana veins weren''t as damaged as before, he still needed to make some minor repairs in order to make sure that the host body would not have any permanent damage.

    "So Sylph is alive." Zeke thought to himself, remembering the features of the female archer. Everything about her was so much like the one she knew 12 years ago and yet, there was something weird about her mana  like it was tainted with something. But. Zeke''s [Analysis] couldn''t work its way through it. Just like how his [Analyze] couldn''t see a general''s full attributes and skills once they enter into their [Primal State].

    "If she''s alive then that means that there is a possibility for the others to also be so." Zeke continued, thinking about both Sylvia and Allesiah; especially Allesiah because he had developed the strongest bond with this elf.

    I hope you guys are still alive." Were thest words uttered by Zeke as he finished constructing his mana veins. That is, apart from also being able to finish all the battle ns, training regimes, and the blueprints for the improvement of the armor and the weapons of the elites.

    "Yup. That should be enough" He said, finally waking up and, into the real world. He stretched his body a bit, feeling all the repairs and, as soon as he was satisfied, decided to go and eat some food. But just as he was about to leave his room, he heard the loud voices of two individuals.

    "You can''t disturb master while he is on meditation!" Heron said to the human who didn''t listen to her and just continued moving forward.

    "I just want to test things out that''s all, what''s wrong with that?" Quinn replied, and Zeke was able to hear all these. He opened his door slightly, just enough for him to get a better hearing of the exchange between the two.

    "That can wait forter!" Was Heron''s response but, Quinn was stubborn. He wanted to always be on top and, now that he has met Zeke, he wanted nothing more but to surpass the gamer.

    "What do you want to test out exactly?" Zeke asked, finallying out of the room to make them stop their arguing.

    Zeke looked intently at the human who looked fully healed from the battle. He wasn''t told about the reports on what urred but, with his [Analysis] Zeke saw how much the human has grown in just a single fight.

    "You fought the general yourself, didn''t you?" He asked, smiling excitedly at Quinn and knowing that he would''ve also done the same if presented with the same situation.

    "I''ll answer thatter. For now, I request a duel against you sir." Quinn said, still giving respect to Zeke who appreciated the gesture.

    "Okay. But what exactly would I gain by fighting you?" Zeke asked and, at this, the human smiledat him.

    "You owe us one. We finished within the time limit I''ve set and, I think that a little spar won''t put you at any form of disadvantage sir." Quinn replied, wanting to test just how wide the gap between Zeke and him actually is. And, Zeke could read the intention of the human clearly.

    In fact, he has encountered a lot of Quinn-like yers on the games he yed before. Those that strived for perfection but never reached it; crumbling before Zeke''s unorthodox ying style sand the algorithms broken by his strategies.

    "Okay kid, I''ll let you have what you want but, under one condition." Zek said, smiling at the human.

    Heron understood her master''s smile quite well. It was the smile of excitement made by his master whenever he wanted to prove someone wrong or whenever he wanted to y with an opponent, and the worst was whenever Zeke actually wanted both.

    "And what might that be sir?" Was Quinn''s reply.

    "I''ll show you once we get to the battlegrounds." Zeke replied, ready to face the human.

    The walk was a silent one. Both Heron and Morpheus also followed, wanting to see the spar for themselves. They have both fought Zeke countless times but, never have they won, not even once. What made this even more awesome was the fact that, Zeke was still [Level 1] during all those sparing sessions while they grew continually. And this only proved that, there is something to battles other than raw strength and overpowered skills. That is, strategy and mind games.

    "Okay here we are." Zeke said, opening the door to thergest sparing room within the cave. It had nothing on it, just a nk area with a couple of trees and rocks."

    "Do you have a weapon?" Zeke asked, knowing that there was a possibility for Quin''s weapon to be broken.

    He didn''t even need a response anymore, seeing how the human didn''t bring anything out even as he asked So, Zeke brought out an extra copy of Quinn''s weapon as he had a double for each stashed within his inventory.

    "Her you go. And I hope you don''t break it this time." Zeke said, with Quinn nodding.

    "So what is the requirement?" Quinn asked, already on the middle of the battlefield facing the gamer. Zeke smile at him and, simply said one word:

    "Conjure."

    "Your test is simple." Zeke continued, stepping back and making his newly merged conjure face Quinn.

    "You need to defeat it first."

 Chapter 128: Unexpected

    Chapter 128: Unexpected

    A lot of the elites were still actually sleeping. In fact, they needed to have a long time of rest because their bodies weren''t used to the extraction process yet. Because of the crystals that sucked out all the miasma from them, their bodies got drained of all its energy although, cleansed from all impurities. And thus, they all fell asleep on the spot, with both Heron and Morpheus bringing them back to the cave one by one.

    But because of the ongoing fight, they were immediately woken up. The rumbling created by the training grounds extended on the whole of the cave. They all heard it, shaking so violently that they couldn''t; possibly be put at ease especially because, one earth, rumbling earth meant earthquakes. And humans aren''t that fond of natural disasters and cmities such as these.

    Thus, everyone went and looked for the cause of all these ruckuses. Kaguya and Lizzie, still roommates even on the cave, arrived at a spot where both Heron and Morpheus were. In front of them was a tall and wide ss window and, as soon as Heron saw them, she mentioned for the said elites toe close.

    "What is going on here exactly?" Kaguya asked and, Heron simply replied:

    "Take a look for yourself."

    The two dly epted the invitation and took a peek  looking at the same direction Heron and Morpheus'' eyes are. And, what they saw was this. Down on the training grounds, is a battle that looked as chaotic as it was elegant.

    Quinn continued moving around quickly, utilizing the skills of the assassin Curio and the eyesight of Amare. He added the thrusting speed, and sharpness of Jake''s javelin wielding skills while also mixing the uracy of the archers. Adding to the mix were the attribute boosts of Lizzie and, the defensive barriers and shields of the defenders.

    "Hey isn''t that overkill already?" Lizzie asked Kaguya who was amazed with the disy Quinn was putting on. They never saw how he dealt with the general all by himself and now that their leader had consumed a general on [Primal State] Quinn showed a higher level of power.

    "Take a closer look." Morpheus replied  an advice which the two immediately followed.

    Normally, Quinn would only require three skills as abination. This was the reason why Lizzie asked what she did. But with the current opponent, Quinn was forced to use much more as, all his earlier attempts to match the [Conjure] proved to be futile.

    "Let''s see how you like this." He said after stepping back from the [Conjure''s] relentless advance.

    He leapt up and, created a barrage of arrows mixed with spells,bining both magical and physical attacks. Then, Quinn followed through by summoning two creatures to hold down Zeke''s [Conjure] which didn''tst long as, it only took the creature a single sh to destroy these summons.

    But this was a all it took for Quin to be in ce for his next attack. He activated [Oblivion] for a few seconds and, while this went on, he added [Internal Ring] to boost his attribute points. Through this, his enemy would not be able to block him. Ensuring that his attack would be sessful, Quinn added [sh Rush] to the mix  achieving the maximum speed to destroy any normal opponent.

    But Zeke''s [Conjure] was nowhere near normal. In fact, even with [Oblivion] activated, the creature was able to parry the attack. It utilized the force created by Quinn''s blow to continue moving its body sideways. Then, with the free hand of the [Conjure] it punched Quinn down to the ground.

    This would''ve been the end of Quinn. Under normal circumstances, the [Conjure] would''ve probably followed this up by stabbing or shing any vital part but, Zeke prohibited it from doing so. He gave the specific instruction to his [Conjure] to not deal too much damage on the human. And of course, the creature followed as all [Conjures] have unquestioning loyalty toward him.

    "And here I thought you actually got stronger." Zeke taunted which, Quinn took personally.

    The human got back up by using [Oblivion] again. This time, he made it stronger in order for him to get pulled out quickly. The [Conjure] who didn''t expect this got its prey escaping and, as soon as Quinn knew he was safe, he deactivated the skill and regained hisposure  standing up and into a stance.

    "Bravo." Zeke thought to himself, understanding theplexity of thebination performed by the human and how, there weren''t a lot of individuals creative enough to make use of their skills that way.

    Nevertheless, Quinn still found himself in a pinch. While he began breathing heavily, the [Conjure] was still perfectly fine. In fact, as a sort of undead summon, the conjures do not get tired no matter how long they fought. It didn''t matter if they took years, shing at their opponents. As long as the caster lived and, as long as the caster could supply mana, the [Conjures] would continue fighting.

    "Come on now. Surely there''s more to what you can do than this." Zeke jested but, even he knew how disadvantageous the fight was for the human.

    Zeke''s unnamed [Conjure] moved so fluidly, having all the proper skills of the soldiers that were merged in order to create it. Thus, all skills are also refined versions of the ones owned by the merged [Conjures]. And how strong was Zeke''s [Conjure] exactly?

    The newly merged creature had a [D+] rank. This creature was already on the evolved phase so, basically, what Quinn fought was at the same level of the boss monsters which Zeke dealt with within Yaeger''s realm.

    But there was arger problem. Due to the aura skills of Zeke, the summon was also greatly strengthened, raising the unnamed [Conjure''s] rank to [C+]. Strong enough to fight against a [Primal State] general ande out winning without even getting too serious.

    "More kid, you''re losing your pace.'' Zee shouted, as if he was rooting for Quinn who still tried measuring up his opponent. There wasn''t much for him to measure though as, the creature was just a lot stronger than he was.

    Meanwhile, on the top view, the elites and the tworades of Zeke were all getting more and more pumped up with the fight. They wanted to have some piece of action themselves although they have just woken up from the effects of the extraction.

    It wasn''t normal for them to see a fight of this caliber without actually having to engage in it and thus, they both learned from the fight and, tried to engrave all the movements on their heads. Heron didn''t even need to tell them to do so, the elites instinctively knew that all of this would be usefulter on.

    Meanwhile, Zeke watched the fight just as carefully. He wasn''t simply amusing himself and showing howrge the gap was between him and the human. In fact, he intended for the fight to be a learning experience. Both for themanding leader of the elites and, the group itself which he had observed to be already watching the fight.

    Everything about the little sparing session was a disadvantage to Quinn when it came to raw strength. But, Zeke knew that this won''t be a problem as long as Quinn knew how to use all his cards properly.

    "Fight isn''t all about brute strength and raw power." Zeke thought to himself, watching the human get pushed back by his [Conjure] over and over again.

    "Get a little bit more serious on him. I don''t mind." Zekemanded his creature which still held back as it was told.

    But now that the order was given, one could see how the [Conjure] seemed to have a gleeful expression on its face. Its eyes gleamed like a predator''s and, soon emitted me-like mana.

    "I suggest you put more effort if you don''t want to get killed" Zeke advised Quinn who watched his enemy''s power spiking up rapidly.

    The human tried backing up some more but, there was nowhere to run to. The terrain was so t that, Quinn didn''t have much to utilize. There were a lot of trees andrge rocks but that was just about it. Each of these was good enough to create blind spots but, wouldn''t do much when it came to defense. And because Quinn didn''t have much options, he went for one of the trees for the former reason.

    The [Conjure] followed suit, having its weapon divided into two des which made it eve swifter. On the first form of the [Conjure''s] weapon, it needed to createrger movements and thus, was a bit slower. But now that it became a dual wielder, its speed was nothing like how Quinn first measured it.

    Hence, even before the human could hide behind one of the trees, the [Conjure] suddenly vanished, only to appear right in front of hm.

    "Shit." Quinn said, activating [Overdrive] as soon as he could as, the [Conjure] swung both its swords horizontally.

    The attack created a wave of mana damaged the whole area. Zeke prevented himself from getting hit by setting up a barrier and, he extended this to the observers; ensuring their safety.

    Quinn on the other hand decided to try another strategy  tapping the [Conjure] multiple times during the interval of him bending down to dodge. He then continued by saying [Detonate]. But instead of any skill shot, there were summons that beganing out through magic circles on top of the [Conjure''s] armor.

    These are called [Skutz], creatures which only exist within the Demon Continent. They may be weak individually and, they are even weak in numbers but, their strength is still in their numbers. Quinn. Who learned about them due to consuming the general, have then utilized the monsters for the fight.

    These distracted the [Conjure] long enough for Quinn to begin charging an attack. As the [Skutz] only have defensive stats, theirrge numbers is troublesome because it would take at least two normal attacks to kill one off.

    "I hope that this ce won''te crashing down." Quinn continued, beginning to gather the miasma that already dispersed.

    Zeke felt the pressure form from this attack as the air itself seemed to get thinner. He saw the miasma beginning to attach itself on Quin s'' body and, finally moved before any form of disaster could ur. He used [Shadow Dive]  appearing at the back of the human and making a quick activation of [Somnus].

    But Quinn had a sort of resistance because of the skill. Enabling him to turn and make a swing. Zeke was forced to put all his strength on one arm as he parried the blow. This released so much force that, even the barrier Zeke created got shattered. Luckily enough, both Heron and Morpheus were also nearby. They prevented any harm froming to the elites as they''ve also set up their own defenses.

    Then, before Quinn could make a second attempt, Zeke use a stronger version of [Somnus]. This turned Quinn immediately unconscious and, as all this urred Zeke only had one thought on his mind.

    "That was close."

 Chapter 129: Meeting

    Chapter 129: Meeting

    PLEASE READ! I identally published this one before the chapter that was actually supposed toe next. In order to avoid confusion, please read the next chapter before this one. Thank you and sorryyyyy.

    The meeting room of Zeke''s hideout was a lot bigger than the meeting hall of the elites back in the farm. It looked a lot like one of those corporate meeting rooms back on earth, with clear tiles on the ground, proper lighting, walls that were colored washout white. nts were also ced all around to lighten up the atmosphere and give that cool feeling on the ce.

    In the middle is arge table which could actually be made bigger or smaller. It had a custom design that allowed parts of it to retract or extend. The chairs are asfortable as gaming ones with a supporter for the neck, back and the head. Adding to the features was a soft cushioning bottom that felt like it could swallow someone''s'' ass as soon as he or she sits.

    The elites were already seated and, ready for the meeting which was about to begin. In front, Zeke stood; opening another [Gamer''s System Window] for everyone to see. In the middle of the table, there was a crystal which served as a way for the screen to erge. As soon as Zeke gave the signal, Heron closed the lights, signaling the beginning of their meeting. The elites were all given crystals that would glow whenever they use mana and, this would be used in the meeting whenever they wanted to ask something.

    "Okay. First of all, I want you to know that you won''t be going back to the farm anymore. I know that you guys haven''t said your proper farewells to the people there but, trust me when I say that this is for the best." Zeke said to the group.

    "The less they know of you, the better. de''s men aren''t known for being merciful during interrogation and, they may even kill one or two citizens in the process. But once they finally get that the vigers do not know a thing, they''d move out." He continued, with one crystal glowing.

    "Yes, speak up."

    "So you''re saying that we should just let those one or two citizens die? They need our help, we should go back there and.."

    "And what? Waste away trying to defend a small number of people against a greater evil? Sacrifices need to be made in order for us to advance. And to ensure the safety of your own kind, I suggest you do as I say." Zeke said sternly, making the voice die out immediately.

    "Anyway, I left enough healing materials for them. There are healing herbs and crystals and, those should be enough to heal even someone on the verge of dying." Heron smiled at this remark of Zeke. She knew that it wouldn''t end there. No matter how cold Zeke wanted to be, he was actually a verypassionate and warmhearted person.

    "Let''s move on shall we?" Zeke said, without anyints from the group.

    "I want to congratte you all for yourtest aplishment. There aren''t that many who can handle that many soldiers no matter how strong they may be. It was due to proper utilization of skills and tactics that you got out of it and, that just means I can rest easy when giving you missions of higher difficulty."

    For some reason, a few elites got proud of Zeke saying this. It was as if they were being handed golden medals for the first time in their lives and, this isn''t any normal medal but something won from war. Jake himself, someone who was well known in the world of sports, got proud of this achievement, huffing and puffing heavily in agreement with Zeke.

    "Moving on. Now that your levels have risen, I''ll be handing out stronger weapons to all of you. If my guess is correct, a secondary job ss should be avable for all of you now and, this one is not within the powers of the three Main Deities. So, I suggest you chose well based on two things."

    "The first is survivability. No matter how well coordinate you are, there would always be a chance for the enemies to single you out. So you need a job ss that''ll allow you to escape, survive long enough for backup to arrive, or fend for yourself. But I suggest you get one which could offer all of these."

    "Sir how about us healers?" Red asked, thinking that there''s not much a healer can do when it came to fighting.

    "That''s a no brainer kid. Get a job ss that allows you to attack in mid-range. With your primary healer skills, you can simply continue regenerating throughout the fight and that means, no matter how bad you are with weapons, you won''t be dying anytime soon." Zeke said in reply.

    "As for the second, you need to make sure that your job ss is stillpatible with the group. As a team you should always remember that you are a single unit."

    "I want you to get all those biases that exists within our own world out of your heads. Think of anything. Be creative and I will supply the necessary equipment for you." Zeke furthered, finally finishing the part about the raid.

    "If there is no other question, I''d like to move on to other matters."

    Zeke began exining everything he did within the same span of time. Beginning from how he raided the three fortresses housing themunication crystals and, this shocked the group of course because, Zeke also informed them that the generals there were as strong as the ones faced by the elites.

    Quinn couldn''t help butugh, seeing howrge the gap is between him and the gamer. Yet, nobody tried to disprove Zeke because they knew that there was no merit in lying during these times and, that Zeke was really a person capable of doing all this.

    "With that being said, the normal means ofmunication used within the continent is now disabled. This means that whatever we do won''t be immediately broadcasted all over the continent and, if we execute things perfectly enough, we may even be able to hinder allmunications." Zeke began and, remembered to add one more thing.

    "The only thing that''ll work now is our voice chat, no more no less." Zeke said with another crystal lighting up from the crowd. This time it was Kaguya.

    "Won''t that cause more trouble because ethe government will be more vignt?" Kaguya said, referring to the first thing Zek mentioned about themunication channels.

    "Well, yes that is one of the possible effects. But another thing is that, they won''t be able to send any message to both de and the other continents. Meaning, everything that happens on the Demon Continent from this point onwards will be kept in secret." Then another crystal lit up.

    "But what about physical forces? They could still teleport out of the continent or travel throughnd, sky and sea right?" Merlin asked.

    "Well that is true. To be honest, there are three modes of transportation for these people. Underground, Sea, and Sky. All of which are problematic but, I already have something in store for them."Zeke said.

    "For the underground enemies, I have continually poured out mana on thisnd, so much so that, after a few years, there is now a thinyer of mana under the surface of the demon continent." Zeke said, getting another response from the elites which he entertained.

    "Howe they never noticed that?"

    "That''s because, as I''ve said, it''s a thinyer of mana. In fact, if you could see it, theyer is as thin as a single sheet of paper. Hence, there was never any noticeable difference on thend as I did this." This satisfied the query of Horus which led Zeke to further discussing the details regarding this.

    "A trigger will activate once someone reaches a certain depth within the earth, getting a whiff of my [Chaos Poison] which should be enough to kill them in a few minutes." Zeke continued, getting another crystal again.

    "What about the aerial and sea forces?"

    "Oh I''ll leave those guys to your care. One mage, one archer, and one defender. You guys will be in charge of taking down anyone that tries getting out of the continent. There won''t be that many because they''d want to move as secretly and as swiftly as possible." Zeke began, showing something on the [System Screen].

    "I already ced crystals on all the highest peaks of the continent. You can teleport to these areas immediately without any problems. The crystals also continually release shrouding and cloaking mana to ensure your safety. Once the mission starts, I will be enveloping the whole continent''s seas and skies with my mana, enabling you to trace any movement on your [Minimap]. This would greatly weaken me but, that''s fine because I know you guys can fight in my stead." Zeke furthered, finally stating one of the higher reasons as to why he got the elites on his side.

    By himself, it would''ve ben impossible to push through with this mission. No matter how strong he was, he couldn''t simply cover a whole continent all by himself and, he surely couldn''t cover four continents at the same time. No matter how hard Zeke tried to think about it before, there was no choice but to get reinforcements and, that is the reason why he also trained both Heron and Morpheus. While Zeke disclosed this, another concern was voiced out, with another crystal glowing within the room.

    "But won''t there be someone going to King de by this time?"

    "Don''t be silly. As I mentioned, they won''t report this to the king and, now that the situation has worsened, they have no other choice but to handle things themselves. Oh and, by the way, I also destroyed the stronghold within the portal area." Zeke said casually, as if the feat was not a big deal. And then another crystal glowed.

    "Are you sure you are still human sir?"

    "That''s actually outside our concerns. Technically I am already an elf but, yeah, I am as mortal as any of you are." Zeke said in reply.

    "Anyway, there are other things connected to what I just said. First of all, I was able to analyze the [Chaos Dragons] up close an personal and, this is the data I got."

    The window showed the structure of the dragons. The elites were all amazed at how detailed the report was, mentioning everything up to the scaleposition of the [Chaos Dragons]. Then there were the more measurable data which were the attribute points and their skill set. All of which made the elites feel terror.

    "Sir am I seeing right? Their rank is A+?" Lizzie asked, forgetting to make the crystal glow.

    "Hmm light the crystal first dearie." Zeke said, not wanting any exception to the rule and, as soon as Lizzie did, Zeke proceeded to exining.

    What you see is what it is. Those [Chaos Dragons] are ranked [A+] and, not just this; they are actually evolved [A+] creatures which means that they''re really bad news for us. Zeke furthered, making matters even mor grave than it actually is.

    "On every continent, there are at least ten of these bad boys and, the [Count] of each continent is just as strong as these are. So that''s also something to watch out for." Another crystal lit up.

    "So are you saying that we''remitting suicide now?" Jake asked.

    "Don''t be silly kid. I won''t be sending you to your deaths. Not on my watch at least." Zeke snapped his fingers and, the screen changed to the personal data of all the elites.

    "With the improved equipment I''ll be making and, the job advancements that you would take, I''d be able to make you strong enough to beat thembarely."

    "Thatst part made everything else sound less convincing." Quinn said in reply

    "Well I can''t expect you to believe that you could simply overpower [Chaos Dragons] right?" Zeke immediately defended.

    "But here''s the thing. If you coordinate your skills well and, do as I instruct, I guarantee that we''ll be able to finish this mission in one piece. None of you would die under mymand." Zeke said sternly, making the group nod in agreement.

    There was still the part about Zeke meeting Sylph but, he decided that this should be left forter. For the moment, the group needed to have more rest and, restore their energies back to full. They need to choose their job sses and, Zeke needed to make equipment ordingly. And after all of this is done and dealt with, they would proceed to the final battle on the Demon Continent.

    "We will overthrow the government, destroy all portal crystals and, restore the bnce within thisnd upon the given span of time. Is there anything else you''d like to add?" Zeke said, getting one final crystal glow which is then from Mirio.

    "How long do we have in order to aplish all this exactly?" Zeke smiled at the question and, answered quickly and truthfully.

    "Six days."

 Chapter 130: Some Peaceful Moments

    Chapter 130: Some Peaceful Moments

    Quinn woke up just a few hourster after the fight. His vision slowly adjusted to the surroundings as if he just regained consciousness after a year''s worth of time. And this much was understandable because he was suffering from the effects of using the same deadly skill twice within the same day.

    Under normal circumstances, Quinn would''ve already died from the first usage of the skill. But, because of Zeke''s presence and interference, the human was able to stay alive. This was also the reason why Zeke prevented the human from using the full output of the skill for the second time. He didn''t fear the attack. In fact, Zeke would''ve perfectly handled such a blow. But he feared that the body of the human would not be able to take it anymore.

    "Aghh my head hurts." He said to himself, getting the same sensation as a hangover except that it was ten times stronger.

    Slowly, the human got up. Quinn was so nauseated that, he felt like vomiting all his organs out. There was nothing easy about his body''s condition because even healing spells can only do so much for someone.

    So Quinn just stayed there. He felt the same rumbling created when he fought against Zeke''s [Conjure] but paid it no mind for the moment. Then, after half an hour, he finally got a bit better, enough for him to move around; and he did. The human got out of bed, trying to find where all themotion wasing from.

    "If my guess is right, that''s probably them." He told himself, going towards the same direction he did when he spared against Zeke.

    As soon as he found himself in front of the door, the gamer himself came out, greeting Quinn whom he saw immediately.

    "Oh. Good you''re finally awake." Zeke told him, showing his usual carefree smile at Quinn; as if he already forgot how the human almost killed his own teammates a few hours ago.

    "Forgive me sir. That won''t happen again." Quinn began; immediately remembering the blunder he did.The human bowed his head apologetically at Zeke who just shrugged the whole thing off.

    "Don''t sweat it man. If anything, I''m d that I have you on my side." He replied, patting the human''s back and motioning for Quin to raise his head up.

    "By the way, your allies are sparring with Heron and Morpheus as we speak. It seems like all of you got a decent boost from the previous fight." Zeke continued, satisfied with the results produced by the elites.

    "Yes. I''m d that you appreciate it." Quinn continued, not forgetting to be courteous with Zeke who continued helping them out and supplying their needs.

    "So how did I fair on our little spar sir?" Quinn followed up, wanting to know Zeke''s thoughts.

    "Okay first of all, I didn''t spar against you, my Conjure did. And secondly, if we ever fought, I''d only take the same amount of time that I did when I finally stepped in." Zeke replied which was not of arrogance. It was pure facts that he was saying and Quinn knew it.

    The assessment didn''t end there. Quinn followed Zeke as the gamer went for the pantry. He still hasn''t eaten anything yet upon returning and, quite frankly, he was already famished.

    "Okay but I have another question if you may." Quinn continued.

    "Yes, you may. After I get some food on my te. Do you mind?" Zeke replied, finally reaching the area and getting stuff to eat. The human nodded in agreement, watching Zeke move around to do as he said.

    Quinn had nothing but shock from what he saw. Zeke had a mountain of food on his te, with a towering amount of mashed potato coated in gravy. This was food from the Elven Continent and, since Zeke had the time, he grew a farm on his cave, making him have a constant supply of food for himself and all his allies.

    "Now you may." Zeke said, finally digging in.

    "Okay sir. It never urred to me how the time difference between us was actually really long. In fact, you spent 13 whole years on this world, counting the amount of time you spent on your first run." Quinn began and, as Zeke finished swallowing a spoonful of potatoes, he answered:

    "Mmmhmm?" which gave Quinn the permission to proceed.

    "When we fought, there was the difference between a battle-hardened human who spent thirteen years here, to someone who just started off a few days ago." Quinn said, as if trying to prove a point. Zeke simply nodded, knowing that these are all facts.

    "So with all that being said, who do you think would I win if we started at the same time?" And at this, Zeke looked at Quinn with a funny looking smile. As if the question was so irrelevant to the current situation of the elites and the things that Zeke discovered regarding the Windsprites.

    "Look kid." Zek began, making sure that there was no food left on his mouth before proceeding.

    "The difference between you and me is way more than just those years." Zeke continued, telling the whole proceeding of events during his run.

    As soon as he was summoned, Zeke was immediately faced with trained mercenaries. He was still at level one at that time and, nobody was there to back him up. His [System] was still at base form and so was his level. He continued by saying all the misfortunes which he faced and, these were enough for him to prove his point.

    "Unlike you, I wasn''t given extensive education by the main deities before getting sent here. I also had no allies. I was alone and I had to survive on the single blessing that those three bestowed upon me." Zeke furthered.

    "The difference is not simply with the years kid. Even if we started on the same stage, I''m sure that I could wipe the floor with you." Zeke pointed his fork to Quinn as he said this.

    "But there''s no way for me to prove that of course." Zeke finished, munching on his food again.

    Quinn contemted on the gamer''s words. His original goal was to beat Zeke after all. And this was still the same goal Quinn had in mind. There was nothing more important than proving his supremacy.

    He wanted nothing more than to finally im that he is at the top of humanity''s food chain. He wanted to be able to say that: he is the perfection of humanity''s efforts to evolve. But, with every encounter with Zeke on the battlefield, Quinn felt nothing but the overwhelming difference between him and the gamer and, this pained him so.

    "But you see, the difference between us shouldn''t matter. If you are really better then, time woulde when you would surpass me and I wont mind." Zeke said to Quinn which boosted the human''s declining morale.

    The two continued talking, moving on to Zeke''s death once again. This time, the gamer was sure that nothing could hurt him regarding this experience so he continued answering all of Quinn''s questions, thinking that the human deserved this much from finishing the mission beyond Zeke''s expectations.

    "Something that ran through my mind before dying? Hmmm well there were actually a lot of instances when I died but, the one I had with de felt so final that, only one thought surfaced on my head."

    "And what was that?" Quinn asked.

    "That, if by some sort of miracle I''d stille out alive, then I would dedicate my life to ensuring that no other humans would suffer the same fate as I have." There was a deep seriousness on Zeke''s voice and, Quinn was able to feel it.

    "I knew those gods would send another batch because that''s how the universe works. They need to fix these glitches not because they care, but because the bnce must be maintained." Zeke continued, not telling where he got the information from and leaving things at that for the moment.

    "Anyway I hope that you were satisfied with my answers Quinn. Feel free to stay if you want to and, I''m willing to answer questions if you still have some." Zeke said and, Quinn dly epted this offer  feeling a sort of achievement from finally being called by his name by Zeke Elwood.

    The two stayed at the pantry area for a while because, Zeke wanted to eat some more. Unknown to everyone, the reason why Zeke needed to eat so much and why he was constantly hungry was because his brain always worked full time. It always thought of the things that needed to be done and, quite frankly, he couldn''t properly use it on an empty stomach.

    Hence he continued gobbling down food. It wasn''t long after when Heron finally contacted him to give an update about the sparring session with the elites.

    "Master."

    "Yes, what is it Heron?" Zeke said, finally finished with his meal. He also ced it on loudspeaker so Quinn could also hear. This was also a way for Zeke to continue affirming his ce as the ally of the elites and to not raise any doubts that he and hisrades are actually enemies.

    "We''ve just finished with the training. Should we proceed to the meeting now?" Heron asked.

    "Give them at least thirty minutes to rest and change clothes. I won''t be able to focus in a room full of sweaty kids." Zeke replied.

    "Okay master, I''ll ry the message to them." Heron answered, closing themunication channel.

    "We''re having a meeting again?" Quinn asked.

    "Yup. I would hold it off until tomorrow but, time is not actually on our side so we need to be quick about this." Zeke replied washing the dishes he used.

    "You should go and prepare kid." Zeke told Quinn, using [Shadow Dive] to teleport the human back to his room.

    With nobody around, Zeke continued thinking about the Windsprites and the current state of things. He couldn''t help but get a bit worried for the group because of the earlier encounter against Sylph. But he ced his trust on them, thinking that the group was ready for the storm that was brewing.

    "I promise to bring all of you back home."

 Chapter 131: Secondary Job Class

    Chapter 131: Secondary Job ss

    Zeke caused quite an uproar with the message that he gave to the elites. In fact, they were caught in so much disbelief that they continuedining while also asking if the gamer was actually joking.

    "What part of this looks like a joke to you exactly?" Zeke asked the group sternly once again. He mmed on the table, making everyone fall silent as he continued speaking.

    "I need you all to follow for now. Take everything I said within this meeting into mind. Don''t just bber like mindless animals. Christ, your supposed to be beings with intellect, right? Think and act like ones." He followed up, finally getting out of the scene.

    The whole room was silent because, with the message given by Zeke and the tone he used, they were able to calm down. They felt so embarrassed about their earlier antics which meant that, they somehow got the idea that they should really follow for the moment.

    "Ohh... you''ve done it now. You''ve pissed dad off so much that he raised his voice." Morpheus said to the group, ying with them of course because he knew that the gamer was actually calm while he said those words earlier. He only wanted to stir up the elites and make them move with haste.

    "I think what master meant is that six days is all we have. If we can''t finish the job by that time then I assure you that some bad things would probably happen." Heron said, clearing things up.

    "Anyway, that''s it for now guys. You are free to do what you want but, remember the deadline for picking your job sses okay?" Heron and Morpheus soon went out of the room, with Both Quinn and Kaguya leaving first among the elites.

    Although it was a lot to take in, the elites also knew that Zeke would never joke about things like this. In fact, the six days was probably way overdue and, they probably had to finish things much faster.

    With all this being said, the elites moved on to contemting what actual [Secondary Job sses] they should take. Aside from Quinn, there was actually nobody else who had a [Secondary Job ss] yet and, Zeke himself meditated on what his should be.

    At [Level 99] Zeke wanted to figure two things out in order to smoothly advance towards the main goal. The first is the one already mentioned (picking a secondary job ss), while the other was in regards to the requirements needed to be met in order for him to reach [Level 100].

    [Information: The system will not allow the gamer to reach level one hundred until, the gamer defeats the key.]

    "And what the hell does that even mean?" Zeke asked the system which began generating the information for him.

    {Loading Information please wait]

    [In order to reach level one hundred, the gamer must defeat an entity with the title of [Key]. Currently there is only one within Mythos. Furthermore, the gamer must kill someone dear to him. Without fulfilling these two things, the gamer cannot advance to level one hundred.]

    "Why are the requirements so vague and morbid?" Zeke asked himself discerning the information given to him by the system. As things stood, Zeke had no ess to both things.

    He has no person which he holds dear to him at the moment. At least, that is what he thinks. Furthermore, he has no idea where the [Key] is as the [System] itself does not have any data on the [Key''s] whereabouts nor was it allowed to reveal any more data concerning this key.

    "This is actually a lot more troublesome than I thought it would be," Zeke said, disregarding the information on leveling up for the moment. But he knew that greater requirements have better payoffs and, whatever it is thates with him leveling up would probably benefit both him and his goal.

    Zeke thought that having Samael within his ranks would greatly boost the force of his allies but, seeing as he cannot reach it, Zeke had no other choice but to focus on other things. Hence, the gamer browsed the number of job sses avable as secondary choices.

    Again, there were no limitations as to what he could get as his secondary job ss. But Zeke thought of things carefully because, he didn''t want to contradict his [Primary Job ss] nor does he want to do anything that would weaken it. Zeke wanted to optimize his ss of [Conjurer] because, with all the skills and attributes that he has, Zeke was able to fend for himself already.

    "What I need is a way to strengthen my forces even more." Zeke thought to himself, already deleting a bunch of job sses from the list in order to lessen the time of scrolling back and forth.

    Then, there were only there left. Zeke spread the choices in front of him, viewing all the pros and cons which he himself created on separate system windows.

    "This one would give me a lot of defensive stats and would greatly increase the amount of damage my forces can take. It''s good and all but it wouldn''t be of much use when ites to missions that requires speed." Zeke marked out the first choice for the moment.

    "This one on the other hand focuses too much on offense that I won''t be able to protect anyone when needed. It''s too much of a gamble for that much power." Zeke said; not taking out the first two from the list yet and, moving on to the third which disyed these:

    [Secondary Job ss: Atticus'' Kin]

    [Information: The job ss is based on the famous leader Atticus the Hun. He was the one who lead most of the sieges that began crumbling down the great Roman Empire and, lead 400+ tribes all by himself. The leader himself did not die from battle but from something health rted, making everyone think that, if he did not, then the human would''ve probablyid waste to Rome altogether.]

    "Yeah thanks for the history lesson, let''s move to the more useful information okay?" Zeke told the system, filtering it and, showing all the skills and attributes rted to the job ss.

    [Job Exclusive Skill: Undying Loyalty]

    [Information: All summons created by Atticus'' Kin will never die as long as the summoner himself still has mana. They will simply siphon mana from their summoner, prolonging their life and their stay in battle. The summoned creatures cannot regain health.]

    [Job Exclusive Skill: Undying Fury]

    [Information: Once summons reach the single digit of their health point remaining, they will have traces of red lines on their body. This means that, they will begin getting a double attribute boost.]

    [Job Exclusive Skill: Leader of Thousands]

    [Information: The number of summons which can created and kept is extended to 2,000 units. Roles may also be assigned and, depending on the role given to a summon, their attributes will be maximized toward that role.]

    [Information: the role cannot go against the nature of the summon itself hence, a unit using a shield can only have roles rted to defending.]

    [Job exclusive Skill: Javelin of Victory]

    [Information: The owner of the job ss is able to summon the trusted Javelin throwers of Atticus himself. The strength of the javelin-using summons depends on the length of battle and the disadvantage of Atticus'' Kin. The longer the battle goes on, the stronger the javelin throwers will be.]

    "Yup, this is definitely the best among the choices I have." Zeke said as he finally clicked on the job ss. This created arge surge of mana that surrounded Zeke.

    Meanwhile, the elites have also began doing their part. Each elite went to a different training filed in order to assess all that theyck and what they could still improve. Aside from Quinn who now continued resting, the other elites have began choosing their [Secondary Job ss].

    The two archers went to a shooting range. They continued testing out their shots on different angles and distances, telling each other what parts seem to becking from their archer counterpart. Through these, they were able to clearly assess the possible [Secondary Job sses] which they could take.

    "That was a bit offpare to your first few releases." Gawain said.

    "Yeah I guess you''re right. I''m definitely not cut out for long range shooting then." Eerie replied.

    "Well it''s either that or you choose something that could aid you with the problem." Gawain said, not having any difficulties with snipping at all because, that is his specialization. With this, the two sat down, their backs leaning on each other as they browsed the [sses] avable.

    For the most part, the archers thought that they were the most insignificant among the members of the elites. They felt that, their arrows not enough and that, they needed a way to continually fire. But not just normal arrows but instead, shots that could pierce deeply enough.

    Gawain wanted to focus on snipping down his enemies. He wanted shots that were fast, urate, and devastating. And this was the only requirement eh looked for on the [Secondary Job sses] avable. From the previous fights, he knew that he could''ve done more only if he could take down the stronger opponents first with a single hit.

    He thought long and hard and, remembered the advice given by Zeke to the group. That they should be creative in choosing their [Secondary Job sses] because, whatever happens, Zeke would be able to create weapons, items and equipment that would suit their needs. And thus, the archer chose the job ss of [Vanguard].

    "I must be crazy." He thought to himself, already having the whole n in mind with the [ss] he chose.

    His fellow archer was just as crazy as he was. Eerie chose the job ss of [Lucky Gambler] which was nowhere near the description of what an archer should be. With both of them finally making their choices, the archers showed the [Job ss] to one another andughed at it. They realize how silly it might seem but, nobody else knew their weaknesses better than themselves and, they felt that they made the right choices.

    They weren''t the only ones who felt insignificant during fights. In fact, one of the strongest members of the elites now stood on a training ground with multiple targets to face. He continued moving around, piercing though each dummy. But the problem was that, on the walls were artillery units which shot at him on and on and, he couldn''t do anything about these because his range was not long enough.

    This training didn''t need to take long for Jake to understand what hecked. In fact, in just a few minutes, he finished with the quick stretching he made and moved on to his own list of [Secondary Job sses].

    Jake continued walking around the area to help his brain function. He learned this technique from Quinn and, although he couldn''t actually feel its effects that much, he still continued doing this whenever he was required to think.

    "I probably need something that could create an area of effect damage. Aside from that, I need to be able to deal with those long-range units without having to get closer. But, what kind of job ss would offer that for me?" He asked himself, scrolling through the list and, it seemed like his finger froze in ce as he finally found the job ss needed with the title of [Tepes].

    It didn''t take long for every other member to make their choices. In fact, by the end of the day, Zeke''s [System Window] notified him that all members of the [Elites] now have their [Secondary Job sses]. The gamer smiled as he saw this, moving to his bed and preparing all the things he needed to aplish while he was in his subconscious state.

    "I better keep my end of the deal then." The gamer excitedly pronounced as he went to sleep and began his [Crafting].

 Chapter 132: RAIIIID!

    Chapter 132: RAIIIID!

    The following day soon followed. Everyone was surprised with how fast Zeke did things that, when they went to the dining area, the equipment and weapons were all there waiting to be imed. It was like an early Christmas gift and, the group felt it weird that they now got excited from having armor and weapons instead of other stuff like clothing, gadgets and other vanities of earth.

    "Mister Zeke, do you know why I''m craving these stuff now instead of skin care products?" Eerie asked Zeke as she came closer to him and, Zeke decided to announce the answer to everyone.

    "If you guys have some weird liking towards armor, weapons, and other items, don''t fret about it too much. That is also part of the things that changes within yourselves as soon as you transferred to Mythos. The universe adjusts your desires based on what the world can offer because, it would be illogical to desire those that are not present here." This rified things for the elites as, even the major deities never mentioned this to them.

    "im thoseter. We need to eat first because there are a lot of things that I still need to tell you." Zeke announced to the group and so, they all went for the table and began digging in on the food prepared.

    During this time, Zeke already gave the instructions on how to use each weapon and armor. All their features and, the other important stuff rted to these. He made sure that everything was easy to use in order to avoid any confusion. This somehow lowered the number of things which their new equipment and weapons could do but, nevertheless, the difference wasn''t that much to be noticeable.

    With their mealtime about to end, the group had nothing else in mind but excitement. They wanted to have a test run as soon as possible  and with real enemies. And as if the universe heard them, a loud explosion happened at that very moment.

    *BOOOOM*

    There wasn''t just one. A couple of strong explosions came which shook the hideout violently. Soon, what followed what followed was the sound of objects falling continually from the sky. The elites were just about to pick up their weapons but, Zeke motioned for them not to make any move as he set the [System] up for them.

    With the [Gamer''s Mind] in his disposal, Zeke was unbothered with the events. This enabled him to act as he usually does with both calmness and practicality in decisions. The gamer immediately activated the [Party System] and used the [Voice Chat] function right away.He gave the instructions to the elites by thinking of the words instead of saying them because, if he spoke together with the explosions, some of the things he would say would probably be unclear.

    "My minimap shows that there are multiple enemies above us. They all have the same size of red dots as normal soldiers but, there are also some which arebelled stronger so you need to watch out for those." Zeke began.

    "There''s not much time to exin. Our position has beenpromised so here are your items." He continued, snapping his fingers and teleporting the armors and weapons to their proper owners. These were already equipped because, with the improved party system, Zeke could also make the party members have the same function of putting on armor and weapons as fast as in games, without much fidgeting.

    "For now, Heron and I need to limit the vision of our enemies. Morpheus will assist you on the surface so do what you can to beat those enemies down." Zeke furthered, getting a nod of agreement from everyone who went and did as they were told.

    "I''m actually getting the hang of all this fighting stuff." Jake told Quinn who gave a light chuckle to his teammate.

    "I guess we all are." He said in reply.

    The elites positioned themselves on the transport area and, in a few seconds, found themselves in the middle of the battlefield. But Zeke didn''t let them go without any preparation of course. Both Heron and he created the [Cloud of Dreams] on the area where the group would appear, disabling any enemy from seeing them and, giving the group at least a minute before fighting the enemies.

    Of course, Morpheus already did his part and began shaking up those that came. He transformed into something which looked a lot like a dragon and, flew on the sky with such a speed that the soldiers were in a bit of a loss at what to do.

    "What now?" Amare asked Quinn who''ve began thinking of a strategy as soon as Zeke told them of the enemies.

    "We haven''t discussed each other''s job sses yet so I can''t make a n as solid as I did before. For now, we''ll do formation Epsilon and figure things out as we progress." Quinnmanded, not even needing minute to say all these things. The group followed without question; dispersing based on the formation''s details.

    "Is that the one where I blow everything up?'' Zilg asked, unsure of the details of the formation.

    "No you idiot! That''s formation Zeta!" Merlin replied, giving the [Trap Expert] a short overview of the n which made Zilgugh even more madman like.

    "Now that is even better!" He said, running around the area and doing what he does best  creating traps for the enemies.

    Meanwhile, the two mages created a leverage for the archers. It was high enough to get a clear view of the whole battlefield but, not high enough for the aerial enemies to swoop down without any consequences.

    Only Gawain stood here however. Her partner, Eerie, chose to get a bit closer to the enemies utilizing her [Secondary job ss] which Gawain also did.On his hand, the archer had a huge shield and, the human nted this on the leverage created for him.

    "I hope he got the specs of this thing right." He told himself, executing things based on the concept he gave Zeke and, on the exnation given earlier. But, of course, the gamer didn''t follow the whole concept to point. In fact, he upgraded it, giving Gawain something more than what he ever hoped for.

    The shield began reconstructing and, as it did, it created a new form while also maintaining the shape of both weapons used by Gawain. It was a gigantic bow, as big as Gawain and, this stood using the shield in front as its stand.

    Aside from defending Gawain, the shield was also there to amplify every shot. On its middle is an almost transparent looking sheet of mana and, everything that passes through this gets its power amplified. On four sides of the shield, there were gravitational crystals that helped Gawain handle the weight of the new bow. Aside from this, Gawain also wore goggles that were connected to the aiming system of the weapon and, on both his arms are armor which protected it from getting too strained.

    "Quinn, I think the formation won''tst for long." Gawain said as he began collecting a massive amount of mana for his shot. The enemies took notice of this of course and tried going for him. But with the defenders present, they had zero chances of evenying a finger on the archer.

    While this went on, the group did a fine job of extending their area of defense little by little. Horus created small summons, those that crawl under the ground and, each of these were ced with [Detonates]. Zilg continued making them explode as soon as they reached the enemies making the soldiers wonder where on earth the attacks wereing from. The summons were just worm sized so, their presence were both insignificant and difficult to detect.

    Meanwhile, the defenders created a barrier which was in a dome shape. Protecting the group from aerial attacks and from every attack that coulde from all sides. With Lizzie enhancing this, the barrier won''te down with a couple of measly attacks.

    A lot of things happened while Gawain charged his attack but, the number of soldiers were still too much for them to handle. They needed to fire [AoE] attacks and, this began with Gawain. After a few more seconds of charging  Gawain finally released his first arrow.

    It almost seemed like the wind was cut in half as the arrow passed through. A spiraling blizzard crawled on the earth like a snake and, it continued rampaging towards the direction created by the arrow. The wind was so sharp that, everything it touched got sliced into multiple pieces and, with this, the elites were finally able to deal a massive amount of death.

    Quinn remembered what Gawain said a few second ago, about the n needing to change. And he responded to the archer whose growth was quite obvious with the shot that was fired.

    "Yeah, I think you''re right." Quinn responded with glee.

    But even with a portion decreased, they still had no clear grasp of the number of enemies. But, down below, Zeke already saw that there were enough troops for 20 generals. In fact, enemies came from all sides, as if they knew exactly where Zeke and hispanions were hiding and, this troubled Heron.

    "Master, is there a spy among us?" Her tone was worried, not wanting to believe it herself but, that was the only reasonable exnation for whatever was happening at the moment. Zeke only smiled at her and told the [Dragon Morpher] to just focus on what she was doing.

    Indeed, the number of troops amounted to those owned by at least twenty generals and, this wasn''t exactly urate. There were only 18 Generals altogether but, if there was a silver lining to all of this, it was that there was nobody on the level of [Kel''Thraz] among them meaning, even if they got to their [Primal States], the elites would probably be able to handle the generals. That is, if they don''t got and transform all at the same time.

    Meanwhile the offensive assault of the elites continued and, this time, it would be good to look at the archer counterpart of Gawain  Eerie. Currently, the other archer focused on getting closer to the enemies. Because of her weakness on long range attacks, the archer decided to focus on closer range which she seemed to excel at.

    Through [Lucky Gambles], the archer was bale to raise her chances of creating fatal blows and, with the modifications she asked Zeke to make, she was able to utilize this [Job ss Feature] at a rapid rate.

    On both her hands were something that looked a lot like small crossbows and that is probably what they are. These things are fed with mana just like Sylph''s [Infinity Bow] and, as long as the archer was able to supply it with such, she would never run out of ammunition. And not just this, the amount of mana required per arrow is not that much  making the chances for her to run out even slimmer. Adding to the improvements Zeke made were two mana crystals installed on both crossbow guns.

    Hence, Eerie could even fire as rapidly as a machine gun and she did. She continued firring her arrows on every enemy; waiting for the crits to stack up as they inevitably hit their marks. Although weak with only one arrow, the stacked-up damage caught each soldier by surprise as it felt like a raging waterfall that fell as high as the skies above. Hence, taking this head on meant instant death.

    Another quirky feature of [Lucky Gambler] enabled Eerie''s body to move on its own from time to time. This allowed her to dodge some attacks and, hit more vital spots with her arrows and so, even with the sea of soldiers in front of them, the archer was not fazed. Together with Gawain, the two archers were able to take down more enemies than they ever did before and, together with the other elites, they continued marching forward.

    But underground, Heron was still in deep thought. She wondered long and hard about the current situation and, the words she uttered moments ago. She knew she had to be right because nothing else would be logical.

    "There is a traitor among us."

 Chapter 133: Jake Teppes

    Chapter 133: Jake Teppes

    Within the fight, Quinn naturally shone. With the new weapon Zeke gave him, the leader of the elites was able to break the ranks of the opponents with ease. He maximized the use of skills together with his basic attacks and skill cooldown all in order for him to not have any space between actions. Naturally, the gamer had his eyes on this individual.

    But aside from him, Zeke could see that a lot of improvements hase to Jake and, although he wanted to focus on the fights, Heron kept pestering him on and on about the fight that was urring. So, Zeke turned off the [Voice Chat] and began speaking with her.

    "Master what about the thig I said? Aren''t you worried about who the imposter might be?"

    Zeke simply smiled at her with his usual carefree look and, patted the [Dragon Morpher] on her head. He wanted to keep the information from her for a bit longer but, decided that it was probably within the groups best interest if Heron were to already know.

    "There are no imposters silly. I just took one of the trackers they had on thest fortress I raided and brought it here." Zeke said casually, as if that was a sane thing to do.

    "YOUUU DID WHAAAT!" Heron eximed in both shock and disbelief.

    "I allowed all those troops toe marching towards us." Zeke said nonchntly.

    Zeke wasn''t a madman. He knew what he was doing. In fact, he knew exactly what his moves meant and, what it meant was that, the troops of de who recently lost contact would alle rushing towards the pinpointed location of the enemy.

    There was no way for them to know that it was underground so all they could do was blindly generate explosions from above which, didn''t do any damage to the base itself. All the generals now want the fame of defeating the enemies, knowing that their ranks would surely go up from this feat.

    Hence, withoutmunicating, the generals found themselves in surprise as a lot of other generals and their forces have gathered toward the location. And not just this, Zeke could sense that even more wereing and, the ones present on the battlefield were simply closer to their location than the other generals.

    "Were keeping them busy and making them always on the lookout. With all that happened, I can''t allow them to have any time to regroup and refocus. They''d all want the glory of defeating the enemies that devastated the wholend and, I''m simply offering them that opportunity which they all crave." Zeke continued.

    "Master. I already thought that you were crazy before but this this is beyond crazy! You simply allowed all our enemies to march towards us. How is that a rational decision exactly!" Heron said in reply, not getting the whole point of his master.

    "Silly. I''ll exin every other detail once this whole ordeal has been dealt with. But, right now, we all need to focus with the enemies at hand." Zeke said to the [Dragon Morpher] with his usual carefree smile, leaving Heron with no other action to take but sigh and continue with her task  scattering and maintaining the [Cloud of Dreams].

    Meanwhile, Zeke took another look at the battlefield. He wanted to make sure that the elites were capable of winning this one. Just like on the first mission where he deployed the group, Zeke actually had a separate task for himself. One which he could only perform if the elites proved capable enough. And so, proceeded to watching Jake who was doing such a splendid performance.

    There was a certain reason why Jake chose his new job ss of [Tepes] and, this was it:

    [Information: The job ss is derived from the creature known as d Tepes or d the Impaler. Through this job ss, the owner can release multiple javelins shooting down from the sky. These will aim at the heads of all that has been marked as enemies and, covers arge area with the caster at the center.]

    [Information: Because of the nature of the skill, it would be best to have no allies nearby as the skill might even target these.]

    [Information: The amount of javelin that wille raining down and, the duration would all depend on the amount of mana released by the job ss holder. Spikes can also sprout from the ground and, these are as sharp as the rain of javelins.]

    There was so much excitement within Jake that, he couldn''t tell if he was transforming into a murderer already. But then he remembered Zeke''s words; about how the world would adjust one''s desires based on what was avable. And, for Jake who was a hardworking athlete, nothing would satisfy him more than seeing the fruit of all hisbor. And, this was best demonstrated on the battlefield.

    "Guys get as far away from me as possible." Jake said.

    He saw a [Chaos Wyvern Rider] and made sure that this enemy was able to focus on him. He taunted the enemy, threw rocks at it and, this was all it took to anger the enemy who came swooping down for Jake.

    "Why do we need to do that?" Curio asked as Jake prepared his attack.

    The [Chaos Wyvern Rider] made this bold move because he had a barrier skill which could shield him in case the enemy tried stabbing or piercing through. But, unknown to him, Jake''s piercing skill is much stronger than any normal run of the mill barrier could handle.

    "I can''t have you guys hoarding all the fame and glory, now can I?" He told them, throwing his javelin at the enemy.

    This was full reinforced with [Pierce] and other strength boosting skills. The attack immediately broke the barrier of the rider, making the javelin pass through him and, as it did, Jake activated his [Weapon Blink] teleporting to the location of his javelin while using [Overdrive] to quickly maneuver himself into controlling the [Chaos Wyvern].

    "He''s grown so much from thest time I saw him fight." Zeke said to himself, satisfied with Jake but, knowing that the javelin user still had a lot of things under his sleeve.

    "Heron, I''ll be leaving soon. The barrier ispleted so there''s no need to worry about more forcesing in." Zeke said, intending to watch Jake''s full performance before teleporting out of the base.

    Jake flew up, higher and higher. None of the other [Chaos Wyvern Riders] were able to catch him and, as he reached the top of an enemy infested area, he finally activated his skill.

    "Impale!"

    Immediately, arge crimson color formed on the sky which Jake himself did not anticipate and, not a few secondster, the javelins began raining down one by one on the unexpecting enemies.

    There was no escaping this. Everyone was inevitably hit with the skill shot of Jake and, the rain of terror befell them. Unlike Kaguya''s [Oblivion] which offered swift death to those within its area of effect, Jake''s skill wasn''t as forgiving. It killed its targets one by one, allowing other soldiers to see how helpless they are within the skill''s range. And not just this, because Jake''s skill costed less mana, it meant that, it could be maintained for a longer period of time and, this scared the soldiers.

    "Okay anyone else want to demonstrate their [AoE] attacks now?" Quinn asked the group who allughedexcitedly. They all had something in store of course and, just like Jake, they were just waiting for the right opportunity to use them.

    Gawain has that devastating wind spell which nobody knows the name of yet. Kaguya has [Oblivion], the earliest [AoE] skill which the elites had at their disposal and, still one of the strongest ones up to date. Quinn had [Singrity] but, was asked by Zeke to not use the skill unless the need arises.

    Then there is also thetest addition, Jake. He showed his own version of an [AoE] skill. But, unknown to them, the javelin user actually had two [Aoe] skills and one follow up skill at his disposal thus, as he ended the rain of javelins, the human went down to meet the next wave of soldier which began running towards him.

    "I still have little to no control over this so, it''s good that none of you are nearby." He began, referring to the elites.

    Jake took out his original weapon and, it became cloaked with the same crimson blood-like color. All around him, the javelins that were already nted on the ground began shaking. And, the human athlete went into a stance using the weapon he had on his hand  as if he was about to throw his javelin. The weapon began having a faint aura of the same color although not visible from a distance and, with all of this being set, Jake finally began his next attack.

    Around a hundred javelins got uprooted from the ground. These weapons seemed to have a life of their own and, began moving through the battlefield, protecting Jake who was at the center. Every attack that trieding for him got blocked by the javelins and, every enemy that reached its range instantly got pierced by at least ten javelins before moving on toa new target.

    The whole group saw this with amazement in their eyes. This was the first time they have ever encountered something as absurd and, quite frankly it scared them a little. The soldiers themselves were in terror but, knew better than to back away. So they continued advancing toward their enemy who finally had them within range.

    The same form, the same movements of muscles and bones, and the same uracy as he had even before leaving earth, With the same body that allowed him to undeniably topple over every individual in the world of sports, Jake finally threw his weapon at the speed that could rival even a bullet shot.

    The javelins protecting him followed suit and, moved in linear direction stabbing through enemies one by one. It was a cruel bloodbath but, Jake was nowhere near finished. He leapt toward them and, activated the other version of his [Aoe] attack.

    "Impale!" Spikes shot up form the ground, catching the unsuspecting enemies one by one. A multitude of screams soon followed and, through all this effort, Jake thought that he was able to shave down at least half of the enemies. But he was nowhere near right.

    "Good job guys. Just around 90% of the enemies left to go." Heron told the group who beganughing at how insanely difficult everything was. But they didn''tin. In fact, they were excited to see just how far they could go.

    Even Zeke was satisfied. So much so that he finally decided to move out himself.The fight got him all fired up, wanting a piece of the action himself which he was sure he would be getting plenty of soon enough.

    "Heron. I''ll be leaving them in your care again."

    "Of course master." The [Dragon Morpher] replied, watching Zeke vanish once again.

 Chapter 134: The Gamers Experiment

    Chapter 134: The Gamer''s Experiment

    Why was it exactly that Zeke needed to leave? Well, that is because his [Minimap] has also upgraded. Through the upgrade, the area which the map could cover had also widened. He needed to get away from the group because, he saw the next wave of enemies closing in.

    It would take them about half a day to reach the location of the elites but, Zeke won''t allow that. He decided to stop them in their tracks because, there was only a single direction from where they came, making Zeke understand that his group was much more organized than the first batch that attacked.

    "Oh this is going to be lots of fun." Zeke told himself, seeing the notice of the [System] pop up before him.

    [Alert: You need to make use of the [Secondary Job ss] within 24 hours before your body gets destroyed from the outpouring amount of mana.] It told him again. This same notification came right after he integrated his [Secondary Job ss]

    Of course, Zeke already read about this beforehand. With all the ns he set into motion, he was also aware that the enemies won''t take long to reach the base. In fact, on the moment before he made the decision to take [Atticus'' Kin] Zeke already estimated the enemiesing within 24 hours. Hence, there was no worry on Zeke''s head as he knew that he could go all out once the troopse for them.

    "Well, lets pay our respects now." Zeke said, teleporting to the location of the marching enemies.

    Usually, Zeke would teleport to a range where he couldn''t be reached. But this time, he had other things in mind as he [Shadow Dived] right in front of the group. With both his guns loaded with fully charged bullets, [Death''s Void] was already aimed at the enemies. Then, with a single pull of the trigger, Zeke released a massive ck beam that wiped out a thousand enemies in the blink of an eye.

    Without missing a heartbeat, Zeke began the next phase of his attack. The soldiers screamed of course; a normal reaction to what just urred and Zeke paid it no mind. Rather, what the gamer focused on were the numerous tongues of fires that appeared before him.

    With the amount of [Conjures] he could create now greatly increased and, with the number of deaths he instantly made, there were a lot of potential summons within his grasp. The gamer didn''t need to think about anything and said themand to raise his new summons.

    "Conjure."

    The soldiers were still at a state of shock from what just happened. In fact, it would take them more than a minute to process everything that just urred and yet, another absurd thing was happening right before them. On top of the bodies of their deadrades rose creatures looking alike. They were cloaked with dark blue mana but, nevertheless, the monsters were distinguishable as the soldiers who have just died.

    Together with the [Conjures] which Zeke already had, all his troops attacked at once and, Zeke was in the mood to test things out. So he fired another bullet and, since this was not a game, it meant that his shots could deal friendly fire damage.

    Thus, he was able to deal critical damage even to his own [Conjures] but, knowing their capacity he figured this wouldn''t be enough so he pulled the trigger again and, at this, Zeke was already able to kill 3,000 soldiers all in all.

    "Conjure." He said again, raising even more of the soldiers that just died.

    The enemies were already in turmoil and in a state of panic. They began cowering away but the generals didn''t allow this. They killed any of their troops that dared back away from the fight and Zeke loved watching this. Because right there and then, 10 Generals went into [Primal State].

    "Now this will be interesting. Kirk." Zeke called out his strongest [Conjure] at the moment which he now decided to call by this name. This conjure also got an upgrade withs its weapon and its frame, looking even stronger than before and reaching about the same strength as [Samael] except for the fact that this creature cannot create a [Pocket Dimension].

    Kirk and the other [Conjures] began their assault, meeting the [Primal State] generals head on. The enemies also began charging after realizing that whatever it was that fired won''t be repeated anytime soon. And they were right because [Death''s Void] cannot rapidly fire fully charged bullets.

    "Anything more than this and it would probably break." Zeke observed his weapon, still figuring out how to remove the problem of it overheating from the said dilemma. The [System] notified him every time he was about to exceed the limit and Zeke would always heed its warning. The materials for his weapon aren''t easy to find after all because, they were only gathered within Yaeger''s realm.

    "But this should be enough." Zeke continued, watching the scene unfold before him because, even with his mana almost entirely depleted, he had reached his goal.

    [Alert: You have reached the maximum number of Conjured creatures.]

    [Alert: Zeke has 2000/2000 Conjures]

    [Alert: Most of the Conjures have met the 1hp requirement.]

    [Notice: They will now enter Undying Fury].

    Zeke saw his summons ooze with a deadly red color. He hasn''t paid it any mind yet but, most of his skills have been slowly turned crimson and, one thing he wasn''t aware of was that the color would symbolize something else entirely in the near future.

    Zeke teleported into an area which he nted with [Cloud of Dreams]  watching the whole fight from a safe distance where he couldn''t be detected. He wasn''t sacred of course.But for all Sylph knows, he is already dead and, he''d like to keep it that way. If there was any real threat to Zeke and to the lives of the elites, it was the female elf archer.

    "Go on then, show me what you''ve got." He said to himself, bringing out sks of [Large Mana] potions as his summons continually needed to get mana from him in order to maintain their [one health point] requirement from [Undying Loyalty].

    But the enemies were not aware of this. They didn''t know that, behind the intensely strong summons was a [Conjurer] who had a difficult requirement to meet just to keep them summoned. For all they know, there was no way to defeat the [Conjures].

    They tried shing the creatures down but their parts just repaired back. They tried using skill shots yet, no damage was ever sustained. Heck, they even tried instant deaths skills at the price of a soldier''s life but, even this proved to be futile.

    Over and over again, Zeke''s forces toppled over the soldiers and even the generals who needed to attack at least a hundred of these all at the same time. No matter how strong they were, the generals were still mortals even with their [Primal State] activated. With soldiers who were both undying and having insanely high attributes, even the generals began cowering away.

    Yet, they knew there was no way for them to retreat. It would not only be a disgrace and a dishonor that they would be bringing home but also, the death of all their kin and loved ones for. This was as de''s empire decreed.

    "I wonder how long they''d be able to put up this resistance." Zeke said again, drinking tworge mana potions and, looking at the minimap once more.

    There were still a lot of enemies to go through and, there were even more troops now appearing on his [Minimap]. The ones who just entered range were from the opposite direction, making Zeke want to finish things faster in order to entertain his new guests.

    "Okay, how about tis then." Zeke began, removing items from his inventory  those that he crafted overnight for his own Conjure. Because of his job ss and his blessing as a [Gamer] Zeke was able to transfer the equipment without having to go out himself.

    Axes.

    Maces.

    Shields.

    Swords.

    Spears.

    Javelins.

    Lances.

    Bows and Arrows.

    Explosives.

    ws.

    ives.

    Every kind of weapon thatplemented the formation of his [Conjures] were given to the them. With the sudden change of weaponry, the [Conjures] also changed their patterns of attack  making the generals even more confused than they already were.

    For all they knew, it was some weird sorcery that caught them. One that cursed thend but, the reality was simply that Zeke toyed with them. Zeke released all the equipment he stacked up and, with the death of the enemies right there and then, Zeke was also able to acquire new items which automatically went within his [Inventory].

    "AAAAAGGGGHHH!" One of the generals shouted, finally meeting his demise as three swords stabbed through his body. A spear pierced through his skull while arrow shots pierced through his chest and on his knees were spears that also stabbed through his flesh.

    The general immediately reverted back to his original state and, Zeke tried [Conjuring] this one, merging the other conjures into one in order to create more space.

    This time, the gamer seeded, creating a general ss conjure within his ranks. The other generals had their eyes widen in horror, thinking of the fate that was to befall them as soon as they got defeated.

    "We are being punished by thend!" One of the soldiers finally eximed in fear.

    The [Conjured] general bellowed a war cry, as if it was terrified with its own transformation. But then, it set its eyes on its fellow generals, fighting them with neither restraints nor reservations.

    "I need to finish this soon." Zeke told himself, seeing that his guns were just about to cool downpletely.

    He looked at the [Minimap] once more, finding the optimum area in order to release his skill and, as soon as he found this, he [Shadow Dived] right away  shattering a bunch of crystals on his hands.

    What these contained was simple. These were the once transparent and pure crystals which now housed all the miasma gathered by the elites. What they didn''t know was that the thing could be used as an offensive attack. Releasing an explosion of wraith like creatures which would instantly cause decay to those within range.

    Zeke made sure to utilize this  teleporting out of range as soon as he released the skill. The screams and wails of his enemies followed shortly after and, as he viewed the [Minimap], he saw how most of them are now dead.

    Only two generals and a couple hundred soldiers were left on the battlefield. Zeke finally came out after seeing this emerging out of the wraith infused smoke. What this looked like for the generals was that, death himself came for them.

    Zeke''s eyes gleamed the same predator like crimson and, wherever he stepped, a ck mist followed his tracks.

    Now realizing what kind of fate has finally befallen them, the remaining troops chose the logical choice. It was both disgraceful and a threat to the lives of their families but, the troops kneeled down, begging for the gamer to spare them.

    Zeke stopped at a distance, watching the pitiful enemies cower before him. Even the generals who only had minutes left to live gave in to terror and forgot to reason things out clearly. They all begged for dear life, as if death himself came to collect their souls and, Zeke didn''t bother speaking to them anymore.

    "This has gotten boring al of a sudden." He said, turning his back to leave and, the troops smiled at this as all the creatures and the [Conjurer] vanished without a trace.

    But there was something left on the ground which they didn''t notice. A miasma filled crystal rolled on the floor next to one of the generals, having a crack on its side already. And, without having fully registered the terror that was about toe, miasma consumed Zeke''s unfortunate victims.

 Chapter 135: Zeke Against the Chaos Dragon

    Chapter 135: Zeke Against the Chaos Dragon

    On the next area, Zeke wanted to try something else entirely. He wanted to see just how many of the enemies he could take down before he needed to summon all of his [Conjures].

    Remembering the fight against king Gallio, Zeke knew that these creatures have little to offer once faced with an unsurmountable opponent. Yet, Zeke was also aware that his [Conjures] are now stronger than ever. If that fight urred again, within his own terms and his own timing, Gallio wouldn''t have stood a chance, not even a candle light''s worth of hope would''ve been present for the king.

    "Then again, I guess there''s no use crying over spilled milk." Zeke thought to himself, cing the [Detonates] all around the area and preparing to activate them all soon. He ced [Chaos Poison Cloud] on each [Detonate] and made sure that they have been equally distributed.

    He didn''t want to test the waters anymore. Right then, Zeke had aplete understanding of the enemy''s strengths and, there was no point in prolonging battles that could end even sooner. After all, there were still a lot of things that need to be done and quite frankly, there''s not much time for all of this if Zeke cks off even by just a little bit.

    On his [Minimap] he saw the numbers increasing rapidly and noticed that on another side of the [Minimap], one other creature has emerged. Zeke knew right away what this was, feeling a slight headache from the creatures which he knew had to be dealt with first.

    "And here I thought they''d continue boring me." He thought to himself, preparing a [Chaos Wyvern Conjure] and riding on it. With all the attributes added to it due to Zeke''s [Aura Skills], this was just as strong as the [Chaos Dragons]. The only let down was that it didn''t have the [me] skill that could wipe out a whole [Continent]  making this the only disadvantage whenparing the two.

    Zeke was already finished with his preparations when these creatures came. Meaning, even if he left the soldiers to themselves, they''d be killed off by his [Chaos Poison Cloud].

    "Let''s end that thing quickly shall we." Zeke told his [Conjure] which understood his words right away. And so, they went straight for the [Chaos Dragon]; one of the few that stood guard over the continent.

    Until then, Zeke was only worried about the said creatures because of one thing. It was that, with their mes, they could destroy everything in the blink of an eye. This was the reason why he wanted one for himself, thinking of trying to [Conjure] each [Chaos Dragon] that he encounters and, adding them to his ranks of summoned creatures.

    At that moment, Zeke faced the ominous winged beast on the skies. He stayed underneath it, preparing something for his enemy. Meanwhile, the [Chaos Dragon] pped its wings gantly  with its head raised high and proud. It did not care about those underneath it, as if it could not be bothered by such petty creatures. It only looked straight; awaiting to reach its target which was supposed to be the location of Zeke''s tracker  the same area where the elites were fighting.

    But even without knowing this, Zeke understood that this creature would go there. With his [Gamer''s Mind], he could easily predict the moves of simpler beings such as these. Because no matter how strong the [Chaos Dragon] was, the fact cannot be removed that it had a simpler track of mind because de just made the creatures from hisb experiments.

    "It''s not like I have anything against your kind but, if you don''t want to look my way, then I guess that means you''d die instantly." Zeke said with twopletely charged bullets ready to fire.

    As mentioned, the [Chaos Dragon] never looked down. And so, it didn''t see the spiraling beam of darkness that came for its body. The [Chaos Dragon] got hit right away, screaming in irritation but nevertheless not umting too much damage.

    "Figures." Zeke told himself, knowing that the scales of the [Chaos Dragon] are the hardest materials that could be found on the whole of Mythos. With both their extreme defensive and offensive ability, these creatures are the bane of other monsters.

    If there was anything that Zeke''s attack was sessful in doing, it was that it was sessful in irritating the [Chaos Dragon] which now recognized his presence.

    The dragon roared, swooping down to catch Zeke. But instead of running away or going further down, Zeke decided to go even higher, activating [Lungs of Steel] and [Infinite Breath] in order to avoid dying fromck of oxygen He also increased his own body temperature, burning himself up by just enough.

    Unlike Zeke however, the [Chaos Dragon] which could be called as nothing less than the king of the skies, found no difficulty going upwards. In fact, it was so fast that, it could catch up to Zeke''s [Chaos Wyvern]. But Zeke knew better than to simply fly on a straight pattern.

    "Chaos Poison Cloud." Zeke said, releasing a thin amount of the deadly venom, around the skies. He followed this up by the [Cloud of Dreams] which hindered the field of vision of the summons.

    But the dragon didn''t let such a small attack hinder its goals. With its [Dragon Eyes] activated, it was able to see clearly through all of this and, not just this. The dragon also has a [Poison Resiliency] skill, making Zeke''s attack deal little to no damage at all.

    Then, the dragon release one of its skills. A massive amount of [Chaos ck mes] enveloped it, making the creature look like a ming dragon altogether. Through this form, the dragon as able to suck up all the harmful air around it without having to breath any of it in.

    "I knew it wouldn''t be that easy." Zeke thought to himself, seeing the [Chaos Dragon] still going for him.

    This was also part of his n of course. He needed to keep the [Chaos Dragon] tailing him. To ensure this, Zeke also fired two more bullets as his weapon just about cooled down.

    The dragon was able to barely dodge the first bullet. However, the second bullet soon came, targeting the area to which it evaded towards  making a direct hit on its head. Zeke hoped that this would be enough to at least deal a significant amount of damage.

    But, out of the smoke came the [Chaos Dragon], without any sign of getting wounded. Instead, its eyes burned in fury and rage. The creature became even faster, so much so that, Zeke wasn''t able to catch up to it anymore and, in a matter of seconds, it was already next to him.

    But even this was preprepared for by Zeke. Before the dragon used its tail to whip the human back to the ground, Zeke teleported using [Shadow Dive] but to where exactly? There isn''t much shadow to go around when one is in the skies so, this is the answer.

    The [Chaos Poison Cloud] and [Cloud of Dreams] were only diversions for his enemy. Zeke actually ced two more [Chaos Wyvern Conjures] within makeshift clouds. Zeke made this just in case the dragon was able to catch up to him, which it did. And so, Zeke used his skill, transporting to the next [Chaos Wyvern Conjure] and, firing at the blind spot of his enemy immediately through the help of [Overdrive].

    "Come on how much more before you use that thing on me?" Zeke thought to himself, wanting the [Chaos Dragon] to go all out and, its mouth was already burning with the mes he wanted to be released. But the dragon decided not to use such an attack, priding itself too much with its power.

    "This will forever be the reason as to why monsters are stupid opponents." Zeke thought to himself, knowing that if he became a monster, there would be no second thought about using his ultimate over each and every enemy.

    Zeke decided to throw thest batch of crystals to the sky. These were too small for the [Chaos Dragon] to notice and, they only seemed like glitters on the vast and open sky. But as these got close to the dragon, Zeke fired two regr bullets at them, shattering the objects altogether. The crystals immediately exploded, sending the same explosion of miasma toward the [Chaos Dragon].

    The creature screamed in pain and, this time, Zeke knew that some damage was dealt. Yet, he also knew that this wouldn''t be enough and so, he went and threw more crystals at the dragon. This time it was regr crystals that contained different elements, sending off explosions of different kinds to the dragon and trapping it in the middle of all this chaos.

    Zeke followed by charging his bulletspletely and, positioned himself to where he thought the wings of the creature would be. He condensed the amount of energy into a smaller area, making it have greater power stored  generating more force.

    Then, as soon as all the explosions cleared up, he saw the dragon again. This time, some damage was dealt to it yet, it wasn''t enough as the dragon was still flying perfectly fine. It didn''t feel Zeke''s presence because he was still covered with [Cloud of Dreams]. And with his bullets, fully charged, he released an attack as fast as the speed of light.

    There was no escaping it. The dragon got hit and, pierced through its hard scales. The bullet was able to pierce through one of the wings and even reached the dragon''s heart  making Zeke think that he already won. But the dragon''s instincts were much sharper. It burnt mes on its own heart, closing the wound created; although it screamed in pain.

    "I definitely want one of those." Zeke said, continuing his advance against the dragon which answered in kind.

    The two dueled in the sky. From a distance, one would mistake it for a firework disy yet wonder why such a thing would ur in broad daylight. The exchangested for around 10 minutes, with Zeke escaping each and every attack while the [Chaos Dragon] slowly umted damage. The beast was finally cornered and so it was left with no other choice than to use its ultimate move.

    "Now that''s more like it!" Zeke said, seeing that the dragon was finally opening its mouth, with the continent destroying mes being charged up.

    If there was one weakness to this attack it was that, the [Chaos Dragon] couldn''t move much while charging. The beast needed to put its all in pping its wings as soon as the mes were released because, the force of the attack would be so strong that it would send the dragon flying.

    Yet, nobody was able to counter this before because the dragons had the said scales which was difficult destroy. Aside from this, the [Chaos Dragon] floated too high to be reached. But Zeke had a n and, although nervous, he was sure that is would work.

    From the data he collected; he was also able to get the information of how long the charge needed to be made  this being five seconds in total. After the said interval, the dragon would blow [Chaos mes] so powerful that the sky would probably look noontime and, Zeke counted the seconds on his head, getting nearer and nearer towards the dragon.

    5

    4

    3

    2

    "Conjure!"

    Normally, one would not summon a massive amount of [Conjures] in mid-air. Especially because most of Zeke''s units only thrived onnd. But Zeke had other things in mind. All 2,000 conjures were sent inside the dragon''s mouth as soon as it fired.

    Zeke maintained his summons by drinking [Large Mana Potions] over and over again while the dragon kept flying wildly on the sky  with its body bloating up bit by bit. Through Zeke''stest modification on his skill, the [Conjures] won''t die as long as Zeke supplied mana and, with all of them being inside the dragon''s mouth; this meant only one thing:

    The that pile of [Conjures] could easily block the exit of the mes, containing itpletely within the dragon''s body.

    Bit by bit, the dragon''s body bloated up and, Zeke watched this with glee  paying attention to his mana which rapidly went down. And, after a few more seconds, the dragon finally exploded.

    All of the loot immediately went into Zeke''s inventory. The remains itself rained down from the sky as indistinguishable parts of somerge creature. Zeke then decided to finally leave the scene but just as Zeke thought he was finished, two other [Chaos Dragons] showed on his [Minimap]. Leaving Zeke with no other choice but to try something out with the tongue of fire left by the [Chaos Dragon].

    "Conjure."

 Chapter 136: Nightmare

    Chapter 136: Nightmare

    [Failed. You have two tries left.]

    "Figures. I knew it won''t be that easy to make it obey me." Zeke told himself.

    On that instance, Zeke remembered that even for the generals, he has only had sess win [Conjuring] one, no more no less. But this didn''t stop Zeke from trying to reanimate the [Chaos Dragon] because there were two more chances left on the soul before it shatterspletely.

    "Conjure." Zeke said again, setting the tongue of fire aze but, ultimately getting the same feedback as before.

    [Failed. You have one try left.] The me''s light became feeble, as if a single blow of wind could take it out entirely.

    "Can you cut me some ck here? I''m trying to save the world you know." He said as he raised his hand toward the me. He poured out his mana and tried speaking to the me as he gave the samemand for thest time.

    "Conjure."

    The me grew even bigger than before, with the sound of a [Dragon''s] heartbeat vibrating on the whole sky; pushing back all the clouds that were nearby. And this time, Zeke was sure that the dragon woulde out. But

    It broke.

    [Failed. The soul of the Chaos Dragon is now shattered. Congrattions.]

    "Of course this would happen." Zeke thought to himself, knowing that [Conjuring} a creature such as the [Chaos Dragon] was a difficult feat to aplish. And so, he decided to try something else.

    Zeke brought out all the fully charged bullets that he had and, as he rode the [Chaos Wyvern Conjure] he charged some more, going straight to the location of the two [Chaos Dragons] which had the same goal as the first one that died.

    Zeke continued charging the bullets on his hands, burning it up with ck mana as this was diverted to these small objects on his hands. This time, Zeke made sure that the [Chaos Dragons] would see him and, the human finally began his assault.

    "Conjure." Zeke animated two of his [Soldier Conjures] with one riding on each dragon.

    The gamer proceeded to [Shadow Diving] on one of the two. As soon as he was mounted, Zeke immediately released [sh Freeze] which he thought could work on the dragons. But, as soon as he did, his enemy began generating the same cloak of mes that he encountered on the first [Chaos Dragon].

    "Sub Zero" Zeke continued  creating an even stronger freeze effect which began enclosing the creature''s body in ice.

    This would have worked if not for the other dragon entering the scene and firing normal mes on Zeke. The gamer was able to dodge these and went for the back of the second dragon. Unlike the first one however, this [Chaos Dragon] felt Zeke''s presence and immediately released the armor of mes.

    However, quick was also quick to take action. He used [Sub Zero] on the get go instead of [sh Freeze]. The creature screamed in pain but, as expected, the dragons had each other''s back and so, Zeke was in a real pickle.

    "Don''t worry. I don''t need you guyspletely frozen." Zeke mentioned.

    As mentioned, the scales of the dragons were unlike any other. In fact, these scales are so sturdy that even elemental attacks prove to be futile against them. That is how strong the exterior of the [Chaos Dragons] actually were.

    But if there was one thing that Zeke learned when he was still on earth, it was that anything frozen strongly enough was easier to shatter. Adding to the fact that the freezing level reached [Sub Zero] the particles within the object will get disrupted and thus, if Zeke shatters this, then ultimately the [Chaos Dragons] would sustain heavy damage.

    Bu Zeke knew better than to simply rely on this chance alone. Although costly with his [Mana Points] Zeke summoned a couple of [Chaos Wyverns] which were infused with [Detonates] of [Sub Zero].

    "Let''s see how well you fair with thisbination shall we?" Zeke said, watching the [Chaos Wyverns] begin their job.

    Adding to the wholebination, Zeke also increased their speed. Enabling the [Conjured] creatures to inevitably hit the [Chaos Dragons] which screamed in pain every time they got frozen. It was only temporary of course but, with both of them receiving the same fate over and over again, the [Chaos Dragons] umted damage and, the effects of freezing.

    Then, Zeke finally went and performed the next phase of his attack. If there was one area where the [Chaos Dragons] didn''t have any me armor on, it was their eyes. And, Zeke didn''t miss the opportunity to use this against them. He drank up three [Large Mana Potions] and finally set the remaining parts of the n into motion.

    If there was one thing that Zeke was known for back on earth, it was the versatility of his tactics and, their inducement with insanity on too many asions to keep count. And, Zeke disyed this on the current battle as he said:

    "Conjure."

    All [2,000 Conjured Creatures] appeared on the sky, confusing the dragons which began attacking everything on sight. They fired their mes on the creatures but, as soon as some of them died Zeke simply summoned new ones making an infinite loop which the [Chaos Dragons] needed to deal with.

    Yet, Zeke''s n wasn''t to simply irritate the dragons. It was to have one shadows appear all over the ce as, the bodies of the conjured creatures would inevitably ovep. Making use of this, Zeke finally [Shadow Dived] appearing right in front of a [Chaos Dragon''s] face. He used [sh Rush] mixed with both [Air Step] and [Overdrive]; ensuring that the beast would not be able to catch up to his movements.

    Then, in a fluid sequence of actions, Zeke stabbed the eye of the [Chaos Dragon] throwing in the bullets soon after and shouting:

    "Detonate."

    He ced half of the charged bullets on the first dragon''s eye and, this was the oue: Because of the freezing, the scales of the [Chaos Dragon] was nowhere as tough as it was supposed to be. At that moment, the Dragon began tearing apart. This was too fast to notice but, nothing hindered its body from getting torn into pieces as it got consumed by spiral of darkness.

    The other dragon watched in horror and, finally decided to charge up its [Chaos mes] which Zeke delighted on very much. He counted down again while riding his [Chaos Wyvern]. At that moment, he already recalled most of his summons, knowing that the same tactic won''t work twice and, at two seconds left. He threw the bullets into the mouth of the creature, firing at it and, sending the same spiraling whirl of death to the dragon.

    "What on earth is that?" A soldier eximed which was the same sentiment shared by his fellow troops.

    Down below, these said soldiers have just reached the are where Zeke nted his [Chaos Poison Clouds]. But it seemed that this much wasn''t needed because the remains of the [Chaos Dragons] now began falling from the sky. This came inrge chunks of [Chaos ck mes] burning any soldier that it came into contact with.

    "Make a barrier! Defenders do your jobs properly!" One of themanding generals said, covering them from one of the weirdest attacks that they have ever experienced in their lives. And while they tried to cling for dear life, Zeke already began attempting to reanimate both [Chaos Dragons].

    The souls resisted his call a couple of times. In fact, they resisted twice already and, one of the two even shatteredpletely but, upon reaching the ground, fortune finally favored the gamer who smiled in excitement.

    "That is what I call a good summon." Zeke came crashing down, riding on top of the remains of the [Chaos Dragon]. This sent a cloud of dust which blew at the barrier of the soldiers, disrupting their field of vision for a short while. But, as soon as this cleared, the soldiers saw the elfing out of what they recognized to be the remains of a [Chaos Dragon].

    "Impossible! How can this be!" Another general eximed, wanting to run away at that exact moment because whatever it was that could take out a [Chaos Dragon], she wanted no part on dealing with it.

    "Ahh perfect." Zeke said, seeing the troops reach the area of his trap.

    "You guys would be a good first meal for him. I bet he''s hungry right now."

    The soldiers all backed down as they saw something else emerge from the carcasses of the fallen [Chaos Dragon]. Out came wings which oozed with the color of deathly darkness. ws soon followed,rge enough to topple over a whole fortress all on its own. And then came the tail, sweeping over some of the soldiers and sending them flying.

    mes soon enveloped the whole area, leaving the soldiers with no other choice but to face this creature that they finally recognized. Its head stood high and proud and its whole body was covered with scales too sturdy to even dent. It made a sound, like a creature from the depths of hell would after waking up from its slumber.

    The creature''s mouth had mes oozing out of it and its eyes gleamed the same predator crimson as its master. It stepped on the carcass which was its mortal me and burnt it down immediately. Every move it took made the earth tremble which was the same trembling on the legs of the soldiers.

    The enemies wanted to run away immediately. They wanted to go into hiding but there was no means of escape for them. The fire instantly burned all who tried to escape and, aside from this, Zeke surrounded them with [Conjured Creatures].

    "This must be a dream." One of the soldiers said and Zeke was able to hear this.

    "No you got it all wrong sir. This isn''t a dream." Zeke ordered his [Conjures] to begin the carnage before he went on to saying.

    "This is nightmare."

 Chapter 137: The End of the Raid

    Chapter 137: The End of the Raid

    Zeke was just about done with his task. In fact, if they finish all the troops that came for them, the elites and Zeke would have no trouble vanquishing the other fortresses because, not much could stand in their way.

    And while Zeke massacred the enemies that remained for him, the elites also did the same. With all of the regr troops killed, all that was left for the elites to deal with were the generals who were already on their [Primal State].

    At this time, Zeke exined to Heron that every iing enemy has been dealt with. This amazed Heron once again who understood what this meant. And that is, his master went and aplished this all on his own once again.

    "You never fail to amaze me master." Heron said.

    "I have no idea what you''re talking about." He replied, giving her further instructions to help out the elites.

    "We need to make sure that they are safe and, judging by the number of generals they need to face, it would be within our best interest if you intervene." He said, cutting off the [Voice Chat].

    Heron did as she was told, rying the information to the elites and to Morpheus who was just itching to get some piece of action himself. And so, the fight continued this way: Both She and Morpheus handled 2 Generals all on their own. Leaving the remaining generals for the elites to handle.

    "Don''t break formation!" Quinn announced as they continued matching the pacing of the generals.

    This would not be possible if Merlin was not present who took the [Secondary Job ss] of [Illusionist]. Although this couldn''t deal much when it came to damage, the job ss aided in disorienting the enemies, allowing the rest of the group to execute their attacks easier against the said generals.

    "That''s a lot easier said than done Quinn." Curio responded, creating two [Shadow Clones] of himself which tried slitting a general''s throat.

    The enemy caught up however but this didn''t help him much as, the clones simply transformed into a shower of shuriken which continually hit him. Obviously, the [Assassin] took the [Secondary Job ss] of [Ninja] which has a unique feature. As time progresses, Curio''s rank as a [Ninja] will also increase until he reaches the peak.

    Going back to the battle, the general had had a bit ofg due to the number of shuriken that continued outpouring. He was just about to destroy all of them but, Eerie followed through with her barrage of crossbow shots  generating critical shots from time to time. While they focused on the general, Vorst ensured that no harm woulde to his allies as he created a strong barrier that prevented any attack froming through.

    Of course, the other defenders helped him in doing so. Together, they were able to create invisible walls that divided the enemies, preventing them from creating any solid formation. This was, of course, at themand of Quinn who continued handing out orders despite facing one general himself.

    The other generals were also in a pickle as Kaguya created [Oblivion] that kept five generals from moving out of ce. This is doubled because of her [Secondary Job ss] as [Multiplier], one which is only avable for tamers such as Horus and herself. What this basically does for her is that, whatever Kaguya summons can be multiplied to a number depending on the grade of the summon. And since [Oblivion] was of the highest tier, she can only create one duplicate of this.

    The five generals were thus stuck in mid-air, continually pulled both up and down by the holes of [Oblivion] which Kaguya set above them and on the ground, they stepped on. She made the hole of her skill smaller but, at the same time, increased the force it generated.

    Hence, all that the elites really needed to fight were the eight remaining generals. With four handled by Heron and Morpheus, one dealt with by Quinn and five kept in check by Kaguya, the remaining generals didn''t have much to offer, although already on their [Primal States].

    "Detonate." Zilg said, enjoying the continuous explosion of his traps. He was also one of the few who didn''t need to think much on what he should get. During the small amount of time he spent as a [Trapper], Zilg realized that he has fallen in love with explosions. And thus, he chose the secondary job ss of [Explosives Expert], allowing all his explosive traps to be both stronger and have other effects included.

    Zilg took small marbles from his pocket, one which was also crafted by Zeke. Through some mechanism, Zilg was allowed to have an inventory which could house an infinite amount of a single item that could fit inside it and, the item he picked were marbles.

    Zilg continued cing [Explosive Detonates] on these and, threw them at the generals with glee. Each individual explosion was not enough to take down the enemies but, it was enough to, once again, limit the movements of the remaining generals. Just like everyone else, Zilg was amazed by the craftsmanship of Zeke Elwood.

    They all knew that none of this would''ve been feasible if they didn''t have Zeke''s equipment. The first set of items they had were so weak that, it didn''t give much help to them. It was more like someone else owned the stuff and they just borrowed them for a while. With Zeke''s forged items however, they had exactly what they needed. These were items personally made to suit their needs and, the elites felt ease andfort in using these.

    "Gale!" One general shouted, creating a sh of wind. This was met by one barrier shattering down but, as soon as it did Vorst was able to set another one right away. Aside from this, Zane rained fireballs on that general, preventing him from performing the same act.

    Again, most of their tactics focused on disabling the enemies before they could make their move because, if they give even the slightest opening, the generals would utilize this to create a counterattack. And from Quinn''s experience, he knew that the skills of a [Primal State] general are no joke.

    "You think it would be that easy to take us down?" Another [Primal State] general said, breaking three barriers all at once before getting pinned down by Gawain who snipped him with a fully charged arrow.

    "Of course were not taking you lightly." Jake said who was assisted by Mirio. The two of them attacked in unison, preventing the general from breaking more barriers.

    Jake attacked with spikes that shot up from the ground and, with Mirio''s exceptional reflexes, he was able to weave through all of these. The general wasn''t as able and was pierced from time to time. Soon enough, Mirio was able to close the distance between them and, punched the general on the stomach.

    A burst of wind went out of the General''s back and his armor shattered altogether. But Mirio didn''t stop there. He continued with abination utilizing his feet that sent the general flying towards another spike that rose from the ground.

    But thebination didn''t end there. Jake summoned even more spikes that continued pouring down from the sky. Each was infused with [Pierce] making it a heavily mana draining skill but, all of this was worth it as they saw the general dying.

    Yet, something unusual urred. Instead of screaming in pain, the general bellowed inughter. Jake and Mirio saw how the general was being stabbed to death but, hisugh was both unnerving and ominous.

    "He''s gone crazy." Jake said, deciding to give the general onest stab but, before he did, the general''s true intention finally came into light.

    His [Primal State] specialized on one thing and that was, explosion. Upon death, the general would create an explosion as massive as the amount of mana he had left. And because he wasn''t able to do much in battle, he had a lot in reserve.

    There was no time to dodge this. Both Jake and Mirio were blown away by the explosion, their flesh charred by the attack of the enemy. Unfortunately, they weren''t the only ones affected as, because of this attack, most of the barriers created by the defenders got shattered and, the other generals took this chance to finally make a counter attack.

    "Vorst!" Quinn said, making his intentions clear without having to say it.

    "I''m trying! It''ll take time to set the barriers up again!" The defender said in reply.

    Chaos soon followed as, another general immediately summoned multiple [Shadow Wolves] which went after the elites. There were at least a hundred of them in total and their strength had been greatly increased by the amount of mana poured into summoning them. Hence, these were individually as strong as [Vice Generals].

    Aside from her, two other generals went and aimed for Kaguya. They used ultimate level spells which two defenders blocked at the cost of being damaged themselves. The attack didn''t end there however as another wave of these attacks came and, this time, Kaguya was left with no other option but to evade  breaking [Oblivion] and setting five more generals free.

    "This is bad. Really bad." Lizzie thought to herself, seeing the situation turn in favor of the generals. Heron and Morpheus saw this and decided to finally get serious but, before they could even make their move, they heard a loud humming from the sky.

    Even the generals paused to look at what it was that created the noise and, the generals rejoiced at the sight. Flying freely on the sky was a [Chaos Dragon] which began descending down.

    "You''re dead now!" One of the generals said as all of themughed triumphant. But only horror came as the dragon stomped on the generals. It created [Chaos mes] that burned the ground and ate the primal state generals one by one.

    Soon, an army came out. Reanimated copies of the fallen soldiers surrounded the [Primal State] generals and, they even recognized two other generals who joined in its ranks. Then, out came Zeke, walking causally toward the elites as he gave themand for his [Conjures].

    "Devour."

 Chapter 138: A Game of Deception

    Chapter 138: A Game of Deception

    A lot of things have also urred to de during the time that they were away. In fact, the king has finally progressed to the depths of the [Ruined City] after defeating a couple more guards who were ranked [A+] evolved.

    "Congrattions! You''ve reached a whole new world record!" Pier said to the elven king.

    "What record would that be? As far as I''m concerned, I am the first person to ever explore the Ruined City." de said to the god whom he''d have preferred not talking to at all.

    "You really like spoiling all the fun out of things, don''t you?'' Pier said to the elf who disregarded hisment altogether as he pushed a stone brick from the wall.

    "You''ve really grown from the moment you stepped in here you know that? A lot of people would''ve already died from the get go yet here you are." Pier told de who sounded like a proud parent, giving a speech on graduation day.

    The ground rumbled and, the ceiling made of the same stone bricks began pouring down dust. de wasn''t worried that it would suddenly fall down on him because, this structure was made by the [Dwellers] after all; ensuring him that nothing of the sort would happen.

    But it did. The stone bricks dropped on him like rainfall which continued on for a while. Luckily for de, he had a barrier perpetually set on and, this caught all the debris falling on him.

    "I kinda forgot how old this ce actually is." He said to himself, finally seeing the opening on the ground. There was a staircase and, down below wasplete and total darkness.

    "Honestly, they could''ve at least put some lighting on for the thieves."

    de threw some [Luminous Crystals] onto the area; an item which he was able to collect through one of the areas of the [Ruined City]. This brightened the ce uppletely, giving him a clear vision of what awaited him underneath.

    "It''s a good thing you picked that up huh." Pier said, looking at the amount of light offered.

    These weren''t the normal dim crystals found on Mythos but, perpetually lit crystals which collected the minimal amount of mana from the surroundings. Through this its light would continue shinning and, would only go out if ced on a manaless area. de took a lot of these with him, knowing that they would be valuable samples for his research once hees back to Mythos.

    "Heyyyy." Pier said, with the king not answering at all.

    "HEEEEEEY." He said louder but, de still refused to reply.

    "Okay you don''t want to talk to me? Fiiiineee. I''m gonna spill some juicy beans once you begin fighting some strong monsters again. So enjoy your little exploration there." At this, Pier cut themunication, allowing de to finally focus on what he was doing.

    "Honestly. That guy is even more annoying than the years of act I needed to put on." de said out loud, not caring if the god of mischief heard him or not.

    The king was actually a few days away from where the elixir was. But the problem was that, even though he knows the area where this should be found, he has no clue where the exact location is  making things a bit more difficult than they already are.

    But he casted the thought aside for the moment because, in front of him was a multiple winding road. There were three entrances presented but de didn''t need to explore them all as he had a sensing ability.

    He knelt on the ground and touched it with his left hand, releasing a vibration of mana that began scanning through the areas. Through this, he was able to sense all traps and monsters that were in the way and, as soon the limit of the skill was reached, he disabled it. King de then proceeded to the area with the greatest number of traps and monsters.

    "Now why would you take that?" Pier asked, curious about the choice made by de.

    "Monsters and traps could work two ways. They could be there as a means to kill someone off because of their wrong choice on the route taken. But, their presence could also mean that something valuable lies at the end of the route."

    "Ohhhhh." Pier said, impressed about the inductive skills of de.

    "Aren''t you the smart kid." Pier said praising but, de simply brushed thement off once again.

    As he expected, there were a lot of traps waiting for him down the path. In fact, the very first step he made was met by the hostility of a hundred arrows directed at him. de already knows that this woulde up, he just wanted to test how strong the traps actually were. He met this head on by firing needle sized air des at them, destroying the arrows which, as it turns out, also had explosive qualities.

    "Odd." de said, looking at the whole caved in route which he took. Of course it was still well lit because of the crystals he used and, what he found strange was that, even with the explosion which just came, the whole area didn''t crumble down nor was there any sign of the structure weakening even by a little bit.

    This confirmed his thoughts about the ce being made of stronger materials. A lot more reliable and sturdier than they were made out to be. Outside, the same old looking bricks fell down on him and he thought that this was an intentional act schemed by the [Dwellers].

    They probably wanted to scare anyone who wanted toe in; making them think that it was actually unsafe. But now, with what he just witnessed, de was sure that the whole underground area won''t be crumbling down any time soon.

    "That''s a nice little trick. You even had me fooled for a minute there." de said, speaking to the souls of the dead [Dwellers] and hoping that they heard him.

    The king continued moving forward and, he avoided as many of the traps as possible. Some of them were inevitable while some could simply be avoided by walking on one piece of brick over the other. And, as he progressed deeper and deeper, he finally reached the part of the area which he wasn''t able to scan. de performed the same act, kneeling down on the ground and beginning the scan using his mana.

    Unfortunately for him however, the [Dwellers] of old already thought of something like this happening. They knew that, if some sort of [Scout] or [Scanner] were present, then that person would reach where King de was at the moment. Hence, the [Dwellers] reserved the full power of their traps for thetter areas.

    All the lights went off  with the crystals of de shattering to pieces. This was followed by some vine like substance tangling the king all over. He wasn''t able to see it because it came from underneath nor was he able to sense it because the vines had an [Ultimate Stealth] type of function. He couldn''t kill it because, the thing somehow restricted his use of mana and this angered the king.

    "What the hell is this?" And at that moment, Pier stepped in once again andughed his heart out.

    "Ahhhh this is golden kid. Hahahahaah" The god began, entertained by the little disy presented before him.

    "I want you to know that I never orchestrated any of this. Heck, I didn''t even know that something like this would be down there." He continued, watching the king slowly get pulled by the substance coiling itself around him.

    "But I gotta hand it to those dwellers, they did a really fine job in making this ce. Bravo! I''d rate this S+ but this area isn''t a proper spot within Mythos anymore." He spoke.

    "Get me out of this!" demanded the god who was still amused with the events.

    "Now why on earth would I ever do that? I''m the god of mischief and deceit, not the god of saving vine tangled elves." The god replied, remembering the little promise he made to de.

    "You know what. That thing is probably gonna take you in as slowly as it could and from the looks of it, your mana is also getting drained so I''ll give you the juicy stuff I mentioned earlier." He said, thrilled about what was happening.

    "You see, some humans were sent to Mythos again and its not just one this time. Oh no. It''s twenty." Pier said, getting the much-desired reaction from de who muffled an angered cuss.

    "Twenty elite and hand-picked humans have been sent by the three major deities to your beloved Mythos." de''s eyes widened in horror, not hearing any of this from Pier beforehand. He wanted to shout at the god but his voice was being covered by the vines that extended to his mouth.

    "But that''s as far as I know. Sadly, they closed the mirror which allowed us to see Mythos as soon as those guys were deployed so, I guess that''s all the information I can offer you man. Sorry." Pier continued, watching the elf get dragged deeper and deeper into the unknown.

    "Well, whatever it is that would happen to you. I hope you won''t take it against me. Nice knowing you." At this, Pier closed themunication channel, immediately going on the lookout for a new pawn to rece de or so he thought.

    Down the route, the vine began having a violet smoke ooze out of it. The creature''s tangle on the king got weaker and weaker until, de as finally free from its grasp. He then proceeded to removing all the trackers which Pier ced on him, preparing for this day toe for a long time now.

    "It took some time but I guess this works." de told himself, referring to his n of getting rid Pier''s prying eyes from him. Of course, the god may still find out sooner orter but for the moment, de was free to do whatever he wanted and so, he continued exploring the area without having to act week nor feeble.

    He remembered the words of Pier but paid it no mind. He couldn''t care less about a bunch of kids entering Mythos.

    "After all. ''He''d'' take care of them." The king said, smiling as he was about to reach the end of the passage.

 Chapter 139: The Gamer - Strengthening

    Chapter 139: The Gamer - Strengthening

    The group still went back to the cave after the incident. That''s because Zeke erased the whole presence of the area and destroyed the tracker. He exined everything to the elites who also had thoughts that there was a spy among them.

    "Sorry. My bad. Tee hee." He said, trying to look cute but the elites just wanted to massacre him at that exact moment.

    Aside from this, Zeke already began covering the whole continent with his mana and, this takes a whole day in order to aplish. But that''s fine because they also needed this much time to rest and to recover before finally executing the n. Zeke himself didn''t need to rest because, he would just stay within the cave while they fought after all. And, he already found a way to maintain the barrier even though he didn''t focus but, the exnation for that would be left forter.

    "Don''t worry about the messengers for now. It would take at least two whole days for our enemies to mobilize the messenger units because, with the convenience of themunication devices created by de, they didn''t bother relying on this mode ofmunication anymore." Zeke exined, giving the elites thest peace of mind, they needed as they followed his order of resting and recovering.

    Or so they thought.

    While they tried to take a break from it all, they couldn''t help but recall the whole remainder of the fight after Zeke came back. They knew it was him of course. They could recognize that the hostility was not directed towards them but, nobody could me them if they also experienced fear and terror over the course of that time.

    With 2,000 soldiers stronger, counting a [Conjured Chaos Dragon] and two reanimated generals  Zeke wasn''t only powerful, he was so much so that they thought he wouldn''t even need to lift a finger to beat them all. And that is just estimating raw strength. They haven''t even put his thinking and calcting skills into consideration which ces Zeke at the very top of the food chain. In fact, after Zeke reaches a [Level 100], he may as well just toy with de. But the problem was that he couldn''t reach it and that he was stuck at [99+] at the moment.

    Due to all the thinking that was going on, some of the elites had their bodies burning up instead. And so, they decided to train even more. This much was understandable because, as Zeke mentioned, their desires have now shifted to what the world could offer them and, what it could offer, was the ocean of power which the elites have only began diving into.

    They wanted more. They wanted to get stronger. Strong enough to not tremble at the face of unsurmountable power just like Zeke and, the one who was most affected by this was Quinn.

    "And here I thought it didn''t do anything to you." Jake told him, watching their leader practice at thergest training room.

    Quinn was already covered in sweat and breathing heavily. Indicating that the leader of the elites had been practicing as soon as the meeting was done and dealt with.

    "Don''t be silly, Zeke makes my moves look like cheap party tricks." He replied, seeing both Jake and Mirio being present.

    "Mind if we train with you." Mirio asked, already wearing his brass knuckles even before Quinn could reply.

    "Only if you can keep up." He said, grinning and forming a stance.

    But just before they could continue, a [Voice Chat] opened up on Jake''s window, with the name of Zeke on the top.

    "Don''t you know how to put that thing on silent?" Quinn said, irritated.

    "How should I know? He never exined that part to us." Was Jakes''s response as Zeke finally began speaking.

    "Didn''t I tell you guys to rest?" He said, within a certain room and beginning the task heid out for himself.

    "We just wanted to get some more practice sir. We''re not confident that we could deal with the enemies as we are." Quinn said in reply, not exactly lying but not telling the whole truth. They heard Zeke sigh but, he didn''t speak anymore. As if he was thinking about what they just said.

    "You know, all of you are actually moving to training rooms as we speak. I''ve got nothing against training. In fact, I''d want you guys to train until your hearts just burst from exhaustion. But I can''t have you drained a day before the mission. So, here''s what were gonna do."

    Zeke exined that there was a crystal on each training room which could emit Heron''s [Cloud of Dreams]. Specifically, what it contained was the part of the skill which could create a [Pocket Dimension] for them and, unlike the duration of one day which Heron could offer, the crystals could reach two days straight while only requiring 20 minutes in the real world. Of course, this is at the price of the crystals shattering altogether.

    "Announce to everyone that I am allowing training. Use the crystals but, as soon as your two days within the [Pocket Dimension] finishes, you will rest. No questions asked." Zeke said, getting noints from Quinn and the two fighters as they responded:

    "Understood."

    Meanwhile Zeke remained within his own room, finally getting the hang of using [Gamer''s Mind]. Together with his [Subconscious], Zeke was able to open up a unique quirk that wasn''t actually part of the features. Within his [Subconscious], the [Gamer''s Mind] could work as a separate entity altogether and, this meant one thing, that Zeke could do two things simultaneously.

    "Fantastic it finally worked huh." Zeke said, making the feature continue the task of setting up the mana cover while Zeke went on to sorting the things on his inventory once again.

    This time, he properly organized things because, with the number of deaths that happened, there was more loot to go around. Zeke invested too much in the items and equipment of the elites that, he forgot to properly gear his [Conjures] and to also merge them.

    Zeke did these things at that moment, utilizing [Ultimate Gambler] which rose his chances by an extra [50%] on whatever he needed to make. And through this, he merged the conjures over and over again, finally creating toon leaders for every group of [Conjures].

    Zeke found it a hassle to think of their names one by one, so he gave them names based on the knights of the round table  seeing that there were 12 of them all in all. Aside from this, Zeke gave each of them unique weaponry which was not present in Mythos.

    It weren''t just the equipment which were special but even the materials themselves. Three [Chaos Dragons] all in all wereid to waste and Zeke had scales of these dragons that amounted to this number. Although difficult, Zeke was able to make armor for each of these knights while also melting the scales through the a special kind of me. He didn''t forget about his own equipment of course and made sure to reset the durability of [Death''s Void]. Furthermore, Zeke added the hearts of the [Chaos Dragons] to his weapon which created unique results all in all.

    [Weapon Name: Chaos Death''s Void]

    [Weapon Grade: S+]

    [Level Requirement: 90]

    [Additional Information: Through the parts of the Chaos Dragon which were integrated to the weapon, the following effects have been added:]

    [1. The weapon can now be used to fire 10 fully charged bullets before it reaches breaking point. The cooldown is also greatly reduced.]

    [2. Chaos me bullets can now be used but would consume two out of the 10 maximum shots before overheating. This is caused by the heart of the chaos dragon which was infused on the weapon.]

    [3. The scales of the Chaos Dragon make the weapon more durable as a means of defense while, the ws infused on the des adds the same effect of chaos mes to whatever it slices.]

    "Now that is what I call a proper upgrade." Zeke said, satisfied with his handiwork once again. He then proceeded to viewing all themon armor and weapon he made for his army of [Conjures].

    [Attribute: Dragon ze]

    [Information: The dragon''s soul resides on the material that you used. Thus, a partial amount of the chaos ck mes of the dragon could be utilized as an offensive attack for weapons while it could also be used as an addedyer of protection for defensive and armor type equipment.]

    "This one went beyond my expectations. I think reaching both [Undying Loyalty] and [Undying Fury] would prove to be difficult because of this." Zeke said to himself, excited to utilize his conjures altogether. But he knew that the time for them has not yete.

    He then moved to histest prized [Conjure] which was the [Chaos Dragon] which he had no ns of merging with other creatures. Even with his heightened sess rate, there was still a chance that he would fail and, Zeke didn''t want to bet on his chances.

    Right then, the number of his units have greatly diminished. Because of all the [Merging] which he performed, Zeke needed to replenish his troops. But this could be easily done in the battlefield so he didn''t worry about it much. Instead, he adored his newly created knights.

    Arthur had Excalibur. A great sword which also turns into a sma cannon and, with the addition of the chaos ck mes, it could easily release enough power to rival the continent destroying mes of the [Chaos Dragon]. Although, this would also be at the price of breaking the weapon.

    Mordred was both named after the knight and the other Mordred who was one of the defenders on the team of the elites. This one wielded a double ymore weapon. But aside from this, the des also had a function of extending into a whip, having the same durability and sharpness of the sword version except that, it could extend. Again, the mes could cover this, making it a difficult opponent to go up against.

    Then there is Lancelot and, it may just be because of the name but, Zeke gave him ance. This weapon is asrge as the greatsword of Arthur and, could also extend just like Mordred''s double ymore. But unlike the first mentioned, Lancelot''s only extends on a straight line which happens so quickly that, it reaches the speed of sound.

    Zeke was equally satisfied with all the other knights. They not only looked like proper ones but, they also had different colors, indicating that they have already evolved.

    "That just leaves me with onest thing to do." Zeke snapped his neck left and right and stretched his spine.

    But what he needed to do went beyond simply stretching his body out. It was, in fact, connected to strengthening his body even further.

    Here''s the thing, because Zeke was stuck on [Level One] for so long, there was a cap to the amount of attributes which he could obtain. He had the same dilemma with his skills in that, even though he had a lot on his arsenal, he couldn''t make use of all of them at the same time. That''s why he needed to level up first and, that is also the reason why the bacsh was so great when he needed to face the five generals during his short stay on the farm.

    Think of it this way. He is like a two-terabyte worth of data that was forced into an old 32 gigabyte sh drive. No matter what you do, it can''t and won''t work and, Zeke could only muster up to 32 gigabytes worth of power.

    Going beyond this naturally broke his body which he needed to repair immediately. But, now that he reached [Level 99+] his base attributes and the amount of ultimate level skills he could use also increased but, this also needed time to integrate.

    Again, with the example of memory and sh drives. All the data stored on the 32-gigabyte sh drive are now being transferred to a better container. Maybe a terabyte''s worth of memory. Still, this was not enough for Zeke to reach his full capacity but, this was iparably better than his first situation.

    With this, it could be said that they all trained. The elites and Zeke made it a point that they would be stronger. Strong enough to reach their goals. And, while the elites only wanted to reach Zeke''s level, the gamer had a higher goal in mind.

    He wanted enough power to massacre the gods.

 Chapter 140: Old and New Allies

    Chapter 140: Old and New Allies

    "That makes two." Gawain said after snipping down a [Chaos Wyvern Rider] down.

    It didn''t take much effort as their presence was concealed and, with Gawain''s natural primary archer ss of [Sniper], he was able to make precision leveled shots especially because his enemies never suspect any attacking.

    "Good job." Gerard, one of the defenders said, able to see the take down using the tactical binocrs provided for by none other than Zeke.

    "Yeah, we''re not getting much action though. I mean, getting some flying targets from time to time is good and all but none of my training is getting disyed because of this." He said, sniping down the soldiers who witnessed what just urred.

    Gerard gave him a thumbs up before teleporting to another location. This time there is an envoy ship with defenders present but, this didn''t matter. Gawain simply set up hisrge bow and charged one bullet. He didn''t make it as strong as the one used during their fight on top of the base because, it would draw too much attention.

    He released the arrow and, a spiraling wind came together with it. This inevitably destroyed the ship and, as all the soldiers got submerged in the water, Gawain quickly snipped them down, releasing five arrows at the same time.

    "They''re making me regret getting the snipper ss." Gawain said.

    "Ahh quitining. This is the least we can do for the group. Plus, we actually get more rest than the others so you should be thankful." Gerard answered, giving Gawain a thumbs up meaning, the archer was able to take down all the targets.

    The mission already started. In fact, as soon as the sun rose, they began conducting the operation without needing much motivation nor pep talk. They were all equally fired up, dispersing into groups for the mission.

    Unlike the previous n, it was only Gawain and Gerard who were deployed for the snipping mission. This was because, Gawain alone was already enough for the task which ddened Zeke because, he was able to disperse the elites into smaller units that went to various fortresses.

    Yes, they didn''t stay together as a huge bulk. There were five groups in total. Each aiming for a crystal in order to finally finish the mission. Heron and Morpheus were, of course, on standby  ready to be deployed in case the situation gets too dangerous for the elites. But among the groups, it was only Quinn who was deployed all on his own, attacking a single fortress just like Zeke does.

    "Why are we having such a hard time? It''s just one kid?" Themanding officer said, making the group of ballistics all fire at Quinn.

    The human simply danced through the attacks. Not the literal kind of course but, with how graceful and elegant he executed this, it might as well be called a such. The arrows couldn''t even do so much as graze him.

    "We''re trying sir. He''s just too fast for us." Was the answer of one soldier, frantic and nervous because of their inability to hit the target who seemed to be enjoying himself.

    Quinn waited for the next volley of arrows to begin. As soon as this happened, he jumped up the air; so high that it almost seemed like he disappeared. He followed this by a single swing of his weapon which was coated in mana. This created spearhead like objects, twenty of them in total which shot at the ballistics of the enemies.

    "This might be a bit harder than I thought." He told himself, destroying all the targetspletely and proceeding to using a burst of mes to destroy the front gate.

    He then summoned a hundred [Skutz] which served as a diversion for him who actually ascended through the walls.

    "Overdrive" was used in order to make his mind move faster in order tomand more skills within a single second.

    "Internal Ring."

    "Darkness Veil" These were used in order to further heighten his attributes and, to top things off, he added another skill owned by Curio.

    "sh Rush."

    At this, Quinn almost seemed to disappear from sight. Moving quickly through the ranks of enemies who stayed on the walls. This wasn''t the only thing he did though. He also brought pebbles infused with [Detonates] of [Explosives].

    He threw these down below which was met by the unfortunate soldiers. He didn''t leave them hanging however. As soon as he finished with the troops on the walls, Quinn proceeded to shooting down all the enemies as he transformed his weapon into a double crossbow, the same weapon used by Eerie.

    Quinn continued showering down arrows upon them and, as soon as he saw a huge bulk of enemies, he leapt up, changed his weapon into a great bow and, fired a set of arrows infused with explosives and me spells. Then, once it was safe to do so, he gave updates as was ordered by Zeke.

    "Everything is fine on this end." He said, with Zeke replying in approval.

    The other groups gave the same update soon after but it wasn''t Quinn who gave the earliest update. It was Kaguya, Eerie, and Mordred who worked as a single group of female elites.

    Although powerful all on his own, Quinn couldn''t do every type of attack all at once. Kaguya''s team however had the melee and defender Mordred. They also had the mid-range artillery who was Eerie and,stly, there was Kaguya who, apart from her unparalleled [Oblivion], could also work as a mid-range and close-range fighter.

    Zeke thought so much of how Kaguya was a lot like a Queen unit in Chess. Able to perform every move except that of a knight''s.

    The female elite started things of with [Oblivion] and it wasn''t any feeble sized [Oblivion] at that. It was one casted on the whole fortress. With all the fights that urred, Kaguya''s level naturally rose just like everybody else and so, the disy she put up on their first mission was nothingpared to the [Oblivion] she casted at that moment.

    "Are we even needed here?" Mordred and Eerie thought to themselves, watching the whole structure begin to crumble down. Soldiers were naturally sucked up by Kaguya''s skill and so were parts of the building itself.

    But, Kaguya didn''t maintain this for long; wanting to regenerate right away in case any unprecedented circumstance urs. Hence, it was time for both Mordred and Eerie to shine. Kaguya still did her part by reactivating a smaller [Oblivion] and applying [Multiply] on it, allowing her to cover half or the fortress. This limited the amount of enemies they needed to face which worked greatly in the favor of both Mordred and Eerie.

    It wasn''t mentioned before but, Mordred chose [Brawler] as her [Secondary Job ss]. The name and the skill set was simple but, the simplicity of it allowed the job ss toot have a bunch of passives that focused on close quarter mobility and boosting of physical traits.

    Her weapon was also converted by Zeke to her liking. It was changed into a sort of shield which was onlyrge enough to cover her fist. In fact, it covered her whole fist and extended to her arm, with cartridges evidently showing. This weapon could, be extended into a full-blown defensive shield whenever needed. But on the first form, it could be used to deal arge amount of damage.

    "OOORRRYAAA!" She shouted punching one enemy with her fist which sent a wave of mana bursting out. This is the same concept as Mirio''s weaponry but, unlike the male elite mentioned, Mordred''s works on mana cartridges which are loaded onto the shield and, every time she makes use of the shockwave skill, one cartridge is immediately removed from the weapon.

    Eerie followed up these attacks with her crossbow shooting. She targeted enemiesing from all directions; allowing Mordred to focus on a single line of enemies charging in. This gave Mordred the much-needed support in order for her to continually use the shockwave while also tanking for the team.

    Kaguya also switched to close range mode by using [Darkness Veil] while also maintaining [Oblivion]. She used her [Multiplier] ability on [Darkness Veil] which allowed her to create a clone of herself in shadowlike form.

    Together, both Kaguya and her clone were able to take out as many enemies as Mordred and Eerie, not counting the ones getting eaten up by [Oblivion].

    Aside from them, everybody else were doing a decent job. Nobody was sustaining much damage as Zeke estimated and so, with the momentum, he decided to progress the n even further.

    "Heron. Morpheus." He said, with the two already geared up and ready to go.

    "Are we gonna do it dad? Are we gonna fight that?" Morpheus asked, excited to go up against someone who can make him go all out.

    "Yeah, it''s time." Zeke answered, with Heron nodding in agreement.

    Indeed, the time Zeke set for the group was six days. But, he also knew that there would be more trouble if de was able to return sooner than his estimation. Through [Gamer''s Mind] he thought of the best course of action based on the data he currently had. With all things considered, he knew that deploying the two would be for the mission''s best interest.

    "I don''t know what they did with her but, please analyze her using your [Dragon Eyes]." Zeke instructed Heron.

    "Understood master." She replied.

    And with this, the two got teleported right in the middle of a soldier infested area. Heron immediately dispersed [Cloud of Dreams] while Morpheus made wide ranged attacks using his morningstar.

    Themotion they created caught the attention of the fortress owner right away. She went out to see what was happening and, found the two massacring her forces. The elf was calm through all of this and, simply winded up her bow.

    Then, without any hesitation nor difficulty, she fired two arrows at the unsuspecting duo. With Heron''s [Dragon Eyes] however, she was able to detect the attack and, pushed Morpheus away just in the nick of time.

    "You''ve got a lot of nerve, storming into my stronghold." She saiding down the tower to deal with the two herself. She motioned for all the soldiers to back down and warned that interference would mean their death.

    "Are you sure you don''t need yourckeys?" Heron asked, already beginning the analyze as Zeke instructed. It was Sylph Windsprite no doubt and, all her attribute points were as monstrous as Zeke described.

    "Don''t be silly." Sylph said, activating [Infinity Bow] which now hovered close to her.

    "I''d be enough to take you both down."

 Chapter 141: The Answer

    Chapter 141: The Answer

    Both Heron and Morpheus were hand trained by Zeke from day one. Although Heron herself was already a warrior, all her memories were wiped clean. But her body still remembered being such, making her have an advantage during the earlier parts of their training. But Morpheus was able to catch up soon because of his nature of having the [Chimera] blood running through his veins.

    With both of them getting training day in and day out, they naturally developed skills and abilities that made them well rounded fighters but, if there was one thing that Zeke was not able to fully prepare them for, it was a warrior who was not only gifted in the art ofbat but, also has a mountain''s worth of battling experiencepared to them.

    That is the exact description of Sylph Windsprite. An elf who came from the royal bloodline. An archer prodigy. The youngest leader of the disbanded Wood Scouts. And now, for some reason, the Count of the Demon Continent.

    Naturally, the fight began with both parties measuring each other up. Through her [Infinity Bow], Sylph was able to continue firing shots that prevented her enemies froming closer. These weren''t simply normal arrows of course but, ones infused with spells, making them even deadlier. On her hand was also a bow which wasn''t the [Heirloom Bow] she inherited but instead, a weapon created by de for the elf. And, Heron could see a condensed amount of dark energy formed within it.

    Of course, she didn''t report it yet to Zeke. She thought that the gamer probably knew of this already and, what she needed to search for was a way to revert Sylph back to normal. Because, if they couldn''t do this, and the fight reaches a dangerous turn for both her and Morpheus, then they''d have no other choice but to dispose of Sylph. Not that it would be an easy feat to aplish even if they actually tried.

    The soldiers around term couldn''t help but be amazed at the fight that was unfolding before them. Even though they knew that the two were their enemies, some of the soldiers fell head over heels for Heron. This much was understandable because, if one didn''t see her at death''s door, then she would be nothing less than a natural beauty.

    But their admiration soon wet back to fear as the [Dragon Morpher] unsheathed her long katana. She sliced every arrow that came in rapid session, not missing a single one. Sylph increased her speed further, taking Morpheus into consideration as she fired at this enemy through her handheld bow.

    The twopanions of Zeke found themselves pushed to a corner instantly. They haven''t released their full power of course but, they also knew that the enemy was in the same boat. Heron couldn''t afford this and, used [Dragon Eyes]; allowing her to find an opening which she immediately took advantage of. Heron dashed immediately  aiming for the shoulder of the elf. But, Sylph was able to catch through. She used her handheld bow to parry the katana, swirling around Heron before kicking her in the gut - resulting in the [Dragon Morpher] spitting out blood.

    Sylph would''ve followed through with another volley of arrows but, Morpheus entered the scene, swinging his weapon at Sylph who was forced to dodge this time around. At the same time, she was able to fire an arrow which exploded as soon as it got close to Morpheus.

    "That was dangerous ma''am." He said, virtually undamaged as dragon-like scales showed on his skin, hiding them soon after.

    "That doesn''t seem to be the case at all." Sylph answered, smiling at the opponent lightly.

    The air was still hostile and thick; making breathing difficult. But, the words they exchanged by the two were so casual that one would think they were simply friends who were sparing.

    But at the next moment, Morpheus vanished from sight, only to reappear next to Sylph with his fist turned onto a wolves''. Sylph dodged this again but realized that, on the back of Morpheus, there was a tail sticking to the ground.

    "Got you." He said, creating spikes that suddenly appeared below Sylph.

    She was able to dodge this by using a wind spell that made her bounce upward. This wasn''t the best course of action to take however as, Heron was already charging up an attack with her katana.

    In the next second, it was Heron who now caught up; creating a sh. With the moves disyed by Sylph, there was no way for her to dodge this time. Herron would inevitably hit one of her shoulders; disabling the enemy entirely. But this didn''t happen because Sylph also began to get serious.

    "Agility"

    "Focus"

    "Precision"

    "Air Walk"

    All these skills were activated by Sylph at the same time. Her feetnded on an invisible flooring on the air and immediately pirouetted her body sidewards. She then used her bow to hit Heron''s stomach once again, Sending her flying towards Morpheus who broke her fall.

    Thebination didn''t end there however as, Sylph proceeded to creating a magic circle in the sky. While doing so, she fired fifteen explosive arrows that came in quick session, preventing her enemies from moving away from their current location.

    She then followed up with ice arrows, creating walls of thick ice that gave her a double assurance and, with all of these being set, her magic circle was alsopleted. Sylph proceeded immediately activated [Rain of Arrows] right then and there.

    The barrage came as a vicious torrent, descending like god''s judgments from the skies. Sylph followed this up by making two more magical circles on top of each other which, brought down more and more arrows towards the location of the two.

    There was no other word to described what was happening than savage. It couldn''t even be called a proper fight anymore because, Sylph ruthlessly killed her opponents in a series of perfectly executed attacks.

    But it would take more than this to actually take down the two. In fact, with all the equipment provided by Zeke, the two could survive the attack. Somehow Sylph also felt this and so, she held the [Infinity Bow] on her hands, retracting the other one for the moment.

    She then took mana from the surroundings, creating gales stronger than anything which Gawain was able to muster. There was a building up force that could take a whole mountain down and, her soldiers could feel it. Hence, they all retreated to Sylph''s back as the female elf continued charging the attack.

    "You don''t have to y dead." Sylph said, knowing that if the two were really alive then, they''d do something in their power to dodge it.

    "I''ll kill you myself." She continued, releasing the attack while the triple casted [Rain of Arrows] still went on.

    But, instead of the arrows piercing through, they were sent upwards, breaking the magic circles altogether. This was followed through by the shattered pieces of the ice wall being thrown to Sylph who took them down one by one using her arrows.

    A mist slowly formed and, for a moment the soldiers felt a presence simr to the [Chaos Dragon]. No. that wasn''t quite right. They felt something stronger than a [Chaos Dragon].

    [Chaos ck mes] was then shot at Sylph, emerging from the steam. But because her loyal soldiers were behind her, she didn''t move an inch and instead, released a mass of wind so strong that it was able to hold off the mes. But this couldn''tst for long.

    "GET OUT OF HERE!" She shouted to her soldiers who immediately got the hint.

    The attack went on for a while longer but as it did, Sylph also sessfully defended her troops. She didn''t let even a flicker of the mes hit her subordinates and, as soon as they cleared the area, she turned the wind into a razor sharp de; cutting the mes in half and dispersing it altogether.

    "Heron aren''t you done analyzing her yet?" Morpheus asked, emerging out of the steam created by the mes melting the ice.

    "I am, so we move to phase two now." Heron said in reply, making the smoke around the stronghold swirl where the duel was taking ce. This came so abruptly and so violently that, there was no way for Sylph to get out.

    "Shit they got me." Sylph said, feeling something familiare her way as Heron finally activated:

    "Cloud of Dreams."

    The wind was so strong that one could hear it whisper. There was a gust but not as sharp as the soldiers thought it would be, nor was there any typhoon forming. Instead, they saw the clouds in the sky slowly get sucked up with the amount of clouds formed down below.

    The soldiers wanted to assist their leader but, every time they tried charging in, they would only find themselves running outside the same direction from whence they entered. Without Heron''s approval, they cannot enter her [Pocket Dimension] and so, they could do nothing but wait for the oue.

    Meanwhile, Sylph stayed alert even though there was nothing around her but white thick mist. She looked around but could sense no enemy and even if she could, she doubted if her senses would prove to be loyal to her at this point.

    "Master said that something was up with you so I used my eyes to make a full analysis." Sylph tried to shoot at where the voice came from but, her arrows caught nothing but the wind.

    "But the strange thing is that, there wasn''t anything wrong with you at all. Aside from the fact that you have a corrupting weapon, you''re still in your proper elements." Sylph tried shooting again, multiple directions this time, trying to feel the faintest amount of disruption in mana but again, her arrows found nothing but wind.

    "So it begs the question what turned Sylph Windsprite into a traitor''s ally?"

    "SHUT UP! YOU KNOW NOTHING" Sylvia said in rage, firring another set of arrows.

    "Zeke that bloody human plotted all of this! He fooled us all! Made us enter that weird dimension; only foreverything to be potted against us once we returned!" Sylph finished using her bow and decided to finally go into her ultimate form.

    "But you won''t understand. None of you would!" She said, releasing a wave of dark mana around Heron''s domain.

    None of what Sylph said made sense because, Heron was always by Zeke''s side. There was no chance for the human to ever plot something against Sylph nor any other person. What made things even weirder was how Sylph believed all this like it was reality.

    "Morpheus, we have a chance to get her back." Heron said to herpanion who was already prepared to make a move.

    "Yeah. So what do we do now?" Herpanion answered, seeing Sylph transform into what seemed to be a ck knight.

    "That''s simple. We beat her until she can''t fight anymore."

 Chapter 142: Judgement

    Chapter 142: Judgement

    Within the [Cloud of Dreams], Heron doesn''t only get to distort all the senses of her enemies but, she also gets a multiplier for her attributes and skills. At the time she also decreases the same things mentioned for those marked as her enemies. Hence, Sylph should''ve been greatly weakened but, that was not the case.

    The female elf was oozing with power. In fact, even with her decreased attributes, she was still stronger than both Heron and Morpheus. The female elf was clothed in lightweight armor, not the same viinous looking one that the generals have in their [Primal State].

    Sylph''s armor looked more regal and elf life. With carvings of vines and leaves that could be seen on the tes of her armor while, her helm allowed her to see but also covered the whole of her head, preventing any attack to hit it directly.

    Her twin bows floated at her back, looking a lot like wings as they transformed into such. The feathers were actually arrowheads made of pure mana. On her hands were curved daggers and, these also emitted mana.

    Meanwhile, Heron also changed appearance but, not that much. Her dragon horns now came out with a golden yellow color and, her eyes turned the same, with the pupils looking like diamonds in shape. Her skin also showed a bit of scaling but, not that much to take notice of and, both her tail and her wings were also out, showing a pure white color, with linings of gold.

    Her clothes also changed color into the same white shade, adorned at some parts with dragon scale-like designs that had the same color as both her horns and her eyes. Although not looking like much, the clothes of Heron was actually infused with the scales of the [Chaos Dragon], making it tougher even though it only seemed to be made of nothing else but cloth.

    "We don''t have much time." The [Dragon Morpher] told telepathically to Morpheus as she hovered on the sky. And with this, the battle finally began.

    Although the realm was powerful, there was a slight problem to it. Since Heron was actively engaging inbat, she couldn''t focus on maintaining it and, she also doesn''t have time to drink [Mana Potions] in order to prolong it.Thus, they only had 20 minutes in her realm and, within this time, they needed to defeat sylph.

    But that in itself proved to be difficult because now, both of the female elf''s bows were being fully utilized. Nothing else could describe Sylph''s attacks but monstrous as, the arrowheads fired fiercely at both Heron and Morpheus. But this wasn''t the end of her problems because, Sylph was just as strong in close quarterbat.

    "You must think that you''ve got me cornered." Sylph told them, kicking Morpheus on the face and making him kneel down. She then used his back to jump up, shoveling Morpheus'' face to the ground as she went after Heron.

    With the [Dragon Morpher] needing to dodge the arrowheads, there was no opening for her to make an attack. Sylph met her in mid-air, spinning with her double daggers anding in for the kill. Through this interval, Sylph didn''t forget to continue firing the arrowheads and so, her enemies still couldn''t do much but dodge or block.

    Hence, Heron got blown down, hitting Morpheus at high speed. The two of them scurried to their feet but, they saw that Sylph didn''t continue her attack. Instead, she began hopping up and down, with small gusts of wind being released every time her feetnds on the mist. Her wings also regenerated the arrowheads that were already gone meaning, there was no end to her ammunition.

    "You''ve got another thinging if you think you can defeat me." Sylph told the two, spinning her daggers on her head while her enemies poised to strike.

    Both sides made their move immediately. But this time, Heron was prepared for the enemy. She snapped her fingers, turning the whole realm into a forest with arge number of thick trees covering them.

    The sudden change in environment got Sylph by surprise. Due to the nature of the area, her arrowheads couldn''t find their targets properly and, even if they did, the number of trees made it difficult for them tond as they would hit these objects from time to time.

    Morpheus didn''t have the same problem however, appearing miraculously through a tree and punching Sylph in the gut. The elf was sent flying towards another tree which both broke and came down in the process.

    Things didn''t end there however as, Heron''s shadow also loomed in the sky. Arrowheads tried hitting her but, the [Dragon Morpher] was too fast for them, making her reach Sylph in a matter of seconds. But the elf knew better than to get hit twice.

    She nted one of her daggers deeply on the ground and used a gust of wind to push her body. This spun quickly enough in order for her to evade the stab aimed at her shoulder. The elf then proceeded to kicking Heron who was forced to block. This made a pause in the fight once again with the duo winning the second bout.

    "We''re not so easy ourselves." She announced to the elf who got back to her feet. Then, after a deadly silence, the three finally engaged in full blownbat.

    "I''ll deal with all the long-range attacks. You focus on close quarters." Morpheus announced, changing his weapon into something that looked a lot like Zeke''s twin pistols.

    Sylph saw this and felt a slight headache. She didn''t want to remember the person anymore but, there was no helping it. And if Morpheus did anything to the fight, it was angering Sylph who now bursted out more arrowheads from her double bows.

    From what they already experience in the fight, Heron and Morpheus knew that the bows acted as a separate entity altogether. They aimed on their own with the same amount of skill as Sylph while, the female elf only needed to focus on Heron who faced her head on.

    "Are you working for him? Tell me!" Sylph demanded, releasing two arrowheads that forced Heron tond. Sylph didnt miss this chance and swept the floor with her leg; tripping Heron who immediately did the same to Sylph using her tail which pulled the elf down.

    But even as she tripped, Sylph was still able to maneuver her body. Hence, her de was already directed to Heron''s chest and, the [Dragon Morpher] answered in kind by finally breaking her weapon into two. Revealing a small katana which paired with a now regr sized one.

    She used the smaller Katana to parry Sylph while the hilt of the longer one was used to hit Sylphs forehead; forcing back the elf with a small wound opening up.

    "Well aren''t you full of surprises." Sylph said, enjoying the fight herself.

    Even though the realm sucked up some of her strength and continued disorienting her, Sylph was still able to handle herself well. This made Heron think that it was for the best that they contained her before she showed her full force.

    Heron activated another skill, multiplying herself into five which all attacked Sylph simultaneously. Morpheus was excited about this and did the same; giving Sylph a total of 10 enemies to deal with.

    "You''ve got to be kidding me right?" She announced, dodging the attacks which soon followed. But unlike the first few minutes of the fight, there were just too many of them.

    Yet Sylph didn''t mind. She didn''t care that she was overwhelmed. In fact, she continued fighting back and, as the fight progressed, her senses also heightened, making her dodge more and more of the attacks. At the same time, she was able to slowly execute counters as well.

    This was due to the skill called [Yaeger''s Battel Sense] a skill she developed from being in the realm of the goddess for a period of time. Not everyone was able to receive this blessing of course. Only her and, it wasn''t until she was trapped in the maze that this showed up.

    What the skill basically does is this:

    [Information: As the fight progresses, the attributes of the skill owner heightens temporarily. There is no limit to this and the one getting sharpened most are the instincts of the skill owner.]

    Heron saw this of course and so, she took back all the clones while also changing the terrain once again. This time, they are ce on the bottom of a small rift which, again, made maneuverability difficult for Sylph. Before Sylph could even adjust to this, Morpheus already found his way near the elf as he announced:

    "My turn."

    The boy had his emerald-colored eyes glow in excitement. He excelled in long range battles of course but, he was even more excellent at close quarters. He made a motion of punching Sylph''s stomach which the elf answered by directing her daggers at the boy''s neck. But this was only a feint as Morpheus targeted the ground, making it rumble as multiple rock pirs rose.

    It wasn''t only Sylph who got stronger as the fight progressed. Because of Morpheus having the [Chimera] trait, he also got stronger; adapting to Sylph and to her increasing power. Hence, he was also the one best suited to fight her head on, with his real weapon finally getting released.

    "Amon!" he called out, creating deep blue mes which turned into a great sword  onerger than his small frame.

    And what surprised Sylph even more was, how quickly Morpheus moved even with the gigantic weapon. The boy didn''t make anyrgepses to his attacks. He maneuvered through the pirs he created while Sylph jumped up to fire arge number of arrowheads at him.

    The sky wasn''t the best option however as, Heron freely roamed there. The [Dragon Morpher] kicked shed the elven count and, this time the hit sessfullynded, breaking a part of Sylph''s armor as she was forced toe down.

    As she did, more pirs came up and not only this, clones of Morpheus also showed up. Sylph fired three arrowheads to the sky which Heronpletely dodged as she answered in kind with her own barrage of fire spells.

    Sylph was able to dodge all this but, not the clones of Morpheus who made abo in attacking her. Even with the odds against her, Sylph was still able to take down all the clones,nding swift strikes every time they attacked her. Of course, this cam ta the price of herself sustaining some damage but, Sylph thought that this was a small price to pay.

    "Now this is a real fight!" She eximed, with the real Morpheus throwing the great sword at her, destroying some pirs in the process. Sylph dodged this but, the force of the throw was so great that, the ground below shattered and released a burst of blue mes.

    Morpheus followed quickly; leaping through the pirs in order to reach Sylph. He then proceeded to gripping on Sylphs'' hands, screaming in pain as her daggers stabbed through his palms while he turned these into golem hands.

    "Crazy kid." Sylph said, seeing arge shadow looming over her and, as she looked, it was none other than the greatsword [Amon], grabbed by Morpheus'' tail and swung by it.

    Sylph was able to escape but, at the price of both her daggers being discarded. One of the bows also got broken and so did most of her armor which got hit by the weapon. But this wasn''t without any merit because, she still had extra daggers which she then held.

    Both Heron and Morpheus thought that they already had the fight in the bag. With not less than five minutes remaining on the realm, they were about to reach the end of the fight. But it wasn''t about to go as they nned because, on the sky, three magic circles formed toping over each other. The elf smiled at her triumph as she casted:

    "Judgement."

 Chapter 143: Ill Bring You All Back

    Chapter 143: I''ll Bring You All Back

    On the sky above, there were thousands of arrowheads that began showing up. Strands of lightning covered the attack while dark mana oozed all around it. The sound it made was ominous and, the wind around them felt dry and coarse. This attack was known during ancient times to kill a [Chaos Dragon] and, this same move was about to be released on Heron and Morpheus.

    It didn''t matter what form was taken by Heron''s realm. The arrowheads were so powerful that they could pierce through the scales and the hide of a [Chaos Dragon] and this alone proves that no terrain could stop it. Each projectile thates out would follow the duo, not relenting until they hit their mark. That is why it is called [Judgement]. There is no room to fight back nor to defend. Anyone targeted by the skill would be judged and sentenced to their immediate death.

    This was the supposed effect of the attack but, Heron still had a card up her sleeve. Even with Sylph putting the terrain changes into consideration, she could''ve never suspected that Heron had a spell that could counter [Judgement]. Yes, there was this one skill which she could still use and it was named [Chrono].

    It''s the same skill she used back in Yaeger''s realm. Through it, she was able to slow down time so much so that everything just seemed to pause. She was even able to have a conversation with Zeke. She didn''t remember any of this though but still, she naturally developed this skill all on her own effort.

    It didn''t matter how fast, sharp, or dangerous the attack was. [Judgement] looked nothing more than a spell that was just about to activate. And, with this being the case, Heron finally activated her final skill, shattering her sword into a hundred pieces which all targeted Sylph who was stuck to the same fate as the spell she activated.

    Heron created hundreds of wounds scattered around the archer''s body and once she was through with this, she took some of the mist and made them go inside Sylph''s wounds, activating onest skill to ensure her capture.

    "Slumber."

    This came just in time because, the duration of Heron''s [Chrono] finally ended. Sylph fell to sleep and, Morpheus caught her fall. And because the caster was unconscious, [Judgement] deactivated altogether. But these weren''t the only skills that ended.

    Because of what Heron did, she ran out of the mana needed to sustain her realm. Thus, [Cloud of Dreams] finally ended. There was a huge gust of wind, dispersing the clouds which brought them back to Sylph''s stronghold; surrounded by all her troops that were ready to attack at any moment.

    "We haven''t taken down the crystal that''s supposed to be here." Heron reminded Morpheus.

    "Uh huh?" Morpheus responded, holding on to [Amon] and measuring up the enemies around them.

    Unfortunately for Heron, she was already drained from all the skills she used in battle. In fact, even lifting up her katana would prove to be a burdensome task at that point. Morpheus felt this and decided to take the remained of the mission by himself.

    "I''ll handle the cleanup, you go and deliver her to dad." Morpheus announced, getting consumed by a pir of blue mes.

    This made the soldiers back down as the pir grewrger andrge and, with it was the heat of the mes which made their metal armors unbearable to wear. All around them the mes were also beginning to get scattered and, slowly, Morpheus emerged from the mes using his favorite dragon transformation.

    "Don''t take too long." Heron said, getting a nod from Morpheus who began his rampage. She was able to see a glimpse of the scene and, had no qualms about the offer made. After all, she knew that the boy would be able to perfectly handle things on his own.

    Heron and Morpheus weren''t the only ones who had sess in their missions. Gawain, who was bored with waiting for the messenger units, also raided the area where they kept all the messengers of the continent. Of course he was still alert for anyone trying to get away from the continent and shot them down effortlessly. Gerard also followed through with this n, knowing how hard headed Gawain could be and so, he stormed one of these areas on his own, knowing that no general resides there.

    The groups that raided fortresses found luck on some while others proved to be unsessful because there was no crystal on their area. Yet ultimately, everyone was able to find all the crystals and, because of this, they were able to sessfully finish the first half of their mission  returning to the hideout triumphant.

    "Here''s to the mighty and unstoppable elites! Cheers!"

    Everyone drank and made merry as Zeke permitted them to. They finished the job much sooner than expected after all and, because of this, Zeke could bring down the barrier right away; not needing its assistance anymore.

    Everyone felt it so refreshing that, they were able to finally get some real ck. Things happened so fast that they even lost track of what day it was already. Every day brought an immense amount of tension and, because of this, the elites couldn''t really take a real "rest".

    But now, they began telling stories of their raids. As if this was some test that they aced in school. The spoke of how they fought enemies, the tactics they used and, the most epic moments within the fight.

    Among them, nothingpared to how Zilg ced [Explosive Detonates] on the general''s food; making it all activate as soon as the general was done with his meal. This created a gruesome scene, with the maids and helpers all shouting in fear as the general''s flesh and blood scattered all around the dinning hall.

    There were other equally spectacr stories of course. None of the elites allowed themselves to be outdone when it came to storytelling. But the best in actually telling them were Quinn, Kaguya, and Merlin. While the most exaggerated was Jake who not only hated the fact that Quinn as faster than his group, but also, that there was actually a group faster than Quinn.

    "I''m gonna raid a whole damn fortress by myself next time Quinn!" Jake imed, with Quinn looking at him like he was afraid to catch whatever virus was on Jake''s head.

    "Knock yourself out." He answered, with the whole hall still being rowdy and energetic.

    Meanwhile, observing them on the corner was Zeke. He watched the group with a warmth growing inside him.

    "I almost forgot that, this isn''t the world they got used to." Zeke said, with Heroning near him and offering him a drink; one which he dly epted.

    "It''s easy to lose sight of the little details. You''re still human after all master." Zeke smiled at thement made by the [Dragon Morpher].

    "I''m an elf now remember. I don''t even age much because of Keith''s body." He said in reply, remembering the days that he was still on his real body. He quickly dismissed it though, knowing that there wasn''t any merit to thinking about such things.

    "Anyway, how''s our guest doing?"

    "Not good. I tried entering her dreams but all I found were distorted memories. We have no way of essing arge portion of the truth and, I''m not even sure what to make of the things that I already saw." She replied in a worried tone.

    Zeke mixed his drink around, looking at the distorted image of himself reflected on top of it. He was already thinking of ways to solve this dilemma but, at the moment, he doesn''t have a clear solution yet.

    "We''ll figure something out. If there''s one thing that I know, it''s that there is always a way out of any situation." He replied to Heron, brushing her hair as he finished his drink.

    "Thanks for all the effort you''ve exerted until now. I know that this whole thing just concerns me but, you''ve been exerting just as much of yourself as I have." He told her, making heron blush from theplement.

    "I know where my heart lies master. You were the one who freed me from my imprisonment and, although most of my memories can nevere back, I''m thankful for all the memories that I''ve created with you." She looked at Zeke, blushing but nevertheless smiling at him.

    "I never regret being with you." It took around three seconds for Heron to realize that, her words could also be misinterpreted. She blushed like crazy and Zeke gave a soft chuckle, understanding what was going on her head.

    "Don''t worry the feeling is mutual." He replied teasingly, moving his face closer to Heron who ran away in panic.

    Zeke proceeded to leaving the room. Everything soon quieted down and, Zeke was back to the issues needed to be faced.

    The halls were dark, not allowing Zeke''s expression to be seen and he liked it his way. He loved how the darkness could conceal him, making him feel that none of his true intentions would ever show.

    "Time to get to work." He said, proceeding to where Sylph was being kept.

    There were various skills and methods that Zeke already thought of. But, the one with the highest rate of showing some results was his [Gamer''s Mind]. Although this won''t be a stand-alone skill. He''d make use of [Subconscious] and Heron''s [Dream Walker] skill in order to link himself to Sylph''s head.

    With this, he finally reached the slumbering elf. She looked the same as ever, and all the memories of their journey suddenly flooded back to the top of his head. There was no sadness nor joy, Zeke wanted to remain neutral and [Gamer''s Mind] helped him to aplish so. He touched her cheek and gave her a reassuring smile.

    "I''m going to bring you all back."

 Chapter 144: Rebuilding The Demon Continent

    Chapter 144: Rebuilding The Demon Continent

    Everyone gathered up in the meeting hall the following day. For the most part, the elites got a much-needed rest and rxation which was very important because they''ve been filling up [Pure Crystals] with miasma over and over again.

    "Goodness, where''s Mordred?" Quinn asked, embarrassed that Zeke was already there while some members of his group were still missing. They''ve already gone past an hour, something which the perfectionist Quinn couldn''t stand.

    "We tried waking her up but she ced barriers around herself." Curio said in reply, actually trying to stab Mordred in order to get her up. Not literally though, just releasing enough killing intent to rouse someone up from sleep.

    "And why is that a problem exactly?" Quinn rubbed his temples to which Zekeughed.

    He didn''t mind actually because they already finished the first half of what was needed to be done in the Demon Continent. In fact, there were numerous [Quest Rewards] given by the [System] for Zeke which he made use of in order to level up some of his skills to [S+].

    "Calm down Quinn. I''ve already sent Heron there so she''s gonna wake up soon." Zeke responded calmly.

    "In the meantime, let''s talk about the results of your raid." He followed up.

    "Yeah! We kicked ass, didn''t we?" Jake immediatelymented.

    "Hmmm yeah I guess so. But it was still an average performance." Zeke presented the statistics to the group.

    Due to what happened to him before, Zeke learned to be cautious of everything. And this entailed that, victory should not only be rejoiced over but also analyzed.

    [System Windows] appeared for every member of the elite, including Morpheus who sat beside Zeke. Everything was disyed there: from battle sense, to group coordination, to listening tomand, to individual fighting skills and many more. This was apart from their normal attributes and skills which were also shown.

    "During your fights, I also had a monitor showing me what was happening."

    "Wait? Where did you put that exactly? I haven''t seen any camera flying around." Amare said in reply and, with her [Scout] job ss, her statement was the most reliable one that could be provided by the members of the elites.

    Indeed, during the fights they didn''t feel anyone watching them. In fact, there wasn''t any sign of their movements being recorded which weirded them out now that Zeke told them otherwise.

    "Don''t be silly. There are other ways to see aside from using your eyes." He responded to them, showing a [Minimap] and the whole [Statistics Window] that he used to observe them.

    "Your movement on the minimap, the types of red dots that appear on it, the numbers produced on the statistics by your every action; using all of these things, I could easily get a grasp of what was happening." Zeke developed this skill because of gaming.

    Unlike many yers, numbers were important for him because through it, he could calcte the probability of some moves working over others. And because of [Gamer''s Mind], this was further heightened, giving Zeke''s innate abilities a boost that made his calctions and estimations godlike.

    "I hope that didn''t leave you confused because I''m not nning to exin myself further." Zeke said, proceeding to the discussion on the performance of the elites.

    "First of all, I''m d that you heeded my advice. Because you chose peculiar job sses, you were not only able to make yourselves stronger but, even provide abilities for yourself which wouldn''t have been possible if you chose a linear job ss." The [Secondary Job sses] all popped up on the screen, together with the skills and the attributes these give.

    "But you need to be a bit more creative on using them. There are a lot more applications than what you''ve already unlocked. I know this all seems game like but, data doesn''t restrict you because you aren''t game characters either. Take Zilg for example." He was really entertained with that particr elite, especially because of the [Explosive Detonates] ced on marbles.

    "His weapon isn''t all that. In fact, they''re only a bunch of marbles on a pocket but, did you see what could be done with those?" The members got their minds cleared up. Although they weren''t as creative as Zilg, they understood what exactly what Zeke meant.

    "Furthermore, weapons are not limited to the ones you are using. You can also make use of the terrain. Think of everything as a weapon because otherwise, you won''t fully grow."

    There were a lot of other things which Zeke noted. He made sure that all of his words stuck on the heads of the elites. It was for their own improvement after all so they didn''t mind and aside from that, they already partiedst night so there was no merit to congratting them all again and patting their backs of a job well done.

    Just as Zeke finished with all of this, Mordred finally showed up. Her hair was still messy all around although she already changed out of her sleeping clothes. Zeke weed her to the meeting, popping up her [Statistics Window] which Quinn was more than happy to exin.

    Meanwhile, Zeke proceeded to the exnation on the [Portal Crystals]. He told them how these are secured within one of the areas inside the cave and how, he was slowly extracting the energy out of them.

    "I need the data on how that bastard was able to open up a portal even without the requirements being met. And, all that energy would just go to waste if I shatter the item. That''s why I''m taking the energy for myself because, the item may prove to be useful for us one day."

    Zeke wasn''t sure but, he had a hunch that there was a corrtion between the item and the current state of Sylph. Once the extraction finishes, he would find out. If he is right, then he''d be able to use it in order to get the first Windsprite back to his side. But if he is wrong, then there were still other alternatives which could be used.

    "That takes care of that. Let''s get on to thest part of this meeting then." Zeke said, showing the whole map of the Demon Continent to the group once again.

    "Uhmm haven''t you shown us this before already?" Red the [Healer] asked.

    "Well yes but I also forgot to add some crucial information for you guys." Zeke exined.

    "It won''t take long for de to return and, once he does, I assure you that he''ll do everything in his power to hunt us down. In fact, taking down Sylph may have already given a hint to our enemies without us knowing." He continued, expanding the map to show all the Continents.

    "So my question is, what should be our next move?" Mordred raised her hand, already done catching up.

    "We storm all the continents in one go! They''d never see iting."

    "Yes! That is exactly what an idiot would say!" Zeke answered in kind, getting some loudints from Mordred who was immediately silenced by Kaguya.

    "Don''t overestimate yourselves. The only reason why we were able to progress this easily was because I was able to infiltrate and sabotage their [Communication Network] and also the [Stronghold] located on the portal area. It wasn''t you guys who defeated Sylph either. It was Heron and Morpheus and, even they had a hard time aplishing this. So, I''m going to ask again. What should we do now?"

    This time, it was Quinn who answered. Thinking of all the details carefully in his head before arriving at a logical conclusion.

    "We need to make the Demon Continent our base of operations. All while stabilizing this ce because, we have just destroyed the governing body." Zeke pped his hands because of the answer given. It was right on the money of course and, he loved how fluid all of Quinn''s words were.

    "That is correct!" Zeke said in reply, proceeding immediately to the exnation as he once again disyed an borate and detailed map of the Demon Continent to the group.

    "As much as I''d love to send you all to your imminent deaths, I''ve already made a promise to myself to protect you all. And I''m not the type of person to go back on my words so, here''s what we''re going to do."

    Zeke began with exining how there were still leftover enemies within the continent. Even though they were able to defeat the major forces, there were still some fortresses and strongholds left standing and, for the next phase of their mission to truly progress, these needed to be taken down.

    "I could speed run all those ces in one day. Plus, I need to do so because I''m merging my [Merging]." Instead of simply sending out one or two groups, Zeke took it upon himself to do the cleanup.

    "In the meantime, you guys will be spread into pairs, moving all over the continent and, providing both resources and livelihood to the citizens there. You will also inform them that a new governing body will be formed but, in the meantime, every vige will act independently."

    "Is that really possible? What if some resources arecking on one vige? They could trade with other viges, right?" Kaguya said in reply, knowing that istion could prove to be troublesome but of course, Zeke already thought about this.

    "You are right about that. Theck of resources would really be an issue but, that is only if it actually exists." Heron and Morpheus moved around the room, providing a bag full of different crystals and seeds to the group.

    "This world is nothing like our own. It is filled with mana which supplies all life and even enables the citizens to use magic. And this same mana could be modified to provide for our needs." Zeke pointed to the bags given to each elite before continuing.

    "On that pouch, there are crystals which could purify thend. You see, the whole demon continentcks on the supply of crops because, thend is not that forgiving. Even the farm you first stayed on was barely holding on and, they didn''t even know that one of the said crystals was supplying theirnd with a small ounce of purification. But even that crystal was already saturated." Zeke presented a [System Window] which shoed the flow of negative mana on the ground and on the air above.

    "If you nt those crystals on thend, it would turn back to being fertile and arable. Then, there are also blue crystals on your pouches. I''ve provided you all with a blueprint on how to make an irrigation system wherein, water will be supplied by that crystal. It doesn''t matter if there is no clean water nearby, the crystal will be able to perfectly provide that." The elites held on to the crystal, thinking how amazing these were.

    "As for the animals, there''s really no way for me to generate those. So you guys need to figure out how to get them yourselves. But aside from that, you also need to build a defense system for the vige, ce fences and walls but be a bit careful with weaponry. If we freely give those to the citizens, there is a chance for them to use it for evil and we don''t want that."

    What Zeke said was fine and all but, there was still a big problem. If the elites be busy with helping the citizens then, how will the defense system for the whole continent be set up? They all shared the same sentiment but, Gawain was the one to voice it out on the meeting.

    "Don''t'' worry about that, I''ve got everything figured out." Zeke said, not telling them about the defense system yet.

    "For the moment, all you need to focus on is the mission I gave you. From this point onwards, we''ll proceed slowly because, it is only through this that we could effectively close all the holes while preparing ourselves for the uing battles." Zeke exined, moving on to showing the group all the locations where they would be deployed.

    "You have progressed this far because you had faith in me. All I''m asking is that you continually ce that unwavering trust on me and I assure you, we''ll all get out of this in one piece."

    At this, the meeting ended with no other questions asked. Some of the elites thought about the mission that was toe next while some trained even more. Meanwhile Zeke remained in the meeting room, looking at the map once again and, on it was a single violet dot which he marked for himself.

    "I need to take care of you first." He said, clicking on it to expand the location''s details which had the title of:

    [Chaos Dragon Lair].

 Chapter 145: Sleeping With The Dragons

    Chapter 145: Sleeping With The Dragons

    The following day, everyone got deployed to fulfill their roles based on the meeting they held. The gamer, in particr, got out earlier than the whole group; destroying fortress after fortress mercilessly. He nned to finish everything before the day ended which was the reason why he started earlier on.

    As for the instructions, Zeke left everything for Heron to disseminate. The [Dragon Morpher] was able to fulfill this role without any trouble. Including the most vital part of it which was the [Party] that they were not allowed to disable.

    "If there is no other question, you best be on your way." Heron said to the group after doing her part.

    The elites immediately followed; making sure that the whole n was properly up on their heads. It wasn''t a problem even if they forgot because, they had the [Party] feature, allowing them tomunicate with the other members anytime through the [Voice Chat]. This was only one of the few reasons why Heron specifically instructed them to never turn it off.

    They made sure to bring all the things they needed especially the bag which contained all the essentials which Zeke himself produced. Aside from this, Zeke didn''t forget to include additional defensive measures for them. Unknown to the members of the elites, Zeke ced another crystal on their newly repaired weapons, allowing him to teleport at their exact location if the need ever arises.

    He gave them all [Teleportation Scrolls] which conveniently transported them to the locations they needed to be in. This was a new [Feature] added to his [Party] option which had this specific information attached:

    [Information: Any member of the party can be teleported to an area as long as the gamer was able to explore it before. The gamer can also restrict this whenever needed.]

    This also meant one thing: That they got teleported underground instead of above the surface. After all, during the twelve years when he everyone presumed him dead, Zeke was actually moving underground and creating a cave and tunnel for himself. He was constantly on the move underneath the surface; furthering his ns without anyone even noticing.

    This wasn''t limited to the Demon Continent however. In fact, he already had ns for the other continents but, these would have to wait for after the Demon Continent has been sessfully stabilized, imed, and protected.

    Hence, out came the elites who began fulfilling the mission assigned to them. It wasn''t an easy task of course and they met a lot of negative feedback andments but, as soon as they demonstrated the power of the [Purifying Crystals], the citizens of the towns soon learned to trust and follow them. And so, without even needing half a day, every town allowed the elites to lead them.

    "Miss Julia where do we put this thing?" One of the citizens said, carrying arge pile of wooden nks on his shoulder.

    "Just follow Mordred sir, she''ll guide you through the process." The healer Julia answered, looking at the blueprint provided by Zeke.

    It was a very detailed and borate n which would''ve made it difficult to understand but, since Zeke ced every part of the instruction clearly, the elites were able to follow through. Julia, in particr, had little trouble following it because back on earth she was an architecture student who excelled at the university.

    Of course, everything didn''t magically get created in a single day. In fact, construction would take at least a week to finish but, they were steadily making progress. And instead of doing everything all at once, they focused on creating the water supply and the crop fields first.

    "How about the houses, can we move them as nned?" Julia asked, having a slight innovation in store for the town. She wanted all to have a backyard of their own where all the essential nts were simply within reach.

    "We probably need to finish the waterways first and also feed the citizens properly. They''ve been through a lot ever since King de ruled and, frankly speaking, even with all this drive, we cannot function properly on an empty stomach." The town elder said, with Julia nodding in agreement.

    "We''re not in any rush sir. Plus my friend there seems to be more than willing to work her ass off until she goes limp." She continued, looking at Mordred who was carrying more wooden nks than any male citizen of the town.

    "COME OOON GUUUYS IS THAT ALL YOU GOOOT!" She shouted, making the men working with her shout in unison. They suddenly got fired up even more, working as vigorously as Mordred.

    The town elderughed and Julia followed immediately. It was a fun sight to see for both of them. For one, the town elder hasn''t seen the other citizens this lively in a long time. While for Julia, she just enjoyed the moment of stillness. She wasn''t an active part of the fights at all. For the most part, all she needed to do was heal her subordinates.

    Now that she could actually participate, she was more than happy to lead the town. She handled everything discreetly and calmly whereas, if it was Mordred, then they would not have only started on the wrong foot; they would''ve started with a lot of citizens getting a beatdown before realizing: "ohh they''re allies."

    "What about the wood supply? Have you already identified where we could get supplies while we grow our own?" Julia continued and, this was how calmly and peacefully things went for every town and vige entered by the elites.

    Unknown to them, Zeke actually had a hidden agenda as to why he deployed the elites to that specific mission. He thought that the kids needed a break from all the fighting. It wouldn''t be good if all they got exposed to in Mythos were battles and killings because the world was so much more than this. In fact, if they weren''t sent there as heroes but rather as tourists, they''d be nothing less than amazed and charmed by such a wonderful world.

    That''s why he cooked this mission up for them. It was technically a real part of his n; just that, there were some changes made in order to amodate the elites actually having time to rest and rx. And that''s exactly what Julia felt. She was calm even though there were still a lot left to do.

    "What are the updates on thend?" Julia asked, wondering if the demons have begun plowing it and creating areas where the water could flow through.

    "We have begun everything as you have instructed. All that''s needed are the waterways and we''ll be able to nt the seeds." The elder replied, with Julia offering a warmhearted smile.

    "Thank you for all your hard work." She said.

    Before the day finished, Zeke was already done with his mission. There was a total of fifty fortresses that needed to be taken down and, Zeke never had any difficulty on any of them. In fact, he left all the fighting to his [Conjures] as he went straight into the areas within each fortress that contained the information he needed.

    "Ahh pipe down will you?" He said out loud, hearing all the flesh tearing attacks and screamsing from every direction. Even the enemy generals who transformed to their [Primal State] held no chance with three of Zeke''s [Conjured Knights] attacking at the same time.

    There was only one thing which the gamer looked for and that was information. He needed information about the current state of Sylph and about the whereabouts of the other Windsprites. With how things stood, he was sure that the other two would also be holding high positions within the remaining continents.

    "I''d prefer that rather than knowing that you''re already dead." He said to himself, knowing that this may also be a probability if the other two were not converted to Sylph''s state.

    With all the fortresses getting dealt with, Zeke was still unsessful in finding any clues and this frustrated him. So, to get his mind out of this, he immediately went to the next mission area with the title of [Chaos Dragon Lair] appearing on his [Minimap].

    He was able to collect this information from one of the fortresses raided. Of course, not all the generals knew of the whereabouts of the [Chaos Dragons] making it a top secret and confidential piece of information.

    It was a huge rift; one located on a part of the continent so deste that, no town was nearby. Even nts couldn''t grow on the ground and the air itself was dry as it was suffocating. Down the rift, he tried to see what awaited him but Zeke couldn''t make anything out of it. He didn''t try throwing a stone as it may rouse the dragons. There was also an eerie amount of ck mist covering whatevery there but, Zeke was sure that the enemies were there. In fact, he could even hear them growling from his current position.

    "After I''m done with you, this continent will be safe. But that doesn''t mean it''ll be easy." Zeke said, already feeling drained from all the enemies he needed to defeat.

    Of course, the gamer had something in store for these creatures. In fact, he was so sure that it would work because, it involved making use of his [Twelve Conjured Knights] and a little extra which he needed to begin preparing.

    "Unfortunately for you guys, you''re not allowed to roam freely nor move without anymands. You are simply stuck there and you don''t'' even know it yet." Zeke said, beginning to release the same mist of mana created by [Cloud of Dreams].

    "For now, let''s both get some rest okay? I''ll kill you all as soon as the sun rises tomorrow." He continued, setting up a tent for him to sleep in for the night.

    Zeke ns to fill the whole rift with this skill. But for that to happen, he needed at least and eight-hour worth of time. The area will both be filled with the [Cloud of Dreams] while also creating a barrier for good measure. Even if he slept, the spell would continue being poured because, Zeke had [Gamer''s Mind] which could function even as he rested.

    "Sleep well guys." He said, finally getting some shut eye.

 Chapter 146: Blaze of The Fire God

    Chapter 146: ze of The Fire God

    "Okayyyy time to stretch my body out."

    As soon as daybreak came, Zeke woke up and prepared himself for theing fight. He set an rm using the [System] coupling it with an immense amount of pain to ensure that he''d actually get up.

    Zeke began things by throwing a pebble on the rift. He then ate a hearty meal that was prepared by Heron for him. Aside from this, the gamer also made sure to look at all the updates on the elites through the [Party] feature.

    Of course he didn''t n to spy on them 24/7 because that would just be too much. That''s why he simply modified the settings to alert him every time there was a member of the elites falling to [50%] health. Their lives could be in grave danger after dropping to that so Zeke needed to be updated.

    "I''m d to see that everyone is safe." Zeke said, also looking at the status bars that came with the duos formed.

    There was a checklist provided for them all listed down the [System Window] and, every time theypleted one part of it, they clicked on the [Task Complete] button which would increase their progress bar. Again, this was only one of the reasons why Zeke didn''t permit them to turn off the [Party] feature.

    Aside from this, he double checked on every equipment that he would be making use of in the fight. He made sure that the durability was okay and that, the number of items were sufficient. Then he looked at the progress of both the barrier and the cloud of dreams.

    [Cloud of Dreams Completion Rate 100/100]

    [Aegis Barrier Completion Rate 100/100]

    "Good, I''d have nothing to worry about even if they tried using [Chaos ck mes]." Zeke said, finishing with everything and making somest stretches before proceeding to the mission connected to the [Chaos Dragons].

    [Optional Quest: Defeat the Chaos Dragons 3/10]

    [Reward: Ender Sword]

    [Reward: 1 Random Chaos Dragon Skill]

    [Reward: Ancient Spell Shard]

    "I guess that takes care of that." Zeke said, bringing out [Death''s Void] with all bullets fully charged and, with charged bullets on his [Inventory]. With this, all his preparations werepleted, all in time before the sun could fullye out as he finally said:

    "Teleport."

    Zeke swapped ces with the pebble and immediately reached the bottom of the rift. With the [Cloud of Dreams] he could effectively change the terrain and, he made use of this, blowing the thick dark mist while also creating light for him to see.

    There, he saw a huge in where the dragons were being kept. It was arge area with some hill like structures and some caves for the creatures to rest in. Nothing lived on the bottom except for the [Chaos Dragons] which was to be expected. Zeke even noticed that a kind of poison lingered there. Unfortunately for the dragons, Zeke was already immune to it with all his training in the cave.

    The [Chaos Dragons] woke up one by one from the light that suddenly came but, before they could even make out what was happening, Zeke already made his move.

    "Conjure."

    Zeke''s whole army, lead by his twelve knights, Kayle, and the [Chaos Dragon Conjure] which he called Horizon. Immediately, he ced a charged bullet on fourteen [Chaos Wyverns] all flying towards a targeted [Dragon]. Then, the fight truly began with the explosions.

    "GWAAAAAOOO!"

    All the dragons let out a painful and agonizing cry as they felt the full force of the further enhanced bullets. Zeke didn''t let things end there and proceeded to using [sh Freeze] which immediately got his enemies stuck in ce.

    This didn''tst long however as the [Chaos Dragons] began covering the whole area in underworldly looking mes.

    "I don''t think so." Zeke continued, snapping his fingers and creating a torrent of water which continued pouring down. It sizzled as soon as it touched the dragon, creating steam from the contact.

    Zeke couldn''t create the same [Pocket Dimension] as Heron could but, Zeke was at least able to muster up this much. He could make the [Cloud of Dreams] distort the area to an extent but, not to the point that he could create a separate realm through it.

    With all the steam, the [Dragons] found it difficult to see what was happening. But unlike them, the knights had a clear vision on the whereabouts of their enemies; tackling three of them immediately as they divided themselves into three groups. Meanwhile, Kayle rode on Horizon which dealt with one more [Chaos Dragon] and leaving Zeke with only three more to fight by himself.

    He didn''t need to however. Because they were on the ground, his conjures could easily fight as there was enoughnd to step on. Counting the [Chaos Wyvern] and their riders, Zeke had enough troops to rally against the three remaining [Chaos Dragons].

    "Knock yourselves out." He ordered, making the [Conjures] all resound a battle cry of delight. And so, an all-out fight broke, making the earth on the whole continent continually tremor and shake.

    "Let''s see how well you deal with this." Zeke continued, firing another [sh Freeze] on the torrent of water which still continued pouring on. And because there was already water present, the attack didn''t need much time to be executed; covering the dragons entirely as Zeke proceeded to strengthening it with [Sub Zero].

    He then fired fully charged bullets at the heads of the [Chaos Dragons] making them dizzy from the amount of force that was contained on the bullets. The freeze didn''tst for long and the ice soon turned back to water. Thus, Zeke proceeded to firing another kind of bullet, this time containing a charge of electricity that was as strong as a real lightning strike.

    "Let''s see how long you could keep up." Zeke said, firing the bullets and creating a storm of lightning so strong that, the rift could be seen glowing from the exit.

    There were no pauses to Zeke''s attacks. He continued mixing things up using one different attack after the other. These were all on the level of ultimate level skills of course, preventing the [Dragons] from actually enduring it and leaving them with no other choice but to defend. But, even this proved to be futile as, with all the [Conjures] fighting against them, they couldn''t properly guard.

    Of course, Zeke''s [Conjures] also got damaged. Yet, with Zeke continually drinking [Large Mana Potions], they never got shattered. Instead, they entered the state of [Undying Loyalty] and [Undying Fury]; giving them even more power which was more fearsome for Horizon who then zed with the crimson red color that oozed out of its scales.

    It wasn''t even a proper fight anymore. It was a massacre of the creature which was hailed as king of the skies. All the types of damage piled up on the [Chaos Dragons]. Their scales got destroyed one by one and, blood flowed out of the various wounded body parts.

    They tried getting out but, because of [Aegis Barrier] covering the whole ce, they were stuck there with Zeke. To ensure that none of the other dragons would follow the example of the first one however, Zeke ordered his conjures to tear off the wings of the [Chaos Dragons].

    This would''ve normally been a difficult feat to aplish. But because he froze the joints connecting the wings to the body using [Sub-Zero], it only took one good strike from his strongest conjures to actually tear them off; sending the Chaos Dragons crying and screaming in agonizing pain.

    "Don''t worry. I''m not going to let you guys suffer for much longer." Zeke told the [Chaos Dragons], finally preparing things for the finishing blow.

    His conjures all grabbed on to the dragons like leeches. Their bodies began glowing a light blue color which was followed by the [Chaos Dragons] trying to take them off. But the conjures buried themselves on the wounds making it even more painful for Zeke''s unfortunate enemies. A strong gust of wind then followed as Zeke finally activated the skill:

    "Mass Transport"

    Suddenly, they weren''t in the rift anymore but out on the open sky. Below them was the vats blue sea, too far for any of the other continents to take notice off. The dragons would''ve flown away but, their wings were already torn off. The [Conjures] were also taken back by Zeke one by one as he floated on top of the falling dragons.

    Fiveyers of magic circles were in the middle of him and the [Chaos Dragons] and, on his hand was a new form of [Death''s Void] allowing the des toe together on a single pistol; extending its reach even further.

    The weapon zed a golden red color while all the magic circles glowed the same. They resonated as if the spell itself was alive and, Zeke could already feel the bacsh before he evenpletely activated the skill.

    He ced multiplier after multiplier on himself, putting strain on his body but, this time, it could handle the pain.

    "I don''t like using his skill that much so let''s end this quickly." Zeke said, finally moving to a stance as the mes burned even brighter.

    "Five Layered Skill Activation! ze of the Fire God!"

    On every continent, the citizens could see a different kind of sunrise. Indeed, the sun was only starting to rise up when Zeke began the fight and, it wasn''t fully so while hemenced his attack. Thus, daybreak was still underway and so, everyone wondered why the sky had such a peculiar color.

    There was a golden glow on the sky, burning so brightly yet all they felt was a gentle warmth. The wind came with the same warmness, as if the morning cold waspletely erased. They heard the earth shake and, those living near the shores noticed that there was an even thicker amount of mist covering the sea than before.

    In the middle of this all, Zeke stared at the burnt corpses of the [Chaos Dragons]. His shirt also got burnt from the attack he just used. This revealed a crest on his back which shone even brighter and, there was a tingling amount of pain that could only be felt all around his body.

    "As expected, it was a bit of an overkill." Was all that Zeke said as the waters of the ocean soon covered the hole he made - burning until the furthest depths of the sea.

 Chapter 147: Within The Dream

    Chapter 147: Within The Dream

    [You have sessfully finished the Optional Quest]

    [The rewards will be automatically transferred to your inventory]

    [A shard of the Ancient Spell has been acquired]

    [Completion rate for the Ancient Spell has progressed  50/100]

    "Well, at least there are a lot of benefits that came out of this." Zeke said to himself, feeling sore all over but still, he seemed to be doing just fine.

    Rain began falling over his location. The gamer stood on top of the water using [Water Walk] as he browsed through the missions that finished and, the ones that added up. He then looked at the state of his body, moving the notifications to the [ze of the Fire God].

    [The gamer has used a taboo skill owned by a god. Damage will be applied to the gamer''s body based on his overall attributes and stats.]

    As Zeke saw this notification, his heart couldn''t help but skip a beat. He could literally die after making use of one of His skills but, Zeke was also sure that he would sustain no damage. This was a calction made by through the help of [Gamer''s Mind] that further strengthened hisputing abilities.

    [Damage sustained  1%]

    [The damage is permanent and will reduce your current lifespan].

    "Perfect." Zeke said, smiling. The oue was actually better than he anticipated making him think that, using the skill would actually be possible a couple more times. Ny-Nine more times to be exact.

    "Ahh it''s a good thing that I actually leveled up this much." Zeke stretched his body, feeling all his joints, bones and muscles still perfectly intact,

    The move he used would have broken his body a few days ago. But because he already reached level [99], there was only a minimal amount of sustained damage involved. Of course, he still needed to meditate again but, he allowed his [Gamer''s Mind] to do this for him.

    "Okay time to head back." Zeke continued, not nning to rest just yet as he went back to the hideout. He didn''t want to waste any time and proceeded to fixing Sylph''s distorted memories.

    As soon as he arrived, he saw both Heron and Sylph inside a room. Sylph was still asleep of course which wasn''t healthy but, health was at the bottom of the list of concerns right then. What they needed was to fix her memories and to know exactly what urred.

    "Is everything ready?" Zeke asked, seeing the equipment within the room. In the middle of two in beds was arge crystal and, various other materials were ced at the side of the beds. One of these were the binders which would prevent Zeke to run wild. They didn''t know what would happen and so, it was better to be sure.

    [Cloud of Dreams] was also spread thinly; covering it entirely. Zeke looked at the blue mist and thought how the skill had a lot of applications and uses; saving them from a lot of hassle on multiple asions.

    "Everything has been set as you ordered master." Heron said in reply, knowing that Zeke would never bete when it came to mission progress. If he gave a specific time for a task then, that task would either be done on time or even earlier.

    "That''s good, we begin immediately." Zeke said, changing clothes into something which he forged to include effects that would help him trespass the dream.

    "I just want to remind you of the possible effects and implications master. Within the dream, there are a lot of factors that could potentially harm your mind and, even your body depending on the intensity. If things get even worse, your memories could be distorted by the dream." Heron said, worried about Zeke and the task he was about to undergo.

    On the other hand, Zeke was actually excited because that would be his first time entering within a dream. And not just this, he could actually interact with the things within the dream which made him even happier.

    After all, the gamer never had a dream in his whole life. Because of his ability to remain in the [Subconscious] the gamer never felt what it was like to enter the state of a dream. To allow the mind to run wild instead of always being in control. He didn''t know what creatures to expect and what other things the dream would hold but, he still had the thought of saving Sylph as his top priority.

    "Just extract me when dangeres." Zeke said, pointing to the [System Window] offered to Heron. Itputed and calcted the state of mind of Zeke and, if it ever turns into a critical condition, then Heron would stop the skill immediately.

    "Be careful in there master." Heron said, with Zeke patting her head again as he finally went to sleep and thus, the operation began.

    The [Cloud of Dreams] within the room started creating a dream like atmosphere, swirling silently with both a tinge of coldness and a soft warmth touching Zeke and Sylph''s skin. The mist slowly entered within their bodies, covering them both while a link was created through therge chunk of [Mana Crystal] in the middle to regte the skill. Heron didn''t'' need to operate the skill herself, she just needed to start the engines and the skill would get going all on its own.

    Thus, the [Dragon Morpher] finally began the skill, teleporting Zeke to a realm which didn''t allow him to use much of the [System''s] powers. There was a moment of stillness and, nothing but darkness covered Zeke but, this didn''tst long and he was soon within Sylph''s dream.

    "Well, this is actually quite interesting." Zeke said, finding himself in the middle of what seemed to be a meadow. It felt like springtime; the moment just after the snow has melted down and life has once again sprouted out of slumber.

    He moved around and examined the area. Everything felt real. The sound of the humming birds, the dancing and rustling of the leaves on tree branches. The water pouring down on a nearby spring and, everything else.

    "So she actually had a calm head. Who knew?" Zeke said, seeing a thick mist form before him.

    This created multiple doors that stood perfectly still. Nothing was behind them. Just doors, with engraved numbers on them. There were no indications, no writings, nor any warnings. That was all which these mist-created doors offered.

    They were just doors, with different textures, colors, and age. Zeke came close to them but didn''t touch a single one, knowing that it may automatically trigger an effect which would be troublesome for him.

    "[Analyze] doesn''t work and my [System Window] doesn''t show up even if I call it. So all I have are my innate skillsperfect." Zeke thought that the challenge was actually exciting, feeling nothing but boredom from how easy the past enemies were to defeat. And ever since he got [Gamer''s Mind] things became even easier.

    There was a total of [100 Doors] but, some caught Zeke''s attention. One was a bloodstained door, with screams that could be heard and a knocking that followed. One was a in looking door, no designs, no sound nor smell. It was just a wooden door, in and simple. Then there was one which was adorned too beautifully, like it was made for a princess in a fairytale.

    Zeke took a moment to think about things. Again, he knew that the doors would create different effects but, what if he could enter each one? This thought intrigued Zeke as much as he enjoyed it. When only one choice was avable, he thought of the possibilities of actually choosing three and so, he went within the woods and took tworge branches from the trees.

    There wasn''t much difficulty because there were already a lot lying around. He tried swinging both and measuring how hard they actually were and, with the two other sticks with him, he tried something out. He called the numbers which the doors had engraved on them.

    "One"

    "Seventy-Three"

    "Ny-Nine"

    The dream heard his request, with the mist swirling around the doors and erasing the other choices. It left the three doors in front of him, standing side by side which made Zeke smile because everything was going ording to what he thought.

    "Okay then, let''s try our luck, shall we?"

    With the two branches on each hand, Zeke pushed the left and right door open and, with his right foot, he kicked the middle door open. This created a strong harsh wind and the sound of thunder closing in, with the streaks of lightning appearing on the sky.

    "And the dream is angry of course." Zeke said, getting sucked in by all the doors at once. But, because there was only one body, they all shook like crazy; wanting to take the Zeke for themselves but having twopetitors on the act.

    Instead of Zeke getting sucked in by all the doors at once, something weird happened. Based on the content of the door, Zeke''s age was also changed ordingly. A child version of Zeke was ced on the bloodied door. An old Zeke was ced on the dreamlike door while, the young Zeke was ced on the in door. These all took his actual appearance and, as Zeke saw the other Zeke''s standing side by side, the doors finally pulled him in.

    Thus began the adventure of three versions of Zeke entering within three entirely different dream stages. All of these held a portion of truth and, in order to figure things out, they needed to all meet at the end of their route.

    And everything beganwith the aged Zeke.

 Chapter 148: The Old Zeke

    Chapter 148: The Old Zeke

    "Okay this is definitely weird." Zeke said to himself, holding on to his beard and brushing it. He never had one in his entire life and now he magically has enough facial hair to get him to Russia.

    "Where am I exactly?" The gamer mused, plucking out some strands of his facial hair and seeing that, instead of having an ash gray color, his beard was pure white.

    The gamer looked around and it seemed like he was inside a room. There was a normal bed with white pillows and a white nket, the same white curtain, a white wall, ceiling and flooring. Everything around him was white, even the window ss which was supposed to be transparent.

    "Let''s try something out first." Zeke said to himself, going to the bathroom to look in the mirror. Sadly, even this was turned white and so, he couldn''t see how he looked clearly. He then tried out the water and wanted to confirm his suspicions and, once again, the water flowing out was as white as milk.

    "White clothes. White pants. Yup white underwear." Zeke said, confirming that everything was indeed white which didn''t make any sense at all.

    He remembered getting sucked in by the door containing the theme of a princess in the meadows, yet there he was in a in white room.

    "This looks more like an asylum." He mused, hearing every sound that came from the room and also outside, faint ones but, if heard long enough, could turn a person insane.

    "So far, there''s nothing in here that goes well with the theme. The door doesn''t make sense but, then again it, it could''ve been just a method to lure me in." He mused.

    While the thoughts were being processed in his head, decided to wear the clothes on the hanger. He decided that getting outside was the best option at the moment because, the room offered nothing for him.

    It was a dream and, everything around him was formed based on what was going through Sylph''s head, unconsciously of course. So, the overall white background was nothing more than a manifestation of Sylph''s dream. And so, Zeke opened the door, only to arrive at a much different scenery.

    "And now this is springtime." Zeke told himself, seeing a valley of flowers and trees.

    Something was off putting about it though. Zeke could see all beauty on the surface but, he could feel that something didn''t quite fit right. One of it was how the same white liquiding from his room also had an irrigation system which flowed through the field of flowers and trees.

    "It''s like I entered another realm again. This is sick! I really need to learn how to do this dreaming biz which everyone can do so effortlessly." Zeke said out loud, finally getting used to the things around him. Of course, everything was weird but, he himself wasn''t much of a normal person.

    Zeke always tookfort on what went outside the ordinary and always tried to develop outside the box. Hence, finally getting to see how a dream operated made him excited while still cautious. He didn''t want to tamper with things too much of course as, this might bring some negative effects on the dream. Hence, he simply decided to follow the path where the water flowed to.

    "So far there''s no sign of Sylph and, just as I thought, my skills and the system are both unavable." He examined these things as he followed the path where the waters lead. It was a long journey and it took him at least a week to get out. But that didn''t matter much.

    The way time works within the dream is different. There were even ims back on earth that a person could dream a total of 447 different dreams in one sleeping. In reality, once Zeke gets back to the world of the living, he''d find out that it took him not less than a day to finish his task.

    At that exact moment after leaving the forest, Zeke found himself at the back of a castle. There was a door for him and the liquid still poured inside. He tried opening it but, the door didn''t budge.

    Us "Strange." Zeke said, thinking about the whole situation and everything he hase across thus far.

    "There should still be a logic behind all this. Everything should still be connected in a way no matter how weird it may get." Zeke continued processing things and, soon enough a smile formed on his face  the gamer finally figured things out.

    "Let''s see, this should work." Zeke took off the long-sleeved shirt he wore over his shirt. He then tied it on a stick firmly and then, proceeded to getting some of the white liquid that flowed near him. It didn''t take long for his clothes to get wet and, even the stick turned white in the process.

    He then used it like a brush, painting the whole door white. And just for good measure, Zeke also turned a part of the wall into the same color. Back at the starting point, Zeke was able to open the door because it was white and, Zeke tried the same thing on this one.

    Surely enough, there was no resistance from the object. It opened for him entirely and suddenly, Zeke was caught in a blinding sh of light. There were voices, almost inaudible, that surrounded him but it began getting stronger and stronger until they turned into proper and decent voices.

    "Hey neer. Hey!"

    "Oh hush will you. He might just run away like the rest if you keep on barking at him like that."

    "Well he ain''t responding now ain''t he?"

    Zeke''s eyes slowly adjusted to the surroundings. He didn''t understand how it worked but, he was suddenly transported to another area. This time it was within what seemed to be the pantry and, for the first time in his whole trip, things seemed normal. Except for the fact that, the individuals talking to him looked like mannequins. Faceless, hairless, and pure white in color. Covered, of course, by the same white clothing.

    "I''m sorry, things are just a bit overwhelming for me sir." Zeke replied using the closest thing to reality which he could say without getting off track with the conversation.

    "Well of course you''d be overwhelmed! The Count has chosen you as her personal aid you sorry excuse for a butler!" The male sounding mannequin said in reply, raising a hand holding on to a cleaving knife.

    Zeke was just about to evade but then, the female mannequin stopped him. Hitting the male mannequin with a dough ttener which knocked him out cold. There was white stuff flowing out of the head of the male mannequin which seemed to be its blood.

    "Oh don''t worry about that. I didn''t hit him too hard." The female mannequin said, which was obviously a lie.

    "Anyway, you need to go to Count Sylph now. She needs to take her medicine." Itmanded, making Zeke realize that there was a service tray on his hands which contained some things. A white porridge, a white drink, white pills, and a white liquid within a syringe.

    "Hurry up now. If she misses her shots, she''d have spasms and a really bad migraine. Last time that happened, some of us were identally shot to death hahaha." The female mannequin said like it was a normal thing to happen within the area.

    "What happened then exactly?" Zeke asked in order to squeeze out some information.

    Instead, what he got was a stare from the female mannequin. Or rather that is what it felt like. It didn''t have any eyes after all.

    "Silly. Silly." It said, getting the knife from the presumably dead mannequin.

    "You can ask thatter deary. For now, you should get going."

    "Understood ma''am I''ll be heading out now." Again, Zeke didn''t have any clue as to what was going on. But the mention of Sylph''s name and her designation made him understand that he was on the right track.

    "Why do you have such creepy looking servants in this dream?" Zeke thought to himself, referring of course to the dream owner  Sylph.

    This time, it was a spiraling staircase that met him. He was in the middle of it all. With the staircase leading both up and down and, as a Count and an archer, Zeke knew that Sylph would be up.

    He followed the route which strained his legs. It was a long way up and sadly speaking, the old Zeke body which he got transferred to was easily worn out.

    "How many more steps do I need to take?" He said, panting heavily.

    Luckily though, it seemed that he didn''t need to get even higher because, he finally heard a female scream nearby. It was a bad indicator of course but, nevertheless, it was progress. Zeke followed it and, finally reached the door which was, unfortunately not white. He tried opening it which was a futile attempt. There was nothing white nearby to help him out, except for the food of course. But he guesses that it was also an essential part of the mission.

    So he instead covered the knob with a piece of tissue that came with the tray. Luckily, this was enough to turn it, allowing Zeke to enter the room of Sylph who was already beginning to show the signs which the female mannequin indicted.

    "GIVE ME MY SHOTS!" Sylph said. There was no way for Zeke to understand what it was that actually urred but he at least understood that it would be in his best interest to administer the drug.

    Zeke came close to her and, Sylph immediately took everything, the ss of liquid and the pills which she quickly ced in her mouth. It was like watching a drug addict who was showing withdrawal syndromes and Zeke was actually pained with the scene.

    "What did he do to you?" Zeke thought to himself, seeing nothing of the regal and elegant Windsprite from the sight. Sylph then proceeded to getting the syringe and stabbing it through her skin. It wasn''t a proper medical procedure but, nevertheless it seemed to work as Sylph began quieting down.

    "What took you so long?" She asked Zeke who forced a smile on his face.

    "Forgive me countess, there was a small incident in the pantry so I was a bit dyed." Zeke replied, trying to sound servant like.

    You know what happens to me when I miss my shots don''t you? I don''t want to identally kill all of my servants again so, if I were you,e on time the next time around. Or I swear to all the gods that you''d be the first person I hunt down." She said in irritation. It was normal for Sylph to be hotheaded but, her state was too much. Like not getting the drug on time made her violent.

    "Understood. I will be heading out now." Zeke said in reply, not wanting to inquire further.

    But at least he finally got some things going for him and, his highest concern at the moment was the drugs. Where it was made and what was it stopping exactly. And to get this information, he decided to go back to the pantry and the crazy female mannequin inside.

 Chapter 149: A Chance Encounter

    Chapter 149: A Chance Encounter

    "How did it go rookie?" The mannequin asked him as soon as he entered the room. The male mannequin was nowhere to be seen and, she was mopping the white stains on the floor while she also seemed to cook at the same time.

    "She got her shots on time ma''am thank you for your concern." Zeke replied, looking at the cauldron and seeing a hand sticking out.

    The female mannequin immediately caught his eyes and moved the hand inside. As if the whole incident didn''t even happen. She spun it around a couple of times to ensure that the hand won''t get out again or, any of the other body parts for that matter.

    "That''s good. You should get some shut eye then. It''s your first day in the stronghold and we don''t want to tire out our neer." She said, leaving the mop resting on the side of a table while she went to a nearby cab. There were again a lot of different knives stored but, behind this, there were actually keys being hidden.

    "Here you go. This is the key to your bedroom." She said, handing out the item to Zeke.

    Before he could reach it however, the female mannequin grabbed him by the wrist using her other hand.She then mmed it at the table, surprising Zeke because of her overwhelming strength.

    "Just a little reminder for you. Don''t go sticking your nose on things that shouldn''t concern yourself. Otherwise, you''d find yourself in a very heated situation."

    Zeke knew what she was implying. He also knew that; the female mannequin was somehow connected to the greater scheme of things within the dream. Hence, he needed to be careful in dealing with her. He doesn''t have an exit yet after all and, he needs to find one before things get problematic.

    "But I still have some questions left to ask ma''am." Zeke said to her.

    "I see." She said, as if choosing between killing Zeke on the spot or not

    On the other hand, Zeke knew that she would not resort to thetter as it may induce some negative effects for the mannequin. Plus, there''s also the fact that she already killed one person. Killing two within the same day and reporting them missing would raise too many concerns about her.

    "Okay then. I''ll let you ask just one but I''ll be quick about my answer so make it count. Got that?" It said in reply, sitting down and waiting for Zeke to finally ask something.

    "It''s about the incident you told me. Can you tell me about the events leading to it, stressing only the main factors that contributed to what happened?" With the question, the mannequin''s head began shaking in a weird manner, as if it was possessed. But then, it finally stopped, ready to provide the information asked.

    If there was one thing that the gamer was sure about, it was that the mannequin was also a part of Sylph''s mind. Thus, it is supposed to be able to store the information Zeke requires and, since this is the unconscious, it could very much as well provide him with vital information.

    "It all began on the first term of the countess. She was always in her room and, not feeling well. But how unwell was she really? Well, if we ce it on a scale of 1-100, I''d say that she was nearly a 90. She was delirious, would sometimes attack objects out of the blue, scream in fear, shake involuntarily and everything else." The mannequin began and, Zeke was already feeling so much pain for the Windsprite.

    "de, her closest friend, gave her the medications she needed. He said that, the things experienced by Sylph were side effects of her time within thebyrinth." This was enough to shock Zeke of course but, he tried not showing it, needing more out of the mannequin who may stop with his interruption.

    "Her medication was supplied consistently and, little by little we began to see some progress. Then, for some reason, the countess asked her medications to be stopped. It was a bad day. She was having major headaches, with herself looking like all life was being sucked out of her."

    "She must''ve realized the maniption at that point." Zeke thought to himself, knowing that all the Windsprites are strong willed and hard to break.

    "But this only brought tragedy for all her servants and soldiers. The countess went out of her room in a fit of madness. She screamed the human''s name. The very human who tricked her and her sisters and trapped them within abyrinth. All day, she hunted us down one by one. It was a terrifying experience. Like the grim reaper herself descended to harvest our souls. And"

    The room began shaking uncontrobly. There were pieces of debris falling and, even the mannequin began getting destroyed little by little. This didn''tst for long however and, they were soon back to normal.

    "Oh dear, I think I said too much. That''s all I can tell you."

    "May I at least know what the name of the Labyrinth is?"

    "That exceeds the one question."

    "But its not a question. It''s a request based on what you already said." He replied.

    "Clever. Okay then rookie but I''ll only say his name once. I don''t want to cause another earthquake The one who created thebyrinth is none other than the human Zeke Elwood."

    Upon hearing his name, Zeke couldn''t help it anymore. He immediately stood up from his chair in both shock and disbelief. There was no way that he was there because for 12 whole years he was under a cave he built. And in no way did he intend to harm the Windsprites. In fact, he wanted nothing more than to search for them.

    "Did anyone actually see that person you are talking about?" Zeke

    "One question only rookie. And that wasn''t even a request anymore." She reminded him, going back to her task right away.

    Meanwhile, Zeke sat there still processing everything he was told. He was sure that a lot of it were true. And if this was so then, the biggest w to Sylph''s memory is the fact that de is an ally while he is an enemy.

    "You should go to your quarters. We''re not allowed to stay in the pantry for chit-chat rookie." The mannequin reminded.

    "Where are these quarters exactly?" Zeke asked, not remembering any instructions being given.

    "Oh dear me I''m sorry. I forgot that part, didn''t I?" The mannequin immediately proceeded to a nearby wall. There was nothing special about it nor was anything out of the ordinary. But then, the mannequin brought out a key ring, housing a bunch of different keys.

    She then plugged it to a part of the wall which had a small hole. In fact, it was so small that it was almost unnoticeable and it wasn''t even a regr shaped keyhole at that. But as soon as the mannequin ced the key, the walls began changing forms into multiple keyholes.

    "There is a number for each keyhole. You just need to ce your key at the appropriate hole and you''d be transported to your room." The mannequin pointed at the holes but even without him looking for it, Zeke instinctively knew that the white stained one was his. Seeing how his key was also of white color.

    The gamer immediately took his leave, plugging the key which worked as he expected. Again, the wall began changing structure until a door was finally formed for him. There were a lot of thoughts in his head but he also realized that it would probably be for the best if he first gets to a secure location.

    But just as he thought he was finally making some decent progress; Zeke was surprised to be back to the same white room. The starting point of the dream where he was dropped to. He was sure of this because, the area where the hangers were had nothing on them. Furthermore, the same dripping sound from thefort room could be heard, telling him that it is actually the same.

    "Of course it won''t be that easy." Zeke said to himself, already trying to find a way out of the situation.

    On his hand, Zeke still had the key with him. This meant that, there was a way for him to get back. So the gamer examined the walls for any keyhole of the same structure. After a few minutes, he found his answer on the room''s cab.

    Oddly enough it had a keyhole shape on it. Zeke tried out the key and saw that it works like a charm. This solved the problem right away because, as soon as he opened it, he was once again back in the pantry. The female mannequin was not there however and aside from this, there were different dishes present. Oddly enough the feeling of tiredness has run its course which meant that there was a reset connected to the door being opened and closed.

    "Oh good you''re awake. The countess needs her shots again." The female mannequin said, descending through another staircase found within the pantry.

    Zeke simply did as he was told, knowing that something different maye up this time around. And it did, because as soon as he went for the items, another person came in. Someone who Zeke was well acquainted with.

    de.

    "Heyyy hows everyone doing here?" He said, looking at Zeke who lowered his face immediately.

    "Oh my, there''s a new face. What''s your name sir?" Zeke wanted to kill him right there and then. He wanted to get the butchering knife from the table and chop off de''s head. But he knew that normal attacks would be inefficient against someone of de''s caliber so, he held himself back.

    "Jack sir. They call me Jack." He said in reply, using the first male name that came to mind.

    He was cautious because, even though it was only a manifestation, the de he faced could very well be a threat. Thus, he proceeded with caution, not allowing any hostilitye from him and preventing any doubt of his loyalty to enter their minds. And for this to happen, Zeke needed to bring the medicines right away and that he did.

    "Wait." de said, getting a good look at him. Zeke wanted to lower his head again but that would raise too much suspicion. So he kept his head on a neutral position and stared at de.

    "What is it sir?"

    "There''s actually a new variant I''ve created." de took out a syringe and a bottle of liquids from his pocket. He filled it up right away, smiling in a way that Zeke knew very well. It was the same scheming smile of de.

    "You may want to bring this instead of the one you have." He continued, getting closer to Zeke who also made his way to the enemy.

    "Here you" de dropped the syringe on the floor. Unfortunately, it didn''t break because, Zeke knew what would be asked of him.

    "I''m sorry. Can you please pick it up?" de asked, with the same expression on his face.

    Zeke had no way out of the situation. Since he was a servant on the dream, he couldn''t defy orders. He could only pray that nothing bad would happen to him as soon as his head gets down. But before that could even happen, mannequin hands suddenly came rising from the ground.

    Zeke wanted to vade them all but he waspletely surrounded. With all the hands that grabbed him pulling him down. Meanwhile, de already went for the female mannequin. He grabbed the top of its head and, pulled it revealing a face which was actually hidden underneath.

    "Sylph?" Zeke said, seeing that the female elf was actually unconscious while the head of the mannequin spoke on its own free will.

    "Why is another head there? What''s going on?" The mannequin said in panic.

    "Oh shut up will you?" de ordered, making the mannequin stop speaking.

    "You actually thought you could outmaneuver me? Look, I don''t know who you are exactly Jake but, know that nothing I own could ever escape my sight."

    If there was anything good that came from the encounter, it was that de didn''t recognize him. Even in such a difficult situation, Zeke could easily get out but, he needed to squeeze some information out of de at least.

    "Who are you? How did you enter her head?" Zeke asked, bound tightly by the mannequin hands.

    "I was actually going to ask the same thing seeing as this is my ything''s head and all." de said getting near Zeke.

    "But we don''t need to answer each other''s questions. I''ll just let you experience the effects firsthand." At this, de injected the syringe of Zeke''s neck. The gamer felt pain as this course through his body, making him want to remove his neck altogether.

    "That serum is both a stabilizer and a poison. It removes the negative effects of the poison within thebyrinth I created but, at the same time, it destroys all memories on the mind of the receiver. Reconstructing all memories based on my will."

    "So now. I''m going to make you fight two guys whom I''ve had quite a trouble dealing with." de finally finished and, with a snap of his fingers, two figures appeared. Individuals whom Zeke was very familiar with.

    Right in front of him stood Gallio Leonis and Zeke Elwood.

 Chapter 150: Ending the Dream

    Chapter 150: Ending the Dream

    [For purposes of not getting confused, the Zeke which appeared as an illusion will be referred to as Clone.]

    Unknown to the adult Zeke, his two other selves actually encountered the same problem. While they went and gathered intel, they were also injected with the same serum and, for some reason, this caused all of them to merge into one again.

    Hence, his whole appearance went back to being Keith''s. But that didn''t help for anything. He was still in the presence of two strong enemies. Zeke thought how he could actually take them down but, he first needed to act. He needed to show de how weak he was.

    "NOOO! GET AWAY FROM ME!" Zeke began, putting up an act perfectly. He let tears and snot both run down his nose. It was disgusting of course but he needed to show that he was incapable of anything.

    de snaped his fingers and the scenery changed to the area where he and Gallio fought. It was a nostalgic scene which brough back a lot of unwanted memories. But he kept up his act, kneeling on the ground and begging for forgiveness as Gallio activated [Ultimate Berserker] while the Clone released [Poison Cloud] and a whole group of [Conjures].

    Zeke stood up and tried running away. He then tripped intentionally and, although he didn''t want to, he peed his pants. This all made him look weaker and more pathetic than he actually was. The scene caused de to lose interest altogether.

    At first, de came because there was someone who entered within the head of his beloved toy. But seeing the sorry state of this person now told him that, aside from entering, the intruder was incapable of anything else.

    "Look, don''t take it personally. I don''t; hold any grudges for you kid. But I''ve got a kingdom to run and these two sure as hell won''t be losing to you. So, enjoy the torture while itsts because, it definitely would." de said, finally leaving the scene.

    Gallio and Clone immediately went for Zeke who began standing up. Hisposure went back to normal and, there was a lot of rage built-up which, unfortunately for the illusions, would be the ones receiving the beating.

    "Sorry guys. But I need to go back quickly."

    There were two things which de failed to put into consideration. Or rather, these were things which he was not aware of because Zeke''s true identity was not revealed.

    One was that Zeke also had something which could function as a skill. It was [Subconscious]. The same trick he uses upon sleeping which could effectively multiply the number of hours he could use although only a single minute passes in the real world. Through this, Zeke could slow down time so significantly that, only he would be able to move properly.

    "Subconscious." Hemanded, turning the terrain to his advantage.

    There were glitches which appeared and, the [Gamer''s System] finally went back online. He didn''t understand how the whole thing worked exactly but, it seemed that the domain of [Subconscious] would always permit him to use the system no matter the predicament.

    Furthermore, even with the serum injected, Zeke''s [Gamer''s Mind] would immediately counteract it. Since the skill could prevent any mind breaking or altering effects, Zeke immediately began filtering the drug. His [System] automatically began downloading the data of all theponents of the drug. This was transferred immediately to Heron to ensure that no [Data Loss] would ur.

    "Well, the good news is, he still thinks I''m going to die." Zeke said, finally walking towards the opponents which seemed to freeze in ce.

    Looking back, he and Gallio were probably the strongest beings in Mythos back then. A lot of things have changed from that point onwards however, especially with Zeke who not only improved but reached heights which defied the rules of being a mortal.

    "I know that I won''t be dealing that much damage to you guys so I''m going to be borrowing these obsolete things." Zeke told Clone, taking the old version of [Death''s Void] from his hands.

    "Don''t worry. I won''t make you guys suffer for long." Zeke went for their vitals, stabbing them both in the hearth while also cing one bullet on each for good measure. He also hacked their head open and even slit their necks. He stabbed the spine to make them limp which finished the deed.

    "I know that I''ve always wanted to kill myself but I didn''t know it would be this satisfying." Zeke told himself seeing his old body in such a sorry state. Then, he finally made time move back to normal.

    His enemies immediately fell on the ground, with their blood spraying all over the ce. All the skills used by the Clone got dissolved, leaving Zeke wit nothing to worry about at the moment. Hence, he activated [Subconscious] again, allowing him to ess the [Gamer''s System]. He wanted to make sure that the [Data Transfer] waspleted.

    [Information: All data has been sessfully stored and sent to Heron. Data has also bene stored on the internal memory of the System and can be essed anytime.]

    "Okay. That settles everything then. Let''s clean these guys up before I move on with the n." Zeke activated [Gamer''s Mind] which allowed him to process the form for the solution while he also made sure to leave no traces.

    Even with de changing the environment, Zeke was technically still within Sylph''s dream. And so, he probably still had ess to certain parts of it so, with the white key still on his pocket, he tried to find the way back to Sylph''s stronghold.

    This also didn''t take much time. With his [Minimap] being enabled again, Zeke was able to get in-depth information about the terrain. And this included the area of the transport. He got there immediately using [Shadow Dive] and, soon enough, Zeke was back to the pantry.

    "First of all, I need to clean you guys up."

    Zeke actually brought the corpses of both his Clone and Gallio. He couldn''t risk leaving them there as they may be a form of evidence. So, he threw them inside the cauldron and stirred it until they looked like nothing more than cooked meat. Of course, he also had to strain all the clothes, hair, bones and other parts. These things were ced on the trash can.

    "Now for the next order of business. System give me an update on the countermeasure."

    [Information: Since the gamer is within the mind of the target, he can effectively tamper with some parts in order to reverse the effects of the poison. There would be no side effect as long as the data destroyed is effectively reced with something else.]

    "Just as I thought." Zeke told himself, realizing that the process would be a lot simr to illegally getting software by recing some data with cracked ones.

    Zeke proceeded to getting all the keys hidden by the mannequin who turned out to be Sylph all along. Now that this was revealed everything made sense. It should only be the dream owner who holds that many keys which and, with Zeke being able to use [Analysis] he saw that the mannequin was actually the real Sylph.

    "So, the question now lies on who it is that I''ve been administering the drug to." Zeke made time move again. The female mannequin head was ced on the cauldron, preventing it from taking over again. Zeke also stripped down Sylph''s clothes which might also hold some restraints over her.

    Of course he needed to look to effectively do this. And its not like he did anything perverted because it was for a just cause. Plus, there weren''t any unnecessary touching involved and he even clothed her again with something in his inventory for good measure.

    "Just get some sleep. I need to deal with your doppelganger." Zeke said, proceeding upstairs and, seeing that his guess was right on the money. On the head of the bedridden Sylph, there was a sign that said [False Memory Sylph].

    "That''s a very descriptive title you got going there." Zeke said, not having any trouble because time was slowed down.

    He used [Analysis] on the room but unfortunately, there was nothing there that could help him im back Sylph''s proper ce. It wasn''t like the false Sylph couldn''t be destroyed. It was just that, he needed to find a way to swap their ces without creating any damage. Then, he remembered it.

    "AHHHHH THE HEAD!" He took the [False Memory Sylph] back to the pantry and made her wear the maid''s outfit. Aside from this, he immediately took out the head from the cauldron. There were some slight burns but, it wasn''t that bad.

    He ced the head over the [Fake''s] making the made mannequin bepleted once again. Then, Zeke worked on altering the mana constituting the serum. Now it only had the effect of nking out the target, being able to fulfill only a singlemand.

    He injected this to the maid and, gave themand of [Serve as the Head Maid]. Which was sessfully integrated as noted by the [System Notification].

    [Notification: This dream has been cleared. True memory has been restored.]

    Then, with that being cleared out, Zeke proceeded to taking the real Sylph down the spiraling staircase. He also brought the keys with him because, he had a hunch that it would be needed on the area he was going. Unlike the first time, Zeke didn''t have a difficulty going down. In fact, in not less than a minute, he reached the bottom.

    "Illumination." Zeke chanted, allowing him to see a clearer view of the area to which hemented:

    "Jackpot."

    On the dream stronghold''s basement, all the doors were once again present. And this time, Zeke had ess to all of them thorough his keys. He proceeded to entering every dream and clearing out the fakes within them. All 100 doors were handled by Zeke and, uponpleting the final one, Zeke was given a notification which told him:

    [All information on Sylph Windsprite''s database has been cleared from any foreign entities. Data has beenpletely restored and verified.]

    "Okay. I guess that means I can go back now." Zeke finally said, returning back to the world of the living where Sylph awaited him.

 Chapter 151: What They Went Through

    Chapter 151: What They Went Through

    Upon return, Zeke immediately began the piecing together of information based on what was stored within Sylph''s dreams. He went to his room and specifically gave the instructions for no disturbances to be made for the time being because the process itself was meticulous.

    Zeke went to sleep once again, giving his body a much-needed rest while his mind continued functioning through [Subconscious] and [Gamer''s Mind].

    There were only fragments of memories within the dreams but, Zeke knew that this would be enough for him to reach the truth. Even those dreams had something consistent on them and, this is what Zeke sued topute probabilities while also piecing together the timeline of information.

    "I should''ve eaten at least. My body must be hungry by now." He said, already strained from all the activities he continually did.

    The first was defeating the seven [Chaos Dragons] which needed the use of [ze of the Fire God]. This was followed up by the entering of Sylph''s dream. Right after, to put his mind at ease, Zeke decided to sort all the data just in case there was something that could be gained from them.

    "Okay, let''s begin." Zeke said, finally cing every piece of data together and creating a [Memory] out of it.

    [Loading all data connected to Sylph Windsprite]

    [Please wait a moment]

    [Beginning Transmission...]

    The first thing which Zeke looked at was the transport itself before their final fight. The whole group got dispersed to different areas. It wasn''t any ident nor a coincidence because, as Zeke looked, he figured out that all the areas were major barracks. All the soldiers set to be deployed on the three other Continents were dispersed to these areas and, Sylph took the full blow of fighting one of these groups all by herself.

    Zeke himself was sent to a highly popted area. Unlike the three sisters, he was sent to the heart of the enemy forces itself which he felt relief in figuring out. Because if it was any of the Windsprites who was sent there, then they would''ve stood no chance against Gallio. Not that he was underestimating them or anything of course. He was simply thinking of the facts based on the data collected.

    "Okay, let''s rewind to that part just after transporting." Zeke said, looking at the beam of light and [Analyzing] it. It was impossible however because it was only a piece of memory. All he could see was based on what Sylph couldprehend, no more no less.

    "I knew it wouldn''t work. And here I was thinking that I''ll finally catch the real culprit." Zeke told himself.

    He had a hunch and, a highly probable one at that. de Leonis himself couldn''t plot a scheme as grand as the one he executed all on his own. It would''ve been difficult because, de didn''t have ess to all the information and, what he knew was only based on what he got out of Gallio.

    If this was so, there was no way for the elf to outmaneuver him. Zeke knew that there was a stronger force involved. One of the minor gods probably and, specifically, one who specialized in deceit, maniption, trickery, and all those things.

    "Okay. Now onto the next task." He said, skipping the whole fight and going straight to the part of them being transferred to the Labyrinth.

    Since the sisters were unconscious during the transport, they couldn''t see who it was that put them there. This also proved troublesome for Zeke as, even this would''ve been a crucial piece of information for them.

    The scene which followed was the life of the Windsprites within the Labyrinth. Although things were mushy because he retrieved them from a dream, Zeke was still able to piece things together carefully. Zeke saw the whole process of torture from day one and, in no way was it humane.

    Their clothing were only ragged nkets which got reced daily. They were forced to strip while the soldiers watched and even jerked off from the sight of their exposed skin. The soldiers gave them baths by spraying water on them which was extremely cold, followed by excruciatingly hot water. They got burns and screamed over and over again but, a healer was there who restored their bodies back after each bath.

    Each and every day, the cell detainers would disperse a gas on them, making it difficult to breathe and giving them visions of Zeke being there. He saw the version of himself produced by the gas which fed them false information. It whispered on their ears,ughed at them, even danced in the middle of the suffering sisters. The illusion said that he was the enemy and that, he was the one who put them there.

    It was an obvious lie of course. But with the excruciating amount of pain they experienced every day, coupled by their hunger from theck of food and water, they started believing these things. Zeke was able to remain stable while watching this whole ordeal because of [Gamer''s Mind] but, a tear still ran down his cheek as everything unfolded.

    For years, they were able to resist and yet, little by little they were converted. There were lines on the walls of the prison and, just by counting them, he knew that it took four whole years before another prisoner was ced inside.

    This was, of course, nothing more than an act because the one who got sent in was none other than de. He was beaten to a pulp which surprised Zeke as much as it enraged him. He knew that it was all an act but, with the Windsprites being held there, he figured that it would only be a matter of time before they were fully converted.

    "Why are you here?" Of course, Sylph immediately gave him a beating. Considering how angry and frustrated she was, together with the insane amount of psychological stress ced on her because of getting locked up in thebyrinth, with nobody to talk to aside from Allesiah, of course she furious.

    She beat up de for half a day and Allesiah just watched this nkly from the side of the cell. It was because she was more intelligent than her sister that the Labyrinth took arger toll on her. Zeke also figured that the time they spent together would naturally falsify all the illusions but, that was only to an extent.

    She fought back with all her might and as a result, she became something like a doll. Murmuring words day in and day out. Saying ''this isn''t real'' over and over again.

    "You bastard!" Sylph said, breaking some of de''s bones and punching his face so hard that the elf almost lost consciousness.

    Zeke however, knew that this did nothing to the enemy. In fact, he was sure that some sort of defense was ced over his body which allowed him to not feel any pain. There were also things ced to protect his vitals. But he still screamed in pain, coughed up blood, and all those other disgusting stuff because, that was the only way for the two to believe his act.

    Sylph then went back to the corner of the room, hugging Allesiah next to her. de on the other hand, curled up on one corner, he didn''t speak anymore nor tried getting up. The following day, the same thing happened. For a whole week de was nothing more than a way for Sylph to relieve her stress.

    All throughout, de said nothing more and simply epted all the beating like a living punching bag. Curling up on one corner after every session; unmoving like a corpse. And then, after a week of being together, something finally came up which ced shock on Zeke''s face.

    He saw himselfor rather his old body. He saw it in one piece. It was there, clothed regally like Gallio and, on his side were two soldiers that seemed to havee with him.

    "Zeke! It''s you right?" Sylph said,ing closer to him and, as soon as she got close, she took out a de. It was carefully crafted all those years with a stone she dug up. It gave her wounds all over but, that was a small price to pay to create a weapon. The soldiers beside the fake Zeke stopped the attack of course which would''ve easily killed him on the spot.

    "That''s a cute little toy you got there Sylph." The fake Zeke said, smirking.

    It was definitely him. From the voice, to the manner of speaking, to the body itself and the movements. Everything was so like him and it didn''t make any sense. He already transferred bodies and, as far as he could tell, his old body was destroyed by de.

    And yet there it was,pletely intact. If he could use [Analysis] he would''ve already figured things out. But it was unavable. He couldn''t see a thing because it was through Sylph''s memories that things were disyed.

    "Could things get any worse than this?" He uttered.

    And it did. Sylph''s arm was just about to be cut off but then de intervened. This made the fake Zeke furious and got him out of the cell. The two couldn''t escape of urs because they were bound by the shackles.

    With the cell being left open, they saw how de was given a beating by Zeke. They also saw the menacingughter he made and how he even [Conjured] creatures. While all of this happened, the soldiers gassed the sisters again and because of this, they didn''t see the important part in the whole scene. That even though de was being beaten up, he himself was not gassed by the soldiers.

    In fact, the whole thing was probably part of his scheme. Zeke knew it. Even with him not being there, he knew that it was something that de was capable of doing and, he hated every part of the maniption.

    He hated that his old allies had to suffer four years of inhumane treatment and that, their brains were also being shattered bit by bit. He hated that things were being set against him and that, slowly, things were turning to de''s favor.

    Another year passe with this urring. The fake Zeke continued visiting and, this was all that was needed to finally break them. de would defend the two each and every time, receiving the beating that was supposed to be for the Windsprites. Sylph softened up and finally epted him and, Allesiah did the same. With this, de also ced the finishing touches on the two.

    They were broken out of the area and, it wasn''t just any normal person who did this. It was Sylvia Windsprite. Their eldest sister came to their rescue. But Zeke already figured that this was also part of the grander scheme of things because, she didn''t retaliate against de. Furthermore, there was no resistance from the guards.

    Sylvia simply broke through the ceiling, got them out and, proceeded to entering a ship at the shore of the continent. Here, Sylph exined everything to them. How Zeke turned on them and that, he tricked the citizens of Elysium into thinking that the Windsprites were evil. He told them how Gallio was defeated only to serve as a means to another end and how, they were being kept as the fake Zeke''s personal toys.

    Sylph cried and Allesiah was still nk all throughout. But Zeke knew that the deed was done. de already won and the seeding events showed this.

    They got one continent each, with the forces being monitored by de himself. He gave them the drugs which helped the recover because the gas on the Labyrinth created an effect that required treatment. And this treatment was de''s medicine.

    He also told them yearster that he would enter the [Ruined City] to get more items that could help them against Zeke and, the sisters agreed because they knew how strong Zeke was.

    All this time Zeke thought that the four Continents worked as one. But, they didn''t. One Continent was made as an enemy of three others and, this was Elysium. And with this, the memory finally ended, leaving Zeke with more questions than before he started.

    [End of Transmission]

 Chapter 152: A Week After

    Chapter 152: A Week After

    A week has passed since the incident with Sylph. Upon returning, she was of coursepletely drained. So much so that even though she wanted to get up and pick her weapon, there was no strength on both her arms and her legs.

    Zeke himself was also worried about a lot of things. The first among these is the fact that, there was a clone who looked so much like him. But the good news is that he was able to confirm a lot of things. One is that, the other continents are ruled by the other Windsprites and the Fake Zeke. The second is that, he was finally able to see the whole ordeal which urred. He was also able to confirm that de believed he was dead since, his former body was being used by something made by the sly elf king.

    "I''m going to tear down everything he built." Zeke thought to himself, ready to bring the hurting to the elf king.

    Zeke also had troubles after he introduced himself properly to Sylph. This shocked the archer of course because, Zeke had the body of her sister''s son. This was a straining information to take in for her but, Zeke decided that it would be in the group''s best interest if Sylph was told of this earlier on. Aside from this, he slowly told her of all the necessary information about the continent. This was, of course, coupled by Sylph regaining her strength.

    Apparently, the transformation she did when fighting Heron and Morpheus had a simr consequence to [Primal State]. The only difference was that, since her body was more powerful and even evolved, she only needed to give a payback of getting drastically weakened for a short period of time. This didn''t pose as much of a problem however. With Zeke''s assistance, she was able to recover without fail.

    Aside from this, the elites have also carefully gone through with their task. Afterying out the instruction on one area, they immediately proceeded to the next and, were able to create twice the amount of results which Zeke initially expected.

    They weren''t able to cover the whole of the Demon Continent however as it is too vast. But this wasn''t a problem because Zeke already had a nid out for the following week. For the moment, the elites were called back to the base to take at least a day of rest which would, again, be followed by the strategizing thates the following day.

    Lastly, Zeke has also ced the said preventive measures over the whole continent, ensuring that no enemy coulde in easily.In fact, he made the barrier so well that, even de and his best weaponry would probably not be able to pierce through it.

    But how did Zeke do this exactly. It''s simple, he reverse engineered the crystal used by de to power the barrier which as ced around the portal area. Since it could block even the continent destroying [Chaos ck mes], Zeke thought that it was already powerful on its own. Not powerful enough however.

    The barrier still needed a lot of tweaking which, in turn, required a load full of materials. Of course, Zeke was prepared for this. He didn''t only have the necessary materials; he had a whole inventory full of it. And so, within that same week of all these events happening, Zeke was able to put up the barrier. One which was able to defend even against a storm of arrows of the same caliber as Sylph''s attacks.

    Yet Zeke wasn''t done. In fact, he had more in store for the continent. Thus, as soon as the elites returned, he readied the ns and items for the following day.

    "You really are something else huh?" Sylph noted, walking inside the room where the gamer was staying.

    She was still not used to the fact that it was Zeke she was talking to although the body was once owned by Keith. She also didn''t like the fact that the boy was actually already dead but, there was nothing that could be done about the tragedy.

    "You should also get some rest. Just because you''ve recovered doesn''t mean you can goa round staying upte." He noted.

    "Aw are you actually worried about me?" Sylph teased, which left a nk expression on Zeke''s face. He has [Gamer''s Mind] after all so emotions were easier to control and manipte.

    "I swear, something might''vee loose on that head of yours." Hemented, going back to his work. It wasn''t usual for Sylph to interact with him that way and it weirded him out.

    He kept on thinking that the mannequin might''ve swapped ces with her on thest second but he brushed it aside each and every time. Thinking how the thought was illogical no matter how many times it pops on his head.

    Yet, this wasn''t the reason why she was acting that way. With Zeke entering her, she felt a connection linger, one which she couldn''t just dismiss. It also didn''t help that Zeke has turned into an elf and, not the ordinary kind but Windsprite material. His body was well built yet had a gentle and handsome face. His voice was also deep and alluring, something which the female elites also couldn''t deny. And, he had an aura of royalty to him.

    Zeke was the whole package of brawns, brain and handsomeness. This was all running wildly on Sylph''s head because, the years of torture and brainwashing made her want to catch up on all the time she lost. And, the best way she thought this could be done was to find a suitable partner whom she could spend the rest of her life with.

    "So how about we go for a little stroll around the continent?" She asked in an enticing voice, cing her finger on his chest which sent shivers down Zeke''s spine.

    "Can you stop being weird? We still have a bunch of other things to fulfill after all." He said in reply which was, of course, correct.

    Aside from giving livelihood to the people, they needed to fix the poption, militarization, the government and, the further advancements to the technologies.

    "Can we start going out after we''re trough with your list of tasks?" Sylph asked, really wanting more alone time with Zeke. And possibly in his bedroom if the gamer permits.

    "Agreed." Zeke immediately said.

    He knew that there was no way for the tasks to end. As long as the [System] remained, he''d always have tasks to aplish. And he wasn''t sure if the system even supported missions connected to dating and romantic rtionships.

    "But you know, thisrge-scale operation of yours is really something else. It''s not everyday that you can see a person doing both the conquering and restoring of a continent at the same time."

    "Okay first of all, I didn''t do them at the same time. I first destroyed this evil dynasty which you lead by the way."

    "HEEEYYY! That wasn''t me! That was brainwashed me which, technically, wasn''t really me!" Sylph said in defiance, standing up and raising her voice as if these could help in proving her point.

    "Plus, I''m not conquering. I''m simply helping in the restoration and security of this ce, that''s all." Zeke was tinkering with some objects on his hands, watching some small sparks fly from time to time.

    "Yeah, there''s that. But I have a question for you. Why did you choose the Demon Continent exactly? There were a lot of continents to go around and, there was nothing particrly special about this one. In fact, it has the most destends and the most unforgiving environment." Sylph continued which made Zeke stop from doing whatever it was that he was doing.

    "It''s actually a lot simpler than you think. The humans were transported here. The humans who share the same fate as I. These individuals were driven into this unfavorable situation because some almighty beings aren''t actually that almighty after all." Zeke said in reply, resuming his task.

    "Hey careful, they can hear you." Sylph reminded but, Zeke simply gave a short chuckle.

    "They can''t. They formed a contract binding them to have no vision of Mythos as soon as the elites dropped here. That''s why I could onlye out during this time. Aside from having to hide from de, I also didn''t want them knowing that I still lived."

    "And why is that?"

    "You have a lot of question, don''t you?"

    "Well of course I do. Plus, it might help in my recovery you know so might as well answer them."

    *Sigh*

    "We''ll discuss it once your other sisters have been retrieved. For now, you should focus on regaining all your proper memories because those would be good leads to some important parts of our future missions."

    "So you really just had the elites in mind when you chose this continent?"

    "Don''t think too much about it. I''m not some missionary saint. I''m just here to finish some things that I was forced to do."

    This wasn''t true at all. Deep down, Zeke knew that the reason why he chose the Demon Continent was because, he thought of how unjust the treatment for the people there was. The fact that the Demons still tried living peaceful lives there despite all of this showed that they are actually kinder than what everyone presumed.

    Even with their ownnd poisoning them and, the other Continentsbelling them as evil, the Demons never retaliated. They survived on their own and tried to build a ce where the future generation of demons could leave peacefully. That''s why, Zeke aided them above all else.

    They were the most giving despite all the depravity thrown at them. He didn''t like that their main patron was Nisha however but, it beat being in a continent where Sinir was the main deity.

    That''s why Zeke was so focused and motivated. He wanted to be a being strong enough to do whatever he wills and, the first among this list was to restore bnce and order in everything. But, for this to ur, he needed more power.But even with his current limits, he wanted to somehow demonstrate that this could still be done.

    He was diligently fixing everything in the n. He updated this each and every day, as soon as he woke up and before he went to sleep. Without him knowing, Sylph was actually silently watching him  adoring the amount of work and effort that the human was putting in his work.

    There was more to what she felt rather than simply mating. She liked Zeke from the start but, she just couldn''te around to admitting that she liked a human.

    She loved how hardworking and earnest he was. That was probably the reason why the mind-altering drug administered by de had such a negative effect on her. She knew deep down that Zeke was incapable of such atrocious acts and, her body fought to im dominance over this. That''s why, this time around, she decided not to be so reserved with disying what she really felt.

    She wanted to stare at him a while longer but, the gamer gave her an irritated look  motioning for her to go away. She gave a sly smile and finally got up, hugging the gamer who wanted to poison her for doing so.

    "Don''t overwork yourself.'' She said, finally going to bed.

    As soon as she was outside the room, Zeke stopped from what he was doing for a while. He felt the shoulders where Sylph''s arms wrapped itself around and, for some reason, he felt it getting lighter.

    "Weird." He said, going back to work with a smile on his face.

 Chapter 153: The Progress On Glade Leonis Journey

    Chapter 153: The Progress On de Leonis'' Journey

    As Zeke set the whole continent up and began restoring it, de has also made considerable progress. Aside from the fact that he was the first person to explore the [Ruined City], de was also able to get the prying eyes of Pier away from him. Furthermore, he was also able to kill a person who invaded Zeke''s dream.

    "They probably have her captive already." He said, knowing that it was the only logical exnation as to how someone entered her dream. But that didn''t matter much because, he left the enemy in the hands of two dead yet insanely strong opponents.

    However, de also thought that it was highly likely that this person was not alone. In fact, he may not be the leader of the group and just someckey assigned to perform the task.

    "That''s bad news for me if it''s true but, it would take more than getting one of the continents to defeat me." de said, knowing that he could easily reim it once he gets back.

    Upon exploring deeper within the ruins, de was able to find out that it''d take him more than a week to actually finish all the things that he set out to aplish. Indeed, the [Ruined City] had a lot of crazy twist and turns. Not to mention the fact that there were a lot of insanely strong monsters lying at every corner.

    "And we''re finally here." He said as arge iron gate greeted him.

    There were a lot of engraved runes on it and, in the middle were sockets that have been left empty. All around, there were gigantic knight statues holding different weapons.

    de used his detection skill again because, no matter what the ruins threw at him, he was sure that he could get out of it in one piece. Although, doing so may also require him to use a lot of power which could catch Pier''s notice once again.

    "I''m sure there''s a lot of things he can do beside watching me." He thought to himself, finally activating the skill which ran through the whole area. Then, he was able to detect that the stone figures also contained mana in them and also, a little surprise stored inside.

    "Yeh I don''t think so." He said, destroying each and every one of them which revealed a bunch of gems that he picked up one by one.

    He knew exactly where to put them. The sockets in the middle of the gate were actually keyholes that required the gems getting ced. There was a little trick to this however. There was only a specific gem that could be ced on every socket. The problem was that, de wasn''t able to understand which gem needed to go where and so, he was stuck there wondering what needed to be done on the situation.

    "Why am I even thinking about this too much." He finally decided, not finding a way to get a proper solution out.

    "If I can''t get the solution out, then I''ll just force one out." He mmed all the gems, creating an earthquake which shook the whole area of the ruins.This wasn''t the proper way to do things of course but it was a solution nheless.

    With this, everything around him shook violently and, soon enough, the statues were back to normal. Their eyes glowed based on the gems which were ced on them. They also emitted arge amount of mana which was not present on Mythos and, this piqued de''s interest even more.

    "You''d be perfect test specimens once I get back." He said, beginningbat with them.

    The statues created a defensive formation with two shield wielding ones in front. de tried destroying their defenses with [Ultimate Level Magic] but, the statues only brushed this off. Then came a sword wielder and an axe wielder statue which both tried hacking down the elven king.

    He dodged these both. Their gigantic size made it even harder for them to hit him. In fact, they were so huge that the quick moving de was able to evade each and every blow. All while releasing spells of all kinds.

    "Finally, some decent enemies." He said, smiling as he released [30 Darkness Spheres] at the same time. This same [Sphere] could only be used by the old Allesiah a ratio of [10 orbs] and yet, the king easily made use of thirty which moved on their own ord.

    "I can''t release any skill which would raise rm so, I need to destroy you with these." He continued, taking out his spear which was made from Gallio''s [Leo Rex] sword  an ominous onyx colored spear which bursted with mana.

    "Let''s see how well you canst against this." He threw the spear at the shield users right away.

    The statues were prepared, with their shields nted firmly on the ground. Spells were even activated, creating barriers in front of them. Yet, all of these proved to be futile.

    "Pierce." The spear imbued with [Leo Rex] and the spell just chanted was able to break through all defenses; destroying both arge portion of the shield and the left shoulder of the creature. The statues recovered however. The broken pieces simply went back in ce and, it was as good s new.

    "Okay that''s definitely unfair." de mentioned, seeing how the enemy was able to reconstruct itself.

    Then, one wielding a hammer tore the ground open as it was mmed. This created pirs of steel instead of rocks, creating a river of magma beneath it. Aside from this, there was a swarm of monsters that came fighting de from the air.

    With his area of battle limited, the melee enemies attacked him once again. This time they made contact, sending de flying and crashing on a nearby wall. But the king was able to immediately recover, throwing hundreds of spears at the enemies while he maneuvered though the air using [Air Step].

    He was able to mow all the summons down in no time. And with his continuous attack, the statues weren''t given any momentum to fight back. The enemies didn''t relent nevertheless. They just kept oning which he found even more interesting.

    "Okay you want more? I''ll give you more." He said, protecting himself with a barrier while the thirty [Dark Spheres] circled around this. Every attempt of an attack was met by one of these shooting out at bullet speed.

    "Force Activation: Ultimate Berserker."

    Two statues swung at his location, destroying the orbs by cing a spell on their weapons. A cloud of dust rose, as soon as their weapons reached the ground once more. They thought that the attack was able to connect but, when the dust cleared, the elf was nowhere to be seen.

    "Looking for me?" de said, appearing on the shoulder of one of the statues, making it blow up with a condensed amount of air.

    The summoned monsters then followed up as they closed in on the elven king. de saw this and followed through quickly by throwing his spear at a vertical direction. This destroyed the summoned creatures as ck streaks of lightning covered the attack.

    "Gravity Maniption." He followed, making the statues feel heavier than they really were. But, it would take more than this to actually hold them down and de realized this. That is why, he added another skill, two in fact, puttingyer uponyer of [Gravity] which increased the force of its push by a hundredfold.

    "So there are 20 of you all in all." He brought out neen more spears which floated in mid-air.

    Each spear had a special effect assigned to it. Each had a unique style, making the wielding change all the same. He then transformed the [Darkness Spheres]  turning them into small magic circles and multiplying them up to five. The spears were ced just on top of this circles that were aimed at the twenty animated statue warriors.

    "Let''s see how well you fair against this." He continued, charging up the spears with different types of mana and condensing it. He then added anotheryer of spells. Then, with everything set, he finally released his weapons.

    "I''ll allow you to move at least." He said, removing the gravity binding them down.

    As soon as he did, the statues went in a berserk rage. But the spears have already passed through the five [Magic Circles] at this point and, their power multiplied over and over again until, they reached a god like level on their own.

    The moment this passed hit the statues, it destroyed arge chunk of their armor. This caught them off bnce and made them fall to the ground. The shield wielding statues tried blocking for the group but this just made them meet a quicker end as the spears destroyed their barrier and their shields.

    Over and over again, the spearsnded a hit on the statues. Even though they had regeneration, they couldn''t regenerate as quickly as de destroyed their parts. Thus, they lost to the king little by little until there was nothing left of the enemies but rubble.

    They would''ve regained their pieces once again but, de used gravity magic on them again. He condensed the material that constituted the statues until what was left was only arge rock which he stored in his bag once again. Meanwhile, the gems were left there and so, de went to the gate again.

    "Now, let''s have another go at it shall we?" He continued cing the gems in everybination possible and this took him at least one whole day to finish. But it didn''t matter, the guardians weren''t there anymore so he was just idly changing the position of the gems on the sockets while the ruins continued rumbling defiantly. As if saying that de was ying against the rules.

    "Quitining will you. It''s your fault for not cing stronger guardians in this ce." He said in reply and, finally, cing the gems on their proper ces.

    "This is it." He said, seeing the engraved runes glow up one by one until, they lit up the middle of the gate.

    There was a thunderous sounding earthquake that followed as dust clouds formed one again. The Ruins was so old that, all this dust umted on it. And as soon as it was fully opened, de couldn''t help but smile because, right in front of him was the destroyed city of the [Dwellers]. Yet it was infested by different [Mythical] looking creatures making it difficult to tread on.

    A week has already passed since he entered but, de was nowhere near finishing. He needed a lot more time and, he knew that he could afford this. Because the price which awaited him wasrger than anything which Mythos could offer. Ancient advanced knowledge that would help him ascend.

    "This is going to take longer than I expected." The elven king entered, getting closer and closer to both immortality and godhood.

 Chapter 154: The Updates

    Chapter 154: The Updates

    "It''s so early why do we need to have the meeting now?" Mordredined as usual. She didn''t like the early morning meeting because, she always takes 10 hours of sleep every day.

    It isn''t anything scientifically proven to be healthy but, the group thought that her enormous and almost bottomless amount of vitality was probably due to this fact. Although if the other elites tried doing this, they were sure that they''d simply feel more exhausted than rested.

    "That''s because you werete on thest meeting and we both know how Quinn felt about that." Julia said in reply.

    Ever since theirst mission, the two have be closer to each other. Since Mordred always stuck her nose on everything, Julia had no choice but to amodate her at first. But as their time together went on, she learned to genuinely like and adore the person.

    "They can have that meeting themselves. We''re just gonna be construction workers again after all." Mordred defiantly imed, burying her face on her pillow and hugging tightly to another one. As much as Julia wanted to make her budge, the defender was unyielding and immovable.

    "Goodness, at this rate you''ll be giving us all headaches. Fine, you leave me with no choice." Julia continued, finally deciding to use her trump card.

    "If you don''t get up, I''m going to tell Mirio that you like him." Suddenly, the world seemed to quiet down ufortably until, Mordred broke it with a loud scream.

    "AHHHH! I''m up. I''m up!" Mordred rose up immediately and went to the bathroom without question.

    Juliaughed as she watched her friend in a frantic state of panic. She learned about this by ident of course. While Mordred drank with the construction workers one night, she got too carried away and had to be dragged back to the house by Julia. There, she was almost stripped down by Mordred who kept on spouting the name of Mirio who, despite being ruthless on the battlefield was actually meek and timid in person.

    Juliaughed at her friend''s reaction. Only she has seen this side of Mordred and she loved it very much. Just like them everyone else prepared for the meeting that was about to take ce and, soon enough, they were there. All present and ounted for. Zeke as surprised that even Mordred was up and smiled at them before starting the meeting.

    "We''ll be doing things the same way as before." He simply said, turning off the lights with everyone given a crystal that would glow whenever they emitted mana on it. This was to be used whenever they wanted to ask questions. Any other question that didn''t use this method would not be entertained.

    "The first part of the agenda would be the progress you''ve made. I want to congratte each and every one of you for a job well done. Not a lot of people can do what you did. It takes more talent to manage a town than to fight in a battlefield." He said, getting cheers from everyone.

    "Anyway, with the water system already in ce, and with theirnds cleansed, we can finally move on to the next part of the mission." The image on disyed changed again to showing the root of all problems within the continent.

    "What we need right now is to detoxify the whole continent." Zeke snapped his fingers once again and, revealed a new location which showed arge rift that oozed with deadly mana. It was hidden just beneath a seemingly normal crater so nobody ever came in close contact with it.

    "The reason why the whole of the Demon Continent is deadly is because, during a certain battle a thousand years ago, the Demon Continent came as one of the casualties." He began, showing the war which killed all the original Dwellers.

    "A mythical being which was not ced in the record books died here. That in itself would not be a problem. The real problem began when it died." Zeke then shed the image of the said creature or rather, what it was supposed to look like before.

    "This creature can emit what is refereed to as Chaos Poison. That same substance is what now corrupts the whole Demon Continent. Because, for some reason, the toxins get stronger upon the creature''s death. And not only that, the toxin will not stop so long as there is mana around." Zeke continued.

    The reason why he was able to learn about this is simple. Zeke himself had [Chaos Poison Cloud] which is of the same nature as the [Mythical Creature''s] poison. And thus, he was able to [Analyze] that the whole continent was being infested with this and that, there was a root to this problem which he found soon enough.

    This same material mutated the demons and turned them to what they currently were. They weren''t grotesque creatures of course but, their skin was greatly discolored because of the poison. Although they learned to live with the curse, both their lifespan and their environment would drastically change for the better if proper measures were taken. This in turn would also make it easier for thend to prosper once again which was within Zeke''s best interest. The [Gamer''s System] offered a quest for this after all. Giving him another piece of data in order toplete the [Ancient Spell].

    "So why didn''t we target that from the start then?" Vostok asked.

    "Good point. But you see, the area isn''t a ce that could easily be entered. There are too many monsters lingering around it. These have already been infused with the DNA and genes of the mythical creature which I spoke of. Hence, it would''ve been bad news for all of you if I made you enter without anypanion." Another crystal lit up.

    "So aside from the fact that we are the ones getting deployed, who else would assists us on this quest?" Quinn said in reply, reading between the line of Zeke''s statement.

    Sylph stepped forward for everyone to see. They still haven''t sparred with her yet so they didn''t know the extent of her skills but from how Heron and Morpheus described their fight against her, the elites knew that she wasn''t someone to be trifled with.

    "Sylph wille with you and assist you on your journey. As an archer, her eyes are withoutpare and, her skills inbat are just as impable. If shees with you, the assurance is heightened that, you''d be able toe out of the mission in one piece." Zeke finished, answering the question and solving the problem at the same time.

    "Don''t worry, Sylph will be sparring with you guyster on. Although she hasn''t fully recovered yet, she is almost back to peak condition." He added. But then another crystal glowed.

    "What advantage does she have over Miss heron and Morpheus? No offense, I''m just intrigued." Kaguya asked with respect in her tone.

    "First of all, you''d only have her as the backup. The mission is still up to your capabilities because, as I have mentioned, Sylph has yet to fully recover. But that doesn''t mean that she would be dragging you down. Her role is as your tactician because, believe me, she would be able to make better and more calcted ns than Quinn." Zeke continued, with Quinn simply nodding although the words didn''t fair well with him.

    "I think that would be enough. There is no need for stealth in this operation so Heron does not need to be deployed and, Sylph alone is enough to provide support fire in case it is needed. Remember, she was able to hold her ground against both Heron and Morpheus at the same time."

    "Sorry guys." Heron said to the group.

    "If there are no other concerns, I''d like to proceed." No crystal lit up that time, allowing Zeke to continue on.

    "All your armors and weapons will also be improved in preparation for this." Zeke already had a blueprintid out for them. At the moment he had enough scales and other parts of the [Chaos Dragons] in order to craft something better for them.

    "What would our new equipment and weapons be made out of?" Merlin asked, making his crystal glow.

    "Oh, they''d being from Chaos Dragons." There was an awkward silence that came after. It wasn''t something you could say in a normal day to day conversation within Mythos after all.

    "I think we heard you wrong sir. Where would the materials being from?" Mirio wanted to rify, making his crystal glow. It was Heron who answered on Zeke''s behalf this time around.

    "Apparently, while you guys were up doingmunity service, master Zeke killed the remaining seven Chaos Dragons within the Continent." Everyone justughed it off. They still didn''t understand the full extent of Zeke''s power but, they could at least handle this much shock in a single day.

    Thus, Zeke cleared his throat and made a cough, proceeding with his exnations.

    "I''ll also make sure to give you gas masks that would prevent any harmful toxins from entering your bodies. The poison is thickest and deadliest on the area near the corpse and, it is the most dangerous when you are already beside it. The masks will be powered by air crystals, making the consumption of air unlimited." Zeke said, removing all other worries about the mission.

    "Anyway, with all of this being said, the three of us will be taking down the Elven Continent of Elysium." The group wasn''t able to hold off their shock anymore. They''ve gone past the one [Crazy Stunt of Zeke] limit for the day so they made a resounding shout.

    "WHAAAAT?" Their screams echoed through the halls of the cave.

    "Rx. Heron, Morpheus, Sylph, and I have already discussed this. We cannot fight all three continents at once. Even with the barrier being set up on the Demon Continent, it won''t be enough against what is toe. So, we need to im another Continent, one which lies just next to this one so that the whole of Mythos would be effectively divided into two factions."

    "Are you sure you guys would be enough? We could provide backup." Zilg said in reply, making a crystal glow.

    "Don''t tter yourself too much. I can take out a whole Continent by myself. The only reason why I need both Heron and Morpheus to help me is because, they need to secure the lives of the citizens and perform the other tasks while I engage in battle. They are the only ones swift enough to do this." Zeke finished, exining every bit of information clearly to the elites.

    There was actually a hidden agenda behind this. On Elysium, all of the answers he needed were present and. To ess this, he needed to defeat every enemy that was there. This included, of course. the imposter who imed to be him. He also knew how dangerous this mission was and so, decided to go by himself, not risking to bring the elites with him as ambushes were very likely upon entering.

    But Quinn wasn''t able to settle down with this. It seemed to him that, the gap between them and Zeke was just getting wider and wide. In fact, it wasn''t even being closed by one bit. Even with all the enemies he killed, Quinn was still nowhere near the level of the gamer. That is why he decided that, on the mission, he would consume the corpse of the {Mythical Creature].

    "If there are no other questions. This meeting is dismissed." Zeke finally uttered, with everyone prepared for the fights that were toe.

 Chapter 155: The Purification

    Chapter 155: The Purification

    Just like every other mission, there was no travel time involved with the task at hand. The elites simply teleported near the area. They had their masks and their recently upgraded equipment worn on them. Sylph was there, looking at the mission area and letting out a sigh of exhaustion even before they began.

    The rift itself was just bellow them. The group stood on top of it and, even though they were just there, they could feel just how deadly the ce was. It was arge area, wide and vast enough to be at the same size of three citiesbined and, finding a single corpse in this expanse of [Chaos Poison Cloud] is not an easy task. In fact, the [Cloud] covered it so thickly that no enemy showed on their [Minimap].

    "This is a lot worse twain I thought." Sylph said immediately, looking at wastnd.

    "Why was it again that the demons never found this ce?" Jake asked Quinn, forgetting the details already.

    *Sigh*

    "The rift itself seemed nothing more than a heavily poisonous area to them. They didn''t bother getting near because, even though they just stood above it, they felt immense pain that ced them closer to death''s doors. That''s why they simplybeled thisnd as forbidden and cursed." Quinn said in reply.

    Every other elite took a peek of the ce. There was nothing for them to see, even with Amare''s eyes, not much could be made visible. Sylph noted this and proceeded to giving them instructions.

    "Okay." Syph said, facing the elites who seemed nothing more than hatchlings to her. She used the [Voice Chat] in order tomunicate with them.

    "We''ll be doing things my way. The [Voice Chat] is also running smoothly so we canmunicate through it. This also reduces the chances of us inhaling [Chaos Poison] because, even with the masks on, we can never be too sure." She said.

    All her life, Sylph was always on some sort ofrge organization and, for some reason, she would always lead. Thus, at an early age, she learned to be independent and to rely on nobody else but herself.

    "We need someone who can manipte air. ce the [Elementalist] forward and, that [Archer] who can create arge gust of wind"

    The two immediately went in front, feeling all important for being called out first. This was especially so for Gawain who didn''t like the side-character seeming task of shooting down messengers. Aside from excitement however, both he and Zayn were nervous.

    They didn''t know why, but they were. Sylph had such amanding and authoritative aura that, even Quinn could do nothing but follow her. Even without seeing the full disy of her skills, they were sure that she wasn''t someone to be trifled with.

    "Cast your wind spells." Sylph ordered as soon as the two got near the rift.

    "Won''t that be a waste of time?" Merlin asked, because as Zeke stated in the meeting, the mist will just return unless the corpse is destroyed by the group.

    "This is why I hate rookies." Sylph said, firing one arrow immediately through the mist. It disappeared into the unknown without even a trail being left.

    "See what did I tell you?" Merlin said, almost triumphantly.

    "Look at your [Minimap] first idiot." Sylph said, which got the whole group amazed.

    At first all their [Minimap] were nk. In fact, only the name of the ce and the violet rift was visible on this. Yet, as soon as Sylph fired the arrow inside, they were able to see part of the terrain down the rift. Some enemies also became visible because of the attack.

    "Were not trying to clear up this mist. That would be both impossible and stupidly time consuming. What we will do instead is this. We''ll continue hitting them with stray wind infused projectiles, revealing the location of the monsters. All other members who can use long range attacks will automatically target these one by one. Use [AoE] skills because that would surelynd a hit against our enemies."

    Sylph stated something which should''ve been obvious to them. Yet, because the elites never encountered this problem before, they weren''t'' able to cook up such a tactic as the one presented by Sylph. Hence, group nodded and followed further instructions given by Sylph. They went into a formation, with the ones who can use long range skills strategically scattered around the area while, in front was a barrier created by the defenders. It was a tall wall of defense which ensured that no projectile will hit their allies.

    Then, once everything was in ce, Sylph raised her hand. Everyone was jittery and exited. They didn''t have any opportunity to engage in battle for a whole week. So, they''ve just been itching to get some piece of action once again. And so, as soon ss Sylph dropped her hand, there was only catastrophe which followed.

    Gawain and Zayn continued firing stray shots which revealed the monsters on the minimap. As soon as they did, the elites fired based on the positions of the monsters revealed on the [Minimap]. They attacked in intervals, with one member would always be in charge of an area that showed a bulk of monsters. Kaguya also assisted on revealing the location using her [Oblivion]. This worked like a vacuum, creating arger visible area for the group which allowed them to see some really unsettling creatures.

    "That''s what living in a toxic environment does to you." Jake said, firing his [AoE] skill that was provided by his [Teppes] job ss.

    This caused screams of terror resounding bellow the rift. Because it was so deep, the screams also echoed and even intensified. Amare also helped by looking closely at every details of the terrain because it wouldn''t be recorded otherwise. With her eyes, she was able to clearly see what it was thaty beneath them.

    "Don''t let up. Keep on firing but don''t use the mana potions." Syph specifically instructed.

    Strangely enough, the monsters didn''te for them. Instead, it was only long-range projectiles that tried hitting the group and, this raised a suspicion on Sylph''s head about the nature of the enemies. One which, if proven correct, would bring a lot of advantage to them.

    "Put a barrier around me." She said, wanting to test things out. Gerard did as instructed  cing a strong barrier around their Tactician and, as soon as he did, Sylph leapt towards the rift.

    "Are you crazy?" Jake said, witnessing the view.

    "You guys sure like talking a lot huh?" She said in reply, suspending herself in mid  air on a position which ced her juts a few inches above the mist.

    She had her bow ready just in case a monsteres flying at her. What came however were simply projectiles  ones which she was able to shoot down.

    "Just as I thought." She finally said, retreating back to the formation which confused some members of the elites. Quinn however had a grasp of what it was that their Tactician was trying to do but, left the asking fortter as he also needed to focus on the cleanup they were performing.

    Sylph monitored their mana while also being on high alert. It needed to reach a certain amount before they stopped. This is because, she didn''t want to tire them out. This wasn''t a rush quest but one they were tasked to perform as slowly and as cautiously as possible. So, heeding this advice, Sylph finally gave the order to the elites.

    "Halt."

    Everyone dly heeded themand, slumping to the ground from exhaustion. They felt their heart thumping from their ears and breathed so heavily like there was ack of air. The healers were then tasked to go and aid their allies while Lizzie strengthened the amount of healing which could be done.

    "That would be all for now. Good job guys." Sylph said, reaching 2 continuous hours of firing [AoE] spells nonstop.

    "Your darn right that''s enough. My mana veins felt like they were gonna burst you know." Zilg said in reply, feeling both his arms numbing from constantly having to throw the explosive marbles.

    "That''s good. It means that you actually tried your best." Sylph simply said, smiling at the group who still made sounds ofints.

    "Anyway, now that we''ve done this, we might rouse our enemies within that thick ominous [Chaos Poison Cloud]. So, we''ll take some time to rest while also discussing the next phase of the n."

    No matter how strong the healing spells were, they still felt the strain on their bodies and, this was something that needed actual rest in order to recover. Sylph optimized this interval by also feeding her troops while sheid out the n for their next attack.

    They didn''t stay at any outside campfire. Instead, they came back to the cave since there was a teleportation option. This ensured both their safety and that they would be able to be well rested before proceeding with the next phase. As soon as they returned, they noticed that Zeke and the other two were not there anymore  meaning they''ve also began their attack on the Elven Continent of Elysium.

    With this, the whole group rested for at least an hour. They also ate as was instructed by Sylph and, as soon as all of this was finished, they proceeded to their meeting hall. There they found Sylph sitting at Zeke''s ce, and looking at all the data on a [System Window].

    She didn''t bother looking at them one by one. Instead, she waited for them to all be seated before finally facing them.

    "Let''s begin, shall we?"

 Chapter 156: Developing Strategies

    Chapter 156: Developing Strategies

    "There are various points that we need to discuss and I''ll run them down to you, as well as the solutions to them." Sylph began.

    The lights of the meeting hall was closed. Just like the meetings held by Zeke, the elites were given a crystal each which was only to be used whenever they wanted to ask something.

    "I''ll also entertain your questions. For that, well use the same method employed by Zeke." She noted, getting nods of agreement from the group.

    "Right then, let''s begin."

    Sylph started off by showing the rift area to the group once again. This is used through the [Minimap] of Zeke''s [Gamer''s System]. A feature which they were able to make use of because, they were linked to him through the [Party] function. The [Minimap], in turn, is connected to the crystal in the middle of the table which enabled it to be projected as muchrger and, even convert it to a 3D model.

    "This is how the map looked like before we did anything." Sylph began.

    "I want you to focus on this map." She said, zooming in on the rift which showed them nothing more than a violet-colored area. This meant that, it was covered entirely by the [Chaos Poison Cloud].

    "Aft first, this was the dilemma that we had. Even with the [Minimap] turned on, we had zero visibility and nothing could be more problematic than this. In any fight, information is always crucial for victory and so is the understanding of the terrain. That''s why, even with the masks on, I didn''t allow you guys to just jump in." She said, changing the map to the recent one created through the joint efforts of everyone.

    "This, on the other hand, is how it looked like after we began attacking it. As you can observe, there are a lot areas that have been revealed due to the [Cloud] clearing skills used. But more importantly, it was because of your teammate''s eyesight that we now have aprehensive version of the map." Sylph said, cing all credits on Amare.

    "Anyway, even with a part of the terrain figured out, we still need to discuss how the things inside actually look like. For his part, I''m giving your scout the rights to speak on my behalf." She continued, recognizing Amare''s role as the female elite stood up.

    "There were corpses on the parts that were opened up by the wind spells and Kaguya''s [Oblivion]. I was also able to see that there seems to be a river which had polluted and even bubbling liquid inside. In my opinion, it doesn''t seem like a good ce to get near."

    "That river was probably formed due to some crack on the ground or something. The bottom of the rift is already deep enough to be sunk underwater after all." Sylph added before motioning for Amare to speak again.

    ''Apart from this, there are geysers but, I have no idea if these are active since, it was only for a moment that I saw them. Oh and there were lots of cracks on the ground and something was glowing underneath, I also think that it would be dangerous to get near that."

    "Thank you for the input." Sylph said, motioning for Amare to sit down which she dly did.

    "So you see, aside from the monsters, we also have to be careful about the terrain. No matter how powerful you are in a fight, if you fail to put that into consideration, then you''d simply put yourself at a very disadvantageous situation. We need to create a clear map of the area, that''s the only way we can assure the type of attacks and spells that could be used."

    Sylph then further proved her point. She didn''t want to hear any moreints nor questions about this so she took the full liberty of presenting some examples.

    "Explosions near the river would probably be dangerous because the liquid may ssh on some of you. The liquid, as Amare described, would definitely bring some negative effects on them. I mean, that''s kinda obvious because it is dipped on [Chaos Poison]."

    "Also, attacks that could createrger cracks on the earth are not allowed. This is because, they might destroy the whole structure altogether. I''m also a bit worried about those small cracks which Amare mentioned. If it had a glow on it then two things coulde from them, something dangerous or something that could further strengthen you guys. But it''s still safer to bet on the former and not meddle with it anymore." A crystal glowed during this time.

    "But what if we clear it out first from all threats? We can harvest whatever it is that''s lying beneath right?" Quinn asked and Sylph didn''t like this line of thinking.

    "Probably, but we''d need Amare''s eyesight for that. But even if we do confirm that it is useful, taking the item might still be dangerous because it is underground. The cracks could easily getrger and, an earthquake may even be roused." Sylph said.

    "So that''s a no?" He asked.

    "We''ll see after all of this is done Quinn." Sylph said in reply.

    "The geysers are to be avoided as well as the corpses." Sylph added, not leaving any room for Quinn to ask anymore. But then, another crystal glowed.

    "Why do we need to avoid the corpses exactly?"

    "you could''ve waited for me to exin that part at least." Sylph said.

    "Anyway. That''s because they are indicators on where it is most deadly. Those things died even though they thrived inside that area meaning, locations near them would be life threatening. Of course, you can choose to get near if you''re that curious."

    "Then what about those that we''ve jus killed? Won''t they make the location marking difficult since they''d also turn to corpses?"

    "Honestly, do I need to exin everything?" Sylph said in reply  feeling a slight headache forming.

    "Through the [Minimap] option, coupled by thebination we''ve done earlier on, we can easily locate all the old corpses marked on the map. Those that you killed won''t dpose in a single day so don''t fret about it. Plus, we''re still a long way from the goal." She continued.

    It was true though. The area, despite being underground, was spacious. It almost stretched asrge as three capital citiesbined and, this was probably because, it wasn''t a hidden area before but something on the surface. But since the waters have also risen, it naturally turned into an underground and hidden area.

    "Now is there anything else you''d like to ask before I proceed?" Sylph said, but this time around, the whole group was silent.

    "One thing I noticed is that the monsters don''te out no matter how many times we kill them. That was also the reason why I came in closer to the mist. I wanted to check if they just couldn''t find any direction or, if they simply couldn''t; outrighte out. And you saw the results, right?" She eximed, with the whole group finallyprehending her recent actions.

    "This means that their life is somehow bound to the mist and that makes things easier for us. We can simply wipe them out using the method that we employed earlier on. And this time, there''s no need to hold back. We''ll be clearing the area of all visible monsters. After which, we will proceed to retrieving the corpse."

    "Hey Quinn, she''s actually better than you huh?" Jake actually sat beside Quinn, wanting to tease and disturb their leader. He finally found this opportunity with all the details discussed by Sylph.

    "Oh, shut up will you Jake." Quinn said in reply.

    "No murmuring while we''re on meeting please." Sylph noted, not tolerating the small chit chat of the two.

    "Anyway. There may also be highly intelligent monsters within that area who are in charge ofmanding the mobs. If that''s the case, then we may still need to fight once we head down as these monsters might just hide from us. But I''m more than a hundred percent certain that we''d be able to handle those." Sylph said.

    "You still need to be cautious of them of course. Monsters with high intelligence are more dangerous after all." She said, remembering the fight with Heron and Morpheus who are both categorized as monsters.

    "Anyway, let''s put all those things aside for now. We need to focus on finishing the map and destroying the visible enemies first. Give me a yes ma''am if we''re clear."

    "Yes ma''am."

    "Okay, with that I''ll need a rundown of all your skills and abilities. Aside form the data given, I could get a clearer view of your skills when we engage inbat. So, we''ll be having sparing sessions one day from now."

    "Won''t that dy the mission?"

    "It wont. In fact, were making the mission progress faster and safer by doing this. As your Tactician, it is my job to utilize each and every one of you to your full potentials. Having all the data given to me is good and all but, your actual performances in a fight would give me a betterprehension on what you can and cannot do." Sylph continued, which the elites also found to be reasonable.

    "Plus, I''m guessing that you still need a better grasp of your weapons, right? So fighting against me would help a lot in that, I can even give you pointers on how to use your weapons properly." Sylph further exined.

    "I''m guessing that''s all?" Sylph asked in order to confirm and, with nobody raising their concerns anymore, the meeting finally ended.

    "You can rest now. I''m looking forward to our sparring session." Sylph said, seeing the elites leave the room one by one.

 Chapter 157: Training With The Windsprite

    Chapter 157: Training With The Windsprite

    "Okay who''ll be the first on the list?" Sylph asked, stretching out her body before anyone came forward.

    Just like what Sylph ordered, the group rested for one more day. This made their bodiespletely recover and in fact, were already itching to have their turn on fighting the same opponent who could keep her ground against both Heron and Morpheus.

    Aside from the fact that she needed to gauge them out, fighting was also the best and fastest way to assert dominance over them. Although they were following her already, she still needed to clearly establish both her role and their hierarchy. She didn''t need any ruffian or disobedient soldier on her group and so, this measure was necessary.

    "Me." Eerie said who had a simr job ss to Sylph. The elites actually had a rock-paper-scissors contest to determine who would go first. Hence, Eerie came forward, bringing her new weapon with her.

    "Ohh that''s some neat toys you got there." Sylph noted, seeing how her weapon has actually changed since Zeke modified all that the elites wielded. Her double crossbow turned into actual twin pistols which could fire as rapidly as machine guns.

    The gun itself doesn''t overheat because of its core which stores all the heat and built-up force for the weapon. It collects all the strain which, once reced, enables the weapon to fire as good as new. The reloading itself doesn''t take that long and the amount of ammunition that could be carried per core is long enough tost her 20 mins inbat without stopping.

    "Don''t worry I''ll let you y with them once I beat you." Erie said in reply to Sylph''s provocation.

    On the corner of the room, everyone was gathered and waiting for their turn toe. They had their weapons prepared beside them. Some wanted Eerie to tire Sylph out in order to make fightingter on easier while, some hoped that the strength of Sylph won''t get reduced. Then there were also some who wished for the fight to end really quick.

    "Shall we begin?" Sylph asked and, with the elite giving a nod, the first fight finallymenced.

    As mentioned, Eerie''s guns could fire as fast as machine guns. There wasn''t much interval between bullets fired and so, evading would nearly be impossible. And yet, Sylph was dancing through the bullets. Her footwork could be described as nothing less than superb as she evaded bullet after bullet.

    "She''s not a ghost right?" Mordred asked Julia who was thinking the same thing as her.

    With Eerie''s [Gambler] job ss, she was able to fire sure hit bullets from time to time. These were easily maneuvered through by Sylph who, aside from dodging also shot arrows that countered the said bullets. Then, she fired five arrows simultaneously which were directed at Eerie.

    The elite was able to dodge all his and, with her [Gambler] job ss, she was able to dodge even better. Then she sped up the rate of fire, trying to corner Sylph. But even these didn''t do any damage to Sylph as she simply fired an arrow which was powerful enough to destroy the first five seconds of bulletsing.

    "They''re fighting so evenly. I can''t believe Eerie is actually holding her ground." Redmented but, was quickly dismissed by Quinn.

    "I wouldn''t be so sure about that." He said, viewing the fight closely and seeing that Sylph was actually moving effortlessly while, all the strain and pressure was on Eerie.

    With five minutes of the exchange passing, Eerie took out the cores that were supposed to be taken outter on. This was because, a little surprise was ced within them and Eerie immediately activated this, saying:

    "Disperse." A rain of bullets came down on Sylph and this created arge cloud of dust which covered the area.

    "You missed." Sylph said, jumping up from the cloud of dust and firing two more arrows at Eerie. These were both taken down as she used her other gun that still had the core attached to it. She then quickly reced the core on the other gun and, began firing at Sylph who was still in midair.

    Sylph fired at these, using [Air Step] which allowed her to maneuver at her current location. She fired at the bullets, destroying all of them and even making one pass right next to Eerie''s cheek.

    "Is that all you got?" She taunted, making Eerie activate her trump card.

    "Hight Stakes!"

    This skill allowed Eerie''s attributes to grow in proportion to the power of her enemy. Through this, she could match and even surpass the attributes of her enemy but, doing so sacrifices all her mana in the process. Hence the reason why she had the guns made. The cores already had mana stored in them meaning, she didn''t need to cast any other spell.

    After using this, one of her guns turned into a double barrel, while the other remained in its base from. This piqued Sylph''s interest as her enemy vanished from her sight.

    "I don''t'' think so." Was all that Sylph said as she final activated the skill that she nned on using from the get go.

    "Domain Binder." Immediately, Eerie was thrown back at the ground and, before she new it, Sylph was already there at point nk range  ready to fire an arrow through her skull.

    "I surrender." Eerie admitted, getting annoyed that she wasn''t even able to disy the full force of her skills.

    "You did a good job. I was also able to feel your power spiking when you used that skill. Next time though, be more aware of your surroundings and the attacks made by your opponents, what seemed to be only missed shots could actually be a set up for a more powerful skill."

    She patted Eerie''s head and waited for the next victim toe forward. This time, it was Mirio, already having his weapon on and his personality changed.

    "OKAY LET''S HAVE A GO!" He said, all fired up.

    "Oh my. A melee fighter? Fine, I''ll y by your book." Sylph took out abat knife and hid her bow and arrows. She then positioned herself on a half crouch stance.

    The fight immediately began without any signals needed to be made. Mirio release punch after punch that was imbued with mana shockwaves. Sylph knew how dangerous it would be to get hit with this and so, she began by creating some distance.

    "What''s wrong? I thought you''d be ying by my book?" Mirio taunted to which Sylph only smirked. If it was the old her, she would''ve easily gotten irritated but, her version at the moment knew better than to allow such petty words to affect her.

    Hence she continued evading him. Then, Mirio did and activated [Inner Ring], giving him a huge attribute boost. The elite then dashed at a speed which was not disyed at the beginning of the fight; hoping to catch Sylph of guard.

    Yet all that happened was the female elf disappearing. She then reappeared, just in front of Mirio, redirecting all of his force back at him. This created a kind of wind st that pushed him back, making him put one of his hands on his chest due to the amount of pain created by her move.

    Sylph didn''t let up however. She gave him a hard time, making slight taps using the pommel of the knife. She counted the number of times she could''ve stabbed him if it was a real fight, and finally decided to give the count to her sparring partner.

    "That makes twenty deaths already kid." Sylph said, toying with her enemy again.

    But Mirio didn''t stop from advancing. He continued pushing forth and fighting his enemy head on and, as the fight continued, Sylph noticed that her enemy was actually adapting until, he almost hit her head. Sylph dodge of course but then, Mirio unclenched his fist, showing strand so f Sylph''s hair that he was able to get when he performed the move.

    "That makes one." He said tauntingly.

    "For a dead guy, you''re quite bold." Sylph noted,ing back to an infighter range and, soon enough, the heavy exchange of blows resumed.

    Unlike the previous fight which required both uracy and distance, the current fight relied on the ability to fight and maneuver at super close range. This made them understand how incredibly powerful Sylph actually was.

    As an archer, it was expected of her to be strong on long range battles and so, it was easy to ept that Eerie lost so easily. But, Mirio was an expert in hand-to-handbat and an even more experienced infighter at that.

    In the end however, the world suddenly turned upside down as Sylph grabbed on to his arm and swept his feet using her leg. He immediately lost bnce and soon enough, got on the ground. But it wasn''t a total loss. With their exchange, Sylph was sure that she would''ve died at least three more times based on Mirio''s performance.

    "Good job kid." Sylph said, without even a bead of sweat forming on her head while Mirio, on the other hand was already trying his best to catch his breath.

    Just like Eerie, Sylph gave Mirio some pointers on how to fight properly. Mirio noted this all down. With his weapon taken off, he turned back to being timid and so, he was able to listen earnestly and without any pride. After this, Sylph called out the next sparring partner asking:

    "Who''s next?"

    The elites continued fighting Sylph one by one. Whatever fighting style they used, Sylph tried her best to use it all the same. But what she had the most trouble with were Kaguya, Jake, and Quinn who all had a variety of attacks andbinations.

    Skillset aside, their talent seemed to bloom more than the other members of the group. Nevertheless, she still won against all of them without fail. This gave two benefits to the group. One was theprehensive understanding of their skill while, the other was total respect and obedience to Sylph''s orders in the battlefield.

    "You guys should rest now. Tomorrow, we''ll be heading back to the rift." Sylphmanded, to which she had a single unified answer of:

    "Yes Ma''am!"

 Chapter 158: Progress on the Rift

    Chapter 158: Progress on the Rift

    "Reports." Sylph asked to Amare who came to her.

    "We''ve finally cleared 30% of the area ma''am. Everyone is just waiting for a while before the next wave of attacks resume." Amare continued. It was already lunchtime and, it was Amare''s duty to give the reports to Sylph as she had the best vision and also, couldpute the correct ratio of things because of her Secondary Job ss of [Schr].

    "Good. Since our enemies are generous enough toe up here themselves, we are greatly reducing possible casualties and dangers." Sylph answered, observing the thick mist below them. The monsters still made counter attacks; it was just that they could only fire projectiles towards the elites.

    While these both increased in number and in strength over time, the defenders were entirely capable of keeping up a barrier. This protected them from all the attacks while, at the same time, allowed them to continue their assault and barrage without having to worry about getting hit.

    "How much longer do we need to keep this up ma''am?" Amare asked, feeling the strain of the operation building up on her.

    "As long as needed of course. Don''t worry we''re almost there aren''t we?" Sylph said in reply.

    It has already been a week since they began their attack. As it progressed, they noticed that the monsters also became a bit resilient. It was to be expected ording to Sylph because, [AoE attacks] does smaller damagepared to single target spells. That is the price to be paid for such a wide area of attack.

    Still, it felt strange that these enemies took at least three waves of [AoE spells] before they are taken down  showing just how strong the [Rift Dwellers] were. This term was coined by Merlin who thought that an appropriate name should be given to their enemies. One that was both collective and also encapstes the totality of their existence.

    "The first area is cleared now. We can begin exploring it as we nned." Amare reported to Sylph.

    "Okay. Get all the non [AoE] users together. I''ll be giving you the names so just wait there for a second." Sylph mentioned, knowing that there are members of the elites who haven''t gotten any taste of the action yet.

    The reason why Sylph wanted to explore the area cleared was because, there was a cave there. Sylph thought that if they were lucky, they''d be able to get the corpse which might just be inside it. Since it was a cave, they couldn''t see what was inside it and, destroying so was impossible. It stuck to the wall of earth itself. If they tried destroying it, arge chunk might be made from the rift  possibly releasing more of the poison all throughout the continent. This, in turn, would go against the goal of preventing more of [Chaos Poison Cloud] scattering all over the continent.

    "Mirio, Mordred, Eerie, Curio and Julia will be going down there." Sylph finally mentioned, with Amare noting things down on a [System] window.

    It was a goodposition, party members of all kinds were included which gave them a very bnced lineup. Zilg was supposed to be included but, seeing as the elite provided explosions, he wasn''t that fit for the job as he could destiny the cave identally.

    "Any other orders ma''am?" Amare asked, to which Sylph thought about thoroughly.

    "None so far. You can ho back to your station now." She said, with Amare doing as she was told after bowing down in respect.

    Indeed, a week has already passed with all the fighting they have done. Because of the size of the rift, they couldn''t finish it quicker no matter how hard they tried. But since their experience points were going up nheless, they didn''tin as it was an easy way to harvest experience points.

    Sylvia herself was able to fully recover and so, she also used her skills from time to time  reserving her most of her mana just in case an unexpected attackes. With their lunchtime finally proceeding, Sylph decided tomunicate with Zeke who was also beginning his mission on the Elven Continent of Elysium.

    "Honeeey I miss you so much." Sylph began teasingly.

    "I''m going to turn this off now." Was Zeke''s cold response.

    "Hey don''t be like that. You know that I''m only sweet to you." Sylphs said in reply, justifying her manner of greeting.

    "Yeah. And it''s creepy."Was all that Zeke could say about it.

    "You''re gonna make me sad."

    "Does it look like I care? Anyway, what are the updates?"

    "Hmph."

    *Sigh*

    "What are the updates honey?" Zeke forcibly said, getting a hair-raising experience from the mere mention of the words.

    Sylph proceeded to gleefully telling all of the things that they have done thus far. It wasn''t any feat that some normal people could aplish of course. It was only something that could be done by a specialized group. Slowly, the elites were being worthy of their name; something which Zeke as their mentor was proud of.

    "Anyway I''m sending some of those kids down the rift. One of the areas we''ve already cleared of course. We''ve found a cave and, are going to see what lies inside it." Sylph said, wanting to get a shocked response from Zeke but, all he got were three words.

    "Okay. That''s good."

    "You''re not even going to get surprised or hold them back?" Sylph asked, getting disappointed by the anticlimactic and monotone response of the gamer.

    "Why do I need to? In the first ce, I''ve ced all those things into consideration before I even deployed you guys there." Zeke said in reply.

    "Nothing could surprise you huh?" Sylph asked.

    "There''s only a handful of those things, don''t get your hopes up." He replied, with a smile forming on his face.

    "Well that''s all for now. How about on your end?" Sylph asked; wanting to get some updates from Zeke as well.

    "Actually, everything is already set. We''re justpleting some data gathering required before the operationmences." Zeke said being both brief and clear with his statement.

    He didn''t want to exin everything as it would take too much time and, he knew that Sylph won''t ask further because of the same thing. Knowing how Zeke''s mind worked, Sylph understood that his ns would go beyond the ordinary and, no matter how crazy it was, she was sure that it could be trusted.

    "I gotta go, that Quinn kid of yours ising right now. Byee honey." Zeke immediately dropped the call, not wanting to respond anymore.

    "What do you need kid?" Sylph asked; going back to her normalmanding and authoritative tone.

    "Ma''am may I also join the expedition that would be done?" Quinn asked, actually shocked that he wasn''t ced on the expedition members.

    "Give me a good reason why I should include you." Sylph said in reply finding theposition of elites to be sent as already good enough.

    "As their leader I believe that it is also my duty to get a full view of what happens underneath. Plus, with somebodymanding them, they''d be able to move more efficiently especially if something dangerouses along." Quinn stated his points quickly and briefly, not wasting any of the female elf''s time.

    As expected however, Syph still gave it a good and long thought. She couldn''t simply keep on deploying just because there were positive points presented. She needed to make her conclusions based on aprehensive view of the situation.

    There was the clearing of course of other parts of the rift but, she also thought how Quinn would be useful on dangerous fights within the cave. She looked at the boy and, remembered how he gave her a hard time during the spar  almost forcing her to get serious.

    "Okay. You''re gonna join the group. But you gotta make sure that everyonees out of it in one piece got that?" Sylph said, making it the condition for Quinn''s inclusion on the mission.

    "Yes ma''am. Thank you." He said in reply, finally taking his leave.

    She looked at Quinn as he walked away and, couldn''t help butparing him to Zeke. They were total opposites of course, with Quinn always ying by the rules and using safer strategies. But this didn''t allow any room for the same kind of metamorphosis that Zeke underwent.

    cing bullets inside the bodies of his enemies.

    Getting eaten in order to release poison inside.

    umting damage to use Blood Counterter on.

    Releasing monster parts in rapid session.

    These were the kind of things which the old Zeke used and, even the new Zeke was still fond of this. He excelled in being creative with what he had. Frankly speaking, he''s also grown so much from the moment that Sylph first met him but, nevertheless, it was till the same Zeke.

    When the gamer mentioned "preparations" earlier, Sylph was sure that it would be something grand again. Something that would probably affect the whole continent because, that is just how strong the new Zeke was. With her memories of being the countess still intact, she recognized just how powerful and scary Zeke actually was.

    "Well these kids aren''t half bad either." Sylph thought to herself, finally focusing on her meal.

    The elites had a strict schedule to stick to. This was created by Sylph in order to make sure that everything gets done on time. There were vitors at first of course and, Sylph gave them punishments such as forcing them to cast spells on the rift for one whole evening without rest. The following day, nobody dared to make the same mistake anymore.

    "Are the troops prepared?" Sylph asked and, the excavation team went in front.

    They all had armor which covered them entirely from their hair to their toes. Their face is covered by a mask which is fueled by crystals that stored air for them, allowing them to breathe fresh air even in the toxic environment of the rift. Aside from this, they also got an extrayer of defense from defenders who casted barriers upon them and, Lizzie also used a spell which strengthened their lungs even more.

    "All of them have been geared ordingly." Amare said, also being in charge of preparing them.

    At this, the group finally went to the edge of the rift. Due to the nature of the area, Zeke wasn''t able to ce any transportation circle at the bottom of the rift and so, the group had to do it manually.

    "You may begin." Sylphmanded, with the group jumping within the thick expanse of [Chaos Poison Cloud].

 Chapter 159: Rift Cave

    Chapter 159: Rift Cave

    "Even if I get turned into a monster on my next life, this ce is definitely off on the list of ces I''d decide to live on." Curio said, as soon as they got a good view of thend below the rift.

    The whole scenery looked gruesome enough when they were above. Even by just looking at the [Minimap], they knew it wouldn''t be a nice-looking ce. But things exceeded their expectations because, it was thrice as worse than what they imagined.

    Thend was so dry and crushed that, their shoes sink just a little from every step they made. Corpses of dead monstersy around the area and, the gigantic corpses were also there, with smaller ones inside it. Apart from this, the area had such a thick amount of [Chaos Poison Cloud] that, it was difficult to see beyond the area where they were.

    "Get your crystals lit up. And watch your steps carefully." Quinnmanded, with every member of the party bringing out a device that looked a lot like a shlight. It was developed by Zeke of course, an item made of the same crystals they use during the meetings. The crystal lights up and, is amplified through other materials infused on it.

    "Okay, this is definitely the worse than being stuck in a room with Jake for a whole day." Curio immediately noted, getting a better view of his surroundings.

    "I couldn''t agree more." Was Quinn''s short response as he checked their [Minimap] for the directions.

    They couldn''t hide the fact that, the ce had a strange creepiness to it. There was a faint otherworldly sound, like the screams of souls that were tormented for centuries without end.The elites tried calming themselves down. They didn''t know why their bodies were responding in fear but, whatever it was that was causing it, they were sure that it came from the cave.

    "This is probably due to the miasma covering thend. I''m guessing that it''s also connected to this area." Quinn said, finding it illogical to fear anything at the current moment. It was their instincts kicking in; telling them that things were actually much more dangerous than they initially thought them to be.

    "Mordred on the front. ''ll be on the furthest back. Eerie would be right in front of me while the one behind Mordred would be Curio. Julia would be in the middle of us all. As soon as mymands are finished, we''ll be switching to [Voice Chat] through our thoughts in order to avoid making too much noise. Anyints?"

    "Nah, that sounds like a pretty decent n." Mordred said, taking her ce in front.

    "Right, well then, let''s begin, shall we?" Quinnmanded, with everyone stepping towards the cave.

    Being with Zeke made the elites get used to getting inside a cave. In fact, it felt a lot like batman''sir in there seeing how many cool gadgets and facilities Zeke had. But even with this, they still got creeped by the [Rift''s Cave] as, it was nothing like Zeke''s ce. A cold wind then blew on them, making Julia''s hair rise.

    "How on earth are we still cold with all of this equipment on?" Mordred asked, with their whole body being covered.

    Even their hair was hidden because it could also get infected by the [Chaos Poison Cloud]. When they were still up on the [Rift], the armor felt hot and sweaty. But as they descended, they felt that three moreyers of their equipment would be needed just to keep them warm.

    "Let''s asks those questionster. For now, we need to secure this area." Quinn said, motioning for everyone to keep their crystals lit no matter what.

    The group threaded slowly and carefully. The whole ce was so quiet that it was already unsettling. They heard all their movements echo through the cave which made their heart race even faster. Among the members, it was only Quinn who was a bit calmer than the rest.

    "This looked easy enough when it was being bombarded. Now everything just feels outright creepy." Eerie said, being on alert with her twin guns.

    There was only a single path in front of them. There were no other routes and, as they progressed, they also noticed the cave getting wider and wider until, they finally heard growls and footsteps.

    "Into formation." Quinnmanded; with the whole group hiding behind arge boulder.

    What came out was arge creature which looked a lot like a lion. However, instead of fur covering its body, it had scales - sturdy looking ones that covering it all over. Its eyes gleamed a bright violet color and, judging by its appearance, Quinn estimated that it was 8 ft tall.

    "An eight feet tank-built lion huh. What are the odds." Curio mentioned, feeling that his job ss won''t be of much help against the enemy.

    Aside from it, there were various minions which seemed to be minotaurs. They guarded the lion while there were also smaller goblins who seemed to be at the bottom of the hierarchy. Quinn and his allies didn''t move for a while, thinking of the best possible course of action to take at the moment.

    "Those things look easy enough." Quinn referred to the [Chaos Goblins].

    "Kill them first then, take the minotaurs next. while I''ll with their boss."

    "Roger that."

    "Be careful with the moves that you use, remember that this is a cave and makingrge attacks would only put us at a bad situation." Quinn continued, taking the structure of the terrain into ount.

    "Got it." Mordred said, already pumped up to get some decent action.

    "Julia, just stay hidden there. With all of us battling them, none of the enemies would be able to get to you. Just focus on providing healing and support from your end." Quinn ordered, with the healer nodding in reply.

    "Let''s go!"

    Mordred began the fight; charging in while also shouting in order to get the monsters'' attention. As expected, the weaker monsters went for her first and, Mordred used her gauntlet shields to punch her way through the ranks of the enemies. At the same time, Mordred casted a barrier which covered the whole area. Since the [Shield Gauntlets] made us of mana charges installed on the weapon instead of her actual mana; Mordred was able to focus her own supply of mana on creating and maintaining the barrier.

    "Good Job." Quinn said immediately, dashing through the ranks of the enemies and going for the [Scaled Lion].

    Surprisingly, the monster was able to catch his movements and tried wing Quinn down. The human was quick however;nding a blow on the paw that tried hitting him. This enabled Quinn to get a longer air time.He then followed up with arrows, hitting some of the scales perfectly. Yet, as he got to the ground, he found that both of his attacks proved to be ineffective.

    "This may be more challenging than I thought." Quinn said, remembering how he couldn''t make use of any explosive skills. On their end, every other member of the group was doing just fine so there was no need for him to worry.

    "Inner Ring."

    "Darkness Veil."

    "Attribute Boost."

    Quinn made a second attempt and, this time, the lion not only failed at catching his movement but also, got one of his paw sliced off. Quinn shifted his weapon to a great sword at thest second, infusing it with [Pierce] and [Heavenly sh].

    The monster screamed and roared, attacking with its tail that was actually a sharp melee weapon. Quinn dueled with this and, while he did, the monster was able to regain its paw. Soon enough it got covered with scales once again as the mist went and enveloped it.

    "Of course it could regenerate." Quinn told himself, closing in for another attack. But he stepped back feeling a rush of killing intent and, it was a good thing that he did because, in front of him, the barrier just got shattered.

    "Hey what the hell Quinn! It''s difficult to set one up you know." Mordredined, fighting with a hundred goblins at the same time, while Curio went and dealt with the minotaurs.

    "Yeah sorry for that." He said in reply, deciding not to stretch out the fight anymore.

    With the short exchange of blows, Quinn was sure that the monster had intellect and yet, it wasn''t intelligent enough to pose as a threat. As Sylph described it, truly intelligent monsters would be troublesome opponents, but all that Quinn had in front of him was a monster with only raw strength backing it up.

    "I''ll turn you into experience points." Quinn said, activating one more skill which topped off all of those that were already used.

    He took one of the gigantic axes thaty on the battlefield and, infused it with mana. Soon enough, the other elites felt a greater chill than what the cave offered them and, this came from none other than Quinn. Even the [Scaled Lion] was already nning on escaping but, everything was toote as Quinn unleashed his skill.

    "Primal sh." Instantly, Quinn teleported to the back of the enemy  it''s whole body effectively cut in half.

    There was a lot of blood and squirming that came after but, the monster was already dead. It''s body just moved based on what life it still had left which, after a few more seconds, finally ended.

    "I still need to work on the concentration of mana." Quinn said, looking at the weapon used which got shattered to pieces.

    It was a skill that he got from all the fights that he won against generals. In time, [Avarice] developed a skill deviating from the dangerous [Primal State] which ended a general''s life upon usage. [Primal sh] infuses any ded weapon with [Primal State], multiplying the amount of damage based on the initial amount and stacking it up to ten times.

    The attack didn''te without a price however. Quinn''s arm went; a bit numb after firing it but, was perfectly fine. However, any weapon that made use of this got shattered to pieces, making it an attack which he would rather not use if no other weapon was around.

    "Hey what was that skill just now?" It looked sick." Curio mentioned after he, Mordred and Eerie finished cleaning up.

    "Just a little trick I learned from our previous fights." Quinn said in reply.

    He found it odd that he never shared the full details of his skills to his teammates. He knew that it wasn''t right of course but, something about it was just distasteful for him.

    "Anyway, is everyone alright?" To which everyone responded positively.

    "Right then. Let''s proceed, we still have a long day ahead of us." Quinn said, as they went further within the cave.

 Chapter 160: Checkmate

    Chapter 160: Checkmate

    The further the group went, the more monsters they encountered. Indeed, it seemed as if there was no end to the number of enemies they fought. Over and over again, they faced a batch of creatures which lookedpletely different from the ones they already defeated. This inevitably prolonged their mission because, they couldn''t just st their enemies. They needed to be careful of their moves for fear that the cave would get destroyed. And because they were taking too long, Sylph finally contacted them.

    "Hey." She began, getting the group''s attention.

    "Wait ma''am I''ll just get us to a safe spot first." Quinn answered,manding his teammates to stay at a corner with Mordred serving as the guard.

    "How''s the mission going so far?" She asked, curious about the state of the team.

    "We''ve got no idea. The monsters just keeping up and the cave gets wider the deeper we get. Plus, we encountered monsters and, the further we reach, the stronger they be." Quinn said in reply.

    "That''s a real problem. Maybe you should head back for now." Sylph said, wanting to get a full status report of the group first. Nobody knew how deep the cave actually was after all and so, it would be safer to continue after some proper rest.

    "How about we take another hour, then we''ll head back." Quinn bartered, thinking that they may be close to the end of the cave.

    "Okay, but nothing exceeding that got it Quinn?" Sylph ordered, with the leader giving a positive response as they ended the [Voice Chat].

    "Come on man, we could''ve rested already. Nobody''s rushing this thing." Curio said, actually wanting to get some nice and peaceful nap.

    "We will, soon. But for now, let''s finish what we can. This cave may still have a long way to go and, adding another hour''s worth of expedition may save us some timeter on." Quinn said in reply, with Curio finally agreeing.

    They finally reached a part of the cave which looked like a proper inhabiting ce. There were pirs of rocks all around and, some gems were even glowing all over. They didn''t pick these up however as they weren''t as knowledgeable about these things as Zeke was and, they weren''t that curios to try and take some.

    "Is it an hour yet?" Curio asked,ining once again.

    "Not yet, we still have half an hour remaining." Quinn said in reply, looking at the surroundings carefully.

    Since the area they''ve just entered wasrger than the previous ones, it was easy to get lost. There was no sign of any walls nearby and, a strange and ominous air covered the group. They all sensed danger closing in but, decided to proceed further because whatever it may be, they could just teleport out of the cave if things gotplicated. Then, after a few more minutes of exploring the dark, they finally reached a wall.

    "It''s a dead end, right? We can go now right?" Curio asked, thinking that Quinn would be satisfied with the results and not try finding any hidden area.

    "Wait. Use your spare crystals and throw them at a different direction from everybody else. At this rate we''ll be lost seeing howrge this area is." Quinn said.

    "Won''t that raise the rm of some monsters nearby?" Mordred asked.

    "I think being a source of light in such a dark ce would be enough to raise rm Mordred." Julia said in reply, agreeing with Quinn.

    "Hey, I''m just asking."

    "Mordred, create a barrier around us first. I''m sure you guys are also feeling some strange danger to it so, we might as well be prepared. I''ll double the barrier and once all of that is set up, create one enclosing this whole space."

    "You make it sound so easy." She said to Quinn.

    Nevertheless, they did as wasmanded. If they looked at their timers, they''d see that only fifteen minutes remained before their extension end. Through the method thought up by Quinn, they might be able to get theyout of the whole area before going back which, would serve as Quinn told earlier. That is, it would save them a lot of time.

    "Okay. Let''s begin."

    They did as they were told all throwing their spare crystals at different areas. Instantly, the parts of the map got lighted up and, soon enough, their eyes widened in horror.

    "Hey isn''t that" Curio began, seeing multiple dots on all areas lit by the crystals.

    "Uhm Quinn?"

    Soon, loud battle cries were made by the monsters that charged in towards the group. As Quinn mentioned, the light served as both their guide and a means for the monsters to find them. Without them knowing, the leader of the monster actually sent batch after batch of cave monsters, preventing the group from moving quickly.

    As this went on, themanding monster prepared a stealth spell, hiding their presence until the humans were at the center of the area. He also prepared a spell which made the ce darker than it actually was, preventing Quinn and the other members to see them. Then, he ced [Magic Circles] all around the area, with a spell that he cooked up based on the fight performance of the humans. Hence, it was already toote when the alites fought back.

    The sound of spells being fired caught their attention. Multiple fireballs found their way and made contact with their barriers. This immediately shattered the outeryer of the barrier which surprised the elites.

    "Iing!" Eerie shouted, seeing more of the fireballs flying towards them.

    However, because Eerie already noticed them, she was able to make a counterattack. She continuously fired using water element bullets, dissolving the fireballs into a steam which got them even worried. Their vision got clouded again because of the steam and the sound of monstersughing was echoing all around them,

    "Quinn?" Curio repeated as if their leader didn''t hear it earlier on.

    "Yeah, I''m thinking what we can do right now." He said in reply, with the shadows of the monsters looming from the steam.

    "Rapid sessive activation."

    "Rock pirs." He chanted, creating blockages on the path of the enemies, making it more difficult for them to reach the group. He then casted a gust of wind which blew ta every direction, clearing both the mist and the steam.

    "sh Freeze." He continued, stopping most of the low-ss monsters on a range where Eerie could easily hit and kill them.

    "Shadow Wolves." Were used in order to attack the enemies that were already nearby. These also served as both the eyes of the group who still had no idea where all of the enemies were and, a diversion as they prepared to make a counter y.

    Quinn then drank one of the [Large Mana Potions] which he had,pletely restoring his mana to full. All of these spells took only a minute to be casted, amazing the members who was with him as they never witnessed Quinn making use of this before.

    "The barrier isn''tplete yet. Be careful with the moves that you use, make sure that it won''t ce the whole terrain in danger of copsing on us." He continued, not leaving any time for the other elites to makements on what he just performed. They simply nodded, with their eagerness to fight being roused back.

    The fight wasn''t going in their favor however. There were just too many monsters and, because they couldn''t make us of a lot of [AoE] spells, clearing was even more difficult to do. Even with the pirs in ce, the monsters appeared at every direction, making movements limited for the elites. However, it also served as a means for them to hide, enabling them to make surprise attacks as well as avoid getting ganged up.

    While the fight went on, Quinn was actively searching for the monster leading the group. He was sure that an intelligent monster was leading them because, if the other boss ss monsters already had intellect, then they would only submit to one which was both stronger and wiser than them.

    "Found you." He said, finally catching arge red dot which was positioned at the furthest back. But as soon as he recognized it, the ground glowed a violet color. Chains came shooting from the ground  binding down the whole group.

    "What the hell are these?" Julia eximed as it slowly pulled her towards the boss monster.

    Every member tried to get the chains off but, for some reason they couldn''t. Its bind was too strong and, apart from this, they felt their energy slowly being drained from their bodies. The monsters took the hint and went for the kill immediately. Quinn then casted another set of [Rock Pirs] which, prevented the monsters from advancing quickly as he made his move.

    "It''s a good thing I got one of these." Quinn said to himself, bringing out a short sword.

    He didn''t waste any time, thinking of the possible skills he had in his arsenal. He went and decided to use the strongest one from the start; knowing that it would be the least time-consuming choice.

    "Synchronous Casting. Primal Heavenly sh!"

    A sh came breaking the chains of both him and his allies. Unfortunately, Julia was too far to reach so Quinn just decided toe close and rescue her. But another set of [Binding Chain] came and, Quinn was forced to use the second hidden de he had, giving him nothing else but his main weapon left.

    "Move!" He shouted, seeing the ground glow again. His other teammates immediately leapt up but, another set of chains came shooting up from where they were.

    "Sorry guys. Air st!" Mordred, Eerie, and Curio got sent flying away from the monsters. This move, although saving his teammates, put Quinn in harm''s way as the chains finally bound him again.

    "Quinn we gotta go!"

    "Not yet." Quinn eximed, wanting to continue the fight even though he wasn''t sure how to do so exactly. It was like he was perpetually stuck on defense on a game of chess  with the opponent pinning him with ''check'' each and every time.

    "QUINN THEY''RE GOING TO GET JULIA! WE GOTTA GO!" It was a shameful sight. Quinn never experienced backing away from a challenge his whole life. Yet there he was, with no card left but to turn tail and run.

    Nobody was sure how strong the boss of the monsters actually was. In fact, they haven''t even seen it yet. They also promised Sylph an extension of only an hour. The leader of the elites bit his lip, knowing that no other choice was avable for them. Even in the face of danger, they trusted hismands. Quinn knew this and didn''t want to gamble with his teammates'' life for the sake of his pride.

    "I''m going to make another sh. After that, we teleport immediately." He said, thinking that the chains may have teleportation cancelling properties.

    "Roger." Was all that they replied as Quinn made hisst attackbination.

    He turned his weapon into a double dagger, enabling him to cast the same skill twice. His arm already throbbed and he felt it seemingly getting torn off. Yet he still went on, breaking the and proceeding to clear the wave of monsters surrounding Julia with the other de. Then, surely enough, the chains came again, binding them down and, Quinn wasted no moment. He infused the remaining dagger with the same skill as he casted:

    "Primal Heavenly sh!" Once again, his weapon broke and, immediately, everyone used their [Teleportation Portals]. Transporting them back above the [Rift].

 Chapter 161: The Gamers Preparations

    Chapter 161: The Gamer''s Preparations

    Nothing went as the group expected. At first, the mission seemed easy enough as they harvest experience points easily through raining down the [AoE] skills down the [Rift]. Indeed, even with some monsters being much more resilient, it wasn''t much of a problem as the elites were still able to take these down. But things gotplicated once they entered the cave, an area which couldn''t; be reached by their skills.

    This is proven by the return of Quinn and his allies who have finally reached the boss of that area. It was a monster which they have still failed to identify, wielding what seemed to be limitless chains that required Quinn to continually use one of the strongest skill at his disposal.

    Due to Julia being disabled, there was nobody to heal him from the recoil that the skill usage brought. It wasn''t only [Primal sh] that he used. It was a synchronized usage of that skill and [Heavenly sh]. This inevitably destroyed his body little by little and, it seemed like the enemy leader knew this all along.

    "So it was an intelligent monster after all." Sylph said, feeling a headache form as she talked with the excavating team. This happenedte in the afternoon; after all of their equipment were cleaned and they were properly purified.

    "What else do you have for me?"

    "There were a lot of other stuff inside that cave. Crystals surrounded the walls of thetter part and there were some areas with the same violet glowing stuffing out of the ground." Eerie exined, having the best eyesight among the group members.

    "I see, at least you came back in one piece. Well, most of you that is."

    Upon arrival, Quinn was immediately squirming on the ground from the amount of pain he was in. It wasn''t normal and, as soon as his armor was taken off, they saw how his whole arm was turning to a dark color, with the veins looking like they were about to burst open. His whole body was also full of cold sweat with his body temperature dropping rapidly.

    Sylph was able to hold these effects back using a spell that was only known to the members of the Windsprite household. Through it, she destroyed some of the negative mana that was pouring onto Quinn although, notpletely.

    "That fight probably dealt a huge blow to Quinn." Sylph mentioned; with his teammates knowing exactly what she meant.

    All of Quinn''s weapons shattered. It wasn''t only the ones he picked up on the battlefield. Even his real weapon, the one forged by Zeke, got broken because of the fight. His pride also got stepped on as they retreated. Then, there was also the fact that his whole arm was broken to such a degree that, the conventional healing techniques they knew of couldn''t heal it anymore.

    "His arm probably got to that state because of the skill. What did he call it again?"

    "Synchronous casting ma''am. He made use of a move called [Primal sh] and [Heavenly sh]." Julia said in reply.

    "Yeah that. As you told me, [Primal sh] somehow gets its effects from [Primal State]. Not even considering the other skill he used, that one is already dangerous in itself. I should know because I was once part of de''s inner circle."

    "Unlike other skills which makes use of mana in order to activate, [Primal State]es at the price of the caster''s life. Even if we do say that Quinn''s skill only derives for it, the fact still remains that it was the original source and, using it five consecutive times within the same day I''m just d that this is all that happened to him."

    Quinn wasn''t much of a problem. They knew that he could be cured but, another one popper up which was definitely a source of concern from the group. Merlin came to Amare, telling her to look at an area to which she followed after excusing herself from Sylph and the expedition group.

    "So does that mean we need to call mister Zeke back here?" Mordred asked.

    "Not necessarily. Knowing him, I''m sure he left something for us back in the cave which would prove useful at a situation such as this." Sylph said, with Amare finallying back. A worried expression was written all over her face meaning, whatever it was that she checked, it didn''t turn for the good.

    "We''ve got reports on the first area that we just cleared. The monsters havee back and are repopting it."

    "Are theying from the cave?" Sylph asked, already having insight that this would be the case.

    "Yes, and it seems that there are also other caves down the rift. I''ve found another one and, it''s also supplying more monsters."

    "Well, I expected this much at least. That just means that we need to deal with the caves first in order topletely eradicate the monsters." Sylph was walking around in circles, thinking of what the next course of action should be.

    The boss monsters were probably the ones supplying the monsters outside; serving as both guards and decoys. But more than that, they also served as a message for the elites. It was that, they had a steady supply of monsters and that even if these get taken down, more monsters were waiting for them inside.

    She thought immediately of Zeke, of how the gamer probably had the answers required but, he wasn''t avable at the moment. Sylph knew that he would also be busy with his own mission and didn''t want to disturb him. Hence, she took matters into her own hands; thinking of what was needed to be done.

    "Ma''am, the [AoE] group have almost run out of mana. We only have a single sk ofrge mana potion left for each." Kaguya said.

    With this, Sylph finally thought of their next course of action. She looked at the [Minimap] and, judging by the number of enemies appearing below the rift, the monsters still weren''t as many as they were before the attacks began. Hence, Sylph opened her [Voice Chat] in order to give themand.

    "That would be all for now. We''ll head back and continue the mission tomorrow." Sylph uttered, deciding that this was the best course of action. The sun was about to set and, no good woulde from simply thinking of a solution when they were all spent.

    As they teleported, Sylph couldn''t help but think of Zeke once again. She thought that, if he was with them, everything would be solved. But at the same time, she was also thinking of the things he was doing on her homnd of Elysium.

    "Are we all set?" Zeke asked, standing on top of a tall tree within the forest of Elysium. It was the best ce for them to hide. They embedded crystals that released a small amount of [Cloud of Dreams] within the whole area, making it difficult for the soldiers to find their way throughout the thick expanse of trees.

    "Yes master, all the barrier crystals have been scattered on the shores of the continent. We''ve also ced teleportation markers on all towns and viges as you''ve instructed." Heron floated just beside him, pping her wings which she thought needed some stretching.

    "That''s good. Thank you Heron." Zeke said, grinning at the [Dragon Morpher] who blushed just a bit.

    "What about Morpheus? How was the mission assigned to him?"

    "He''s still gathering intel master. He already infiltrated the capital and, will give us updates as soon as he gathers some useful information."

    There were a lot of things that needed to be prepared. Although Zeke already had things nned, he decided to take things up a notch. An example of this is the barrier which he would set up over the whole continent. It will be the same as the barrier in the Demon Continent which, wouldn''t be prated by [Chaos ck mes] nor any attack at the level of a [Count] or [Countess]. Yet he still needed to find the dragons because even though he could protect the continent from outside, he couldn''t do much when it came to fights that would ur within the barrier.

    "How about the [Chaos Dragons]? Have you pinned down their whereabouts?" He asked, looking at the beautiful sunset before them.

    "Apparently, they are kept as troops by some generals and the [Count] himself."

    "You mean the other Zeke?" He said in jest.

    "I''d rather not think that someone of your standing would go so low as bow down to one who is inferior to you master." Zekeughed after hearing Heron say this.

    "So how many [Chaos Dragons] does he have exactly?"

    "Three of the ten within this Continent master."

    "Ohh that''s actually a good number. Horizon would have something to chew on." The gamer said in reply, referring to his own [Conjured Chaos Dragon].

    "Anyway, I think that''s enough chit chat for now. We still have a lot of work to do." He finally said, with the sun''s light finally fading as the sky got filled by a star-filled night.

    Zeke went down the tree which was followed by Heron. Within the forest, there were actually a lot of soldiers that have lost their way. These were from different [Fortresses] as, every route within the Continent of Elysium inevitably runs through this area. Thus, elves need to pass here in order to go wherever it is that they need to go.

    As mentioned, the ones trapped by Zeke were only the low-ranking soldiers. This meant that even if they went missing, no rm would be raised  a fact proven because no General came looking for them yet. Zeke however, knew that some information can be extracted from them and, seeing as there were already around 200 soldiers lost within the forest, he decided that it was time to meet them head on.

    "Do you need assistance master?" Heron offered, seeing the gamer beginning to stretching out his body.

    "Nah I''m good. Besides, I need to train my stealth abilities from time to time right."

    With this, both of them went their way. Heron flew up the mountain and into the night sky. Zeke on the other hand remained there, walking slowly as he locked down all the enemies that were within the area. Disappearing into the shadows like a phantom of the night.

 Chapter 162: Warming Up

    Chapter 162: Warming Up

    "Hey did you hear that?" A soldier said who was stranded in the midst of the forest said.

    His team consists of five soldiers  with two archers, two swordsmen, and one defender. They headed out for the capital as ordered by their general but, as soon as they reached the forest, they found that they couldn''t find a way out anymore. As if there was a kind of spell surrounding it which messed with their sense of direction.

    "Can you stop it with those warnings Alex? We''ve been here for a week and not one time were you right pea brain." The defender said who was also the leader of the group.

    "I swear, it sounds like footsteps this time around." Alex had cold sweat running down his face, he could see shadows moving around them but nobody else seemed to notice these.

    "God you''re driving me crazy. It''s bad enough that we can''t get out of this ce. Can''t you just be calm for like one minute?"

    "Okay" Alex said in reply.

    "Hey did you hear that?" He said again after a minute.

    Everybody groaned that time around. Alex was an especially talkative troop member. Nobody from his group wanted to stay with him for too long because the guy never ran out of stories to tell. Unfortunately for his teammates, they got stuck within Zeke''s trap and there was no way out for meager soldiers like them to get out. Hence, they had no choice but to listen to the frantic and terrified Alex.

    "For crying out loud, I told you that there''s nobody there. Tell him Chad." As soon as the defender looked at the said soldier, there was nothing but the mist. In fact, two of their archers suddenly went missing, leaving only the two swordsmen and him.

    "Chad?" He said again.

    "I told you there was someone!" Alex said in panic, not knowing what to make of the situation anymore.

    "Shut it! Let''s get into formation Brook." He said but, nobody responded to him.

    "Brook?" The swordsman named brook was nowhere to be found. Soon there was only Alex who was left to apany him.

    "You should listen to your teammates you know." Zeke said, finally appearing in front of the two.

    He had two heads on his hands and blood staining his clothing. His eyes were also glowing with the nature - endowed crimson color that came with being a descendant of Gallio. His lips formed a twisted smile which, strangely, was also something he practiced when he was in the cave for 12 years.

    "No! Don''te any closer!" The defender shouted, recognizing the heads to be those of their teammates. The blood was still dripping down and, ion fact, they saw the ground around them overflowing with blood.

    The sound of Zeke stepping on it was so loud that they knew it was real. Apart from this, there were also shadows all around them, shing steel over steel; as if cheering Zeke on.

    "Answer me before you meet the same fate. Who is the count of Elysium?" Zeke demanded; ying with their senses.

    He wasn''t actually holding on to heads, He simply knocked the three other soldiers out cold while he used the [Cloud of Dreams] to create an illusion of the things they saw.

    "It''s some guy named Zeke Elwood. We don''t know. We haven''t ever seen him in person. Only the generals have been able to have close contact with him." They said, shaking in fear.

    "Is that all you have for me? What about your fortress is there anything special about it?" Zeke continued, wanting to extract as much answer out of them before he finished them off.

    "There''s nothing. Only the regr weapons that are found on every fortress sir. Please don''t kill us." They said, shaking in fear and hugging on to each other.

    "I see. Thank you for your cooperation." Zeke said, disappearing from their sight only to reappear, stabbing both in the heart.

    "I''ll just verify that with the other soldiers first. Enjoy taking your eternal rest." He continued, with both soldiers having their vision ck out entirely as their lifeless bodies dropped to the ground.

    Zeke continued to interrogating and killing each group that he came across. Unlike the first group hoverer, he decided to ask all the soldiers first. He began all encounters by beating the soldiers to a pulp and, if this wasn''t enough to get answers, he''d simply ce them within a torturous nightmare using [Cloud of Dreams]. The methods proved to be efficient as, he was able to squeeze out some data from all the groups.

    That night, a lot of screams echoed within the forest. Even the birds which were peacefully sleeping got disturbed as they flew out of the area. It was a cruel thing to do but, Zeke didn''t kill because he liked it. He killed because it was necessary.

    This hunting went on for a whole hour, with Zeke sessfully gathering more information about the doppelganger which he needed to defeatter on. However, as his victims were only normal soldiers, there was only surface level knowledge which he gained.

    "Well, at least they gave me something. Now let''s look at those quests again shall we."

    [Chain Quest Activated.]

    [First Quest: Find out who the fake Zeke Elwood.]

    [Second Quest: Engage in battle with the fake Zeke Elwood.]

    [Final Quest: Defeat the fake Zeke Elwood.]

    [Bonus Quest: Defeat the fake Zeke Elwood in less than a month.]

    [Requirement: At least 80% of the nobatant citizens in Elysium must survive.]

    These are the quests which popped up as soon as Zeke entered the Elven Continent of Elysium. It wasn''t anything new for Zeke. After all, his system generates missions based on various factors which includes the area. With that in mind, missions naturally came up which were connected to Elysium and his doppelganger.

    "As expected, nothing new came up with the missions."

    *Sigh*

    "Well. Since I finished earlier than expected, I should destroy some of the fortresses first to send my regards." Zeke snapped his neck as he looked at the [Minimap].

    The fortresses were farm from each other because Elysium had a vasternd than the Demon Continent but that didn''t matter. Teleportation marks were ced everywhere. As mentioned, this was also one of the things which the group did while gathering intel and setting up the barrier. Zeke, Heron and Morpheus, all did their fair share of getting the marks ced.

    Even the fortresses were infiltrated because of both Heron and Morpheus'' ability to change appearances. Coupling this with Zeke providing them with uniforms of the soldiers enabled them to get in and out quickly and with ease. They couldn''t; stay for long because, doing so would cause them to get detected and so, they were only able to reach until the gates. They talked with the guards, saying that there was a message that needed to be ryed to the general. Guards would then let them in only for the two to say that, there was something the forgot, touching a wall and leaving without raising suspicion.

    "Let'' get all the crystals back first." Zeke said, snapping his fingers. The item naturally went back to his inventory as, they werebeled as his after all.

    The [Cloud of Dreams] wasn''t needed in the forest anymore. Zeke already got what he needed from the soldiers although, it wasn''t much. All that was left was for the monsters to eat the corpses of the dead soldiers.

    "After I went through all the trouble to clean this ce up. They just allowed the monsters toe back." Zeke said, disappointed with the government who didn''t even take proper care of the eleven forest. It became inhabited with these creatures after a while because, nobody monitored the area anymore.

    "Not that it''s my problem anyway." He said, finally setting up the spell as he casted:

    "Teleport."

    As soon as Zeke appeared, he threw all the crystals containing [Cloud of Dreams] around the area. This quicky wrapped the fortress in a thick mist that prevented anyone from getting outside. The soldiers didn''t know this yet however and simply focused on the target that appeared before them.

    "Attack!" They screamed, with the ballistics all targeting Zeke.

    "I''m not sure that''s a wise choice to make at the moment." He said, dodging the first set of arrows as he finally summoned his army of [Conjures].

    Everyone felt a cold chill run down their spine as the creatures emerged from a pool of ck mes enveloping the ground. They tried killing these off immediately but, Zeke''s summons were just too sturdy to be brought down quickly. Even with headshots made, the helmets they wore provided enough defense against a hundred normal arrows.

    "Kill them!" Themand then changed as all of Zeke''s [Conjures] finally came out.

    Zeke also decided to finally give themand to the thousands of [Conjures] that upied the area.

    "Devour."

    The fight couldn''t be called much so because there were just as many soldiers as there were [Conjures]. Even with the numbers being equal, all the buffs Zeke could provide for his team and their natural rank superiority made the battle turn to his favor without much effort. He then proceeded to the control room immediately, killing off the general there through a single sh.

    He didn''t want to waste time fighting a [Primal State] general so he ended it as quickly as he could. He then took the crystal which powered the portal on the Continent. Afterwards, Zeke teleported to the next location. That night, Zeke cleaned up a total of ten fortresses. He made sure that these were close to each other in order for nobody to notice because, they''d all be dead after all.

    "All that killing is really tiring." He said removing his de from the general whom he just murdered.

    With all that he aplished for the day; Zeke decided to finally take a rest. The real operation begins on the next day after all and, he wanted his body to be on its top shape before he fought the man who imed both his name and his original body.

    "I''m going to enjoy ripping you apart." Zeke told himself, watching the various fortresses crumble before him.

 Chapter 163: Single Day Invasion

    Chapter 163: Single Day Invasion

    "Daddy we''re gonna start today right? We''re gonna kill the people here tight?" Morpheus asked with an excitement that he didn''t bother hiding from Zeke.

    "Honestly Mory, I think there is some part of you that I raised wrong but yeah, we''ll be killing everyone." Zeke said in reply, double checking al his items and equipment before they began.

    The Gamer prepared more arduously for the fight in Elysium. It may be because of his death but, Zeke couldn''t shake the feeling of the spears hitting him one by one. That''s why he made ns on top of ns, even for such events like getting attacked by gods.

    "Shouldn''t you put the use of: ''aside from the normal citizens'' from what you just said master?" Heron said in reply, hovering in the sky as she cloaked herself with [Veil of Clouds], preventing anyone from detecting her.

    "We have the teleportation circles ready so there''s nothing to worry about. Anyway, are you guys all set for the mission?"

    "Yes." Was both of his trustedpanions'' response.

    "Okay then. Just wait for a while. I''m still making somest-minute adjustments. There''s also a timer on the [Party Feature]. When that sets off, we''re all gonna go and do ours tasks understood?"

    "Understood." They replied unanimously once again.

    "Good. Be careful out there." Zeke said, ending themunication.

    Nobody in their right mind would n to take over a whole continent in a single day. In fact, it was an impossible task. So much so that any of the [Count] or [General] would never prepare for it. That is exactly the reason why Zeke executed it.

    Normally, invasions would begin with a few attacks made by the invading forces. This inevitably causes the ones on the territory to raise their guards and make things more difficult. Then the invading forces would make changes to their ns which, doesn''t always end in their victory.

    Zeke didn''t want this; he didn''t want to drag the fight longer than it needed to be. So, he prepared everything in order for the execution to only need a single day.

    "Bombs. Crystals. Bulletswhat else."

    Of course there was also the possibility of de suddenly jumping in like thest time. Zeke has known from experience that; his enemy could suddenly show up even in the most unlikely circumstances. But even this has a proper preventive measure set up against.

    Indeed, Zeke has grown so much after his previous death. Even though he still acts carefree at times, Zeke has actually gone through a kind of metamorphosis. One which he was still continually growing from. In fact, at that very moment, he was evolving once again. There was another skill which he was just about to buy for the sake of the mission.

    "Okay. Time to get that skill."

    He went through the list of skills on the [Shop]. He then sorted the list based on price, making his way to the expensive ones which made a pang on his heart.

    "Damn, don''t they have a sale day here at least." Zeke told himself.

    "Or at least give me a coupon for crying out loud." He said,ining to the [System] which remained silent. He then let out a deep sigh which weighed heavily on his chest.

    "Well, I hope I get my points back fast at least. I still need a lot saved up to buy the [Ancient Spell]." Zeke told himself, clicking on skills called:

    [Domain Expansion] and [Domain Multiplier]

    Both skills cost a whooping [10 Skill Points] at their base of [F->. This in itself was troublesome because, Zeke also upgraded these until they reached the [S+] rank. Here, it must be remembered that, his skill points worked this way:

    Every change in letters for the rank doubles the cost of upgrading the skill. Hence, turning both of these to [S+] costed Zeke a total of [3,234 Skill Points] for each skill. This was also the reason why he was so hesitant at first.

    "Okay. There''s no turning back now. I should just get the points back through the other [Side Quests] and [Optional Quests]."

    Zeke knew that he couldn''t be in all ces at once. No matter how fast he cleared an area, it couldn''t be denied that there was only one Zeke who needed to go to the strongholds individually. Thus, he needed a way to remove this limitation. And that solution came at the price of all the [Skill Points] he just spent.

    Zeke didn''t sulk for long. He opened his [Minimap] which showed him the area where his [Conjures] could be summoned and maintained. Before, it was only a small area, as wide as a [Stronghold''s]nd area. But as he looked at the map, the coverage has increased exponentially.

    Yes, Zeke can now be at all ces at once. Because his territory now covered the whole Continent of Elysium.

    "System, ce markers on the areas that I''ll say."

    [Understood]

    "Communication Towers."

    "Fortresses."

    "Messenger Areas."

    "Dragon Keepers."

    He marked the ces one by one; assigning each [Conjured] knight of the roundtable on one area. Apanying these were weaker [Conjures] in a bnced toon distribution.

    "Okay, that takes care of that." Zeke said, finishing his preparations while also getting ready to head out himself.

    There was only a few more seconds left on the timer he made. Heron and Morpheus were both ready to begin their quests as well. Then, the clock finally reached [00:00].

    "Conjure."

    It was a sight like no other. All around the continent, citizens and soldiers alike felt a cold chill run down their spine. They heard whispers on the wind, like the dead were being raised back to life. The winds blew strong and, a dark mist enveloped multiple areas around Elysium.

    Blue mes burnt on the ground and, what came after were creatures. d with dark blue mana and led by creatures with different colors. On the ground [Conjures] either rode horses or marched forth. On the sky riding they rode [Chaos Wyverns].

    The [Conjured] knights of the round table stood gantly at the front of their toons. Wielding the weapons and armor forged by Zeke. Soldiers began setting up rms and preparing themselves but, Zeke didn''t wait for this to happen. With a singlemand, the battle finallymenced as he uttered:

    "Devour."

    Chaos came to Elysium. Zeke himself didn''t waste any time. He went and prioritized destroying the [Communication Crystals] hidden within three fortresses. He sent [Horizon the Chaos Dragon] on one of these while [Kayle] led the march of [Conjures] which took care of the other one. He then proceeded to taking down various fortresses all on his own.

    "Why can''t we contact the capital?"

    ''What''s going on?"

    "Where is our backup?"

    There was a lot of confusion on the unfortunate soldiers. They died one by one while Zeke''s [Conjures] only regenerated. As the fights progressed, generals from every fortress finally showed themselves. All using [Primal State] from the get go. Yet, they soon learn how ineffective it was against an army of summons that never died.

    "Heron how are the citizens?" Zeke asked as he proceeded to a few more fortresses.

    "They''re fine. The [Teleportation Markers] work like a charm master. Plus, even the soldiers were caught up with the confusion; leaving their posts and running for their lives.

    "That''s good to hear." Zeke said in reply, proceeding to the activation of the barrier which prevented anything froming in or going out of the ce.

    He then saw the next phase of his ning to effect as the [Chaos Dragons] owned by the enemies finally came up to the sky. This made Zeke activated the secondyer of his barriers which, protected the ground area from any attack made from the sky and, also prevented the [Chaos Dragons] from destroying the Continent in one blow.

    "I''ll be your opponent." Zeke said, appearing on top of the barrier with Horizon and Kayle beside him.

    The [Chaos Dragons] screamed, trying to destroy the barrier created. In fact, some of these even resorted to using their [Chaos ck mes] already. But all of their efforts didn''t even dent the barrier made by the gamer.

    "Man, can''t these guys take a hint?" Zeke said, firing some bullets which damaged the dragons immediately.

    "Yo! I''m here." He said, rousing the anger of the [Chaos Dragons] which finally went after him.

    With the groundpletely protected, there was no worry on Zeke''s head. In fact, he knew that he could go all out. So, began by throwing twenty fully charged bullets on the air. These were marked with [Detonates] that would set off explosions as soon as Zekemanded.

    The gamer waited for the [Dragons] toe nearer than, he finally activated the spell. Arge explosion followed which got the fights on the ground to stop for a moment. They all witnessed the sight above them which made the earth shake.

    Zeke''s bullets weren''t as weak as they were before. With all the parts of the [Chaos Dragons] which he got from the previous fight, he was able to upgrade both his guns and the bullets. He even forged the [Ender Sword] on one of his guns. Its effects would be revealed as soon as he used it.

    "One." Zeke said, stabbing a dragon on the chest and destroying its scales. {Death''s Void] easily pierced through the scales like these were nothing more than paper. He then ced three more bullets inside, seeing the dragon explode immediately.

    Two more dragons came charging in, blowing mes on Zeke who immediately went down. Some parts of his body got brunt but, he didn''t mind. In fact, he even smiled as he activated:

    "Blood Counter."

    This caused the two dragons to have blood spurting out of their bodies. Some parts of their flesh burned, leaving the creatures roaring in pain. Zeke was enjoying the fight, making use of all possiblebinations of ultimate tier attacks to kill his enemies but then, Morpheus finally messaged him.

    "Daddy! He''s heading out!"

    "Are you sure?" Zeke said in reply; jumping up and punching a dragon to the cheek which sent it crashing to another one.

    "Yes! He moved to the ce you told me."

    "Okay. Good job Mory." Zeke said, leaving the fight to his trusted [Conjures]

    "Clean this ce up." Hemanded. With [Horizon] roaring and [Kayle] ridding on its back.

    There was onemand which Zeke gave to Morpheus. It was to observe the [Count] during the day of the operation. Zeke had a hunch that, the fake would go to the portal area. This he did, with Morpheus confirming it.

    And so, the gamer went to meet his double. The same person who deceived the Windsprites into thinking that he was evil.

    "Ahh now this gets my blood flowing." Zeke said, warming up in excitement as he thought of how he''d destroy his enemy.

 Chapter 164: The Fight Between Zekes

    Chapter 164: The Fight Between Zekes

    For the purpose of not getting confused, the fake Zeke will be referred to as Z.

    "Sir Elwood, w-what are you doing here?" A general came forward, still wobbling and dizzy form all the alcohol that ran in his veins.

    All the other soldiers were still wasted from their night''s worth of partying. Leaving them unable to move much; in fact, most of them were still out cold.

    "Ahh, am I not even allowed to see my own troops?" Z said in replied coldly.

    He looked around and noticed how weak and pathetic the soldier given to him were. These were supposed to be battle hardened troops. But with de out of the picture for a while, they naturallyxed. Z had no real military knowledge. In fact, he had no knowledge on most things. All he knew was that he was Zeke Elwood who was the strongest [Count] on the whole of Mythos.

    "Are they going to wake up anytime soon?" Z told the general who frantically made his way towards the troops, with one soldier puking at the unfortunate general.

    "Wake them up would you." Z finallymanded to the mages who came with him. Both of these nodded, raising their staves and generating lightning.

    They delivered an electric shock; electrocuting all soldier within the [Portal Stronghold]. Screams were made as the troops got sent back to the world of the living. Z cleared his throat in the process, beginning his speech as soon as the electrocution was done with.

    "YOU FUCKING IDIOTS!"

    He punched the general in the face, sending this soldier flying towards a group of others which just began getting up.

    "DO YOU EVEN KNOW OUR SITUATION? WHO GAVE YOU THE PERMISISON TO DRINK ALL NIGHT?" He said in a wild fury.

    It was amon urrence for the soldiers of Mythos. With no real threating to them, the soldiers beganxing. In fact, it was exactly because they were the soldiers on the area of the [Portal Barrier] that they could be so calm about everything  knowing that nobody could ever break the barrier made by de.

    "GET YOUR ASSES READY! I''m going to fetch our king form his adventure." This came like a bucket of extremely cold water. With all the soldiers shaking in fear just from the thought of it.

    Again, it must be noted that they had no clue on what was happening. That''s why they thought that their Count Elwood has finally gone full nutjob.

    "Does he want to get us all executed?" One soldier whispered to the person next to him.

    "I think he has mental problems and he wants us tomit a group suicide." Another soldier replied.

    With the whole area seemingly uninterested in heeding his words, Z finally stepped forward. He released so much mana that the soldiers had a difficulty in breathing.

    "Was my instruction not clear to you soldier?" Z released so much killing intent that, the soldiers heard their hearts thump from their ears.

    "No sir! We heard it loud and clear!" The soldiers replied, beginning their preparations. Or at least, that was how things were supposed to turn out.

    When they looked at the portal. There was no sign of it being active anymore. In fact, there was only an empty space where the portal was supposed to be.

    "What is the meaning of this?" Z said.

    "Oh I think you know what that means exactly." A voice uttered from within the crowds, with screams of soldiers following as a thick violet mist began enveloping the area.

    Z''s two mages then protected their Count and themselves, cing barrier which prevented them from inhaling any of the deadly looking mist.

    "Who are you." Zi demanded, knowing full well that this was one of the enemies who invaded hisnd.

    "You should know that just by looking at the mirror."

    The soldiers began fighting back. Z even ordered the generals to go into their [Primal States] from the beginning. The Count watched how quickly these fights ended however, as Zeke ced bullets trough their heads.

    One general was able to defend against it but, that didn''t matter. Zeke simply fired three more bullets, all while looking straight at the eyes of his real opponent. With this, the morale of the soldiers was greatly decreased. But they didn''t dare back away knowing that the count could punish them with something worse than death.

    Thus, they all attacked at once. But then, Zeke released more of the deadly [Chaos Poison Cloud]. One by one, Z heard the pleas of his soldiers for help. They wanted their count toe save them but, Z did nothing of the sort. He simply stood in ce, watching the whole spectacle unfold.

    With the cries of help finally dying out, Zeke emerged out of the mist. Both guns were on his hands and, his eyes gleamed in the bloody crimson color that enjoyed the number of deaths around it.

    "Kill him." Was all that Z said, watching his mages nod as they went to face the invader.

    The mages were both evolved. Both with the same job ss as Sylvia Windspirte. They began with gravitational magic which stopped Zeke form moving. They then followed with [Darkness Spheres] hitting Zeke on and on. Then, came meteors which they called down,bined with an attack of multiple fire pirs.

    The fames consumed all the poison around. It was so hot that the nearby corpses began giving of the smell of burning flesh as these were set aze. Z only watched as this went on, pitying the enemy who didn''t evenst a second against his [Court Mages].

    But then, all the mes froze. It was an unusual sight. In the blink of an eye, everything around them turned to ice which surprised even Z. The two mages then began charging their next attacks but, projectiles bolted out of the enclosure of ice. This shattered the barriers which protected them while the next bullet hit their chests, killing them as ice beganing out of their bodies.

    "You know, I expected to be surprise by a bit but damn, you exceeded my expectations." Zeke said, using his analysis which revealed the following information.

    [Name: Zeke Elwood]

    [Species: Human]

    [Specification: Arch Human Monarch]

    [Notification: The entity is ssified as the "key". The sessful subjugation of the key will fulfill one of the two requirements for the gamer to reach level 100]

    [Notification: The [Conjure] named Samael will be usable as soon as the "key" has been subjugated]

    Zeke was d about the fact that his enemy was actually the key. It saved him the trouble of finding something which he thought would be an item within the [Ruined City]. However, a lot of questions were still left on his mind because the name was his. It was another [Zeke Elwood] in front of him, all bearing his features yet wearing the regal clothes of an elven monarch.

    "You better fight me now before your decapitated head rolls on the floor." Zeke said, warming up to his enemy.

    "Well aren''t you a bigshot." Z simply mentioned, revealing his weapon which was an exact replica of Gallio''s [Leo Rex].

    "I''m only going to ask this once. Who are you?" Zeke said, not bothering to take his enemy seriously.

    "I am Zeke Elwood, Count and King of the Continent of Elysium. And you should be honored to die by my hands."

    At this, the two exchanged their blows. Zeke was strong. He knew that even without making use of [Mana Conversion], he was already strong. Yet on that fight, the skill was already active and, his enemy wasn''t letting up. Instead, Z was matching his attacks.

    "What''s the matter? Is that all you got?" Z said, using a skill which Zeke was very familiar with.

    "Umbral sh!" Z''s de was coated in dark mana. He used this to try and sh Zeke who was able to block using his own weapons.

    The gamer then made a quick nce at all the buffs which the Count had on. There it was stated that he used three skills. All of which were came from either him or Gallio.

    [Mana Conversion]

    [The Monarch]

    [Primal Instinct]

    "Okay, I think I''m getting it." Zeke said to himself, thinking of something which he knew was possible for de to perform.

    "Oh don''t be surprised now. I''m not even taking you seriously yet." Z said, releasing more shes.

    This tie, it was the skill connected to [The Monarch] which was [Decimating sh]. A skill using purely force to create invisibles de shes.

    Zeke dodged on the ground, with the ice around him shattering. Z then went down, creating arge crater as a shockwave was made. He then caught up to Zeke and made a other blow, aiming at Zeke''s opening. The gamer however, used overdrive in order to dodge this. Yet, because of [Primal Instincts] Z was still able to catch up. Thus, they canceled each other''s blows. Backing away from one another.

    Yet Zeke didn''t stop here. He used [sh Rush] and, although the enemy was able to catch his movement, he stacked up on his speed bosting skills, making his next move unpredictable. He then activated [Overdrive] topping up all the skills which were already active.

    Z was sent flying towards a brick wall. There was no damage made but, the Count was furious. It was uneptable for him that the first clean hit was made by his enemy and not him.

    "You dare!" The count said, activating another skill which Zeke was well aware of. Actually, there were two and, both of which were familiar to Zeke.

    "Force Activation! Ultimate Berserker." The signature move of King Gallio; the only person on Mythos who could use it at will. But there was something aside from this.

    The gamer saw the tongues of fire on top of the dead resonating with his enemy. He also felt the power of his enemy still surging up which, he knew was, was going to bring a lot of trouble. But he needed answers. These couldn''t be given by the dead. So he waited for his enemy to finish, all while preparing the whole area for his next attack. Then, out of his mouth Z uttered:

    "Conjure."

 Chapter 165: All of Zekes Skills

    Chapter 165: All of Zeke''s Skills

    There was one thing which Zeke was sure about. On Mythos, job sses were limited. In fact, there was only a limited number of jobs based also on the race of a person. As Humans were scarce in thesends, they had the most underwhelming number of job sses. Indeed, Zeke has already gone through all the history books. All the instruction materials. Even some of the [Ancient Text]. But none of them ever mentioned about [Conjurers].

    Thus, there was only one exnation which Zeke coulde up with. One was rationally made by his deductive skills and the [Gamer''s Mind].

    Z was him. Rather, the enemy used his real body. Constructed using Gallio''s blood. So much so that, the king''s skills were also infused on it.

    "Okay. I think this is all the exnation I need." Zeke said, preparing his fight against one thousand [Conjured] monsters and soldiers.

    "Surrendering is not an option anymore. I will make sure to give you the most painful death possible. That is, after my king has done interrogating you." Z said, proud of his summons which only had light blue mes on them. Entailing that they weren''t as strong as Zeke''s [Conjures].

    "Plus, there was something else which Zeke knew. Summoning conjures required mana, and to summon a thousand would take a person all of his reserves. Yet, his opponent still had an overflowing amount of mana. In fact, Z used the skill two more times. Creating 3,000 [Conjures] for Zeke to fight.

    "Now suffer." Z said, with all his monstersing for the gamer. Yet, there was only a smile on Zeke''s face as he used the same move.

    "Conjure."

    "What? How can this be possible?" Z said, getting the same sensation as when he himself used the skill.

    There was ck mist forming all around them. The air turned underworldly cold. With blue mes rising from the ground. Then, three of the 12 [Conjured] knights of the round table came out.

    Arthur.

    Mordred.

    Gawain.

    Zeke only summoned these to the scene. Although already undead, the knights were more than thrilled on the number of enemies around them. They were just about to run out of enemies to fight. So, being sent to an area with thousands to y exhrated them. Gaining the same bloodthirsty crimson glow of their owner''s eyes.

    "HAHAHAHAAH! And here I thought you were actually going to summon as many as I have." The count said, entertained by the disy. To him, it was nothing more than a puny party trick. One which any of the normal summoners on Elysium could perform.

    "This is the biggest and stupidest bluff I''ve seen in my life! What are your creatures going to do against my monster?" He continued, roaring inughter.

    "Kill them my army of thousands!" Z ordered, with his army of [Conjures]ing in for the kill.

    Meanwhile, Zeke simply looked at Arthur who nodded at its master. The creature took off its great sword, strapped on its back. The weapon began burning in the same color as the [Chaos ck mes]. Arthur stabbed the ground with his weapon, digging up the earth which immediately spread [Chaos mes] around the area.

    This damaged the [Conjures] created by Z which immediately got taken down. Their numbers quickly decreased as the mes only continued burning stronger. When the attack ended, Z was unable to muster any strength for words.

    "Now there''s only a thousand." Zeke said, receiving the fury of the Count who [Conjured] even more while going in to attack Zeke.

    The gamer was sent flying to a weaponry area. He got up and shot bullets at the count which were only dodge.

    Z then continued releasing an onught of [Decimating shes] more powerful than before. With [Ultimate Berserker] active, the attack reached its peak power. Zeke dodged all of this by running around the area. He then released a fire spell which immediately melted all the ice. Steam rose as a result, clouding the vision of the king.

    "Here." Zeke said, appearing right in front of the count.

    The gamer had a punch about tond. Z was about to counter this using his sword to slice Zeke''s arm yet, the gamer simply used [Shadow Dive] reappearing at the enemy''s back. Zeke''s attacknded a clean hit yet, the [Count] was only moved a few centimeters by the attack.

    "Ahh I knew it wouldn''t be enough." Zeke said, receiving a quick retaliation as the count used his elbow to hit Zeke.

    The gamer found himself on another destroyed building. Getting up from the blow which sent him there. Then, Zeke heard the sound of wind seemingly getting ripped. Out of the steam came more [Decimating shes]. Zeke jumped up only to find the count waiting for him there and punching him down. The blow was so strong that a crater was formed just by the force of it.

    Thebination didn''t end here as more [Decimating shes] came raining down. This time, Z knew that he dealt some damage to his enemy. Ending it with the sky darkening in color as he called forth all the lightning on the heavens. Activating a skill as he uttered:

    "Storm Dragon''s Roar!"

    The attack was so quick that, it would take an insane amount of reaction speed to dodge it. In fact, never was it known that the attack could be dodged. But the count also knew that his enemy wasn''t normal so he got down immediately to inspect.

    There, Zeke was kneeling as his body was beaten half to death. There were burns all over and, one would not expect much from it anymore. The count however, showed no mercy as he punched the gamer on the face. Zeke met the dirt quickly as it dug a kilometer''s worth of length because of the blow''s force.

    "You think you''re such a hot shot? Think you can beat me?"

    "No. Please, I only wanted to know who you actually were." Zeke said, limping on the ground as he tried getting away.

    "Nobody can beat me! I am the strongest!" His enemy continued, creating two shes which destroyed the limbs of his enemy entirely.

    "AHHH!" Zeke screamed, with blooding out like a torrent from his body.

    "Please. I don''t want to die." The gamer continued, crying like a bullied child.

    "Ahh. But you are about to die now." Z continued, standing just in front of his prey. There was no retaliation anymore. He knew that the battle was already won and so, he decided to give his victim what was wished for.

    "Fine, I shall tell you who I really am."

    "Really?" Zeke said, shivering.

    "But all of that can only be found under my stronghold. Unfortunately, you won''t ever each it! HAHAHAHA!" Z continued, preparing for the final strike.

    But then, Zeke smiled.

    The count could hear his ownughter resonating on the whole area. Then he noticed something peculiar. The steam was still there. The same steam which was created by his enemy didn''t disappear ta all.

    "DIE!" He said, decapitating his enemy as he breathed heavily.

    "NOBODY MOCK''S THE ZEKE ELWOOD!" The doppelganger proimed.

    Then, the corpse stood up. Holding its head and continuing tough as the other body parts stood beside the chopped-up Zeke. These then began creating their own body parts which soon turned intoplete copies of the gamer.

    "How"

    "I think its time for me to end this beautiful dream of yours." Zeke said, dispersing the steam which shocked the count even more.

    He found himself in the middle of the battlefield where his [Conjures] were supposed to be. Yet there were no traces of his summons anywhere. The only ones that stood there were Zeke''s three knights, with dark red lines appearing allover their bodies Symbolizing that they''ve gone and entered [Undying Loyalty] and [Undying Fury].

    The creatures then fixed their sights on the [Count]. The fighting onlysted a couple of minutes as Z was still disoriented from everything that as happening around him.

    He didn''t know that; the steam was actually infused with [Cloud of Dreams]. This same trick allowed Zeke to make his opponent hallucinate. With the Count imagining that he was fighting and winning against Zeke. When, in fact, the gamer was only watching the whole thing as he controlled the hallucinations of his opponent.

    He needed to extract every bit of information possible from his enemy. Unfortunately, he also knew that this same enemy has his loyalty set to de. That was the only exnation on how he climbed the ranks while also having such an immense amount of power.

    Thus, Zeke resorted to making it look like he lost. He made it look like he was a pitiable opponent who couldn''t handle his own against the "greatest count". He enjoyed every part of it, especially because Z was as cocky as Gallio. Yet it also annoyed him a bit because that same cockiness was ced on his body.

    Zeke''s [Conjures] also finished the fight in a matter of minutes. And, as soon as Zeke got the answers he needed, he finally dispersed the skill. Allowing Z to be brought back to reality. At the moment, that same reality proved to be terrifying as the three knightspletely destroyed the count.

    No matter what Z did, they didn''t go down. In fact, they only continued attacking and beating him up. cing wounds after wounds until, Z was in the same position as Zeke''s illusion. With both arms amputated and his legs limping.

    "No, this can''t be. I am the strongest!" Z said.

    "Arrogant bastards like you always bber unnecessary stuff into the fight. It''s distasteful with my face stered on top of yours." Zeke continued, shattering all spells which Z was trying to chant.

    "No. It can''t end like this!" He said with his heart getting stabbed through by Zeke''s de.

    "What do you know. He actually had one." Zeke said, seeing his enemy finally die.

    Or so he thought.

    The quest reward for the [Key] was still not showing. He then came back to look at his enemy who was gathering so much dark mana that, there was none usable for Zeke anymore.

    He knew what was happening quite well. He was the first one to use it before. A skill which he was supposed to use against Gallio as a trump card.

    Yes. At that moment. Z activated [The One Who Cheats Death].

 Chapter 166: Fighting Deaths Cheater

    Chapter 166: Fighting Death''s Cheater

    [Skill Name: The One Who Cheats Death]

    [Cost: 40 Skill Points]

    [Rank: N/A]

    [Skill Type: Passive]

    [Information: Upon death, the user of the skill momentarily gains a body that is immune to all kinds of damage. This is in the form of ck mana, the same that emanates from the goddess of death and, the goddess of darkness.]

    [Information: The skill stacks up all the damage received by the user before death. The damage received is turned into attribute point which will be divided evenly to the skill user''s stats.]

    [Information: While on this state, all the gamer''s skills are automatically upgraded to their highest ranking. And, additional skills only avable to this form are added to the ones which can be used.]

    [Information: Although seemingly strong, the user of the skill cannot damage those that did not take part in killing him or her. And, upon taking down the murderer, the user will go back to his/her original body. The skill user will then pay the penalty of having his/her level decreased day by day until, he/she goes back to level 1.]

    [Information: The skill cannot be used by the same person twice under normal circumstances.]

    This is the data of the skill which Z used. Any opponent would cower away at the sight of the individual who oozed with the aura of death itself. A wraith like figure, d in ck, with eyes that knew all agonies of the tormented souls in Hades. It was the ultimate form of a vengeful spirit, one which could not be taken down until its target has been killed.

    "I knew he still had a trump card left." Zeke said, finally feeling that the fight would be worth it.

    "No tricks this time. I''m going to fight you fair and square." He said, with his enemy coldly gazing at him as if the fight was already won.

    Z raised his hand and on it, a sword formed from the ck mist surrounding him. Zeke tried taking his opponent down immediately trough a rain of bullets. Yet none of this dealt any damage.

    Z then released [Decimating shes], as he returned the favor. All of this have been coated by the form he took. Making each swing lethal. In fact, Zeke wasn''t sure if he coulde out of the attack unscathed so he kept on moving and dodging.

    It was a dangerous skill. With all of Z''s stats reaching [999] Zeke knew that there was only trouble for him if he tried fighting head on.

    "When was thest time someone gave me a run for my money?" He asked himself, enjoying the trill of the fight as his enemy pursued him.

    This skill was a huge cheat because, the form can never end unless the target has been killed. Thus, the fight could go on forever. As long as Zeke was alive, Z would maintain the form he was in. Forever being coated by the spirit of vengeance, with powers rivaling that of the gods.

    "Sub Zero!" Zeke chanted.

    The skill enclosed his enemy in pure ice, with even the dark mana getting trapped as well. Yet this didn''t evenst for a single second as ck mes consumed the spell. As it did, Zeke''s enemy was nowhere to be seen.

    He then felt an otherworldly chill run down his spine. But before he could confirm anything, he was already stabbed through the shoulder. Immediately making him activated [Overdrive]. He escaped by following up with [Shadow Dive]. [sh Freeze] was then used on the wound in order to stop the [ck mes] frompletely burning his body.

    [Danger! You cannot regenerate any part that has recently been damage by the entity.]

    "Yeah, I know that already." Zeke said, thinking of what move he should be making use of next.

    He summoned all of his [Conjured] knights on the area. The conquest was almost done on the continent. So he didn''t need them on the field anymore. Only the cleanup was left and, this he left to the weaker [Conjures]

    Horizon, Kayle, and the twelve knights were all there. They fought the Count for Zeke as the gamer also jumped in on the fight. Yet even this was ineffective as every sh made by the count was infused with the enhanced version of [Decimating sh]. Each and every blow killed off Zeke''s knights. Hence, an immense amount of mana was used just to maintain them.

    Another attack was able to pass through the gamer''s [Conjures] and into his right leg. The burn was about to get higher but, Zeke cut off his leg. Stopping the attack from reaching his whole body.

    "Yup. I would''ve won without problems if I had this skill back then." Zeke told himself, seeing how powerful an individual is once they had their hands on the skill.

    The fight raged on with Z not uttering a single word due to his form. But Zeke could still feel the glee on the count. One which showed his satisfaction on proving that he was really the most powerful. It was a small wonder why he referred to himself aa the strongest among the counts. He had all skills owned by Zeke before and, mixing with these were the skills of Gallio Leonis.

    "That means my counter skills are also essible to him." Zeke thought to himself, ying a game of chess on his game and calcting the efficiency of every move.

    Meanwhile, Z kept on disappearing around the battlefield. They couldn''t catch his movements anymore as the count was too swift and noiseless on his movements. This proved to be troublesome as the count simply destroyed everything on his path. What was even more troublesome was how the body of the count couldn''t actually be damaged. Zeke tried everything in his power. Every element and every form of attack. Even making use of [Death''s Void] to cut.

    Nothing worked.Z was imprable.

    But instead of getting worked up or worrying about this, Zeke simply smiled. Raising his hands in the air, he freely epted thest attack of Z. A burst of ck mes came out of Zeke''s back as his body got torn to a hundred pieces. This met the requirement of [The One Who Cheated Death], turning Z back to normal.

    "That''s what you get for underestimating the count of this continent you fool!" He said arrogantly. Looking at the raining flesh that didn''t seem to stop.

    Until it did.

    Z saw blood forming on a single area and all of Zeke''s scattered flesh also came toward that direction. The count began chanting skills, hitting whatever abomination it was that was forming. But all of this was futile. Zeke had [The Curse of the Blood King] activated. Allowing him toe back to life after dying. All while being immune before regeneratingpletely.

    It was theplete counter to [The One Who Cheated Death]. A skill which had a time limit decided by the death of its opponent. No matter how temporary it may be.

    The count felt fear. Genuine one as he tried escaping from the area. But Zeke came at him, with flesh still being restored. But with eyes very much alive. He gripped unto the count''s writs, breaking his bones in the process. Leaving Z screaming in pain.

    "Where do you think you are going?" He said, as parts of him came back piece by piece.

    "No spare me! Spare me my lord!" Z said, pissing his pants which was an unbing sight for Zeke.

    As soon as his transformation finished, the halberd of the [Blood King] came to his hands. A weapon which he was only using for the third time.

    There was a reason why Zeke dragged the fight out. Of course he knew how to deal with the skill. As mentioned, Zeke already thought of every preventive measure for the fight on Elysium. And part of this were measures against the possibility of the fake Zeke having all of his skills.

    Yet, he extended the length of the fight. Reason being, he needed to know just how reliable the skill was. He needed to see if it was really imprable as the description dictates. Because, Zeke needed the skill for something else. His grand scheme which was yet toe.

    Indeed. The skill was being saved for his battle with the gods.

    "Thank you for being my test subject on the skill. It saved me a lot of time which I would''ve used thinking about the skill." Zeke said, smiling warmly at his unfortunate victim who had a glimmer of hope.

    "So you will spare me my lord?" Z asked, with Zeke saying:

    "Yes."

    The blood king''s halberd pierced through Z''s chest. Sucking out every ounce of life on him. It was a weapon which was cruel to all it killed. Devouring everything which the person was. Flesh. Bones. Everything was taken in by the greedy halberd. Which also got stronger from the opponents it took in.

    Yet Z''s soul was left on the scene. A tongue of fire which contained the fake Zeke Elwood.

    "As promised. You will serve under me. So rejoice." It was a soul which had both the skills of Zeke and Gallio. One who could easily deal with all of Zeke''s knights and even topping off Samael.

    "You will serve me for as long as I hunt those gods which toyed with our fates. You will be by my side. Fighting for my cause, and heeding all of mymands." He began, with the me resonating with him.

    "I am your master from this day forth." Zeke said, as if the soul could hear him. Then, he finally finished by uttering themand:

    "Conjure."

 Chapter 167: A Dangerous Silhouette

    Chapter 167: A Dangerous Silhouette

    The mission was about to bepleted. In fact, everything went smoothly just as Zeke nned them. The citizens were all evacuated safely. This was done by Heron who carried the citizens using her elegant dragon form. It was still gigantic but, there was elegance on the dragon which also spoke to them. She then took them all to safe areas, where the soldiers couldn''t reach them.

    Then there were the barriers. With these set up, no attack came surprising them from the skies. Furthermore, the barrier also served to stop any of the hostiles who tried getting away.

    The [Chaos Dragons] were mostly defeated by Horizon and Kayle. With their [Undying Fury] being activated; the poor [Chaos Dragons] stood no chance against them.

    Then there was also the fact that, all the strongholds within Elysium got destroyed.

    Thest part wasrgely due to the efforts of Zeke and his newly bought skill. Both Heron and Morpheus couldn''t believe how the skill worked at first. But as soon as Zeke used it, the two were nothing less than amazed.

    It was a power which seemed to be too much for a mortal. One which made the gamer, Zeke Elwood, seem like a divinity himself.

    Zeke didn''t need to be there. He didn''t need tomand the soldiers. They marched all on their own. They knew quite clearly who their opponents were. They knew where to march and where to point their weapons. Hence, they continued fighting non - stop. Doing the mission ever so swiftly. Destroying fortress after fortress whichsted for a whole day.

    Indeed, the conquering of Elysium was almostplete. With only one thing remaining on the list of concerns. That is, Zeke''s confirmation of his victory against the count.

    "What''s taking him so long?" Heron thought to herself, reverting back to her human form. She stayed with the citizens. cing [Cloud of Dreams] on the area, just enough to make them feel safe and secured.

    "I''m sure his mission is about to end." Morpheus said in reply. Killing another soldier with his tentacle-transformed arm. There were spikes all around it, each with its tip coated in poison.

    Indeed, both were eager to hear from their master. Then, at that very moment, Zeke finally contacted them. Their [Voice Chat] opened up. With Zeke''s name on top of the mic icon.

    "Master!" Heron greeted, worried because Zeke took longer than he said.

    "Oh hey guys." Zeke replied casually.

    "Daddy! How did the fight go? Di you kill him?" Morpheus asked, eager to hear of Zeke''stest battle.

    "Of course I did. Who do you think you are talking to?" Said the gamer who had the sound of his footsteps on the background.

    "Thank goodness." Heron replied, with a smile on her face.

    "I''m guessing everything also ran smoothly on your end." Zeke continued, wanting updates from the two.

    "Yes. We''vepleted our tasks without any problems. Largely due to the [Conjures] which distracted and killed most of the enemies on the Continent."

    "Yeah! They went SWOOSH! Then BAM! Then POW! Those ugly soldiers didn''t even know what to do anymore." Morpheus energeticallymented.

    "Well that''s good. I''m just about ready to leave here too. Let''s meet at sundown on the Elven forest." Zeke told them, d that hisrades were fine.

    "Roger!"

    With this, their [Voice Chat] closed. The three continued to performing their tasks. It wasn''t finished yet. Both Morpheus and Heron began this. With the [Dragon Morpher] instructing the vige and town elders. While Morpheus was busy cleaning up the corpses left behind. Then there was Zeke who''ve just finished acquiring his new [Conjure].

    [Name: Kezel]

    [Species: Arch Human Monarch]

    [Specification: Conjured]

    [Rank: A+]

    These were the stats shown by Zeke''s fallen enemy. The first thing Zeke noticed was the change in the name.

    "It''s probably the real name of the person he used for the experiment." Zeke told himself, pitying whoever it was that wore his face.

    [Kezel] had a dark purple mana which was used to construct him. Entailing that it was also an evolved [Conjure]. All Zeke''s creatures which have evolved do not have the blue color of mana constructing their bodies. This made it easier for Zeke to distinguish them as the system never mentions if the rank was that of an evolved one or not.

    "So you''re an evolved conjure huh." Zeke looked at the creature which had a striking resemnce to his human form. It was an old vessel, one he discarded unwillingly.

    "Well, your evolved rank also means another thing." He said, with the notification popping up.

    [Alert: The conjure can only be used once the gamer has reached level 100]

    "Yeah I figured as much." Zeke told himself, knowing that the [Kezel] will enter the same state as [Samael].

    He then dismissed the summon. There was no point in keeping it active until the [Trial Period] runs out just like on [Samael''s] case. No enemy was left on Elysium. It was a sessful operation that led to theplete and utter victory of Zeke Elwood.

    Yet things were not finished yet. The Count''s words were engraved on his head. One which entailed that, he would get more knowledge on what truly transpired. This information could be found on the Count''s very own castle. One which Zeke decided to go next.

    "There''s still time before sundown." Zeke said, using [Teleportation] to get to the capital immediately.

    The gamer has faced countless trials upon reaching Mythos. He has faced creatures of various levels, with all of these proving to be difficult opponents. He has even squared off with the strongest warrior during the 1,000 years war, Gallio Leonis. And, he even faced the goddess of the hunt; Yaeger.

    Hence one would expect that, nothing would raise his rm anymore. Yet, at that moment he did. All his senses were telling him to back away as he reached further and further within [Kezel''s] castle. There was no word which could describe it. The feeling was so foreign because he didn''t understand where it came from.

    "Well if it''s going to be like this. I might as well use a spell to conceal my identity." He thought to himself.

    Zeke created a clone. One which he then ced armor over and increased the muscle mass. This clone was going to be used by Zeke to enter the castle and retrieve all the documents there. Of course he could go himself and disregard his body''s warning. But the gamer knew better than to take this gamble.

    "Go inside and finish up quickly. I don''t feel good about this." Zeke told his clone. He was connected to it through [Video Log], allowing him to see all that his clone saw. Yet not risking any chance of him getting exposed.

    The clone simply nodded at Zeke as it proceeded inside. Through the dark halls lit by torches. Within the corridors that held no life. It was a dim ce; eerily quiet. Zeke didn''t feel any haunting or chilling fright. He just didn''t like the ce and the rm his body was raising against it.

    "There. That''s probably the ce." Zeke told the clone which opened the door to all truths held on Mythos.

    It was more than what he hoped for. With hundreds of scrolls. sks. Specimens within giant crystals. Dismantled body parts. Runes. Gems. Everything was there, a wide assortment of things which he has yet to naturally find on Mythos. And on the Gamer''s map, there was a title, revealing what the area was actually named.

    [Gallio Leonis'' Research Facility]

    "Look at you." He said, smiling from nervousness as a bead of cold sweat dropped from his forehead.

    He still didn''t understand why his body was reacting the way it was. But the gamer already began taking the items within the room. Storing all the data as his clone read the scrolls while it also touched the items to be transported to Zeke''s inventory. Then, something happened. One which made Zeke understand why his body was so against going inside.

    A figure appeared out of the shadows of the room. It was a faint image. A silhouette of pure darkness. It cut of the clone''s arms and legs with ease. Leaving it on the ground as the perpetrator stood there amused.

    "Oh dear. And here I thought nobody would have the nerve to trespass this ce." The figure said, with a deep tone that sounded a lot of deceit.

    Zeke felt relieved that he wasn''t there. He could feel it, even without standing on the clone''s ce. Even with all the powers he attained. It wasn''t an opponent that he could defeat. None of his tricks. None of his methods. None of his conjures nor equipment would work. It was like a Roman general, surrounded by the barbarians from all sides before the city fell to ruins.

    [Name: ???]

    [Species: ???]

    [Specification: ???]

    [Rank: ???]

    [Information: ???]

    "On all my years of existence, I''ve seen various stupidity done by you mortals. But this, by far, is at the top of the list." The figure continued, looking intently at the clone.

    [Alert! The Gamer''s Mind has been bypassed by the unknown entity. You are now under the effects of terror.]

    It felt weird. Zeke couldn''t dismiss his clone, as if the silhouette was directly staring at him. And what made him even more frightened was the [System] itself. Telling how the silhouette shattered his [Gamer''s Mind].

    "Ahhof course you''d be hiding from me. Mortals fear what they cannot understand. Especially if it is something holding much more power than they. Isn''t that rightZeke."

    At that moment Zeke seemed to be petrified. He saw the enemy smiling at him. He knew it. He knew that the enemy could see him. With its eyes gleaming in a twisted violet shade. Gleefully looking at the gamer.

    With all the muscles on his body, Zeke forced the clone to be destroyed. He then teleported, away from the enemy which knew his name.

    He went to the shores, breathing heavily and sweating profusely. At that moment, he felt human again. He felt ever so mortal, like a candle light about to go out; and he did. With the sound of waves crashing on the shore  Zeke fell unconscious.

 Chapter 168: Darkness and Mischief

    Chapter 168: Darkness and Mischief

    Zeke had no idea who the figure was. All that he knew was that it was a silhouette and it instilled fear on him. It bypassed the system and, it wasn''t something he could beat. It was darkness.

    Yet there is an even stronger darkness than this. Nisha. The goddess of darkness herself who, was being visited by Sinir.

    Complete oblivion. That is the perfect way to describe Nisha''s realm. It was an area which was not open to all. In fact, if any of the minor gods tried entering it, they''d find themselves lost in a sea of infinite darkness. One which they can never escape from unless Nisha permits. There, not even their powers could work and they''d simply cease their state of "being."

    Indeed, it was a ce that could not be reached normally. Unless, you were the goddess of light.

    "She could at leaste out when Chrono and I are looking for her. Goodness, is she going through a phase or something?" Sinir began creating a string of light which served as her guide.

    Every attempt of darkness to devour her proved futile as, these weren''t concentrated attacks. It was only a defense mechanism of Nisha''s realm, meant to ward of any possible trespasser. Yet Sinir could not be affected by these. As the natural antithesis of Nisha, Sinir could navigate through the darkness.

    A few shrouded paths. Some shadow like structures. Spiraling clouds of ck holes. Sinir passed through all of these without problems. After a few more minutes, she finally reached Nisha. Floating in mid-air, in a meditating pose.

    "Hey what have you been up totely?" Sinir asked

    Of course, Sinir wouldn''t willingly do this without any proper reason. In fact, she was there specifically because there was an urgent matter that needed to be discussed. For a while, Nisha had done nothing but close herself off within her realm. It was strange for the firstborn goddess. So much so that Sinir finally decide to barge in and ask.

    "Ahh breaking my mediation for such a silly question. Who better to do that than my dear goddess of light?" Nisha responded said nonchntly.

    "Hey I''m just worried you know." Sinir said in reply, with the goddess of darkness smiling back at her.

    There was no bond stronger than the two. Although they cancelled each other out, they''ve also known each other for the longest time. Light cannot exist without darkness. And darkness can only be called such if there is light. They were like yin and yang, a perfect bnce that could never be broken.

    "You know how things have been a bitplicated ever since that trial. It''s been years but, I think that there is still a traitor among us." Nisha continued, finally dropping to the ground. The darkness weed her, embracing the goddess''s feet while she walked toward Sinir.

    "Who might that be?" Sinir asked, reducing her light for fear that it might create a permanent effect on Nisha''s realm.

    "I''m sure you know that as well as I do, my dear sister." Nisha said in reply. Sinir''s eyes showed understanding of the goddess of darkness''s words.

    There was no denying one fact. That among the members of the gods, there was one oddball. One who always caused problems or stirred them. Of course, these were part of his job description. Yet none of the greater crimes were ever attributed to him. No leads have ever been made making him even more worthy of his title. This is none other than the god of mischief and deceit: Pier.

    He is an evil which they could not extinguish themselves. The gods cannot murder nor cancel each other out. In fact, the only option avable was to turn a god or goddess into a mortal. But even this needs the consent of the majority of the council of gods. In fact, the only time they ever did this was with the god of mes.

    Yet, even this forceful extinguishing was a distasteful choice for the main deities. They all knew deep within that it was Pier. Yet no leads were ever made. None. Pier was clean each and every time and, it was always somebody else that took the damage from his acts.

    Nisha wanted Mythos to be thest straw. The line that put Pier back to his ce. For this to happen, she needed to keep watching over the god. She used her power of darkness to spy on the god day in and day out. It was easy enough as she had total control over any form of darkness. Something which there is never any shortage of. It was also an act which went against the creed. But it was a small price to pay if they would get solid evidence of Pier''s crimes.

    These is what she should''ve responded when Sinir asked: "what have you been up to."

    Yet, none of this came out of Nisha''s mouth. She knew that''s she couldn''t bring Sinir into her n. It was dangerous. One which could bring her to the same fate of the god of mes if she was ever caught.

    "I''m just monitoring the other worlds we created. The humans there have been showing significant progress. In fact, they are showing just as much promise as the elites." The goddess of darkness proimed.

    "Well yeah." Sinir said in reply immediately. Eager for the conversation that was toe.

    Among the major deities, Sinir was always the one who was most fascinated by the heroes. The only reason why she was crude against Zeke was because of the gamer''s remarks. This didn''t fit her tase who wanted humans to be respectful of her standing as a goddess. In fact, she even wishes for them to be thankful. Not everyone gets a chance to meet the gods who created them after all. So she was naturally dismayed and irritated with Zeke who liked running his mouth all day. But apart from him, she treated every other hero nicely.

    "ke in particr has caught the attention of many gods in the council. Word on the realms is that, some are thinking of voting for him to be the hero for the next mission."

    "I don''t think he is a safe choice though. ke is too dense with his sense of justice. There''s a fine line separating good and evil for him which could be dangerous at times." Nisha said in reply. Getting Sinir''s head out of any suspicion of her going through shady business.

    "Well yeah. But that is also how he cleared his first world right? The people there are doing good now." Sinir continued.

    Thus, the two continued speaking of the various heroes. They didn''t mention Mythos yet because, they had no power over it anymore. They couldn''t see what was happening there. So they left it to the hands of the elites which they deployed. Twenty humans who have been hand trained by the main deities. Something which never happened before.

    "Do you think they are still alive?"

    "I hope so. The contract tells us that we need to take at least a year before taking off the restraints on Mythos. We''ve got no way of confirming for now."

    There was a second of silence that came between the two. They were naturally worried about the elites because, a human already died while being sent there. A death which was not only cruel but also unfair.

    "Heeeey what are you guys doing without me!" Chrono said, appearing in the middle of the two. Both of them got surprised so Sinir to the liberty of asking.

    "Chrono how did you?"

    "Oh well you left a light. I just needed to reverse it so that it''d get stronger. Then I followed it and. TADAAAA! I finally entered Nisha''s realm. Hohoho." He said, spinning in the sea of darkness.

    "Honestly, this isn''t a party area." Nisha said; d that the other main deities cared for her the way they did. But it was a needless worry. After all, they were eternals. Beings with beginnings but without any idea if they could meet any end.

    For the first time in a while, Nisha was calm again. Yet even this short silence wasn''t allowed tost for long. Her darkness found something unusual on Pier''s realm and, it responded immediately to her.

    "Guys, I''ll ask you to leave for now. I''m sorry, there''s something urgent that I need to attend to." She said.

    The darkness swirled around both Sinir and Chrono. Soon enough, they were out of Nisha''s realm again. With Sinir even more worried than before but trusting Nisha on whatever it was that she was doing.

    "Aghhh I just got there! It''s not fair!" Chrono said in frustration.

    "Don''t worry. Next time I''ll force her to give you a tour." Sinir said, motioning for Chrono to follow him.

    "Really? YES! Okay back to work then." Thus, the two of them came back to the halls of the main deities. Meanwhile, Nisha was still in her realm with nothing but surprise on her face.

    "No. This can''t be." For a long time, he was observing the god Pier. Through the years, he wasn''t doing anything shady or suspicious. But at that moment, she finally noticed it. She noticed how the movements of the god''s shadow was different from normal. She noticed how it seemed to be deformed.

    It was Piers specifically because the god''s energy was on that being. There was no mistaking that it was the god of mischief and deceit. But shadows never lie because they were Nisha''s. Yet no other lead could be made other than this.

    "Who are you?" Nisha said, looking at the god who had nothing but the same mischievous smile on his face. Then she realized it was the wrong question, feeling shivers down her spine.

    "No." She said to herself, knowing just how destructive the god could be.

    "Pier. Where are you?"

 Chapter 169: Darkness and Mischief II

    Chapter 169: Darkness and Mischief II

    Within her own realm, Yaeger was training arduously. She alone had an idea of what was truly transpiring in Mythos even before the gods decided to cut off allmunication. Indeed, she knew what fate had trulye to Zeke because, he was the human who held his daughter.

    She knew that the gamer lived. She knew that he transferred bodies. She knew that, her daughter was safely kept by the gamer. Fulfilling his promise with the goddess. She knew all of this.

    Yet the goddess also kept silent. This was knowledge that wasn''t disclosed to all other gods. For all she knew, it was safer not to let them in on this information. She never liked them after all. In fact, she hated them even more after what happened to Zeke.

    The memories of the trial she went through after the gamer''s supposed death was also fresh on her head. How the gods used her of murdering Zeke Elwood when in fact, it was those twisted minor gods that did it.

    "Just you wait. I''ll kill each of you once Ragnarkes." She said, releasing another arrow which shot through the whole realm. Destroying a whole mountain into pieces in the process.

    "Ahh, I need to nt more mountains. This isn''t useful for the training anymore." She told herself.

    Yeager destroyed 1,000 mountains already. This was all done on the same training session. This made her whole realm look a bit tter, without the curves which thesend forms provided. Then, just as she was about to release her final arrow, she felt a presence enter her realm.

    "To what do I owe this honor of your visit." She said, putting down her weapon.

    She then made a quick spin. Raising her bow and aiming at the god who was the mastermind of all ruin on Mythos. Pier.

    "Now now. I suggest you put down your weapon before one of us gets into trial again. And by someone, I mean a certain goddess of the hunt." He said, with his usual wretched smile.

    "It''s strange. You''re not holding that staff of yours today." She noted, seeing that the god was unarmed.

    "Ahh but I need to show how pure my intentions are right? And for that, I need to show how harmless I really am.

    "Yeah right. Just get on with it. What do you want?"

    "I''m just wonderingwhere has that daughter of yours gone exactly?" He said, with a crooked smile forming on his lips.

    "I know that its none of my business but she hasn''t been appearing on your realm for a while now. In fact, only the other beasts wereing out."

    "Huh. I''m wondering about that myself." Yaeger said, going into hunting position and aiming her weapon at Pier.

    "How on earth would you know what I''ve been doing on my realm?" She demanded, letting out all of her intentions to go in for the kill.

    "Woops. Did that slip out of my mouth? Dear me." Piermented, looking unworried about Yaeger finding out.

    This infuriated Yaeger even more. As if that information was irrelevant on getting him executed.

    "Leave before I kill you." She said, ready to release an arrow anytime.

    "Now how on earth would you do that? We both know that gods can''t kill each ot ." Even before Pier could finish his sentence, an arrow shot past him. Destroying the gigantic mountain behind and all the monsters that were standing in the way.

    "Out." She repeated, aiming for Pier''s heart.

    The god of mischief simply smiled at her,ughing as he brought out a dagger. The air was tense all of a sudden and, Yaeger was sure that he was aiming to kill her. She didn''t know how this could be possible with the said restriction but she felt it. She felt that Pier could really end her immortal life.

    "Are we going to do this?" She asked, ready to strike at any moment.

    "I don''t know what you mean." Pier said in reply, with his stance slowly changing to a battle form. But then, just before anything could happen, darkness enveloped the realm.

    It was a thick mist of darkness. One that felt cold enough to kill even the strongest of mes. It also felt empty. Sucking away every ounce of energy from the two gods before they could even start. Then, stepped out the beginning of all gods. Nisha.

    "What in the name of all the heavens do you two suppose you are doing?" She demanded; cold and passive.

    "I don''t know what you are talking about. I just came here to visit." Pier said, with his dagger already gone.

    "Pier, none of us are allowed to enter the realm of other gods without permission. You know that as well as everyone else."

    "Is it? I must''ve forgotten. Silly me." He said in reply; replying nonchntly against the queen of destruction.

    "I''ll be taking him with me." Nisha said, looking at Yaeger who finally decided to calm down.

    "Do what you want. It''s not like I can win a fight against you." The goddess of the hunt said, going back to her cabin to rest.

    "Thank you. I didn''t think you cared for me that much." Pier said in reply. Yet all he got was a stare from Nisha. One which seemed to look directly at his soul.

    "I''ll have a word with you." She said, taking him out of Yaeger''s realm immediately.

    A swirling mist of darkness covered everything in sight. Getting denser and denser until it formed the color of a never-ending oblivion. Then, all of this halted as soon as the two of them were transported within Nisha''s realm.

    The goddess looked at him intently. It was pier from the voice to the movements. Everything was exactly him. Even the shadow which was acting strangely was already back to normal. Yet, all of it felt unreal. She couldn''t shake the feeling that, the god in front of her wasn''t really Pier but someone taking his form.

    "Who are you?"

    "My. What a silly question. I am Pier. The god of mischief and deceit." The god said, with a sly grin drawn on his face.

    It was a pointless endeavor. Nisha knew that she could gain no real information from the god yet, she still tried to get information out of him.

    "Yes, that is who you say you are. But I''m not asking you to answer me with lies." She said, with the realm getting even denser.

    "I am ordering you to tell me the truth before all divinity gets sucked out of that useless frame of yours." She continued, with Pier feeling his body get even heavier.

    The god of mischief found it hard to breathe as the dark mist entered his lungs. In fact, he was already down on his knees, trying his best to get whatever air was left on the surroundings.

    "Like I said, I am the god of mischief and deceit." Pier repeated  looking at Nisha who was unsatisfied with his answer.

    "You arepletely cut off from the realm of the gods once inside my domain. Nobody will feel your presence nor would they hear your cries. I can trap you hear for as long as I like until you give me a satisfactory answer." She said, threatening Pier who onlyughed.

    "HAHAHAHAHA. Now you''re showing your true colors. That is more fitting for a person who holds on to all darkness." Pier said, with glee in his voice that disgusted Nisha even more.

    "Are you not going to give me any answers?" Nisha asked once more. Unsatisfied with what the god was showing.

    "You''d get punished for this you know. I won''t be staying silent my dear goddess." He continued. Enjoying the amount of pain he was experiencing.

    "Don''t worry. I''m sure you won''t be missed." She said, turning away and preparing to move out of her realm.

    But as she did, she felt cold steel hitting her.

    "What?" She said as golden blood came out of her mouth.

    "Peek a boo." Pier suddenly appeared behind her, kicking the goddess who fell to the ground.

    Nisha tried moving the darkness on her room but it was fluctuating. It didn''t listen to her the way it was supposed to and, she felt something else. An unfamiliar sensation for one who was never destined to die. It was death.

    "Ahhh you know what''s so ironic about this moment? It''s that you are the queen of void. Of emptiness. Of death. Yet all of that is also foreign to you. HAHAHAHA!" The god of mischief continued bellowing inughter; standing perfectly fine.

    "What did y-you do to m-me?" Nisha asked, feeling the cold embrace of death closing in little by little.

    "I told you didn''t I? That I''m the god of mischief and deceit?" He said, revealing his true nature. A barbaric god which found pleasure in death and ruination.

    "That dagger was one of the creations by the dwellers. One which you lot never found out. One which I personally researched and refined because, unlike you, I''ve been bidding my time. I''ve been storing more and more power on it, fueling its energy with all the negative emotions of mortals."

    Nisha began crawling out; trying to find any hole on her realm. Golden blood spilled out of her back  the blood of divinity which was rapidly leaving her body. She didn''t have long to live. But Pier was not satisfied with juts this.

    He stabbed her again. This time on the spinal column. Destroying Nisha''s ability to move altogether and, paralyzing her in ce.

    "The funny thing about it however, is that it evolved at a certain point. Ohh and what a wonderful evolution it was!" He proimed in glee.

    "You see, nowthis de can kill a god. And you are my lucky victim."

    Nisha was nearing death. Everything was hazy like a dream. It was funny, moments ago she was justughing with Chrono and Sinir. Yet, she didn''t know that it would be herst.

    There were a lot of other things which Pier said to her. But Nisha couldn''t hear these anymore. In fact, her hearing was slowly fading away just like all her other senses.

    Yet with thest ounce of her strength, she tried performing a trick. One which went against the rules of the heavens.

    "Please don''t notice." She whispered to herself as the goddess closed her eyespletely.

    Thus, it came to pass. The first ever recorded incident on the books of divinity. The queen of all gods. The firstborn Nisha.

    Was brutally murdered by her own kind.

 Chapter 170: Blueprints and Trickery

    Chapter 170: Blueprints and Trickery

    A lot of other things could still be said on what happened in the heavens. Indeed, a lot of questions now cover the events that transpired there. And it wasn''t something which could be solved that easily.

    The series of events have gone and stirred from bad to worse. With a certain minor god benefitting from all of these. Patiently bidding his time as he gained more powers. Murdering darkness herself.

    Meanwhile, back on Elysium, a certain someone just came back from another kind of darkness. Zeke woke up hearing the soft ocean waves reaching the shore. He felt the sand touching his hands. The sun was already up, warming his body up as he slowly regained all of his senses.

    [Wee Gamer]

    [System repairs are underway please wait]

    "What? System repairs?" He said, getting up and feeling his head tormented by an anguishing amount of pain. One which he hasn''t felt for a while now and he knew why.

    If the [System] was repairing itself, it meant that the [Gamer''s Mind] was also taken down. Apart from this, none of the functions of his [System Features] worked properly. Even the [Party Feature] and the [Minimap] were unavable for a while.

    Hence, the gamer decided to mediate instead. He didn''t know how useful it would be to quicken the repairs. Yet he was also sure of one thing. His state of mind has a direct effect to the [System]. And thus, he continued performing this for an hour.

    It was total silence. With Zeke trying to calm his nerves as he thought of the enemy over and over again. A silhouette that could destroy his [System]. Yet, there was something odd about all of this and, for his assumptions to be proven correct, he needed to get back to the scene of the event.

    "This is probably the dumbest idea I''ve ever cooked up in my life." He thought to himself; opening his eyes to the [System] greeting him once more.

    [Wee Gamer!] It started'' with all the [System] functions being organized by Zeke back to the settings he made.

    "Okay. That takes care of the basic controls." He said, prioritizing this as he knew that the next thing he''d perform would also take a lot of time. Quite frankly, it wasn''t the time he was worried about but all the questions that woulde with it.

    [Restore Party Members?]

    "Yes."

    [Understood. Please wait for the confirmation of the yers involved.]

    [Synching data]

    [Data Synch Sessful! The Two Parties have been reformed!]

    "Master!"

    "Honey!"

    "Sir Zeke!"

    "Daddy!"

    As soon as the [Party] was restored, Zeke got barraged by the greetings of hisrades. All having worry on their voices.

    "Heron." Zeke began.

    "Master! What Happened? Where are you?"

    "Can you all calm down for a minute."

    "HOW CAN WE BE CALM!"

    It was only for the duration of 12 hours. But everyone was already terrified with the thought of Zeke getting killed. This fear was even greater for both Heron and Morpheus. They didn''t know what mission he went to before themunication broke. All that Heron knew as that, Zeke needed to finish some things before meeting up in the forest. And yet, Zeke never came to the designated area. Making her and Morpheus worried.

    Making matters worse was the fact that the [Party Feature] got disabled for everyone. This made things in the Demon Continent as worrisome because everyone thought that something bad happened to Zeke. Yet they couldn''t leave their position because, they still had a mission t fulfill. All they could do was silently wait for him toe back.

    "Wait let''s get through the questions one by one okay? For now, just continue doing all the tasks Iid out for you."

    Zeke could hearints. Some were even angry at him; scolding the gamer who had a smile on his face.

    "Rx. I can''t die. Even if I do, I''ll probably find a way to get back to life. That''s how resilient I am." He continued.

    Of course they didn''t simply listen to him. So Zeke decided to [Mute] all other [Voice Chats] first. Talking with the leaders of the group one by one. He spoke with Sylph. Heron. And, Quinn who just woke up from his recovery.

    "That would be all. Please do as I say. We can''t run behind schedule guys." Hemanded, with everyone finally heeding his words. They trusted Zeke after all and, they weren''t ready to let go of this faith in him just yet.

    With this, everyone finally closed off the [Voice Chat]. Zeke moved to the next thing he needed to do which was, arranging his inventory.

    "Okay. If that works, then my inventory is sure to work as well." Zeke continued; opening themand which showed all of the items he had on his bag.

    It was the items he got from both [Kezel] and Gallio''s research facility that interested him the most and, none of these failed him.

    "Ahh yes. This is exactly what I need." He told himself, looking at the bag filled with an assortment of goods.

    He began with the scrolls. The information they held not only amazed Zeke but, sent a cold chill that crept all over his skin. On it were three operations which he synchronized with the [System]. Enabling him to open the blueprint on a [System Window].

    The first he opened concerned Kezel''s origins. Apparently, he was a result of countless souls forced to be mixed together. It was an entity that did not understand who it really was and so, de was able to turn its mind and make it believe that it was really Zeke Elwood.

    "This looks like a crude version of my [Conjure]." Zeke said, looking at the whole operation. Yet it was not the operation that frightened him but the actual implications it held. And if he was right then, there was great danger awaiting them.

    Zeke thought about it. How more clones bearing both his and Gallio''s powers were hidden within the ranks of de''s army. This weren''t opponents which any of the elites could beat nor could Sylvia, Heron, or Morpheus. None of them would be able to handle this because, the fake Zeke''s would have [The One Who Cheated Death].

    Yet something was also true. That on both Elysium and the Demon Continent, only one clone has ever appeared. And this was properly dealt with by Zeke.

    But the risk was still too high. With him already thinking of countermeasures in case this was actually true. While he did, he went on and opened the second blueprint.

    [God Killer]

    This was the name given to a dagger that came next. It had a snake embedded on its handle, with an obsidian crystal that was ced on the middle of the de. The blueprint told of how the weapon could be used to kill a god. It was exactly what Zeke was looking for. But the conditions in order for it to be such was something that Zeke couldn''t perform.

    What it needed was to be fed with negative emotions. Judging by the amount needed; Zeke requires at least a thousand years in Mythos in order to charge it properly.

    "I don''t have time for that." Zeke told himself, knowing that his ns couldn''t be dyed this long.

    Yet he still took the design in mind. With all the stones and crystals that he was able to take from the area; Zeke had enough to evolve his [Death''s Void] even further. Indeed, it was only a matter of time before he could arrive at a weapon of the same caliber.

    "Okay. Now onto thatst blueprint." As soon as Zeke opened it, he was both terrified and excite.

    Right in front of him was the prototype to reaching divinity. It told everything. From the begging of the ritual. To the sacrifices needed. To the type of body which could withstand it.

    This was the real deal because it was the same form Yaeger used to be a goddess. One which was developed by the Dwellers of old.

    "Of course it''d be something like this." He said, fearing the fights that were toe. de wasn''t back yet and he knew that if the elf ever came back, it would only spell trouble for them.

    He went through the instructions patiently. Looking at all the information which was held. Yet he couldn''t finish the form for one reason. Thest piece required was within the [Ruined City].

    It was a ce where the gods could peak at him and observe what he was doing once again. A ce where they could descend anytime to end his life.

    "They''re really cornering me here." He said,ughing nervously as he closed all the [Notification Windows].

    For Zeke, there was no point in worrying about these. All he could do was progress as quickly as he could. Destroying all the enemies that woulde in his way. And the fastest way to do this was for him to raid the remaining continents all on his own. Taking down all the crystals in order to close the two remaining portals.

    It would destroy his chances of finishing the form for divinity. Yet, it was also an assurance that de won''t be returning anytime soon. And it was because the rewards outweighed the losses that Zeke decided to take this as his next course of action.

    "But first I need to confirm my suspicion." He said, teleporting to the capital once again.

    The silhouetted enemy was strong. In fact, Zeke couldn''t even imagine how strong this enemy actually was. Nevertheless, he went because he was certain of one thing; his enemy was trapped there.

    "I hope I''m right." He said, with his heartbeat racing as he made his clone enter the area.

    His heartbeat raced as the clone reached closer. Yet, something even more impossible caught him there. At the spot where his clone went, there was no castle. Even the facility wasn''t underground. The clone looked through the ce properly but found no hints.

    Yet the puzzle didn''t end there. Zeke tried asking the people of the capital for clues but they all gave him a single unanimous answer. That:

    "No castle was built here."

 Chapter 171: Zekes Decision

    Chapter 171: Zeke''s Decision

    "I gotta hand it to him. This is probably the best trick I''ve seen in my life." Zeke said, hiding within a thick [Cloud of Dreams]. He knew that it would probably have little effect on his enemy. Nevertheless, Zeke kept it up for extra caution.

    The main fact at the moment was this. The enemy wiped out the memory of everyone in the capital. There was nobody who could tell Zeke that there was a castle there before. All of them unanimously said that none of the sort ever came there.

    "So these are the things I know about that person." He said, drawing the numbers one and two on the ground, adding more as he went along.

    Since he wows not under the influence of the silhouetted figure anymore, Zeke was already calm. His system was not broken so he was able to think properly; drawing out facts on the ground regarding his new enemy.

    1. My new opponent exceeds the normal power levels.

    This meant that he was on the same level as the gods. But Zeke also knew that the gods weren''t allowed to descend on any of the realms they''ve created unless it was already in a state like the [Ruined City] where no proper life could thrive.

    "But that is the only exnation on his power levels." Zeke said to himself; thinking of no other mortal who can reach the level of breaking his [System].

    "I mean, the contract with the main deities even stated that those guys can''t interfere with my system. Although that doesn''t include the minor gods." Zeke drew scribbles on the ground. One which had Sinir with horns sticking out of her boobs.

    de came to mind but, Zeke knew it wasn''t possible. He already destroyed the portal on Elysium connecting the [Ruined City] to it. Furthermore, Zeke knew that the king would at least be as powerful as he upon returning. At least, that''s a fact until Zeke reaches [Level 100]. The level where he unlocks [Samael], [Kezel], the full potential of the mark on his back and, the [Tertiary Job ss].

    "Let''s leave it at that for now." He said, noting these things down on his [System] which recorded the data for him.

    2. The silhouetted figure has a type of memory altering skill.

    "That perfectly exins what happened to the citizens here." Zeke drew a circle with dots inside, signifying both the capital and the citizens.

    "So it means that the range of that skill is at least as big as the capital" Zeke stopped drawing for a while.

    He thought that he didn''t put something into consideration. One connected to the radius of the skill. Hence, he opened the [Voice Chat]; speaking directly to one of his allies who''ve also gone to the capital.

    "Mory." Zeke said, wanting to confirm things.

    "Yes daddy? What do you need?" Morpheus gleefully responded.

    "I just need to rify something. When you went to the capital, did you see a castle?"

    "Uhmno. I didn''t. It''s only the strongholds and the armories that are there. Mixed in with the houses of the civilians of course. Why?"

    "I see. Don''t mind what I just said. Please continue what you are doing for now."

    "Okay!" Morpheus said in reply; with the [Voice Chat] being closed by Zeke.

    Morpheus was on an area near the shores of the continent. Meaning it was far from the capital which was at the center of the continent. Yet, even he had no recollection of such and area. This made Zeke scratch his data; changing it immediately.

    "So he can alter information as vast as a whole continent huh." Zeke drew this detail down. Creating arger circle which symbolized the continent.

    Zeke himself wasn''t worried about this anymore. The gamer bought all the mind strengthening skills which he could get from the [Skill Shop]. These served as firewalls, defending any breach from being made; allowing the gamer to resist the mentioned type of attack. Although, this dide at the cost of spending more [Skill Points]. Reducing the amount he had saved up for the [Ancient Spell].

    "Let''s proceed." Zeke thought, writing down the third fact on the ground.

    3. The silhouette can wipe arge structure off the grid, leaving no traces.

    This was a fact. Zeke was sure that it wasn''t his mind that was altered because, on the ce where the castle was supposed to be; there was nothing but an empty lot. This same empty space had the same dimensions of the castle. The ground waspletely fine though; with no signs of any underground entrances nearby.

    This was all the proof which Zeke needed to confirm his assumption. That, his enemy could perform mass transportation.

    "Aside from this, he was able to see through my clone. Meaning he has skills connected to mana interpretation." Zeke drew the eyes of the silhouetted figure, how it glowed a malevolent violet shade. One which he believed to be the source of this power.

    "Man, that guy must be plenty strong."

    Zeke closed his eyes in contemtion. These are skills which the gamer has discovered from the few minutes of encounter he had with the silhouetted enemy. All things considered; Zeke knew that there was no way to win. Not as he was currently, not without reaching [Level 100] at least.

    "Butthere''s another fact here." Zeke continued; smiling as he wrote down the final piece of the puzzle.

    "The enemy is iplete or hiding." It was the truth. Why would such a powerful creature remain hidden and underground? In fact, why would this person even run away as soon as he was discovered?

    "He has enough powers to take me down and rule all the continents himself. So why would that person not do so?" It was weird, especially because it was also an area owned by the former King Gallio.

    With this, Zeke wrote thest piece of information down. That, the new enemy was somehow connected to the Leonis household. Specifically, it''s sole living member. de.

    With all of this in mind, the gamer finally decided on his next course of action. His enemy was a ticking timebomb. One which could set off anytime. Thus, he needed to progress faster. The stabilization of the remaining continents could wait. The most important thing at the moment was for him to get stronger.

    For that to happen, he needed to reach [Level 100]. Something which the gamer knew exactly how. Thus, he opened the [Voice Chat] again; speaking with Heron who responded immediately.

    "Master?" Heron began.

    "Hey. I''m heading out to the next continent."

    "WHAT!?!"

    "Heron you''re overreacting."

    "Overreacting? Master do you even know how dangerous that is for you? Need I remind you that you suddenly disappeared for 12 hours."

    "Uhmm"

    "And don''t even try brushing that fact off saying something like you forgot the time. We all know that something bad happened to you. The party system broke down. And you, a person who always does things on time, suddenly disappeared for 12 hours!"

    "Okay fine. You got me." Zeke said in utter defeat.

    "But you need to do it don''t you? It''s the only option left right?" Heron continued in a low tone.

    "You know me so well." Zeke said in reply, smiling faintly.

    "It''s fine. I''ll be able to manage." Zeke continued, reassuring Heron who was getting even more worried.

    The fact was that they were in danger. Zeke can''t continue protecting them if it was a fight against that opponent. And the only way to win was to take the risk he was making. It was the only option. No other route was open for him. No matter how much eh thought about it. No matter how many calctions his [Gamer''s Mind] made, reaching [Level 100] was their only chance of winning.

    "I''m going to curse you if you die on me." Heron continued, getting a bad feeling about the act which Zeke was about to take.

    "Yes ma''am." Zeke said, moving on to the instructions that he needed to leave.

    "Make sure that both continents have been stabilized once I get back. There are leaders I have in mind for the continents of Helios and Elysium. The Windsprites would have to lead them."

    "But master we only have a single Windsprite at the moment." Heron replied, referring to Sylph.

    "Don''t worry. Soon I''ll be able to reunite the Windsprite siblings." Zeke continued.

    "How about Rak''shan and Mithril master?"

    "Let''s wait until I''ve conquered them first." Zeke already began his preparations for transport while he spoke.

    "Yes master." Heron simply replied.

    "Oh and help the elites while you''re at it. Get them out of the predicament which they''ve seemed to get themselves in." Zeke added.

    "Is there anything else master?" Heron asked.

    "None. That would be all Heron." Zeke was just about to press the [Close Voice Chat] button when Heron suddenly spoke.

    "Master... Please be careful."

    "Of course I will." Zeke simply replied, closing the [Chat] before Heron could add anything else.

    "Though I don''t know how that would be possible for this mission."

    With this, Zeke summoned Horizon which stood at an amazing 20 feet in height. Its ck mana formed the scales on its body while its eyes gleamed the same color as Zeke''s crimson eyes. The gamer patted its head, with the dragon getting delighted.

    "We''re going to war buddy." Zeke said; thinking of battle strategies for the fight that was toe as he rode on the back of the dragon.

    Horizon roared in excitement, extending its wings as it prepared to fly. Dark mist covered the two while the beast awaited its master''smand.

    "Let''s go." Zeke said, with Beastmen Continent of Rak''shan as their destination.

 Chapter 172: The Forming of Evil

    Chapter 172: The Forming of Evil

    Heron came back to Helios, the Demon Continent, as soon she could. There she was met by Sylph who was surprised by the fact that Heron came back early. Morpheus on the other hand was left on Elysium to handle some minor problems.

    Heron, on the other hand, was about to give the shocking updates to Sylph. She did so after they moved in the meeting room as it wasn''t information that was to be disclosed to the elites without ns being made yet. As soon as they arrived, Heron got the expected reaction from Sylph.

    "He did what?" Sylph said trying to contain her voice as much as possible.

    "You hear me the first time." Heron said in reply.

    "Ahh for crying out loud Zeke. What the hell is running through that head of yours." Sylph continued, making a facepalm as she felt a headache forming.

    "It''s not like we are in any position to stop him." Heron added, with Sylph looking at her; brows furrowing on her face. She wanted toin but couldn''t muster any strength for it so she simply sighed.

    "Yeah and I don''t believe we can stop him even if we tried." The Windsprite added.

    The two chuckled among themselves. They thought of how unpredictable Zeke could be at times. Making decisions that no other mortal would even dare joke about. Defeating 10 [Chaos Dragons] all on his own. Destroying most of the fortresses on each continent. These were only some of the crazy stunts which he performed with the addition of a [One-Man Raid] now at the top of his list.

    "So what do we need to do." Heron asked, wanting an update from Sylph.

    The Windsprite showed her the map which they have alreadypleted. All thendmarks. The danger zone. The monster areas. The caves. All of these were visible on the [Minimap].

    "Impressive." Heron apuded.

    "Yeah it''s all thanks to those kids." Sylph said, feeling proud of the achievement made by the elites.

    "Anyway shall we continue?" Sylph asked; with Heron nodding in agreement.

    "For starters, leader of the elites just woke up. So, there''s that. Quinn umted a lot of damage from the fight and his weapon was even destroyed in the process."

    "Is that how dangerous the enemies down there are?" Heron asked; knowing how capable Quinn is.

    "Not necessarily. I''ll exin details regarding thatter." Sylph continued.

    "Anyway. While he was recovering, we''ve expanded the map and, now we have the whole area''s terrain." Sylph said, with Heron looking at the details before speaking.

    "So there are five caves in total?" The Dragon Morpher asked.

    "Yes. Since the remains of the mythical creature is nowhere to be seen, we''re guessing that it''s on one of those caves. But the problem is that we can''t afford destroying them since the rift would expand even more. That would immediately result in the rift''s hole expanding even more. Enabling the release of more [Chaos Poison] all over the continent."

    "Is that the reason you spoke of? Regarding the strength of the enemies down the rift?"

    "Yes. Don''t get me wrong. The elites can probably destroy the monsters within the cave. But with the handicap I mentioned, those kids can''t go all out."

    "Yeah, that would be a big problem indeed" Heron said in reply; thinking of what could be done in the fight.

    "However, things have change drastically now that you''vee into the picture." Sylph continued. Smiling excitedly from the n she cooked up.

    "And why is that? Heron simply replied.

    "Well for starters, you have that skill [Cloud of Dreams]." Sylph changed the view back to the top of the rift. There they saw the gap where the [Chaos Poison] oozed out of.

    "We can use that skill of yours to cover the top of the rift. While you''re at it, everyone else can go down and fight the monsters without worry." Sylph presented a map which showed the skill blocking the poison.

    "So you''re thinking of using my skill to plug it momentarily? Removing any chances of the rift actually expanding the position released?" Heron sat there, with arms folded below her chest.

    "Yup."

    "That actually sounds like a decent n. But you know that it''s a double-edged sword, right?" Heronmented.

    "I know."

    This was the danger that ran through both Heron and Morpheus'' heads. If the rift was to be closed using [Cloud of Dreams] then it means that the [Poison] would also be contained within the rift.

    As time passes, the poison would inevitably thicken; making the area more hazardous than it actually was. This means that the equipment they used won''t be able to defend the for long. Hence, requiring the mission to be finished as quickly as possible.

    For this reason alone, Heron was hesitating with the n. It was a good n of course. It made use of what resources they had in the most optimal way. Yet, she also knew how much danger it entailed. This worry was showing on her face so Sylph added a little something to calm her worries down.

    "Don''t worry, if thigs start going south, I''ve specifically instructed them toe back immediately. We have the teleportation ready and, I also have a way to transport to them in case that''s not enough." She said, staring at Heron with a look of confidence on her face.

    "Okay. Let''s go with that." Heron said, finally agreeing.

    "Let''s move on to the other problems we may encounter."Sylph said, showing cracks on the top of the rift.

    "As you can see, cracks may appear on other parts of the rift. But for that, I''ll be leaving one of the defenders who specializes on creating barriers. He''ll be cing those on top of the holes. Patching them up with barriers while the mission is underway."

    "Should the circumstance arise of more cracks appearing than what could be plugged; it won''t be much of a problem. With the main rift closed, the small openings could only emit the normal amount at maximum." Sylph said, showing every step of the n. Having every step cleanlyid out.

    "I see why master Zeke has appointed you to this post now. You''re a really capable strategist." Heron said and, Sylph couldn''t answer back for a while. With her cheeks blushing from the mention of Zeke trusting her.

    "Of course I need to be a capable wife for him." She thought to herself, pretending to clear her throat as she calmed her heartbeat which rose a bit.

    "But how about the kids which would be deployed? Are you sure that they''re up for the challenge? Their leader almost got killed after all." This was thest worry on Heron''s mind. One which decided if the n was to push through or not.

    "I believe they could handle themselves. You''d be surprised at how much experience they''ve gained just from farming the mobs down the rift." Syph said, pressing on the [Data Window] and giving it to Heron whose eyes widened in amazement.

    "Oh my. It looks like master Zeke have made the right choice in deploying them here." She said, looking at their levels. All of which exceeding 100 already. None of them have chosen a job ss yet however as they waited for Zeke''s opinion on the matter.

    "The only wall we''ve hit was on the cave. Other than that, I believe that the elites could handle their own down there."

    "Okay let''s do it then." Heron said, giving her approval of the n.

    With all this being said, the meeting was after an hour of preparation. Heron brought more suppliesing from Zeke and, she also told of the elites about the n which was underway. They got the same reaction as Sylph written all over their faces and on their voices as they eximed in shocking surprise.

    Nevertheless, they were excited because they were actually going to be finished with the mission. With one exception of course. Quinn was silent all throughout and Jake could feel it. He could feel how unsatisfied their leader was with himself. He knew the feeling all too well. After all, he''s done nothing but catch up to Quinn all this time.

    Yet he didn''t address this. He didn''t talk with Quinn about it and allowed their leader to feel the pain. He thought of how the pain could fuel Quinn to get stronger. And maybe this was the wrong choice to make because not all grow from a slump such as this.

    "Your desires will change based on what the world can offer."

    This was what Zeke told them before. The same principle that was taking effect in Quinn.

    He wanted to get even stronger. Strong enough to get epted by Zeke. Strong enough to be on equal footing with the gamer. Strong enough to be called the vest once again. He was thirsty for the same kind of acknowledgement that made people call him the apex of humanity. The summit of all that humans could evolve to.

    He knew exactly how this could be done. He knew how he could gain enough power to close that unbelievably wide gap.

    Quinn decided to devour the boss monsters and the mythical creature''s corpse. He decided to take all that the rift had in store for him. Thinking that, if he was truly the strongest, then consuming that many monsters won''t be a problem for him.

    "I am strong. I am the strongest." He said to himself, spiraling down a darker path.

 Chapter 173: Rematch

    Chapter 173: Rematch

    "Is everyone all set?" Sylph asked looking at the whole group behind her.

    They all wore the same equipment; preventing them from intaking any of the [Chaos Poison]. They looked like a bunch of humans from an apocalyptic gue, only that they were the ones who''d actually murder the gue.

    "Were done with the formations. You all know where to go right?"

    "Yes ma''am!" Was their resounding reply.

    Everyone was nervous and excited at the same time. They were nervous because it was anotherrge-scale operation and, a life threatening one at that. Yet they were also excited because they were going to fight head on once again.

    The n was simple enough to follow through. Yet, Sylph wanted to clear something out before she decided to let them all go.

    "Quinn are you sure that you can handle it alone?" Sylph asked; with the leader of the elites prepared to dive down.

    "Definitely." He replied  eyes filled with determination.

    The group had only one problem. The number of the elites was not enough to raid all the caves at once. Sylph herself needed to stay outside in order for her to teleport whenever the need arises. It was also a way for her to measure just how long they could stay down the rift as; the outside of the caves had the thickest amount of [Poison].

    Then there were the stronger members of the elites including Kaguya, Jake, Gawain, Quinn, and Mirio. Yet they didn''t have enough members to deploy to five areas. There were only twenty elites after all. This was when Quinn suggested to let him raid one cave on his own. The first one at that.

    Of course, Quinn didn''t give this suggestion unprepared. Indeed, the leader of the elites raise a couple of points. All proving that his choice was both sane and logical.

    "I know the structure well enough." Quinn began. This was a fact since he came with the first exploration group.

    He knew what to expect within the cave. What the terrain held for him and, how to make use of everything for his own advantage. With this he moved to the second point being:

    "I have everyone''s skills at my disposal." This was undeniably true.

    With the skills of all his allies at his disposal, Quinn was already like all the elites in one body. Of course he couldn''t use all skills at once. Nevertheless, the point made it safer to assume that he could survive. Quinn then stated his third point:

    "My skill can cancel out the skill of the [Boss Monster]." This was the biggest point of all.

    Nobody from the exploration group was able to do what Quinn did. He broke the chains made by the enemy allowing him to move freely and fight. Of course the enemy still had a huge supply of these chains but, nevertheless the fact still stood.

    "If anyone elsees with me, they may only be casualties as they''d be bound down by those chains." He said, with all his points being both logical an true.

    It still sounded too risky but with all that Quinn said, Sylph decided to go along. It was only this that she needed; logical facts to support the seeming madness of Quinn. Yet, she couldn''t also help but feel a bit restless. She felt that something has changed with the boy when he woke up. One which was slowly growing inside of him.

    Thus, the groupings were finalized. Jake. Mirio. Kaguya. Gawain. These four led the other elites on the remaining four caves. While the first cave was all up to Quinn to finish.

    "Under no circumstance are you to continue the mission if you know that you will be put in too much risk. Report to me immediately when things get problematic. I''ll help you finish the task." She reminded them, with everyone nodding in agreement.

    "Heron are you ready?" Sylph asked, looking at the Dragon Morpher who wore the same equipment as them.

    "Oh don''t mind me. I''ll be able to manage." The Dragon said, with her mental image of the activation range being set.

    "Okay. Let''s go and finish this mission shall we?" Sylph said, moving closer and closer to the rift until she fell down.

    Sylph charged an arrow using her [Infinity Bow] while she descended. There was a trick which she used, allowing her to gather the wind in the area. This pulled most of the poison to her as it served as a kind of vacuum. In fact, it was so strong that even the elites were getting sucked in.

    "Which side is she on!" Jake eximed, nting his javelin on the ground in order to avoid getting pulled.

    Then, upon reaching the ground, Sylph released it from her bow. This created a gust of wind so strong that, it divided the cloud of poison in half. All blowing upwards where everyone was ready. The elites had purifying crystals on their hands, sucking up all the poison and effectively clearing the rift.

    "How strong is she." Red eximed, finally witnessing Sylph get serious.

    "I think she''s a lot stronger than you think." Julia said in reply as they all looked at the [Minimap].

    It was clear as day. They could see all the red dots below the rift signifying the no part of it was covered by the poison. Aside from this, most of the monsters have been dealt with by Sylph''s first shot. But things didn''t end there.

    "Two." She said; firing again.

    The second arrow contained just as much force as the first one. Wind itself seemed like a furry of des that ripped the monsters to shreds. This cleared out the remaining monsters which amazed the elites even more. Yet Sylph didn''t allow them time to apud her as shemanded:

    "Now!"

    With this the elites all teleported down. The trick Sylph used could only be used once. They didn''t have any more [Purifying Crystals] to use anymore. With the attack done by Sylph, she at least extended the time they couldst by a couple of minutes. But this also ced a huge strain on her arm which had the poison running up.

    "Shit that stings." She said; countering it immediately.

    She was once injected with some dark mana after all. So much so that her body was not foreign to corruption. Hence, the [Chaos Poison] didn''t damage her as much as it should. Only giving her arm an immense amount of pain while she destroyed every ounce of the poison.

    "I didn''t think you had it in you." Heron said, amazed on Sylph''s disy.

    "Shut up." Was all that the elf archer said; smiling with the mission flowing just as she nned.

    As for the elites, they immediately went inside the caves designated to them. With the poison cleared up, they had no troubles getting there. Every group had a way to illumine the path in front of them. Zane used his fire spell and so did Merlin. Zilg used traps containing shbangs that allowed his team to have vision of the map ahead using their [Minimap] while also blinding the monsters there momentarily. Then Horus had [Lightbugs], literal creatures which shone as bright as day.

    As for surprise attacks, each team had a defender ready. They all had barriers set up around them; preventing any surprise attacks from being made. Aside from this, they had a bnce of melee, range and support.

    Every monster they came in contact with met their unfortunate end. There was no enemy too great for every group which had each other''s back. In fact, they moved even quicker than expected. Clearing out parts of the cave one by one and destroying the monsters along the way.

    This wasrgely due to the fact that they leveled up a lot. It was a fact that Zeke actually gave them this mission for this specific goal. He wanted them to get stronger while also preventing them from encountering any danger. With the amount of experience they harvested, the enemies were nothing to them anymore. In fact, it was so easy for Jake that he activated the [Voice Chat] and issued a challenge.

    "Hey guys, let''s see who''ll get to the finish line fastest."

    "Seriously Jake?"Eerie said, not liking the idea one bit.

    "I''m in." Quinn simply said, closing of the [Voice Chat] and continuing to move forward.

    He was the only member who didn''t have anything with him. He had no defender to create a barrier. No ally to provide light. No person to fire range attacks. He was all by himself and it was probably because of this that Quinn began showing another side of him. One which never came out before.

    "Come on now, don''t be shy." He said, using Amare''s [Vision] skill in order to see through the dark. He didn''t bother bringing any torches anymore or any item that could tell his enemies that he was already there. He swiftly moved through the darkness with all physical enhancements active.

    Aside from this, Kaguya''s Darkness Veil served as a perfect camouge. This together with Curio''s [Shadow Step] prevented his presence from being felt as he killed the monsters swiftly and effectively.

    One. Two. Three. Quinn counted the number of checkpoints which he passed through the minimap. With every boss monster getting destroyed through attacks on their weak points. Quinn still refused to destroy the cave. Wanting it to be part of his aplishment. He wanted to finish in the fastest and most perfect way possible.

    This continued on for at least ten minutes. Upon which, Quinn finally reached the area where the boss monster was. The one which sullied his pride and made him retreat. The one which he needed to take down in order to redeem himself.

    "There you are." He said, getting eyes that glowed through the darkness. A bright violet stone floated on top of the monster''s staff revealing its half its body. With a gleeful expression stered on the monster''s face. As if telling Quinn that he had no chance of winning.

    "Don''t worry. This won''t be anything like thest time."

 Chapter 174: The Winner

    Chapter 174: The Winner

    Quinn didn''t have his weapon anymore. As mentioned, it was already broken due to the fight within the same cave. Hence, he needed an alternative. One which was provided for by the monsters which he killed within the same area.

    Since some of the monsters use swords, axes, bats, and other weapons, Quinn was able to keep on getting them. The weapons shattered of course since; these were poorly made. But this didn''t matter because he had enough lying all over the ce; waiting for someone to pick them up.

    "Thank you for all the weapons." He said, battling through the waves of enemies with ease as he stayed on the shadows.

    This was an act which he continued to do until he reached the current point. Facing the same enemy which sullied his name and reputation. On his hands were two broadswords. Five knives were hidden within his pockets and he also had arrowheads ready just in case.

    "Let''s dance." He said, with the monsters charging towards him.

    Goblins. Minotaurs. Ogres. Orcs. These were all the monsters that fought against Quinn. Not including the four other [Mini Boss] which also waited for their time to strike.

    Of course he knew that these monsters already had their eyes adjusted to the darkness so he didn''t expect them to have a hard time. But he also knew that the [Darkness Veil] had the same effect of being darkness itself, making him practically invisible. This was stacked with Curio''s [Shadow Step] which hid the sounds of his movement.

    The move was already proven to be effective on the other parts of the cave so Quinn knew that it would also work there. The monsters didn''t know what wasing to them as their allies dropped one by one on. Yet they still continued iling their weapons in the air, trying to catch their enemy. But to no avail.

    The [Boss] seemed to notice this because, it decided to light up the room. Using the same gem on top of its staff; the [Boss] gave a violet glow to the ce revealing the whole area as a consequence of this act.

    "Thank you." Quinn said, with everything moving as he nned.

    He used their own advantage against them. He made them blind in the darkness; one hwihc they should already have expertise on. And with the whole area clearing up, Quinn finally saw how the [Boss] looked like.

    Wearing a robe of ck, with linings of violet all around. The [Boss] had the same face of a goat but a bit more grotesque as six eyes were on its face. All of which looked at different directions. It had rolled horns tucked within its hood and, the creature stood at an amazing 7 feet in height. With most of its body hidden by the robe.

    "At least you look like a proper opponent." Quinn said, rousing the fury of the [Boss] as it screamed.

    This wasn''t any normal scream. It was one that boosted all the monsters. Quinn saw them transform immediately in a matter of seconds. With their muscles growing even more and their veins seemingly popping out of their skins. They also increased in height and now had a dark violet shade as their skin tone. Their weapons zed with purple mes and these same creatures continued fighting the elite.

    The [Boss]ughed like a madman. It saw how the elite seemed to struggle with the sudden boost of the underlings. Then Quinn sighed, finally adjusting to the power level of the opponents.

    "You changed colors? So what?" He said  stabbing one monster and leaving the de there. The weapon bursted into a pir of ice, piercing through the monsters which were also on the back.

    "You lit up the room? So what?" He continued. Quinn used his remaining broadsword and coated it in dark mana. Making a gigantic swing which cut off [50 Ogres] in half.

    "You think that''s enough to defeat me?" He said. Continually moving throughout the battlefield. Picking up the weapons left by the monsters and throwing them away immediately after being used.

    The [Boss] was furious. It wanted the enemy dead and Quinn knew this. Thus, he waited for the chains toe for him. He waited for the [Boss] to release the same attack which he was waiting for. But the fight only dragged on yet the chains never came out.

    "Could it be?" He said to himself, moving to an area where there were no monsters.

    As soon as he did, the chains finally sprang from the ground. At this Quinn smiled; understanding the nature of the [Boss''] chains.

    A minotaur then came. Swinging its axe on Quinn. The elite dodged this easily; throwing two knives in mid-air. One hitting the wall at the furthest back of the cave while the other pierced through the skull of the minotaur  stunning it momentarily.

    Two more axes tried hitting him during this interval. But this was only used as stepping tools for Quinn tond on the head of the unfortunate stunned minotaur.

    "Coming through." Quinn said, cing both hands on his knife as he made a downward swing; cutting the monster in half.

    The other minotaurs came soon after but Quinn was prepared. He had stepped all over the battlefield with [Darkness Veil] being active and this meant one thing. He could summon the hands of darkness to bind down the enemies.

    The monsters got surprised as they couldn''t move anymore. Quinn didn''t give them time to understand the whole situation as he took the axe and enveloped it in ice. Extending the length of the bale as it formed the shape of a scythe.

    The [Boss] fired a few purple mes at Quin which force the elite to dodge once again. But he didn''t let go of the weapon in fact, he used [Weapon Blink] to swap ces with the knife he threw at the wall of the cave.

    Quinn was in a position to clear off all the minotaurs and he didn''t; shy away from doing so.

    "Don''t mind if I do." Eh said, reaping all of the heads of these monsters with a single full swing. Shattering the makeshift [Ice Scythe] in the process.

    The goblins came next and for them, Quinn had something special prepared. He summoned what is referred to as [Medusa Flies]. These small summons entered through the wounds of the goblins; eating at their flesh and turning them to stone slowly. Before they died, they stared at other goblins which also began getting petrified. The attack came like a wave. With the goblins getting turned to stone without any being left.

    "Don''t stop now." Quinn said, getting a wide grin from the [Boss] monster as the [Chains] finally came up one by one.

    Quinn knew that this would be the oue. He understood from the experiment he did a while ago that, the chains could bind the monsters just as much as it could bind him. It wasn''t an attack that chose its targets. Instead, the [Chains] bind the closest thing within proximity.

    But the [Mini Bosses] were still alive and Quinn used them in order to execute his n against the [Chains]. The elite evaded some while he destroyed others; using the weapons lying around. He continued this until a [Mini Boss] finally tried attacking him.

    This was the moment which he waited for. Quinn dodged again using [Weapon Blink]. Effectively swapping ces with a weapon nted on a dead ogre''s body.

    The other bosses tried dong the same and while they were at it, the long range units tried to shoot down Quinn. Yet none of this proved to be useful. Quinn continued [Weapon Blinking] all over the ce. Disappearing from one area and immediately appearing on another. Firing spell after spell while he killed and avoided the [Chains].

    The [Boss] screamed in fury. Not being able to take down its opponent. It created multiple purple mes. A hundred to be exact and, these beganing towards Quinn. But the elite also had something prepared for this.

    "Oblivion" he casted; with the spell eating up all the mes emitted by the enemy.

    The enemy then ordered its troops to fight. Yet, there was only silence. This was the moment when the [Boss] finally realized what happened.

    With all its frustration built up, it didn''t notice that Quinn already wiped out most of its forces. In fact, there were only a few loyal minotaurs left. Quinn however didn''t; have any more weapon to use so he beat these monsters to death using his fists. Ripping apart one of the minotaurs, with its blood spraying all over him.

    "That''s it. Keep iting! Keep on going!" He said, fight drunk and wanting more.

    But as he looked around, there was nothing left. Only the [Boss] which tried binding down the human who had no weapons avable. Yet Quinn simply teleported again.

    "Is that all?" He asked. Appearing on another area as he swapped locations with a broken axe.

    The [Boss] furiously screamed. Enough for the whole structure to shake. And at this Quinn got surprised because, all the creatures he just defeated came back to life. They weren''t actually so but rather; the monsters turned undead.

    "Ah so you''re a Necromancer." He said, with his smile widening as the adrenaline pumped back on his veins.

    "Don''t keep me waiting. Let''s end this."

    Quinn didn''t let up. He continued fighting while the [Necromancer] only got pushed back more and more. There was a limit to just how much mana it could spend after all. A limit which it soon reached as Quinn continued performing in tip top shape.

    Thus, all the undead creatures finally got destroyed. Quinn stood in the middle of the battlefield, soaked with all the blood that came with the fights. He stepped on the ground coated in the same liquid as he went his way toward the [Necromancer].

    The monster attacked Quinn head on. It tried using its staff to beat down the enemy as ast resort but even this proved to be futile. With Quinn grabbing the staff effortlessly with a single hand.

    "And here I thought you''d actually pose as a real challenge." Quinn said, with the monster firing a spell that hit Quinn''s mask. It blew up the equipment; revealing his face while the [Chaos Poison] began working its way through his body.

    The [Necromancer] thought that it already won. That it was a checkmate. Yet a fist found its way through the monster''s chest; grabbing on to its heart and taking it out. The creature only had fear on its face as it watched its own heart slowly beating untilit was no more.

    "I''m going to be needing this." Quinn said, feeling the effects of the [Chaos Poison]kicking in as he said:

    "Consume."

 Chapter 175: The Race

    Chapter 175: The Race

    [You have gained the skill  Chaos Poison Immunity]

    [You have gained the skill  Necromancy]

    [Skill Description: Allows the user to raise nearby corpses to life for a limited time.]

    [You have gained the skill  Shackles of Death]

    [Skill Description: Allows the caster to bind enemies using the chains of the dead.]

    [Skill Requirement: 1,000 mana points per casting.]

    "Hmm this should be enough." Quinn said, moving his body and feeling the immunity kcik in.

    He looked at the crystal which was on the top of the staff. No matter how he stared at it, the crystal fitted the hole of the wall in front of him. Yet no effect came upon cing it. The crystal just stayed there; making Quinn think about something else. He immediately contacted the other elites to inform them of his idea.

    "Guys." Quinn began, with everyone responding immediately.

    "Hey Mr. leader what part are you in now?" Jake asked in apetitive voice.

    "Oh I''m already finished." Quinn replied passively.

    "You''re what?" Curio said in reply, with everyone elseughing in amazement.

    "Nevermind that. Listen." Quinn said, making everyone else stop for a while.

    "When you fight at the [Boss Stage] look for a crystal that the monsters are keeping. Whatever color or form it may be."

    "Why is that Quinn?" Kaguya asked; curious.

    "Well you see, I got one from the [Boss] monster on my area and it fitted perfectly on the wall. But there was no effect. I''m guessing we all need to ce the crystals for something to activate."

    "That''s very witty of you Mr. leader." Sylphmented as she also listened in on the conversation.

    "Anyway, I''ll be staying here for a while. Just hit me up if you guys need any help." The leader of the elites said.

    "Like hell I will!" Jake replied and with that, their [Voice Chat] finally ended.

    Everyone was d that Quinn finished first. It made the mission much more bearable because. they not only gained motivation but confidence knowing that they''d be theughing stock of the group if they failed toplete what a single elite member could.

    "Guys remember that bet?" Gawain said, opening the [Voice Chat] again.

    "Yeah what of it?"

    ''I''m in." Gawain said.

    "What do you mean you''re in? Quinn already finished man."

    "Then let''s just see which among the four groups can finish first. What do you say." The elite sniper furthered.

    "Sounds fine by me." Jake replied in excitement.

    "Yeah count me in." Mirio confirmed.

    "Boys." Was the only thing Kaguya said as she had no say about the matter anymore. With three leaders agreeing to it already.

    Thus, the elites all made their way with a smile on their face. And an excitement that they couldn''t hide. They continued clearing their areas quickly. Destroying all the monsters without much worry until, they all reached the [Boss] stage in almost the same time.

    Kaguya''s team consisted of her, Mordred, Julia and Lizzie. Their enemy is a [Basilisk] like creature yet it didn''t have any wings. The creature however was able to speak.

    "I''m going to enjoy having you guys for supper." The Basilisk said in glee, nning to eat the elites.

    "Man, that''s one disgusting lizzard." Mordredmented; making the monster furious.

    The [Basilisk] summoned multiple reptile humanoids with spears as their primary weapon. These creatures had wings which allowed them to hover on the air. The area was high enough for the monsters to fly and they did with much speed.

    The [basilisk]ughed, knowing that its imminent victory was approaching. But Kaguya simply looked at Lizzie, their enhancer, who nodded back at her. Thus, before the first strike could even be made by the enemies, Kaguya outstretched her arm and casted:

    "Oblivion."

    The skill automatically began swallowing everything it could reach. The whole area was trapped in her [Oblivion] which began sucking up the enemies.

    Of course the [Basilisk] didn''t let this slide. The creature spitted acid like projectiles that aimed at Kaguya in order to stop the skill. But Mordred was there; with a barrier sessfully set up just in time to stop the projectiles.

    "It kinda stings so you better hurry up with that." Mordred said; knowing that she could only handle a couple of shots.

    "Gotcha." Kaguya simply said, increasing the power of [Oblivion] using [Multiplier].

    Lizzie also added the amount of power which the spell held. Slowly, this also took in the [Basilisk] which tried its best to stay on the ground. It wed the earth below and even tried to take the healer, Julia, with it.

    Mordred didn''t a low this however. The defender created another barrier on Julia''s side which prevented the tail from getting her.

    "Wait that''s the gem right?" Mordredmented; seeing that specific part of the monster shine with a green emerald on its tip.

    "Yup. Definitely." Kaguya simply said, closing oblivion with only the tail remaining.

    It was still squirming which disgusted Julia so Mordred beat it up until the tail was no longer moving. They took the emerald look for the hole on the wall which Quinn mentioned. Upon recognizing that there was really one, they ced the gem inside which fitted perfectly.

    "Done." Kaguya said, with [1:25:00] under her team''s belt.

    Jake''s team had the proud javelin as the leader. The other members of the team consisted of Gerard as the defender of the group. Zane the sorcerer. And Zilg the trap expert.

    Their personalitiesplemented one another except for the cool-headed Zane. The three wanted to just tackle every area head on and if it wasn''t for Zane who ced the brakes on them, they would have been in a lot of trouble more times than he could count. That is probably why he had such a splitting headache as they finally reached the boss stage.

    As for their enemy, it was a gigantic [Minotaur] which had four arms. On its wrists were chains which were also used as the monster''s primary weapon. Aside from this, it also had horns which were sharp enough to pierce through their bodies.

    The fight began with Jake using a massive impaling skill to try and stop the monster from advancing. Unlike the other bosses, it didn''t have any minions. Suggesting that the [Minotaur] was living solitarily as the other creatures were afraid of it.

    The attacks did little work as even the skin of the beast was sturdy. They tried using elemental spells which also did little to hold back the creature.

    "Hey let''s do formation Alpha." Jake suggested, dodging the [Minotaur] that tried ramming him.

    "Since when did we have our own formation?" Gerard said in reply, creating a barrier which blocked the [Minotaur''s] chains that simultaneously went after the other three members.

    "Uhm since I said so? Anyway that just means keep on attacking." Jake said, leading the charge with everyone following suit.

    It was a difficult opponent to fight. But they defeated it nevertheless. They found its gem on one of the shackles connected to the wrist chains. Zane ced it on the area in the wall which indicated that the gem should be there.

    "Piece of cake." Jake said, with [1:30:00] as their finishing time.

    Mirio led the third group which probably had the best chemistry among all groups. They supported each other perfectly well and the members of his party are the following: Merlin the Elementalist Mage. Vostok the Defender and Shielder. Curio the Ninja Assassin. Eerie the Gambling Archer.

    Most of the melee was dealt with by Mirio. Attacking head on while all other members provided support for him. It was their first time having him as a leader and yet they were also surprised at how reliable he was. Of course Eerie didn''t let this slide and tried matching the pacing of their leader while Curio effectively dealt with the enemies at the backlines.

    Upon reaching thest stage, they found themselves pitted against a creature which not only cloned itself but also, copied each member of the elites. It was a difficult fight for them as, the enemies were almost at the same level as they.

    "Bring it on you fakes!" Mirio shouted, burning with excitement from fighting himself.

    It was a close match at first. But as soon as Mirio activated [Inner Ring], the fight turned to their favor. As he not only defeated his clone but also assisted the others in doing so themselves.

    As soon as they defeated the [Boss] monster, it melted and left a sapphire-colored gem on the ground. Curio picked this up and ced it on the wall as instructed by Quinn.

    "Whew. That''s a good workout right there." The team leader said, finishing at [2:00:00].

    At this point one would expect that Kaguya''s team would win. Indeed with such a quick finishing of thest stage, they were the fastest thus told. But thest group proved to be the dark horse in this race.

    The fourth team consisted of Gawain the spinning archer as the leader. Followed by the Healer Red. The Summoner Horus. The Scout Amare. And the Defender Brook.

    With theposition stated, they had a simple tactic. Horus would deploy the [Light Bugs] first while Amare used her eyes to see as far as she could. Once they confirmed the enemies and their numbers, Gawain would use his ultimate snipping skill against the [Mini Boss] while Horus simply made his [Blood Hounds] attack. The summoned creatures got stronger the more they attacked and ate and, the cave was the perfect ce to perform this trick as the enemies were weak at first. Allowing the hounds to have an easier time devouring their prey.

    Upon reaching thest area, the [Hounds] were already mature. Able to stand on the same level as the [Mini Bosses]. But they didn''t use these to attack. In fact, Gawain specifically instructed Horus to calm his summons down as Amare looked at the boss monster.

    With her secondary ss, Amare was able to locate the weak point of any enemy. A skill which proved to be useful for aposition that had a sniper as their leader. She gave the exact coordinates to Gawain who continued charging mana to a single arrow.

    "They said we can destroy the cave right?" He asked Amare just to make sure.

    "Yes. But don''t destroy the wall at the back. We'' need that." Amare said. Seeing the spot where they needed to ce the gem right away.

    "Gotcha." Was all that he said, firing a kilometer away from the [Boss] monster''s location. Gawain killed it in a single shot destroying parts of the cave but nevertheless keeping most of it intact. Horus then proceeded to making the [Hounds] attack. The beasts killed off all the remaining underlings of the already defeated [Boss] monster.

    "That was easy enough." Gawain mentioned. Picking up the opal gem and plugging it on the hole. Finishing at a surprising [1:15:00]

    With all the groups being done with their quests, the wall glowed colors based on the gems ced. These came as part of the inscriptions which began filling up the walls as the ground shook like no other.

    "Guys get out of there!" Sylph immediately said through the [Voice Chat] chat.

    The elites had no chance to reply however as even the [Voice Chat] was forced to disconnect. No only this but, the other features of the [Party] was unavable to them.

    They tried using their teleportation scrolls but none of these worked. The cave continued shaking as if it were to copse and, soon enough, the team was caught in a blinding sh of light.

    [You have been transported to the Secret Dungeon.]

 Chapter 176: Against the Chaos Poison

    Chapter 176: Against the Chaos Poison

    "Wee. I didn''t think that anyone would actually be able to reach this ce but here you are." A man wearing a violet yukata was in front of the group.

    He had horns sticking out of his forehead with a shade of ck. His hair is violet in color, dark enough to be the same as the [Chaos Poison]. This color matches his eyes that seemed snake like while his yukata also shared the same color. His skin had scales which weren''t very noticeable and, on his shoulder is a small serpent.

    Aside from the man, the group looked at their surroundings. It was a small piece ofnd on top of a sea of [Poison cloud] below them. Large rock formations were everywhere but aside from this; no form of life thrived on the soil.

    "Who are you and where are we?" Quinn asked, prepared to attack anytime. Holding on to the staff of the [Necromancer] as his temporary weapon.

    "Oh my. You don''t have a mask on like your friends there." The man said, looking intently at Quinn; with a smile forming on the strange man''s face.

    "You better answer before things get ugly." Jake said as everyone else took up their guard. They knew that nothing good coulde from the rift after all. And that includes a man who lived on top of a small area that had a thick sea of poison beneath it.

    "Ahh kids these days are so rude." The man simply said; walking toward them.

    "Guys this bad." Amare said in reply.

    "It''s the [Mythical Creature]. The one that created all the [Chaos Poison]." She continued; with their enemy standing perfectly still. There was still a wide distance between them, just enough for Gawain to snipe the enemy.

    "That''s it. Thank you for saving me the trouble little missy. That is indeed me. Slytherin, the creature who spread the poison over wherever my corpse might be. Although I''m not a big fan of death so here I am." He said, taking the serpent on his shoulders which turned to a double katar  a weapon gripped by the hand with a singr long de just in front of the fist.

    Quinn gave a quick order, with the defenders cing a barrier around them. Merlin and Zane started chanting while Horus already summoned a pack of [Shadow Wolves].

    "Wanna know how to get out of here? It''s simple actually." Slytherin said, making a single step and vanishing from their field of vision.

    There wasn''t even any time for the elites to react. Their opponent repapered in front of them, merely touching the barrier with one of his katara and shattering itpletely. The smile was still on their enemy''s face as he said:

    "You need to defeat me."

    The elites moved immediately. Horus'' [Shadow Wolves] pounced at the target who merely stepped back as he killed the [Wolves] one by one. While this happened, Gawain fired arrow after arrow, only for the opponent to dodge each one. It wasn''t even an effortful dodge. He waszily moving his body as if the attack was not even enough of a threat to take seriously.

    "Asshole." Gawainmented as other projectiles began barraging the opponent.

    Fireballs. Ice Needles. Shadow Spheres. Arrows. Explosives. All of this came for the opponent yet none of it ever hit him. Slytherin seemed like he was dancing through the attacks. As fluid as the movements of a snake before attacking its prey and he did. Making another explosive increase in speed as he stabbed one of the defenders  Gerrard.

    "Get away from him!" Jake shouted. Attacking the opponents who was only able to evade at a hair''s breadth.

    "That''s one down." Slytherinmented, willingly epting the fight against Jake who was apanied by Mirio and Mordred.

    "Red, Julia. Heal him immediately." Quinnmanded as he pointed at Gerard.

    "You don''t need to tell us." Red said in reply, as the healing spell began working its way. Unfortunately there was [Chaos Poison] mixed in so it wasn''t easy to aplish.

    This didn''t make the group lose their cool. Nor did it make them panic. The elites stayedposed as they continued trying to pin down their enemy.

    "Valley of Spears!" Jake said, creating thousands of javelins which rained down on their opponents. As if it wasn''t enough, he also raised javelin sized spikes from the ground. Effectively trapping the enemy in between. Merlin followed this up by raising walls of earth while Zane continued heating up the air within the makeshift cage.

    "Kaguya get ready." Quinn said. Knowing that the attack won''t be enough.

    "On it." She responded, preparing her strongest attack which has never failed the group before.

    Quinn continuedmanding his teammates. They worked in perfect harmony as the group knew to trust their leader''s orders. Traps and summons were also set up while and extrayer of a barrier was prepared by the defenders. Just in case their enemy appears out of nowhere again.

    Every member of the elite felt it. Their bodies told them that the enemy was stronger than they. So much so that it was even more tiring for them to move as, Slytherin gave of an immense amount of pressure on them.

    Slytherin was stronger than anyone they ever faced. In fact he might even be stronger than Sylph herself. Just the thought of this made Quinn want to consume the enemy. It was the power that he wanted. One which would immediately strengthen him.

    "It''s about to end guys!" Jake reminded through the [Voice Chat]. Transmitting the message through his thoughts which everyone also did. This made their ns clear to each one while leaving the enemy in the dark.

    With thebination attack ending, Kaguya immediately released [Oblivion]. Preventing the enemy from moving as heughed in amusement once again. It was a skill which Kaguya casted [Multiplier] on while Lizzie enhanced it even further.

    "Oh I know where this came from! You must be loved by that goddess HAHAHA." He said feeling the skill slowly suck him in.

    "Now!" Quinn ordered. With everyone firing their long-range attacks at the enemy again.

    Slytherin was trapped. If he tried moving then the skill will be able to grab hold of him quicker. But if he stayed in ce then he would receive the full force of all the skills which were being fired at him. Either way it was already a victory for the elites.

    Slytherin did neither of the two however. The monster jumped up, allowing [Oblivion] to take him in faster. And with this, Kaguya began closing the dimensional hole she created.

    "We won already right?"Zane asked as he breathed heavily.

    There was an obvious answer to this. Once something enters [Oblivion] it cannot get out anymore. So the team already won. Yet, Quinn couldn''t'' shake the feeling that things haven''t ended yet. He watched the hole shrink little by little until. The skillpletely closed.

    "Yes!"

    "Alriiight!"

    It was victory. The fight was already won and the elites were just about to celebrate. But they felt their bodies shudder in fear as a crack began opening in the sky. They braced themselves for what was toe as a hole appeared. And it wasn''t just any hole on the sky. It was [Oblivion].

    The skill was being forced open. Kaguya''s body also began getting torn. Specifically, her arm was being ripped off; with blood gushing out.

    "Kaguya!" Lizzie shouted;ing near her as the two healers began preventing her arm from being torn off.

    Everyone was in high alert as a dragon like arm came out of the dimensional crack. It had violet scales covering it and, they saw the tongue of a snake hissing out.

    "Let me tell you a little something about that skill." He began, tearing the skill open with both arms.

    "While it is strong, the skill is also bound to your body. So any opponent who can do damage to it causes an equivalent amount to be brought back to you." He furthered, ripping it open entirely. With Kaguya screaming even louder.

    Then, Slytherin finally came out. Practically unscathed from the attack. With [Oblivion] closing behind him.

    There were already two casualties on the side of the elites. Kaguya who just fainted from the immense amount of pain. And Gerrard who momentarily became paralyzed because of the poison. Meanwhile, Slytherin only had the sleeves of his yukata torn off.

    Quinn guessed that this was because of the transformation which may be correct because, Slytherin''s arms were full of violet scales.

    "In case you haven''t internalized it yet. This is my realm. Skills that take me out of it are useless because I am the same entity sustaining this ce." He said, releasing more [Chaos Poison] within the area.

    "Let''s make a deal here before things get messy." He furthered, revealing a gigantic summoning circle that stretched throughout the wholend surface.

    "You see, the reason I made those gems was because I needed some sacrifices in order to revive." He said, pointing at the elites who were able to read what it implied.

    "Here''s the catch though. Someone among you is enough as a sole sacrifice. Meaning, if you willingly give him up now, I''ll spare the rest from the same fate." He furthered, moving his finger to pointing Quinn.

    "Like hell we''ll give him to you!" Jake eximed, willing to fight to the death. Everyone else gave a resounding disapproval of the agreement. That is, everyone except for Quinn.

    Quinn knew it. He knew that their enemy wasn''t even taking them seriously yet. He knew that the full power of Slytherin would be too much for any of the strategy to work. He thought of it all. The possible moves they could make. But each and every time, he arrives at a dead end. That is, except for one n.

    "I agree." These two words silenced the elites. They all had nothing but shock on their faces as they heard their leader discard his own life.

    "Hey what the hell are you saying!" Jake said, punching Quinn who fell to the ground. Meanwhile Slytherin onlyughed in amusement from the sight.

    But there was no stopping Quinn. In fact, he gripped on Jake''s wrist as he stared intently on the javelin user''s eyes.

    "Trust me." Quinn said. With jake finally letting go.

    "A wise choice." Was all that Slytherinmented as the leader of the elites walked towards his death.

 Chapter 177: Avarice and Chaos

    Chapter 177: Avarice and Chaos

    It was a risky move, one which Quinn had doubts on. But he nevertheless pursued it because he knew that it was the only choice. Hence, he walked nearer and nearer the enemy and, as soon as Slytherin was right in front of him. Quinn activated [Overdrive].

    With the sudden change in speed, Slytherin wasn''t able to catch on to what happened. Quinn swapped ces with the staff he brought using [Weapon Blink]. And on it was a detonate of explosives that set off as soon as it hit.

    "So you have chosen death." Slytherin said, getting a javelin appearing from the cloud of smoke that covered his vision. This hit the side of his face, wounding it in the process. The attack was actually infused with [Pierce] enabling it to deal damage.

    What actually happened was this. After Quinn dered that he would be the sacrifice, he activated the [Voice Chat], a feature which wasn''t visible to their enemy. And through it, he gave the instructions. One which required everyone to be in synch and fight perfectly. A formation which was developed after everyone got their secondary job sses; utilizing every ultimate move of each member of the elites.

    This was themand Quinn gave. With Jake acting along as much as also responding truthfully based on the details Quinn gave. And, it was this same n which was already beings set in motion.

    "I gave you a choice and this is how you repay me?" Slytherin said in disappointment and while he did, Mirio and Quinn have already closed in. With Mirio finally activating:

    "Ring!"

    As mentioned, this skill prevents any challenger within it to leave before the fight finishes. Adding to this is the fact that the attributes of all inside are boosted for the allies of the skill user. Quinn repeated the same skill, enclosing them in twoyers of the same [Ring].

    "Pesky kids." Slytherin simply said. Showing a bit of seriousness while he dodged the attacks.

    However, since he wasn''t given any time to adapt to the sudden fight, his rhythm was a bit off. And with this, thebination of the three close range fighters was explosively dealing their numbers on the monster which was forced back.

    "Know your ce!" The monster finally said. Emitting even more [Chaos Poison] which made the limit for the equipment of the elites almost run out.

    The monster then disappeared into the thick mist of [Chaos Poison]. However, knowing that he couldn''t leave the area, the three knew just where to find him. That is, within the area of the skill.

    Slytherin began by attacking Mirio. Yet this was parried by Quin who got his back covered. After this, Jake came from above Throwing down a javelin which hit the back of the creature. This didn''t pierce through however, sending Jake''s weapon back to him.

    Slytherin then followed his attack by transforming his weapon into two whips. This hit Mirio first and then Jake. The two were sent flying, with the damage umting on them as they coughed up blood yet they held on to the whips. Allowing Quinn to close in and attack Slytherin.

    "Burst," Quinn said, sending a wave of mana that blew up on the back of the creature.

    The exchange continued with Slytherin slowly increasing his power output. Yet, it still wasn''t enough. No matter how much he strengthened himself, it seemed like the three enemies he had were a lot stronger. And this much is understandable.

    With the double activation of [Ring] in effect, the attributes of the three were multiplied [6x]. They were also natural fighters, making them adapt to the slowly increasing power level of their enemy.

    "You better get serious before we kill you." Jake said.

    "That must be the most sorry ass taunt I''ve heard in my life." Quinn said in reply.

    Yet the taunting did work. With Slytherin screaming as it changed to its real form.

    Saying that it was a big monster would be an understatement. The body of Slytherin itself was enough to cover half of thend mass where they were in. As wide as an Olympic track field at that. It towered at an amazing 20 feet in height and its tail coiled itself on the structure. The monster breathed out steams of poison on its mouth and, the whole rea was covered with the maximum amount of [Chaos Poison].

    "You dare mock me in my own realm? Me a best which has lived for more than a thousand years?" It said in a deep and frightening tone. Yet its speech was cut short as an arrow found its way to the dragon''s chest. Pushing it back by a bit as blood dripped out.

    This was exactly what Quinn was waiting for. With the sudden change in the size of their enemy, there were more areas to hit. And with the height of the monster, it was easier for Amare to find the weak points which she immediately told to Gawain. Causing the attack which came seconds ago.

    This was followed by a meteorite being dropped by Zane the elementalist. Bringing down the beast as Merlin activated his illusion magic for it to be disoriented.

    Things didn''t end here however. Jake continued with his impaling attacks both from the sky and from the ground. With the size of the enemy, it wasn''t able to dodge anymore and it simply breathed out purple mes. The elites dodged this through the barriers of the defenders. While some moved out of the range of the attack.

    Of course they couldn''t perfectly prate the beast. But this didn''t matter. With its size, all their attacks were finally connecting. And little by little, Slytherin was umting damage.

    As for the other elites, Horus attacked using [Ice Beetles]; freezing parts of the monster while Zilg followed this up using explosives. Because the scales were frozen, they were easier to shatter. Proving thebination of the two to be effective. Meanwhile, Eerie threw most of the cores of her guns; with the bullets dispersing out of it nonstop. Adding to these, Mirio and Mordred punched their way through the monster''s body.

    Of course Slytherin fought back. It used its wings to try and blow them away. It used its ws to try and strike the elites. It breathed out fire. Emitted [Chaos Poison]. Yet none of these worked. The elites continued attacking; moving forward despite the umting damage on them.

    Then, it was at this point that Slytherin finally decided to make himself smaller again. This came suddenly; with the cloud of [Poison] beingrger than before. Due to this momentary dy, Slytherin was able to strike the elites one by one. Taking them down with the [Poison] working its way to kill them.

    "I gave you a choice. I allowed you toe out of here peacefully and this is how you repay me?" He said, trying to find thest member which he couldn''t detect.

    "Ungrateful filths!" Slytherin continued, with Quinn finally showing up as he activated his skill:

    "Singrity."

    It was the skill banned by Zeke. A skill which enveloped Quinn in a kind of miasma that could turn a person evil as much as it could corrupt. Yet Quinn also knew that it was the best card they had in the fight.

    A single sh which could wipe out 3,000 men effortlessly. An attack which momentarily deprives the whole area with both color and sound. Returning only after the damage has been done.

    Indeed, it did a lot of damage to Slytherin. With his whole body gushing out blood. Yet this didn''t stop his hand from finding its way through Quinn''s chest. Grabbing on to the human''s heart with its beats getting weaker by the second.

    "You cannot kill me with those puny attacks."

    "We weren''t nning on killing you." Quinn said, smiling as he ced thest ounce of his strength on gripping the enemy''s arm.

    "We were nning to tire you out and damage you." Quin continued as he said:

    Consume.

    It was the imperfect version of his skill. One which implied a lot of risk to be taken. This was because, [Consume] only works perfectly when the enemy is either dead or defeated. Because Slytherin was neither of the two, there as a chance for Quinn to be the one [Consumed] instead of the enemy.

    The skill seemed to have a mind of its own. Tugging between Slytherin and Quinn. Both of which trying to get the upper hand. The force was so strong that the [Chaos Poison] surrounding the area began getting consumed by them. Cleaning the whole ce free of the substance while the battle of wills continued.

    "It''s no use child! There is no creature which could take me down!" The monster said, with Quinn feeling life leaving his body.

    "That''s right fall! Fall and be the sacrifice to the great Slytherin''s resurrection!" The monster continued.

    Quinn was just about to ck out. In fact, there were only seconds left before this happens. But before it did, Quinn heard a voice. One which told him of the power he''d get from this. One which told him that defeat is never an option. One which told him to consume all the power that the universe could offer.

    "I will not be defeated by a mere corpse!" Quinn screamed, with lifeing back to him. His wounds healed rapidly while Slytherin began getting absorbed.

    "No! This cannot be!" The monster screamed. Yet it couldn''t do anything.

    Its will was not strong enough. It didn''t have the same drive which Quinn had. One which was perpetually present on the human who aimed for nothing but the top and only the top.

    Thus the screams of Slytherin continued resounding and, through Kaguya''s blurred eyes she saw a monster. She saw the silhouette of a dragon getting eaten through the [Chaos Poison]. A demon held it, breaking its body bit by bit in the most twisted and grotesque way. This was thest thing she remembered as she lost consciousness once again.

    With the [Chaos Poison] dispersing, there was only one person who remained standing. It was Quinn and his [Avarice] which consumed a [Mythical Beast]. And with this, they were automatically transported out of the realm, and back to the top of the rift. Yet something strange happened.

    Quinn didn''t wake up.

 Chapter 178: The Monarch of Chaos

    Chapter 178: The Monarch of Chaos

    "and a soules into contact with me atst." Quinn hears a voice. One which was deep yet regal. Like it was the voice of an almighty authority which cannot be defied.

    Th human slowly adjusted his eyes to the scenery. But there was not much he could make out. Only the feet which were closing in on him little by little until it was standing just in front of him. He then looked at the face of this person who just spoke and asked:

    "Whatwho are you?"

    The man had ck hair with a fair whiteplexion. So much so that it seemed like all blood was sucked in by his dark red eyes. He also had a in ck shirt which was hidden underneath his long coat that extended until his legs. He also had ck trousers andbat boots. Implying that he didn''te from Mythos; seeing how different his clothing was. On his waist, two swords were strapped but Quinn didn''t feel any bloodlust from this person. Entailing that he isn''t an enemy; for the moment at least.

    "Mortals and your questions. It really needs to start with something dull like that huh?" The man said, sitting down and resting one of his cheeks on a hand.

    "Take a look around you." He suggested, which Quinn did after getting up.

    It was a horrible ce. One where a person cannot thrive. Everywhere he looked there was only destruction. Debris scattered everywhere. nts were dry. And decaying corpses were everywhere, releasing a pungent smell.

    Up above, a chilling storm was brewing. It held so much force that one would mistake it for a world ending cmity. Then on the cracks of the ground, Quinn could see hands trying to get out. Like they were trapped there. It was only at this point that Quinn realized that, the person was bad news. This realization came toote as the man spoke:

    "Don''t even think about it." He implied; suddenly appearing right beside Quinn and putting his arm around the human''s shoulder.

    "I suggest that you do as I say if you want to ever get out of here." He continued, pushing Quinn down who found himself paralyzed and unable to speak. He thought that the man also did this to him.

    Quinn felt fear. Genuine one that he couldn''t shake off. Like he was in front of the devil himself. It wasn''t anything he ever felt in the battlefield nor from any foe he faced. Yet this person who didn''t even release any killing intent was making his body cower in fear.

    "Right let''s move on shall we? You had a strange question earlier what was it again?" The man said casually. As if Quinn''s current state were both irrelevant andmon.

    "Ah yes. Who am I!" He continued, finally remembering the question.

    "Well, you see. That cannot simply be answered by a yes or no so why don''t I take you to a trip?" The man said; snapping his fingers.

    Soon enough the whole area began crumbling down. The storm got even stronger than it already was. With the wind seemingly screaming as its intensity grew even more. Slowly, this descended upon them. With the crackling of thunder resounding everywhere while Quinn''s eyes feasted on the streaks of lighting that raged within the darkness.

    Unable to move, the elite decided to simply close his eyes. Preparing himself for whatever horror was toe. Yet, there was a sudden silence and he felt the world brighten and warm up.

    "Hey. That''s not good. You need to be wide awake." The man said, with Quinn opening his eyes to a serene environment.

    Everything wasn''t as it was a few seconds ago. He was floating on the sky and watching something unfold on what seemed or be a bountiful and pleasant world. Calling it paradise would be an understatement because it seemed to be even more than that.

    "I came from a ce that existed even before those beings that call themselves as gods did." He began and, this in itself was already a huge shock for Quinn.

    "This is Gaia." The man continued  pointing to the world below them.

    Quinn noticed how the basic structure was so much like earth. Yet they had three suns. Yellow. Red. Orange. These three floated up the sky, generously providing warmth yet not in excess.

    As for the trees, they had different colored leaves and branches which fitted well with thends where they were. Various nts sprouted from the soil, all bearing multiple colors. Beautiful enough to be calle andscape from a painted masterpiece.

    Around Gaia, creatures of different kinds thrived. Fishes with beaks. Lions with horns. Cats with three tails. Foxes walking on two legs. As much as these were fascinating, Quinn saw how these same creatures could also use skills and spells.

    Then. Thest thing which Quinn recognized were the beings that came in suddenly. Hunting as a group and taking down one of the horned lions. A group which resembled humans.

    "Those are called. Kalypsos mind you. They have the same look as humans but much stronger." The man looked at Quinn as if he was expecting something.

    "Oh silly me. I paralyzed you didn''t I? Sorry, force of habit." He said. Snapping his fingers and enabling Quinn to move again.

    "I''ll answer your questionster but for now. You need to listen andment on what I say. It''s not everyday that I get a visitor after all." Quinn simply nodded with the instruction, as if it was absolute.

    "Well?" The man continued, with Quinn quickly making ament out of what he saw.

    "This ce looks a lot like earth but, the one from the garden of Eden." Quin said.

    "Oh yeah I know that story! It came from a book right? Such a silly representation." The man began, as if familiar with the whole thing.

    "You see urrences like this happen from time to time. You know, an individual getting entertained by one of my kind." He boasted.

    "Anyway. One time there was this human who was so engrossed with our world that he created a story about it. I believe it''s in the beginning of Genesis?" He continued, waiting for Quinn to answer.

    "Yes sir." Was Quinn''s short response.

    "Ohhh using honorifics now aren''t you? Terrific! You should refer to me as ''My Lord'' then." This got Quinn''s eyes squinting but he nevertheless mustered the strength to do asmanded.

    "Yesmy lord."

    "Terrific!"

    "Now where was I? Ahh yes this world."

    "You see those guys, the Kalypsos, are stronger than even you."

    "What?"

    "Oh don''t be shocked now. I told you that we existed even before the gods right? But even these Kalypsos aren''t the strongest. We are." The man said, snapping his fingers once again as he said:

    "The Monarchs."

    The scene then changed to a castle. One which was owned by the man who stood beside Quinn. It was as dark as the man''s clothing but the golden linings on the columns and banners made it look more regal. On a throne room, the man sat, with his two swords adorning the throne as seeming ornaments.

    "My name is Vask Durandal, one of the twelve [Monarchs of Chaos]. We are the ones that control death and decay, extinguishing life wherever it is needed and putting destruction where we are called." He then looked at Quinn as if expecting a reaction.

    "Well?"

    "Oh uhm my lord I don''t think anything is wrong with that. Destruction is also part of nature''s way of bncing itself you see. In earth we have volcanic eruptions and these are truly terrifying with all the magma, the earthquakes, and the ashfall which kills human lives. But at the same time, it is one of my world''s way of cooling itself down. So there is also order in chaos."

    "BRAVO!" Vask said.

    "Man you''re really interesting aren''t you? You must really be chosen by fate to reach my ce." He said, putting his arm around Quinn''s shoulder again.

    "Okay let''s continue with the exnations, shall we?"

    "Our counterpart are those beings which ae called the [Monarchs of Order]. While we are the ones who control death, decay and destruction, they are the ones in charge of creation, life, and tranquility." Vask changed the scenery again, putting a woman in disy.

    Here, Quinn saw something interesting. There was a child with this person whom he guessed to be a [Monarch of Order]. The child looked awfully familiar to him and, before he could even arrive at the conclusion, Vask already told him the truth.

    "That is Sinir by the way."

    "WHAT?!!"

    "Yup. Both Nisha and Sinir were children of the Monarchs. That''s one thing they didn''t tell you. Something they erased from history."

    "Wait. So, what happened exactly?"

    "You''re one curious kid aren''t you? But sadly, your time here is limited. Any more than what I''ve revealed and you''d probably die." The man said, pointing to Quinn''s forehead.

    "All that you need to know is that after you wake up, you will be blessed by [Chaos]. You will be my vessel and will be moving ording to my will."

    Time seemed to stand still at this point. Quinn felt Vask getting serious and, he also felt the atmosphere getting dense. He then mustered just enough strength to ask:

    "And what if I refuse."

    "Ahh it seems that I''ve been too kind to you."

    The scenery then changed once more. Quinn found himself crucified. Boiled to death. Run out of air as he was plunged under water. Rodents entered his body. Worms infested his wounds. Needles entered his eyes one by one. Horses pulled him four sides, ripping his body into the same amount. There were countless tortures all of which felt excruciatingly and unbelievably painful. All were realistic, enough for Quinn to wish them all to stop. And they did. With Vask finallying to speak with him again.

    "One year. That is the amount of time which has passed on that head of yours. Yet not even a second has really gone in the real world. Do you see where this is going now?" He began, with Quinn forcing his breathing to be stable.

    "You are to be my vessel. You will contain me and make no mistake; I will not tolerate any disobedience from you." Vask continued, stepping on Quinn''s throat and touching Quinn''s forehead with one of his swords.

    "Don''t worry you''d also benefit from this. I know what you seek after all. You seek power. And it is power you will get." He began, with Quinn looking like he aged a hundred years from the torture he went through.

    "As soon as you wake up, you need to search for a god who descended on earth. He goes by the name of Pier and although part of his presence stays on the heavens, he was foolish enough to try and gain all [Chaos] on Mythos. He''ll being to the Demon Continent soon. Before that I want you to find him and kill him. He goes by a silhouetted figure now so he''s easily recognizable." Vask began, pressing the sword down.

    "Answer."

    "Y-yeses. My Lord." Quinn said in reply.

    "Good. Off you go now." Vask continued, cing an immense amount of [Chaos] unto his sword which was slowly getting absorbed by Quinn. The elite screamed as he heard thest words of Vask to be:

    "Farewell."

 Chapter 179: Packing Up

    Chapter 179: Packing Up

    Quinn woke up feeling his breath almost run out. He found everything around him to be moving, like he was underwater. A feeling he didn''t wee freely as he immediately got up. With all the liquids dripping out of whatever it was that contained his body. And before this part could progress further, much needs to be exined about the events that came before it.

    As soon as Quinn killed the Mythical Beast named Slytherin, the group was transported on top of the Rift. This wasn''t the only thing that happened though as the [Chaos Poison] immediately became thinner and thinner. Until it was no more.

    Sylph would''ve been happy about this but she had a lot to worry about. Specifically, twenty humans. All of which were unconscious while most were poisoned.

    The [Chaos Poison] was quick in dealing damage to them Destroying their muscles and tissues while also entering their bloodstream. Sylph, Heron, and Morpheus immediately attended to them. Ensuring that all the [Chaos Poison] gets taken out of their bodies.

    Quinn was the only one who had no wounds on him. Except for his clothing which had a torn part on the chest area and his missing mask; Quinn was in good shape. Yet, something was strange and worrisome. Even after the other elites have been healed and have woken up, Quinn was still in a deep slumber. Sylph didn''t understand why this was so, neither did Heron nor Morpheus.

    "Should we contact Zeke?" Was the first thought that ran through Sylph''s head but she decided to hold it off for the moment.

    What Sylph did was this. She ced Quinn within the same liquid that was used by Yaeger in her realm. It wasn''t something she made however. It was one of the few creations of Zeke who thought that, an urrence requiring it maye in the future. And it did. At that exact moment.

    "Let''s leave him here for now. With the effects of the [Mana Pool] in effect, he''d be waking up in no time at all." Sylph simply said, relieving the elites who went and did their individual businesses.

    The group was supposed to party as soon as the mission finished. In fact, everything was already prepared for the event with all the best booze and food all over the Demon Continent to fill their stomachs. They also nned on taking some of Zeke'' prized crops. Those which he didn''t; allow anyone to take no matter what.

    Yet all of these ns couldn''t push through. Not without the person who contributed the most in both saving them from the enemy and winning them the fight. They couldn''t start without Quinn waking up.

    This was the totality of the situation after Quinn rose from the [Mana Pool]. He looked immediately at the mirror of the room. Forgetting that he was even naked. The dripping wet elite then raised the hair which covered his forehead and, surely enough, it was there. The mark left by one of the twelve [Monarchs of Chaos]. Vask Durandal.

    "So you''re finally in the world of the living." Said the person on the reflection.

    Quinn could clearly see his reflection. It was him on the mirror but, he couldn''t mistake the voice. Not after it tortured him for a whole year. It was Vask.

    "What did you do to me?" Quinn demanded.

    "I gave you what you wished for. Power. Is that not the reason why you consumed my dear pawn down that rift?" Vask said, with Quinn trying to wipe off the mark.

    "It''s no use. Once the mark is ced it can only be removed in death or if I will it to be so."

    "Will it be removed after I do as you ask?"

    "I''ll consider it. What are you even angry about? I gave you power didn''t I?"

    "It''s not the kind of power that I want. Not something that cheats hard work."

    "Ahh hard work you say. And yet as I browse through your memories you never actually had to work hard. You''ve been born with a gifted body. Don''t you think that what you said is a bit hypocrital?" Vask said, already getting all the details of who Quinn is.

    "Anyway you can try it for yourself if you want. That power I gave you. In fact, I''m sensing one person nearby who''d be a good test run. She''s nearby. An elf who was forced to take an immense amount of [Chaos Shards] within her body."

    "No."

    "Excuse me?"

    "No. I will not use this power of yours. I''ll do as you ask but in return, you need to free me from this curse." Vaskughed at this remark made by Quinn. Immediately speaking afterwards.

    "Curse you say? I''d call it nothing less than a gift." Vaskmented.

    "Well, you still have time before wepletely merge. Go and do what I ask and we can discuss your freedom afterwards." The [Chaos Monarch] continued. Vanishing into nothingness with Quinn seeing his normal reflection on the mirror.

    Right after this conversation, Kaguya entered the room. Quinn was stillpletely naked by this time so, she mmed the door and ran away as fast as she could.

    "It''s big." She said. It was her first time seeing one in person and it looked like it could tear her apart. She then proceeded to the hall where everyone was eating. Giving the news to everyone while also hiding her face that was turning red from embarrassment.

    "Quinn is awake." She said anticlimactically.

    The words seemed to freeze everyone in ce. There were seconds of silence which filled the room as everyone processed the words: "Quinn is awake"

    "QUIIIIN!" The first one to react was Jake, shouting as he ran out of hall and toward Quinn''s room.

    Everyone immediately followed Jake''s lead, with smiles on their faces. It felt like a stampeded; like a group of buffalos were running through the fields. And as soon as they entered, they saw their leader. Perfectly fine and sitting on his bed. He already had his clothes put on while his mark was hidden by the bangs which he ced on top of his forehead.

    "You goddam asshole! I knew you weren''t dead!" Jake eximed. Going in first and trying to punch Quinn. Their leader evaded this and got up, only to be hugged by the whole group.

    "Thanks everyone." He said, feeling genuine joy from the warmth that they brought.

    Yet Sylph could sense that there was something which the human was hiding beneath his smile. She could feel it. A sensation simr to when she was experimented on. But as soon as Quinn looked at her, she decided to simply smile and dismiss it for the moment.

    "d to have you back Quinn."

    "Good to be back." He said in reply.

    With this the partying of the elites finallymenced. The whole thing was prepared and organized by Gerard, Gawain, and Curio. All expert party goers back on earth.

    It was a night of getting booze run down their bodies as they enjoyed each other''spany. Their faces went red from drunkenness, while some unfortunate members passed out immediately. This included Mordred who, surprisingly, couldn''t handle her drink as well as Julia that tended to her.

    There wasughter and joy; enough to fill the room. Everything went as happily as could be. With the elites enjoying the amount of peace which they earned once again.

    "Here is to the elites who singlehandedly destroyed the curse which infested thend of Helios!" Jake said, drinking more than any other member.

    "It wasn''t singlehanded you dumb fuck. We were a team lead by the beautiful miss Sylph!" Curio continued. Trying to hug the elf who simply pointed a dagger to the human''s throat.

    "You''re wee to try." Sylph said. Getting everyone roaring inughter as Curio backed away quickly using [Shadow Step]. Tripping over a bunch of booze along the way.

    It was then the elf''s turn to speak. She thought that it would be best to say something while most of them were still awake. And so, she nged a mug using her dagger which got everyone''s attention.

    "Okay. Before we continue, I''d like to propose a toast." Sylph said. Raising her ss which everyone also did.

    "This is a toast for the [Demon Continent] which will begin retrieving its former glory!"

    "YEAAAH!

    "This is a toast for the hardworking elites which made this possible!"

    "YEAAAAHHH!"

    "And this is for each of us for a job well done!"

    "YEAAAAH!"

    The night continued on in this jolly and positive mood. With everyone sharing drunk stories with each other. With some needing to go to the toilet as all they ate came rushing out of their mouths. With some sighing as they cleaned the mess left behind. While there was also someone preparing his things inside his room. Sylph noticed his disappearance of course and, went immediately to confront him.

    "Where do you think you''re going?" She asked with Quinn standing up to face her.

    "This isn''t what it looks like." Quinn said calmly.

    "Yeah. I''m sure taking all that equipment and armor on isn''t what it looks like." She said, with obvious sarcasm on her voice.

    "I''ll only repeat this question once. Where do you think you''re going?" She said, prepared to attack anytime.

    "Please. I don''t want to cause any more trouble than is needed."

    "There''d be plenty of that if you don''t answer my questions."

    Quinn looked at the eyes of the elf. She was determined to stop him. So much so that he feared what could happen. He knew that he had more power now but, he didn''t know just how far it could go. If it was even safe to use against someone without actually killing them.

    "If I win against you in a duel. Will you allow me to do as I please?" Quinn asked.

    "Oho? Are you sure? We''ve just had our fill of liquor on our bodies after all. I''m not sure a human can handle a duel right now."

    "Trust me. I can handle my own."

    "Suit yourself." The elf simply said.

    "Not on the training rooms." Quinn suggested, knowing where Sylph was about to head.

    "Then where?" The elf asked.

    "At the top of the rift."

 Chapter 180: I am Chaos

    Chapter 180: I am Chaos

    "Is this really what you want kid?" Sylph said, with both her and Quinn ready to bout.

    The [Rift] was in the middle of the two who prepared to duel things out. Of course, the elf still has no idea what it is that Quinn was nning. But one thing was certain. It involved abandoning his team.

    This is something which Sylph finds distasteful. She knows that there is a deep bond shared between the elites. After all, they shared the same fate. So she also knows that whatever it is that caused Quinn to make this decision, it probably wasn''t voluntarily made. Someone or something has forced Quinn and, the elf knew that it had something to do with the difference in Quinn''s aura as soon as he got back.

    "It''s fine you won''t allow me either way so it''s better if I use force to get what I want right?" Quinn said in reply.

    He brought swords he got from the loot area of Zeke. An area where the gamer ces excess waste weapons which weren''t useful for forging anymore. One was on Quinn''s hand. Another was strapped to his waist. Then there were two more on his back. All of this was to ensure that he has enough to finish the duel with.

    "Not like you''re getting it anyway." Sylph said in reply. With the [Infinity Bow] at hand.

    "Yeah. Sorry." Was all that Quinn said.

    Both of them were prepared to attack anytime. Both had the image of their opponent mapped on their heads. The moves that would be used. The strategies which would be implemented. The spells which would be activated. Each and every part was beingid out so much so that, even before the fight began, they already had scenarios of both winning and losing in their heads.

    "We start when this coin hits the ground." Sylph said, showing the item on her hand.

    "Fine by me." Quinn said and, with this, Sylph finally threw the coin.

    Seconds passed. Seconds which felt like time froze because it was so deadly silent. Until, the cling of the coin was finally heard. With the quiet air of theing dawn finally being broken.

    "Wind barrier!"

    Sylph began by covering herself in a protective shield. A high level one at that which was almost impossible to destroy. This was partnered by a cylindrical wall of air that surrounded the two.

    "Primal Heavenly sh!" Quinn simply said, shattering both the barrier and his first weapon in the process.

    Yet Sylph was aired out of sight. The elf then reappeared at Quinn''s back. She then kicked him in the ribcage, sending Quinn flying with a few broken bones. Sylph didn''t stop here however as she fired a barrage of explosive arrows.

    "You''re going to lose at this rate. You need to use me kid." Vask said, watching the pathetic disy of his vessel.

    "Shut up. I don''t need you." Was all that Quinn said, emerging out of the barrage almost undamaged from the thickyers of barrier which he simultaneously casted.

    "Suit yourself." Said Vask as another spell activated on top of the elite.

    "Rain of arrows!"

    While the bout was ongoing another thing was happening. The cylindrical wall of wind was getting smaller and smaller. This prevented the enemy from escaping. Any attempt would cause a person to be ripped to shreds.

    "Quinn was in the middle of this all. There was no escaping the [Rain of Arrows] for, its area of effect was just asrge as the wall of wind he was trapped in.

    "I''m sorry kid. You''re probably going to need more rest after this." Sylph said, pitying her enemy as she began snipping him down.

    "Overdrive!"

    "Overdrive!"

    "Overdrive!" Quinn repeated the skill again and again.

    Since Overdrive didn''t evenst for 10 seconds the multiple activation was needed. There was no way for him to survive such a barrage otherwise.

    Apart from this, he also activated every attribute boosting skill. And while he did, he deflected some of the arrows which went toward Sylph. The elf simply hit these one by one without any problem. While she didn''t bother with the ones that were too out of range. That is, until Quinn activated.

    "Detonate!"

    Most of the arrows were actually touched by Quinn before parrying them. He was able to do this through the help of the continuous [Overdrive] activation. He also added this spell, enabling them to explode and release a mass of something which was awfully familiar to Sylph. It was [Chaos Poison].

    "You cheeky little bastard." Sylph said, collecting all the poison by creating arge hurricane in the middle of the battlefield.

    Yet this allowed Quinn to escape from her sight. The human was nowhere to be seen and, this time, it was his turn to fight back.

    "Impale!"

    Javelins came raining down on Sylph. Apparently, the earlier [Chaos Poison] attack was only a diversion. One of the arrows actually didn''t have a detonate on it. Rather, it had [Weapon Blink]. Quinn used this arrow and parried it to fly at a safe distance away from Sylphs so she won''t mind and, as soon as he activated the [Chaos Poison], he swapped ces with this, allowing him to use the current attack.

    It was Sylph''s turn to evade this time around as the onught of spears was too much for a single bow. She was forced to keep [Infinity Bow] at the automatic setting while she released the modified [Chaos Bow].A weapon redesigned by Zeke to remove most of its chaos element and leaving only a minimum which wasn''t harmful to Sylph.

    The elven archer was forced down the ground. A move she quickly understood to be wed as Quinn activated another skill shouting:

    "Valley of Spears!"

    The attacks came like a torrent,trying to pin down the elf and it was working. In fact, Quinn didn''t give Sylph any time to think things through as he threw pebbles within the attack. All containing [Detonates] of explosions and chaos poison.

    Then, Quinn was preparing for hisst move. Adding all speed bosting skills of Curio and Jake. The precision of Gawain''s attacks and that of Amare''s eyes. The magical damage of the mages. The physical force of the defenders. He poured this all to the two swords which were thest of those that he brought. These began shattering because of the intensity of the attack.

    It was an attack that was almost at the level of [Singrity]. A move which he knew could take down the opponent in front of him. All his attacks were about to end and, with only a millisecond dy, he released his final blow. One which was impossible to avoid.

    "HAAA!" Quinn came swiftly. Pinpoint deadly with his attack to an enemy who just suffered a bombardment. It was an ultimate move. One which had so much power stored on it. Yet, the skill didn''t connect.

    Both of Quinn''s swords were shot out of his hands. Upon shattering, the weapons exploded. This caused Quinn to be blown away from the sheer force of the built-up mana. The attack didn''t end here however as Sylph kicked him again, causing Quinn''s body to fly at the opposite direction.

    With just the hilt of his sword remaining, Quinn used [Overdrive] to stop his body. He nted the hilt to the ground, burying it deeply. A thick cloud of dust rose but the elite was sessful in his attempt. Then he shot a quick nce to his opponent which emerged out of it. One which meant a lot of bad news.

    It was Sylph''s chaos form. The primal state which allowed her to mentally control an infinite amount of arrowheads while she wielded two daggers as her primary weapons. She didn''t intend to bring it our but, Quinn''s current level was too much for her base form.

    "It''s your loss kid." Sylph simply said, hitting sh after sh of wind.

    The elite evaded them. He had no other choice but to do so. There was no weapon left for him except for thest sword hilt on his hand. He was also in the process of regenerating from thetest kick made by his enemy. All making it impossible for him to conceptualize a counter attack. Then, he finally found himself sticking near the end of the wind wall as he also realized that, it had shrunk so much that only a melee bout was possible.

    "I told you didn''t I? You need me if you want to win." Vask said once again.

    Quinn was trying his best to avoid every attack. But Sylph did something even crazier. She nted the arrowheads within the cylindrical wall of wind. This increased their speed as the projectiles came out. Unavoidable as they were also unpredictable. Hitting Quinn who was slowly losing consciousness.

    "Come on. Show her what true Chaos is." Vask continued.

    "No." Was all that Quinn replied as he createdyers of barrier. Using up thest ounce of his mana to activate repetitive [Overdrives]. It wasn''t a fight anymore. Sylph was simply putting up a one-sided massacre.

    "Time to finish this kid." Sylph said, charging even more arrows within the wall.Quinn was already wobbling at this point but the elf didn''t want to take chances. She fired a hundred arrowheads for thest time, breaking tons of the human''s bones while also charging her des by making them hit the wind wall.

    "Sprite de!" Sylph shouted, closing in to deliver the final blow. Yet, dj vu struck as her attack didn''t connect.

    Quinn simply held her wrists. His wounds began healing with ck mes covering them. He had markings appearing all over his body, starting from his forehead and spreading all around.

    Sylph instinctively felt danger. She backed away while also raising her guard as she tried to understand what it was that was happening.

    "Goodness. To think that he''d be this hard headed until the bitter end. What a stubborn vessel this is." Vask said, with the tone of Quinn''s voice turning into his.

    "Who are you?" Sylph said, knowing that her opponent was not the human anymore.

    "You should know that with the way your body is respondingdy." Vask said, smiling at her while he summoned a mana form of his de. Using the hilt which Quinn held to as the base.

    "I am Chaos."

 Chapter 181: The Winner

    Chapter 181: The Winner

    It was nothing like Sylph has ever experienced in her life. She has faced countless overpowering enemies but, never in her life has shee across such a cmity of nature as the person in front of her.

    Just by being near him, she was already having her body shudder involuntarily. All her senses were screaming for her to run away from the fight. To take down the [Wind Wall] and simply run away because, whoever or whatever it was that she was facing. It was no longer mortal.

    "You were so brazen about all those attacks earlier. Why hold back now?" Vask began.

    It''s not like Sylph didn''t want to attack. It was just that, her own body wasn''t listening to her. It seemed to be paralyzed in ce so, instead of being able to attack while her opponent was recovering, she couldn''t do anything.

    Vask didn''t bother to think of any strategies. In fact, he wasn''t even taking the fight seriously yet. He was just waiting for all his wounds to fully recover. All while getting a feel of Quinn''s body and how he''d use it.

    "We better hurry up before this body of his explodes. I can''t maintain it for long you know." Vask began, with Sylph still battling against her own body for control.

    "AHHHH!" She shouted, making two of the arrowheads within the wall hit her. Surprising the Chaos Monarch who intently watched everything.

    "Oh my. To think you''d resort to that just to move. I''m ttered." Vask said, seeing his enemy breathing heavily even before they began fighting.

    "So you''re the one?" Sylph immediately asked as she regained control.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Are you the reason why Quinn is abandoning his team?" She continued.

    "Well yes of course I am. I mean I''m already using it as we speak. So this kid needs to follow everything I say because if he doesn''t a lot of bad things can happen." It was the truth.

    Vask could destroy Quinn''s body anytime. The elite knew this even without it being said by the [Chaos Monarch]. He knew that, because the same overpowering force of nature was in his body, then it could cause his own death. But before this, he knew that Vask may also do some terrible things to his own teammates.

    "Thank goodness." Sylph said in relief.

    "Thankwhat?"

    "I knew that boy wasn''t turning against us. And if its you that''s controlling him. Then it just means that I need to take you down for us to get him back." Sylph said.

    "My that''s a very bold thing for you to say miss elf. Are you even sure you can do that?" Vask said in reply. Entertained by the mortal in front of him.

    "We won''t know until I try." Was all that Sylph said; preparing to attack.

    "I see. Well what are you waiting for then? Come at me."

    As soon as Vask said this, Sylph released all of the arrowheads on her wings within the [Wind Wall]. This began gaining more and more speed and elemental damage with each second passing by. Vask watched this as he ced his hands behind his back, with his sword gripped on tightly.

    Meanwhile Sylph made her des touch the [Wind Wall]. This further strengthened her melee weapon  elongating them as the element shaped her daggers into a dual cuss.

    "My, is this the level of skill usage that you all have reached? I must say that it is a bit impressive." Vask said as he bent his body; dodging the des which came as swift as a strike of lightning.

    Sylph attacked relentlessly. She didn''t dare stop because, she knew that if she did, her body would definitely be paralyzed from fear once again. In fact, just standing near the enemy was enough to exhaust her body and make her feel like she''s drowning in the deep sea. Yet what drove her was the fact that, she needed to free the elite who was forced to move against his will.

    "I''m wondering." Vask began, dodging ten shes that came in rapid session without much effort. He wasn''t even using his sword yet. It was still at his back, held by his left hand which was also positioned behind him.

    "What else do you actually have up your sleeves." He finished, thinking that his enemy wasn''t actually much. But then he felt something different from the flow of wind, making him back away for the first time in the fight.

    Vask felt a cut form on his cheek, with warm blood dripping out. Of course this healed immediately with ck mes. Covering it an restoring his face back to normal.

    "Ahhh. Of course. Wind allows you to do that." Vask said in reply understanding that the des were actually longer than they seemed. All the wind within the area of their fight was probably within the disposal of the elf, making her even more fearsome. This allowed her to make the des even longer without having to actually make it visible.

    "It''s much longer than you think." Sylph said in reply.

    The elf continuously swung her de only for Vask to feel the de hitting him even though she wasn''t closing in. He immediately healed these as a smile formed on his face. Indeed, the whole area has transformed into a hazardous de and, he was trapped within it.

    "My. Now this has got me interested." Vask finally brought out one of his hands, destroying all the invisible des while not moving out of the ce he stood.

    Sylph didn''t simply stop here. She continued attacking yet at a quicker phase. Making use of the wind mana around her in order to have a steady supply.

    "I must say you just keep on impressing me. Keep on going." He said, still standing in ce while perfectly blocking all shots with a single hand.

    "Oh you''ll be more than impressed." Sylph said, pointing at the sky which Vask immediately looked at.

    "HAHAHAHA! When did you ever have the time to set that up?"

    "Triple Layered Casting! Judgement!"

    It was the same skill which Sylph was supposed to use against Heron and Morpheus. A skill which created thousands of arrowheads which could pierce through almost anything. A skill which homed on its target with pinpoint uracy that made it impossible to simply dodge.

    This same attack came down Vask like a vicious torrent. The earth below them finally gave in, with cracks appearing everywhere. With this, Sylph''s attacks were finally able to pierce through and, for the first time in the entire fight, Vask was finally using both hands. With his sword destroying the innumerable amount of arrowheads.

    Wounds appeared all over his body, with vitals also getting damaged along the way. Yet the ck mes healed these all without any problem. Even in the state he was in, Vask roared inughter. As if this whole thing was only a form of entertainment for him.

    "Keep iting elf! Show me more!" Vask suggested as he continued facing the attacks without moving from his position.

    "dly." Sylph said, preparing thest ounce of her mana for her final attack.

    The skill abruptly came to a halt and it was such a strange thing for Vask who enjoyed himself. In fact, he was so immersed on what he did that, he didn''t notice what Sylph actually did.

    The [Wind Wall] was no more. Surrounding the [Chaos Monarch] were thousands of wind swords, with the arrowheads fired within the [Wind Wall] as their core. These floated up on the air and, in the middle of these was Sylph. Holding on to two of these weapons. She stared at her target and breathed heavily as she activated:

    "Dance of the Fairy Queen!"

    Sylph came charging at Vask with the swords on her hands. The Monarch was prepared to hit her but, as soon as he swung, he found himself only hitting air while he tworge wounds tore open on his chest. His blood gushed out soon after. Followed by the ck mes that immediately covered these.

    "Bravo!" He said, getting even more entertained.

    The swords came hitting him in multiple directions. Some of them even hit the ground only to be picked up by Sylph who swung her de on Vask''s back. Indeed, Sylph was one with the wind. She became wind itself. A skill soplex that it required total concentration from the user as well as a kind of genius that doesn''te easy.

    Into a spiral, with all swords piercing at once. Raining down and disappearing only to reappear a second before contact. An elf who merged with wind and attacked from the most unpredictable ways as possible.

    Indeed, it was a skill which she saved up for stronger opponents. Specifically, for someone as strong as Zeke or de. The attack cannot end until all the wind swords were depleted. Entailing that any enemy which she locks down on would inevitable be torn to shreds as an aftermath.

    Unfortunately for her, Vask wasn''t human nor was he a mere mortal. He was a being higher than the gods. And, this same creature finally decided to stop the games he''s been ying. He positioned himself on a stance and, as soon as he felt Sylph''s presence, he stabbed forward. Hitting Sylph who had shock on her eyes.

    "How"

    "You won''t understand." Vask simply said, taking out his de, that had elven blood on it.

    "You''re a good fighter I''ll give you that. Unfortunately for you, I''m not only better. I''m the best." He said, with Sylph desperately crawling on the ground.

    "You know what? I like you so I''ll spare your life. It''s not everyday that I give a blessing such as this so you should fell honored." Vask said, seeing Sylph positioned in front of his feet.

    "Well that should wrap things up. I''m nearly out of time so if you''ll excuse me. I''ll be on my way." Vask said, turning around to leave.

    But then, he felt something grab his ankle. As he turned, he saw the half dead elf gripping tightly. Vask sighed as he sat down, raising Sylph''s head by gripping on to her hair.

    "G-give him back" She said, with conviction on her eyes.

    "He''s noting back." Vask simply said. Getting a spit of blood from the elf who still had determination on her eyes.

    "Dear me. It seems that I''ve been too kind once again. Okay, let me show you what happens to those who oppose me."

    Vask began beating her down. Punching Sylph''s face over and over again and restoring her consciousness whenever it faded away. He whistled as he did this; only dropping Sylph on the ground when he was already bored.

    The Monarch formed a twisted smile on his face as this happened. He thought of giving her a torture worse than death. With his had reaching for Sylph''s head once again. But even before he could perform this, Quinn forced control, removing the markings all over his body with a satisfied Vask being forced back within him.

    The elite breathed heavily. His heart thumped so loudly that he could hear it from his eardrums and, he felt his whole body in an agonizing amount of pain. Yet he was able to disregard all of these as he looked at the poor state of the elf who tried to get him back.

    "I''m sorry." Was all that he said, healing all Sylph''s wounds before walking away.

 Chapter 182: Farewells and Greetings

    Chapter 182: Farewells and Greetings

    Sylph woke up to the warmth of the sun hitting her face. It was way past daybreak and, judging by the position of the sun, it was already noontime. She picked herself up from the dirt shey on and began by casting a wind spell; forming a small cloud shade on top of her as she began assessing everything that urred.

    Sylph immediately looked at her chest where the sword stab was supposed to be. Just a few more centimeters to the left and the attack would''ve hit her heart. She was thus thankful that it missed. Thinking that it wasrgely due to Quinn''s assistance who may have tried moving the hand of the enemy.

    Nevertheless she was in pain. All her body parts were sore and so she continued healing through all of these. But this was not the top of her worries. It was something graver. Indeed, at the top of her head, there was one person whom she needed to report the event immediately. It was Zeke.

    "What am I going to say to him now." She thought as she stared at the azure sky above her. Covered by the dense cloud she ced on top of herself.

    It was an enemy far stronger than she. One who could stop even her ultimate move and, stab her in an incorporeal state. It wasn''t something that could be defeated that easily and, quite frankly, she thought how the feat would be impossible even for Zeke. This was how bad things were. So before worrying couldpletely consume her, Sylph decided to open up the [Voice Chat] and do what must be done.

    "Hey what''s up?" Zeke said immediately responding as soon as the [Voice Chat] came up on his end.

    Thinking that she''d report it was easier before but, now that she was actually hearing his voice. Sylph found it unbearable that she would be the one to tell such a news to Zeke.

    "Sylph?" Zeke continued; waiting for the elf to respond and she did. Finally beginning to utter the words that need to be said.

    "Zeke. I''m sorry." She began; with tears forming on her eyes.

    "I have failed you and the team." Her voice was quivering so Zeke knew that she was about to cry. He didn''t pay attention to it as the elf might get embarrassed.

    "Speak up." He said; wanting the details of whatever it is that Sylph was about to say.

    The elf told her about everything. From the end of the mission to Quinn''s unusually long sleep. She also told of how the elite seemed to change as he woke up and how his aura was different. Then came the report on Quinn preparing to leave which lead to the event of the duel between the two.

    "Then he came. Whoever it was. There is a person hiding within Quinn''s body. One which has an unbelievable amount of power residing in him. I tried to stop him. I did. But he was just too powerful for me."

    At this point Sylph expected to get a scolding. She waited to hear of Zeke telling ho disappointed he was with her and how ipetent she was. She steeled herself for these remarks but, all she got instead were the words:

    "I see."

    "What...you''re not angry?"

    "No. There''d be no point in something like that. I can''t have my emotions getting the better of me on situations such as this. Plus, Quinn is much stronger than you think. Trust me when I say that he''ll be able to handle the situation somehow. Although, I''ve got no idea how long he''ll be able to keep up."

    "Then what should we do? Should we go after him?"

    "Let him be for now. There''d be no point in chasing after someone that can''t be defeated. We''d only be courting chaos."

    "Oh speaking of which. He did say something like that. When I aske him who he was. He told me that he was Chaos." Sylph furthered, giving as much detail as she possibly could.

    "Chaos huh. Well I''ve got no idea what that is at the moment." Zeke simply said.

    "For now just focus on what you can do. Repair both the continents that we have already conquered. Also tell those kids to continue training. I''ll be giving them new equipment soon but for now, they need to make do with what they have."

    "Understood." Was all that Sylph replied.

    "Oh and one more thing. You''re going to be the Queen of the Demon Continent."

    "EHHHH!"

    Zeke cut off themunication there. He also muted Sylph so as she couldn''t make anyints. He then slouched on the ground, preparing for what was toe.

    "Honestly I keep on having stronger enemies." The gamer said, looking at the [Minimap] which already had the whole map of Rak''shan, the Beastmen continent,id out.

    Initially Zeke intended to attack as soon as he dropped to the shores of the continent. Bringing all destruction to those that dared stand in his way. But then, quests came up. Those which had rewards that he just couldn''t resist.

    [The Optional Quest  "Finish the Minimap" of Rak''shan has been added]

    [Reward: Adds 5% to the Ancient Spellpletion rate.]

    [The Optional Quest  "Protect the Citizens" has been added]

    [Condition: 80% of the total poption of Rak''shan must survive when the conquering begins.]

    [Reward: Adds 5% to the Ancient Spellpletion rate.]

    These two in themselves were enough for Zeke to stop from his ns. Adding the rewards, he''d have [60%] on thepletion of the [Ancient Spell]. Something which he could just not pass the opportunity of gaining.

    The other quests were easy enough to aplish. And adding them all together, Zeke ahs the chance to umte as much as [100] skill points during the run. Of course, there might be other quests which would add along the way. Something which Zeke dly weed as, he needed to restore all the points he depleted by buying the domain expanding skills.

    With these missions, Zeke naturally blended within themunities as he made his [Chaos Wyverns] roam in the skies to make the [Minimap]pletion quest faster. Apart from this, he was also able to get some useful information from the inhabitants of thend. Part of these was a useful event that''d speed up his goals.

    It was said that, the Windsprite sisters would be meeting that very day. This was, ording to the civilians, in order for them to make a strategy on how they''d attack the Demon Continent of Helios. And just from this Zeke was able to understand that, the remaining siblings were finally able to catch on. That the Demon Continent wasn''t under the previous rule anymore.

    "That saves me the trouble of having to go to thest continent." He thought to himself.

    Thus Zeke continued preparing for event. He made sure that everything was just as he nned them out to be. The teleportation markers. The barriers. The summon points for his [Conjures]. The equipment to be used and also the items.

    Zeke was ready to clear the remainder of his quest because one thing was for sure. de would soon return and, if that happens, Zeke knew that he should at least have three continents properly defended and liberated in order to corner the current King.

    "Okay. Time to get this show started." Zeke said. His eyes gleamed with its bloodlust crimson as the mist of darkness crawled all over the continent.

    This was the same as in the elven continent. All inhabitants, soldiers, and monsters alike were having a strange chill creep on their body. Like they were surrounded by the dead in a ce that was both cold and distant from any source of heat. And, this was also felt by the Countess of the continent. Allesiah Windsprite.

    She gazed out of the window and saw the mana that mixed with the air. Her eyes would never deceive her for these were eyes that have been trained to see the flow of mana. And there was no mistaking it. She knew who it was that was causing such a widespread interference on hernd. The same person who gave her the ability to see the flow of mana. Zeke Elwood.

    "So you finally decided to show up." She thought to herself, gathering her equipment as she prepared to leave the castle.

    "Mistress where are you headed?"

    "Outside. I need to check on something." Allesiah simply said.

    "But, your sister is almost here. It would only take her a few more minutes to arrive." The frantic servant said.

    "Then tell her toe and follow me. I''d need all the help I can get with the person I''m going to meet."

    "Pardon?"

    "Just do as I said." Allesiah simply replied, with the servant bowing and leaving the countess to herself.

    With this Allesiah left her castle and flew above the night sky. She saw the [Conjures]ing up from the ground one by one and the soldiers being frantic about them. She didn''t stop to help any of them because, she knew how the summons worked. She knew that they''d just keeping back because as long as Zeke was alive, the [Conjures] would never die.

    She then halted at a spot which was far from any of the strongholds. It was deste, with the ground as dry as could be. If it were a normal person who looked at the scenery, they''d see nothing. Only the gigantic rock formations ced all around. But Allesiah was no fool.

    "I can see you. No matter how good a cloaking spell is, it still uses mana." She said with Zeke finallying out of the [Cloud of Dreams].

    "I see you still have the things I taught you Allesiah." He said, smiling at the sight of the elf who didn''t even seem to age for a day.

    "Leave your words for someone who''d listen." Allesiah summoned a hundred [Darkness Spheres] all at once. Amazing even Zeke who never saw something as grand as it before.

    "I guess you won''t listen then." Zeke said, bringing out [Death''s Void] as their fight finally began.

 Chapter 183: A Bashful Condition

    Chapter 183: A Bashful Condition

    "Do you have any idea what I had to go through because of you?" Allesiah began her barrage of attacks. With the hundreds of [Darkness Spheres] within her disposal, there was no room for Zeke to make any proper attacks.

    Furthermore, every time he tried activating a spell, Allesiah simply jammed and cancelled them effortlessly. She didn''t even need to make any movements when performing this, making it even more difficult for Zeke to counter.

    "In games the main boss would at least make a movement connected to the skill. This is like cheating." He said to himself, viewing Allesiah who was standing perfectly still as the [Darkness Spheres] did their job of attacking her enemy.

    He then tried hiding behind the rocks but these got shattered immediately. It only took one [Darkness Sphere] to perform this which he found weird. That''s why he [Analyzed] the ominous ck orbs and found a trait added to them.

    [Information: The orbs contain gravitational magic that could absorb any object that is within a 3ft radius.]

    "Strongest count my ass." Zeke said, remembering the fake Zeke''s bold statement on how he was the strongest among the four.

    Allesiah was definitely stronger than his double. In fact, she was probably twice as strong and this didn''t even count the fact that she could perform the same transformation as Sylph. Yet, even against such an opponent, Zeke had everything prepared. It was Allesiah after all. An elf which he trained rigorously. Although she may have gotten stronger, there were certain core weaknesses which Zeke knew to still linger with the elf.

    "Here catch!" Zeke said with a smile on his face as he saw Allesiah with a shocked expression on her face.

    "That won''t work!" She eximed, making the [Darkness Spheres] hit the objects which then exploded into clouds of gas. They were [Smoke Grenades] modified ones made by Zeke which did not contain any mana. And because they were such, Allesiah''s specialty didn''t work on them.

    "So you''re resorting to a cheap trick like this? Pathetic!" She uttered, with the [Darkness Spheres] still following Zeke.

    "I can see you clear as day. Even if you block the sun and drive away all light, as long as there is mana, I''ll be able to see you." She proudly stated.

    "I know that quite well Allesiah." Zeke said as he continued evading through the storm of attacks.

    "Aren''t you going to say anything about what you did?" Allesiah continued in fury. Releasing ice that Zeke couldn''t dodge. It grew within his body, making use of the mana that circted on it to form the spell.

    "Damn, that''s good." He said, paralyzed in ce as pirs of ice soon followed. Trapping the gamer in the middle.

    "You can''t win against me. And don''t even think that I''d end your sorry life. I know that you have a cheap trick that allows you to resurrect." Allesiah said. Effectively catching her prey without any problems. Or so she thought.

    "Why are you smiling?" She asked.

    "Take a look." Allesiah followed the direction of Zeke''s eyes and, she immediately realized the danger that the was in as arge explosion soon followed.

    This sent Allesiah flying. Destroying all the barriers she set up around herself. With just this, she understood how powerful the attack was as, the barriers were supposed to hold up against ultimate level spells.

    "You can cancel spells before they are casted. That is true. But you cannot cancel something overflowing with mana yet not containing any mana forms. My bullets are exactly those." Zeke said, emerging out of the attackpletely healed due to the effects of [Curse of the Blood King].

    He then brought up his hand which held more bullets. The same ones which he used on the earlier explosion. This made Allesiah wary of her enemy and raise her guard even more. She knew that it was time to get serious so she tried activating her final form.

    The air around them became denser and the air thickened. The mana naturally flowing around them were all getting attracted to Allesiah. Then, with all of this happening, her transformation was supposed to begin. Yet it didn''t.

    "You!" Allesiah said, knowing full well that it was something only Zeke could be capable of.

    Aside from the transformation going haywire, she couldn''t; see the flow of mana anymore. There were only thin lines of these remaining. Disabling the only thing that gave her the upper hand on the fight.

    "What did you do to me!" She demanded.

    "The gas I released earlier had small particles on it. Ones which are so minute that you won''t even notice them. And do you know where they are made off?" Zeke threw a whole crystal towards Allesiah who immediately recognized what it was.

    "That crystal serves as a jammer in itself. As an expert in [Mana Maniption] I know that you''ve gotten those things memorized. But hey, how can you prepare for something you can''t even see right?" Zeke finished, taking off his weapons.

    "Are you pitying me right now?"

    "What? No Allesiah of course not. I just want to talk." Zeke furthered.

    He knew that it was impossible for them to have a decent discussion as long as Allesiah could attack. That''s why he prepared such an attack in order for his ns to proceed smoothly. He then ced vines around the elf which prevented her from making unnecessary movements and, apart from this, he destroyed the [Darkness Spheres] which were still remaining.

    "I know that he hasn''t brainwashed you entirely. You''re not the only one who''s been practicing [Mana Maniption] after all." Zeke said, looking at Allesiah again.

    "What are you saying? Why would I be brainwashed?" Allesiah said in confusion.

    "I''ll tell you everything once I''m done. So just stay still." Zeke continued, looking intently on Allesiah as he grinned in victory.

    While he was within Sylph''s dream, Zeke found something odd. It was the fact that, even though they were trapped, Allesiah didn''t bother doing anything. From their time together, Zeke knew that it was impossible for the elf to take this course of action. He knew that, just like Sylph, she would''ve stopped at nothing to get out of the ce.

    "The cuffs that were ced on you cancels every attempt to use mana or to see mana. Yet, in such a miniscule amount, the cuffs won''t be able to detect it."

    "What are you talking about? That''s impossible."

    "I know. And yet you''ve seeded in doing it."

    "What?"

    "You''ve probably kept silent because you were focusing and mediating. And the only reason why you didn''t tell it to your sister is because someone else might be listening without both of you knowing. Then, when the gassing began, you knew that your memories would only be distorted from that point on. So, with the technique you''ve just learned you''ve ced locks on your brain. Ones which are made of mana and this you painstakingly performed every day."

    "What the hell are you saying! I remember none of that."

    "Yes. Because you are not the Allesiah I know. In fact, the real one would probably be a lot stronger than you."

    "That is utter nonsense! How can a fictional character you''ve been deluding yourself in be stronger than me? Is that why you didn''te and save me all these years? Because of some makeshift story you crafted just to ease the guilt on your consciousness?" Allesiah said in anger, beginning to gain her powers back. Zeke noticed this so he gave her another dose of the gas.

    "Just stay there. I''m still figuring out how to remove the lock you''ve ced." Zeke said, putting all his efforts into deciphering the mana forms which were used.

    "You''ve gotta teach me this trick once you''re back Ali." Zeke continued.

    "Shut up you traitor! Once I get out of this I''m going to ce you through various methods of torture! I will put you in a situation worse than death itself! So you better prepare yourself!" She continued, with the empty threats entering Zeke''s ear and exiting on the other.

    "Nothis can''t be." Zeke said, finally deciphering the form.

    "Don''t fool around. I knew you were lying."

    "It''s impossible. Why would such a condition need to be met?" Zeke continued, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment.

    "Hey, what are you nning to do exactly?" Allesiah said in reply, reading the expression on Zeke''s face. The gamer then made one deep breath before staring at Allesiah.

    "Man, those years on thebyrinth must have ced a screw lose on that head of yours. To think that you''re already this bold." Zeke continued, walking towards the elf who was bound down.

    "What do you mean? What are you trying to do right now?"

    "Don''t ask me. You''re the one who wanted this." Zeke said, holding on to Allesiah''s cheek and examining it.

    It was only at this moment that Allesiah felt vulnerable. She couldn''t put a finger on it but, her beat was racing faster and faster. Zeke was there, looking straight at her. And even without any romantic rtionships with men, she instinctively knew what was toe.

    Zeke then began chanting the spell on his head and, this created a glow on top of Allesiah''s lips. She tried squirming but Zeke held her face with both of his hands. With this, Allesiah was sure. There was no doubt about what was toe.

    "D-don''t." She sheepishly said as her face also blushed red. Yet Zeke could not be stopped if it meant retrieving his ally. With the spell fully chanted all that was left was for him to fulfill the condition. And so, steeling himself for what was toe, his lips met Allesiah''s.

 Chapter 184: Against Sylvia Windsprite

    Chapter 184: Against Sylvia Windsprite

    What the real Allesiah did was simple. She made a spell that had multiple locks on it. This was located within her own mind, coating the mana of her regr memories with these. It was painstakingly done while she was stuck on the Labyrinth knowing that making the slightest bit of miscalction could lead to her memories shattering altogether. This is howplex the spell that locked her memories was.

    Since there was a lock, only a certain key would be able to return her back to normal. Destroying the coating she made which would, in turn, return Allesiah back to normal. This came in the form of Zeke''s lips. It was not some random decision made by the elf of course.

    The years on the Labyrinth was unbearable. So much so that, if she wanted to get save from the hell she was in, she wanted it toe from nobody else but Zeke. Kissing was the most decent form of intimacy she could think of because, she didn''t want to wake up all naked as they made love.

    To make sure that she''d get the most out of this condition, she even ced multiple locks on her mind. Ensuring that the kiss would run as long as it could. It might be against Zeke''s will but Allesiah was sure that, he wouldn''t abandon her and that, he''d do what was needed to get the job done.

    "I''m going to make you pay me back for not rescuing me sooner master Zeke." She told herself with a foxlike slyness in her smile.

    Thus, Zeke was made to endure ten whole seconds of it. Actively making contact while the locks got shattered one by one. He even counted in order to make sure that he won''t go past the time limit and, as soon as it was reached, he removed the binding on Allesiah.

    "I really need to give you a good scolding you idiot." Zeke said soon enough.

    The female elf dropped to the ground without any signs of being conscious. A bright red color covered Allesiah''s face and, a happy expression was painted on it. One which also got Zeke smiling as he looked at the [Minimap].

    "I guess your sister is almost here. I better go now."

    Zeke knew that the situation with Sylvia would be a bit different. Because he had the body of Keith, the gamer bore some striking resemnce to both the eldest of the Windsprites and Hark. This in itself was enough for Zeke to guess that, fighting may just be avoided altogether. After all, the will of these siblings was strong

    He waited patiently for her. All while hiding Allesiah within a [Cloud of Dreams]. A barrier was set up over her to ensure that no form of attack would reach the unconscious elf.

    It didn''t take long for the eldest of the Windsprites toe. She was wearing a ck robe and sat on a long staff. One which Zeke figured to be her main weapon as her job ss would not have changed just like the other Windsprites.

    "Who are you and where is my precious sister?" She demanded, looking at Zeke which the human found to be strange. There was no reaction at all. She was dull and uncaring and, aside from this, he felt something different. The same feeling he got when he squared off against the fake Zeke.

    He had a gut feeling. One which had a high probability of being true. If it was then, things have actually turned out for the worse.

    "Who are you?" He demanded, unmoving from his location.

    "What on earth are you talking about? I am Sylvia. Head of the Windsprite household and the greatest mage that ever live." The elf boasted.

    Zeke''s memories cannot be wed. He knew that his face had a striking resemnce to the parents of Keith. No matter how long the time has passed, the elf would not surely have forgotten it because, she was the one who spent the most time with both Hark and Keith. He then clenched his fist, prepared for an interrogation.

    "You better bring Allesiah out before I take all life out of that body of yours." She continued, increasing the amount of gravity between them.

    "That''s definitely her skills which you are using. Yet that was the same thing my clone could do you know." Zekemented; with the [System Notification] popping up.

    [Information: You have squared off against someone precious to you. Killing her real body will meet the requirements. Enabling the gamer to reach level 100.]

    Zeke understood what the requirement finally meant. At first, he thought that it was someone precious to him that needed to be killed. Yet, as it showed, even those precious to the original wielder of the body, Keith Windsprite, counted for this requirement. This also confirmed something. That, even though it was not the real Sylvia, it was at least a clone.

    "You speak nothing but nonsense child. You only have two options." The fake Sylvia continued; increasing the amount of gravity pushing Zeke down.

    "Either you give up or you fight me with whatever strength you have left."

    "Oh don''t mind if I do." Zeke said moving even with the gravitational push trying to stop his body. This surprised Sylvia but was unbothered as she simply increased the amount of push on the gravity.

    "Did you honestly think that I was limited to that amount of force? Don''t be silly child. I can squash you t right here and now." She cockily stated, giving Zeke even more motivation to crush her.

    "I wonder. You''re pushing me down but everything else is fine. Does that mean your spell is limited to me?"

    "Yes that is correct. Only you are affected by my powers! That is how fearsome I am." She furthered. These were words that Sylvia herself will not say. She was also proud and mighty of course but, never one who''d be so cocky that she''d be spewing every bit of detail as this clone was.

    "Okay." Zeke simply said.

    "Why are you smiling?"

    "You''d know soon enough." Zeke continued, noticing the small shadow the elf left on the staff she was riding on as he casted:

    "Shadow Dive." It was sudden. He grabbed on to the clone while also riding her staff. With the force of gravity being added, both of them got pushed down at a frightening speed. Crashing down the ground and creating a crater as big as a dragon. Zeke nted his enemy''s face on the ground, looking the least bit entertained with his opponent.

    "You''ve got no right to use that face." He said, genuinely angry that de had the audacity to perform the same stupid move on the Windsprites.

    "Let go of me youmoner! I do not deserve this!" She demanded.

    "Oh dly." Zeke said; moving out of the way for Sylvia to fly once more.

    Then, he performed the same stunt activating [Shadow Dive]. The elf came hurling down the ground once again and, it wasn''t any less painful than the first time it urred.

    "So how strong can you make this spell go again?" Zeke asked, with his enemy shouting in anger as her transformation began.

    Zeke stepped back with a dull expression on his face. He didn''t like her getting all cocky but he also knew that, this was the only way for things to go. To beat her even with her most trusted skills. This was the punishment she deserved for taking on a personality which wasn''t even hers.

    Her whole body got enveloped by ck armor. Simr to that of Sylphs but with some distinct features added. One of which were the funnel like things on her back which seemed to be connected to her staff.

    "You will regret letting me transform! Nobody who has seen my transformation has ever lived to tell its tale."

    "I''m luck then. I''ll be the first." Zeke simply said as he casted:

    "Conjure." Kayle came out wielding a new weapon; a dual longsword.

    "What on earth are you trying to pull? You will not fight me yourself but let a mere summon do it? You dare underestimate me!"

    "Oh don''t worry. I''m not underestimating you. I''m just giving you an opponent which is worth all that power of yours." Zeke said with his expression still static. This angered Sylvia even more as she finally casted a meteorite that blocked the whole sky.

    "Not even your bones will remain once I''m through with you!"

    "Oh I''m sure." Zeke said in reply; mobilizing Kayle who made its swords ze with the same color of the [Chaos mes]. The knight then jumped up, throwing its weapon toward the meteorite.

    "Hahaha you didn''t even dent it!" Sylvia said.

    "Really? Take a good look." Zeke said in reply and, as she did, she saw the meteor get covered in [Chaos mes]. Burning down the meteor and shattering it whole.

    "How can this be?" She said, witnessing nothing but ashfall from the same gigantic meteorite she just casted.

    "Must be nice being as stupid as you." Zeke furthered. With Kayle taking back its sword by simply calling on them.

    "Do not mock me you imbecile!"

    The fight truly began with this. Kayle didn''t stand any chance against her of course but, this was only at the beginning of the fight. He sustained damage after damage yet, because he had the same armor which made use of the scales of the [Chaos Dragon], it was difficult to take him down. Adding to this was the fact that the [Conjure] never felt any pain. Making it even more fearsome.

    The bout continued with Sylvia making use of all the original''s skills. Covering her opponent in ice. Burning Kayle down. Piercing with a thousand air needles. Making use of a skill simr to [Oblivion] which sucked away the summon. Yet, all of these proved to be futile and the sorceress simply exhausted her pool of mana as, Kayle refused to go down.

    In fact, something worse even happened While these attacks went on, the [Conjure] finally entered the two states which were connected to the one health point condition. [Undying Fury] and [Undying Loyalty]. These boosted the conjures status points twofold, making things more dire for the elf.

    "No! Don''t''e near me!" She said, firing another round of skills. Yet Kayle simply walked towards her. With his parts getting restored as soon as they get destroyed. With the eyes of a predator about to gobble down its prey.

    "Stay away!" Sylvia said in onest struggle.

    Kayle shed out of sight. Only to reappear with both its swords piercing through Sylvia''s body. This bursted into mes, burning down the enemy that continued screaming.

    "I figured something out even before we started this fight. Aside from the fact that you are a clone. You are too weak to be the real duplicate." Zeke said, watching his enemy shatter and leave a crystal on the ground.

    "With all these years adding up. I don''t think de would put you in that spot if he hasn''t also modified you." He furthered moving close to the crystal as he knew the fake would be looking at it.

    "You better hide as good as you can because I''ming for you next."

 Chapter 185: Nostalgic Memories and Training

    Chapter 185: Nostalgic Memories and Training

    Everything was still dark when Allesiah woke up. In fact, there was only a gentle warm light that illumined her surroundings which were still blurry. Aside from this, she heard the crackling thates from wood ced under fire entailing that, the light came from mes. This perfectly exined why she felt warm. Adding to this same sensation on her body is the cloth which was ced over her body.

    "Hey are you up now?" Zeke asked, sitting right beside Allesiah whom he heard making noises. Of course he didn''t look at her anymore. He simply continued sorting various things over his [System].

    Allesiah was still half awake when all these happened. Her memories were all restored back to normal which gave her a splitting headache. She then looked at the person who just spoked to her. Understanding what it is that happened.

    "Oh my face might be a bit different and so is my voice but  "

    Even before Zeke could finish what he was saying, Allesiah hugged him. Tightly enough for Zeke to understand how much the elf longed for that moment toe. And how much she needed to endure just for the sake of being reunited with him.

    She knew that it was Zeke. Her memories would not be regained otherwise because of the conditions she made. And upon remembering this, her face went red from the embarrassment she felt. Thus, with her face still buried on his face she began asking.

    "Uhmm master Zeke."

    "Take off the master part already. Our contract expired already." Zeke said, patting her head gently.

    "Okay thenZeke"

    Upon mentioning his name without the honorifics, Allesiah''s face blushed even more. She wasn''t used to this. Plus, Zeke actually caring for her like ady was also something foreign. Making her return even more dreamlike than she imagined it to be.

    On her head, she figured that Zeke would put her to training right away. Scold her for getting caught and being so weak. Then put her through the same opponent over and over again until she won. That is the kind of wee she was expecting. That''s why she made the most out of the lock on her mind. Ensuring that she at least gets something she wants before this begins.

    Instead Zeke was there. Looking elf like with a charming smile on his face. They were under the open night sky with a firece near them. And her body was intimately holding on to his.

    "You came for me." Allesiah began; mustering the words out of her mouth as she embraced Zeke even tighter.

    "Of course I did. You''re the closest thing I''ve got to family in this world after all." Zeke replied disregarding his initial n of waking her up while she was falling from [Horizon].

    At that moment, there was no threat of enemiesing for them anymore. Zeke''s [Conjures] were doing a fine job of securing the whole continent for him. Allowing the gamer to have some time with Allesiah. This was all for logical reasons of course. He wanted to make sure that it was her that returned and that, she would not be in some sort of crazed state.

    Aside from these, he wanted to make sure that she''d get a good experience when the real her gets back. This was not part of the logical reasons but something he felt indebted to do. After all that they''ve been through, the least he could do was be kind to her.

    Thus, the two chatted all night. Zeke prepared some food in advance, feeding Allesiah with some proper and decent elven meal. He then continued to informing Allesiah about the state of Sylph whom he got before her.

    "That''s not fair. I should''ve been the first one on your list right? I''ve been with you the longest yet you came saving my sister first."

    "Okay first of all I didn''t even know that you guys were the counts of the continents. All I knew was that there were some powerful beings leading the march."

    "Okay I ept your exnation." Allesiah said, as if she had the higher ground on the conversation.

    Zeke didn''t mind at all. He just wanted to enjoy the moment as much as her. Thest time they had such a conversation was back on Yaeger''s realm. Right after Zeke defeated the [Carnivorous Turtle].

    "So what happened to your original body exactly? It still feels weird you know. Especially after you told me that it''s Keith''s body."

    "Wellbasically I was already dead. Had it not been for the mysterious skill that I got on one of the quests, I''d really be gone and nobody would''ve saved you." Zeke said.

    "So you failed huh."

    "More or less. That counts as the first time Zeke Elwood ever lost. It wasn''t part of my n. That was literally a game over and yet, I was lucky enough to get a reset."

    "That just means you''re as mortal as any one of us. Isn''t that a relief at least? To know that there are still things which you can improve?"

    "Exactly as I was thinking." Zeke said in reply.

    Allesiah looked at him intently. There was something different about Zeke. Apart from the appearance and the voice, his aura itself was different.

    Allesiah knew that he matured and grew into someone that made his former self only a shadow. It was a Zeke who had a lot of secrets hidden and, one who saw the world even more vastly than before. Yet she didn''t bother asking about things like this. If Zeke really needed to, he''d tell her. Allesiah knew this and so, all she could do was to get strong enough for her to be trusted with such information.

    "Anyway do you remember anything about the transport that happened twelve years ago?" Zeke was moving to some information that he needed. Allesiah weed this dly because, she knew that it wasn''t in Zeke''s nature to simply speak about things under the sun.

    "Actually about that I did sense it. There was a form of mana that didn''t belong to Yaeger."

    "So what that old man told me was right." Zeke said, with Allesiah wondering who this old man is.

    "Can you still recall it?"

    "Of course I can. In fact, I even saw hints of this being present on both de and the fake version of you. But that''s as far as I can remember. My erred memories have been erased after all."

    "No. That in itself is fine. We''ll at least be able to get leads after this. With your skills in [Mana Sight] I''m sure that the pieces of the puzzle will naturally fall into ce." Zeke said and then looked at Allesiah.

    "That is, if you still want to join me on my journey."

    "My. Since when were you mindful of what I wanted?" Allesiah replied, giggling as she replied.

    "I''ll go wherever you will. The contract might have disappeared but I know where my heart''s loyalty lies." As soon as she uttered the words, Allesiah''s face flushed red. She immediately understood what her words could imply and Zeke even made this obvious.

    "That sounds more of a proposal."

    "AHHHH STOP IT!" Zekeughed at her, a genuine one which Allesiah felt happy to hear. Indeed, all her years of torture in thebyrinth seem like nothing but a bad dream now.

    "So what do we do now exactly?" She asked, finally regaining herposure.

    "Wellyou just woke up right? Do you want a little bit of stretching out?" Zeke said with a smile on his face.

    One which Allesiah knew quite well. Even with all the changes that happened to him, it was still the same Zeke after all. A crazy idiot who always had the craziest ns in mind. And that smile was there to prove her right.

    "What do you have in mind exactly?" Allesiah asked nervously. Regretting that she even gave the opening for Zeke to take opportunity of.

    "First of all, I need to be repaid. That''s my first kiss after all and you stole it."

    "Your what?!" Allesiah said in shock although it was also her first. She just couldn''t believe that even after all those years, Zeke was still the same uncaring individual who didn''t involve himself in any form of romance.

    "Oh don''t be so shocked. Anyway, the crystal left by the fake Sylvia had mana traces left on it. I''m guessing you can make a proper connection back to its source right?"

    "Of course I can. But what are you nning exactly?" Allesiah asked. Getting the crystal from Zeke''s hand and immediately seeing the thread of mana which stretches farther than what her eyes could reach.

    While she did this, Zeke formed a party with her. One which was kept in private so that Sylph won''t cause an uproar at the moment. Through this, Allesiah could make use of some features of the [Gamer''s System].

    "I''m done. The location is somewhere within the Dwarven Continent of Mithril. The location of the source should be pinpointed on the [Minimap]."

    "It''s good to see that you still remember the functions of my system."

    "Of course I do. Anyway, what''s the n exactly.

    "That should be obvious. You''ve rested enough after all and I need to measure just how strong you are even without your recent memories."

    "You''re going to make me go through hell again aren''t you?"

    "Nahh don''t be silly. It''s not as crazy as you think.

    "Okay. Then tell me what this n is." Allesiah asked, with an excited smile forming on Zeke''s face as the gamer uttered:

    "We''re going to teleport right in front of Sylvia''s castle."

 Chapter 186: The Calamity

    Chapter 186: The Cmity

    "The continent of my dear sister is probably long gone by now."

    The woman who imed to be Sylvia Windsprite stood at the balcony of her castle. It was a mighty fortress unlike all other. In fact, the castle of the other counts pale inparison to hers. This is because the Dwarven Continent is unlike any other, with its richness on both technology and supply of advanced materials.

    This is the reason why, even in the defeat of her clone, there was nothing but calmness on her face. She knew that even if the perpetratores, he would stand no chance against her army. Even if some kind of miracle allows him to win against her underlings, Sylvia knew that, the enemy would be too tired to fight her at that point.

    With the ruling of de, they were able to create advanced machinery and mechanism. Sylvia didn''t settle for the simple things that the other continents owned. She upgraded all the [Chaos Dragons]. Putting metallic parts over their scales. Even the regr generals and the fortresses were upgraded. Giving them ballistics that were as fast as bullets. With an interval of firing that amounted to only two seconds. This are only some of the many reasons why, even after her duplicate was so easily taken down, she was still at ease.

    "My continent is not as easy as the others." She dered proudly. Amazed at herself and all which she has aplished.

    "I dare him toe here." She furthered. Thinking of the impossibility of her enemy even setting foot on her continent. That is probably the reason why, there was nothing but a terrifying amount of surprise on her face when she saw not only Zeke but also Allesiah standing right in front of her castle.

    "Zeke are you sure that you don''t need to summon your [Conjures]?" Allesiah began, drinking onerge Mana and Stamina potion in order to fully restore herself.

    "Nahwe''ll be fine by ourselves." Zeke simply said, blocking a set of shots through the barrier he set up on himself.

    "Look they''re even weing us already." He continued, firing at the ballistics using [Death''s Void] and destroying them immediately.

    "You''re as reckless as ever." Allesiah replied, summoning the same 100 [Darkness Spheres] that went and destroyed the remaining ballistics.

    "Anyway you wanna fight your fake sister? It has always been your wish to surpass her right?" Zeke offered. cing arge wall of ice in front of them that served as their protection.

    "Can I really?"

    "Yeah but don''t go overboard okay? I need her alive for the final blow." Zeke said, remembering the conditions for him leveling up.

    "Oh, speaking of, do you have resistance to [Chaos Poison]?"

    "I don''t but if I see its mana structure, I can develop a spell that''ll protect me from it."

    "Okay, I''ll leave things to you then. I''m just going to explore this continent." Zeke furthered, releasing the [Chao Poison] which Allesiah analyzed immediately. Zeke then summoned [Horizon] and went his way.

    "Take care of yourself." He reminded.

    "I will."

    Allesiah had a lot of anger to let out. No matter how calm her demeanor was, the natural response of her body to all the pain and suffering she went through was to at least repay her enemies with pain. No matter how swift it maye.

    Explosions came shattering the wall of ice defending her and so, Allesiah began walking towards the castle. But then, she felt mana being condensed on two areas. One on the leftmost wall and another on the rightmost wall.

    "Dear me. It seems that my sister doesn''t understand what I can do." She said to herself, seeing that the attack had a spell form on it meaning, it was something she could disrupt and shatter.

    This came swiftly. Her analysis didn''t even take her one whole second toplete. With all the years of training she had within thebyrinth, this was a no brainer for her.

    No matter howrge a spell was; the fundamentals for each element was the same and, that particr spell was charged with lightning. So as soon as Allesiah snapped her fingers, the spells bursted out. Creating chains of lightning that spread within the castle. With the screams of dying soldiers resounding around.

    "Everything that contains mana on this ce. Destroy them."She ordered he [Darkness Spheres] moving around ording to her will as she continued walking without any worries.

    Every time she recognized mana use and spell creation, she would simply snap her fingers. Breaking them and making the element explode right in front of the enemy. This was a higher level of the skill her brainwashed form used who was only able to shatter the spells.

    *Snap*

    *Snap*

    *Snap*

    The soldiers heard this one by one and got terrified immediately. This wasn''t normal anymore because what came after every one of these snaps was an explosion. Scaring the soldiers who nevertheless still fought towards their imminent deaths.

    If they tried melee attacks, they''d get destroyed by the [Darkness Spheres]. If they tried physical long ranged attacks, barriers would stop their projectiles. Preventing any damage from actually getting done. Yet if they tried using anything with a spell in order to make their attacks stronger, Allesiah would simply shatter their spells and make these explode.

    "What''s with her? None of our attacks are working at all!" A soldiermented, with Sylvia finally giving amand.

    "Of course you won''t be able to damage her. Youck power you imbeciles! Try using the drug we''ve mass produced." Sylvia said, getting a nervous reaction from all the soldiers who were kept alive.

    "Butmy lord."

    "Did you not hear me the first time around soldier? I said use the new drug!" Sylvia said in fury, with the soldiers all looking terrified.

    "Yes. Understood." They simply responded.

    Every soldier on her castle had one of it. A capsule that was ced on their teeth which, after biting on to, would secrete a liquid. When taken, this gives a simr effect to the transformation of the generals into their [Primal State]. A weaker and inferior one of course, with the soldiers not being able to distinguish between allies and foes but nevertheless still useful in war.

    As much as possible, Sylvia didn''t want to make use of these because the form was difficult to mass produce. In fact, the resources were limited because it was only something which de gave them; not something which they could naturally harvest from their surroundings. [Chaos Shards] are what these things are called.

    "Oh my." Allesiahmented, seeing the soldiers change drastically.

    Shards grew on their bodies while their muscles expanded. Making them taller than they actually were. They also oozed in the same ck mana emited by the generals yet, unlike these refined warriors, the mutated soldiers were not entirely covered by it.

    On their hands, their weapons naturally formed as ck crystals. Dual des at that. And there was also a thickyer of the same material covering all their vital spots. This prevented any attack from actuallying through. Making them imprable as much as they were also terrifying freaks of nature.

    The monsters made terrifying and deafening screams; attacking all at once even before their transformation could truly finish. At this point the castle was almost destroyed which annoyed Sylvia. Yet she couldn''t care less if this would mean the defeat of her enemy.

    Sylvia just wanted to eliminate the threat that was slowly and steadily making progress. If this could not be done, she wanted to at least have Allesiah in a state where she was already exhausted.

    These were the conditions that she wanted to be met before squaring off against the elf because, Allesiah''s job ss served greatly to her disadvantage. The youngest of the Windsprites could simply destroy any spell she tried creating. Indeed this was the strong point of Allesiah.

    However, the enhanced soldiers did not make use of any spells nor mana. It was all brute physical strength and because of this, Allesiah actually had her first real problem. The Windsprite dodged over and over as she tried to find an opening. A way for her to defeat the creatures of abomination in front of her.

    "Let''s see. They definitely don''t feel pain anymore." Allesiah began, hitting them with wind needles which the monsters simply brushed of. There were 50 of them in total and all the regr soldiers who failed to mutate simply turned to mushes of flesh on the debris.

    "How about mes?" She created ten modified fireballs, hitting their flesh which burned. Yet, the damage was only on the surface and not at a noticeable amount. Another problem was how these same burns healed so quickly.

    "AHHHH this is getting more and more problematic." She told herself. Thickening her barrier as two of the soldiers came abruptly fast. Hitting her with their des which, not only shattered her barriers, but also sent her flying. She cushioned her fall however with an air spell she ced on her back.

    The abominations didn''t stop however. They continued their barrage of physical attacks. Not even giving Allesiah any time to think things through.

    "That''s it. Don''t stop!" Sylviamanded, watching carefully from within her room.

    Mages finally came to the scene; sessfully hitting Allesiah this time around. With the physical attacks directed at her, she couldn''t focus her eyes on the spells created all around her anymore. Preventing her from cancelling them out one by one.

    "You''re really testing my patience here." She said, finally getting wounds all over her body which she healed using water mana.

    "Okay. I''ll allow you guys have your way for now." Allesiah continued. Focusing only on defense as she gathered the mana around her. Formting a spellrge enough to use on the whole area.

    Sylvia didn''t know this of course That''s why she only made gleeful cheers. She continuedughing because her dear sister was slowly getting defeated.

    "That''s its! Kill her! I knew she was weak!" Sylvia said through themunication bracelets and, it was at this time that Allesiah''s eyes changed colors. With both oozing in a bright blue color as she casted:

    "sh Freeze."

    "What''s that? Are you supposed to finish everything with that?" Even before Sylvia could finish mocking her sister another spell was casted.

    "sh Freeze

    "Whattwice in a second''s interval? How can you"

    "sh Freeze"

    "No! Stop!"

    "sh Freeze"

    "sh Freeze."

    The onught of freezing spells generated arge enough drop in temperature to go even lower than Zeke''s [Sub Zero]. Allesiah protected herself from the cold by letting fire mana flow in her veins. Keeping her as warm as a dragon''s mes while everything around her got enclosed in ice.

    "Event Horizon!" With this, all the [Darkness Spheres] whirled around. Shattering the ice enclosed creatures even before they could break out.

    "I think it''s time of you toe out now Sylvia." Allesiah demanded.

    There was nothing left of the castle anymore. The guards. The ashier. The stronghold. All were destroyed by a single elf who didn''t even need ty make use of the form cursed upon them by de.

    Allesiah Windsprite stood there like a walking cmity.

 Chapter 187: Seeing Chaos

    Chapter 187: Seeing Chaos

    "Look at my dear sister all grown up." Sylvia began, finally appearing as she floated on the sky.

    "Yeah that goes for one of us at least." Allesiah said in reply, putting into mind the words left by Zeke.

    During her time in the Labyrinth, this Sylvia appeared on herst moments of imprisonment. She was the one who "liberated" both her and Sylph. So she does not recall any of it anymore because, as mentioned, the fake memories were all shattered together with the mana locks on her mind.

    "You sound suspicious of my identity. Did that man do this to you?" Sylvia continued, trying to buy herself some time while also attempting to bring Allesiah back to her side.

    "Oh believe me. I''ve never had my head this clear."

    "Allesiah my dear, why don''t we stop with this madness already? You''ve done a lot of things that have breached the peace treaty between our continent but I can arrange it all for you to be reinstated again as Countess."

    "I have no intention of ying as your pawn anymore than I already have. Twelve years is enough of this stupid charade." Allesiah responded, emitting mana to show her intent to fight.

    "Why must we fight? You know that you can''t beat me."

    "Is that so? Then why don''t youe down there and let''s try it out because whoever you are, I''m sure that you aren''t my big sister."

    "What on earth are you saying? You can feel it right? We have the same mana and the same looks. Heck I even have the evolved job ss that nobody else does. How can you possibly im such a tant lie as that?" Sylvia continued, still floating in mid air.

    "You say that you''re the same. Yet my eyes do not lie. You do have a thick amount of my sister''s mana flowing on you but, at the very core, there is something different. It''s not my sister''s mana that runs through your veins. It is somebody else''s. I don''t know what kind of brainwashing or lying you''ve put up with yourself all these years but it ends today."

    Sylvia finally took down the smile she wore on her face. There was visible disgust now painted on it. Then, she began speaking again. This time in a cold and distant voice.

    "That''s so bold of you. To im such a thing in front of me. Do you actually believe that you can defeat me?"

    "Believing is such an understatement." Allesiah began, with the [Darkness Spheres] getting enveloped by different elements. Then, the elf imed:

    "I know that I can defeat you."

    "You impudent brat!" Sylvia began by releasing three meteorites on top of each other. This was the spell she prepared while she talked with Allesiah. She knew that there was still a limit to the elf''s skill. That is, if her eyes aren''t looking on it, she couldn''t see the spell forms being constructed.

    She didn''t even need to cast gravitational magic anymore. The sheer force of the dropping meteorites was enough to push Allesiah down.

    "In your next life I suggest that you reduce that cockiness of yours. And remember my name while you''re at it! Sylvia Windsprite the strongest of all mages!"

    However, there was nothing but a dull expression on Allesiah''s face. The force was there of course. In fact it was enough to begin squashing her body. Yet she was not any bit fazed. Instead, she raised her hand on the sky and made a snap. Immediately, the spell got changed into blocks of ice. She then sent down lightning, shattering both and creating a rain of ice instead.

    "How did you" Sylvia began in disbelief.

    "You think that I can only cancel spells before they are made? I''ve seen that skill already and it''s form is registered in my head. As long as I have the form, I can alter it to an extent."

    "You arrogant little bitch!"

    With her temper''s fuse going out, Sylvia began an onught of attacks. Firing spell after spell only for Allesiah to cancel them all out as she snapped her fingers each and every time. This made all of Sylvia''s attack explode without any being casted.

    Sylvia was so sure that her enemy was already weakened and yet, she was mistaken. There was no weakening that happened in fact, Allesiah was perfectly fine.

    "If you are really her, you''d know that I never run out of mana." Allesiah furthered, mentioning the distinction between her real sister and the fake.

    "All the mana in Mythos is mine tomand." Allesiah said, still wearing an unimpressed expression on her face.

    "No! I cannot be defeated this way!" Sylvia continued, still trying to muster up spells to use. Yet, with a another snap of Allesiah''s'' fingers, the spell shattered and exploded once again.

    "You are doing nothing but dishonoring the memories of my sister. You weak and pathetic clone." She continued. Looking at her enemy with a pitying gaze.

    Sylvia just couldn''t stand it. She couldn''t stand the state that she was in. She couldn''t stand getting belittled by the same person who was supposed to be beneath her.

    "NO!" The Countess screamed. With Allesiah feeling her enemy''s transformation finallymence

    Allesiah tried cancelling it out but, there were no spell forms present. Entailing that it was something which did not use mana. Something which she found weird. Other than this, she tried attacking. Yet all attempts proved to be futile as Sylvia seemed to be in an invulnerable state while transforming.

    "This feels strangely familiar." Allesiah said to herself, seeing the substance enveloping Sylvia to be simr to something  the interference on their transport twelve years ago. Thus, she immediately contacted Zeke. Thinking that time is just wasted if she didn''t do anything while Sylvia transformed.

    "Zeke, I think I got something for you."

    "Really? Oh wait are you done?"

    "Almost. Anyway, I think that de is somehow connected to the person who messed with our transport. I see some simr substance on my enemy right now."

    "Ohh that is interesting. Okay I''ll  " Even before Zeke could finish what he was saying, Sylvia suddenly attacked. Causing Allesiah to turn off the [Voice Chat] as she needed to concentrate.

    "You are doomed now." Sylvia said, emerging out of the transformation. It was a figure which Allesiah recognized right away as some sort of demon. She had the wings and tail to prove this and, even grew horns toplete the set.

    "Oh I''m sure I am. I''m plenty doomed." She Allesiah simply said; using gravitational magic on her enemy which got pinned on the ground. Yet, this didn''tst for long as Sylvia was actually able to move. In fact, she began casting spells. Those of which Allesiah couldn''t cancel out.

    "Now this is finally beginning to look like a proper fight." She said, creating barriers which only got shattered by the orbs created by her opponent.

    "You should''ve finished me when you had the chance. Now I am too powerful for you to handle!" Sylvia broke out of the gravitational spell by force. There was no cancelling out that urred, Sylvia''s raw power was just too much for the spell to bind her down.

    "Well I do need to get more information out of you so that''lleter." Allesiah continued, hitting the orbs made by Sylvia with her own [Spheres]. Yet these proved to be inferior as it took her three [Darkness Spheres] just to destroy one.

    "Can''t you see how futile all your efforts are?" Sylvia doubled the number of orbs. Casting a total of 50 which were ready to be deployed anytime.

    "All I can see is how much you can run that mouth of yours."

    The two continued exchanging attacks. With Allesiah firingrge columns of mes which immediately got cancelled out by Sylvia simply by swinging her arm in the air. While this urred, the orbs have begun closing in; forcing Allesiah to be on the defensive once again as she concentrated on hitting them down.

    For a split second, she took her eyes off Sylvia. And this was all it took for her enemy to close in on her. Punching Allesiah down and creating a huge crater along the way. Sylvia didn''t stop with this and made all of her orbs attack at once.

    Allesiah created barrier after barrier. Preventing too much damage to be umted on her body. Yet this proved to be inferior to the orbs of Sylvia which easily broke through her defenses. The dust umted on the area, rising into a thick cloud which hindered Sylvia''s sight.

    "It''s a shame. If you also transformed you would''ve gotten a tiny chance to win. Yet your pride didn''t allow you to do so." She said, finallynding on the ground and, seeing her sister appear all beaten down but nevertheless alive.

    "Impressive."

    "I know right?" Allesiah said in reply, forcing a smile on her face despite the immense amount of pain she was experiencing.

    She covered herself in a condensed mana armor. This was the only option left as her barriers seemed nothing more than sheets of paper against Sylvia''s orbs. Hence, she tried evading while also casting barriers and cing the mana armor on herself. It didn''t protect her entirely but, nevertheless, this allowed her to survive.

    "Yet your resistance is meaningless. You know that you cannot win in this state."

    "WellI can at least try." Allesiah said, with both ere eyes turning red from the strain.

    She wasn''t simply getting beaten down. She was forcing an analysis on the orbs just like how she tried to do so with mana before and, finally, she was beginning to see it. The forms behind the orbs. Although this came at a great price. With her eyes beginning to bleed.

    "I will give you a swift end." Sylvia fired all her orbs again. Allesiah on the other hand, had nothing to bet on anymore. She removed all uses of mana for a while and, focused simply on the objects used by her enemy. And, only a few seconds before impact, she finallypleted it.

    "You''re done now." Allesiah began snapping her fingers again. Each time she did, one of the orbs shattered. This continued on for a few more minutes until Sylvia finally realized the horror of it all.

    "NoNO!" Sylvia summoned the orbs once again yet, each time she did, Allesiah easily took them down. Then, in a swift motion, Allesiah continuously casted thunderbolts. Raining down on her enemy. This went on for thirty minutes, with the whole continent thinking that there was a raging storm.

    On the scene of this event, Sylvia was already lying on the ground. Pinned down by ice crystals that grew from her veins and, pressed even further by gravitational magic. There was no will to fight anymore because, even her spells that didn''t make use of mana was countered by Allesiah.

    "This''ll take some time to get used to." Allesiah breathed heavily, with her sight being all blurry from the amount of strain she put them in. Yet she was sessful.

    Allesiah became first ever inhabitant of Mythos to develop [Chaos Sight].

 Chapter 188: Unlocking One Hundred

    Chapter 188: Unlocking One Hundred

    Allesiah''s eyes hurt like nothing she''s ever experienced before. It was to an extent that was not only unbearable but also, to an extent of hell like pain. Without knowing that it was a material that went beyond theprehension of her world was what she analyzed, Allesiah was suffering from the aftermath.

    Blood dripped out of her eyes and this didn''te easy. She bit her own lip as she continuously casted recovery spells on it. Taking away the effects as much as she could. During this time, Sylvia''s consciousness was slowly slipping away which was a good thing. If she was able to hold out any longer than she has, then Allesiah was sure to lose the fight.

    "What on earth is that?" Allesiah said to herself, breathing heavily as she felt every other pain on her body consume her.

    The rush she got from fighting has died out. And her body was reminding her of all the bones that were shattered. All the muscles which were torn. All the tendons which got ripped. All the wounds that got opened. And even her eye which seemed to only increase in pain the more she tried to heal it.

    "No. I will not go down like this." She said to herself, focusing as much as she can on recovery. An attempt whichsted for a whole hour. With her sess finallying at the price of her consciousness almost slipping away on multiple asions.

    "I''m never gonna do that again." She told herself. Opening the [Voice Chat] option and contacting her teammate.

    "Zeke I''m done." Allesiah said; with her eyes still closed because of the pain.

    She sat in the middle of all the debris. There was no fear of her enemy getting away because, she waspletely out cold. Aside from the fake Sylvia, Allesiah also casted multiple [Darkness Spheres]  preventing any surprise attack from being done.

    "Okay. I''m almost done on my part too so can you wait just a bit?" Zeke replied, with the sound of wind mixing with his voice. He was still riding [Horizon] which exined all the noise.

    "Fine. But don''t take too long okay?" Allesiah said in reply. Deciding to begin healing out her body which was painful all over. In fact, even breathing in itself was difficult because some parts of her ribcage got cracked and shattered.

    "Roger that." Zeke said; turning off the [Voice Chat]. Right after this, a notification came which signaled the beginning of his attack.

    [Information: You havepleted the map of the Dwarven Continent.]

    [5% of the Ancient Spell''spletion rate has been given as a reward.]

    [The Ancient spell is now 70%plete.]

    His ns were progressing as quickly as possible. There was only one opponent left. de. The King was still sitting within the [Ruined City]. A ce where the gods would be able to see him once again upon entering. Yet he was ready for this.

    He wasn''t just sitting idly on the cave all those years after all. He had ns set up. And as far as he could tell, things were still moving ording to this. One of this was the umtion of the [Ancient Spell].

    This was only at [60%] when he entered the Dwarven Continent of Mithril. Yet, as he progressed, quests naturally came out. Allowing thepletion rate to finally reach [70%]. It was still far from reaching a hundred yet, he also figured that it may go up if he squared off against de.

    There was no rush though. At the moment all he aimed for was to reach [Level 100]. Thetter parts of his n would change ording to this after all. So, he needed to see just how far this leveling up could take him. Plus, he also needed to take care of Quinn.

    "I need to find that kid before something bad actually happens." He said, thinking that he was somehow connected to the silhouetted figure which appeared to him.

    Yet all of this needed to wait. He still needed to clean up the Dwarven Continent. And, with the map finallypleted, he can cast the skill which would speed up the conquering once again.

    "Okay, let''s wrap things up on this continent." Zeke jumped off [Horizon]; arm outstretched in front of him. The mes were already starting to rise and so was the feeling of the undead army of hising out for another bloody fight. Zeke released his mana, siphoning it in the blink of an eye as he casted:

    "Conjure."

    The fightingsted for an hour. With the whole continent being his domain, Zeke could easily summon the [Conjures] anywhere he wishes. As if the [Conjures] were teleporting from one ce after the other. Yet he was careful not to hurt the dwarves and, to only damage the enemies to an extent where the citizens could fight back.

    The dwarves were a resilient race after all. They''d never allow themselves to be controlled that easily because aside from being autonomous, they did not like anyone meddling with their work. That same rules goes for their fellow dwarves of course. Hence, with the help of the [Conjures], they were finally able to begin taking up arms.

    Aside from this, Zeke also took care of all the crystals controlling the teleportation. Closing thest portal which de could use toe back.

    "And that takes care of that." Zeke said, finally teleporting to where Allesiah was. With the elf still meditating and close to full recovery.

    "This continent wide [Conjure] of yours is kinda scary do you know that?" Allesiah said, noticing Zeke''s manaing close.

    "Yeah well, you''re not too shabby yourself." Zeke said in reply, seeing all the damage Allesiah has caused. There were corpses everywhere and everything was ruined to the point that, one would mistake a cmity to have befallen on the castle of the countess.

    "Wait what happened to your eyes?" Zeke finally noticed as Allesiah still had them closed.

    "It''s something that I''ve discovered concerning the final transformation of my enemy. I''m guessing that it''s also connected to whoever our enemy is because, there was a simrity to it and to the teleportation interference used 12 years ago."

    "Well, from the looks of it. That was something that you weren''t meant to see."

    "Yeah, I can feel that quite well actually. Anyway, don''t you have something to do? Allesiah said, with Zeke finally taking notice of the enemy who was out cold.

    [Information: Killing the target will allow the gamer to reach level 100]

    "Yup. This is definitely the original clone." Zeke said, bringing out a dagger infused with his mana. But then, Allesiah stood up and spoke her mind.

    "Wait. Don''t we need to ask where my sister is at least? What if she has information regarding that?" The elf said. At this point Zeke understood that he should''ve given her the facts even before they went there.

    "Allesiah. How do you think my clone was made?" He began, calling back his weapons for the moment as he spoke with the elf.

    "I don''t know. Like I said, I have no memories of those events."

    "I was dead Allesiah. It was my corpse that was used to assemble that thing. It talked, walked, and had the exact same features as me. It also had the same skill set. But for de to assemble it, he required my corpse." Zeke was trying to lead Allesiah to her point but it seemed that the elf was only half listening and refusing to understand.

    "At first I thought it was only a coincidence. But then I saw the fake version of your sister. One who holds the mission requirements in order for me to level up. This means that, the body she uses is the real thing. That is Sylvia''s actual body." Allesiah was already trembling at this point. Zeke didn''t stop however. He knew that he needed to go on and that he did.

    "So again, how sure are you that we can get information about your sister? No sorry that''s not the right question here." Zeke then paused for a moment before giving a straightforward question.

    "With all that I''ve just said; how sure are you that your sister is still alive?"

    "Zeke. Can''t we at least try?" Allesiah said, still refusing to give up. Thus, Zeke did what he could to present even more evidence to the elf.

    "Allesiah. If Sylvia was brainwashed just like you and Sylph, then her original should''ve been the one ced on the spot of the Countess. Yet here we are dealing with whoever this person is." Zeke motioned for Allesiah to look at the unconscious enemy. One which the elf followed. He then tapped her shoulder before speaking once again.

    "I know you just woke up but, it''s better to swallow this hard pill than intoxicate yourself with a lie. This is not a nightmare, but it''s definitely not a dream either. This is reality. One which is always mixed with both the good and the bad." Zeke said, tapping on Allesiah''s shoulder who finally allowed him to pass.

    He knew that it was harsh. Yet this was the truth. Even for someone like Allesiah who felt like only a day has passed, the fact still remains that 12 years have already gone by. This weren''t good nor pleasing. de was the one leading the whole of Mythos during this time after all.

    "The sooner Allesiah realizes this, the better." Zeke said, bringing out his weapons once again.

    The gamer''s attack came swiftly. There was no reaction from the enemy who''s life finally passed away as the notifications came up.

    [The second requirement for reaching level 100 has been reached]

    [Computing the total amount of experience points gained during this interval]

    [Synchronizing data]

    [Congrattions Gamer! You have leveled up.]

 Chapter 189: The Two Targets

    Chapter 189: The Two Targets

    [Requirements have been met. The conjures Samael and Kezel have been unlocked!]

    [Requirements have been met. The Blessing of the Fire God is now unlocked]

    [Information: Skills connected to the fire god can now be used with a lesser bacsh. The aftereffects can be avoided altogether if the user reaches the attribute level of the original wielder of the mes.]

    [Information: The gamer is immune to all fire rted skills.]

    [Information: Sess rate of forging has gone up by 10%]

    [Information: me attributed spells and equipment are boosted by 50% in effectivity when used by the gamer or his summons]

    [Requirements have been met. In connection to the blessing unlocked, the Conjures are automatically evolved to Infernal Conjures]

    [Information: All conjures now have linings that seem to bathe in the color of sunset. All their armor are turned ck. Upon reaching 10% of their health points, they will begin zing with mes that could burn nearby enemies down.]

    [Information: At one percent they get turned to Infernals. Rabidly destroying all that has been marked as opponents of the gamer. Their attribute points are also doubled during this interval.]

    [Information: The skills: "Undying Loyalty" and "Undying Fury" stack up with this skill.]

    [You have leveled up!]

    [You have leveled up!]

    [You have leveled up!]

    [The System Feature: "Gamer''s Mind" has upgraded!]

    [Information: A total immunity from all negative effects on the mind of the gamer has been unlocked.]

    [Due to the feature upgrading; "Intelligent Auto  Pilot" is now unlocked.]

    [Information: Should the even arise that there is danger and the gamer is unconscious, his body will move on its own and fight based on the logical course of action.]

    [The System Feature  Minimap has been upgraded.]

    [Information: Skills casted on the gamer''s location can now be fired on the designated area. The skill is limited to the area targeted and does not have pinpoint uracy.]

    These were only some of the number of notifications that popped up. Zeke himself was unconscious throughout the course of all this happening as his body floated on the sky. Of course he was awake in his [Sub Conscious] so he internalized everything which the [System] was providing him.

    On the other hand, Allesiah could feel Zeke''s power level increasing even further. Her eyes were still shut but this didn''t interfere with her ability to sense mana. Especially on the level that Zeke was emitting. In fact, it wasn''t any normal powering up but an abnormal spike in power that she herself could not exin.

    Apart from all this, she felt a warmthing from Zeke. Something that seemed divine. This was not the only change in mana because, Allesiah could also feel every bit of mana around them going haywire. The wind was blowing violently and the she thought that she was hearing the [Conjures] of Zeke. Like they were cheering and shouting from the top of their lungs. Greeting their master who was breaking through another barrier in strength. Transcending the limits even further.

    Notifications popped up one after the other; with the data being synchronized with Zeke''s [System]. Yet this event ended as quickly as it began. The atmosphere suddenly quieted down and, Allesiah heard Zeke finally speak.

    "Man, I didn''t expect it to be something like a VIP reward." He gamer began. Moving his body which felt even lighter than it already was.

    [Congrattions Gamer! Due to all the umted experience points adding up, you have reached Level 150!]

    [All data has been synched with the System.]

    These were the final notifications shown to Zeke. He dismissed them right away; closing the tabs and putting his attention to Allesiah whom, he realized, still had a problem with her eyes.

    "Ahh that''s right I need to do something for you Allesiah. Just wait there okay?" Zeke opened the skill window which contained all the skills of Calitha the former Fire God.

    "Uhmm sure?" Allesiah said, wondering what it was that the gamer was about to do. Hearing Zeke''s step slowly close in.

    Zeke then began chanting, activating a spell that was born together with the god who used it. A me that was not destructive but life giving. One which coats the almighty phoenixes that could revive from their own ashes.

    "I''m going to burn your eyes." Zeke casually dered.

    "You''ll WHAT?!?" Allesiah said in panic. Backing away from Zeke and tripping over her own foot.

    "Rx." Zeke simply said.

    "Oh sure. I bet people would normally rx when they are told something as stupid as that right?" Allesiah continued, crawling away from Zeke.

    "Just feel the mana I''m using. That should be enough to calm you down right?" Zeke said, releasing some of the mana just for Allesiah to feel it.

    "YouI felt this earlier but now I''m sure. This is divine me right? How on earth did you get your hands on a spell that uses the mes of the Fire God?"

    "Let''s talk about thatter okay? For now I need to treat those eyes of yours."

    "Do you even know how to use that properly?" Allesiah was finally calm. Sitting still and waiting for Zeke to begin.

    "Of course I do." It was a lie of course.

    That was the first time Zeke as making use of the skill and he just wanted to know how potent it really was. Allesiah and the condition of her eyes was the perfect opportunity for testing the waters. And so, before the elf could even catch on, Zeke finally casted it.

    "mes of the Phoenix." The mana was warm and gentle. Like the sun gently touching one''s skin after a cold and dark night.

    The spell showed nothing of the usual destructive nature of fire. In fact, Allesiah felt the only thing burning on her eyes were the impurities present. Restoring everything to normal bit by bit. It was bright of course. Too much for her liking but it wasn''t painful nor was it unbearable.

    "Okay I think it''s done. You can open your eyes now." Zeke said, with Allesiah slowly doing so. Her eyes devoid of any feeling of pain.

    "Oh my." She said immediately. Caught in a disbelief from how strong the effects were.

    "Well?" Zeke said, waiting for thements of the elf.

    "It feels good as new?" Allesiah said, thinking that it was what Zeke wanted to hear.

    "New as in you can''t see the mana flow anymore or just new as in entirely healed?"

    "What? There was a chance of that happening?"

    "I asked first." Zeke said. He was worried that the former may be the case and, if it was, then Allesiah would need years of training again just to acquire the same skill level that she already had.

    "Uhmm new as in entirely healed." Zeke held her shoulders at this saying "Thank god." Which made Allesiah more unsettled by the operation performed.

    "Anyway, about that skill. Weren''t you going to tell me about it?

    "Oh yean. The skill uses my own life force as sacrifice. Since I''m a mortal using divine healing, it was the natural exchange."

    "Aren''t you even worried about that?"

    "Why would I be? I have enough skills to keep me alive for generations toe." Zeke said and Allesiah knew that this was true.

    "What about the divine mes itself?" Allesiah asked further. Wanting to know more about it.

    "Oh yeah. I''ll tell you once we get back to base. Your sister is waiting there after all and she must be missing her youngest sister. Plus I''ve got kids to attend to." Thest part of Zeke''s statement was all that was left on Allesiah''s head. Repeating the word like a cursed idea that must never be explored.

    "K-kids?" She said, shuddering as the thoughts began running wild on her head.

    She was gone for a long time. Zeke might''ve lied when he mentioned the year when he saved Sylph. In fact, he might''ve saved her even earlier and, the reason why he wasn''t able to save her was because he was too busy tending to his children with Sylph. Also preparing a reasonable alibi that would get him out of trouble.

    "Z-Zeke did you?" The gamer read her expression quite clearly. Sighing in disbelief from how Allesiah''s mind worked.

    "Honestly do you think I even have time for the things that run in that head of yours? They''re from my world. Humans who''ve been gifted by the gods just like me. I''m old enough to be their father so that''s why I refer to them as kids." He said, without a trace of lying from his voice.

    "Oh I see." Allesiah said in reply, breathing ever so calmly after being served with the facts.

    "Anyway, we''re done with all the continents." Zeke said, snapping his fingers and creating two [Teleportation Scrolls].

    "The cleanup wille soon after so don''t worry about the two continents we''ve conquered."

    "It''s not like I have any say with your ns right?" Allesiah said as she smiled at Zeke who let out a bit of chuckle.

    "Yeah sorry about that. We need to make the preparations for the next phase of the operation because we have two main targets now."

    "Two?" Allesiah repeated. Thinking of anyone aside from de. Again, Zeke was able to read her expression so he mentioned their names in order to avoid any confusion.

    "de and Quinn."

 Chapter 190: Reunion and Research

    Chapter 190: Reunion and Research

    Sylph was the only one who greeted the two when they came back. Mixed emotions came for both Sylph and Allesiah who got their real selves reunited after years of brainwashing.

    The older Windsprite was happy to see her youngest sister alive and well. The two of them had a touching encounter with tears being shed and, Zeke used this opportunity to add the details about Sylvia. One which made the expression on Sylph''s face darken as she held Allesiah even tighter. Wrapping her arms as if her sister would disappear any moment.

    "I''m d that you''re okay. I''ll take care of you Allesiah don''t worry." Sylph said, with tears still falling from her eyes.

    "You don''t have to be so dramatic about it. Our big sister wouldugh at you if she was still alive." Allesiah said in reply, also having tears fall down her face.

    "Look at these two." Zeke simply said, having a warm and fuzzy feeling in his heart.

    It was the personal goal of his. One which wasn''t part of any quest or mission. Something which he aimed because he thought that it was the proper thing to do. Because Zeke Elwood never abandoned his teammates. He then made a cough, in order for both Windsprites to take notice of him.

    "Where are Heron, Morpheus and the elites exactly?" Zeke asked.

    "Oh, they''re training right now. Should I go fetch them?" Sylph offered; taking off her hold of her sister.

    "No. Let them be. We''ll deal with thatter." Zeke said in reply knowing that, there were still some questions which Sylph wanted to ask Allesiah. Sure enough, another one came.

    "So how is it exactly that you were brought back? It''s weird because Zeke didn''t use the same method on you as he did with me." Sylph inquired; knowing that the machine on the base was needed for the said operation.

    At that point, Allesiah was still unaware about something. That her older sister had Zeke as a potential love interest. That''s why Zeke held back a smile and waited for things to progress.

    "Ahh well regarding that." Allesiah began, calling over her sister toe closer so she could whisper the information.

    Zeke found it to be amusing. Especially because he knew how Sylph would respond. Hence the gamer began counting down in his mind:

    "3"

    "2"

    "1"

    "YOU KISSED!?!" Allesiah immediately covered the lips of her sister who seemed to be unable to quiet down. Both their faces were blushing red, as if they only realized what it meant at that moment.

    Zeke on the other hand onlyughed at the disy. He wasn''t one to mull over the petty meaning behind gestures such as these. For him, it was only a requirement to save Allesiahno more no less.

    "Okay break it up you two. I still need updates on those kids." Zeke said, with Sylph pouting at him.

    "Heye on, it''s not like I intended it right Allesiah?" As he looked at Allesiah, the elf was also pouting.

    She didn''t like how Zeke made it look like it was forced. Yet it was. This ced Zeke in a bad spot as the two Windsprites seemed to be ganging up against him.

    *Sigh*

    "Sylph we need to move fast if we want to catch up to Quinn." The gamer said, with his tone getting serious.

    If there was one thing Zeke was sure about it was that, duty came as a priority to Sylph. No matter what the situation was, she prioritized this over any emotion or personal affair. So, even though it was against her will at the moment, she finally gave the needed information. That is, after making onest act of defiance. With the sound of "HMP!"ing out of her lips.

    "It''s bad." Sylph began.

    "How bad is that exactly?" Zeke said in reply, resting his body over a nearby table.

    "Well, since I came back and gave them the news, everyone had their morale taken down. Some of them believe that Quinn left because he thought that the group was hindering his growth. Some believed that Quinn became an enemy. While there were others who med themselves. Thinking that; if only they were strong enough on thest fight, then the situation might''ve been avoided altogether."

    All of these were normal reactions to what happened. After all, it wasn''t just anyone who left. It was Quinn. The one who rallied them and served as their standard bearer. The one who always pressed forward as a measure of strength which guided the other elites. Yet, the same person simply left. Not even giving any reasons for doing so.

    "Did you tell them about the markings and the alter persona?" Zeke asked.

    "No. I believe that it would be in the group''s best interest if this isn''t brought out yet." Sylph said.

    "That''s good." The gamer said in reply. Knowing that, the elites might just chase after him if they knew.

    "So does anyone care to exin what''s happening already?" Allesiah intervened, wanting to get the details as much as both of them have.

    "Of course Allesiah." Zeke remembered a crucial part to this mission. One which involved the newfound powers of the Windsprite.

    "We''ll go to the area where you battled. I believe that there should be residues of the energy which that entity used. Although it may be faint now so we need to hurry."

    "What do you mean?" Sylph asked as she looked at her sister.

    "Oh I developed an upgrade on my eyes." Allesiah pointed at these, making Sylph chuckle in pride.

    "My, look at you. You''re really growing into a proper mage aren''t you? She''d be so proud." Sylph said, sounding a bit sentimental over the idea of their big sister.

    "Hey cut it out. We don''t have time for waterworks now. As a famous person once said, let the dead bury their dead. Sylvia would be happier if we progressed and saved the whole of Mythos right?" Zeke offered a handkerchief to both Sylph and Allesiah, one which both of them dly took.

    "Yeah sorry." Sylph said in reply, brushing away the tears as the conversation continued.

    "Should I call in Heron and Morpheus here or should they just continue training with the group?"

    "Let them be for now. I think that training is a good way for them to take their heads off the event and clear their minds."

    "Understood, then shall we get going?" Sylph suggested.

    "Yeah."

    The rift was the same as always. Apart from the fact that, the [Chaos Poison] was already gone, it still stood as one wide and massive crack on the earth that spread throughout the whole continent.

    "So this is the spot?" Zeke noticed all the carvings on the ground. Telling the tale of the kind of battle that went on.

    The multiple holes created by the arrows. The thin circr lines cause by the wind wall. The holes on the ground created by Sylph''s des and eveythng else.

    "Yeah this is where the battle went on." Sylph simply said, remembering her opponent and the chill he gave all too well.

    "Understood." Zeke said, nodding to Allesiah who began using the upgrade of her eyes.

    The elf began trying to find any of the strange energy left. The sides of her eyes began getting red and, Sylph worried about it. Yet Zeke told her not to interfere as this was a normal part of the skill usage.

    The gamer didn''t know if the burden on her eyes would lessen with time but for the moment, it was best that she used it as much as she could. The duration itself should be minimal as the elf could go blind altogether if she forced its usage for too long.

    "Stop." Zeke said, noticing Allesiah''s eyes getting too red.

    This was a good thing because, if a few more seconds passed, then Allesiah''s eyes would begin to bleed once again. The elf closed her eyes, feeling that it was too painful to even use her normal eyesight.

    "Do I need to heal it?" Zeke suggested.

    "No I think this much is fine." Allesiah said in reply as she continued with her report.

    "It''s faint. Almost to the point of being non-existent but, it''s definitely there. That person had the same energy type as the fake Sylvia when she transformed. I''m guessing it''s also the same for both me and my sister''s transformation." Allesiah said.

    "So all this time we''ve had another enemy ying us under his fingers?" Sylph suggested.

    "Well that would be both a yes and a no." The gamer said in reply. Thinking about the probabilities already.

    "What do you mean Zeke?"

    "The energy type is the same. That much cannot be doubted. Yet, if he was really the one orchestrating all of this then, why would he settle with just Quinn? Furthermore, why was there no brainwashing done?"

    "So what do you suggest?"

    "Just like how every inhabitant of Mythos can make use of mana. I think that there are more individuals who could use whatever energy Allesiah could see."

    "That''s insane." Sylph said, shivering from the thought that there were more of the same enemy she fought.

    "I know but that is what I believe. Yet aside from this, the facts are as follows:

    "One: he is an enemy."

    "Two: he has a simr energy to the one used on our transport twelve years ago."

    "Three: he has taken Quinn hostage."

    "Aside from these three. No further information can be verified so we need to get going." Zeke said, looking at the rift which suggested their next move.

    "Once we head down that ce, you need to start giving me all the information you could regarding the mission. We''ll separate in order to get more clues." Zeke instructed with both Windsprites answering:

    "Understood."

    "Allesiah are your eyes still okay?"

    "I think I can handle a bit more." The elf said in reply; gauging her own capacity.

    "Okay then. Let''s head down shall wedies?" Zeke suggested. Not knowing that, this would be the beginning of his involvement with the [Monarchs of Chaos].

 Chapter 191: Quests Down The Rift

    Chapter 191: Quests Down The Rift

    As mentioned, the three of them have split up in order to make the search even faster. Furthermore, Zeke made sure that a [Party] was formed. Allowing him to teleport to their location if the need ever arises.

    "Stay alert, we don''t want any unnecessary casualties toe from this expedition." Zeke reminded the two who got their brows furrowing.

    "Who do you think you''re talking to? We can handle our own against anything these caves can offer." Sylph began; priding herself in the level of power which she has reached.

    "Yeah. Plus with how you described it, I think that threat have already passed for this ce." Allesiah continued in an unbothered tone. With her [Mana Sight], nothing would pass from the cave without her knowing.

    "Suit yourselves." Zeke began. With a rxed smile on his face.

    "Anyway I''m still summoning them to scout the other areas." Zeke furthered, referring to the new and upgraded [Infernal Conjures] which he has yet to make use of.

    This didn''t need the consent of the Windsprites. He just wanted them to know because, he himself wasn''t sure what kind of aura his summons would emit. He then turned the [Voice Chat] option off as he casted:

    "Conjure."

    The feeling was nothing like it was before. One could hear the crackling of wood getting burned as the bodies of his [Conjures] emerged from crimson red mes that zed as tall as the emerging summons. Each looking more powerful than before and, all having the crest of the Fire God on them.

    "This might really get me in trouble when I enter the [Ruined City]." The gamer thought to himself knowing that the gods would be able to recognize the sigil right away. Then again, he also thought that it won''t be much of a problem because this was part of the goal.

    "Ah right, I better look at those things now." Zeke furthered. Clicking on the [System Notifications] as he walked along. The messages have piled up since thest time he opened them and so, the notifications began with the recent:

    [The Sub Quest  "Find Traces of Chaos" has been added]

    [A Memory Shard will be given as a reward]

    [5% of the Ancient Spellpletion will be given as a reward]

    [The Sub Quest  Discover Quinn''s objectives has been added]

    [An inferior Chaos Skill will be given as a reward]

    [No information can be given about the Chaos Skills at the moment.]

    [The skill tree will open once the first skill is obtained.]

    "Okay, now I''m really riled up." Zeke said to himself, moving along as he asked Sylph for information from time to time.

    It took them longer because it wasn''t a speed run that they were doing. The group did a careful and proper expedition of the area. With the [System''s Analysis] this came easier for Zeke who was able to distinguish the various things found on the cave. One of these being the light on the ground which was found by Quinn and the first expedition group.

    [Information: An unstable material can be obtained from the cracks. Once opened, this would create a massive earthquake which could tear apart the continent altogether. Thus, all areas emitting the glow must be closed in order for the potential disaster to be avoided.]

    "Guys are you also seeing the glowing things on the ground?" Zeke began.

    "Yeah, that''s one of the two things which I told those kids not to touch. Why, what''s with it exactly?" Sylph inquired.

    "Let''s just say that, tinkering with it might cause the continent to get destroyed altogether." Zeke said, getting nervousughs from the older Windsprite who was already used to the surprises caused by the gamer.

    "I can see a simr substanceing from it Zeke. This is definitely connected to that kid you''re mentioning." Allesiah continued and, as soon as she informed him of it, the gamer got another quest.

    [The Optional Quest  "Close the Openings of Chaos" has been added.]

    [100 Skill Points will be given as a reward.]

    "Now this is going to be interesting." Zeke thought. Giving the orders to both Windsprites immediately.

    "Okay. But only the ones on the caves, right?" Sylph cleared the order. Knowing that the cracks could be found everywhere on the rift and, it would take them more than a week if only the three of them would perform it.

    "Yeah. I''ll deal with everything else." Zeke said.

    "Are you sure we won''t identally destroy the continent in the process?" Allesiah confirmed.

    "Well, that is also a possibility but, you know, it''s better than having some stupid people identally destroying them, right?"

    "You''ve got a point there." Sylph said.

    "That''s all we need to do right Zeke?" Allesiah continued.

    "Yup. That''s what we need to do." After informing them about this, Zeke proceeded to do the task himself.

    He ordered his [Infernal Conjures] to cover the gaps with both dirt and rocks. It was a simple enough task for the creatures and, after this was done, it was the turn of the [Conjured Knights]. They burned the areas with their weapons imbued with the characteristics of the [Chaos mes].

    "That should do it. Now what else does this ce offer?" Zeke continued. The quest wasn''t finished yet however as, both Allesiah and Sylph still had gaps to close on their respective caves.

    Meanwhile, Zeke [Analyzed] everything he saw until, he finally came across the crystals. The same ones found by Quinn and his group during the same expedition. Ones which they weren''t allowed to even touch.

    "Sylph. I found the ck crystals you''ve told me about."

    "Really? And what does it say."

    "Actually I''m not yet sure. This is the first time it has ever happened but, my [System] is loading the information regarding it. You''ll probably encounter these when you go along."

    "Okay. Well, if you won''t mind, I still need to close these gaps." Sylph said, closing her [Voice Chat].

    "I''ll try using my new ability on it. Maybe it has something to do with our enemy." Allesiah continued.

    "Okay. Just don''t overdo it." Zekemanded. Getting an approval from Allesiah who also disconnected from the [Chat].

    [59% of the information has been loaded] This was the [Notification Window] that appeared on top of the crystal.

    "Why do I get the feeling that this''ll be something dangerous again?" Zeke said, knowing that nothing good wille from things that even his [System''s] ability couldprehend. It was just like the time he faced the silhouetted figure who had [???] indicated on the stats.

    [73% of the information has been loaded]

    "I''ll just fight whateveres at me."

    [89% of the information has been loaded]

    "It''s not like I can just escape because, any world that I''d go to would have the prying eyes of those gods."

    [96% of the information has been loaded.]

    "Let them alle. I''m not the same Zeke that they could toy with any longer."

    [100% of the information has been loaded.]

    [Synchronizing data]

    [Item name: Chaos Shard]

    [Rarity: SS]

    [Information: A substance that was abundant on thend of [???]. With the disappearance of this realm, the energy of the world was scattered and absorbed by both monsters and areas alike. Due to the high rarity of the item, the crafting of the material can only be done by one who has prior knowledge of the material and the crafting methods used. The analysis itself can only be done by the highest form of analysis skills.]

    [Information: The material can be used to make weapons which go beyond the normal capacities of those crafted by mortals. However, thises at the price of corrupting the individual. Destroying their bodies little by little as an aftereffect of making use of the power of Chaos.]

    "Yup. This is definitely something dangerous." Zeke told himself, getting his system glitching once again. There were electrical currents that showed everywhere as another notification came:

    [The System Needs to reboot. Perform the operation now?]

    "What the hell is going on here?"

    Zeke decided to postpone the reboot. They nearly had the excavation finished and, he knew that this could be done as soon as they get back to the base. Hence, he simply continued on with what he was doing as his allies also did the same.

    Yet, even before they finished; Zeke was already able to figure something out. The gaps on the ground and the crystals on the walls. These were things that weren''t supposed to exist in Mythos. Something which wasn''t part of the grand design of the gods. Yet they were there as some kind of unfortunate ident on the Demon Continent.

    However, this wasn''t the only thing that Zeke would discover as he finally reached the end of the cave. On it, the crystal was still where Quinn left it. A key that allowed him and the other elites to be teleported to another realm. One where they squared off against Slytherin; the event which led to Quinn gaining the [Curse of Chaos].

    [Item Name: Domain Crystal]

    [Rarity: SS]

    [Information: The domain crystales in five types. Gathering them all will enable the gamer to learn the skill Domain Creation].

    "What on earth did I send those kids to?" Zeke told himself, feeling the weight of all the secrets hidden beneath the surface of Mythos finallying into light.

    "Okay that settles it. I''m going to collect all of these then."

    The expedition went as smoothly as Zeke intended it to be. He teleported to all the caves, doing the opposite of what he told the Windsprites. He sped up, reaching all the [Boss Area] within the caves and taking the crystals ced there. Meanwhile, Allesiah was also making progress on the [Chaos Crystal] which she just encountered.

    Yet they weren''t the only ones making progress because, on the [Ruined City], de has finally reached his goal. Getting the power he required to oppose the gods.

 Chapter 192: The True Deceiver

    Chapter 192: The True Deceiver

    What is the price that one pays for power? There are various answers to this of course because, poweres in all shapes and forms. There are those that see power in wisdom. There are those which see it in raw strength. Those that see influence as power. Money. Fulfilled desires. Poprity.

    Indeed, there are various kinds of power. Gaining just one of these takes an extraordinary amount of effort. One which even proves to be futile at times. Yet, de desires not only one of these. Indeed, he wants to take hold of Power. Each and every kind without leaving anything behind.

    This is exactly what he found in the [Ruined City]. His left eye was gouged out. His right arm was torn off. One of his lungs got destroyed. He only had a few more days to live. This is the price of the power he gained and, he isn''t one to regret what was lost. After all, he finally found the [Elixir]. One which would allow him to not only reach divinity but also surpass it.

    "It took a bit longer than I expected but at least I''m here now." The king said, with a triumphant smile on his face. One which was twisted to the point that it didn''t look mortal anymore.

    All around him, there were shattered armors. Broken columns. A stream of water gushed out from a nearby wall while smoke rose from all around him. Various spears were spread. Each pinning down an opponent which had nothing but bones now. The color of crimson spread around the room and one could clearly see the amount of blood that was shed on the battlefield.

    "I need to get back as soon as I can." de continued, feeling his consciousness about to fade. It was a cold feeling, one which he has experience before. The same sensation when Gallio was training him. Beaten half to death and forced to recover with only days of interval between the hellish trainings.

    Yet, even with the coldness he felt, a stronger chill crept around his body. One which understood that danger was looming. A familiar one at that and, the elven king watched the whole area get engulfed by dark mana. Sealing it from the outside world entirely as a figure stepped out from the shadows.

    "You sly little bastard, I knew you were alive." The voice began. It was the silhouetted figure. The one faced by Zeke whose attribute points were impossible for even Zeke to Analyze. This same person got the shadows out of his face, revealing the face of the God of Mischief and Deceit; Pier.

    "To think that you''d actually manage to slip out of the heavens. I may have underestimated you." The king said, forcing his body to stop quivering from the cold.

    "Oh indeed I have. By the way, I''m not the only god who has his or her eyes on you now so you better watch it. You may not be able to leave this ce in one piece." The god began, looking at the sorry state of the elf whom he graced.

    de continued, thinking of a way out of the situation. He knew what was toe after all. With how things were progressing and, with the timing of the god, it would only be a matter of time before his life was taken from him.

    "How did you know that I was still alive?" He began; trying to buy some time.

    "What makes you think that I believed your little stunt?"

    "What?"

    "Silly mortal. Just because you''ve managed to fool every person you''vee across against, your head got inted too much. You managed to fool Gallio and Zeke but neither of them is on my level." Pier then took out a dagger.

    Even before the elf could respond, he found the weapon digging deep within his flesh. Nearly reaching his heart which made sounds as loud as the beating of drums. Pier was there holding on to the weapon with both hands as de dropped to his knees. The god them moved his lips closer to de''s ear as he whispered.

    "I am the god of mischief and deceit. I can trick anyone I please without even making any effort."

    It was at this point that de understood. Everything went ording to Pier''s ns; not his own. From the moment that the god took notice of him, he was already ying under his strings. The god then moved his head away, showing a cursed look that haunted de.

    It was amusement. One which showed a master getting entertained by its dog running around in circles as it tried catching its tail. There was no malice in the look. Pier simply enjoyed the moment of his pet being stupid and, this hurt de''s pride more than anything else. One which wasn''t sullied until that very moment.

    "YOOUUUUU!" Pier stabbed the dagger even further, finally reaching de''s heart. The king began coughing out blood which meant that there were only minutes left for him to live. Pier then moved away as the kingy on the cold concrete floor. With the cold steel unremoved from his flesh.

    "Now now. I can''t have you dying on me just yet. We''ve still got a lot of ns ahead of us and none of them could be fulfilled if you''re not by my side." Pier continued, forcefully taking the [Elixir] from de''s hands which tried to grip on it as hard as it could.

    "You know I have to thank you. If I did this myself, the gods would''vee down here and killed me. I''m just as excited for this moment as you are so let''s talk about it okay?" The god continued, taking out a pouch and opening it up.

    "I could''ve sent you years ago but I knew you weren''t prepared then. You needed more power, enough to fight the guardians of the [Ruined City] and enough to make you survive through any surprises. Plus, you needed more confidence. One which would make you think that you can deceive even me." He ced the contents within the elixir. Fine ck dust which de could not recognize anymore.

    In fact, the king''s vision was already blurry. His hearing was also damaged  only recognizing mushes of sound ovepping over one another.

    "Well at the state you''re in, I''m guessing that you can''t hear me clearly anymore. But that''s fine. I know that within that head d of yours, you''ve already put the pieces together." Pier stirred the liquid, until it released ck smoke; with the [Elixir] bubbling.

    "Anyway. I still have other matters to attend to and I can''t stay here for much longer. I know that you''ve dreamed of this moment for a long time but I bet this isn''t how you thought it''d be." The god shattered the ss from where the elixir was and, on his hand was apleted [Chaos Crystal]. One which was as good as new.

    "That person you left, Zeke Elwood, he''s still alive and probably looking for you as we speak." Pier casted a spell over the dying de. One which went directly towards his brain which imnted themand that he then spoke.

    "Once you wake up, I want you to hunt him down and tear him apart. He''s a bigger threat than you''ll ever be after all." With this, the deed was almostplete.

    The god then removed the cloaking and released as much of his divine mana as he could. This made the gods on the heavens take notice of him because, after leaving Yaeger''s realm, Pier went missing.

    He felt it quite clearly. The anger of the gods who wanted toe down and smite him down and he loved every bit of it. It was finally time for all of his ns tomence and so, he forcefully opened a rift that connected him to Mythos.

    "My fellow gods and my dear goddesses! It is finally time for your one true ruler to show you how the worlds must be made! I know that you won''t descend here because you fear the curse of mortality and that is why you are weak! You can do nothing but watch me and that you shall!" Pier removed the dagger on the dying elf''s heart and ced the [Chaos Crystal] on it.

    ck mana oozed on the surroundings and the [Ruined City] began shattering down. A storm began brewing and in the middle of it all, the dying king and the crazed god were together. Pierughed his heart out like never before. All the pieces were finally set and things were moving ording to his grand design.

    "Of course you''d be angry. But what can you do about it? Will the proud divinese down from their heavenly thrones? Well? Will you!" Pier challenged them.

    Opposing the same creatures which created the worlds and maintained their bnce. He challenged the same beings who held just as much power as he. There was boldness on his voice when he uttered these words. As if he already knew the oue.

    "I''ll give you ten seconds. If none of youes down within that time then you won''t be able to stop me anymore. Ten"

    "Nine"

    "Eight"

    The gods and goddesses panicked while watching this. They knew that action as needed and yet, they also thought of the probability of Pier leading them on. That once they descend, they''d get murdered instantly and, this thought was enough to make them think twice. Enough time for Pier to also finish counting down.

    "Zero." He said, with a thrilled expression on his face. He lifted up de on his shoulders and left with one final remark.

    "Sit on your thrones then. And watch how a real god should act."

 Chapter 193: Identities Revealed

    Chapter 193: Identities Revealed

    Within the heavens, a lot ofmotion has been stirred. There were talks going around and, many of the minor gods were in a sort of crazed panic. There were already some of these deployed to investigate but, ultimately, the [Main Deities] had an emergency meeting. nning on the steps which should be taken as soon as possible. One which began with a shout the could even be heard from outside.

    "DAMMIT!!!" Sinir smashed the table in an instant. It was made by the Forging God to go against even a cmity level monster. Yet this sturdiness seemed to be insufficient for a pissed off Goddess of Light.

    "Hey, we just got that Sin." Chrono said, snapping his fingers and restoring the table to a time before it was broken. Meanwhile Sinir slouched on her chair, with one hand on her head.

    "How the hell was he able to get past us without our knowledge?" Sinir continued. With her brows almost meeting in frustration. In fact, it was on a level that far surpassed the antics of Zeke Elwood. cing Pier on the top of persons she is annoyed with. Mainly consisting of only the two mentioned.

    Pier did not only escape heaven but dared challenge the gods. What''s worse is that, they weren''t able to respond to his challenge, allowing the minor god to feel superior even over the three [Main Deities].

    "Well he is the god of mischief and deceit after all. You''d expect it to be his specialty at least." Chrono said in reply, trying to think of a method out of the predicament as much as he could. Yet, both he and Sinir knew that the only one who could get them out of it was Nisha.

    A goddess who sat together with them.

    "The good news is that we know where he is headed. The only route leading out of the [Ruined City] is Mythos. That''s his only option for now. Yet"

    "Yeah we know. The elites are in danger because of this. They can''t handle the level of a god." Sinir added, feeling a headache slowly form.

    "Plus he''s got de whom he put a Chaos Crystal on." Chrono furthered.

    "Gee thanks Chrono." The Goddess of Light sarcastically remarked.

    "No problem." Chrono said, giving a thumbs up which somehow irritated Sinir even more.

    "How did he even get his hands on something like that? And how on earth does he know about it?" Sinir said, remembering that Pier had aplete [Chaos Crystal] with him.

    There were many parts of history that were taken out. Specifically, every detail regarding the Monarchs of both [Order] and [Chaos]. Sinir, Nisha, and Chrono were the sole survivors of everything that happened. This was the truth of it all yet, it is only the three of them who knows about it.

    "That''s not something we can resolve at the moment." Nisha said, removing the other two from their train of thoughts.

    "What we need to focus on is how we can stop Pier and save Mythos." Nisha furthered.

    "Well yeah but we signed a treaty didn''t we? We can''t see what''s happening there anymore nor can we interfere." Sinir said.

    This was actually their main problem. The rule was supposed to be a measure against all possible threats to the elites. Yet, this same choice backfired on them because, the only way for them to enter was to strip off their divinity and be mortal.

    This was the thing which Pier referred to when he issued the challenge back on the [Ruined City]. About the immortal divines needing to take the flesh of mortality just to stop him. But this was too dangerous because, anything could kill them at that point.

    "He used our own move against us. Dammit!" Sinir mmed the table, cracking it and making Chrono repair it again.

    "Why do I feel like we''ve bene ying under his hands this whole time?" She furthered, with a smile forming on Nisha''s face. One which the Goddess of Light didn''t miss.

    "Why are you smiling?" She furthered; with the Goddess of Darkness looking at her with a childlike wonder.

    "Well we''re not exactly the deities of wisdom now are we? We all have our respective domains and limitations. We may be gods but we are in no way omniscient." Nisha dered.

    "Still! How did he go unnoticed all this time?" Sinir added.

    "There''s no use crying over spilled milk, we should think of a n right?" Nisha suggested, wanting the discussion to go back on track. Avoiding things that may be attributed to her.

    "Oooh looks like you have something in mind? What is it?" Chrono said.

    "It''s simple. We call back the heroes deployed and make them go to Mythos." Seconds of silence followed this. The two of them couldn''t believe that something was suggested and, it was Sinir who voiced this out.

    "What? Are you insane?"

    "Insane?" Nisha repeated.

    "You know that we can''t do that. The humans we''ve sent are the ones restoring the bnce on the worlds they''ve gotten sent to. If we take them out, then what would the world they''re saving turn to?"

    "Oh rx will you. We won''t be taking all the heroes, just some of them. Those who''ve done well in making capable allies and have almost restored the bnce on the worlds they''ve been sent."

    "Hmmm that does sound reasonable." The God of Time agreed.

    "Chrono!"

    "Well it is right Sin?" Chrono furthered.

    "Before you argue let me exin further. I believe that our dear God of Mischief has been harvesting power somehow. If this is the case then, by destroying Mythos he may be able to achieve something. A kind of power which goes beyond anything we can handle."

    "Is that even possible?" Chrono asked.

    "It is if the power he is garneringes from the [Monarchs]." Nisha continued, with his fellow main deities understanding the full weight of her words.

    "Now tell me my dear goddess of light. What is more important? The salvation of a few humans or the safety of the very beings who created them?"

    "It''s funny. For a moment there you sounded just like him." Sylviamented, referring to the same god who dared make a mockery of them.

    "Oh is that right? But do you disagree with the logic of my words?" She furthered, getting no response from Sinir.

    "We cannot just stay benevolent all the time. For things like this, we need to make hard decisions ones that, as you said, made me sound like Pier."

    "I agree with Ni-Ni. It is only this once that we make a choice as this and, it may create a lot of destruction. Yet not as much as the one which could be created if Pier gets enough power to destroy the gods." It was the first time Chrono spoke so fluently. He wasn''t just a boy at that moment. He was serious.

    "A lesser evil must be sacrificed in order to prevent the greater evil from arising. Now choose." It was a checkmate. There was no going around it anymore. With two of them agreeing to the idea, Sinir could do nothing more but to go along with the terms. No matter how much it went against her code.

    "Fine."

    With this, the three [Main Deities] have finally agreed to the n. Veteran heroes from all over the worlds would be called back to the [Heavenly Realm]. They would be told of the objective and how they need to move as a group in order for the mission to seed.

    Blessings would also be endowed on them. Increasing their chances of survival no matter how uncertain this variable might truly be. Aside from this, the meeting was to be held with the minor gods as soon as possible. This would all be done swiftly because, they didn''t know just how much time they had left before Pier aplishes his goals.

    With this, the three of them finally finished their meeting. Yet, Sinir just couldn''t shake the feeling that Nisha has changed somehow. Everything from her mana to her movements matches the Goddess of Darkness but, there was something different. There was no evidence of anything of course and so, she just brushed off the idea. Thinking that it was crazy to assume that Nisha was part of the plot.

    But she was. Or rather, the man wearing her mask was.

    Nisha returned to her realm and as soon as she did, she beganughing hysterically. Something which the real goddess would never do. She then began shifting forms and returning to the original state of the one making use of her. Pier.

    "Oh man, to think that it''d work as well as it did. This is just golden HAHAHA."

    What Pier did was simple. The crystal he kept on top of his staff was actually a [Chaos Crystal]. He hid this by using his powers as the god of deceit. Cloaking the item to look as nothing more than an obsidian rock.

    Here, he stored his powers while also harvesting all the negative emotions of the mortals who lived. Waiting for the moment for his ns to finallymence. And this opportunity finally came with the rule created by the [Main Deities]. Preventing them from interfering with Mythos for a period of a whole year.

    Thus, even before this rule was established, Pier dropped his crystal to Mythos. He ced this on one of the [Elites] without their knowledge. This crystal then escaped and took the form of the silhouetted figure. One which held half of Pier''s strength and identity while the other half remained on the heavens. Preventing any suspicion from ever arising.

    He then moved to taking down Nisha and harvesting her strength. Because based on the knowledge he gained, Nisha was just another [Monarch of Chaos]. Thus, he could easily imitate her aura because, residing within him was another [Monarch of Chaos]. The third one who is finally revealed.

    Vardus Nevermore.

    The father of Nisha and

    the man responsible for the destruction of all the other [Monarchs].

 Chapter 194: Calamity

    Chapter 194: Cmity

    Back within Mythos, Pier have just arrived with the body of the fallen king on his shoulder. de was alive and well of course but, because of the crystal injected on him, it would take a while before he could regain consciousness. Yet, when he does, he will learn that a lot of things have already changed.

    "Maybe a few weeks. Not that it''s relevant." Pier continued as he viewed the scenery before him.

    It was the edge of the Demon Continent of Helios. Yet it didn''t have the miasmic feel that it always had which the god found strange. This was, of course, due to Sylph and the elites clearing the [Mythical Creature] out of the rift.

    "I wonder how much destruction I should cause before they break the taboos one by one." He continued; thinking of the other gods who were still in the heavenly realm.

    There were still a lot of things that Pier needed to aplish but he didn''t mind. He had all the time in the world for all he cares. There was nobody who could stop him. Maybe this was the reason why he got shocked as he felt a presence nearby.

    "To think that there would be people tailing me even until here. I must be gaining poprity." He said, making the figuree out to the open and reveal himself.

    It was Quinn. The former leader of the elites who had his body holding one of the [Chaos Monarchs] within it. There was a safe distance between them. One which allowed maneuverability and escape if needed yet, close enough for them to hear each other.

    "Oh you''re more popr than you think." Quinn said in reply.

    Even with them talking casually, without even an ounce of killing intent being released, Quinn could feel that his enemy was unlike any other. That no matter how hard he tried, he wouldn''t even reach half off the strength of this entity in front of him.

    "Look kid, I really have no time for whatever shenanigans you have in mind. I''m having a terrific day you see so I''m going to show you my good side."

    "What are you talking about?"

    "Now that I''m in front of you, I''m sure you can feel how far the gap between our power is. So, if you step aside, I won''t kill you." It was a tempting offer of course but Quinn knew that he couldn''t back away. Not with Vask being inside him.

    Hence the elite went into stance. Something which Pier found to be a poor choice for a human who seemed intelligent enough to know otherwise.

    "Suit yourself." He said  dropping de to the ground as, a rain of spears followed.

    "I don''t'' know who that is but I''m sure you''d be protecting him." Quinn thought to himself. Watching his enemy stay in the middle of the torrent. Taking the full blow of the attacks as he prevented the fainted elf from being harmed.

    "My my. So you do have a brain." Pier continued, deflecting each attack and thinking of something right away.

    "Well since you came to y. I might as well entertain myself and stretch out." Pier continued, hitting the spears one by one which met the iing ones. Effectively negating the attack of Quinn. This much was expected by the human of course and, he charged his ultimate attack casting:

    "Singrity."

    Quinn knew better than to prolong the fight. He knew that the enemy would take him lightly and would probably drop his guard on the first few minutes of the fight.

    That is the only chance he had. He knew that no other opportunity woulde after it and so he maximized the move. cing all of his mana on the swing. Enhancing his body to its limit and, attacking at pinpoint uracy.

    The sea became silent as it was cut in half and so were the clouds in the sky. Just like every other time when it was casted, the world seemed colorless for a moment. Yet, Pier stood there with only a look of annoyance showing. There was a small wound on the god''s chest. One which was but a scratch and, the only thing that actually got affected by the attack was Pier''s clothes.

    "You know that I just got these?" Pier began, snapping his fingers and repairing his clothes right away.

    "Well at least you tried right?" Vask said, watching the whole fight and getting impressed by the quickbinations of Quinn. Yet it wasn''t at any level that could seriously damage a god.

    "Let''s just swap ces again before things get ugly." Vask continued, with Quinn getting hit by three daggers that came out of nowhere. This was followed by a couple more, making the human drop to his knees as the blood gushed out.

    "Judging by your appearance and your actions. This isn''t some random encounter." Pier said even before Quinn could respond to Vask. The god then snapped his fingers. Removing all of the wounds which were nothing but an illusion.

    "Okay let''s try this again since I''m not entirely pissed." Pier stabbed the elite multiple times over. The sensation was as real as it could get. The image of his own blood was vivid. Yet with another snap of his fingers, Pier made everything vanish.

    "I am the god of mischief and deceit. Whatever you''re trying to pull won''t work against me." He said, appearing right in front of Quinn.

    Before the human could even respond, Pier took him by the neck and raised him up. Chocking Quinn who was slowly but surely running out of breath. He tried to move out of the hold but Pier was just too powerful for him. Needing only one arm and not even looking serious.

    "Take a hint and don''te back." Pier kicked Quinn in the chest, breaking most of the human''s ribcage as Quinn came crashing to a nearby forest. His body all torn from the attacks of the god.

    "Oh, he dropped his weapon." The god continued, looking at the shattered de that was used to cast [Singrity].

    Meanwhile Quinn was trying his best not to faint or lose consciousness. If he did, he knew that Vask would take over and he wasn''t going to let this entity do whatever he wished. Not without his consent at least. Yet as he struggled, it was this same being that saved his consciousness from fully cking out.

    "Are we going to have another episode of Quinn getting his ass kicked? It''s not the best show to watch you know." Vaskmented. Using some of his powers to heal the vitals of Quinn. Just enough for the human to move again.

    "Not yet I still have one trick." Quinn said in reply.

    He felt his whole bodyining from the fight. His regenerative skills wont even work in time because he needed to continue moving if he wanted to stop Pier from leaving. Yet all hope was not lost because even in that situation, Quinn had something nned out. One that would make use of Vask.

    "You can heal whatever damage is done to me, right?" Quinn began.

    "What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I could." Was Vask''s monotonous reply making Quinn grin.

    "Get ready then." The human advised as he casted:

    "Weapon Blink."

    Immediately he got back to the location of Pier. The god was still there and so was the unconscious de. He then prevented the enemy from moving by casting [Oblivion]. Surprising the god who didn''t know that the human could make use of such a skill.

    "That was yourst chance. Why did you even decide to go back?" Piermented, preparing to get out of the skill.

    Yet Quinn was ready for this. Within his n was a drastic measure that could only be made use of when the enemy haspletely taken him lightly. It was a move that could potentially end his life which would not be possible to use if he didn''t have Vask in his body.

    Quinn activated Amare''s ultimate eye skill. [Eyes of Truth] which came at the cost of decreasing the lifespan of whoever uses it depending on the duration. Yet through it, he knew that all he would be able to see was nothing but the truth of the situation. Without any illusions or fakes. On top of this skill, he used Merlin''s [Illusory Vision], enhancing his sight even further. With both beginning to bleed due to the enormous train caused by the skillbination.

    Through it he saw Pier casually walking towards him. The one within [Oblivion] was only an illusion as Quinn expected. He waited where he was, making it look like the skill trapping the illusion took an enormous toll on him.

    "Come on, just a little bit closer." Quinn thought to himself as he charged up the skill which was about to be released. He knew that his little act could only work to an extent and that, the enemy might be able to figure out he was nning something.

    Yet, because Pier was lowering his guard, Quinn was sure that the n would work. After all, what could he do to damage a god right?

    This was the exact mindset which Pier had. Walking towards a trap without him even realizing it. Thinking that Quinn is nothing but a small bug that needed to be squashed. The human didn''t even have a weapon anymore. So the level of rm was even lower. To the point where it''s was non-existent. Hence he yed entirely within Quinn''s n; entering within range as the human finally casted his skill.

    "Cmity!"

    In the blink of an eye, the terrain changed into a destructive torrent of mana. It was a skill that made use of every damaging skill that Quinn had at his disposal. Mixing them all together forcefully. The result of this is not only the excessive use of mana but also, an attack that damages even the caster.

    Part of the shore got eaten up in the process. With the wind strong enough to destroy the nearby trees. In the middle of it all were both Quinn and Pier. Taking the full blow of the skill as the damage umted even on the god.

    "HAHAHAH! Now that''s the way you should do it!" Vaskmented, healing Quinn quickly enough for his body not to be shattered to pieces.

    "Let''s see how this ys out then." The [Monarch] continued. Waiting for the skill to die out before deciding if he would switch or not  hearing even the shouts of the god who was taking mortal damage.

 Chapter 195: A God vs. A Monarch

    Chapter 195: A God vs. A Monarch

    ck mes covered Quinn as Vask continued healing through his wounds. Every second that passed created one more wound on his body with the damage varying in destructiveness and force.

    The [Monarch] didn''t mind because he loved how brazen the elite was. He also liked the fact that Quinn didn''t bother exploiting him in order to win. Forcing the [Monarch] to fight at the terms set by Quinn for him.

    "You sly bastard. I''m going to get you back for this." Vask said, enjoying the fight for the moment as he saw the god getting heavily damaged by the attack. Unable to escape as blows keep pilling up on his body.

    Indeed, the skill was an uncontroble force of nature; like the gods themselves have decided to smite thend and destroy everything on it.This perfectly describes the skill that came at the cost of all Quinn''s remaining mana which could''ve potentially killed him if Vask was not there.

    Yet the skill couldn''tst forever. Slowly, the area got smaller while the strength of the attack dwindled. Then, it abruptly came to a halt; not having enough mana to sustain it.

    Quinn and Pier both dropped to the ground or rather, what was left of it. As soon as the human noticed that he was still alive, he beganughing. Although these were forced as, the amount of air on his body seemed to be limited.

    "I have to admit, that was a good move." Vask began. Commending Quinn who was still trying to fight his body from cking out.

    "Thanks, you saved me back there." Quinn began watching the destruction that came with his skill.

    "Oh don''t thank me just yet. I''m nning to give you enough torture for youter." Vask said in reply; enjoying the amount of destruction more than anything else.

    Both Vask and Quinn had the same idea running through their mind as they looked at the aftermath. That: [Cmity] was the perfect name for the skill. Nothing was left of the shore and even the waves have just began filling in the gaps where thend once was. Even the entrance of the forest got destroyed. Dust covered a certain level of vision, caused by the mixture of all the sand and dirt nearby.

    Yet, even with all this, Quinn was not at ease. All his senses got dulled  strained from the skill that was just used and, the abnormal rate of regeneration that was needed in order to survive its onught. But even in that tired state he could feel a dangerous presence closing in.

    Pier did not go down from the attack. He was alive; although on the state of being gravely wounded by the attack. There was nothing of the calm expression of the god on his face anymore. Nothing of his rxed cockiness also showed on his face. There was nothing but utter rage from the fact that a mere insect was able to push him to that state.

    "Oh my, it looks like the swap is needed now." Vask began, with Quinn not able to respond anymore. He was forcing himself to stay conscious at that point.

    The [Chaos Monarch] took this opportunity to begin the swap. Without knowing this however, Pier charged in. Kicking the human who was blown away once again and, this time, in the middle of the sea.

    Quinn''s body skipped like a t rock thrown on ake. Tumbling over and over again only for Pier tostop it as he appeared in mid-air; right above Quinn. He then punched the human down. Creating a huge wave of water to rise from all directions.

    "Be grateful that you have forced me to release a skill on your insignificant life. Nothing has ever escaped this move so I hope you remember it well in hell." The god proudly dered as he charged an attack; creating a violet me on top of his hand.

    He didn''t even wait for the water to cover his prey. Pier released the attack just as the waves closed in on Quinn. An explosion soon followed. With a pr of water suddenly rising like a geyser and a thick steam forming on top of the ocean. Meanwhile, the god got himself wet from the dispersing of the water that came from the attack.

    "We are done here." Pier said, turning his back on the supposed dead enemy and yet; he felt something.

    It was a sensation which was unfamiliar to a god like him. Something which only mortals could feel because of their fleeting lives. All the hair on his skin rose and, he felt his body tremble from the unknown.

    It was fear. A normal human reaction when faced with forces ofrger magnitude and, right there and then, this was what he felt. Genuine mortal fear automatically responded by his body from the direction of the supposed dead enemy.

    Pier couldn''t move. He could only stare at the ocean as a figure soon rose. It was the same mortal and yet, there were linings all over his body. And from the aura alone Pier knew that, it was not the same person that he faced moments ago. This was a different enemy altogether. One of a higher caliber.

    "We are done?" Vask said in a rhetorically questioning tone.

    "I do not know who you are but I''ll give you the same chance as I did to that child. Run away." Pier thought that a little intimidation tactic would work. He was the God of Mischief and Deceit after all. He could fool almost anyone he wishes.

    Yet his enemy didn''t budge. In fact, there was only a bored expression on the face of his opponent. As if his eyes suggested that Pier was too weak to be taken seriously.

    "Don''t look at me that way!" Pier began firing god level skills at his enemy. Creating clones which continued attacking the opponent that refused to reply.

    He wasn''t used to it. Pier was not ustomed to getting belittled. All his life he was looked up on. Even the [Minor Gods] had such a high regard for him that he felt like one of the [Main Deities]. That''s why he was so furious and frustrated at the same time.

    He still had no idea why his body was reacting the way it did but, Pier decided to just focus on attacking. He went all out knowing that he''d probably die if he doesn''t.

    Meanwhile Vask was enjoying himself. Getting even more entertained because the level of skill shown by the clones transcended anything that a mortal could achieve. Indeed, it was truly a god whom he was facing and yet he wasn''t satisfied. The one he needed was not Pier but the [Chaos Monarch] hiding within him and so, he decided to show a bit of seriousness. Destroying all the clones without Pier understanding how.

    Vask only stood there and, with his y things gone. His face reverted back to boredom. This angered Pier who began firing more of the purple mes that he released earlier.

    As soon as these made contact with the water, more geyser like pirs of water rose up. Thickening the steam created which was not the end of thebination. Pier followed through by charging one of his most powerful spells. Creating twentyyers of spell circles that had Vask as its target.

    "Die!" The god uttered. Releasing the attack which created enough heat to vaporize the whole ocean. Yet Vask was unimpressed.

    "Your spells are strong but they''re boring." He said, making the skill shoot up instead of down. Shooting out of Mythos and exploding soon after.

    This was followed up by the smaller sized me spells. All of which were easily dodged by Vask as his mere force deflected them way from him. A thicker amount of steam rose from this as the attack continued firing without end.

    Vask wasn''t one to tolerate such a monotone attack. Hence, he blew away all the umted steam Taking the opponent which was floating in the sky as hemanded:

    "Down."

    Pier couldn''t control it. His whole body immediately followed, feeling a crushing weight on top of him as he submerged to the depths of the ocean. Reaching its bottom before Vask followed up by casting once again. This timemanding:

    "Up."

    There was not enough oxygen at the bottom of the sea. The pressure was also enough to crush Pier''s bones to the point that he looked like wreck. Nothing like the appearance that he had a little while ago. There was no way for him to escape as Vask ced the god right in front of him.

    The clouds have already darkened at this point. With a storming due to the earlier attacks of Pier. There was thunder roaring in the sky and the streaks of lightning reflected the face of Pier''s opponent like a nightmare.

    Yet it was at this point that Vask understood the real intentions behind the attack. As he looked at the entity in front of him, he noticed that, it wasn''t Pier anymore. Only an illusion created at the highest tier and probably requiring the god to use up some of his lifespan just to fool Vask.

    "His actions fit him quite well." Vask said; forming a fist which crushed the fake Pier to the point that he was the same size as a pebble.

    "Well, I guess there''s nothing I can do if my opponent isn''t here anymore." Vask furthered; looking at the pebble and dropping it to the ocean.

    This fight didn''t go unnoticed from Zeke''s radar. In fact even the elites felt were able to feel that a battle on arger scale than anything they could handle was ensuing. This was probably the reason why Zeke decided to change some parts of his ns altogether. Beginning with figuring out how Allesiah''s new ability could develop even further.

 Chapter 196: Zeke and Allesiah

    Chapter 196: Zeke and Allesiah

    Back on Mythos, nobody was yet to understand the full weight of the events that were unfolding. Of course, Zeke already had some clue of it. With an attack as obvious as the one fired by Pier; the gamer was able to notice it. Understanding quite well that something of that caliber would not be an attack that the elites could withstand.

    There was a worried expression on his face. One which showed that he was deep in thought. So much so that he didn''t even notice Allesiahing in.

    "Hey." She began, getting Zeke out of his train of thought and focusing right away on the elf.

    "Hey to you too." The gamer said in reply as he looked at her. His expression quickly changed which got Allesiah smiling.

    "Look at you pretending that everything is okay." She continued, sitting beside Zeke and offering the food and drinks she had with her.

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about everything is perfectly fimmhhf." Zeke couldn''t finish his sentence as Allesiah forced a sandwich on his mouth.

    "Stop lying and just eat that. It''s easy to get hungry when you''re thinking and as for your case, you need to continue filling that stomach of yours." She said; sounding like an over-caring mother preaching to her son.

    "I''m not lying at all." Zeke furthered, making the whole sandwich disappear in a matter of seconds. Surprising Allesiah who handed another one.

    "Seconds?" She suggested. With Zeke taking the sandwich and munching it down slower than the first one.

    Nobody on Mythos knew Zeke as much as Allesiah did. In fact, she understood him even more after she was rescued. Knowing that on top of everything else, Zeke prioritized the life of his allies. Cruel as his methods of training and improvement might be, everything was always for the betterment of his allies.

    Allesiah was thankful for this. Especially when the situation on the [Labyrinth] arose. She knew that without the skills taught to her by Zeke, then she wouldn''t even be able to ce the spell on her mind. One which was both sophisticated and delicate.

    "Forget even reaching the [Labyrinth]. I would''ve died on many asions if not for all that Zeke trained me to be." She thought to herself. Watching the man of her dreams put for pieces of bread on his mouth at the same time. Miraculously chewing on all of them effortlessly.

    She couldn''t help but smile at the memories she spent with him. They were difficult but, since they''ve already passed, all these did was to leave a smile on Allesiah''s face. Zeke didn''t let this go unnoticed and flicked his finger on her forehead.

    "You''re the one spacing out now idiot." Hemented, with Allesiah giving him an irritated look for doing so.

    "You really don''t know how to treat ady don''t you?" The elfmented, sipping on the cup of tea she prepared for herself.

    "Of course I do. You need to train to be able to defend yourself against any opponent thates at you. There''s no treatment better than that." Allesiah sighed at the words said by Zeke. Thinking that he was probably a secluded human to begin with. A thought that held true to Zeke''s first life on earth as the number one gamer.

    The two of them talked for a while longer. Casually of course because Allesiah thought that Zeke should get his mind off the missions every once in a while. This proved to be advantageous to the elf who wanted to know more about him.

    With their contract expired, it meant that being in a rtionship was an open possibility. Something which Allesiah thought she should strive on.

    But before this, she needed Zeke to look at her as a proper woman. And the only way she could make this happen was for her to get stronger. Powerful enough to be a useful and reliable ally on Zeke''s side. That''s why, right after they ate, the two proceeded to the training which Zeke prepared for her.

    The two of them were actually within another training room. One which was developed by Zeke after getting the advanced barrier he crafted which shielded all the continents. This was strong enough to withstand any attack up to the level of any [Count] without the full transformation''s power level.

    "So how are we going to do this exactly?" Allesiah asked, ready to begin any moment. Zeke was happy because she was eager of course. Wanting to start just as much as Allesiah does.

    "First of all, we''ll need these." Zeke presented the shards to Allesiah, those that they got from the caves down the rift.

    The gamer decided to collect all these as he feared what could happen when they fell to the wrong hands. Plus, he wanted to test out their applications and see if there was a method to making anything useful out of them without actually having the harmful side effects.

    "You can see what they contain right?" Zeke asked, raising one up and throwing it at Allesiah to catch.

    "Yeah." Allesiah began, observing it and making use of her newfound powers.

    "It''s simr to the power released by Sylvia''s ultimate form. The same goes with whatever it was that mixed with our teleportation years ago." Allesiah deactivated her skill right away, feeling the strain beginning to form on her eyes already.

    "Exactly. So it means that those shards generate the same type of energy." Zeke furthered.

    "Well, that is what it seems. What about it?" Zeke smiled at this point. The same crazy smile which Allesiah was used to. One which meant that something really tiring or painful was about toe.

    "I''ll need you to use your power on that crystal for as long as you could. That''s what we''ll be doing for your training." Zeke said; with things not being as crazy as Allesiah thought them to be. Except for the fact that, of course, the idea could very much take away her sight forever.

    "Did you forget the part where I almost got blind or do I need to remind you?" Allesiah asked. Remembering that Zeke needed to make use of a god''s skill in order for her to heal.

    "Of course I know it quite well. That''s why I''m telling you to do it again. Because I can probably heal you a couple more times with my skill and, while you''re at it, I''ll be collecting data."

    "Data for what?"

    "For starters, my [Analysis] can''t seem to work on that new skill of yours. From that alone I know that it''s not something which would normally be found of Mythos because my [System] was perfectly made to synch with this world. I''m guessing that both these shards and your eyesight are on a different level. One which is directly rted to some ce that is outside Mythos."

    "You mean another Mythos exists?" Allesiah asked.

    It was at this point that Zeke realized how the inhabitants of the world were not taught of astronomy; to look beyond their world in search for another. Maybe this was also due to the fact that they had all the wonders they needed and many more. So there was no point in gazing up the sky and asking what lies beyond it.

    "Yup that''s exactly what I''m saying." Zeke furthered. With a smile still worn on his face.

    "Disregard that information for now. Just do as I say and trust me."

    "When haven''t I done that?" Allesiah rhetorically asked.

    "Well that is true." Zeke said, moving at a distance and watching Allesiah intently as he nodded at her. A signal which Allesiah took as she began using her powers.

    [Skill unidentifiable.]

    [The System is trying to integrate the data regarding the skill.]

    [System synchronization failed. Trying again]

    [System synchronization failed. Trying again]

    [System synchronization failed. Trying again]

    [Congrattions! You have began unlocking skills and features connected to the skill.]

    [Collecting basic data on the skill. This may take a while.]

    These were the notifications that came up as soon as Zeke began using [Analysis] on Allesiah''s skill. He knew that something like this could ur which was better than the other possibilities. This meant that, his [System] was not as limited as he thought. It was just that the data required for it to [Update] needed both materials to start with and time for the data to be synched with the existing one.

    Both Allesiah and Zeke were focused on their tasks. Making sure that they helped each other out in order to get even stronger. At her current level, Allesiah could wipe the floor even against her older sister Sylph. Yet she knew that this was not enough if the level she aimed for was Zeke''s. One which seemed to be bottomless.

    [20% of the data has been loaded.]

    [20.09% of the data has been loaded.]

    "Okay that''s enough for the first run." Zeke said, making Allesiah close her eyes which were nearly bleeding once again. He had a timer set up which allowed him to urately stop Allesiah before her eyes begin regressing to dangerous stage.

    "So how does it feel?" Zeke said as he walked towards the elf.

    "What do you think? It burns like a [Chaos Dragon] deciding to pour all its mes on my eyes." This got Zekeughing a little bit, holding on to Allesiah''s cheek as he began chanting the spell for the [Phoenix mes].

    Allesiah thought that the situation would be romantic if not for her eyes hurting like literal hell. Yet still, there were butterflies on her stomach as Zeke did this. Knowing that there was probably no other way for him to do what he was doing except through the training.

    "Zeke."

    "Mhhm?"

    Allesiah wanted to ask him about romantic stuff. She wanted to begin flirting with him as much as possible. But she knew that it wasn''t timely and it was uncalled for. She couldn''t be selfish. Not while Zeke was doing his best to save the whole of Mythos. So she decided not to proceed.

    "Nothing. Never mind." She continued. Feeling his warmth through the skill that healed her eyes. The elf held to his wrist while the gamer performed this. Wishing the moment wouldst longer.

 Chapter 197: Conjures vs. Elites

    Chapter 197: Conjures vs. Elites

    The training of Allesiah and Zeke finished as he expected. Currently, Zeke has [60%] of the data required in order for him to get the details of Allesiah''s skill and, the synchronization of his system with the features that were toe.

    With this part being done, Zeke went and began the training with the elites. Something which made Heron have a worried expression on her face.

    "Anything on your mind?" Zeke asked, with the [Dragon Morpher] looking at him.

    "Master are you sure that this is a good idea?" Heron began, looking at the elites who weren''t as motivated as before.

    "Trust me on this one Heron. Just set up your realm so we can begin." Zeke said in reply, not giving any further exnation.

    Heron knew better than to disobey Zeke so, the [Dragon Morpher] began the [Cloud of Dreams]. A skill which saved them the trouble of looking for a ce to go all out in training.

    The situation was bad. While some of the elites were strong and some pretended to be indifferent, they couldn''t hide the fact that all of them felt ipetent at that moment. And Zeke knew exactly how to deal with them. That is, to beat them half to death and show just how weak they really are. This is for him to speed up the process. To slump them as low as he could.

    After all, you can''t go any lower if you''ve already fallen rock bottom. When they reach that, the only way left is up. They need to pick themselves up for their own ashes and show that there is still more to them than what they''ve already shown.

    "Do you remember this scenery?" Zeke began, with all the elites properly armed and ready to fight.

    Of course the elites knew what was meant by the gamer. It was the same as their first real practice. When Zeke personally trained them and prepared them for the battles that were toe. That time he made the [Conjures] fight the elites and, he intended to do the same once again.

    "Shouldn''t we be looking of Quinn by now?" Jake began in an annoyed tone. Thinking that their time was only getting wasted by the days of training that they had to go through.

    "Yeah he''s probably not that far and, if we use your skills Mr. Zeke then it would be even easier." Curio continued, in agreement.

    Zeke was happy. They were still as lively as ever although, they were also as rude as they''ve always been. So he decided to just begin things instead of listening to the useless ramblings of some kids.

    "Going after Quinn means that you have the ability to pin him down without killing him. Do you know who is capable of such a feat?" Zeke said, with the mes of [Conjures] rising around him. This shocked some of the elites who weren''t aware of the upgrades that Zeke went through.

    "That means that you have enough power to be benevolent. Enough power to allow something as taking down an enemy without killing." The parts of the monsters came out little by little, showing the 12 knights, Kayle, Kezel and, Samael.

    "There are neen of you left. Your strategist and leader was stripped off your group but I couldn''t care less. You are not allowed to make any excuses when you get defeated in this fight." Zeke furthered in a cocky tone.

    "Huh? Defeated? I think we are being highly underestimated."

    "Oh far from it. I believe that I have overestimated your capabilities to even cry better than a newly born." Zeke was purposely tainting and provoking them. Something which he has also mastered form gaming and, this worked like a charm because Jake was furious and so were the other hotheaded members of the group. Mordred and Mirio.

    "Okay old man." Mirio said.

    "Prepare to get a smack down." Mordred furthered.

    "There won''t be any time limits to this fight. Use whatever method that you wish and fight as much as you''d like. If you can kill all the [Conjures] then I''ll agree with your terms. If not then give up."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Don''t mistake my intentions. I have my own reasons for recruiting you guys just as much as you have your reasons foring with me. This is a rtionship where each party benefits form the other. With Quinn gone however, I doubt that your group has much to offer." Zeke said coldly, giving them half truths which roused Jake even more.

    "Damn he''s really stabbing them with his words huh." Sylphmented; watching from a distance together with both Heron and Morpheus.

    "I don''t enjoy Master Zeke making himself look like a viin. So I hope this all turns out well in the end." Heron said in reply while Morpheus was simply waiting for all the action to start.

    "Everything you own and the skills you enjoy are because of me.I won''t take them back of course because that is impossible. But I want you to show me how capable you are with them. Otherwise I''ll abandon your group."

    Just as Heronmented, all Zeke''s words were intended to make him look like a viin. There was no shaking in his voice nor did he sound like he was joking. Zeke made as many stabs as needed in order to get the group fighting seriously and this worked like a charm as he felt their aura shifting.

    "I believe this is enough talking. Let us begin."

    The terrain changed immediately. They were within Heron''s domain; covered withrge columns of rocks that prevented some maneuverability. The domain wasn''t limited to this however as, there was also a waterfall extending to a downstream river. With arge thicket of trees all around them.

    Normally, one would think of a strategy while measuring out the strengths of the enemy. But Jake was simply too pissed off to care. He bolted out of sight and aimed to take down one of the twelve knights immediately. Kaguya shouted at him of course wanting him to back away from the rash decision but he didn''t listen.

    The elite''s attack didn''t reach his target. Two swords came swinging at him; making Jake back away a few centimeters as he casted [Impale].

    The rain of spears began with two of the knights caught up in the attack. The other [Conjures] have scattered; taking on the remaining Elites who were a bit lost on what to do.

    "Look at these kids. They''ve been too reliant on others giving them orders that they don''t even know how to respond to dangerous situations such as this anymore." Zeke thought to himself, coldly watching the sight without any mercy for the humans as [Arthur] fired [Chaos mes] from his sword. Forcing Kaguya to activate Oblivion immediately in order to swallow the attack.

    Gawain and Eerie backed her up, firing a barrage of arrows which was hindered by two other knights. One wielding a double shield while the other had a shield andnce. Meanwhile, Kezel approached them casually. Holding the [Conjured] version of [Death''s Void] on his hands which Amare recognized immediately.

    "Trouble at three o''clock." She said which, the defenders immediately responded to. Creating barriers that prevented the des of [Death''s Void] to reach them right away.Mirio and Mordred then came out to face the enemies head on. Getting the assistance of Julia to heal them whenever the need arises.

    The fight was harsh for the elites. They couldn''t find the bnce they once had when Quinn was still there. While in the middle of the fight, their leader would create better strategies; adapting based on the situation and allowing them toe out of the fights victorious.

    Yet they didn''t have him. They only had each other''s backs which, ced a huge amount of pressure on them as cold sweat came out of their skin. With their breathing bing paced as the [Conjures] didn''t relent.

    "Hey are you sure you''re not healing them?" Jake shouted to Zeke through the [Voice Chat] who watched them casually from a distance. Arm''s folded.

    "Amare can see it clearly you know. Plus, I''m not one to cheat against enemies who can''t even win." Zeke furthered.

    Of course he could''ve given them the ability to see the health and mana of their opponents. But that would be like cheating because, in the real battles, they wouldn''t'' have this ability. They needed to estimate and attack at the most opportune moments.

    The knights didn''t stop as the elites were forced to divide even further. Some were sent to the forest. Others in the middle of the flowing river. While there were those that remained within the column of rocks.

    It was an even matchup, with the knights holding the same amount of power as the elites do. Or so they believed.

    Zeke''s most prized piece. His strongest [Conjure]  Samael was yet to make any moves. He thought it wasn''t needed anymore and so the creature stood beside Zeke. Pissing off Jake who threw a spear at the creature. One which it caught without any troubles.

    "How dare you take us easy! Why isn''t he attacking exactly huh?" Jake was furious, so much so that he doubled the casting of impale on the knights while also creating the spikesing out of the ground. Finally causing damage that umted over time.

    "Samael, that one has been grumpy since earlier." Zeke said to his [Conjure], not minding the words said by Jake.

    "Hey I''m talking to you!" Jake said, finally snapping and releasing his strongest javelin at the two.

    Samael caught this once again. But an explosion soon followed which Zeke also predicted. Creating a barrier that prevented him from getting damage while Samael only sustained little damage.

    It was a move which Zeke found to be quite uncalled for. He was giving himself a handicap after all. Making things a bit fairer for the elites. Yet with Jake being as proud as he was, Zeke decided to change his ns. Making use of his summon as he gave the orders:

    "Samael, show that kid some manners."

 Chapter 198: Cleaning Up The Trash

    Chapter 198: Cleaning Up The Trash

    Samael.

    This is the [Conjure] that held all the experiences of Zeke on his first run. It was the culmination of all he was and the things he went through. The strongest among all of his summons.

    The only reason why the [Knight Conjures] were strong was because of the equipment which Zeke handed to them. Those which were made from all the materials he gathered by conquering the four continents. Mainlyposed of the parts of the [Chaos Dragons].

    The same goes for the elites who enjoyed arge power boost because their equipmentplimented their job sses well. All thanks to Zeke and his forging skills that made this all happen.

    Yet Samael was different. Even without these items, he was strong enough to be on par with them. And as soon as Zeke got this [Conjure] back to his side, he made sure that all the necessary items were given to it. Making Samael reach a level which he believed was even higher than even Heron and Morpheus.

    Indeed, Samael was not a creature to be trifled with. Although merely a summon, it was basically Zeke''s shadow. One which followed him throughout his whole journey.

    This same creature walked gantly. About to face an over assuming human.

    "Don''t kill him." Was Zeke''sst order as Samael''s eyes gleamed with the bright yellow color that it always had. All joints that were left open revealed the zing sunlight which was the color of the god of mes. At that moment, it was only Jake who didn''t know the predicament he awoke.

    "I made you move didn''t I? Well that''s unfortunate for you because today is also the day that you''ll  " Jake couldn''t even finish what he was saying.

    He didn''t even see what happened as he lost consciousness. Most of his head was destroyed by the blow that didn''t even make Samael take out its sword. The [Conjure] nted Jake''s head to the ground which made the other members lose their focus.

    "Jake!" Kaguya responded immediately by creating another [Oblivion]. Small enough to have a condensed amount of force which stopped Samael from its tracks. nting its shield to the ground as a form of pir that prevented it from getting sucked by Kaguya''s skill.

    Curio responded right away, moving in to Jake''s location and teleporting away using [Dummy Swap]. This was a skill that allowed him to switch ces with any object within the surroundings. A better version of [Weapon Blink] because of the number of items that could be used for the skill activation.

    "Red, heal him right away." Kaguyamanded, with the healer being more than happy toply.

    With Samael entering the picture things have changed from bad to worse. With Jake being taken down, it meant that the two other knights that he held down were free to move. Adding to the number of enemies which the rest of the team needed to face.

    Kaguya herself couldn''t focus on attacking because she was busy giving themands. She thought of how easily Quinn did this for them and, how burdensome it must have been for their leader who went away.

    "Everyone regroup!" Kaguyamanded through the [Voice Chat] which muted out Zeke.

    "Merlin created an illusion." She followed up. With the quick-witted wizard immediately performing his task. This was for the sake of making their enemies unable to move freely.

    "Zilg focus on setting up traps. Make use of Horus'' smaller summons as the containers of the [Detonate] and scatter them all around the area. Make sure that they explode as soon as the knightse close."

    "Aye Aye!" Zilg said in reply. Excited with the n that involved a lot of explosions again as he moved closer to the summoner of the team.

    "Amare you take charge for now." This was thestmand given by Kaguya who decided that, focusing on fighting was probably the best route for her to take.

    Zeke assessed everything seriously. He looked at the data, disappointed right away from Jake''sck of cooperation. Unfortunately, the javelin user only listened to Quinn. With him out of the picture, Jake became a wildcard. A weapon which was sharp yet useless due to the inefficiency on the field.

    It was like having a longsword in the middle of a small room. No matter how sharp a sword is, if the situation does not fit the weapon, then it is nothing but trash.

    "You''re going to be the main reason why your team lost this day. I hope you realize that when you wake up kid." Zeke thought to himself, observing the dark mana which was condensing at a single spot. Even without having to look, he knew who performed this. It was Kaguya.

    "Give me some time. Focus on defending for now." She said as everyone felt her getting stronger by the minute. The marking on her hand glowing even more than before entailing that, she was about to use the maximum amount which could be offered by Nisha''s blessing.

    Amare did as told. Commanding all the elites who were more than willing to follow. Meanwhile, Jake was just regaining consciousness. Something which the group was thankful for because they needed as much help as they could get in the fight.

    "Damn, this is really frustrating. To think that mere summons could corner us like this." Gerardmented. With all of the defenders creating arge barrier that protected them from the attacks as the healers aided them. Various barriers were also scattered all around in order to further confuse the enemies.

    "Well this isn''t the first time at least. Plus it''s good that we have these on our side during the real fights." Eerie said in reply, preparing the [Cores] which could fire thousands of bullets on the enemies.

    The [Conjures] didn''t allow this tost for long as they began destroying the extra barriers. Samael led the charge who didn''t even to take the defensive measure seriously. Shattering them without any effort.

    Meanwhile, Amare was rallying orders one by one, disregarding Kaguya who said that she would work on her own. Zilg''s explosions came up next, dealing some damage to the enemies while Gawain tried shooting them down.

    "Damn they''re closing in fast!" Gawain said, seeing almost as well as Amare who knew that it was only a matter of time before the [Knight Conjures] pinpointed them. And it was at this exact moment that a wave of darkness surged all over the room. Surprising even Zeke who felt a dangerous entity being born from the trial.

    "To think that you had something like this. I''m impressed." The gamer said, watching Kaguya who was d in oozing darkness. Her hand holding on to a rapier formed out of darkness.

    Even the elites got surprised and had all the hair on their skin raising instinctively. As Kaguya looked at them, her eyes were hollow. Completely ck in color, as if it could sallow everything it stares on. Then, without uttering a single word, Kaguya vanished.

    What came next was a disy that the other elites didn''t expect to see. In fact, they weren''t even sure what they were looking at exactly. Kaguya appeared all over the room. With her shadow masking the whole grounds of the terrain. Various shadow like figure taking her form attacked the [Conjured Knights] who couldn''t even fight back as, every time they attacked these, the shadows would simply vanish. Damaging them while not being able to deal any damage themselves.

    "Follow Kaguya''s lead!" Amaremanded, with everyone heated up from their leader''s disy.

    Eerie threw all her reserved cores to the sky. Beginning a rain of bullets that hindered the enemies from moving freely. Zane and Merlin proceeded to a barrage of spell shots while Lizzie focused on empowering all her allies.

    Jake woke up just in time to join in on the fight once again. Releasing [Impale] once again which helped in adding the damage sustained by the [Conjures].

    "Just a little bit more guys. We''ve made them fall below [40%] health! We can win this!" Amare said, raising the morale of the group even further who didn''t mind all their muscles feeling sore. With the sudden momentum created by Kaguya, the elites were finally beginning to win

    or so they thought.

    Samael finally began fighting back, beginning with the release of its de that burned a crimson red color. Jake took notice of this and tried attacking. Only to be stopped once again by two [Conjured Knights]. The others also took notice and tried taking it down but Kezel and Kayle handled these.

    With Samael being entirely secured, the creature released a horizontal sh. This contained a burning red color and it would''ve been evadable if not for its size that almost covered the whole area.

    "You''re kidding right?" Vostok said as all the defenders tried their best to create a shield that could withstand the attack.

    Their effort was futile as the skill shattered the barriers one by one. This forced the elites to go on the defensive once more. With Kaguya using up the remainder of her skill time to cast an [Oblivion] just asrge. Making her faint out cold right after and tipping the bnce once again in favor of the [Conjures].

    This wasn''t even the end of their problems. With Samael''s attack damaging even the other [Conjures], they finally turned to their final form. One which Zeke wanted to also [Analyze].

    Leaving no traces of their knight  like appearance. The [Conjures] turned into monstrosities with flesh seeming to burn within their frames. These were the [Infernals].

    Everything else happened in a sh. A horrible sh that burned their bodies as much as it crushed all their bones and charred their flesh. Zeke''s [Infernals] mercilessly took down the elites who began screaming in agonizing pain. One which they have never experienced before nor would they want to experience it again.

    Shouting for help.

    Surrendering.

    Crawling away.

    All of these were normal reactions to such nightmare-like creatures who had the strength to back up their looks. Zeke''s expression was still dull while all this took ce. Sighing as he decided that all hope was lost for the elites on the fight.

    Hence, the gamer snapped his fingers. Taking back all the infernals while there was still a bit of consciousness left for them to hear him. In fact, the gamer didn''t even talk to them directly anymore. He simply ordered Heron and Morpheus something that everyone vividly heard.

    "Clean the trash. I''ve got no need for them."

 Chapter 199: Nightmares and Healing Wounds

    Chapter 199: Nightmares and Healing Wounds

    "I''m not done!" Jake said, fighting through the waves of [Conjures] with only a single spear on hand.

    Blood covered his body and he felt numb all over. His armor was torn and shattered but his fighting spirit was as high as it could get.

    Jake then gazed upwards. On top of the valley of [Conjures], there sat Samael. Idly watching the scene as if the human was boring for him.

    "Come down here and face me yourself!" He dered. Destroying the numerous [Conjures] at the foot of the hill as he tried getting up.

    It was a stiff climb. One which could not be done because no matter how hard he tried, the [Conjures] just kepting.

    "Fine. I''ll force you down." Jake dered as he activated [Impale]. Raining down spears on the lesser [Conjures] which screamed as they died one by one.

    Yet things didn''t simply end here. With all of the [Conjures] taken down, their bodies got consumed by mes. Rising from their ashes and turning into [Infernals]. This made Jake''s eyes widen in horror. His body remembering the cruel experience from them all too well.

    "Get away from me! No! No!" The creatures came at him like hunger-stricken beasts. They didn''t care about the damage nor was it at all significant. They ran toward him. Burying Jake''s body within the pile of burning [Infernals].

    "NOOO!"

    Jake woke up hearing his own scream as he rose from bed. He had cold sweat running on his head and he felt his heartbeat being paced. So was his breathing that felt like he just ran from a marathon around the world.

    "It was a dream." He dered, getting back down and trying to get his thoughts together.

    Everything came back to him like a haunting memory. How he was so boastful in front of Zeke, dering that he could take down the monster which Zeke decided not to use. This gave them arger problem. One which they were not able to ovee as, Samael led the charge together with Kezel. Wreaking havoc and mercilessly destroying the elites.

    "It''s all my fault." Jake told himself.

    Never has the human felt as weak and as ipetent as he was at that moment. Zeke''s words rang on his ears quite clearly. One which the gamer said before all of them lost consciousness.

    "I have no need for trash on my team."

    At that time, they were beaten down. Most of their bones were broken and they had fatal wounds all over. The smell of burning flesh surrounded them while screams of agony also resounded.

    It was a massacre. A fight which was more devastating than anything they''ve ever experienced. Even Slytherin couldn''tpare to what they''ve gone through because of Zeke. In fact, it was so traumatizing that just by remembering it, Jake felt his body shiver in fear.

    Yet, none of these physical wounds hurt them more than the words he uttered.

    Jake knew that this was the truth. That they were trash because they couldn''t even handle the [Conjures] created by Zeke. This made him feel sorrier for himself. He let this feeling consume him. Wanting nothing more than to simply vanish from all the shame he caused to hisrades.

    Yet things didn''t go as he nned. His door banged open surprising the javelin user who wanted to be left alone.

    "Hey are you up asshole!" Curio began, apanied by Mordred who still had one of her arms on a sling. It was heavily damaged, to the point that Zeke was the one who needed to cure her. Yet the gamer refused to do so. This same woman looked at Jake closely and had a smile on her face as she spoke.

    "Hey is our little Jake crying?" She teased, looking at the sorry expression on the human''s face.

    "What? Who''d be crying you idiot." Jake said in reply. Wiping his eyes which almost had the tears running down his cheeks.

    "Oh this is golden! HAHAHA!" Mordred began bellowing inughter and Curio wasn''t one to shy away from doing the same.

    "My arm is feeling better already!" She furthered; trying to move it and regretting the decision immediately as a jolting pain ran through her body. Making her drop to the ground which made Curiough at her next.

    "Man, it sure is nice getting idiots like you on the team." The assassin remarked.

    Jake didn''t know what to make of the situation. Yet without him noticing it, his mind was actually being taken away from the depressing thoughts that he had earlier. Forced to focus on the antics of Mordred and the bullying of Curio.

    "Why are you guys here exactly?" Jake asked.

    "Well you see, unlike a certain someone who wants to cry in his room all day, we''ve decided to begin training again." Mordred said, already back to her feet and having a wide smile on her face.

    "I wasn''t crying!" Jake defended. Completely ignoring the other part of the conversation which was much more important.

    "Yeah sure." Both Curio and Mordred replied. As if it was a skit they prepared for.

    "Anyway, pick up your weapon already. We need to get stronger if we want to beat those things." Mordredmanded, throwing a training spear at Jake who had his original weapon destroyed.

    "But aren''t we already discarded from the team?" Jake replied.

    "And?" Said Curio.

    "What of it?" Mordred added.

    "What do you mean: ''what of it''? We aren''t part of his team anymore. What''s the point of training?" Jake argued.

    "Well, I mean it''s not like we were stripped of our lives or anything. He just took us off the team meaning, we can still look for Quinn and do what it is that we want." Mordred said.

    "And for that to happen. We need to get stronger. That''s the payback we can give to Mr. Zeke who decided to discard such precious talents as us." Curio furthered.

    The reasoning was simple enough. So much so that Jake himself couldn''t'' help butugh as he looked at the two.

    All they said was true. It was only Jake that thought too much about it; relying on Zeke like some kind of assurance of both their safety and victory. Discarding the fact that, even before he came, the elites have decided to handle Mythos on their own.

    *Sigh*

    "Okay let''s get going then." Jake had his usual smile back on his face.

    One which dered that he was the strongest. Something which ddened the pair which visited him. They got him back and, in such a shape that nothing of the events yesterday seemed to matter to him at the moment.

    They hurried to the nearest training room; wanting to begin right away. Yet, to their surprise, every other member of the elites was there. With food being distributed by Heron. Reminding the three that they themselves haven''t even eaten breakfast yet.

    "What are you guys doing here?" They asked.

    "What do you mean? We''re going to train of course." Gerard said in reply, munching on the food provided by Heron who spoke next.

    "Master is still fast asleep in his room. I suggest you eat all of this before he wakes up because, I''m not entirely sure if he''d even allow you to eat anything from our resources." Heron said, showing the food on her basket and getting an immediate response.

    "Fooood!" Mordred wasn''t one to shy away from the offer.

    She was hungry and didn''t even go to the pantry; thinking that this would be shameful of her after the event. The same was through with Curio and, Jake just woke up so he hasn''t gotten any chance to eat yet.

    There was still a look of loneliness that couldn''t be hidden on the face of the elites. Something which Heron observed closely.

    It wasn''t possible for them to suddenly skyrocket out of the slump they''ve fallen. They needed to pick themselves up as carefully as needed and rise from their ashes stronger than before. That''s why Zeke gave her the instructions of tending to them and act like this was being done in secret.

    "Everyone." Jake suddenly stood up; getting the attention of everyone in the training room. There were words that needed to be told and he knew that he needed to take this off his chest.

    "Please forgive me for my rash actions yesterday." He said, bowing his head down which surprised Heron.

    "My, if only master could see this now. He does grow faster than the others." Heron thought to herself.Smiling as the elites didn''t know how to respond.

    They had mixed emotions about Jake. Some of them even med him for their defeat in thest fight. Yet with what he was doing, they didn''t know if it was right to continue bearing a grudge against him.

    It was Kaguya who finally responded to this. Bearing the title of their leader, she needed to rally everyone after all. So, she stood up and did the same thing. Bowing her head and apologizing to everyone who were caught in even more surprise.

    "Forgive me. If only I was a more able leader and tactician, things could''ve gone better for us. Don''t just put the me on Jake. ce it on me because I should be the one leading us all to victory."

    Because of this, the elites didn''t have any right to get angry anymore. With even Kaguya apologizing, they realized that they were also at fault. Finally epting that the loss was also due to their own ipetence and weaknesses.

    Heron herself was happy. They were recovering better than she expected. At first she thought that there would be a thick air of depression covering them. But with what both Kaguya and Jake did, she knew that getting back up would be easier now.

    "Ahh cut that out will ya. We''re all at fault here anyway so sit down." Mordred said, voicing out the thoughts of every other member who were too shy to speak their mind.

    With this, the group continued eating. In a lighter mood than before. Withughs actually being shared this time around. Right after finishing and resting for a bit, Heron finally left the elites to themselves. Hearing Kaguya''s energeticmand before she closed the door.

    "LET''S BEGIN!"

 Chapter 200: Updating the System

    Chapter 200: Updating the System

    Zeke was still within his room. He was making some adjustments on the new equipment of the elites without them knowing. These will be the recement for all the items he broke during the fight. He thought that it was a fittingpensation for them after their slump. Although they might''ve been permanently traumatized by their experience of the [Conjured Infernals].

    "So how did things go?" Hemented, hearing Heron enter the room.

    "Well for starters, they''re doing as you''ve predicted. They are training right away instead of simply resting." Heron said in reply, watching Zeke busily tinker with the items.

    "Figures." Zeke said in reply, looking at one of the gears he had on his hand and thinking where he should put it.

    "Master if I may ask, how did you develop such an urate n exactly?" Heron asked out of curiosity.

    "Well for starters, I have [Gamer''s Mind] and it''s already on its updated version. Enabling me to make better decisions within shorter spans of time. Plus, I was also like them when I was younger. A proud person who thought that I was all that."

    "Aren''t you?" Heron asked, thinking that there isn''t anything which Zeke couldn''t do when he puts his mind to it.

    "I think you have me gravely mistaken Heron. I''m just mortal like you. Even with all the skills I have and all the nning I''ve created, there would still be moments when I make wed decisions." He said; stopping for a while and looking at the Dragon Morpher.

    "That''s why I have you guys to watch my back for me. I need as many reliable andpetent beings on my side. No matter what form they may take."

    "I am honored master." Heron simply replied, with Zeke smiling at her as he went back to his work.

    "Don''t say that like I''m some kind of person to be deeply respected. I can tolerate you calling my master but I swear Heron, you''re sounding more and more like a worshiper these days." Zeke jokingly mentioned.

    "Well at least you''re better than most of us." Heron furthered; wanting to defend how she spoke with Zeke.

    "Oh I can''t im that, now can I? Anyway, you need to continue guarding the elites because I still have another session with Allesiah." Zeke said, with the Dragon Morpher happilyplying with themand.

    "I''ll be taking my leave then master." She furthered, finally leaving Zeke alone inside the room once again.

    Zeke thought about the conversation he had with Heron, feeling a bit relieved that the elites were able to take the right route after such a devastating defeat. After all, he needed them to be stronger for what was toe. In fact, with what happened a few days back Zeke was sure that a greater cmity was toe in Mythos. One which went beyond the level of de whom Zeke still hasn''t defeated yet.

    This was the treason why he needed to speed things up with the elites. Forcing them to grow out of their cocoons because if they don''t, then they won''t be any match for the enemies that woulde after.

    Finding Quinn was still a priority for the gamer. But he was more interested in finding out the objective of the entity hiding within the elite. Knowing that whatever it is, it would be connected to the greater scheme of things. To the vast expanse of the unknown that felt like it would open up all at once.

    "Honestly, it''s just one problem after the other in this world." Zekemented as he brought a new set of items. Thinking of crafting them together with an item which only he knew of.

    It was something that made use of the five crystals down the rift. Those that were embedded at the end of each cave. The secondponent to this are the chaos shards. Then there were the portal crystals which Zeke collected from every continent.

    Zeke wanted to make something that went beyond simply entering the [Ruined City] and creating pocket dimension. What the gamer was nning was to create a device that would allow him to teleport between worlds. Thinking that this was his chance to go to a more peaceful word after saving Mythos. Plus, it was a way to ensure that the elites would be sent back to earth before they were exposed to any real danger.

    "I need this to work a couple of times." Zeke said, finally bringing out the old quest reward which he was still yet to make use of.

    [Item Name: Chrono''s Broken Stopwatch]

    [Information: An item which used to wield some of the powers of the God of Time. Chrono does not have any knowledge of this item as it is only fashioned based on him.]

    [Information: The item was added to the system and the roulette of potential rewards because the human has already encountered the God of Time before.]

    [Information: The item is broken and thus, non-usable.]

    [Information: There can only be a single attempt at the repairing of the item. Failure to do so will automatically shatter the item.]

    Basically, it was an item that could have some of the powers of Chrono. The only problem was that it was broken.

    Zeke didn''t meddle with it yet for fear that he would break it at his earlier levels. But with going past [Level 100] a few days ago, Zeke knew that there was a ahigh probability for him to seed. And with all the sess raising skills of his, Zeke''s confidence was heightened even further.

    [The Time Bound Quest  Fix The Broken Stopwatch has been created]

    [300 skill points will be given as reward.]

    [Failure to aplish the mission within the given time limit will result to the same amount of skill points to be deducted from what the gamer currently holds.]

    [Time Remaining: 120:00:00]

    "So that''s five days huh." Zeke counted the days, getting the urate number on his head.

    He wasn''t worried with this. In fact, he was excited to aplish the mission because he knew that after his training with Allesiah, the sess rate of repairing the item would go even higher. This is because his [System] will update once again while also giving him the data necessary to create lenses for Allesiah''s'' new eye power.

    As he thought of this, he heard the footsteps of the elfing closer. Zeke ced all of the items back to his inventory just in time for Allesiah who finally entered the room.

    "You''re crafting again?" She said, looking at the mess all around Zeke:

    Weapons.

    Armor.

    Materials.

    Items.

    "Let me guess, this is what you call a disorganized chaos am I right?" Shemented, moving close to Zeke.

    "You took the words right out of my mouth." He said in reply, snapping his fingers and putting everything else back to his inventory.

    "No matter how many times I see it, your skills still amaze me." Shemented as all of Zeke''s [System Functions] were not present in Mythos.

    "Well we can talk about things like that all day or we can begin the training so I can get more data out of your skill." Zeke threw a [Chaos Shard] at Allesiah. Making the elf sigh as she responded.

    "Fine."

    It wasn''t like Zeke was doing it because he wanted to. He just did what was necessary for them to progress. In fact, they already have. With Allesiah being able to use the skill for a longer period of time without the effects of the strain wearing her down.

    Zeke even gave her the instruction of trying to activate it for at least 3 seconds whenever her eyes were feeling alright. Allesiah followed of course because Zeke told her that it would speed the skill''s strengthening while reducing the painful side effects it had.

    This proved to be true at that moment. Allesiah felt it odd how her eyes weren''t burning like crazy for the first ten seconds. Only to have the paine surging back up as always yet, to a more tolerable level.

    "She''s really a prodigy at this." Zeke thought to himself. Thinking how [Mana Sight] was a skill which Allesiah herself developed together with [Mana Maniption]. All other users of these just deviated from the original, which was her.

    [The data has reached 80%]

    [The system update will nowmence while the additional data are being processed]

    "As expected, the duration of her activation also increased the speed of update." Zeke said, seeing the notifications pop up.

    [85% of the data has been retrieved.]

    This was thest notification that popped up as Allesiah needed to close her eyes again. Zeke didn''t have the exactputation of how long Allesiah could activate the skill anymore. But he knew that, with the continuous use, Allesiah was already able to determine it herself. Something which the elf proved to be correct as she waited for Zeke to heal her eyes.

    "Are you sure I''m not going blind because of this?"

    "Of course I am. That''s a hundred percent certainty Allesiah." Zeke said in reply, using only estimates as his data for the im.

    "Anyway you only need to use it one more time." Zeke''s hand burned with the skill which he was also getting more proficient in using.

    "Whates after this exactly?" Allesiah asked as the warmth of the skill began working on her eyes.

    "I''m not entirely sure myself. We''ve cleared all the portals so there''s no way for de to return." Zeke said, with the recovery being as steady as usual.

    "We both know he''s not the real enemy Zeke. That''s why I''m asking." Allesiah said in reply, feeling the mes move away as she opened her eyes again.

    "I know. It''s just that I''m also lost at this point because of all the questions that are left unanswered. That''s why I''m hoping that the [Quests] which coulde after the update of the system would be connected to it. That''s the only guide we can get at the moment." Zeke said moving back to his position.

    Hence the two continued with their training for a while longer. Just like the elites, Zeke and Allesiah were also trying their best to improve. And, with ten more minutes passing by. They were finally seeded in this, with the [System Notification]ing up to prove it.

    [Congrattions!]

    [The skill information will be revealed after the update of the system has beenpleted.]

 Chapter 201: Chaos System

    Chapter 201: Chaos System

    "That''s enough now Allesiah." Zeke said as the skill information finally came up.

    "What? Really? So what does it say?" Allesiah said, seemingly forgetting the fact that her eyes were hurting.

    "Well for starters we need to heal those eyes of yours so stay put." Zeke said, not getting carried away and using the [Phoenix mes] to heal her.

    "Good job Allesiah. I knew I could count on you." Zeke said, making the elf blush from his kind words.

    The truth of the matter was that there were a bunch of notifications that popped up. Zeke decided to [Ignore and Archive] these things for the moment as he needed to deal with Allesiah''s skill first. One which he showed her after healing the elf''s eyes.

    [Skill Name: Chaos Sight]

    [Rank: SSS]

    [Skill Type: Active]

    [Mana Consumption: None]

    [Chaos Energy Consumption: 3 per second]

    [Information: The skill allows the caster to see Chaos Energy. A higher level of the skill usage will permit the user of the skill to identify the various types of Chaos Energy. At its highest form, the caster may also develop "Chaos Maniption" allowing the caster to bend Chaos Energy to his or her will.]

    "Basically it''s like [Mana Sight] with the difference of Chaos energy being the thing I''d see." Allesiah said, being quick on the uptake.

    "Yes but there''s something here that you should''ve noticed first."

    "The requirement for using the skill?" Allesiah mentioned.

    "Yup. It''s not mana but [Chaos Energy]. My analysis is showing one more bar below your mana pool. You can take a look for yourself." With the [Party Function] Zeke was able to share the [Notification Window] containing the information she required.

    Zeke also gave her the [Analysis] function. Through this, Allesiah was able to see as the gamer mentioned. A ck bar with numbers on it:

    [Chaos Energy: 1.000/2,780]

    This was the information it held. One which suggested the amount of [Chaos Energy] which Allesiah made use of.

    "Howe we''ve never depleted this before?" she asked in curiosity.

    "Well I''m not entirely sure. The details on gaining [Chaos Energy] is still a mystery for me at this point."

    "That''s a bummer, although the skill may just cancel itself when the [Chaos Energy] is depleted." Allesiahmented.

    "Yup but we have a bigger problem other than your capacity to maintain the skill. You can''t seem to use both types of [Sight] skills at once." Zeke said, noticing how Allesiah has never tried this before which he thought to be because of the amount of concentration she needs in order to maintain [Chaos Sight].

    "Even if you force it to happen, I''m guessing that the strain would be too much at your current level." Zeke furthered.

    "Agreed. Just maintaining [Chaos Sight] is difficult enough in itself." Allesiah simply said.

    "That''s why you need to continue the training I suggested for you. Keep on using it the whole day through and I''m sure that we can make some kind of progress on the skill duration." Zeke furthered with Allesiah leaning her head on his shoulders.

    "I''m not going toin if you''d let me be pampered like this every once in a while." She said; with the gamer smiling at his utter defeat. Even the [Gamer''s Mind] said that it was a logical bargain for the things that Zeke asked for since it did no harm for him while it also benefited Allesiah''s mental wellbeing.

    "Well I might as well give you what you want." He furthered, holding the elf''s hand whose ears flushed red from the gesture.

    "W-what?"

    "Calm down. You want to be pampered right?" Zeke said, not knowing how he''d do it exactly as it was a skill which he has yet to develop. Nor does he have any experience on the field.

    "O-okay then." Allesiah simply said. Enjoying the moment which began calming her down.

    The two of them stayed like that for a while longer. Zeke held her hand as best as he could, tightly enough to not let go but not too lose at the same time. This went on for a couple more minutes without any words being exchanged. Allesiah was satisfied with just this so there was no need for words.

    With the duration increasing, Zeke decided that it was time to get back to work. So he nudged Allesiah''s head, only to find her sleeping soundly.

    "Dear me." He said with a smile on his face. cing Allesiah''s head on hisp, brushing the hair that covered her face as it showed the beautiful elf who seemed to have matured into a fine woman.

    Zeke decided to leave things as they were. Giving Allesiah a bonus for all her efforts as hisp was used as her pillow. With this being done with, Zeke finally moved on to the updates of the [System]; taking them off the [Ignore and Archive] interface. The notifications came up soon after, all being connected to the [Chaos] which Zeke unlocked.

    [Information: You have unlocked the basic skills connected to the Chaos faction. The skill tree of Chaos is now opened.]

    "So it actually begins with a new skill tree which could be used." Zeke opened the interface right away which had a division made between [Chaos Skills] and [Mana Skills]. He then clicked on the former, revealing theplete set of [Chaos Skills which could be unlocked. He tried clicking one on the middle level of the tree and the information came up immediately.

    [Skill unavable.]

    [The skill whiches before this must be activated first.]

    [A certain amount of Chaos Points is required in order to unlock the skill.]

    [The gamer''s level does not meet the requirement.]

    "So it''s like a real [Skill Tree] this time around."

    Zeke thought of how time consuming it would be to gain all the skills within the tree. There were at least a hundred there. With some being active and the others being passive. He needed to study the skills this time around because he couldn''t risk making mistakes on choosing. After all, he doesn''t know if the skill tree could be reset nor is there any information revealed about it.

    There were basically three starting skills to choose from.

    [Chaos sh]

    [Chaos Sight]

    [Chaos Resistance]

    Zeke decided to leave the skills for the moment. There were still a lot of notifications that were on hold and, he couldn''t decide without going through all of them.

    [Information: You have unlocked the basic items connected to the Chaos faction. The items will be avable in the shop.]

    This was the next thing that came up. Just like the [Chaos Skills], the newly added items needed a certain currency called [Desderio]. Zeke tried selling one of the [Chaos Shards] on the store and, just as he expected, he got the currency required. Aside from this, some items from his inventory also gave [Desderio] as the payout on the [Sell Preview].

    Specifically, it was the items that came from the generals and the counts which had this property. Making Zeke realize that, de was already meddling with [Chaos] even before Zeke discovered it.

    "Things are finally fitting into ce." He said, getting the information on his true enemy bit by bit just from the things which he already obtained. He then moved to the next notification.

    [Information: Analysis has upgraded. Everything rted to the Chaos faction can now be identified. The skill "Chaos Sight" is not integrated with the System function.]

    "I figured as much." Zeke said feeling that something like this has also urred. Noting the fact that he had already identified some things connected to [Chaos] already. It was only natural that his [Analysis] updated to include this feature.

    [Information: Due to the upgrade done to the System, [10%] has been added to the [Ancient Spell]pletion].

    "My my. Now this is a surprise." Zeke said, not counting on a reward that wasn''t in line with the training he performed with Allesiah. The gamer epted it dly of course, needing only [20%] in order to im the ultimate spell he would use.

    [Information: You have received a crucial memory fragment. y the fragment now?]

    "No, let''s do thatter." Zeke mentioned, thinking of the other things that shoulde after he imed the rewards.

    [Understood.]

    There was still one notification left. Zeke wasn''t nning to y the [Memory Piece] without having seen everything.

    "The decisionse after this." Zeke dered as if he was speaking to the [System] as he clicked the final notification. One which he was correct in guessing the contents as the [Notification Window] popped up.

    [Information: The forging function has upgraded. Chaos Forging is now added to its features.]

    [Information: Forging may only ur is there is a Chaos item added to the crafting. The quality of anything crafted will rely on other factors such as thepatibility of materials and the grade of the Chaos item used.]

    This was exactly what Zeke was waiting for. Without the said upgrade on his forging, he wouldn''t be able to make equipment that would aide Allesiah in using her newfound power. Through the forging upgrade, Zeke can create contact lenses that would lessen the strain while also amplifying Allesiah''s ability to see [Chaos Energy].

    Also, with this Zeke could upgrade [Death''s Void] even further. Adding the [Chaos] element which would greatly increase his chances of winning against the new enemies that maye.

    Excited as he was, he didn''t forget to leave reminders for his team before he began forging. Hence he finally woke Allesiah up who was flustered after realizing what position she was in. Zeke then gave her the instructions which was to be rallied to everyone else. That is, to not disturb him for a few hours as he performed the forging.

    "Okay I''ll do that right away." Allesiah said in reply as she finally left the room.

    Zeke began as soon as the door mmed shut. He made a checklist, putting into ount the amount of materials he had and the number of individuals and [Conjures] which needed to benefit from what he was about to do. He looked at the bag of [Chaos Shards] that would be used and this excited him more than anything else. After all, it was a new factor added which allows the number of things he could forge to exponentially increase.

    "Let''s get started." The gamer said. Not knowing that it was the [Monarchs] which he was preparing for.

 Chapter 202: Retreat and Advance

    Chapter 202: Retreat and Advance

    The battle of Vask and Pier caused Zeke to be on high alert. Preparing as quickly as he could for whatever hell was toe. Yet, he wasn''t the only one making preparations.

    Within a valley that hid inside the mountain ranges of the Demon Continent, there were screams that echoed out. Ones made by people who were getting murdered by none other than Pier.

    "No. Please have mercyAHHH!" This was thest scream made as Pier finally disposed of all the researchers present. He wasn''t fond of the grotesque killing methods so the were all cleanly murdered. Each getting a single stab at their vitals.

    "Where did he say the lights were on this facility?" The god said, walking along the hallways as if none of the murders happened a few seconds ago.

    "Ahh there we go." He said, finally finding the switch that revealed the whole area he was in.

    It was a research facility above the surface not seen by anyone because of the cloaking which he used. With Zeke''s upgraded [Gamer''s Mind] he could easily detected this. But since he only went to the area before the upgrade urred, he saw nothing but a in valley.

    Within it were the inhumane experiments conducted by de on Pier''s behalf. It was the god''s first time going there himself and, he was impressed. Especially with the perfectly dissected body of the eldest Windsprite  Sylvia. Her body parts were separated into ss containers and maintained fresh using a kind ofboratory produced liquid.

    "I gotta hand it to you de, you almost seem as sinister as I." Piermented to the elven king who was still unconscious. With the [Chaos Crystal] deeply embedded on his chest.

    Aside from this sample, there were monsters infused with refined [Chaos Shards]. Each monster is ced on a cylindrical container. Bearing the same fluid that kept Sylvia''s parts as fresh as possible. All of them had a strange resemnce to one another. Each bearing a horn or more which dictated the power level of these creatures. It was easy for Pier to figure this out because, the monsters mutated to the creatures existing on thends of the [Monarchs of Chaos].

    All of this information were taken by the god from the memories of the slumbering [Monarch] inside his body. It happened in a dream, in a consecutive set of dreams for that matter. Revealing to him the pieces of knowledge that came from thends that existed even before time itself.

    "Let''s see. From the data given to me by de, all of you are supposed to still be on a stage of development." The god said, bringing out a [Chaos Crystal] which he used to determine the power levels of the monsters. The crystal would glow every time he ced it close to a certain type of monster; with the glow itself being stronger or weaker depending on the overall capabilities of the monster.

    He could simply rely on their horns to identify their power levels. But, even the single horned monsters had a certain level of difference in their power levels.

    "Ohh so he even organized these monsters. Well that''s a relief, it save me the trouble of having to identify these one by one." Pier figured out that the monsters have been organized based on power level. With the weakest at the front and the strongest being at the furthest back of the facility. Hence the god went and searched the furthest parts which didn''t even take that long for him to say:

    "Jackpot!" Pier uttered in a voice that sounded like he won the lottery as he proceeded to the end of the facility.

    There they were. The creatures which had five horns on them. Each made the [Chaos Crystal] glow so brightly that there was no mistaking their strength in battle. In fact, they were probably as strong as the [Mythical Creatures] of old. Having the same catastrophic capabilities that would make the [Chaos mes] look like mere flickers of light.

    "These are exactly what I need." Pier said, moving to the data sheets ced in front of each container and reading the descriptions held by the monsters.

    On all four continents, thesebs exist and are maintained by de''s research team. These were the same persons killed by Pier, thinking that there was no need for them if he was to release the monsters right then and there.

    "That bastard forced me to y this card too early. Just thinking of the revisions to my ns make my head hurt already." Piermented as the pain from all his wounds made themselves felt again.

    Since he was mortal it took him a while to heal from the damage. And there was also the fact that, his enemy had some kind of power that prevented healing skills to work properly on the God. He knew that he was being chased down and so, he needed the perfect distraction. One which would at least stall some time for him as he escapes the continent.

    Time was not on his side. Things didn''t go as he wanted them to because of the meddling of that entity that went against him. One which resided inside the body of the human.

    "That was definitely another [Monarch of Chaos]." Pier said to himself, remembering the sensation he felt quite well.

    It was intense, to the point that even he who was a god felt fear for the first time in his life. But it wasn''t like it was something new to him. After all, he had the slumbering Vardus Nevermore within his body. A [Monarch of Chaos] whom Pier was slowly harvesting [Chaos Energy] from.

    "I wonder if I could''ve won if my bodies were united." Pier told himself, thinking of the other 50% of his strength that resided within his body in the heavens.

    However, this estimate is incorrect. At the moment it was powerful than he because it was still divine and has garnered the powers of the Goddess of Darkness: Nisha.

    Yet this wasn''t a cause for any rm. After all, it was still him and at the end of it all, they would merge again to form the Ultimate Being. One who would hold twice the power of the Goddess of Darknessbined with his own powers as the god of mischief and deceit.

    However none of this would be possible if his mortal half on earth died. Hence, he hurried to inspecting every other monster contained within the facility.

    "Right now I need to focus on the deployment of these things. That''s all that matters." Pier said as he looked at the creatures. Regretting that he couldn''t wait for them until they reached their peak.

    It was a timely decision because, there was a red light that suddenly came up on the room. Pier followed this only to find that, there was someone closing in on the facility. A person whose face he couldn''t forget as his body still ached from thest battle. It was Quinn. Standing on top of one mountainposing the multitude hiding the valley underneath.

    "Dammit. How did he get here so fast?" Pier continued, in a state of panic as he looked for the controls.

    He would die. He knew that he would if Quinn reached the area before he left. Pier wasn''t sure if the same trick could work in order to escape but, he wasn''t stupid enough to try it out.

    "To think that you could track me down so easily, I must''ve deeply underestimated you." Pier said as he continued looking for the switches needed. He watched as Quinn slowly descended the mountain, getting dangerously nearer to the valley.

    "Ahh there you are." He said in relief, having fortune on his side as he finally found all of the buttons needed. He immediately clicked on all of them  releasing an oozing steam as they woke up one by one. Their screams resounded throughout the valley and Pier could feel the immense amount of [Chaos Energy] being released by the creatures forming an army which was unlike any other.

    Pier didn''t even need to leave anymands for them. He knew that they would instantly kill whatever entity entered their reach and Pier wasn''t stupid enough to still be there when that happens.

    "Well I''d love to stay and watch the fight but unfortunately, I still have other ns." The god mentioned, picking up de once more and opening up another rift on the dimension using his dagger.

    The rift was a portal that would instantly exit Pier to the Elven Continent of Elysium where he was nning to bid his time. Heal all his wounds. Prepare de whom he''d use as a pawn in the battle against the gods. And properly deploy the monsters within the same facility found on the Elven Continent.

    Before leaving, he made one final look at the screen. There he saw the human preparing to engage in battle and this ced a smile on Pier''s face. One of malice as he thought of ways to win against the opponent.

    "The next time we meet, it would be me who''s chasing you down." Pier said, entering the portal which closed right away.

 Chapter 203: The Battle at the Valley

    Chapter 203: The Battle at the Valley

    Quinn and Vask continued on their journey in search for the god yet again. There was an innate tracking skill which the [Monarchs] could make use of. Allowing them to sense if a fellow [Monarch] was nearby. Yet even this proved to be useless at the moment because, Vask needed to recharge his lost [Chaos Energy].

    The [Monarch] used up too much on thest fight. It wasn''t easy for him to absorb the said energy because the amount present on [Mythos] was scarce. Adding to the fact that, it wasn''t his own body. Making it a bit ipatible with what he needed to do.

    However, Vask was not worried. With what he did in thest fight, he was sure that the enemy was still recovering. Because of this, Pier would need to stay within the Demon Continent of Helios until he was fully recovered and, this gave the [Chaos Monarch] enough time to look for him.

    While they did this, Quinn continued gathering information from the [Monarch]. One which Vask generously handed down to Quinn as he knew that the human could do nothing to harm him. And at that specific moment, it was Vask''s specialty which they talked about.

    "I have another question for you." Quinn began, making one final leap as he reached the summit of a mountain.

    "Goodness you never run out of questions, do you?" Vask said in reply.

    Quinn thought how weird the being was. Although Vask would torture him from time to time, he was a calm and collected individual for the most part of them being together. In fact, he was never a person who was rude to Quinn just because he wanted to. The [Chaos Monarch] would only use force and violence under two circumstances.

    One was when Quinn didn''t want to listen to him. And two was whenever the human showed rudeness. Quinn tried to avoid these as much as possible of course; only rousing Vask''s anger once again after his fight against Pier. One which left his body sore from a nightmarish punishment yet again.

    "So can I ask or not?" Quinn continued, trying to sense any dangerous presence nearby.

    "Go ahead human, we''ve got all the time in the world anyway." Vask said in reply, with Quinn doing just this.

    "The skill you make use of. It''s connected to gravity, right?" Vask immediatelyughed after hearing this. It wasn''t one of mockery but instead of pleasant entertainment. One which suggested to Quinn that Vask was in a good mood.

    "Quinn you''re starting to grow on me you know that? How did you even figure that out huh?" Vask answered with a series of questions himself.

    "So I''m right?" Quinn asked; concluding based on the words Vask just said.

    "A bit. Now exin to me why you assumed something like this and I''ll exin the details as you move along." Vask said in reply, entertained once again by the fact that the human was able to figure out a portion of the truth rted to his skill.

    "There has only been two instances when you appeared in Mythos. One was against Sylph and the other was against Pier." Quinn began.

    "On the first instance, you made a cocky move and stayed within an area like a sitting duck against a long-range enemy. Not just any ordinary enemy at that but arguably the strongest archer in the whole of Mythos." Quinn began running towards a single direction. Down a valley that was covered by the mountain range.

    "Well I need to show the difference in our power levels don''t I? That should''ve at least scared her off and yet she still insisted on continuing the fight. Dear me." Vask said in reply.

    Here again, Quinn noticed that the[ Monarch] wasn''t fond of disputes despite his title. With what he just said, it proved that he had no intention of killing Sylph from the start and was rather wishing that she would simply go away after feeling his presence. Yet this didn''t happen and since Sylph didn''t take his offer, the only choice left for her was death. One which was prevented when Quinn intervened.

    The human disregarded this for the momenta and proceeded to his exnations. Killing a few monsters that appeared along the way. A necessity in order for [Avarice] not to reset.

    "Yes and, although it would seem that you were dodging, I''m guessing that some kind of gravitational field is ced right in front of my body whenever you are using it. There were some irregrities after all. Moments when you made it look like you were dodging when in fact the projectiles curved away on their own." There were 10 monsters in total. All consumed by Quinn.

    "So you were observing me closely even when you got defeated?"

    "Of course I was. Anyway, that''s veering away from the subject. So am I correct?" This was the first instance mentioned by Quinn. Vask was impressed at how the human noticed this even though he couldn''t see [Chaos Energy].

    "I take back what I said earlier. Now I need you to exin the other point before I exin things to you. I might spoil the fun if I give you hints now." Vask said, wanting to hear how Quinn knitted the other pieces of information.

    "Fine have it your way." Quinn said in reply. Staying true to hismitment of not getting on the bad side of the [Monarch].

    "During your fight with Pier, there was only a single type of spell that you made use of. One which both hurled Pier to the bottom of the ocean while also pulling him back up from the depths. The same concept applied when you forced the gigantic ball of me to fly up instead of hurling down the sea. All those would only be possible if you have gravitational magic."

    Quinn received a heartfulugh from Vask as he mentioned all the details. It was just as the [Monarch] expected, Quinn was the perfect host for someone like him. One which was also deemed as the prodigy among the twelve [Monarchs].

    "Well you''re not entirely wrong. However what I''m doing is not control gravity but rather disrupt space." Vask said, confusing Quinn a little bit

    "What do you mean?"

    "It''s easy to dismiss my powers as [Gravitational Magic] because that is themonprehension of beings like you. I mean I don''t me you though. There was a time that people thought thunder was cause by a mythological god named Zeus whom they say to be angry during those moments. Although I domend you for stitching the facts together as you did. No other human would probably be able to do it as well as you have."

    "Is that apliment?" Quinn asked.

    "Don''t get too full of yourself." Vask simply replied as he continued his exnation.

    "As a [Monarch of Chaos], my specialty is creating [Chaos] on space itself. I can either add to the existing space or remove this. Doing so creates an imbnce and disorder; something which we [Chaos Monarchs] specialize in."

    "So does that mean that the others also have different specialties?"

    "Correct. Each [Chaos Monarch] specializes on one field. Just like how every god and goddess only have a single specialty of their own." Vask said in reply. Immediately furthering his exnation.

    "The barrier you said that I put up on your body was not a gravitational filed but an adding of space just outside your body. Preventing most of the projectiles from hitting as the invisible disruption takes them off course."

    "I see, that does exin a lot." Quinn simplymented as he reached halfway down the mountain as he added another question.

    "So what about the fight against Pier?"

    "Well for that instance I used both. I ced more space on top of him to push him down the ocean. Then I removed space when he was already drowning to pull him back up. The me that I deflected also went away on the same concept."

    "Then doesn''t that destroy the space on those ces where you''ve disrupted them?" Quinn furthered which delighted the Monarch.

    "That''s a good question yet again. But you see, the effects aren''t actually permanent. Just on the duration that I wished for it to activate. Disrupting space takes up a significant amount of [Chaos Energy] after all."

    "That exins a lot. Although I need to know what that [Chaos Energy] actually is." Quinn furthered.

    "I''ll reveal everything to you in good time. For now, I need you to focus on the objective." Vask said, noticing that they have finally reached the valley. One which seemed to hold some amount of [Chaos Energy] within it. Yet, this was not the only thing umting the said energy.

    With his body slowly getting ustomed to the [Chaos Monarch] it holds, Quinn was steadily getting stronger. The elite was beginning to generate [Chaos Energy] which Vask also took notice of. Yet, he didn''t tell it to the human nor was the [Monarch] nning to do so anytime soon.

    After all, [Chaos Energy] was dangerous and as soon as he finishes his mission, Vask intends to leave Quinn''s body as well as take all the energy with him.

    "By the way you sure you should be telling me these things? I''m not exactly a subordinate of yours." Quinn mentioned which was a fact. He was simply the host that the [Monarch] made use of to achieve his goals.

    "Oh don''t worry about things like that. I can handle you perfectly fine Quinn." The monarch simply jested as they finally entered the valley. Hearing screams that seemed toe from monsters which made Quinn get ready right away.

 Chapter 204: Lets Begin

    Chapter 204: Let''s Begin

    The cloaking ced by Pier on the area went away as soon as the monster broke out of the facility. It was a high level skill that retained the cloaking as long as there wasn''t too much noise ormotion being formed.

    This was also removed when Pier dealt with the researchers but, since it was his skill that was used to set the skill, Pier was able to bring the cloaking effect back up without breaking a sweat. Only to be taken down once again by the monsters of [Chaos].

    Quinn felt the difference in power right away. It was immense. An ocean of strength which he himself would not be able tost against. In fact, he knew that it was a job for Vask something which seemed to be a regr urrence to him ever since the [Monarch] entered his body.

    "I know what you''re thinking." Vask said as he witnessed the monstersing out one by one. Both of them had no idea that these just woke up. Not even being fully conscious yet. But the pressure of the aura was enough to make Quinn weary of them.

    "So can we switch or do I need to face these monsters myself?" Quinn said, not wanting to try as it was too dangerous of a task this time around. It wasn''t simply one enemy after all. It was a whole army of monsters oozing in deadly energy. With a certain thirst for flesh and blood densely upying the area around them.

    "Not this time. You need to go in there and face them yourself for now." Vask said in reply, feeling [Chaos Energy] being abundant on the valley where the monsters resided.

    "I''m going to harvest the energy around."

    "And that means what exactly?" Quinn asked; still being on high alert.

    "It means, you should do your best and be my diversion while I perform this." Vask said in reply.

    "That doesn''t sound favorable to me now does it." Quinn answered back, not having any proper weapon anymore.

    "Well I''m still going to save your asster on so you might as well follow me. Plus, it''s an order. You don''t have a say on this matter." Vask continued, with Quinn surrendering to the order as he generated his strongest skill from the get go.

    This was the only move he could think off in order to shave down the number of enemies considerably. From the amount of mana being used, Vask could already figure out what Quinn was nning. He was about to use [Cmity]. The same skill which needed Vask to heal him over and over again - something which the [Monarch] didn''t approve of as hemented:

    "Hey what are you thinking? I don''t have enough energy to heal you this time around you know." He wanted Quinn to be fully aware of this. There was no telling hat would happen to both of them if the human proceeded.

    Although the move was effective, it would shave away the remaining [Chaos Energy] of Vask. This would inevitably leave them defenseless as the skill duration runs out. Making Quinn vulnerable to the attacks of the remaining monsters as, aside from him not having any mana left, Vask would also be depleted of [Chaos Energy]. Preventing him from switching with Quinn and helping out in the fight.

    "Rx. I have a n this time around." Quinn said as a smile formed on his face. One which seemed crazy enough to match Zeke''s.

    "There''s a lot of them after all." Quinn said bringing out the remaining tool which could be called as a weapon.

    It was a broken dagger. A tool which only had the part of the handle left; without the de being attached anymore. But it was still enough for what Quinn needed to perform.

    He didn''t know why the monsters were still not attacking him. But he wasn''t going to wait and find out. Quinn knew that the first strike is crucial in any battle and thus, he threw the weapon. Hitting the middle of the valley as he casted [Weapon Blink].

    The monsters recognized him right away but it was toote. They couldn''t even respond as Quinn activated [Overdrive] as soon as the swap between the weapon urred. Allowing his mind to function even faster than normal  casting his ultimate skill before any attack could be made at him.

    "Cmity."

    The whole area got enveloped by the raging torrent of mana. Spiraling in a dome shape. One by one the lesser monsters got destroyed yet, they weren''t the only ones as Quinn was also getting heavily damaged by the skill. His fleshing out from under his skin as the merciless [Cmity] knew no master.

    Vask didn''t heal him this time around just like what he mentioned a while back. After all, Quinn said that he could handle the first part of the fight.

    Hence, the [Monarch of Chaos] simply focused on harvesting all [Chaos Energy] that lingered everywhere. It was a good thing that he did so because, at that moment, he witnessed the wise decision making of Quinn who activated a single skill over and over again.

    "Consume."

    "Consume."

    "Consume."

    It was the job ss specific skill. The only skill provided by Quinn''s [Avarice]. Unknown to everyone else, Quinn''s [Consume] was able to level up. This wasrgely due to him being the one who killed Slytherin back on the [Rift Mission]. The upgrade that came with the skill was something which was beneficial for Quinn on the factors connected to the fight.

    [Skill Name: Consume II]

    [Grade: SS]

    [Skill Type: Active]

    [Mana Consumption: None]

    [Information: The caster can activate the skill even though he does not have any direct contact with the creature being consumed. This is as long as he is the one to deal the finishing blow to the opponent.]

    [Information: The one casting the skill heals and regenerates for 10% of the health of any foe that has been consumed. This can stack up and does not have any cooldown. However, it must be casted as the skill will not activate on its own.]

    [Information: The one casting the skill, recovers for 10% of the mana and whatever energy type is used by the consumed enemy.]

    These were the descriptions held by the skill. Quinn wasn''t able to make use of this on his first two fights after the events on the rift. This is because, there was nothing to use it on. Sylph was too strong of an opponent and Quinn wasn''t nning on [Consuming] her. On the other hand, Pier was a single opponent and Quinn couldn''t even make this enemy reach below [50%] of his heath.

    Yet the creatures on the valley were different. Collectively they were strong. Maybe even stronger than Pier but, individually, Quinn knew that [Consume] would work. After all, it was a skill that worked best against mobs no matter how strong they may be. Because Quinn could simply cast [Cmity] while partnering it up with [Consume].

    "To think that he had something like this up his sleeve. My dear little vessel is growing too rapidly." Vask said as the energy harvesting also sped up. With the number of consumptions made by Quinn greatly aiding this.

    Cmity did a certain level of damage to every type of monster. For the single horns, each of them got wiped out by the merciless attack that even seriously damaged a god. The two horned monsters resisted a little but nevertheless got killed by the skill. The three horned monsters were able to live through the attack although getting heavily damaged. The four horned monsters had some level of damage done to them but not to an extent that they have been greatly weakened. And, the five horned monsters only sustained little damage. As if they were on the same level as Pier himself.

    This was the effect of [Cmity] being used. And adding to this, Quinn also gained a number of new skills. All making use of [Chaos Energy] which was also overflowing within him at that moment.

    Aside from getting filtered to Vask, some of the energy got retained by the host. A result which Vask didn''t like but was nevertheless a better oue.

    "Well it does beat having to swap when he''s already half dead." Vask said as the tides have instantly turned.

    Because of the rash decision making of Pier, the monsters weren''t able to wake up properly. Adding to this, they were still confused on their whereabouts and their identity. If Quinn arrived thereter rather than sooner, then the oue might''ve bene different. But it was specifically because they seemed like newborns that Quinn''s [Cmity] was able to capitalize on the moment.

    "Man I''ve never been as full as I am now." Quin mentioned, feeling the overflowing amount of strength he had as he looked at the remaining enemies.

    They were still formidable of course. After all, they were the ones that remained even after [Cmity] being casted and thus, Quinn was wary of them.

    The elite took up two swords that were owned by some of the fallen lesser monsters as he formed a stance. Quinn couldn''t use [Cmity] again. Nor would it be efficient with the number of enemies remaining. Indeed, the real fight was about to start.

    With a smile on his face and a boldness that came with his talents. Quinn gave instructions as if it was a training session for new adventurers. Telling the monsters:

    "Let''s begin."

 Chapter 205: Chaos Singularity

    Chapter 205: Chaos Singrity

    There was only a single thing which Quinn was worried about when the fight began. It was that, the creatures bearing five horns seemed not to care much about him. In fact, they had a strange calmness on their expressions which suggested that they could handle the enemy perfectly fine. Something which Quinn found to be unsettling as he began attacking.

    He began by battling the three and four horned monsters. There was small variety to them but, nevertheless their skills were easy to identify. One type of four horned stomped the ground and created an area where spikes came up.

    Quinn was able to easily dodge this but, because there were five of these creatures, the spikes continued firing up and atrge areas. Forcing Quinn to continue moving so as to not get caught within the area of effect.

    However, this didn''te without any consequence. The other four horned creatures fired long ranged waves of de attacks at him. Generating [Chaos Energy] which Vask warned Quinn to not get hit with. Aside from this, there was another type of long ranged unit which made use of feathers being fired from its back.

    Over and over again, Quinn needed to dodge. Without finding any momentum nor opening to go on the offensive. And he was sessful in doing this, that is, until the feather user called back its deployed projectiles.

    This caught Quinn by surprise, finally tipping him off his game as the spikes and the wave almost found their way to hit him. Fortunately for Quinn, he had [Overdrive] which he used at that moment. Dodging by throwing one of the swords at the four horns and activating [Weapon Blink].

    It was his turn to surprise them this time around as he was prepared to release a strike. Yet, a projectile shot at him. Destroying the barrier he set up as the elite found himself flung in mid-air.

    As soon as he dropped to the ground, he saw the de of a five horned releasing smoke. Entailing that, it was this creature which fired at him. Causing Quinn to be on an even higher alert as, the enemy was able to see though his [Overdrive].

    "Damn, I knew they were trouble." Quinn thought to himself. Looking at the five horned enemies which still had dull expressions on their faces.

    As said, these creatures were of high intellect and could evenmunicate properly. However, they found no reason to do so. They have just woken up after all and, killing the threat seemed to be a wiser choice than to speak with it. Meanwhile this same threat decided to focus on the weaker monsters; the remaining three-horneds.

    Among the remaining enemies, these were the heavily damaged. Meaning they were also the ones which could be easily depleted. But as he went and aimed for them, the attacks also followed. Stopping Quinn who was forced to back away.

    He then tried the same stunt. Throwing his sword while he went and got a new pair; intending to [Blink] right away. Yet this was a futile attempt as another five horned beast created a kind of barrier which deflected the sword; flinging it back to Quinn.

    "They''re learning fast. Better kill them while you still have the chance." Vaskmented, looking at the fight and seeing the huge disadvantage of Quinn.

    "Yeah that''s easy for you to say, mister almighty ruler of space." Quinnmented jokingly as Vask continued watching over the elite.

    He was deciding whether or not the switch was even required anymore. With the skill set of Quinn, Vask knew that the human had a chance of winning. But he didn''t have the vast amount of battle strategies which the [Monarch] does and so, Vask thought that this would be too much to expect from a mere human.

    "You know we can switch now. We still need to catch up to Pier after all." Vask said which surprised Quinn who was still doing his best to dodges as he continued cooking up a strategy.

    "Yeah I think that won''t be needed. I''m still alive aren''t I? it would be a shame if I didn''t make use of everything I know in this fight." Quinn simply said, with the monarch respecting his decision and watching idly once again.

    All Quinn''s ultimate leveled skills causes some damage to him. Yet if used properly, he could turn the tides in his favor as he consumes whatever enemy he defeats. It was a high risk move but something worth the gamble.

    With this in mind, Quinn used a set of skills once again beginning with Jake''s [Impale]. The spears rained down as Quinn continued to casting [Valley of Spears]. This caught the three and four horns by surprise as they were inevitably caught in the middle of the onught. Yet, Quinn didn''t stop here as he casted amplify. Allowing the attack to be thrice as potent than they already were.

    With this the favor was shifted back to Quinn who was finally able to make the five horns move. No matter how dignified they may seem, they have no choice but to dodge if the whole area is covered with and [AoE] attack. And just as Quinn expected, they went and attacked him.

    However Quinn was prepared even with this kind of move. In fact, he already had the whole n sorted out like a master tactician. He activated [Oblivion] and added the force of Kaguya''s secondary job ss. cing a [Multiplier] over oblivion that created one at the bottom while the other one remained at the top.

    The five horns were effectively stuck in the middle of the skill. Floating as their bodies were being pulled from both sides. Then there were the four and three horned beasts that were still caught up with [Impale] and [Valley of Spears]. None of them could attack Quinn at that moment, leaving the elite enough room to charge his other ace skill.

    "Hey that''s not gonna work on them you know. They could survive through [Cmity]." Vask adviced which Quinn didn''t seem to hear as he continued charging the skill. And, it was at this point that Vask understood the difference in the skill being used.

    Quinn was not releasing mana. No. He was releasing [Chaos Energy] all being used up by the sword he had on his hand. It was a faulty experiment yet; Quinn was able to keep the move charging up [Chaos]. The [Monarch] got entertained yet again, seeing his host evolve even more.

    Vask knew how dangerous the move would be for Quinn. In fact, it was probably an instant death skill for whoever mortal was stupid enough to release that much [Chaos Energy] at once. Yet Vask didn''t worry because his own [Chaos Energy] waspletely restored. Allowing him to heal Quinn through whatever idiotic move he was about to use.

    "I''m just going to add this for good measure." The [Monarch of Chaos] thought to himself as the markings appeared on the arms of Quinn.

    Every part of this sequence was already mapped out on Quinn''s head. He was counting down on the charging needed and the amount of mana he had left before all the [Aoe] skills he casted gets halted.

    Thirty seconds.

    This was all that was left and throughout this short amount of time, the monsters tried their best to get away. Yet with Quinn pouring out every ounce of his mana to adding more force to his spells, they weren''t able to do as they wished no matter how hard they tried.

    Vask could see the energy of chaos raging out of Quinn''s body and toward the sword. He could see how unrefined the skill was but, it was nevertheless doable. A skill which still held to the concept used on the original [Singrity] while making use of a power source which the human was yet to even fullyprehend.

    "If this fails, I think you''ll need to take over." Quinn said to Vask as the skill was finallyplete, with five seconds being left on the [AoE] skills.

    "Oh I doubt that would be necessary." Vask simplymented as the seconds passed quickly; releasing the monsters as Quinn casted:

    "Chaos Singrity."

    The silence that came wasn''t the same as before. It was deadly, one which could be described as nothing less than haunting. Within these few seconds, the sh silently swept over all of Quinn''s enemies. Cutting them in half without even any resistance from the beasts as the skill froze them in fear.

    Meanwhile, Quinn felt his whole body seemingly drain with life force as he slumped to the ground. Hearing Vask roaring inughter as the ck mes soon came after to heal him.

    "You bloody bastard! You actually did it!" He said as it was only him who actually saw the state of Quinn''s body.

    The new singrity didn''t only cut front but, within a full circle. Meaning, even Quinn''s body was cut in half by his own skill. Yet the events were too quick and he was too drained to even feel the pain as he was numb all over.

    "Take a rest for now kid. I''ll handle the rest." Vask furthered as the elite began losing consciousness.

 Chapter 206: The Trap

    Chapter 206: The Trap

    Vask and Quinn weren''t the only ones looking for Pier. Within the heavens, the gods have already finished taking back all the heroes that were needed in the mission. 100 heroes from worlds that were saved.

    Some of them were actually still in the process of saving their worlds as Nisha mentioned. Yet these were already on thetter stages. Where victory was supposed to be inevitable. On the other hand, the other heroes had different circumstances before getting summoned once again.

    Since they were deployed by the minor gods, they didn''t enjoy the same benefits given by the major deities. They couldn''t be brought back to their worlds even after clearing the quest as, their real bodies were already decaying corpses. Hence these heroes stayed within their respective realms, taking up jobs of various sorts.

    Some became counts. Some became rulers. Some lived simple lives. While there were those that continued on to being adventurers. Then there were also those which indulged in worldly pleasures. Enjoying all that lust, gluttony, and avarice could provide for them.

    Adding to this is the fact that, they weren''t as morally upright as the elites. In fact, many of them even sumbed to corruption as soon as they defeated the [Demon Lords] on the worlds they saved.

    "Either you die as a hero or you live long enough to see yourself as the viin." These words rang true for some of them. Nevertheless, they were chosen because of their overall capability. With the gods knowing that they were the finest among the thousands of human heroes forcefully abducted from earth.

    The three main deities were the ones to meet them. Pier, who was disguising himself as Nisha was also there. Both Sinir and Chrono were still unsuspectful of him at that moment. Making his game of pretend a walk in the park even against major deities. And with him being there it meant that, things were still flowing based on what he wanted.

    "Greetings heroes! I''m sure that you are all confused about this sudden meeting." Sinir began, with the heroes unable to grasp the situation right away. All of them were in the middle of their daily businesses after all and so, the sudden transport took them by surprise.

    "

    "I think we need to calm them down first." Chrono said as he acted out on these words. Activating one of his powers which fast forwarded the minds of the heroes. Allowing them to all be on a calmer state as he finished.

    Thus, they finally recognized who they were facing. Bowing down in respect to the three main deities. A gesture which Sinir delighted in.

    "To what honor do we owe this meeting dear deities." One of the heroes said, a man who lost his arm and reced it with a mechanized one. Holding a hyper energy cannon within it that could destroy half a continent if he so wished.

    "Please raise your heads." Sinir said in reply, snapping her fingers and giving all the heroes chairs to sit in as they ere transported to a meeting hall. With the main deities in front.

    "There is a predicament that we are facing. One which we believe could only be solved by you." Nisha began, showing mythos that appeared as a vivid hologram in the middle. An exact replica of what the world actually looked like.

    "Is this going to be another demon lord because I do believe we''ve done our part and served you well already." Kisha said, a queen on the world which she saved.

    "Wait let''s hear the main deities out first." Another hero said in reply as the murmuring began within the hall. This didn''tst log however as Nisha emitted a chilling aura which immediately silenced the heroes.

    They didn''t even need to be told of it. They knew that the main deities meant business and that, they could do nothing but listen at that point. Destruction. Creation. Time. All of this were within the control of the main deities.

    "As I was saying. We are facing a great predicament and no, it is not some measly demon lord. But you guessed right, you do need to defeat another evil this time around." Nisha furthered with a hand being raised from the crowd of heroes.

    "It''s something that requires all of us present here? So by the looks of it the enemy must be a god correct?" A female hero said in reply. Being one of the smarter ones within the bunch.

    "Ding ding! Ten points for that missy!" Chrono said in reply. A knowledge that made the room even more unsettled.

    "The enemy this time is indeed a god. It is a god which has betrayed us and left the heavens. Entering the world we are showing you right now." Sinir said, getting another hand raised from the crowd.

    "So which god is it? If it''s one of our benefactors then that may raise some problems among us." A heromented.

    "Don''t worry, it is a minor god who was never assigned to choosing his own champion. His name is Pier. The god of mischief and deceit." Nisha answered, raising some audible murmurs once again. One which died out as soon as it began as they knew what maye next if they caused too much noise. Hence another hero raised his hand, speaking in behalf of the heroes who were present there.

    "I don''t want to be misunderstood nor do I want to sound rude but, isn''t that a bit unfair on our part? I mean, each of us here were sent to dangerous worlds forcefully. Not a day passed when we weren''t exposed to danger. I''m sure that it is in everyone''s experience that they have met death that''s too close forfort."

    "So what is your point exactly?" Nisha asked.

    "Please excuse my choice of words. We are veteran heroes after all and no flowery words would work on us anymore." He said, with the main deities taking this point into ount.

    They thought about all the possibilities that may arise from the meeting. Since the humans they met were already veteran heroes, these were wiser. Ones which would not allow the gods to do as they pleased. In fact, they may even revolt if the gods forced the decision on them. Doing the opposite and destroying Mythos instead of saving it.

    That''s why they created an appropriate reward. One which was so great that no human would be able to resist it. Nisha was the one who thought of it, or rather, Pier.

    "I know that this is unfair. In fact it would be cruel of us to send you on such a dangerous task and that is why we have prepared something to motivate you."

    "And what is that exactly?" The same hero asked, with Nisha smiling as the human took the bait.

    "The heroes who defeat the god will be granted whatever they ask for. Be it a new world where they rule. The gift of being an immortal god themself. These things are yours for the taking." Nisha began, with Sinir adding the uses before the heroes think of anything stupid.

    "Of course this excludes some extreme uses such as the destruction of everything that has ever existed. The taking of the position of any gods which are still alive. Any forced rtionship with gods is also forbidden. Then there is a whole list of the other things which we limit you from asking as they would destroy the bnce we have been trying to maintain all these years."

    "Other than that, you can get anything you want. ANYTHIIING!" Chrono finished, rousing the voices of the heroes. This time, it was a pleasant melody as the main deities knew that they would agree.

    "What would happen if we refuse the offer?" One of them asked, wanting nothing more from his life as he was already satisfied.

    "Oh you can''t refuse. You see, this mission already had your souls bounded to Mythos the moment we summoned you here." Chrono continued, getting the immediate reaction which was expected from this information.

    "WHAT?!?"

    "This isn''t right!"

    These were only some of the negativeints of the heroes. Even the main deities knew that it wasn''t right to ask of such a thing. Nor was it at the very least justifiable for them to shove these heroes down a dangerous path. Yet it was their only option as none of the gods wanted toe back down and turn mortal.

    Chrono and Sinir also wanted to go themselves. Yet, they were indispensable. Their roles were crucial and were in the core of everything that existed. Just taking down one of them would cause a certain cmity to begin. One which was already underway because of Nisha''s death.

    At that moment, Pier was delighted. The god who was hiding under the guise of the goddess of darkness was having everything ording to his n.

    Of course some heroes wouldn''t want this. Of course some of them would feel that they have been striped of the lives they earned. And Pier knew that this was enough of a motivation for them to go against the gods. With his mortal counterpart prepared to greet them as soon as they descended to Mythos.

    "This meeting is adjourned." Sinir said as the heroes were unable to move anymore. Freezing in ce with even their mouths shut tight.

    "We hope you understand that this is the only choice avable at the moment. Please just work together and do your best to stop the god." She furthered, snapping her finger which caught all the heroes in a blinding sh of light. Hurling them all down Mythos like shooting stars that fell to different areas. Something which the gamer felt right away as there were a few that descended near his hideout.

 Chapter 207: Second Generation Vs. Third Generation

    Chapter 207: Second Generation Vs. Third Generation

    A month has passed since the heroes were deployed to Mythos. During this time, other creatures have begun sprouting all over the continent. These are ones which has been influenced by [Chaos Energy] as Pier was beginning to transform the whole of Mythos into the seconding of Gaia. Thend where the two factions of [Monarchs] ruled.

    Due to the wave of monsters that far surpassed the normal ones, the newly sent heroes were forced to deal with them first. Gaining levels in preparation for the fight against Pier. Although the task was difficult, the main deities made sure to give three proper [System Assistances] to the heroes.

    The first was a prevention from any [yer Kill  PK] being done among the heroes. The second was a [Voice Chat] function allowing them to actively make reports to one another whenever progress was made. Lastly, they were given themand of [yer Teleport] which allows any of the heroes to respond whenever one of them was in danger.

    While the heroes were thrown to different parts of the continents, they were nevertheless able to form alliances as the days went by. There were only two kinds of heroes who took part in this mission.

    Those who were active hunters; wanting to get the reward which was stated by the main deities. Then there were those who were tired from all the fighting. Deciding to just stay within the viges and live peaceful lives. There were a lot of heroes after all and thex ones thought that these individuals would be able to finish the task.

    From time to time, some heroes would encounter Quinn. With Vask residing within him and, with the [Chaos Energy] he emitted, it was easy for the heroes to mistake him for another monster. Quinn exined his predicament to over the first encounters; or rather he tried to.

    The heroes didn''t listen to him and decided to simply attack. Thinking that Quinn''s words were probably nothing more than a trap to lure them in. however, no matter how strong they were, these new heroes were no match for Quinn.

    With thest fight he went through; the former leader of the elites had his power skyrocket. Making him reach the level of Sylph on her transformed state. This was, of course, only an estimate. He needed to actually fight her in order to prove this im.

    Quinn was just as lost as these heroes were in trying to find Pier. With Vask''s powers to mingle with space, he was able to instantly travel over long distances. However, this was a skill that they didn''t frequently use as Vask needed to conserve his energy. Knowing that it would be needed when they do find Pier once more. And instead of finding the god, Quinn encountered another group of heroes.

    "Why do they keep showing up wherever we go?" Quinn thought to himself.

    "Well that''s probably because you have way more [Chaos Energy] than any of the small fry monsters. You should learn to control that soon, otherwise we''ll just continue facing the same predicament." Vask said in reply, with the group of heroes preparing to attack.

    "Who are you? What is your connection with Pier?" The one who seemed to lead the group asked. Bearing a ck staff on her hand which suggested that she was a mage type. The other two looked like normal run of the mill generals in video games. Probably being even stronger than the type of characters they were associated with.

    "Are you really going to listen or are we going to fight anyway?" Quinn asked based on all the instances he fought with the heroes. Never getting any sessful negotiation going.

    "Pardon?" The female hero said in reply.

    "No never mind. I''m Quinn, a human from earth and was part of the second batch sent to Mythos."

    "So you are part of the elites?" The female hero furthered, getting this intel on the data sheets provided by the deities as soon as they descended Mythos. She then looked up his name on the list and finally drew an expression on her face which Quinn was quite familiar with.

    "Well yes. That would be the case." He said in reply, already feeling the air tense up.

    "From the list given to us, you are supposedly the leader of this group. If that is so, where are your members Mr. Quinn?"

    This was the point where everything becameplicated. The contract Quinn had with Vask prevented him from telling the information regarding his mission. Putting him in a situation where he seemed suspicious.

    Three parts of this discourse made Quinn look like an enemy. The first was that he imed to be the leader of the elites yet does not have his allies nearby. The second was that he held an immense amount of [Chaos Energy] within him which the new heroes only found on monsters. Lastly, when asked about his reason for being alone, Quinn does not have any valid alibi. This was enough of a reason for the heroes to advance. Nodding at each other as they began their attack.

    "I knew this would happen." Quinn said as he began dodging their blows.

    "Don''t take us lightly monster! We have each defeated a demon lord!" One of them uttered. Bearing a gigantic sword which was continuously swung at the seeming weight of a feather. Its defensive capabilities were no joke either as Quinn''s spells were being blocked without any problems.

    "Who said anything about taking you lightly?" Quinn said in reply as he casted [Impale], raining down spears on his. This attack was also deflected by the heroes as their female leader stopped the spears in mid air.

    "Oh? What do we have here?" Vask said as he saw the hero using a simr skill to his. Quinn followed this up by throwing two daggers at the enemies; both of which were deflected.

    "Can you at least leave them at a state where they could heal properly?" Quinn asked the [Monarch] who brutally beat up the heroes they''ve encountered up to that point.

    "That would be impossible. Not with someone using a skill simr to mine." Vask said in reply; with Quinn feeling gravity intensify. Pushing him down the ground with the earth around him being pressed down.

    With this, the other heroes came in for the kill; with thest member of the group wielding a giant axe. Yet Quinn was able to escape as he made use of [Weapon Blink]. Teleporting to the location of one dagger and immediately firing [Valley of Spears].

    This was a skill that couldn''t be stopped by the same concept used by the female hero. Hence his enemies were forced to move away from their location, entering the trap of Quinn who activated [Oblivion].

    "You are obviously making use of the skills of these "elites." Tell me monster, did you consume these humans and took on their form? Or are you the one we''ve been looking for?"

    "You won''t listen to me anyway so why should I answer?" Quinn thought to himself, casting fifty [Fire Balls] which exploded upon contact.

    There was no direct hit as the great sword was used to shield the group. Turning into a regr sized sword with a shield on the hero''s other hand.

    "Ha! You think something of that caliber would work against us?" The hero proudly stated, getting another barrage of fireballs.

    "Honestly, I couldn''t care less about what you think anymore. I''m growing tired from all these encounters with you buffoons." Quinn furthered which was the signal for Vask to take over. One which the [Monarch] dly did after a total of [Five Thousand Fireballs] were casted; depleting Quinn''s whole mana pool.

    The heroes emerged out of the smoke that gathered. Still in one piece but nevertheless appearing tired and worn from the barrage. Then, before Vask could even move, [Gravity magic] was used on him once again.

    "That was a bice little show you made there. Unfortunately for you, I can control space so most of the fireballs that you casted only got deleted by me." The leader of the heroes said, noticing the markings which appeared all over Quinn''s body.

    "I see that you are finally showing your true colors monster." She furthered, densing up the space around Vask which delighted the [Monarch] even further.

    "I suppose I should show you how this is done." Vask said as the hero found it difficult to continue her spell. In fact, space was loosening up around Vask; shocking the hero who didn''t understand what was happening.

    "Kneel." Vask said, instantly forcing the three heroes to their knees. Unable to move anymore no matter how hard they tried.

    "Are you copying my skills?" The female hero imed, making Vask burst out inughter.

    "Oh goodness me. To think that you would be arrogant enough to im something like that." Vask pointed his finger on the female hero, uttering anothermand.

    "Up." Vask pointed his finger to the said direction. With the hero''s body automatically responding. Forced to be on her feet yet unable to make any unnecessary movement.

    "Kneel." Vask continued, making her fall back down.

    "How dare you!" One of the male heroes said, watching the spectacle.

    "release us at once!" The other one demanded.

    "I see that you don''t learn fast. Grovel." He furthered, with the three forced to put their heads on the ground.

    "What manner of sorcery is this? Are you another god which betrayed the heavens?" The female hero said in anger, refusing to ept defeat just like every other sessful hero.

    "I''m not required to answer you, nor do I feel like there is any need to." Vask said, lifting them back up. This time, suspending their bodies in mid air just like what the hero did with Quinn''s spears.

    "Now I need you all to forget this little encounter of ours from those tiny brains of yours." The [Monarch] proceeded to releasing [Chaos Energy]. One which covered the heads of the heroes who screamed as the effects began.

    This was the same method which he used on the other heroes. A way to remove their memories of the meeting in order to prevent them from hunting him down. And, with the process beingpleted, Vask released them all from the hold. Dropping the unconscious bodies of the heroes on the ground and switching back with Quinn.

    "I hope we don''t meet again." Was all that he said; walking away and continuing the hunt for Pier.

 Chapter 208: The Results of Training

    Chapter 208: The Results of Training

    Within the month that passed Zeke made sure that the elites were properly trained. Day in and day out, Morpheus fought against them, heightening the child''s instinctive battle senses even more while also giving the elites a clue on what they needed to do in order to get stronger. Since Morpheus could turn into almost any creature, he was the perfect fit to train against the elites and expose all their weaknesses.

    Of course this training went as Heron did with them before. With Morpheus being cloned to the number of elites as they fought within the realm created through [Cloud of Dreams]. Adding to this were the crystals specifically made to prolong the effects of the realm. Allowing the elites to maximize their time of training.

    Indeed, even though it was only a month in the real world, the elites have already trained for one whole year. Fighting day in and day out and being motivated by no other goal than to get strong enough to not be a bother to Zeke.

    Thus, they reached their peak. Not leveling up but sharpening their skills and battle senses even further. Allowing them to make quick decisions that would benefit them in fights. They fought Morpheus individually and also as a group. With different circumstances to the fights being blended each and every time.

    Yet it wasn''t their battle prowess that improved but also their mental state. They have matured quite well, being proper fighters without any shred of arrogance. Fighting at their best each and every time and using their moves depending on the situation. They didn''t start off with their ultimate moves anymore but instead measured their enemies and progressed from that point on.

    "So its an underwater battle this time around." Amare said, with the other elites standing together with her. She haspletely swapped ces with Kaguya being the one in charge of themand while Kaguya acted like the queen in a chess game. Being useful in any situation during the fight.

    On that specific instance, the elites were on a small ind. The vast ocean was before them, surrounding them on every area. Their enemy was on the sea, deep within it for that matter and only Amare could actually see him

    "It''s not like this is the first time we fought against sea creature Mory." Merlin said in reply, waiting for themand as patiently as everyone else. Creating a thickyer of illusion that spread throughout the sea in order to confuse their enemy.

    "Well he does change his strategy each and every time. In fact, when has Mory used the same trick ion us twice?" All of them were thinking at that point, with nobodying up with an answer to the question.

    "He could at least make this like a game where there are certain patterns we can follow. Why is he getting stronger anyway?" Jake furthered thinking that no matter how hard they trained they never got the upper hand against Mory. In fact they were always in a tight spot. Fighting using all the tactics they could think of and never loosing focus of their surroundings for a single minute.

    Through this kind of training the elites have managed to synchronize with one another. Allowing them to fight and instantly see the needs of their fellow elites in the battlefield. Requiring Amare to only give the most basic instructions as she focused on observing the total flow of the battle. Using her tactician job ss that fit her role.

    "We should get going then." Amare said, seeing what kind of creature Morpheus turned to that time around. It was a kraken and, one with a couple of gigantic tentacles as his main weapons. She made the calctions based on this and every other factor that was connected with the sea.

    "We''ll use formation zeta." She dered; with every other member moving based on themand.

    They didn''t have the [Party Function] anymore. Zeke took it away from them; preventing them from getting the same kind of benefit they were having before. Hence they thought up of something else, with Amare firing spells in the sky based on the next phase of themand. This is only possible with Gawain always by the side of themanding Amare.

    "Horus, you''re up first." Amaremanded; making the summoner deploy low level monsters to the sea.

    These were the fastest ones avable which were also equipped with [Detonates]. Through this Amare was able to gather more information about their enemy who began moving its tentacles. The small summons could easily be destroyed by these yet this was also part of the n.

    Zilg''s [Detonates] froze a small area where the summons were. Allowing them to cause a greater effect before they could be destroyed. In turn, this prevented Morpheus from doing any real damage as Amare continued gathering data.

    "You''re up next." Amare said to Zane, Merlin and Gawain.

    The sniping archer was the first to move. Releasing a wave of air so forceful that a hole was made on the sea. Zane and Merlin quickly followed this attack up. With one using up a fire spell while the other made use of lightning.

    Morpheus didn''t take this beating without retaliating of course. Hence he released his gigantic tentacles out of the body of water. Making its way to squish the down the elites.

    However, Amare was also prepared for this. Part of formation Zeta was the task of the defenders to raise a barrier over the whole area where they were. Layers of this was present when Morpheus attacked; with his tentacle only being able to shatter one.

    The exposed body part wasn''t allowed to go back without any retaliation. Hence Jake and Eerie attacked it, being the swiftest members of the group. Damaging the body part as it went back to the sea. This caused waves to raise high as they felt Morpheus being irritated by their stunt.

    "We won''t be able to use this strategy for much longer." Amare said as more tentacles came up and tried taking them down. Moreyers of the barriers were shattered; with new ones being set up as quickly as possible. Maintaining the solid defense of the group while Amare thought of the next move.

    There was no pressure of the barriers getting destroyed over this interval because the defenders learned the thinning of the barriers and the reduction of their size. These were sturdier as the mana was only being condensed on smaller spaces. Hence even with the increase of tentacles, they were able to hold out as Eerie, Jake, and Kaguya focused on taking them down.

    "We''ll proceed with the next part of the n now." Amare said; knowing that Morpheus would increase in aggression soon and so they needed to catch him by surprise.

    "Its body is at the far left of the sea. You''d die if you swim until you reach that point so Gawain would fire you to that area." Amare began, moving on to giving Gawain and the defenders their instructions.

    "Set a barrier which you''d be stepping on. Make sure that its easy enough to break. Gawain you will release your stronger wind spell below it. Kaguya would then activate [Oblivion] at the furthest part of the sea where she could. Pulling all the members to the sea while Merlin and Zane would give you water breathing."

    "You''re such a ve driver." Mordred jokinglymented as they immediately acted on themands.

    Kaguya as happy about it of course as Amare was able to make such good decisions with the short amount of time that they entered the fight. In fact,pared to Quinn, Amare seemed to be a better tactician at that point. Forced to develop with the countless battles that changed each and every day.

    "The fire spell didn''t do much to it but the lightning did. Ice would also be useful so we''ll go with that option. Zilg you know what to do." Amare said as the preparations were already finished. And quickly, they were thrown to the middle of the sea without doubting any of Amare''s words.

    Things went just as their tactician expected. Morpheus was a little surprised with the sudden change of pacing. He wasn''t able to move his tentacles toward them as [Oblivion] would also suck these. So he just continued swirling the waters using the tentacles. Creating a whirlpool that awaited the elites who were about to reach the water.

    Yet Amare was also prepared for this, leaving Gawain on her side who immediately fired his strongest wind spell toward the sea. Creating a counterflow of water that restored the sea back to its proper shape  the waves crashing like crazy because of the sudden changes that happened.

    "Get ready." Kaguya instructed as they all plunged into the sea.

    Kaguya cancelled out [Oblivion] at this point and it was the turn of both Merlin and Zayne; deploying a wind spell yet again which threw the bodies of the elites towards different directions.

    Meanwhile, Kaguya and Jake focused on getting to the deepest parts of the sea. With Kaguya coating herself in [Oblivion] to not get crushed by the pressure while Jake continued piercing the water which created a safe space for his body.

    The other elites then met with the tentacle which were much slower in the sea. Swinging at them as they fought these gigantic body parts. Zilg then activated the [Detonates] which he ced on a marble given to every other member. The elites made this stick to the tentacles as they were hurled away by Morpheus'' attack  freezing the tentacles immediately as both Kaguya and Jake reached the body of Morpheus. Catching its head and forcing Morpheus to give up.

    "Checkmate." Amare stated as Heron took down the [Cloud of Dreams]. With the elites emerging sessful in the battel yet again.

    "You guys are plenty fun to y with." Morpheusmented, leaving the room perfectly fine while almost every member of the elites were drenched in sea water.

    "Congrattions." Heronmended as he looked at the out of breath elites.

    "Thank you." Amare said in reply, being the one in charge of talking with the [Dragon Morpher] every after their trainings.

    "With that we''ve finally finished all the simtions that Morpheus and I could give you. That also ends your training regime with us." Heron dered which got loud sounds of cheers around the room.

    "So what does that mean exactly?" Amare asked as Heron never told them whates after the training.

    "It means you''re ready to fight Zeke''s [Conjures]."

 Chapter 209: Calm Before The Storm

    Chapter 209: Calm Before The Storm

    Although Heron said that they would fight Zeke, this didn''t happen right away. She allowed the group to take a whole day off the trainings. Making sure that their bodies and minds were properly rested before the fight began.

    Yet none of them could actually rest, feeling nervous from the fact that Samael and Kezel were part of the [Conjures] that they needed to fight. Making Zeke''s summons even more formidable than they already were. Adding to this was the fact that they had another form they could enter once their health decreased to a certain level.

    Amare was more nervous than anyone else. Knowing that the others were relying on her, mistakes weren''t allowed. Hence she went to the pantry where she encountered Sylph, with a towel over her shoulders giving Amare the idea that, she just came out from training.

    "Hey there miss tactician." Sylph said as Amare decided to sit beside her. She thought that it was the perfect opportunity to ask the elf about battle strategies. After all, Sylph was more experienced on actual fights.

    The elf quickly read her mind. Handing her a te which had a sandwich on it. Making Amare look at her in confusion.

    "I know what you''re thinking but you should feed your stomach first. It''s difficult to keep thinking on an empty stomach and that''s thets thing you''d want tomorrow."

    "Thank you Miss Sylph." Amare said, taking the offer given to her as she finally realized she was hungry. With all the thinking she was doing,

    "Don''t sweat it." Sylph began, taking a quick bite before she continued speaking.

    "So I hear you guys are going to fight Zeke''s [Conjures] tomorrow. Time sure does fly." Sylph said, remembering how decimated they were by the same summons a month ago. Leaving them in a state which went beyond what one could refer to as a practice.

    "Yeah. We''ve been through a lot of trainings since then but every time I remember the fight against those creatures, I can''t shake the feeling that we might just lose." Amare began eating the sandwich.

    "Oh we can''t be having that now can we? It''s good for a tactician to know when to retreat but there is a difference when that is induced by fear." Sylph said, handing another sandwich to Amare as the first one went away in the blink of an eye.

    "Fear is often illogical, making you back away from the unknown. This was how the earliest of any race was able to survive which makes it good at that part. Yet that can also be arge handicap if one cannot ovee the fear." At this Amare''s face brightened, reading between the lines and speaking her mind.

    "So are you saying that we have a chance at winning?" She asked, wanting to confirm her assumption.

    "No silly. I''m saying that what you are feeling is only due to fear one which may be misced at this point." Sylph got up and took a couple more breads together with the vegetables and meat which could be added inside. She then handed these to Amare who just finished her second sandwich.

    "You should think beyond the experience a month ago and reflect on the numerous battle simtions that you have gone through since that day. All the times that you fought until you were exhausted to the point of copsing and, all the dangerous tactics you needed to gamble on just to win." Sylph furthered, with Amare brooding over this as she prepared her own sandwich.

    Everyone in the hideout knew of the trainings which the elites went through. This is because Heron was regrly giving reports to the group, ensuring Zeke and the others that the elites were making progress. Of course the elites themselves do not know this.

    The elites though that Zeke didn''t care about their existence anymore. Yet this wasn''t true and there was no individual that cared for them as much as Zeke did. He was only giving them some much needed tough love in order to make them stronger. A strategy which worked perfectly well during the course of a month.

    "Among the members of the group, it is the tactician which needs to be level headed at all times. You are in control of all the movements that happen on the battlefield just as much as you are also responsible for looking at every detail. Yet that doesn''t mean that all the burden is on you." Sylph furthered, making a sample using a sandwich she made for herself.

    "You are like the buns, holding the other pieces together. Yet every member of the elites needs to perform at their best because if they can''t, then your ns would fall apart. Sylph let go of the sandwich, taking apart the contents.

    "R0evisions would be made on top of revisions." She furthered, mixing thebinations with the buns remaining as they were.

    "Nobody wats something like that of course. Nobody wants to be a burden to their teammates. So I''m guessing that the others are also as anxious as you are right now."

    Sylph''s words were like crystal clear water to Amare. Making her understand therger picture. One which she couldn''t realize herself because she was so bent on thinking about her role as their tactician  thinking that everything relied on her. Yet this wasn''t the case.

    Healers need to be quick in providing recovery. Defenders need to make the toughest shields and barriers they could. The strike team need to create enough damage without sustaining too much themselves. The support needs to provide whatever assistance they could offer. While the long range units need to be urate with the casting and firing.

    Each of them needed to perform based on what they could offer. Each member of the elites needed to do their best. Not just her.

    They all had the burden of needing to win on their shoulders; relying on their skills and on their ability to move efficiently based on Amare''smands.

    "Far from what you are thinking, the other members are probably doing their best to not be a burden to you. So that your ns could be executed as smoothly as possible because, within any battle, it is the tactician who is trusted the most." This finally drew a smile on the face of Amare who finally understood things clearly.

    "Thank you, Miss Sylph, that''s a huge help." Amare said, eating the sandwich that Sylph offered. The one she used to demonstrate her point earlier.

    "You''re more than wee. Oh and feel free to stay. I don''t mind the extrapany." She furthered, with Amare doing just this as she also asked about more things regarding the strategy they could use.

    Another member who felt as nervous as Amare was Kaguya. The female elite had the marking of Nisha disappearing from her hand which she didn''t understand why.

    But what was clear was that, her powers were growing weaker by the day. In fact, during theirst fight, she needed to make use of the full power of her [Multiplier] just for [Oblivion] to work. Kaguya was only relying on the powers provided by her secondary job ss. Powering up all her skills that were only a bit stronger than their base form at that point.

    This was something which she hasn''t told the other members yet. She knew that their morale would be affected upon knowing this. She knew that they relied heavily on [Oblivion] which was one of the group''s trump cards. An ace which could be used on diverse situations.

    "Tomorrow is going to be thest day. I ended to endure until then." She told herself, trying to gather Dark Mana as much as she could although, even this proved to a difficult ordeal for her.

    What she didn''t know was that Nisha was already dead. The goddess of darkness which favored her was already consumed by Pier; with the bnce of the universe getting destroyed in the process. Due to her absence, Dark Mana was steadily weakening while Chaos Energy was growing even stronger.

    "Just a bit more. You can do this." She told to herself over and over again.

    "For Quinn."

    There were other members such as Mirio who shadow boxed in his room. It wasn''t a straining exercise. He was just warming his body enough and conditioning it for the enemy they needed to face tomorrow.

    He had the image of Samael perfectlyid out on his mind. All the skills used by this [Conjure] and the sudden wave of [Infernal Conjures] that came after its sh attack.

    The elite tried to win against this creature in his head, getting cold sweat and his hair raising just from imagining it. The overwhelming strength of Samael was no joke after all.

    "How exactly do I match up to something like that?" Mirio finally slumped to the ground. Resting as he didn''t want to get too exhausted and, with the shadow boxing session ending in the utter victory of the imagined Samael the [Conjure].

    Of course every other elite had something ton worry about. Yet, they had one problem inmon. That is: they didn''t have any proper equipment anymore.

    With thest fight against Zeke''s [Conjures], all their weapons got broken and so were their armors. The elites only had basic equipment with them at that point. Relying heavily on technique and mana control during their fights against Morpheus.

    What they didn''t know was how exponentially stronger they became due to this. In fact, if they had their real equipment at that point then, there was no mistaking their ability to take down even the [Infernal Conjures].

    Yet they all brushed this idea aside. Wanting no assistance from Zeke on the fight toe and wanting to win on their merits alone. Although frightful of the fight, there was a single goal which boosted their morale. That is, to win in order to begin the search for Quinn.

 Chapter 210: Round Two Versus Infernal Conjures

    Chapter 210: Round Two Versus Infernal Conjures

    "Zeke went on and began searching for de." This was the excuse which Heron came up with in order for the elites not to get embarrassed as they were still living within Zeke''s cave and hideout. They were using up his resources after all and, with Zeke discarding them it was a shame to do so. Yet they couldn''t care less as they needed the facilities to get stronger.

    Thick skinned as the decision might be, they needed to develop in the shortest span of time possible. Of course they nned to apologize afterward but, for the time being they simply trained without rest.

    They didn''t see the gamer anymore because, as mentioned, the hideout was actually enormous. It extended to the whole of the Demon Continent of Helios and even beyond it. Thus, Zeke had multiple rooms he could use in order to perform the forging. Something which required solitude and space as [Chaos] wasn''t as easy to craft as he thought of it to be.

    Hence when the elites saw Zeke, it really felt like he came back after a long journey. In fact, Zeke looked a bit unkempt. With his hair all messy and dark areas forming below his eyes. It was a sign of all the stress that came about his research on the [Chaos Element].

    Nevertheless, he still looked elegant. Something which he only had because of the genesing from Sylvia.

    The elites didn''t know how they shouldmunicate with Zeke anymore. The gamer read the atmosphere clearly. Knowing that this would be the natural response of the elites, he began the discussion himself.

    "Heron told me that you guys came back asking for more." Zeke said, still sounding as indifferent and cold as the day he abandoned them, standing perfectly still with his hands in his pockets.

    "You don''t need to say anything to me. I just want this whole thing to be over with so that you won''t try the same stunt a third time." Zeke furthered, sounding more like a viin than a hero.

    Then, Jake came up front. The gamer thought that the hotheaded dimwitt would perform the same stunt on him again. He was ready of course, Samael could be deployed anytime after all and he could just as easily beat Jake up like the first time. Yet the elite didn''t say any word and simply bowed his head down, with all the elites doing the same.

    "We apologize for forcing our own missions onto you sir. We also apologize for using your resources and facilities despite getting abandoned. But Quinn is a dear friend of ours so we will be stubborn till the very end."

    "Friend huh." Zeke was d about two things.

    The first was that the most prideful of the bunch was the one to initiate the apology. The second was how Jake worded it out; saying that Quinn was their friend. Both of which passed Zeke''s standards who smiled as he gave a nce at the proud teacher of the elites. Heron.

    "Okay. we''ll be doing it the same as before. However, don''t expect me to give you anything to use. The only thing you can rely on are whatever weapons and equipment you currently have., No more no less." Zeke furthered as the mes began rising all around the room.

    The elites were also preparing themselves, with Heron finishing up the terrain change. Turning the whole area back to the one where they sparred. Then, one by one, Zeke''s knights came out of the mes.

    Just like thest time, Samael, Kayle, and Kezel were also summoned. Making them the final three bosses of the fight.

    "Well then shall we begin?" Zeke suggested, with the elites looking like battle-hardened warriors. Composed and collected with determination in their eyes.

    There was a dense air of silence that surrounded them. One which was unsettling in its calm. Just like any war, nobody wanted to make the first move that is, until the elites began.

    Zane fired his most powerful ice spell from the get go. Catching all the [Conjures] off guard as the freezing came in the blink of an eye. With none of them expecting the oue that froze them in ce. This was further enhanced by Lizzie who first enhanced her own mana pool before pouring out half to Zane''s spell.

    Gawain then shot one down using his arrow, making the [Conjure] fly in mid air, only to be halted by Mirio who came out of nowhere. His quick movement was due to Gawain firing a second shot on him, making him fly as Red performed a quick heal on the elite. Reducing the healer''s mana to half.

    Mirio din''t let this opportunity go to waste and punched the [Conjure] down the ground. Actiavting [Ring] right away which included only him, Jake who caught up with them, and the [Conjure].

    "The only way we can beat them is to destroy them individually. No matter how strong they are, if we use our best binding spells on them, then Mirio and Jake could destroy a few before the others are dealt with. By that time, our defenders would''ve been able to create all the barriers needed for the fight."

    This was the n set up by Amare one which worked like a charm despite everyone being on edge. Zeke was amazed at their level of growth, considering that they were also making use of unconventional methods in order to gain the best results.

    An enhancer who enhanced her own [Mana Pool] and [Mana Regeneration]. A warrior who willingly got shot at the back without second thought just to gain a burst of speed. Defenses being set up instead of attacking the [Conjures] that were still frozen. All of this amazed Zeke.

    Indeed, there was no way for them to win if they scattered and fought individually. Especially with Samael, Kayle, and Kezel being present. In fact, Zane even caste the same spell again as soon as he had regenerated some back, doubling the effects of the freeze while Horus created [Mana Vines]. Monsters that suck out the mana of whatever being theytch on to.

    "Heron I think you trained them too well." Zeke said to the [Dragon Morpher] through [Voice Chat].

    "I did little for them master. They grew on their own merits and efforts." Heron said in reply, feeling proud of her students who were showing the fruits of all their hard work.

    It didn''t take long for Jake and Mirio to make the first [Conjure] reach its [Infernal] state. They didn''t allow it to move much however. Even if it did transform, the momentum was still theirs and, within the [Ring], it''s attributes are cut in half while both Jake and Mirio had their tripled. Hence both fired their ultimate moves, draining a considerable amount of their mana as the first [Infernal] went down.

    "Yeah!" Jake shouted with Gawain sending the next one flying towards the [Ring]. Jake pierced through this [Conjures] body, mming it to the ground as Mirio proceeded to beating it up.

    They repeated this process five times over until, Zeke''s [Conjures] finally got out. With Kezel also casting [Conjure] as it was, after all, a clone of Zeke. The sudden increase of enemies surprised Amare yet she didn''t let this trouble her.

    "Change to Beta!" She shouted, with Mirio and Jake finishing the sixth [Knight Conjure] as they went back to formation. This time it was Zilg''s turn, throwing arge number of pebbles which he had prepared even before the fight began. Merlin followed up by using a wind spell to scatter them further.

    "Detonate!" He casted, making explosions fill the room. Reaching even the ice enclosed main enemies who were finally able to get out.

    "So that''s what the barriers were for." Zeke said as he witnessed how the defenses shielded the elites from such a random and highly dangerous move.

    Unfortunately for Kezel, the vines have sucked up most of its mana. Casting [Conjure] also drained a significant amount, leaving it with little options on the moves it could make. Gawain didn''t let this opportunity pass up. He fired three quick arrows which were coated in [Pierce]. Onended on the forehead, while twonded on the heart area. These then exploded as Zilg also ced [Detonate] on these arrows.

    "Omega!" Amaremanded as a shadow swiftly left their defenses. It was finally time for Kaguya to act, coating herself in [Oblivion] and using up all of her mana on [Multiplier].

    She made a shadow whip which entangled Samael. The elite then proceeded to making an effort to throw away Samael. Yet the [Conjure] couldn''t be easily moved. Hence Jake added up to the force, swinging his spear on its knees. Breaking his weapon from all the force he put on the move. Then, Miro followed up by stepping on Jake''s back, leaping up and punching Samael on the face who was finally tipped off bnce.

    "HAAAAAA!" Kaguya shouted as she was finally able to make a swing, sending Samael flying as she attached it to herself.

    The other [Conjures] were thus left without their ace. Amare didn''t let this pass up. She didn''t know how strong Samael actually was but she didn''t intend to tire all his teammates out before they found out.

    "Let''s clean this up." She calmly said with the other members shouting in unison.

    "YEAAAAAH!" Steadily, the elites destroyed Zeke''s [Infernal Conjures]. It was an amazing sight, one which made Zeke think of actually testing them to the brink. Yet they had a deal and it was only the knights which they needed to defeat and Zeke wasn''t about to break his promise.

    "So you finally broke out of your shells." The gamer proudly thought, watching the fight reach its climax. Yet he was worried about one thing that is, the elite who chose to fight Samael all by herself.

    Kaguya.

 Chapter 211: Defeating the Infernals

    Chapter 211: Defeating the Infernals

    Deep within the forest, [Oblivion] was formed on the ground. There were tress all around them that got destroyed yet Kaguya was still in a good shape. Although she was struggling to maintain the skill where Samael was trapped in.

    "I knew it wouldn''t be that easy." She thought as beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

    Kaguya caught Samael entirely. Aside from the initial impact made by Samael upon hitting the ground, Kaguya immediately casted [Oblivion] below the creature. Deciding to take Samael down before it could even release its full power.

    The female elite couldn''t cast [Oblivion] while also coating her whole body in the same skill. This is because of the predicament she had with Dark Mana. One which limited her moves, forcing her to cast one spell at a time. Hence, she relied on the split-second interval of Samael crashing down in order to switch [Oblivion] back to an [AoE] skill. Leaving her defenseless.

    However, due to how quick the switch was made, Kaguya couldn''t concentrate and make arger hole. Thus she was stuck in a situation where, Samael held on to the edge of the skill, preventing him from entirely getting sucked in.

    "Well if we destroy half your body then you''d be left with nothing right?" Kaguyamented as she began closing [Oblivion''s] hole.

    Yet, this was also hindered by Samael who was able to grip both edges of the skill. The [Conjure] was strong enough to prevent her from doing as she pleased.

    Kaguya didn''t let this stop her. She put all her might in maintaining this at the very least, putting Samael in a situation where it couldn''t cast any skill as both its hands were pre-upied in stopping the skill from taking it in.

    "I hope you guys are doing okay." Kaguya said to herself, thinking of the other members who were busy fighting the [Conjures] which, at that point, finally reached the [Infernal] state.

    This time they didn''t reach it individually but instead collectively; with all of them entering the state almost at the same time. Of course, this excluded the ones which were already defeated namely, Kezel and six of the twelve [Conjured Knights].

    Samael was also not part of this count as Kaguya had him handled. Hence, the elites only needed to face 7 [Infernal Conjures]. One which proved to be a difficult ordeal. However this was needed because, they were hoping to finish this as soon as possible. This is in order for them to aide Kaguya whom they knew would be in a real pickle at that time.

    "Oblivion won''t cut it, I can just feel it." Amare told herself; being the one to hand out the details of the n but nevertheless feeling uneasy from the fact that, they haven''t even seen the full capabilities of Samael.

    Hence they hurried while also assuring that the members were still in good condition. The defenders, in particr, focused on casting instant barriers whenever a blind spot opens up on their teammates. The only reason why they could focus on doing so was because they remained in the main barrier. Two other defenders were on the front lines. Backing up the fights while also taunting each other.

    "Gerard that barrier was too weak!" Mordred taunted as she blocked one [Infernal] from attacking Eerie.

    "Speak for yourself, all your shields are lousy!" The male defender said in reply, preventing Curio from being hit by a long ranged [Infernal me].

    "Can we please focus on fighting the [Infernals] now?" Eerie suggested as she fired a barrage of bullets. This prevented the movement of one [Infernal] which Curio quickly stabbed. Backing away as soon as it tried wing his face, having slight burns reach it which stinged just as much.

    "Man these things don''t want us alive do they?" The assassinmented, creating multiple clones that distracted the [Infernals] just as much as they were used to generate more damage.

    Although already eliminating six of their enemies; the elites still found great difficulty in killing the remainder. For one thing, both Mirio and Jake were on the brink of exhaustion. Their state being greatly affected by the pressure they felt from all the fights.

    Hence most of the fighting was done by the remaining members which wasn''t to say much. Two were healers, one was an amplifier, Amare was only good as amander. Counting them out including Kaguya, Mirio, and Jake, there were only twelve of the elites who fought against the [Infernals] and, the defenders wouldn''t be able to do much when it came to offense. Save of course for Mordred who took the [Brawler] Secondary Job ss.

    "Just keep them busy for a while." Jake asked as both he and Mirio were being treated by the healers. Amare continued issuing orders, ensuring that there was no lull in their movement and that every action was not wasted.

    The main attack team consisted of Gerard and Mordred at the front. At their back was Eerie and, swiftly moving to the blind spots of the enemies was Curio. The mages assisted fire while inside the barrier while Gawain also did his best to snipe down the enemies.

    "How much longer do you need Horus?" Amare asked as their summoner was busy gathering all the mana which was collected from the [Conjures].

    "Just a bit more." He said in reply, finishing up the magic circle containing the summon which would be used for the fight.

    The elites made progress little by little and Zeke was amazed at how little the damage they sustained was. In fact, there was almost no damage done to the elites due to all the spells that were perfectly matched to the situations. The barriers in particr aided in the defenses as it created a secure area for the support team while also allowing the offensive team to focus on taking down the [Infernals].

    The same didn''t apply to heir mana however. With Zeke seeing how rapidly some of them needed to consume their mana in order to keep the tides of the battle in their favor.

    Hence thirty minutes passed by and they were able to take down four more [Infernals]. This came at the price of the second offense team to be exhausted. Amare asked them to retreat back to the barrier as it was Jake and Curio''s turn once again.Or rather that was how it was supposed to turn out.

    "It''s ready." Horus announced, getting Amare''s face draw a smile from the thought of undeniable victory.

    "Proceed to formation Epsilon!" At thismand Horus immediately summoned the creature he was preparing. Using his own [Mana Pool], the same summon couldn''t be raised. He needed more mana and, in particr, it needed to be the mana of whatever summons they were up against.

    "Now would you look at that." Zekemented, seeing the tall figure looking simr to the [Conjured Knights].

    There was something strangely odd with it however. Something which Allesiah noticed right away as she stood together with the other spectators. Heron. Sylph. Morpheus.

    "That thing." She began, getting the attention of her sister who stood beside her.

    "What of it?"

    "It''s not normal. The mana around it suggests that it can cancel out summons with simr mana waves to it."

    "You mean Zeke''s [Conjures] are going to lose?"

    "Yes. I don''t know how his was pulled off but, I''m sure there are difficult conditions that need to be met in order to make use of the skill."

    Zeke didn''t know of this so he was surprise to see his remaining [Infernals] get beaten down easily. It wasn''t even a fair fight anymore. The knight wasn''t getting damaged no matter what move the [Infernals] threw at it. This defensive capability was just as crazy as its offensive prowess.

    The knight-like summon required only a single stab to kill its targets. The [Infernals] would simply get absorbed by the creature as it thrusted its sword on the bodies of these zing enemies.

    "Man, that skill would be bothersome in a real fight." Zeke said as his [Analysis] finally showed both the conditions for summoning the creature and maintaining it.

    [Name: None]

    [Species: Summon Reaver]

    [Specification: Infernal Conjure Reaver]

    [Rank: SS]

    [Information: The creature can only be summoned upon the sessful siphoning of some manaing from a targeted "Summoned Creature." Upon the sessful extraction, a magic circle must be drawn, one which must be urate. All the remaining mana of the summoner and the extracted mana will then be used to summon the creature.]

    [Information: The summon can be maintained as long as a designated type of enemy summon is still present nearby. This is the life source of the creature, extending the duration of its summon by reaving its enemies.]

    With this, the elites have finally destroyed their enemies save for one. The remaining [Conjure] and the strongest of them all. Samael.

    Time couldn''t be wasted. They were all nervous as they thought of the state of Kaguya. Thinking back on how Samael only needed a single effortless move to take down Jake. This was a thing of the past of course and they were a lot stronger already. But the fact still remains that, the same creature never took them seriously on that fight.

    "Curio." Amare called out, with the assassin knowing what he needed to do.

    "On it!" He said, extending his own shadow on the ground, covering the earth were the elites were standing.

    Zeke could see how taxing the skill was. With the casting beginning to drain Curio''s mana like crazy as it was also a high-cost spell.Nevertheless, it was their only choice if they wanted to catch up to Kaguya immediately.

    "Shadow Travel!"

 Chapter 212: Samael Vs. The Elites

    Chapter 212: Samael Vs. The Elites

    Kaguya wasn''t able to disable Samael for long. In fact it took only minutes for Samael to overpower the elite. The creature let go of its hold of [Oblivion] and activated [Grand Chariot]. Kaguya didn''t know that Samael had such a skill however so, as she closed the skill, she thought that it was all over.

    Yet the same chilling sensation came back, telling Kaguya that the fight was far from done. Samael''s hand came out of nowhere, from a seeming crack in the dimension. The creature then choked Kaguya as it walked out the dimensional crack. Perfectly fine without any sign of getting damaged.

    The creature then threw Kaguya who mmed to a nearby tree; breaking it in the process with the elite thankful that she was able to raise a defensive skill just in time for the impact. She then activated [Darkness Veil] cing all the remainder of the mana that was stored in her ring.

    It''s the same equipment that Zeke made for her before. There was never any instance for her to actually use it so there was a lot of dark mana within it. Even more than what her own body could store. Hence, Kaguya oozed in power. In fact, she was much stronger than before as the stored mana went beyond what her body could handle.

    "You''re not going anywhere." She dered; with her opponent finally taking out its sword and raising its shield.

    Kaguya was barely able to dodge as Samael began with a shield bash. She ducked down but realized how wed the move was as the [Conjure] chained this attack by swinging its sword. The elite wasn''t going to let it hit her that easily. Not with all the training she went through at least.

    With the quick decision making she developed, Kaguya was able ce a [Shadow Bind] on Samael''s elbow, slowing down the swing as she ced the same bind on the creature''s leg. She then pulled on thetter, moving her body just outside the range of the sh which created arge crack on the ground.

    "I knew I couldn''t pull you down." She said as the elite got up and away. cing more binders on Samael to ensure that the [Conjure] wouldn''t be able to catch up to her anytime soon.

    With the distance created, Kaguya formed a halberd using the overflow of [Dark Mana]. This removed some of the strain on her body as she ced a significant amount of it on the weapon. Another trick which she learned during their training.

    "You''re done for." Shemented as a fury of strikes soon followed.

    Samael didn''t take this beating without fighting back. The creature got out of the bind without much effort, something which Kaguya already anticipated. Then, with its target locked on sight, it swung its de again. This time empowered by the same sh skill it used on the elites before. The only difference was that it was smaller.

    Kaguya dodged by mming her halberd to the ground, raising her up even more. She then followed quickly by a series of thrusts which rained down on Samael. The [Conjure] could do nothing at that point but to raise its shield as the attack was too quick to even evade.

    Kaguya then followed up by condensing the dark mana on the tip of her weapon. This halted the series of trusts and enabled Samael to move once again. However, Kaguya still had some spare mana left so she used it up in creating more [Shadow Binders]. Forcing Samael to stay in ce for another couple of seconds. Enough time for Kaguya to finish charging her skill as she casted:

    "Oblivion''s Wrath!" It was a made-up skill. After all she couldn''t use two darkness skills at the same time anymore. Hence everything she executed only stripped portions of mana away from her [Darkness Veil].

    The attack created arge explosion one which assured Kaguya that some damage was at least made. Smoke rose and covered the whole area, with Kaguya nearing exhaustion as even her reserves was running low.

    This was when horror truly struck her as, Samael came out of the attack with [50%] of its health still intact. It was a decent damage of course but it wasn''t enough. Especially with all the mana that was poured on the attack.

    With this being said, Kaguya focused whatever mana she had left on one thing, restraining Samael as she waited for backup. The creature was already weakened so the binders were able to hold it for much longer.

    Samael tried getting away from her many times over. Beating up Kaguya. mming her to the ground. Throwing her body crashing to more trees. Yet Kaguya would activate [Shadow Bind] over and over again. As if an [NPC] who couldn''t be hurt and had a single function it yed on repeat.

    Kaguya didn''t even notice the length of time passing by. There were times when she momentarily cked out, only to activate the skill yet again just to stop Samael. She struggled much and in thest moments of her conscious state, she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

    "Kaguya!" Lizzie shouted as Zane immediately released thest of his mana to create a smaller version of the freezing spell he used. This wasn''t as powerful as before but it bought them enough time to retrieve Kaguya who was only conscious due to sheer willpower.

    "W-what took you so long?" She asked, smiling as their presence meant that every other opponent was already defeated.

    Amare bit her lips at the sight of Kaguya. It was her decisions that led their leader to be in that state yet, she also knew that there was no other choice. In order to win, they needed to leave the strongest [Conjure] forst and thus, with those that were still able to move, the elites finally battled Samael.

    Explosions greeted the creature as it escaped the ice enclosure. From the moment they began, Amare could see that their enemy was weakened. She didn''t let this opportunity pass them by as the rapid session of attacks followed.

    Through Samael''s [Grand Chariot] he would''ve been able to escape it and ce the elites in its pocket dimension. Yet it could only cast the skill once per day; depleting it when the creature escaped [Oblivion]

    "This won''t be anything like thest time!" A barrage of bullets greeted Samael. This came from Eerie''sst gun core as she switched back to using regr crossbows.

    Next up was Curio who came together with his clones. The assassin made multiple shes as Merlin charged his final spell, releasing a fury of light des that continually hit the [Conjure].

    Samael tried fighting back but the defenders would hinder its movements with the barriers. Adding to this was the fact that two defenders stood at the frontlines, limiting Samael''s movement as more attacks came.

    The creature had no choice but to focus on defense at that point just as Amare expected. Hence it was Mirio''s turn, dashing to the blind spot of the heavily defending enemy. Although there was a dy, he was able to respond sessfully to Mirio. Yet his sword was blocked by both Mordred and Gerard. Enabling Mirio to execute his attack as he punched Samael''s shield up. Breaking some of his bones in the process but nevertheless seeding.

    This small opening was not in vain as five arrowsing from Gawain continually hit Samael, pushing the creature back as Jake charged his most powerful single target technique.

    "You''re done for." He said, releasing the attack that created a shockwave as he threw the spear towards the enemy. The spear pierced through Samael''s'' body flinging the creature further away from the group.

    "We need more distance!" Amaremanded with both Merlin and Gawain exhausting all their mana to cast both a lightning and a wind spell. This sent the [Conjure] flying towards a thick group of trees. With Zeke hearing all themotion even though there was a fair amount of distance between him and the elites.

    Even after such abination, Samael was still alive. However, this was also part of the masterful nning of Amare. The reason why she focused more on creating distance between them and Samael was because of the spell contained on Jake''s spear. Within it was all of Zilg''s mana ced on one explosive spell. One which Zilg activated, casting:

    "Detonate."

    A huge explosion came after, destroying the whole area where Samael was. This attack inevitable shredded away every percentage of health which the creature still had left. This was how strong the attack was. In fact, the explosion was so strong even the elites were in a pinch as the light rapidly came towards their location.

    "Brace yourselves guys!" Amare began.

    "Lizzie ce every ounce of enhancement you have left on the barriers. Defenders you know what to do!"

    They couldn''t run away anymore. Every member was exhausted at that point with most members depleting their mana pool. The only thing they could rely on were the barriers of the defenders. Hoping that it would be enough to shield them from the full impact of the explosion.

 Chapter 213: The Insignia of Darkness

    Chapter 213: The Insignia of Darkness

    Kaguya woke up feeling her whole body as light as a feather. She has never felt such a sensation for a long time that, it was almost foreign to her. She was still regaining consciousness slowly and, uponpletelying to her senses, all the memories of the fight came flooding back to her. How she was fighting Samael and, how she cked out during the fight.

    "What happened?" Kaguya thought as she was about to leave the room but then, someone suddenly entered. The same person who gave them the trial. Zeke Elwood.

    "Uhmm you''re not supposed to move yet. Although I wasn''t able to tell you because you were unconscious." There was no hostility nor indifference in Zeke''s voice that time. It was his usual calm andx voice that spoke to Kaguya. And this was enough for Kaguya to calm a bit down.

    He had food ced on top of a palte as if he already knew that Kaguya woke up.

    "Just wait for a sec." Zeke sat on a stool positioned near Kaguya''s bed. There was food on his hands so he first ced this on top of a nearby table.

    "Mister Zekedid we"

    "Win? You sure as hell did." Zeke began, with Kaguya shocked from the words.

    "I was actually thinking of stopping the fight as soon as Samael enters his [Infernal] form. But man, imagine my surprise when you destroyed my [Conjure] even before it could transform." He furthered with a grin drawn on his face.

    "So does that mean that you''ll help us again?" There was a look of hopefulness on Kaguya''s eyes. One which she didn''t bother hiding and in fact, wanted Zeke to read her intentions entirely.

    "Of course I would. That''s part of the deal after all. I mean, I did put you kids to that state so it would leave a bad taste in my mouth if I still abandon you." Zeke simply said as he offered the food to Kaguya.

    "Before you even ask, your teammates are on the other rooms and also recovering. Unfortunately, you''re the only one who has woken up." Zeke continued, looking at the insignia on Kaguya''s hand.

    The reason why Zeke needed to talk with Kaguya was because of the blessing Nisha gave. As soon as the fight ended, Allesiah told Zeke that, the dark mana user was notpatible with her own skills. In fact, she was having difficulty gathering dark mana which was weird for Zeke to hear. After all, Kaguya was the chosen human of Nisha and thus, would not hesitate to bountifully bless the human.

    "I need to check your wrist for a bit." He furthered, offering his hand for Kaguya to ce hers on.

    "My wrist?" Kaguya repeated wanting to offer the other hand as she tried hiding the disappearing mark.

    "If you''re thinking that I''m going to change my decision because of that then you''ve got me all wrong." Zeke said as he understood how Kaguya was thinking.

    "You already produced results. Now I''m just doing what I can in order to ensure that your statistics go higher and, I can''t do that without getting the proper information out of you." Zeke finished which made Kaguya stare at him for a moment; trying to figure out if what the gamer was saying was true.

    Then she remembered that Zeke was not the type to lie about things like this. So, Kaguya decided to gamble and offered her hand to the gamer. [Analysis] immediately worked; showing Zeke the information regarding the fading insignia.

    [Name: Blessing of Darkness]

    [Rank: SSS]

    [Skill Type: Blessing]

    [Mana Cost: None]

    [Information: The blessing emanates from the goddess of darkness herself. As such there is no limit to the potential of its welder.]

    [Information: Due to the goddess being killed, the blessing has began weakening and will soon lose effectivity entirely. Due to the same cause, dark mana will be lesser and lesser making darkness attributed attacks even weaker than they were before.]

    "Just as I thought." Zeke said, letting go of Kaguya''s hand and proceeding to his inventory window.

    "Kaguya can you give me a rough idea how long this has been urring?" Zeke didn''t waste any time and proceeded to asking the necessary questions.

    "I''m not sure, ever since we finished the mission on the rift, I felt my power rapidly decreasing as the days passed by. I even performed a few tests myself but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn''t muster the same amount of power that I had before."

    "I see." Zeke simply said as he tried piecing together all the he currently knew about.

    "So, why is this happening exactly?" Kaguya asked knowing that, if there was someone who can exin it to her, it was Zeke.

    The gamer looked at Kaguya and understood right away that, the knowledge he gained won''t benefit the elite. If she knew that a goddess was killed then, it may greatly affect her state of mind. Rendering her incapable of fighting as even her self-confidence may drop. Hence the gamer formted a half-truth answers as quickly as the question was asked.

    "There''s nothing wrong. It''s just that the gods have been busy in the creation of new worlds. That''s why Nisha couldn''t focus her mana on your blessing anymore. I''m guessing that it may even be removed entirely." This was already fabricated to lessen the impact on Kaguya yet, the elite was already looking down.

    "But you shouldn''t worry about that. I can make you some new items and equipment while also providing you some proper training." Zeke furthered, regaining the spark on Kaguya''s eyes.

    "Isn''t that too much of a special treatment?" The leader of the elites asked. Thinking that all the members should be treated fairly.

    "Far from it. I''m treating all of you based on the level of your needs. As the new leader of the elites the other members look up to you. In fact, if someone else became your leader, I''m guessing that there may be some division among your ranks. But it is because of your level headedness and your power that the other trust you. One cannot exist without the other so we need to restore that power of yours."

    Kaguya brooded over the things which Zeke said. The gamer was still there, clicking on some buttons within his [Gamer''s Window] which even Kaguya could see.

    "Oh you need to eat for now. Don''t be shy, I''m gonna stay here a bit longer for the data collection." Zeke said, looking at the food he brought. Kaguya immediately took this up thinking that it would be bad manners if she didn''t ept the offer.

    Zeke stayed for another thirty minutes. He suggested that Kaguya should eat slowly as the effects of regeneration may kick in and nauseate her. She didn''t ask how this was and only did as instructed. She looked at the gamer and thought howposed he was in that situation. As if everything was always within his range of expectations. Then, as if feeling her stare prolong too much, Zeke stared back at the elite. Closing the [System Window] with an item on his hands that Kaguya recognized to be:

    "Gloves?" It was ck in color and there was nothing noticeably strange about it. Except for the small gems that seem to be embedded in the middle of both gloves.

    "Yup. I was thinking of a way to hide your hands without actually looking like we''re hiding them. So, I made those for you, gloves that converts other forms of mana and turns it into dark mana. That should help in both hiding the fading insignia and sustaining your strength until I revise the equipment I made for you."

    "Wait, we have new equipment?" Kaguya said in even more surprise.

    "Of course you do. I can''t expect any results if all you have are sticks and stones now do I?" Zeke furthered, smiling at the elite as he took the te and got up.

    "I''ll be taking this." Zeke said as he got the empty te from Kaguya''s hands.

    "You should rest for a couple more hours. It may seem like you are fully healed but, even regeneration has consequences on the body if frequently used."

    "I understand Mister Zeke." Kaguya simply said, bowing her head down as the gamer finally left the room.

    The smile on Zeke''s face immediately disappeared. As if everything he showed to Kaguya was a faade. Things weren''t going well. In fact, there was too much to think about that Zeke thought about how little rest he''d have over the course of the next days.

    "Now what am I supposed to do with this?" Zeke thought to himself, opening the [System Quests] which notified him as soon as he got the information on Kaguya''s Insignia.

    [You have received the Main Quest - Retribution for the Goddess of Darkness.]

    [Quest Information: There are two sides to the same coin. One resides in the heavens while the other has descended on earth. Kill either one and the quest will end.]

    [A crucial memory piece will begiven as a reward.]

    [20% of the Ancient Spell Completion will be given as reward.]

    [Entry to the realm of the gods will be given as a reward.]

    "Were finally entering the endgame huh." Zeke said, staring at the screen as if it was an ominous sign to some great cmity approaching them.

    "I hope that those kids are ready by then." The gamer said, walking away and thinking of the god that he needed to murder.

 Chapter 214: Updates on Chaos

    Chapter 214: Updates on Chaos

    It took the elites seven whole days in order to recoverpletely. There was no rush as Zeke also needed to tend to a lot of things mainly concerning the new equipment of the elites and the added features which were optimized based on their capabilities.

    Aside from this, he was also brooding on how to fight as soon as he entered the realm of the gods. Of course he was already able to beat one goddess before but, that was only because Yaeger didn''t take him seriously. Not making use of any of her divine powers on the fight and, Zeke was well aware how strong these said powers were. After all, residing within him were the powers of the former fire god. Calitha.

    "Master they are all present now, shall we begin?" Heron suggested seeing the room full, with the elites finally arriving on time without any beingte.

    This perfect attendance wasrgely due to thest fight. One which made the elites gain more respect for Zeke as much as their fear of him also grew. One which arose not because Zeke himself was a terrifying person but because they knew how overwhelming powerful he was based on the few [Conjures] they fought. They weren''t about to disrespect such a person. Especially after choosing to be their benefactor despite all theirpses.

    "Okay shall we begin?" Zeke said, with the lights of the same meeting hall closing. The crystals were ced on the side of every elite member, suggesting how they needed to act in case they wanted to ask anything.

    "First of all I want you to know that I don''t n on apologizing for what you went through. Even if we find Quinn in a troublesome situation after this, remember that it is because your own weaknesses have prevented me from deploying you sooner." Zeke didn''t mince his words and began with as much impact as needed.

    "All these preparations are necessary for us to win and, if you still haven''t had this sink in to those heads of yours, then I suggest you leave right now. I have no use for immature dimwits in this team." There was a deep silence in the room. Of course the words were hurtful but, they were nevertheless true. Hence the elites stayed which ced a smile on Zeke''s face as his aura sifted to his normal one.

    "Good." The gamermented.

    "Now on to the matters of our business. If you have any questions please leave them for when I tackle your concern because, we will begin with the restoration of thends." Zeke showed the map of Mythos. There were parts that had a dark tint while others had green and red and yellow tints over them.

    "The ck ones suggest all the areas where the new monsters have been breeding and multiplying. We''ll refer to those as [Hives] from now on." A light glowed in the room, suggesting a person asking about what was already said.

    "I think I heard you wrong mister Zeke but did you say new monsters?" Amare wanted to rify, thinking that most monsters were already dealt with along with the [Generals] and the [Counts] of each continent.

    "Yes that''s right. There have been new breeds of monsters that have been rapidly increasing in numbers around Mythos. This is only based on the reports made by the other members of our team, the Windsprites Sisters, who assisted in the restoration of thends and the stabilization of the government."

    A lot of members were actually wondering about this. Even as they trained, they thought about this task that was left unfinished. How they were only able to give the basics to the inhabitants of Helios and how there was still so much for them to do. So, the words of Zeke were like a load of weight off their shoulders.

    "Anyway, the green suggests where thends are bountiful, yellow suggest where there is some form of danger, red are the areas where there are more monsters. Then there are the ck areas  ones which used to be where inhabitants lived but are now breeding grounds for the monsters." Another crystal lit up.

    "If this is happening, then why aren''t we doing anything about it? Shouldn''t we be fighting these monsters?" Jake asked.

    "Well yes but you need equipment for that. Plus it''s not like you can just waltz around the continent because let me remind you, each continent is at least as big as the whole of the United States. We can''t be going out there and wasting our energy where it is not needed." Zeke furthered, making the earlierment seem like the silly ranting of a five year old.

    "I have ns for this. As you can observe there are darker areas among those which I have mentioned. Here, the number of monsters is evenrger, making it more dangerous but more likely to be the main source of their forces." One more crystal lit up.

    "So do we go there now? I know that these are the priority but, shouldn''t we also help the ones on the yellow areas?" Kaguya asked.

    "Well yes except that there are already heroes stationed there."

    "HEROES!?!" Jake shouted, voicing out the disbelief of every elite member in the room.

    "Yup. Apparently the gods have sent another batch. I don''t know the exact number but there are at least more than seventy of them out there." This caused another crystal to light up. This time from Merlin

    "Does that mean that these monsters are so dangerous that a whole army of heroes was needed for deployment?"

    "No. I don''t think so. The monsters are only a byproduct of the goal of these heroes. Although I haven''t spoken to any of them yet, I''m sure that they have the same goal as the person we are looking for."

    "Quinn?" Kaguya said, with the elites looking a bit more serious.

    "Yup you guessed it." Zeke immediately confirmed.

    "Sylph, Allesiah and I have done our research. This couldn''t be possible without Allesiah''s help so I hope you get along with her" There was a thought that immediately came to Zeke''s mind.

    "Although you haven''t actually had any direct with her yet, now have you?" Zeke said as Kaguya went and stood right next to the gamer.

    "It''s a pleasure to meet you all." Allesiah said, with Jake and Curio blushing as they instantly got a crush on the elf. Zeke noticed this and coughed slightly, not wanting anyone eyeing the elf for some reason.

    "Anyway, all the monsters and even the creature residing in Quinn have one thing inmon. They share in what is referred to as [Chaos Energy]. Something which was not originally present in Mythos but has been steadily increasing in amount as ofte." It was Zane''s crystal which lit up this time.

    "How did that happen exactly? I thought that only mana existed in this world as the form of energy."

    "Yes, that is the naturalw of things in Mythos. But our dear enemy, whoever he may be, has tampered with this rule somehow. Destroying the bnce and releasing something which was not even supposed to exist in the first ce."

    It was at this point that the elites understood. With all the development, they would have probably died had they not trained within the same method and length of time that they did.

    The new heroes. The new monsters. Chaos energy. A powerful foe. All of these would''ve been a jumbled mess to them had Zeke not waited until all the data was collected. In fact, they would''ve probably bene killed inbat both by the new heroes who may suspect them of being enemies and the [Chaos Monsters] deployed by the real enemy.

    "The main target of our mission has not changed. In fact, things may even flow smoothly as our missions seem to be aligned this time around." Kaguya lit her crystal again.

    "How is Quinn rted to both of our real main quests?"

    "Ahh that''s the most crucial part of this discussion. You see, what we are fighting is actually a god."

    At this the elites all shouted in disbelief. It was the kind of shock which couldn''t be taken lightly. In fact, it wasn''t even something that should be joked about.

    "Pier. That is the name of the God of Mischief and Deceit. I''ve already known him abased on the details given to me by the fire god but, I needed to collect more data just to be sure. As our missions progressed and as we finished saving all four continents, Allesiah has confirmed my initial suspicions. All aligning together with the pieces of information that I''ve gathered." Zeke said raising one finger at a time as he stated the points.

    "The supposed main opponent is nothing more than a pawn of the said god. de was only able to reach his position because of the meddling of the God of Mischief and Deceit who, from the name itself already suggests the amount of trickery he could pull." Zeke raised another finger.

    "The god is responsible for the release of the chaos energy around the continent. There is no doubt in my mind about this. No mortal would be able to have such a substantial knowledge of something that worked beyond their world''s knowledge." Zeke continued to raising hisst point and his third finger.

    "Third, Quinn is chasing after Pier. This is proven by how he left after the mission on the rift. Sylph battled against him and found out that, the creature lurking within Quinn referred to himself as Chaos, something which would''ve been a lie if not for the {Chaos Shards] we found under the rift."

    It was a lot of information for the elites to take in. But things were at least crystal clear, with Zeke exining the details to them.

    "As soon as our meeting is finished, you will be deployed to the less dangerous areas. You will gather data on the strength of our enemies and, once ready, you will go and destroy the main [Hives]. If my hunch is right, Pier would be somewhere near there and so, Quinn would also be nearby as well as the condition for all of you to go back to earth, that is, defeating de."

    They still couldn''t believe how quickly things were progressing. In fact they were not even aware of how the events have escted from the moment they exited the rift. Yet Zeke couldn''t extend the timeline any longer. They needed to act. And so, he gave one final reminder to the group.

    "Get ready. From this point onwards we will be fighting Chaos."

 Chapter 215: Testing out the Waters

    Chapter 215: Testing out the Waters

    The first mission of the elites had two goals. One was to collect data on the monsters in order to see how dangerous they really were. The second was to test out their own equipment. Ones which were handed out by Zeke as soon as their meeting finished.

    "So how does it feel on your bodies?" Zeke asked through the [Voice Chat] which he returned to the elites together with the [Party System]. Allowing them to use the various functions once again connected to Zeke''s [Gamer''s System].

    "It works like a charm Mister Zeke." Merlin said in reply, feeling the overflowing amount of power which seemed toe from the armor that resonated with his body.

    The concept behind this was simple enough. Zeke took some DNA from the elites. A hair strand each for that matter. He then used up the hearts of the [Chaos Dragons] which were obtained per continent as part of the base material. As he thought, these creatures also had [Chaos Energy] on them and, were part of the earlier test before all hell went lose with all the new horned monsters that they needed to face.

    Zeke showed the elites the description of both their armors and their weapons before equipping them. With Zeke making things easy enough for them to understand as, most of the benefits were passive skills instead of active ones. Thus, it didn''t mess with the chain of attacks which the elites already developed as not a lot of active skills needed to be ced into consideration.

    [Name: Chaos Armor]

    [Grade: SS]

    [Specification: Living Armor]

    [Information: The armor scales with the level of its wielder and also adjusts based on the defensive and offensive capabilities. This ensures that it would be optimal to whoever wears it.]

    [Information: Chaos energy is filtered through the heart of the "Chaos Dragon" used on the armor. There is a certain limit to the amount which could be absorbed per day. Expelling the same energy type could only be done when using skills infused with Chaos Energy.]

    [Information: The armor renders its wearer to bepatible with Chaos energy]

    [Information: The armor is job ss specific; changing based on the job ss of its wielder.]

    This was the armor that Zeke painstakingly made for a whole month. In fact, this took even longer as Zeke even forged in his sleep, ensuring that he would be able to create weapons and equipment that both optimized the [Chaos Energy] and greatly reduced the risks of any damage being made.

    "Man it feels like I can sprint through the whole continent with this suit." Curio began as he dashed around in his ninja-like armor. He sprinted through the battlefield. Easily destroying the single horned monsters.

    "Alright I think it''s safe to say that the single horns are at least at normal monster level." The assassin furthered, finding no challenged with the creatures.

    "Normal monster as in what rank exactly?" Eerie followed up, dealing with two horns on her side.

    "Well the normal ones. Uhm evolved F+ rank I guess?" Curio said as he released a couple of shurikens infused with Chaos Energy.

    "Plus this new stuff feels great. No wonder our enemy used it; I mean I''m overflowing with the stuff right now." The assassin created ten [Chaos Clones] with each as powerful as he, moving around the battlefield fluidly and decapitating the heads on the one horns.

    "Don''t get too carried away Curio, remember the limit to the armor." Kaguya instructed, also dealing with two horns as she wasn''t sure about the extent of her powers.

    "Roger that miss leader." Curio simply said as he continued in his task of collecting data and testing out the equipment.

    As all of this urred, Zeke was also watching from a distance. Curio''s estimate was way off. The monsters weren''t evolved [F+] rank in strength but rather evolved [D+] rank. That is how strong the single horned chaos monsters were.

    These were as strong as the bosses which Zeke fought within Yaeger''s realm and, the only reason why the elites weren''t having any difficulty was due to the training they underwent and therge power spike provided by their weaponry and equipment.

    "They sure have it easy." Zeke thought to himself as he remembered all the struggles he went through the first time he fought against evolved [D+] ranks.

    "Well this is also for the best. At least I''m assured of their survivability." Zeke furthered, looking at all the data produced by the elites. There were only a few which he was interested in and, one of these was of course Kaguya.

    He needed to confirm his hunch. One which would inevitably link Nisha to [Chaos Energy] and as such, would be a decent substitute to the kind of power manifested by the elite. So he watched carefully, monitoring every move made by Kaguya who was still surrounded by two horns.

    "I think the mages and archers are better suited to this." She dodges a few spikes fired from the wings of the gargoyle like creatures.

    The monsters weren''t only flying but, despite their hard bodies, their speed was also top notch. Making it difficult for Kaguya tond any attack on them.

    "That''s not true, you can handle them perfectly well with your powers." Zeke said in reply, using a private [Voice Chat] in order tomunicate with her.

    "Mister Zeke I don''t mean to sound rude but, it seems like you forgot the part about my blessing getting weaker by the day." Kaguya pivoted her body, dodging ten projectiles as she also released ten [Chaos des].

    The counter only had little sess as she was able tond a hit on one gargoyle''s wing. Dropping to the ground and turning into a solid stone structure.

    She then observed how the monster seemed to heal its wings. Kaguya tried hitting it but, the monster was tougher on that form and, adding to this was the predicament of the other gargoyles in their unrelentless attacks against her.

    "Just remember what I told you. Chaos energy is like mana. You won''t even feel the difference." Zeke furthered, watching the leader of the elites struggle.

    "Yeah but I only take dark mana remember? How should I know what it feels to take in mana in general?" She furthered only noticing a faint simrity between [Dark Mana] and [Chaos Energy].

    "That just means you have a better grasp of mana than the other elites because you can single out [Dark Mana]." This was a point which at least sounded correct to Kaguya but, it didn''t shake the fact that she was still struggling in the fight.

    "Just trust me on this and continue fighting. I also took off your escape route so unless you finish all those things you won''t be able to return home." Zeke said, showing his sadistic side again.

    "EHHH?  " This was when Zeke turned off themunication.

    Everything he said was true up to the point of no teleportation being avable for Kaguya. He needed her to be in such a dangerous situation because, evolutiones easier when someone is cornered.

    "Boss type enemies in games only show their true form and best pattern of attack when they are at around 20% health. Let''s see if you''re the same." He thought as he continued observing Kaguya.

    The elite dodged another round of spells and tried out the same pattern. Releasing des of [Chaos Energy] to the sky in an attempt to take down another gargoyle. She was unsessful the second time as the creatures already saw through her attack pattern.

    "Ahh what am I supposed to do exactly?"

    ''

    Quicker attacks came this time around. With the gargoylesing into range as they tried hitting Kaguya head on. Hence, she continued dodging; seeing how powerful the attack was as one gargoyle destroyed a gigantic boulder from the attempt of hitting her.

    "I definitely don''t want none of that." She dered, trying to activate [Darkness Veil] but to no avail.

    The fundamentals were altogether different. Preventing her from using her skills properly although she was also capable of using [Chaos Energy] due to the new weapon and equipment.

    "How is this the same!" She screamed, thinking how Zekepared [Dark Mana] to [Chaos Energy] and, as she did, one of the gargoyles finally hit her. Sending the human flying as her ribs broke into pieces. And at this moment, she was momentarily unconscious.

    A random memory came to her mind during this quick interval. Her training in the heavens and how Nisha personally tutored her. Hearing the words of the goddess as if they were only spoken yesterday.

    "Darkness is both merciful and harsh. It takes those that need not stay on the world anymore while it does not hesitate in destroying even those that have just been born. All are the same in the face of darkness. All will meet their end and the only sensation you need to remember is the depth of the void that awaits even you."

    Kaguya was practically half conscious at that point which amazed Zeke even more. It was Kaguya''s fight or flight instinct that made her body move. This single lesson from Nisha was driving her body which, was not only harvesting [Chaos Energy] but refining it.

    "My, is she turning it to dark mana by any chance?" Zeke said, seeing the gloves he made work based on the function he made it for.

    He told Kaguya that it harvested normal mana and turned it to dark one when in fact, it was actually supposed to turn [Chaos Energy] into that specific material. Something which even Zeke could not perform without buying [Chaos Skills].

    "Okay miss leader. Let''s see what you''ve got." Zeke furthered. Entertained by the fight that was about to ensue.

 Chapter 216: Unconscious Improvement

    Chapter 216: Unconscious Improvement

    [Chaos Veil] this was the upgraded version of Darkness Veil and the skill which enveloped Kaguya''s body. Although Kaguya''s equipment converts [Chaos] into Dark Mana, she nevertheless gains the benefit of the attribute. Providing he with more destructive power than ever before.

    Adding to these were orbs that floated around her. They looked the same as Allesiah''s [Shadow Spheres] only that there was a different feel to them altogether. Upon closer inspection, Zeke found out that these were just like miniature versions of [Oblivion]. Making contact with the orbs lethal as, Zeke figured that anything these touches will get absorbed while also crushing all their flesh to fit within the object.

    "Well it''s good to know that she did improve." Zeke said, thankful that the elite didn''t just faint in the battlefield but instead became stronger.

    This proved Zeke''s assumption that Chaos and Darkness were somehow rted. This made things even more problematic for Zeke. He thought that if there was a power rted to darkness then, there was sure to be one bound to Sinir, the goddess of light. If this was so, Zeke figured that his fight would be far from over after clearing Mythos.

    But he left this thought aside for the moment. After all, he was witnessing the rebirth of Kaguya. The summoner of darkness was inevitable bing a summoner of [Chaos] as well.

    There she was, unconsciously tampering with [Chaos Energy] like it was second nature to her. This form of hers was enough for the gargoyles to stop attacking. Weary of the fact that their enemy seemed to have be stronger.

    "So the only question now is, can she move or does she faint after transformation?" Zeke though to himself; watching the scene closely. His queries got answered as quickly as they were raised and fortunately, it was the former.

    Kaguya began attacking right away. Releasing all the orbs at her disposal which chased the gargoyles at the same speed of their flight. The gargoyles were still fast of course and they had great maneuverability in the free sky. Yet this didn''t matter much.

    Kaguya activated [Multiplier], increasing the range which the orbs cold suck their enemies. Making the gargoyles fly slower and slower as they were steadily getting sucked in by the small orbs of [Oblivion].

    They screamed and tried hitting Kaguya but to no avail. The female elite didn''t even need to dodge as she left two orbs around her, defending her from any of the projectiles that maye.

    She then followed up by gathering even more [Chaos Energy] around her. So much so that even the untrained eyes of Zeke were able to see it.

    Kaguya was manifesting a weapon, one which was frequented by the samurais of old. It was an ancient weapon from her homnd. It is considered to be the sharpest of all des due to the length of time required to craft it. The [Chaos Energy] bursted out, creating a razor-sharp wind that even ced some scratches on the gargoyles as her weapon was finally finished. A curved, single-edged de with a circr guard and long grip to amodate two hands  Kaguya created a katana.

    "So she can refine [Chaos Energy] to that extent. Interesting." Zeke looked at how sharp the weapon looked, waiting only for the execution of Kaguya that was toe.

    This began with the female elite seemingly vanishing from sight. She then reappeared on the position of one [Chaos Sphere], splitting a gargoyle in two as the monster did not foresee the attack.

    With this however, the other gargoyles knew what to expect. The creatures learned easily, watching their backs and waiting for Kaguya to attack them from that angle. Yet even this was futile as Kaguya simply increased the [Multiplier], focusing it on only one orb. Through this, the gargoyle targeted by her skill was unable to move much. Try as it might, it couldn''t get away from her orb.

    Kaguya immediately came, iming the life of the gargoyle as it reappeared next to the orb. With her katana slicing cleanly through the body of the enemy like it was made of bread. Through both instances Zeke was able to observe that, Kaguya''s katana would always appear just on top of the orb and would slice right through it. Suggesting that the katan and the [Chaos Orbs] were linked in the skill.

    With another fallen ally, the gargoyles screamed in unison. They released even more projectiles this time around, finally forcing Kaguya to dodge. However, this didn''tst long as Kaguya blinked two more times. Destroying the same number of creatures as the blinks she made.

    This left the gargoyles with only a single move. They decided to alle down and focus on their defensive form, with the spheres not causing them harm anymore.

    "Oh you''re done now." Zekemented as he saw the sky above the statued gargoyles begin to darken and, soon enough, [Oblivion] emerged.

    One which was not only on the same size as the normal casts by Kaguya but also housing much more power. It began shaking the gargoyles where they stood. This alone was enough to drive some of them to a state of panic. Switching back to their flying form only to get sucked in by [Oblivion]. This left the other gargoyles with a lesson to stay as they were if they wanted to hold on to dear life.

    Kaguya was already charging up an attack at that point. She made all the [Chaos Orbs] go in front of the gargoyles. She then positioned the katana in a seeming stabbing pose as all the energy concentrated at the tip of her de.

    There was an eerie silence to it all. Despite the noiseless gargoyles and the whispering [Oblivion], one would not mistake the amount of killing intent ced on Kaguya''s attack.

    In the blink of an eye, the elite vanished once again. Then a line of darkness appeared, piercing through the orbs one by one and smashing all the statues to pieces. Kaguya reappeared at the end of this long chain, holding on to her weapon which vanished as soon as the attack was executed.

    With all the threat getting taken down, Kaguya''s body finally retired. There was no reason for her body to stay on guard anymore. As such she was about to fall to the ground when Zeke suddenly appeared beside her. Catching the new leader of the elites and immediately using [Phoenix mes] in order to heal her broken ribs.

    "You probably had difficulty in breathing all throughout that fight. That''s why you maximized all your movements and made sure to avoid any sort of ws. Even though your body was acting on its own, you''ve put up quite a spectacr fight." Zeke said as he viewed the [Minimap] disy.

    "Unfortunately you didn''t sweep all the monsters off the area. It seems like their scream earlier was actually a call for backup." The gamer observed how more red dots were appearing on his map. With the initials of [C.G.] on top of them. Meaning, they were also [Chaos Gargoyles].

    "Now how should I deal with you?" The gamer thought to himself as he finished healing Kaguya.

    "I don''t want to cause too much of a fuss myself. Then again, I should make my deration of war as clear as possible."

    Zeke knew that Pier would catch up to his tracks sooner orter. If this was the case then there was no point in the hassle of trying to hide anymore. As such, he began releasing two pirs of me.

    "I need to show how weak his creatures arepared to mine." Zeke thought how it wasn''t necessary for him to attack the creatures.

    The gamer actually nned on using the gargoyles. Unfortunately, the creatures seemed to work on a different principle as there were no tongues of fire released on top of their shattered bodies. Thus Zeke took samples of their horns which he would examine as everyone went back to the base.

    "If I can''t summon you, then I''ll just use the one at my disposal." Zeke said, with the pirs of me greatly increasing in both width and height. In proportion to the monster that was to appear at that moment.

    "Conjure."

    Brilliant and dazzling mes rose from the ground up. Out of these came wings that stretched as far as the eye could see. These were charred, with cracks around it showing magma colored red within. The tail then followed with its tip being lit by the red mes. Then out came the ws and with this, Samael walked out, appearing just s soon as Horizon''s head stuck out.

    It was the first time for the dragon to be deployed after its transformation. Hence the situation was a great way for Zeke to asses just how strong the creature has gotten. Samael rode on top of the beast, wielding ance instead of its usual sword and shield making them look like an actual pair.

    "I want you to finish this as quickly as possible." Zekemanded as Horizon made one strong p of its wings which sent it flying. Cleaning out the shattered pieces of the gargoyles statues at the ground.

    There were around fifty enemies on the sky and only two creatures on Zeke''s side. Even as Horizon and Samael approached, they were already charging up their skills and, upon entering into range, both released a me spell. One which grewrger andrge, making it look like the sun was just about to rise over the whole continent.

    Zeke was forced to close his eyes for a second as the area got too bright. And, as he opened them again there was nothing but a smile drawn on his face as he looked at the [Minimap.]

    "Man, I think I need stronger enemies to match up against you two." Zekemented with the sky empty of any threat as, all the gargoyles got burnt to crisp.

 Chapter 217: A New Problem

    Chapter 217: A New Problem

    Zeke gave the group of elites a whole day in order to finish testing out their equipment. Since the heroes were basically only at the red areas, there was no instance of Zeke and the elitesing across them nor was he nning on crossing paths with the said humans anytime soon.

    "I already have all the members I need for my goals." Zeke thought to himself, satisfied with the statistics that projected the strength of the elites.

    The testing of the equipment went sessfully, with each member of the elites emerging sessful in their fights. As expected, the group could handle the single and two horned beasts quite well.

    However, the three horned monsters proved to show a bit of difficulty in defeating and so, from this, Zeke already had a rough estimate of the strength level of the monsters which was to be expected in every [Hive].

    However, there was something else that was bothering him. Hence, he deployed them for two more days. This was also for the benefit of Kaguya who was still getting used to the transition from [Dark Mana] to [Chaos Energy].

    Zeke looked at all the areas where he positioned the elites. He nced at the [Minimap] on their location. No matter how he thought of it, the gamer found it odd that the number of monsters didn''t seem to decrease.

    "They aren''t like ants so there''s no way for them to propagate that fast. So, what kind of method are they using exactly?" There were a lot of thoughts running through Zeke''s head and, quite frankly, he didn''t have the answers to any of them yet.

    The gamer made a heavy sigh. He had a solution in mind but thought about how much hassle it could give him in the long run. Yet, it was the fastest and surest way for him to arrive at a conclusion.

    "This''ll get the attention of those heroes but I don''t n on giving Pier more time than he already does." Zeke said as he began releasing a huge amount of mana.

    The whole continent of Helios got covered by a bright color coating the ground. Everyone felt its warmth which was gentle but, for the monsters, it was a scorching infernal.

    The new heroes which were stationed on Helios felt this. They contacted the other heroes in order to confirm its range and, they discovered that it was only Helios which was affected. Not just any part of the continent however as, the skill covered it whole.

    "Master? Is it you?" One of the heroes said as he recognized the warmth of the mes.

    Meanwhile, Zeke was choosing the areas on the continent where the [Conjures] would appear. With his minimap function, this came easily as he could see the whole structure of Helios, the Demon Continent. Pirs of me soon rose and out of them came the screams of the souls that sought the thrill of battle.

    "Conjure."

    Within the red and ck areas, the summons of Zeke arose. Aside from the initial shock of seeing the enemies emerge out of nowhere, the horned monsters greeted Zeke''s [Conjures] with unrelenting attacks.

    The monsters found little difficulty in destroying Zeke''s summons. With their numbers alone, it was easy for them to overpower the lower ranks of Zeke''s [Conjures]. In fact, even the higher ranked creatures of Zeke found great difficulty in dealing with the monsters.

    But this didn''t matter. Zeke could sustain the [Conjures] for as long as needed. With his current mana pool that is enhanced further by his equipment, it would take a while for the [Conjures] to deplete it entirely. Even if they do, Zeke always had [Mana Potions] in hand to supply for their needs.

    The [Conjures] first ran out of health, turning them to [Infernals] which were easily destroyed by the four horned monsters. Yet this wasn''t the end of it all as they entered the state of [Undying Loyalty] and [Undying Fury]. This raised the powers of the lower monsters even further, driving them to a point that, they were individually enough to handle even the three horns.

    Little by little, Zeke''s [Conjures] began controlling the flow of battle and soon enough, the destroyed all the monsters within the yellow areas. Without a single monster being left.

    "Now I need to wait and see tomorrow." Zeke said, calling back his conjures and waiting for the day to pass.

    Zeke went back to one of the areas where the monsters were supposed to have run out. He brought Allesiah that time around just in case she would notice something from what was happening. The gamer immediately took a look at the [Minimap] and things went as he predicted. Not for the better but for the worse.

    "They came back." Zeke said, looking at the red area which was, yet again, filled with monsters.

    It wasn''t possible for them to havee from a ck area. The distance was too far off in order to travel and, the numbers to be sent would be too much that the ck areas would not have enough monster son them. Yet, on the red areas, Zeke saw that their numbers were the same. In fact, they even increasedpared to when Zeke first cleared them out.

    "So you mean to tell me that, this area was actually emptied out yesterday?" Allesiah wanted to confirm as even she was having trouble believing from the sight of the monsters on Zeke''s [Minimap].

    "Yeah, I cleaned this area off entirely so, there''s no way that they are reinforcements." Zeke continued, thinking of the secret behind the multiplication of the monsters.

    One by one, Zeke checked the areas by deploying his [Conjures] near them. Just like the first location, the other red areas were also swarming with even more monsters. This not only left Zeke''s questions unanswered but also raised even more questions for him to answer. Hence, he relied on the other option he had at the moment. Allesiah''s [Chaos Sight].

    The two of them went down a slope. Zeke covered the whole area where they were with [Cloud of Dreams], preventing the monsters from noticing them. This allowed the two of them to get close enough for Allesiah to properly use her skill.

    She was slowly getting ustomed to using the skill. Adding to her aide was the fact that Zeke developed new contact lenses. Ones which empowered both types of [Sight Skill] that Allesiah had. Through this, Allesiah scanned the area, looking for any anomaly that may be around. Thissted for around two minutes before she finally gave an answer to Zeke.

    "I''ve got nothing." The elf regretfullymented as, aside from [Chaos Energy] being present, nothing weird was urring.

    "That''s not good. If they just multiply every day then there''s no point in killing them anymore." Zeke said as he was also trying to find a way out of the predicament.

    This got Zeke thinking yet again. He didn''t monitor the areas for the whole day and, this was the only source of clue which he had at the moment. This was also his best shot at unraveling the mystery. Hence, to start things off, Zeke decided to clean the areas once again.

    "Conjure." The gamer began, releasing the same amount of summons on all the areas where they were deployed before. And, just like their first encounter with the [Chaos Monsters], Zeke''s [Conjures] were able to easily win in their fights although the level of the monsters did go up a bit from the first fight.

    "Here''s the n." Zeke said to Allesiah who was still with her.

    "We''re going to wait here and see ethe developments that ur within the interval of a whole day."

    "You don''t expect me to activate my eye skill for the whole day right? Because we both know how impossible that is for me." Allesiah rified even before their mission began.

    "Of course not. Only for the duration when we actually see theming back one by one." Zeke said in reply with a smile on his face.

    Hence, the two of them proceeded to do just this. They set up an area where they could stay and made sure that they had enough food tost for the operation. Zeke also brought coffee made using modified nts which he himself created. He forced Allesiah try this out for the first time and the elf liked how strong the taste was and how aromatic it smelled.

    For the first few hours nothing happened. The area was empty without any signs of the monstersing in from any sides or evening from the ground up. It was a silent scenery to the point that Zeke thought how unbelievable it was for these same creatures to fill the area within a single day.

    More hours passed by and the two decided to take turns as caffeine kicked in on Allesiah''s veins. Making her wide awake since it was her first time getting a dose of the stuff. Zeke on the other hand took the first turn of rest, fixing his [Inventory] which was still full of unused [Chaos Shards] that he was yet to refine.

    A few more hours passed by and, within the interval of Zeke''s watch, there was something which finally began. He shook Allesiah who woke up immediately, activating [Chaos Sight] as soon as she fully regained consciousness.

    The elf saw [Chaos Energy] swirling around the area. Although Zeke couldn''t see this, he could feel it clearly. Telling him that something has begun as the aura of monsters was starting toe back.

    Allesiah on the other hand saw how the [Chaos Energy] thickened and how it masterfully formed the monsters yet again. Indeed, Zeke''s questions were finally answered at that moment as, after a few more minutes passing by, all the monsters came back. Stronger and also gaining even more monsters that added to their ranks.

    "Well, that answers everything." Zeke said as Allesiah deactivated her [Chaos Sight].

    "It''s the [Chaos Energy], it''s what''s summoning the monsters back to life." Allesiah told him, with Zeke''s head being filled with a new problem on top of Pier and Quinn.

    "Let''s head back first. I need to craft something to counter this." Zeke told Allesiah as both of them teleported back to base.

 Chapter 218: Crafting and Breakfast

    Chapter 218: Crafting and Breakfast

    [Crafting Sess]

    [Crafting Failed]

    [Crafting Sess]

    [Crafting Sess]

    [Crafting Failed]

    [Crafting Sess]

    [Crafting Sess]

    [Crafting Failed]

    As soon as they got back to the base, Zeke went to sleep. Partly this was because he was already tired but, Zeke also needed to arrange the new equipment that would help them against the predicament. And the gamer had a rough idea of how this could be done.

    "If the chaos element simply increases every time we destroy the monsters then, what we need is something that could seal [Chaos Energy] itself." This was the thought that ran through Zeke''s mind as the continuous crafting went on.

    Zeke already had something like this of course. The armors and equipment of the elites worked on this principle after all but, they weren''t permanent storages. This meant that, if the stored [Chaos Energy] is not released then, the equipment would get destroyed. It was not some natural shattering that would take ce but a real explosion as the [Chaos Energy] is destructive in itself. Actively working based on its nature.

    Hence what Zeke needed was a away to store [Chaos Energy] in such a manner that would not be wasteful of both time and materials. Meaning, it needed to be arge storage which need not be durable.

    After all, Zeke intended to simply ce all the gathered [Chaos Energy] within his inventory as, this worked on a different principle. One which Zeke himself did not grasp fully but nevertheless understood that, things within the inventory were both invulnerable and non-subject to the changes of the time, decay, and breakage.

    [Crafting Sess]

    [Crafting Sess]

    [Crafting Failed]

    [Crafting Sess]

    "Dammit, this thing never gets easier to craft no matter how many times I''ve already tried." Zeke thought to himself as he continued trying to mix [Pure Crystals] with [Chaos Shards]. He even increased the durability by adding [Dragon Scales] to the mix. Ensuring that the item would be durable enough to withstand the thing which it needed to aplish.

    [Crafting Sess]

    [Crafting Sess]

    [Crafting Failed]

    [Crafting Sess]

    A couple more hours passed by with the gamer trying to forge all the materials together. Then after the painstaking amount of time which he used, the notification finally came:

    [Congrattions! You have sessfully crafted an Empty Chaos Crystal]

    "All that time for a single piece of this. It''s not even funny how many materials were wasted to make you." Zeke said to the item on his hand. It was arge dark crystal which didn''t have any of the characteristics of the [Chaos Shard] anymore. It had dragon scales covering it on the sides and weighted as light as a feather.

    Zeke''s [Analysis] worked on the item right away. Showing the information regarding the item.

    [Name: Empty Chaos Crystal]

    [Grade: S]

    [Item Type: Storage]

    [Information: This item did not exist in thend of Gaia and thus unique due to the crafting of the gamer.]

    "Is that supposed to make me feel good about the item?" Zeke thought to himself as he browsed the more useful information about the item.

    [Information: Due to the materials used on the crystal, it ispatible to the chaos element and has the capability to store "Chaos Energy" within it. The crystal will glow once full and automatically stops absorbing when the said limit is reached.]

    [Information: Upon absorbing the proper amount, the "Empty Chaos crystal" will evolve into a "Chaos Crystal". An item which can be sold for a high price in the "Chaos Shop".]

    "Oh now that is what I needed to see." Zeke thought to himself getting motivated to make even more of the item as, there were things which he needed to buy from the said shop.

    Zeke continued crafting for hours without end. Unlike what the elites thought, Zeke''s strength didn''te just from his talent. It was from his relentless pursuit to improve. This was also what he employed at that moment, aiming to improve even at that point until, daybreak finally approached  with Zekeing back to the world of the living.

    He immediately went to his inventory, checking the new item he forged. Even before everyone else were to be told about it, he wanted to test the item out. His also ensured the integrity of the things which he was to say to them.

    Hence, Zeke teleported to a red area all by himself. What greeted him there was an [AoE] skill. The same one used by the four horned beasts on Quinn which raised multiple spikes from the ground.

    "That''s a very sharp and distinct greeting you''ve prepared for me." Zeke said as he stood on top of the spikes. He didn''t want to raise the [Conjures] that time around. Thinking that his skills would be too rusty if he didn''t go to actualbat himself.

    The next set of attack that came targeting the gamer was a wave of mana. This also came from a four horned monster which Zeke easily dodged using [Shadow Dive].

    "Okay let''s y by your rules then." Zeke said as he threw both of his pistols in the air and took out the extraction item on his hand.

    The monsters didn''t hesitate to begin charging in. Attacking Zeke as if they did not fear death and maybe this was actually the case. With [Chaos Energy] restoring them over and over again, there was no cause for the creatures to fear and, Zeke smiled at this idea.

    "Don''t worry, you''ll be understanding what death means soon enough." He said as he [Shadow Dive] once again. Using the rising sun''s rays that created a shadow in between his twin pistols. He then released all the bullets on his hands, all partially charged ones with the mes of the fire god himself and, as these made *clink* sounds on the ground, Zeke finally casted:

    "Detonate"

    Spirals of me soon erupted, catching every monster that was within the area. Zeke held one piece of [Death''s Void] while hiding the other one. As soon as he dropped to the ground, the spell was already finished; destroying most of the monsters and leaving only the four horns which were at least at around 50% in health.

    Zeke noticed the crystal begin doing its work on his hand. As he continued dodging, he noticed that he could see the [Chaos Energy] as soon as it came close to the crystal. He felt the immensity of it being stored within his item to the point that, he couldn''t even believe that all of it could be ced on such a small [Crystal].

    While doing this, Zeke enjoyed dodging the attacks of the remaining enemies. This time in the normal manner. Using only [Mana Conversion] to boost his body as, after reaching [Level 100], he was already beyond these creatures. With only Pier possibly being the threat to his life within Mythos.

    "You need top do better than that." Zeke said as he leapt out of the range of another ground spiked area. He then came close to the ones using the mana waves. The monster immediately casted, thinking that there was no way for the gamer to dodge them.

    Zeke was still in mid-air as this attack came. Yet the gamer only smirked as he sliced the attack in half using [Death''s Void]. Relying only in his physical strength to force the slice through.

    "Come to think of it, my bloodline is technically connected to Hark and Gallio so I''m probably innately skilled with the sword and also with spell casting. Huh, I never tried that out did I?" He furthered, moving away from another set of attacks as he kicked one of the monsters causing the ground spikes. This sent the head of the creature flying away. Decapitated without Zeke ever intending to do so.

    "To think that your heads woulde off that easily. Man my stats must be on steroids whenever I use [Mana Conversion] now." Zeke said as, it was also his first fight after reaching[Level 100]. With all the other fights being handled by his conjures that he also needed to test.

    The scene couldn''t even be called as a fight anymore as Zekepletely dominated the area. There were no attacks hitting him and, even if they got close, Zeke would somehow dodge them. Sometimes even in the craziest angles.

    One of it was when the spikes came at dangerously close to him again. This time it was homing while also gaining speed as the seconds passed by. To deal with them, Zeke hit the tip of each spike with the tip of his gunde. Shocking the monsters which finally felt fear creep in. Zeke noticed this and enjoyed how the monsters realized all toote.

    With the sun hitting his face, Zeke realized that it was almost time for breakfast. His stomach automatically grumbled at the thought of this as the gamer finally decided to finish the fight.

    "Well I hate to break it to you guys but, I guess this is the end of our little sparring session. I hope you don''t mind because I have ces to be and things to do." Zeke threw the [Crystal] up the sky as he took out the other pair of [Death''s Void].

    He went to melee mode and activated [Overdrive] topping it up with [sh Rush] and, in a split second, the fight finished. With the monsters bing minced meat as Zeke was showered with the blood of the butchered monsters.

    He then caught the crystal just in time before it hit the ground. Saying: "I''m hungry" as the gamer proceeded to head back to base.

 Chapter 219: Improving Strategies

    Chapter 219: Improving Strategies

    The next meeting came in a sh, with Zeke already in front as always. He had a lot of empty te on his area as a whole tray was being carried by Heron and Morpheus. The elites arrived one by one to witness how quickly Zeke gobbled down food, surprising even Amare who thought that nobody could beat her when it came to speed eating.

    "He''s the god of eating." She eximed, thinking that Zeke had this hidden title which was never discovered on earth.

    Zeke was actually timing the entrance of the members. With [Gamer''s Mind], he masterfully estimated the amount of time required before ethe meeting began and, this was what he followed as he continued munching down food.

    The gamer was hungry after all. With all the thinking that he was doing and all the tests he needed to do, the gamer needed some decent and well-deserved meal. Something which he didn''t deprive himself of. This was also the reason why he made his own food source under the cave. To ensure that the food he wanted was always avable. Getting this trait from the goddess of the hunt, Yaeger, who was also a glutton when it came to food.

    "Okay shall we begin?" Zeke said as every member was finally in the room, just in time for him to finish his meal.

    Some elites like Curio and Jake were still nkly staring at Zeke. Amazed at the spectacle they just beheld moments ago. None of that seemed to be true now however as Zeke''s mind was only focused on the things they needed to tackle.

    "Well begin with your synchronization with your living armor and your new equipment." Zeke said as he generated [System Windows] for everyone to use. Within it were the statistics that Zeke generated based on the three days he gave to the elites in order to get ustomed with their new set of equipment.

    "As you can see, the numbers are really great on all of you. Despite the fact that each of you have a certain specialty, the other attributes aren''t falling behind that much due to the effects of the armor." Zeke mentioned with pride because, it took him half a year''s worth of time within his subconscious to forge the said set of items and equipment. Making these even for some of his most powerful [Conjures].

    "Let''s not mention names on who is the strongest but, I assure you that, you have all grown beyond my expectations during the month of training you underwent. Your ability to adapt has also risen exponentially which makes the uing fights both bearable and less dangerous." Everyone had a smile on their face at this point. Then, a crystal lit up in the room.

    "How about the power level of the monsters and their set of skills. Do you have a way to record all of that mister Zeke?" Amare asked this not to challenge Zeke but to get as much information as she could. She is, after all, a tactician. As such, she relied heavily on the data provided by Zeke.

    "I''m d that you asked that because I was just about to go over that detail." Zeke said as he opened a screen in the middle of the table, showing al the monsters they''ve encountered thus far Including, of course, the ones which Zeke faced when he tried out the [Empty Chaos Crystal].

    "As for the monsters, we all know that there are at least four type of them out there. Their powers are based on the number of horns they possess, with the four horns being the strongest right now." Another crystal lit up.

    "You seem to be implying that there are stronger monsters Mister Zeke."

    "Well of course there are. We''ve only explored the red areas Kaguya. There are still two ces of higher difficulty that we have yet to explore." Zeke said, pointing at the light ck and the dark ck areas within Helios.

    "Anyway, I''ll something about the conditions of clearing the red areas." Zeke furthered, finally moving to the part which Allesiah helped him out in figuring.

    Zeke exined every detail to the elites as carefully and as borately as he could. The elites were, of course, amazed once again with how deep Zeke''s understanding of things were. If it was just them, then they would have tired themselves out in the endless battling of the monsters but, because of Zeke, they were able to learn about the specific nature of the monsters they faced.

    "I was also wondering why my [Conjure] trait didn''t work on these monsters. This gave me the answer I needed because, it means that the [Chaos Monsters] are somewhat on the level of only being animated. And because of their trait, [Chaos Energy] only increases the more we defeat them." Zeke mentioned, immediately getting a question as another crystal lit up.

    "So how are we supposed to defeat them exactly? I mean doesn''t that put us at a checkmate if we can''t defeat them?" Merlin asked.

    "Not necessarily because, I''ve already developed an item to get us through the predicament." Zeke snapped his fingers, with a pendant appearing in front of everyone in the room.

    The items were already improved by Zeke of course. As soon as he came back he went straight for his room. Making sure that the [Crystal] was handy as possible because, holding them in one''s hand didn''t seem to be very practical and, the easiest version he thought of was in the form of pendants. One which was easy enough to forge and thus, he was able to create enough before their meeting began.

    "You will continue the same mission and each of you will be give one of those pendants. They can absorb the said [Chaos Energy] which is an automatic function installed within them." Zeke watched as the elites looked at the item while some already tried them on.

    "I''ve already measured out the capacity of those things and, they should be able to hold out until you clear the red zones by yourselves." Zeke mentioned as everyone in the room nodded in agreement.

    "The higher ups will be in charge of destroying the ck areas. The lighter ones of course and not the darkest ones. They would be given two pendants instead of just one which, I believe, should be enough for the amount of [Chaos Energy] that could be encountered on those areas.

    "So you mean we can handle until the four horns?" Amare asked after lighting up her crystal.

    "Not necessarily. You can leave those creatures out for when you''ve already destroyed every other monster on your area. I''ll be deploying a single [Knight Conjure] for each of you and, for our dear healers and enhancer, I''ll provide you with even more troops. So don''t worry about a thing. I know that you''d be able to handle them on your own." Zeke said, with confidence in his voice that couldn''t be mistaken.It was firm, clear, without any sign of wavering in his tone.

    "While you''re at it I will be scouting the other continents. I''m guessing that both our targets are not within this continent anymore so while you''re busy clearing out the areas, I''ll be focusing on finding our targets."

    "Wait. wouldn''t that cancel out the [Conjures] that you''d provide for us?" Amare asked, thinking about the range of Zeke''s [Conjure] skill. But Zeke only smiled, already able to cook something up for the predicament.

    "Don''t worry. I have that covered." He simply said as another question came up.

    "Wouldn''t it be more practical for your [Conjures] to be deployed in the missions instead of us? You can just ce the crystal on them or something and make them fight while we focus on the searching." Merlin stated which was actually a decent idea.

    "I actually thought of that already except that there are two problems. The first is that, my [Conjures] can''t hold on to the item. The [Empty Chaos Crystals] seem to like the nature of mana within the conjure so. whenever they touch those things they get absorbed. I know this because I''ve already tried."

    "What about the other thing you were referring to?"

    "Oh that''s with regard to the scouting itself. Since I can summon my [Conjures] over the whole continent, searching would be much easier as I only need a couple of them and I''ll continue summoning them over multiple ces until I get some leads."

    Allesiah smiled at this, thinking how capable Zeke was. Everyone relied on him and had total faith in his capabilities. Just like how Allesiah had ever since she starteding along his adventures.

    "I know that you guys want to find Quinn as soon as possible but understand that, you also have an obligation to the citizens of this world. It would be selfish of us to single out saving Quinn without any proper justification. I will not tolerate that and I never will." Zeke mentioned with the other elites agreeing with him.

    With this, the meeting finally ended. Everyone prepared for the fight that was toe the next day. Zeke needed them to wait a while longer because, he was still preparing the method on how he could extend the range of his [Conjures]. The concept was alreadyplete of course. He only needed to craft the necessary items and to buy the necessary skills.

    As he did this, there was only a single thought that constantly came at the top of his head. How he was excited to meet the silhouetted figure once again and, at that instance, show that he was already superior.

 Chapter 220: The Black Areas

    Chapter 220: The ck Areas

    "I finally finished it. And just in time too." Zeke said as he held the new item in his hand." It also had a mana crystal as one of its mainponents and, Zeke made sure that it wasn''t bulky nor a hassle to bring. The item was basically a silver ring with a ck gemstone in the middle.

    [Item Name: Conjure Ring]

    [Grade: A+]

    [Information: The item is exclusively used in order to store any of the [Conjured] creatures made by the gamer. The mana form of the said skill is thus registered and as such, could contain a creatin number of the creatures.]

    [Information: The process for storing the ''Conjures'' require that, the creatures must be summoned first. The gamer would then ''contain'' a specific summon within the ring.]

    [Information: Once stored within the items, the gamer cannot make use of these unless he ims them back. Doing so requires that he performs the same routine in order to store them back to the rings.]

    [Information: The mana of the gamer would also be stored within the ring. Allowing the [Conjures] to make use of all their abilities to a certain extent until the mana within the rings have beenpletely depleted.]

    It was the item which Zeke referred to when he said that he would be able to provide [Conjures] for the elites. Zeke worked on it immediately knowing that he couldn''t deploy the elites otherwise.

    "I should work on that too."Zeke said as he began cing his mana on the items. It had an indicator which he could see, telling him the amount that was already stored and how much more was needed in order to fill it up.

    Unlike what he thought, it wasn''t such a taxing thing to do. In fact, he was able toplete everything in a matter of minutes. Stretching his body right after and patting himself on the back for a job well done.

    "Well I guess that takes care of things for now." He furthered, finally getting some decent sleep without worrying about anything. A first for the gamer after so many nights of tireless work in order to prepare for the missions up ahead.

    The next day came in a sh. Everyone was in their normal lively mood, without any sign of nervousness for the mission up ahead. This was, of course, mainly due to the gamer and how he masterfully crafted the ns in order to ensure the safety of every member of the group.

    Hence the elites went to their designated areas. Wearing the [Conjure Rings] which still amazed them just as much as their nes did. It was such a small item yet it stored so much power. In fact, the elites could even see the amount of [Mana] stored within it through the features added in their [Party Function].

    The elites thus parted ways. Deployed to every area that had a red marking on it and, immediately proceeding to the task at hand. It didn''t take long for Jake to issue another challenge to group, saying that he wanted to race on who can finish fastest.

    Some members like Kaguya and Amare, brushed away the challenge altogether. Yet there were those like Mordred who willingly took this up. Hyped as she always was together with the [Knight] assisting her in the fight.

    Just like them, Zeke''s stronger allies were already making their way to the ck areas. Allesiah in particr was excited for this as, she wanted to test out the limits of her abilities. After all, there was no way to test them out while they were still within the cave and, all she has ever done as ofte was to get some clues together with Zeke.

    "Okay let''s see what we''ve got here." Allesiah told herself, not activating [Chaos Sight] yet as there was no need to. She still had a very limited ess to the skill and she didn''t want to reach the state where Zeke needed to heal her once again because, Zeke was also busy doing another task.

    "I won''t be a burden this time around." Allesiah dered to herself as she began with one spell, making use of [Mana Sight] and [Mana Maniption] to control all the mana in the area and bend it to her will.

    The monsters could feel the temperature rapidly dropping. But it was all toote for them to realize what was happening as, Allesiah activated:

    "Sub Zero."

    It was an upgraded version of Zeke''s own skill. Allesiah not only froze every monster within range but also, did so from the indie out. Freezing all the blood vessels, nerves, and muscles of the creatures as shards of ice came out of their bodies.

    Of course the skill wasn''t enough to cover the whole area. Just a smaller part of it which finally raised the rm of the remaining monsters.

    "And that''s how we will begin." Allesiah told herself; seeing the number of the monsters multiplying in her [Minimap].

    "Okay, let''s have a bit of a test run first." Allesiah made deep breaths as she closed her eyes for a second.

    She tried feeling everything around her. Every sound. Every touch of the wind on her skin. Every movement on the ground.

    This was how Allesiah raised the level of her mana concentration, maniption and sight and, it was the same method she was employing as she began trying to take control of [Chaos Energy].

    "Let''s begin."

    Allesiah opened her eyes which oozed with the color of darkness; signifying the use of [Chaos Sight]. Through the contact lenses provided by Zeke, she could see [Chaos Energy] clearly while also reducing the strain.

    Kaguya began by greeting the single horned monsters which tried casting skills. She snapped her fingers and the spells of the monsters shattered right in front of them Shocking the creatures as Allesiah continued by switching back to [Mana Sight] and casting [Sub Zero] once again. Effectively destroying the first wave that came at her which only consisted of single horned creatures.

    As she expected, their [Mana forms] weren''t thatplicated. Since they were the weakest of the bunch, they were also the best guinea pigs for Allesiah to begin testing the waters on. However they weren''t entirely useless as theirck in strength was provided for by the sheer number of the single horns avable.

    More single horned monsters came in to attack and this time round, they were being assisted by the three horns which fired longer ranged attacks. Allesiah reactivated [Chaos Sight] which didn''t help much with the three horns as, they were too far for her to read their spell forms.

    "So I need to get in range this time." She thought to herself, releasing a gust of wind that flung her body to the sky and towards the three horns.

    Although this closed the gap, she was toote for their first set of attacks which were already deployed. She thus altered the constitution of the spells. Shattering them even as they were released. This caught the monsters off guard, giving Allesiah a chance for another attack yet, more creatures came and this time, they had four and five horns.

    "Okay now that is definitely something, I should watch out for." Allesiah told herself as she created some distance while the lesser monsters swarmed in again.

    "Honestly, you should''ve learned your lesson by now." She told the monsters as she casted [Sub Zero] again yet, to her surprise, spikes came up from where the monsters were.

    The spikes also shot up from where she floated. The elf was unable to fully evade this as the spikes grazed her skin, rotting it immediately which suggested that, there was also lethal poison coating the said spikes.

    "Shit that stings." Allesiah mouthed as she burned the area she was hit right away. Making sure that the bacteria was destroyed before she began healing it.

    This forced Allesiah to switch to mana usage as she couldn''t use both [Chaos] and [Mana] at the same time. Although not knowing this, the four and five horned beasts already made their attack. With orbs flying toward Allesiah at a blinding speed, forcing the elf to raise up a mana barrier in order to defend herself.

    However, the orbs also had a second purpose. These exploded as soon as they made contact with the barrier, shattering it immediately which allowed the next orbs to pass through. Allesiah was barely able to dodge that time around as the explosions continued rippling through the area where she was.

    While this urred, the one horned up to the three horned monsters have already encircled the area. Surrounding Allesiahpletely who, the monitors guessed was already beaten half to death. An assumption which wasn''t wrong.

    Allesiah came out from the cloud of smoke basically beaten half to death. The creatures didn''t waste this opportunity and began moving in for the kill; attacking all at once as the elf simply stood there. Without her opponents knowing that all of it was a trap.

    "Fools." The Allesiah which all of the monsters saw suddenly exploded. There was no monster saved from this destruction as the radius widened until it reached the ones which were retreating. With all of them effectively getting destroyed by Allesiah.

    "To think that you''d make me release one of my ace moves." The elf said as the four horned and five horned monsters looked up.

    Allesiah actually activated what she refers to as [Mana Shedding] which used the same principle of a snake shedding its skin. The elf left traces of her mana on the ground, shedding away from it as she momentarily turned to pure mana. This was a dangerous move as Allesiah needed to concentrate on forming herself once again yet, with her level of [Mana Maniption], she had little trouble casting it.

    "I guess that take scare of all the small fries." Allesiah said as she looked at the [Minimap].

    Indeed, there were not much left. This roused the anger of the remaining monsters that relentlessly attacked her and Allesiah answered in kind.

    "Let''s end this quickly." She dered, switching back to Chaos Sight.

 Chapter 221: Chaos Sight and Mana Sight

    Chapter 221: Chaos Sight and Mana Sight

    "Welle on I don''t have all day to waste on the likes of you." Allesiah taunted to the monsters which, to her surprise, were also capable of speech.

    "You have no chance of winning against us. We are eternal creatures." This was uttered by one of the five horned monsters. The same beast proceeded to casting what seemed to be an ultimate level skill which Allesiah was able to easily cancel out.

    "If spells do not work, then my innate physical strength might do the trick!" Another five horned said as it leapt up from the ground. The creature immediately reached Allesiah but the elf simply dodged this by activating a gravitational spell. Pulling her down quicker than the monster came.

    Apparently, all of the five horned monsters were capable of speech. This was an assumption which Allesiah was able to make as the said types of monsters were also the only onesmunicating with her.

    Allesiah would''ve used spells multiple times but she encountered a predicament. One of the five horned creatures was also capable of cancelling out her [Chaos Skills]. Hence, she was unable to make use of any [Chaos] rted skill which was quite problematic.

    After all, she couldn''t use any mana rted skill while also using up [Chaos Sight]. But if she switches back to [Mana Sight] then there would be no stopping all the attacks of the from being casted; inevitably causing the elf to put her life in even more danger. Hence, aside form the quick switching form [Chaos] to [Mana] just to activate dodging spells, Allesiah couldn''t muster enough time to activate stronger spells for a sessful counter attack.

    Allesiah''s life was in grave danger at that point. One which forced her to gamble between two sides of a double-edged sword.

    "What would Zeke do at this moment?" The elf thought to herself as she imagined Zeke being trapped on that situation. Only that, she knew that this wouldn''t be possible and that, Zeke would be able to formte a countermeasure as soon as a problem arises.

    "Who am I kidding, that level is too far for me." Allesiah continued snapping her fingers over and over again.

    This destroyed every attempt for spell casting from both the four horned monsters and the five horned ones. Yet she herself was not doing any damage and, her eyes were also beginning to umte damage.

    It was far form reaching the stage where her eyes would turn red. But Allesiah didn''t n to put her eyesight at such a great risk.

    "Guess this is it then." She furthered, finally giving up on all the thinking and deciding to just face things head on.

    She deactivated [Chaos Sight], surprising the monsters which were finally able to cast their skills. To their joy, they casted multiple spells at a time. Shouting things like: "I knew she''d reach her limit soon" to the elf who had her eyes closed.

    "If switching is not possible, then I''ll just use them simultaneously." Allesiah began by reactivating [Chaos Sight], snapping her fingers as she destroyed the spells being caste and the ones which were alreadying for her.

    She then switched back to [Mana Sight], creating some distance as she created quick fire spells. Mana bullets to be exact which all targeted the monsters.

    Although she made the bold statement of using both, she actually couldn''t do so. She tried on multiple asions within the cave, wanting to impress Zeke with this power if it was ever developed yet, she couldn''t muster the strength to do so.

    It was a concept which Allesiah already gave up on. One which seemed to be too impossible of a task to achieve. That is, until that moment came.

    Such a dual wielded skill was needed in that fight. She needed this much in order to defeat the remaining four horned monsters and five horned monsters.

    Knowing that there was no other choice, it was like Allesiah was pushed to the edge of a cliff. One which she jumped off on her own free will as a gamble. Yet this was not entirely suicide.

    Using the method of quickly swapping between [Chaos Sight] and [Mana Sight], she was able to reduce the damage being done to her eyes. She was also able to cancel out some of the skills targeting her and also, fire some skills herself. This was a bit more irritating for both Allesiah and the monsters alike.

    "Shit why is this so hard to do?" Allesiah told herself as the task required her total concentration in order to minimize damage. All while dodging the skills which she was not able to cancel out and fire some of her own at a passable level of uracy.

    "You are weak mortal! You are nothing to the likes of us chosen monsters!" One of the five horned monsters bragged. A provocation which Allesiah couldn''t care less about.

    She was already busy with all the functions that, she didn''t have time to trash talk to the monsters anymore. Something which the five horns believed to be a sign that they were wining as, their opponent was both silent and couldn''t cancel all their skills anymore.

    "This effort you exert is just uncalled for. You can die a swifter death if you just collide with our skills." One of them stated, firing twenty meteor like projectiles, with some of these grazing Allesiah.

    Little by little the ratios of their attacks that were not being cancelled increased. This meant that Allesiah was nearing her limit and so, requires that she evolve as soon as possible. There was just no other way out of it and thus, thirty more minutes of this passed by.

    Within this time period, the monsters have sessfully ced Allesiah on a battered state. With burns and wounds all over her body. She couldn''t use the same skill she used earlier in order to perform a full recovery because, the skill was limited to only one usage per day.

    Hence she needed to make do with her current state and to fight until the bitter end. Because there was no other choice for the elf than to do so.

    At this point, Allesiahpletely shut out both types of eye skills. Closing her eyes as she felt every movement made by her enemies, dodging to the best that her senses could allow.

    The monsters thought that this was a sign of victory already. They thought that their enemy had already run out of energy and so they began bragging even more. Making sure to savor the moment before their enemy was ripped to shreds.

    "You are weak!" One of them began, making abo with the ground spikes of the four horns by casting spikes that fell from the sky at bullet speed.

    Allesiah continued running form left to right, perfectly feeling the ground and where the spikes woulde out. Sensing the air and dodging most of the spikes that shot from the sky.

    "This battle is over!" Another monster said as it generated the same sh attack as the four horned monsters. Sending a wave that Allesiah evaded by ducking down. However this ced her at the mercy of the ground spike which didn''t stop springing up from the ground.

    "There is nothing you can do now!" The physical attacker among the five horned monsters said. Bolting out of sight and immediately reappearing right in front of the elf. There was not even any time for Allesiah to raise her guard as the monster punched her. Destroying the mana armor which Allesiah coated on herself as soon as she began the task of trying out double casting.

    Allesiah came crashing to a nearby wall and destroyed it entirely as she was cornered by all the attacks of the monsters which, in unison shouted: BOW DOWN BWFOE CHAOS!

    Spikes. Chaos shes. Projectiles. These all came at the elf like a raging storm. One could even feel the ground rumble from the intensity of the attack. One which didn''t seem to have any end to it as, for a whole minute, these spells went on.

    Clouds of dust soon rose. Covering the battlefield and, more so, the area where Allesiah was. The chaos monsters weren''t ones to shy away and continued attacking even more, making sure that their prey would be destroyedpletely.

    Then, with their mana reaching a point where they could only cast a couple more. They stopped. Wanting to see the state of the bold elf that dared enter their territory. Yet, this would be their biggest mistake as [Ice Lances] came shooting out.

    The five horns were able to block it. But the lower-ss monsters were caught by the attack which made ice shards spread all over their body. The five horns then tried activating skills once again, only for all of these to be cancelled out.

    "She can''t focus on both cancelling and casting! Kill her!" One of the five horns said. Relying on the data of the first few minutes of their fight.

    However this was already obsolete. Not only were all their skills being casted out but, Allesiah was also continually firing spells. Causing a great deal of both panic and confusion on the monsters as, Allesiah finally stepped out of the cloud of dust. With her left eye oozing in blue while the other had the ck color of chaos.

    "I am weak? And who decided that?" Pirs of me cornered the five horns while magma flowed on the ground. There was no escape for them anymore.

    "This battle is over? And who decided that?" The five horns tried casting skills but all of them only shattered. Soon enough lighting came crashing down on them, hitting them over and over again.

    "There is nothing that I can do? And who decided that?" The sky darkened even more than it already had. Both [Chaos Energy] and [Mana] became denser as Allesiah controlled both.

    A giant meteor began looming out of the clouds. One which could not be avoided by the trapped five horns. Even the physical strength user could do nothing as Allesiah froze this creature''s legs. Death was inevitable and, as the meteor came crashing down, the elf proimed:

    "The only one who can decide such thingsis me."

 Chapter 222: Meeting The Six Horns

    Chapter 222: Meeting The Six Horns

    Just like Allesiah, every other member of Zeke''s team was busy destroying both the red and the ck areas. This was not an easy task of course and the elites found a rtive amount of difficulty in finishing it just like Allesiah. Yet, they weren''t that weak to be beaten by such opponents.

    Like them, Zeke was also performing his own task. Namely, that of finding both Quinn and Pier.

    "It''s be good if I find them at the same time; that''ll save me a lot of hassle." The gamer said as he activated [Conjure], summoning his creatures all over the Dwarven Continent of Mithril.

    Unfortunately for him, the new heroes were meddling with his mission. They were attacking and destroying his [Conjures] as soon as they felt the presence of these summons. Yet this didn''t matter much to Zeke who showed no hostility towards the heroes. Simply making his [Conjures] do their task of looking for the targets.

    This was, of course, a strange phenomenon to the new heroes. Never have they encountered such creatures that would let themselves get beaten up.

    "Maybe they are simply apparitions or ghosts?" One hero thought to herself as the [Conjures] didn''t bother dealing with them. Zeke only had his goal in mind and, other than this, everything else was irrelevant for the gamer.

    "If I was a cowardly god who hid until I could win, where would I go?" Zeke used [Gamer''s Mind] in order to shorten the time of searching. Only looking at all the possible areas and leaving out the rest. However even this data could be wed as, he was faced with the god of Mischief and Deceit.

    "Well he can''t possibly alter the senses of the [Conjures] because they''re already dead. And I myself cannot be affected by the same tricks." Zeke proimed as he continued searching through the areas of the Dwarven Continent. He clicked on the [Search Progress Bar] situated at the top of the system functions. Immediately expanding to reveal all the data which he had thus far regarding his task.

    [20% of Mithril have been searched]

    [No data on the god of mischief and deceit has been collected.]

    [No data on the former leader of the elites has been collected.]

    Searching was a task which required even more time. Although Zeke could summon his [Conjures] all over the continent, he needed to be meticulous and ensure that no detail gets overlooked. This is why he was taking a much longer amount of timepared to when he simply raided the continent. After all, thetter requires nothing but destruction while the former had a process to stick to. Without any shortcuts being avable.

    However, Zeke also knew that he shouldn''t just idly stay there. In fact, he nned to go to one of the darkest areas on thend with two goals. Aside from wanting t rid of the monsters there and collecting their chaos energy, Zeke also thought that information was also likely to be obtained on such an area.

    "Okay I guess I''ll let the search go on auto pilot for now." Zeke said, activating another function that allowed the [Gamer''s System] to take control of the task.

    "I should also pay my regards to these new monsters. Plus, the loot there would probably be useful for future forging and upgrades." Zeke thought as he began stretching his body.

    The gamer opened his [Minimap] looking at the said areas which weren''t that many. In fact, there were only three present all over the continent and, before that day ends, Zeke was nning to clear them all out.

    "Let''s see here. Crystals should be sufficient for this mission." Zeke took out some of the [Empty Chaos Crystals] from his inventory. Five to be exact as he was expecting to collect and even greater amount of the said energy type on the areas.

    With his preparations beingpleted, Zeke created one [Conjure] near a ck area. He then used this in order to [Shadow Dive] and as he did, Zeke was greeted by an area that befitted the energy oozing there.

    All the trees dried up and wilted. The air itself was so thick with Chaos Energy that it could even be mistaken as a sort of thick smoke. The stones and the earth all had cracks on them, revealing the same violet glow which Zeke found below the rift. And, near this said entrance were the single horned monsters. Ones which immediately recognized the gamer as they raised a high alert.

    "Well I wasn''t nning on hiding anyway so this may be good." Zeke said as he looked at the [Chaos Goblins] which were positioned over two tall mountains. In its middle was the road which Zeke believed to lead to the main encampment.

    The gamer would''ve gone right away. However, [Chaos Goblins] suddenly appeared on holes within the mountains. All wielding bows and arrows suggesting that, they were there as the primary form of defense.

    "So they also have a clear system and hierarchy." Zeke thought to himself as the arrows began flying down his direction. These were enhanced as the goblins seemed to specialize in the type of weapon they held.

    However, this only posed a little problem to Zeke who dodged by pivoting his body to the side. This was not the end of the said attack as more arrows came down on him. Ones which he immediately recognized to be a way for the monster to stall for time.

    "I''m sorry but I won''t be ying based on your rules." Zeke activated only a single skill; [Mana Conversion].

    Through this the gamer was able to gain an amazing amount of power at a short period of time. Hence, after dodging the next set of arrows, Zeke suddenly disappeared from sight. Only to reappear next to one of the one horned [Chaos Goblins]. Burying the monster''s face to the ground which seemed to have been crushed as the sttered blood indicated.

    "Oh dear, its all mushed on my hand now." Zekemented as he heard the frightened sounds made by creatures of the same type which were positioned nearby.

    "Oh don''t worry I didn''t forget about you guys." Zeke grabbed it by the neck and threw the monster at the others which were also positioned up the hill.

    They all came rolling down which made the monster understand how dangerous their height was even for them. A realization which came toote as Zeke released ice spears that ended their lives.

    Zeke was only starting. There were tons of these goblins after all and, Zeke wasn''t nning to meticulouslye at them one by one. Hence, he released one of his [Conjures]. Creating arge pir of me; one which was so high that there could be no mistaking which of the [Conjures] woulde out. It was Horizon.

    The [Chaos Dragon] was immediately attacked by the goblins yet, this didn''t do much. Its scales were too sturdy to be damaged by the type of attack which they were using. Horizon didn''t wait for long and immediately took to the skies, with Zeke jumping on its back.

    They soon reached an altitude where the arrows of the goblins became inefficient. With this, Zeke took out [Death''s Void] both being charged enough for the attack he had in mind.

    "We''re gonna clear them in a single go okay?" Zeke said, with the [Chaos Dragon] immediately understanding as the mes also began oozing out of its mouth. As Zeke thought the goblins weren''t as used to shooting downrge creature from the sky as much as they were trained to do so with ground units. This is especially so with Horizon who put their arrows out of trajectory with every p of its wings.

    Then without a moment to lose, Zeke and Horizon went down. The [Chaos Dragon] began breathing out fire while Zeke fired both of his guns. Not only did they destroy the goblins but also shattered the mountains into pieces, revealing the encampment of the monsters and all that were marching toward him.

    The monsters had an unmistakable look of surprise on their faces. This was understandable with the feat that Zeke just performed and, in fact, things didn''t even end here.

    "Catch." Zeke said as he began dropping bullets to the monsters on the ground. The said bullets exploded as soon as they reached the ground, with Zeke preparing them beforehand. It was simr to how aircraft carriers dropped bombs during the wars on earth, a fighting maneuver which saved Zeke the effort of having to shave down the enemies if he fought on the ground.

    However, this attack was only short lived. It didn''t take long for the real opponents to finallye out. Ones which released a single spear of chaos each. Destroying Horizon''s wings as the creature hurled down the ground.

    Zeke jumped up as he created some distance. cing a detonate on Horizon which he activated as soon as the monster began attacking his [Conjure].

    A wave of me consumed the monsters on all side and, with all these damage umting on the dragon, it finally entered its infernal state. One which fitted well with all the charred monster bodies around and the mes of the fire god surrounding it.

    "I figured there would be monsters strong enough to damage Horizon." Zeke said as he finally reached the ground, looking at the monsters which were positioned at the far back. They had six horns each. Indicating that, these were probably the boss monsters.

    "I hope you put up a better fight than these small fries." The gamer said as he continued his assault.

 Chapter 223: Against the Six Horns

    Chapter 223: Against the Six Horns

    There was something peculiar with the six horned monsters.

    Aside from the fact that the five horns could not even begin topare with the amount of power they had; they were also close to the level of being one of the aids of the [Chaos Monarchs]. A feat that could only be aplished by creatures which were close to the strength of the [Monarchs] themselves.

    This is the reason why there are only a few of them that existed and, the reason why, only a few of them were allowed to exist. After all, the said level of strength also entailed that, they took up too much of the generated [Chaos Energy]. In fact, only a hundred of them would be needed in order to deplete all the [Chaos Energy] that Pier has worked up on creating.

    These were the creatures which Zeke battled. Two of them to be exact and, although he already knew some things about these types of creatures, he could not help but be amazed by the sheer amount of power they were releasing. His body was hyped, all his senses tingled as he expected the battle to be far beyond everything he has encountered for a while. In fact, he may even be forced to use on of Calitha''s skill.

    Both Zeke and the monsters didn''t move for a while. This was a fortunate turn of events for the gamer who began the [Analysis] on the creatures. Revealing all the details about them. Beginning with the one which had a robe on it and a staff which looked like a deformation of monster parts forcefully ced together.

    [Name: Chie''ron Halthuz]

    [Species: Chaos Warlock]

    [Specification: None]

    [Rank S+]

    [Status: Evolved]

    [Information: The creature is one of the few six horned monsters that has ever been recorded in the history of Gaia. Those who survived an encounter with the monster say that the creature could control space and ben it to its will. They say that its staff contains all the flesh of those that dared challenge it in a fight, making it both a trophy and a weapon.]

    Zeke then moved to analyzing the next one. The gamer didn''t even need a whole minute in order to perform this task. The other monster had a great sword on its back, suggesting that it was a melee fighter. It also had armor ced on its right shoulder, covering it entirely while its body was almost bare. Save for the few scales that were on top of certain parts which it also covered. It also had some kind of genie pants on while its feet were bare. Two more swords adorned its waist suggesting the capability of the monster to use multiple fight styles.

    [Name: Drakhal Thuzi]

    [Species: Chaos Champion]

    [Specification: None]

    [Rank S+]

    [Status: Evolved]

    [Information: The creature is one of the few six horned monsters that has ever been recorded in the history of Gaia. Those who survived an encounter with the monster say that the creature could slice a whole mountain in two with a single swing of its de. Nobody has ever see the creature unsheathe the swords on its waist.]

    Zeke knew that both of these were capable of speech. That''s why he was wondering why it was that they didn''t even raise a sound after everything he did. But then, he also thought about these same creatures which may take pride in their strength. Not allowing themselves tomunicate if the creatures seem to be lower species.

    "So are we just going to stand or are we going to begin?" Zeke didn''t want to bother but, a part of him just wanted to hear them speak; making it part of his goal.

    This was not some illogical desire of the gamer. Zeke knew that if they do speak, then he would probably gain some information on [Chaos] itself. After all, these were no ordinary monsters. These were the apex of the monsters that could be found on Gaia.

    "Let''s begin by a few test shots shall we?" Zeke said as he fired twenty bullets per pistol. A barrier generated by Chie''ron caught this. With both barriers remaining perfectly fine even after the said attack.

    What got Zeke even more riled up was the fact that, he didn''t even feel the barrier getting set up. Chie''ron didn''t make any movements nor did the creature''s staff move. Both six horns were still standing where they were.

    "I''m being taken lightly right now aren''t I?" Zeke told to himself as he began a barrage of shots that aimed at destroying the said barriers. He did this as he began closing in, thinking of using the des on his pistols in order to make the de user Drakhal perform a counter.

    He didn''t even need to get close for the monster to do this. Drakhal went into a shing stance and as soon as it swung its de, there was a piercing silence that resounded on the battlefield. Zeke instinctively jumped up as soon as this attack was made. A decision which proved to be correct as a stone pir on Zeke''s back got cleanly sliced in half.

    "How do I avoid something like that exactly." Zeke said to himself as three more of this came at him. All invisible to the naked eye.

    The gamer didn''t need to see these as he [Shadow Dived] to a fallen building''s shadow. Evading the attack entirely as he fired more bullets. The barriers were, however, still sessful in blocking these attacks. Revealing his location to Drakhal who continued swinging its de.

    "You guys are still holding back on me aren''t you? That''s not good." Zeke said as he dodged yet again using the same tactic. Yet, to his surprise, there was a force holding him down. It was gravity magic and, one which was at least a top tier one as he couldn''t move away.

    It was toote for Zeke to realize what was happening as he felt the shes of Drakhal being dangerously close. This forced Zeke to activate [Overdrive], allowing him to move at a distance away. Yet, the gravitational magic also followed.

    "It''s casted on my body. Damn this is frustrating." Zeke said as he was trying to find a way to get away from it.

    More shes soon followed and, Zeke finally understood what it was that he needed to do. He continued teleporting to multiple locations which the six horns thought to be futile. Drakhal could easily read the gamer''s movements and, Chevron''s skill wasn''t something that could be shaken off. In fact, the [Chaos Warlock] even added on the intensity of the skill to assure that Zeke would not be able to get away from it.

    Yet Zeke still continued [Shadow Diving]. Making twenty more [Dives] before finally stopping at one area. Some of the shes finally made contact with him which shocked the six horns. After all they got used to him dodging every time and so, the six horns thought that they were finally getting the upper hand. But then, Zeke finally began his counter attack.

    The ground rumbled as bright explosions covered the whole area. Chie''ron immediately realized that the center of these explosions came from the areas Zeke teleported from. The monster didn''t understand why however as, the attacks were too far to damage them.

    The next thing that came was the bleeding of Drakhal which the creature didn''t understand. It was like he was hit by his own attack as the damage from the wounds felt simr to the shes he was making.

    Then, before they could even realize the full gravity of the situation, Zeke [Shadow Dived] in the middle of the two. This was the purpose of the explosion, to create shadows of the creatures where Zeke could [Shadow Dive].

    It was all toote when the six horns tried to respond as, the gamer was able to cast [Detonate].

    While the barrier created by the warlock was indeed strong, Zeke notice that there could be one fatal w on it. That is, it would also contain any foreign attack being made. Chie''ron made it look like they could release attacks from the barrier but, Zeke thought that it probably worked like something based on an [Ally System]. One which prevented their skills from both cancelling each other out and damaging each other.

    Of course this was a wild guess but, even if Zeke was wrong, the explosion itself would generate enough damage for the creature to take him seriously.

    "I hope that warmed you up properly, otherwise this next half would be too quick to be any fun." Zeke said as he emerged at another location. With his body being destroyed, the [Curse of the Blood King] also activated. Raising Zeke''s stats even further as he emerged from the attack unscathed.

    Meanwhile, the monsters finally showed signs of getting damaged. In fact they had burns all over their bodies and a look of annoyance on their faces. And, it was at this moment that the creatures finally spoke to Zeke. Beginning with Chie''ron who said:

    "Death will note swiftly for you boy."

 Chapter 224: Conclusion Against the Six Horns

    Chapter 224: Conclusion Against the Six Horns

    The first one toe at Zeke was Drakhal. This much was to be expected as this specific six horn was a melee fighter. As Zeke expected the monster was more powerful up close than when it was simply swinging it from a longer range. In fact, if Zeke didn''t have a barrier set up, he would''ve definitely been cut by multiple times as every swing made by Drakhal up close had the same effect of the invisible shes.

    "Why do you have that form?" This were the first words uttered by the six horned monster Drakhal as he continued in a furry of shes. With Zeke deflecting every one while relying on his barrier to save him from the skill shots thate after every swing.

    "I have no idea what you''re getting at exactly." Zeke simply said in reply as he was forced to use the halberd of the Blood King. The only usable weapon whenever he turned to that state right after using [Curse of the Blood King].

    "Don''t bother questioning him now Drakhal, he may just as well lie with his words." Chie''ron said in reply releasing gravitational bindings once again. However, with all of his attributes skyrocketing, Zeke found no trouble in continuing to move.

    In fact, Zeke only needed to increase his output of mana in order to shatter the gravitational spell binding him down. This made the [Chaos Warlock] change its attack patterns, charging up an attack as it was difficult firing anything with Drakhal nearby.

    "I''ll extract every bit of information on him as soon as he''s dead. All you have to do is to make sure that it''d be that way." The warlock continued, finally casting a spell which seemed to empower Drakhal''s de.

    Zeke noticed this of course. The sudden strengthening of the monster''s weapon which made him even cautious. Thus the gamer dodged the next full swing of Drakhal which seemed to have a bit ofgpared to the monster''s earlier swings. Something which was exined by the seeding events.

    As soon as Drakhal''s de hit the ground, it shatteredpletely. It was as if a gigantic meteorite fell upon it. Making Zeke understand that, he should minimize a full exchange of blows against the monster.

    "Why are you holding back? Finish him already!" Chie''ronmanded.

    "I''ll finish him as soon as he answers my questions you damn old fool." Drakhal said in reply, blocking every skill shot released by Zeke through the use of its sword.

    "Why do you even need that? I already told you that its my job to interrogate him afterwards." Chie''ron furthered as the creature finally found an opening. Attacking Zeke because of the gap between him and Drakhal.

    "I''ll stop questioning him as soon as he gives me the answers I need." Drakhal responded to Chie''ron as the creature observed Zeke.

    "That man was the only creature who made me release the des on my waist. The only creature to make me feel the trill of battle and even leave a permanent scar on my chest. Now tell me"Drakhal continued, finally releasing the maximum amount of power that he could in his form.

    "are you or are you not the Blood King?"

    Forget even hitting him, Zeke knew that just getting close would get himself cut. He didn''t even have time to answer the monster''s question as Drakhal charged up once again. Zeke tried avoiding but all his movements were sluggishpared to the powered up Drakhal.

    With a single swing of the monster''s de, Zeke was sent flying back to the mountain which the gamer himself destroyed. He came crashing through the rocks but nevertheless emerged with little to no damage as [Regeneration] and all his passive healings did their work.

    shes soon followed this leaving no time for Zeke to go back to where Drakhal is. The attacks came like a barrage of bullets that seemed to have no end. Even the rocks which were already smashed to bits got cut even further, suggesting how sharp the attack was.

    "I ask you again. If you are still alive after this attack answer me! Are you the Blood King or not?" Drakhal mentioned once again. Suggesting that he even held back on the earlier attack as he wished to test Zeke out. This was how strong Drakhal''s powerup was.

    The gamer emerged from the rubble once again. All the damage done to him seemed to have disappeared as began walking back to his opponent. Deciding to also powerup himself.

    "Ever since we started this battle, I had no idea what you''ve been talking about. In fact I still have no clue who you are referring to. But, if you''re asking that simply because you want to assert my skill level then I assure you, I won''t disappoint." Zeke also released more power than before.

    He was actually reserving most of his strength, thinking that Pier may have his eyes looking on the fight. If this was the case then, Zeke couldn''t possibly show all his cards yet. Pier would have countermeasures prepared if he did and, this was something which Zeke wanted to avoid as he himself had no idea of all the skill possessed by the God of Mischief and Deceit.

    That''s why the gamer decided to simply release [50%] of his maximum power. An amount enough to overpower a whole horde of Gallio''s if Zeke was ever pitted to such a situation.

    The six horned Drakhalughed hysterically at the sight of his enemy and, even Chie''ron could feel it. A sensation that told them that, their enemy was not to be taken lightly. That, if they wanted to get out of that fight alive, then they needed to exert as much effort as they possibly could.

    "You are not him and yet you make my body boil in excitement! Terrific!" It was at this point that Drakhal finally released his weapon. The greatsword split into two longswords. Meanwhile, the sheathed swords got attached to the hilt, extending the reach of Drakhal''s weapon even further as its true form was finally released.

    Scales covered the other arm of the monster, evenly matching the armor on the right arm and shoulder. It held the gigantic custom ive on both hands and, even before they began exchanging blows, Zeke knew that he was in for a ton of excitement.

    "You are the second mortal that I''ve showed this form to." Drakhal said as he went into stance, one which Zeke has never seen before. With both the monster''s arms resting at its back.

    "Do not prove my decision to be wrong."

    Zeke immediately activated [Overdrive] and added [Shadow Dive]. His body instinctively reacted the moment Drakhal made his first movement. A decision which proved to be correct as, even with the distance created, he was still cut on the cheek.

    "There''s at least half a kilometer''s worth of distance between us. How did that reach?" This was the thought that run through the gamer''s head. One which found no answer as Drakhal continued attacking Zeke.

    Little by little, the gamer was umting damage. And not the ordinary kind because, his regenerative skills weren''t working properly. Suggesting that it was also infused with a thick amount of [Chaos Energy].

    "Is dodging all that you are good at boy!" Drakhal taunted, not showing any mercy as it continued with its barrage of blows. With every strike intended to end the life of Zeke. Although the taunting was ineffective, Zeke knew that he did need to strike soon.

    "His attacks are meant to create distance." The gamer [Shadow Dived] to two swords, throwing them even before his cursed form could corrupt them.

    "If this is so then I may have a chance at close range." The gamer continued the same feat, touching even more weapons left by the dead monsters and throwing them right away.

    "Though it may also be a trap but, I could probably handle anything he set up for me." Zeke continued, finally setting everything up for his attack as he touched and threw thest set of weapons.

    "Are you not going to attack!" Drakhal demanded and, it was at this point that Zek granted the monster''s request.

    "I''ll be borrowing your skill o'' tyrant king." He thought to himself as he finally began his assault.

    Zeke [Shadow Dived] to a nearby sword, activating [sh Rush] right away in order to close the distance between him and Drakhal. The monster was able to catch up and made quick swings that seemed to almost match theshes of whips. Zeke evaded however by continuously [Shadow Diving] to the weapons he scattered around the battlefield, using [sh Rush] to increase his speed even more.

    However, this was not all that he did. In the blink of an eye, Zeke closed the distance between him and Drakhal, holding on to one dull de that began corroding as soon as he touched it  with the curse of the Blood King rejecting the weapon.

    Zeke was able to make a swing that was deflect by Drakhal as the monster used the hilt des to counter. The gamer dodged by [Shadow Diving] away and grabbing two more weapons. Throwing the first one at Drakhal in order to [Dive] to while the other was used to swing.

    Drakhal sessfully deflected this yet again but, the attack didn''t end there. Zeke proceeded to using the same pattern over and over again. As soon as Drakhal caught on to thebination, Zeke would step things up and throw two. And when Drakhal got used to this, the gamer threw three. This was how Zeke extended thebination which tired the monster out little by little.

    Chie''ron could not do a single thing against this as all the movements were too fast. That''s why he decided to just muster enough energy for one final attack. Deciding to kill even Drakhal for the sake of eradicating their enemy.

    Little did this creature know that, Drakhal was slowly losing the battle of aggression. Zeke was getting stronger with every swing of the des he used. They broke of course but, this was not the end goal.

    Cuts were being made one by one until, Drakhal finally created enoughg between his movements. This was an opening that the gamer did not miss and one which made the melee six horn understand the fate that awaited it.

    Zeke finally used the halberd of the Blood King that thrusted thorough Drakhal. The monster began losing consciousness soon after as it began dropping to the ground. Witnessing the final moments of the fight before its eyes closedpletely.

    The gamer immediately took off the halberd. Chie''ron''s spell was ready at this point but it didn''t matter because, Zeke was faster. The gamer threw the halberd that seemed to vanish. Only to reaper shattering Chie''ron''s barrier and piercing through the monster''s chest.

    "T-tell me your name warrior." Drakhal requested, with his lifesting for only seconds. Zeke knew that it was still an enemy yet, it was one that was close to death. There was no use in hi, hiding his identity to such a creature so, he looked straight at it as he said:

    "Zeke Elwood. The Gamer."

 Chapter 225: The Blood King

    Chapter 225: The Blood King

    The power-hungry halberd of the blood king sucked up everything that it could with the [Chaos Warlock] Chie''ron. It was glowing in its crimson red color as it devoured even the [Chaos Energy] of the monster. Something which Zeke found to be strange because, the weapon wasn''t supposed to be familiar with this energy type.

    "Well if it could get even more powerful from that I have nothing toin about." The gamer simply said as he watched the halberd continue on its feast.

    In fact, it didn''t even end there as the weapon floated and thrusted itself deep within Drakhal''s body. That was how hungry the weapon was, with an insatiable thirst that could never be quenched. Yet, it still ended automatically as soon as all possible energy source got sucked up.

    With Zeke turning back to his normal form. Without any injury being sustained as, the [Curse of the Blood King] even devoured its host''s wounds.

    "I think my work here is done." Zeke simplymented as he stretched his neck  surveying the area and finding nothing else but the slowly disintegrating corpses of the [Chaos Monsters] and the ruin that came with his assault.

    Along with this, his [Empty Chaos Crystals] also began extracting all the [Chaos Energy] within the area. While this urred, Zeke received multiple notifications, giving him rewards which weren''t part of any mission hat he currently had.

    [Information: You have cleared the hidden quest: Recognition of the Blood King]

    [Generating the appropriate rewards for the quest. Please wait]

    [A Memory Piece will be given as a reward.]

    [Skills of the Blood King will be avable after using the Memory Piece.]

    [The Memory Piece recently obtained is connected to the one which has not yet been yed. The two Memory Pieces will be merged into one yable Memory Piece]

    [Use it now?]

    This was the first set of rewards that came with Zeke finishing off his opponents. As the gamer expected, making them talk gave him some benefits from the [System]. Yet, he didn''t expect it to be this grand.

    "How are the blood king''s skills different exactly?" Zeke thought to himself.

    Of course the [System] itself does not have the data on this yet. Even with Zeke clicking on the words [Blood King Skills], nothinges up. This means that, watching the Memory Piece would be like putting the [System] through patch and updates once again. With things being added right after.

    Aside from this, there was another reward that came. Zeke opened the notification immediately to show something connected to the Blood King''s weapon.

    [Information: The halberd of the Blood King has been satiated.]

    [Information: The requirement has been met for the weapon to evolve.]

    [Information: The weapon cannot be hindered from evolving. During this interval the skill "Curse of the Blood King" will be momentarily unavable.]

    [Information: Uponpletion, the halberd will require at least 300 bodies worth of sacrifice in order to stop its initial hunger after the evolution.]

    [Information: There is no timer that would count down the length of evolution as the speed is greatly dependent on the one wielding the weapon.]

    "What the heck is this supposed to be?" Zeke said in surprise.

    He never imagined the halberd to have something like this. In fact, nothing ever came up whenever he [Analyzed] it that, he thought it was simply a weapon that came with the skill. Yet he was proven wrong at that point. With the notifications telling him of an evolution that the weapon itself will undergo.

    "Well it''s not like I''mining. Having the skill unavable might prove to be troublesometer on." Zeke said thinking just how he could avoid dying when hees face to face with Pier.

    It wasn''t like Zeke didn''t have a countermeasure prepared for it. In fact, Zeke was already thinking up of ways to fill in on this sudden hole on his defensive abilities. For him, there was no point in sulking and, it would even be a waste of his time. With this decision was also his choice of not ying the new [Memory Piece] for the moment.

    "I need to check the areas first and then I''ll proceed to doing this." Zeke told himself, as he focused on the remaining corpses of the one horned monsters up to the five horned ones.

    It was a shame that he couldn''t [Conjure] them but, the gamer could do nothing against the forces of this world. Hence, he simply sucked up all the remaining [Chaos Energy] on the area, returning the crystals back to normal as the area was cleared of both the monsters and the condensed amount of [Chaos Energy] circting around it.

    "I''m sure Pier would''ve felt me doing this at the very least." Zeke thought to himself, knowing that an area being deprived of the said energy type so suddenly was difficult to conceal.

    "Well it''s not like I can do anything about it. This is part of the mission after all." The gamer continued as he held the [Chaos Crystals] on his hands. Using [Analysis] immediately as, it was his first time encountering the said type of material.

    [Name: Chaos Crystal]

    [Item Type: Crystal]

    [Grade: S]

    [Information: There are multiple uses to the Chaos Crystal. Aside from the fact that it holds an incredible amount of Chaos Energy within it, meeting a certain set of requirements would allow the summoning of Chaos Monsters.]

    [Information: The material could also be used in order to forge various items and equipment.]

    [Information: There are further applications that could be done with the material.]

    "Well that''s just neat now isn''t it?" Zekemented as he removed his earlier idea of selling the item right away. In fact, he was already thinking of integrating it to [Death''s Void]. Aside from this, he was also thinking of how his [Conjures] would be able to handle the material as there was no way to corrupt his summons.

    "I should begin forging as soon as we return to base." Zeke thought to himself as he opened the [Progress Bar] of the tracking on both [Quinn] and [Pier].

    "For now, I should focus on finding these two." He thought to himself, finally leaving the area and returning to ce where he initially was. Safe from any fighting andpletely hidden within a casted [Cloud of Dreams].

    Upon updating the search, he found out that [80%] of it was already cleared. At this pacing it was only a matter of time before he finished in Helios. Yet, nothing has added to his inquiries on the whereabouts of the two individuals he was looking for. Nevertheless, the gamer didn''t lose hope.

    "I may hit something with the remaining 20% so I should stay here." Zeke said, crossing his legs as he sat on the ground. With his chin resting on his fist as the elbow was rested on his leg.

    With all the events that were piling up, Zeke didn''t know where the [Blood King] fitted in the great scheme of things. In fact, all the pieces were actually in their proper pce already and Zeke only needed to clear all the conditions in order to do two things.

    One was to send the elites home by killing de. And two was for him to enter the heavenly realm after defeating Pier and whatever it was that was residing within Quinn. Everything else would naturally follow after this as Zeke already had a way to kill off at least one god before biting the dust.

    Yet, in order to do this, he needed the [Curse of the Blood King]. Making the gamer brood over the details of the rewards once again. One which gave him a hint on Chaos and the Blood King being rted somehow.

    "I hope that this blood king business is in my favor. Otherwise, I may need to sell the skill altogether." Zeke thought as he watched the progress of his [Conjures] on his [Minimap]. With the numbers on the progress bar steadily increasing.

    "Well there are other revival skills on the shop but I doubt anything would be as useful as the form that came with this skill." The gamer continued brooding over it, with the progress finally hitting [90%].

    Zeke stayed as he was for another thirty minutes. There was much confusion that surrounded his recent quest rewards but he epted this dly. He thought of how it was a [DLC] that developers would develop to a game that was alreadypleted. One which was supposed to make things even more exciting and, more often than not, the developers do seed in doing this.

    Thus, the gamer had a new goal which he needed to aplish. Aside from the ones already mentioned, he was nning to look up on the history of the blood king. How this person was rted to [Chaos] and, what implication this would have for him who wielded the skill.

    "Are you or are you not the blood king?" the words of Drakhal rang clearly on his head, sounding as clear as when the monster uttered it. Of course Zeke was still sure that he was himself and had no influence of this entity over him. But, he also thought about how this may change soon.

    [Notice: The progress has reached 100%]

    [Results: No data has been found on both Quinn and Pier.]

    "Okay, I guess that takes care of that." Zeke mentioned as the notifications took him out of his train of thought.

    The gamer brushed off the dust on his pants as he stood up. Looking back, there was never a moment on Mythos that wentpletely as he expected them to. And this [Blood King] incident is no different.

    "The only choice I have is to continue moving forward." Zeke said, with his usual carefree smile. Clicking on the teleport button which sent him back to the base.

 Chapter 226: After the First Run

    Chapter 226: After the First Run

    Zeke''s underground base had all sorts of upbeat and vibrant chatter resounding all around it as soon as Zeke returned. He figured that this was caused by the members who already returned which, would be on a room near the teleportation portal. One where they could rx after their missions while delighting themselves in the food provided in that same room.

    Zeke figured that this was a need. Well, technically, it was also a want but it inclined more on the need side. After all, everybody deserves to be pampered after a job well done and, Zeke was not going to deprive the elites of this.

    "Goodness I didn''t expect them to finish this fast." Zeke thought to himself as he walked towards the area to see who was already there.

    To the gamer''s surprise however, it was not only a few members who were there. In fact, everybody was in the said area, waiting for him. All of them were ounted for and were taking their time enjoying themselves while they told their stories of the fights they needed to go through.

    "I seem to have underestimated them once again." Zeke thought as he finally stepped in.

    As soon as he did, a certain level of silence crept all around the room. He knew why of course. They were waiting for him to tell updates on the search for Quinn, one which the gamer imed that he could aplish.

    "Master Zeke" Heron immediately approached the gamer to tell him of this but, Zeke raised his hand. Making Heron stop from what she was about to say.

    "It''s good to see that all of you are safe. We''ll have a proper discussion of the updates in a few hours so be sure to get some decent rest until then." The gamer simply said to which everybody gave their approval as Zeke went back to his quarters.

    Zeke retired to his bed soon after, closing his eyes and thinking if he should just y the quest rewards right there and then. He could just sleep and let the memory piece y because, time works slower when he is in his subconscious after all. Probably giving him enough time to finish it even before the meeting began.

    "Nah, it may take too long. There''s no definite time on these memory pieces after all." Was all that Zeke said as he heard his stomach grumble. Telling him that there were matters that needed toe first before everything that was on the top of his mind. Food.

    Hence Zeke got up from his bed, proceeding to the pantry in order to satisfy this basic bodily need. There he saw Morpheus digging in, eating on almost anything he could get his hands on. There were bones scattered everywhere and empty tes stacked up. Peelings of fruits were also all over the ce.

    "You look hungry." Zeke said which was an understatement on the amount of food that Mory was gobbling in.

    "Daddy!" The creature said as it swallowed the food on its mouth and hugged Zeke.

    The gamer couldn''t remember when he began allowing Mory to refer to him as such but, overwriting this was so hard that Zeke simply let it pass. There was no harm to it. After all it was just a word. No more no less.

    "You may just use up all of our reserves." Zeke said as he looked at the aftermath of Mory''s eating spree. One which didn''t seem to be finished quite yet.

    "Can''t be helped. I''m trying to take off the taste of all those creatures on my mouth." The [Chimera Morpher] simply said as the gamer figured how the lives of the opposing monsters ended. He then took Mory''s hold off his body as he proceeded to getting some food himself.

    "So what did you encounter on that ce exactly? Was it any difficult for you?"

    "Nah. There was nothing about it that was troublesome. Well it was at first at least but then my body began adapting to it again and I got some pretty neat new skills and body modifications."

    "Ohhh can you show me?" Zeke asked in wonder.

    Mory began by showing of the scales which Zeke saw on Drakhal. Aside from this he also saw how Mory could even raise horns on his forehead identical to those of the [Chaos Monsters]. These weren''t mere decorations as Zeke felt Mory''s power go even higher.

    This made Zeke think of the current predicament. How Morpheus seemed to be a wild card that he could use in order to shift things to his favor. Hence Zeke prodded further, thinking about this and all the possible applications to Morpheus'' skills.

    "How many of those could you raise exactly?" Zeke asked, pointing to the horns of his head.

    "Oh this? Uhmmm I could get at least three for now." Morpheus said who immediately did so. Adding two small horns on the sides of one big horn in the middle.

    With this, Zeke felt the power of the creature rise even more. It was only three horns but Zeke could estimate that Morpheus was on a level that would allow him to square off evenly against Drakhal.

    "I think I could get as much as those five horned guys. But I need to eat more of them for that. Plus. Those [Chaos Crystals] don''t get full because of this so I also held back on eating them." Morpheus said, remembering Zeke''s order of cing the [Chaos Energy] within the [Empty Chaos Crystal].

    "I see. Can you stay still for a while, I''ll just perform a quick check on your body." Zeke decided to get urate information through [Analysis]. One which he immediately ran.

    [Name: Morpheus]

    [Species: Chimera]

    [Specification: Morpher]

    [Additional Specification: Chaos Horned Beast]

    [Rank: SS+]

    [Information: Due to the nature of the ss of the beats, it could adapt even to entities that do not exist within Mythos. This includes the "Chaos Monster" which the chimera has devoured.]

    [Information: Due to the nature of the creature, it could sessfully incorporate the [Chaos] element within its body without suffering from the bacsh. This is to a certain threshold which needs to be kept in check before the creature goes berserk.]

    [Amount of Chaos Energy to be converted: 5,000/10,000]

    [Duration: 1:54:36]

    "What do you see?" Mory asked as Zeke had smile creep on his face.

    "Well there''s a lot of details here but, basically you''re one strong kid Mory." Zeke said in reply as he patted the head of the Chimera.

    "You need to eat as many as you can on the next area I deploy you to. That''d be your goal okay?" Zeke reminded the creature whose eyes seemed to shine with the instruction.

    "You really mean it? So I don''t need to hold back."

    "Of course not! You can take as much as you want and I won''t have any troubles with that. Now let''s both eat because the meeting will begin soon."

    With this the two continued to gobble down the food which they had. Zeke in particr ate a lot because, all the thinking he has done up to that point has made his body hungry. Then, he felt a presence outside the door. One which he was quite familiar with.

    "Mory why don''t you go help Heron in preparing the meeting hall?"

    "Uhmm okay I guess. I''m done with eating anyway." Mory simply said, leaving all the dirty dishes on the sink and pilling all the mess scattered on the floor to one aarea.

    "Make sure to clean this all upter okay?"

    "Yes daddy!" Mory simply said as the creature hop - skipped out of the pantry. Leaving Zeke alone which his next visitor seemed to want.

    "You cane out now Allesiah." As soon as the gamer uttered these words, Allesiah entered the room.

    He knew that, the elf wouldn''t want to be left alone with him if it wasn''t important. Thus his reason for sending off Morpheus right away.

    "You didn''t need to send him off you know." Allesiah suggested which made Zek raise one of his eyebrows.

    "Come on now. I know you better than that, the least you could do is be honest about it." Zeke simply said, getting a smile on the elf''s face. The gamer then immediately followed up.

    "So what''s up?"

    "Well remember thest mission we went to? I kinda developed another skill while we were at it." Allesiah didn''t go into details anymore. She knew that Zeke''s [Analyze] would be able to work its magic on her [Sight] abilities so, she simply activated it.

    A kind of heterochromia which made Allesiah''s pupils have different colors. And with this differentiation came [Chaos Sight] and [Mana Sight] being activated at the same time. With Allesiah''s left eye glowing a light blue color. While her other eye had nothing but darkness on it.

    There was nothing but surprise on Zeke''s face as he looked at it. In fact the gamer stood up and held Allesiah''s cheek. With his own face getting closer. As if he couldn''t believe what he was seeing.

    "This is so beautiful." Allesiah knew that the words were directed to her skill. She was certain about this. Yet, she couldn''t help but blush as Zeke was intently focused on gazing at her.

    "Uhmm"

    "Don''t move." Zekemanded. Making the elf clench both her fists as she tried her best to fight the butterflies on her stomach.

    The magic left as swiftly as it arrived. With Zeke sitting back down as did Allesiah who seemed to lose all feeling on her legs.

    "Okay. Start exining." With this, the two began the discussion. Giving the gamer more information on the possibilities of upgrades that coulde in the future.

 Chapter 227: Levels of Stregth

    Chapter 227: Levels of Stregth

    Zeke and Allesiah didn''t notice the minutes pass by. In fact, Zeke was so immersed on the exnation of Allesiah and all the possible applications of her skill that, Heron even needed to use [Voice Chat] just to remind the gamer of the schedule which they had.

    "Master." Heron began, with Zeke getting pulled back to reality.

    "Oh hey, what''s up."

    "What do you mean ''what''s up?'' We have a meeting scheduled and everyone is already here except for both you anddy Allesiah."

    "Uhmm"

    "Pleasee right now." Heron said as she dismissed themunication.

    "Well there''s that." Zeke said, sighing as the conversation she had with Allesiah needed to be cut short.

    "Should I include your new skill on the meeting and updates?" Zeke asked, thinking that the information could be vital.

    "Since when did you begin asking for permission on things like this? Whether it be for the better or for the worse, I trustpletely on your decisions Zeke." Allesiah simply said as she gave a soft smile to standing as soon as Zeke did.

    "Okay then miss Windsprite. After you?" Zeke said in reply, escorting the female elf back to the meeting hall where everyone looked at them.

    Some members of the elites were actually having wild thoughts run on their heads. While there were those of the more civilized thinking like Kaguya who knew that, there was a good reason for Zeke''s first time gettingte on the meeting. On the other side of this coin were people like Curio. One who had tears form on his eyes as he thought of how Zeke and Allesiah were a couple already.

    Then there were those who apanied the two for a longer period of time. Sylph and Heron both had their arms folded as they looked at the two  waiting in front of the meeting hall with a look of irritation and impatience written on their faces.

    They were concerned about different things altogether. With Sylph concerned about her younger sister while Heron was concerned with her master.

    "What took you so long?" they demanded almost at the same time.

    Zeke and Allesiah were taken aback as they were confused on who should answer and what they should say. In the end, it was Zeke who came up with an answer. Not taking more than two seconds worth of dy.

    "We just talked about the new skill added on Allesiah''s arsenal. Calm down will you." The gamer said in a t tone, patting them both on the shoulder.

    The look of suspicion didn''t leave on both the faces of Heron and Sylph. They knew that Zeke wasn''t one to gette on things like this. In fact, he was neverte for anything. Marking the incident as the first one and, having Allesiah included didn''t help them ease their minds.

    Nevertheless, they thought it was best for the meeting to begin. Hence, they settled for the words uttered by Zeke and sat down on their areas together with Allesiah.

    "What''s up with that?" Zeke thought as he brushed off all they did and proceeded to the meeting.

    "We''ll begin on the overall performance of everyone in this room and your overall resonance with the items and equipment I''ve made that are connected to [Chaos Energy]."

    Zeke created multiple [Statistic Windows]. All showing the details of different members of the group.

    "Personally I''m impressed by how quickly you adapted to the power spike you received through your chaos gear. But there are those that stood out among the rest of you." At this point everyone was still looking on their own [Statistic Windows].

    Each member of the elite was a bit nervous on the name that would be called by Zeke but, ultimately it was Kaguya who felt this the most. Knowing that she had a responsibility as the leader of the elites. Namely, being the strongest in order for the other elites to feel confident in battle. Knowing that they had an ace like her up their sleeve.

    The next few seconds was dead silent. Nobody dared make any sound and some members of the elites even heard the beating of their heart through their ears. This didn''tst long as Zeke finally said the names:

    "Jake and Mirio."

    The two made sounds of cheer. They did not expect to be called at all thinking that it was Kaguya. Hence this was a joyful surprise to them.

    Meanwhile, the leader of the elites was simply looking down. She was disheartened by what Zeke just said and, the gamer saw this.

    "They are the ones who got a hold of the gear quicker than the rest. Furthermore, they knew exactly how to maximize their every movement with the things that were given to them. Of course you all did well, it''s just that the statistics say they''re at least [5% - 10%] ahead of you."

    "Alright!" Jake shouted, unable to contain his happiness anymore. Zeke permitted this for another five seconds after which, he made the javelin user settle down as a crystal lit up in the room.

    "So that means we''re the strongest right?" Mirio wanted to confirm. Zeke knew exactly what was running through his head of course.

    "Well at the moment yes. But there''s another person catching up." At this even Kaguya looked up. Hoping that it was finally her turn to be called.

    "While Jake and Mirio are talented themselves, there is another individual who has continued growing each and every day. And, this means that, she would be able to overtake the two I''ve just mentioned in no time." Zeke pointed to Kaguya and, for a moment, the leader of the elite felt her heart flutter.

    "Kaguya''s power level has been showing a steady increase day by day. [20%] to be exact. Even if this does go down on the following days, the change won''t be that high. And so, the oue would inevitably be that Kaguya is stronger than all of you."

    "Is that true?" Kaguya asked, not even remembering to use the glowing crystal.

    "Now why would I lie about such important details as this?" Zeke simply replied as he continued speaking.

    "Anyway, that doesn''t mean that you can''t catch up. Even if Kaguya''s power level goes higher than anyone else, you can all improve and, I''m expecting you to." The elites all said a resounding "yes" to this.

    "As for the Heron, Morpheus, and the Windsprites, they are naturally on another level. This is especially so with Morpheus and Allesiah who''ve gotten newfound powers. Let''s begin with Morpheus." Zeke motioned for the [Chimera Morpher] toe forward which he immediately followed.

    "Morpheus has gained the ability to raise the same horns as our newly found enemies." Zeke began, with Morpheus making the demonstration.

    "These aren''t just for decoration and I''m sure you could feel it too. Morpheus has gotten stronger because of these same horns and, that isn''t the limit yet. He could probably reach until the level of the six horned monsters."

    "Wait hold up. There are five and six horned monsters?" This was asked by Amare as soon as she made her crystal glow.

    "Yes, you see on the dark areas the main enemies are the five horns. Meanwhile on the darker areas, the boss monsters are the six horns."

    "How strong are those exactly?"

    "A five horned monster is basically as strong as two four horned monstersbined. Although that is not the end of it. I''m guessing that these five horned monsters are capable of speech am I right?" Zeke nced at the Windsprites who both nodded.

    "That means that they also have a certain level of intelligence which is dangerous when coupled with the amount of power they hold. At the moment I can''t risk sending you individually to the ck areas although, after we clear out all the red ones, I''d be sending you there by team." With this one more crystal glowed. This time from Kaguya.

    "So how about the six horns? How strong are they exactly?"

    "Oh don''t get me started. Even without them being put to consideration, the monsters on the darkest areas are well organized. They have levels of hierarchy and duties seemed to be given to every type of horned beasts." Zeke created a hologram on the screen, showing the terrain and the positioning of the monsters during Zeke''s fight.

    "As for the six horned monsters, I''ve tried fighting them without relying on my conures. This is to have a better assessment of their overall capabilities in a fight and, all I can say is that, even the Windsprites would have a hard time dealing with them." Zeke then looked at the said elves and corrected himself.

    "Well, one of them might be able to do better at least." This time it was Allesiah who stood up and, even before Zeke told her to, the elf activated the dual sight skill.

    "What is that?" Amaremented, also gifted with a certain level of vision.

    "This is abination of both [Mana Sight] and [Chaos Sight]. Through this Allesiah is able to cancel out both and, manipte both. Hence her enemies would not be able to cast skills on her as long as she remains focused on their locations." With this Allesiah sat down again, releasing the skill.

    "That is as far as the data goes on your current quest. As for mine, I''ve already finished searching the Dwarven Continent and, unfortunately, I''ve found no luck on gathering any data on our targets." The elites all looked down after hearing this. Of course they knew that the search would also take time but some part of them wanted to believe that Zeke could finish it in one go.

    "Nevertheless that''s one continent down. Meaning I''d be able to finish all [Continents] in a matter of four days. And, within that interval, we will being face to face with our main adversary."

    "What about the other [Continents] then? Aren''t we going to assist them as well."

    "Of course we would. Actually, tomorrow you''d be sent to Elysium. Then to Mithril. Then to Rak''shan. We''d minimize the amount of [Chaos Energy] per [Continent]. This would help in preventing our enemy from pinning us down while also adding in Pier''s confusion."

    "Is there anything else?" Zeke waited for further questions as every detail has been gone through. Except for his [Blood King] quest which he nned to begin right after the meeting.

    "We''re done for now. Take some time and rest."

 Chapter 228: Blood, Order, and Chaos I

    Chapter 228: Blood, Order, and Chaos I

    [Alert: You have chosen the yable item "Integrated Memory Piece"]

    [Do you wish to use the item now?]

    [Yes/No]

    [Yes]

    [Understood]

    [Synchronizing data together with the System Updates]

    [Please wait for a few seconds]

    [The events on the memory piece will now begin.]

    Thend of Gaia.

    This is where Zekended into and, just like every other [Memory Piece], he was like an apparition. Watching everything unfold from a third person''s point of view. Seeing every detail which even some characters of the story were not aware of.

    Zeke was already used to the [Memory Pieces] beginning with something violent. Either with revolt or with war. With deaths and violence and the hues of red surrounding the area. Yet, what he witnessed at that moment was even worse.

    One where corpses adorned the grounds. Flesh rotted at every corner and no form of life seemed to thrive except for those of the maggots, worms, flies and ants that feasted on top of these empty vessels. Their blood soaked the earth  with the trees sipping out of the nutrients they provide.

    Then there were the loud cries of war resounding all around. There were beating drums and stomping ofrge animals. There were arrows slicing though the winds and des shing against one another. There were pleas for mercy while there were also wails of regret.

    [The revolt on the Capital of Elysium]

    [The Thousand Year War]

    These [Memory Pieces] paled inparison to that moment. Yet the gamer did not let this affect him. With [Gamer''s Mind] always active, there was no emotion that Zeke felt. For he was only a spectator. No more. No less.

    Hence, he focused intently on the corpses. Through these rotting vessels, Zeke observed that there were at least three factions present.

    There were certain linings that went with the colors of the armor. White. ck. Red. The type of lining always went with the color of the armor. Adding to this was a certain distinction that the red armored soldiers had:

    Among the three mentioned, only the red - armored soldiers were monsters.

    The scene then shifted to a location which seemed to be owned by the red faction. There were barriers set up all around and, lookouts were also stationed. This seemed to be the base of operation because, arge number of faction members were running towards it.

    "Fall back for now!" These words weremanded by a seven horned monster. She had a mage robe on and, had a striking simrity to humans. She had silver white hair which was ties to a braid and, eyes that seemed to be owned by a demon.

    The gamer had no way of assessing her real strength but, with just the horns itself, he knew that she was trouble. Yet she was not the only one who had the said number of horns.

    One more creature towering at an amazing eight feet in height entered the territory. The monster had blood stains all over his armor. Ones which weren''t even that recognizable as the crimson color of the said gear seemed to absorb these.

    The monster then removed its helmet as soon as it came close to the seven  horned female. And, unlike the aforementioned, the gigantic seven horned looked simr to a finely aged orc champion. From the de which the creature held, Zeke knew that this being went into far more battle than he ever had.

    "Where is the King Selena?" The creature asked, with a with a voice that sounded almost out of breath. The creature was panting heavily, suggesting how it must have been fighting for a long time and was only having its rest at the moment.

    "Still recovering. The bout against both Monarchs of Order and Chaos has drained a lot from him." The female seven horned named Selena said in reply.

    "Dammit!" The gigantic seven horned mmed his fist to the wall. This would have crumbled if not for Selena seemingly casting a spell on it.

    "To think that they''d resort to such cowardly tactics when our king requested for a fair duel!" The creature continued.

    "Calm down now Aeros. He''s far from dead and you should know that better than anyone else in this army." Selena said in reply to the creature who suddenly touched one of his horns. One which Zeke realized was probably connected to the said king.

    Their moment was cut short by the sound of the earth trembling. Yes. It was not only a sensation of their body but also something which was so intense that they even heard it. There was a rumbling that went closer and closer to where they were and, with this were the screams of the monsters that have not yet entered the safe zone. Getting killed by sts of both light and dark color.

    "They arrived earlier than I expected." Selena said as her eyes began to glow a dark red color.

    With every st that came, the gamer noticed a pained expression on her face. This made the gamer realize that, she was probably the one responsible for setting up and maintaining the barrier. And that, although it was strong, the spell was somewhat connected to her body.

    "I need to head back out." Aeros was about to leave when a barrier came up in front of him. One which was set up by Selena whose arm extended out of her robe. Revealing bandages that covered itpletely.

    "Don''t be a fool, you are not the only aide trusted by our lord."

    "Am I really the bigger fool at this moment?" Aeros said in reply, looking at the arm of Selena which was quickly hidden by the female seven - horned.

    "We have our orders. That''s all I have to say to you Aeros." The two exchanged stares until the gigantic seven - horned finally sighed.

    "Don''t get yourself killed. He''d probably storm both armies by himself if you do." Aeros said as he finally proceeded within the camp.

    "I know." Was all that Selena said as the battle continued. With the scene shifting once again and, this time, showing someone wearing ck armor.

    "Are you sure that he''s hiding here?" The man said which Zeke assumed to be the general of the group.

    The man stood firmly, with arms folded below his chest as his left pointing finger tapped on his elbow. This meant that he was running out of patience. One which Zeke did not understand why of course as he has just arrived at the scene.

    Zeke didn''t know whom this man was talking to. That is, until the general''s shadow moved - with a person exiting it.

    "Lord Paimon confirmed this using his Chaos Sight. Our Monarch is not so stupid as to mistake such vital information." The person said in a t and distant tone.

    "Bah! It''s not my lord but yours. Do not lump me in together with your fanatic bunch." The general said in reply and, it was at this point that Zeke was starting to get a better understanding of the situation.

    "I serve only lord Vask. And it is only under his orders that I have rallied my men here." The general furthered.

    "But of course. And I assume you understand what would happen to your Lord should you fail to deliver on this mission." The informant said, with a fox - like slyness in his tone. One which Zeke almost mistook to be de''s

    "Tsk." Was the only sound that came out of the general''s lips. Showing his obedience but hating every bit of it.

    "Farewell general."

    The general waited for a few seconds. He simply stood there with an ominous silence around him and, when he was sure that the informant has truly left, he continued:

    "Lord Vask will deal with all of you soon. Just you wait."

    Zeke was then transported to the other camp. This time it was the white ds. He was sent to the camp where dragons surrounded the area as they fired balls of white mes. Yet, unlike the first two scenery, what weed him there was not a general.

    It was a Monarch.

    [Name: Jurior Liberia]

    [Category: Monarch]

    [Information: ???]

    It was the first time that Zeke encountered it. One where the [Analysis] suddenly activated and showed him the data although he was not really there. It didn''t sit right with Zeke but he simply let the moment pass. Thinking that this event would probably help him in better understanding something which has not yet arrived at Mythos.

    The female monarch had her eyes closed. She had a fairplexion which matched well with her aqua blue hair. This same being sat patiently on a makeshift throne as a soldier entered her room. One who kneeled immediately with the helmet being removed. Showing a female warrior who also seemed to be the general of the Monarch.

    "The n is moving as nned my liege. We are slowly advancing and those monsters have been forced back to their base. The only thing in our way is the barrier set up by the Immortal Witch. But even that could notst forever."

    "Good. I do hate such underhanded methods as this but, those filthy Monarchs of Chaos were the ones to initiate it anyway." She said in reply.

    "Yes my liege. We anticipate that the barrier would be shattered a few hours from now. After that, all the cursed lives of those monsters will be ended." The general said as Jean got up from her throne.

    "But before thatwe seem to have a peeping tom in this room." The goddess opened her eyes and, it was at this point that Zeke understood why he could see her stats.

    It was because she could feel his presence. In fact, it was more like she could see him and this made Zeke''s whole body freeze momentarily. Forcing the [Memory Piece] to end with the gamer waking up in cold sweat.

 Chapter 229: Blood, Order, and Chaos II

    Chapter 229: Blood, Order, and Chaos II

    [Alert: Due to the interference of a foreign entity, Memory Piece has broken down.]

    [Information: The system requires a few minutes to fix all the damage on the Memory Piece before ying could be resumed.]

    [Information: An additional incognito feature and vanguard would be added in order to shield the events from being cancelled once again. This will cost some of the Chaos Points earned by now.]

    These were the notifications that came out as soon as Zeke sprang up from his bed. He felt his whole body sore and, for some reason, there was a lingering sensation all over his body. One which put it on high alert as the enemy may still be looking at him.

    "How the hell was that even possible?" Zeke thought as he remembered everything clearly. How he unmistakably saw the [Monarch of Order] named Jean look at him.

    Although this was an unfortunate event, Zeke was still able to get something out of it. Namely, the knowledge of their enemies being called [Monarchs] and that, there are two types of these. With one being present within Mythos to a certain extent as Pier was manipting it.

    Instead of brooding over what Jean did, Zeke began putting the piece together based on what he already knew.

    "There''s probably someone on the Chaos Faction who has the same skill. I believe that Paimon fellow would be a perfect fit based on how the general and the informant spoke of him."

    The gamer looked at the timer on the repair. He nned to go back as soon as it finished but his stomach began grumbling. Making the gamer fetch a quick snack from the pantry while he continued thinking about the details.

    "Another thing that''s notable about the other [Monarch of Chaos] mentioned was that, he also had Chaos Sight." Zeke said as he sliced some meat and cooked it with the mes of the [Fire God].

    "Allesiah''s version is probably on the initial levelspared to that." He furthered as he went back to his room. He didn''t want to get dyed by anyone suddenly entering the area because he still needed to finish the [Memory Piece].

    "Now what I need to know is just how many of these [Monarchs] exist. How they gain their powers and, who among them have entered Mythos."

    Zeke had no control over where the [Memory Piece] would take him. Hence, he needed to observe carefully and watch every word being uttered as well as every motion being made. This was the only way for him to gain more from the limitations of his [Quest reward]. One which finally gave updates that popped up in front of Zeke.

    [Notice: The necessary repairs have been made.]

    [Notice: The additional safeguards have been ced over the said "Memory Piece"]

    [Notice: In order to avoid any sudden interference once again, no data will be shown about the Monarch name Jean.]

    "Well that''s a relief. At least I''m sure that I won''t be going back there anymore." The gamer thought to himself as hey on his bed. Closing his eyes and falling to sleep immediately.

    [Notice: Due to the deletion of the Monarch Jean from the "Memory Piece",pensating shards have been added. Continuing from the save point will transport the gamer to the next part of the Memory.]

    [Will you proceed?]

    [Yes/No]

    [Yes.]

    [Understood]

    [Synchronizing data together with the System Updates]

    [Please wait for a few seconds]

    [The events on the Memory Piece will now continue.]

    Zeke was back to a scene of battle once again. Yet this time he was overlooking the whole scene on the top of a hill; with the focus being on the general of the [Chaos] faction.

    This time however, the said general was riding on a ck mount that seemed like abination of a dragon and a horse. With its frame being simr to that of the aforementioned creature while scales, wings and the tail of a dragon were also on it.

    The general looked at the scenery before him with a displeased expression. One which Zeke understood why as he also shifted his gaze to the same direction. He didn''t know the amount of time that has passed on the fight but, the barrier was still up. The same one set up by Selena whom the enemies referred to as the [Immortal Witch].

    [Choose which location you wish to be ced on.]

    [Alongside the general]

    [The frontlines of the battle]

    Zeke chose thetter of the two. It was the first time that such a notification showed up. Something which was convenient for Zeke who was curious about the general''s temperament.

    A pile of corpses mounted up just outside the barrier. This was a collection of all the soldiers who have fallen from the fight. The gamer witnessed how this happened as, soldiers from the faction of both [Chaos] and [Order] tried to climb these, only to fail as they get shot down by artillery forces of the monsters.

    It was a well-orchestrated attack. One which made use of the numbers of the enemies to their advantage. However, this didn''t stop most of the soldiers from being able to pass through. With the footmen exploding as soon as they came in contact with the barrier. Meanwhile, there were also long range units. Catapults, mages, and dragons. All attacking the barrier from a distance.

    Zeke heard the earth tremble from every attack. In fact, he could even hear a certain level of cracking on the barrier while this went on. Yet, the monsters weren''t fazed and the gamer knew why.

    "Hold your ground men! It won''t be long before our king recoverspletely!"

    Aeros stood at the entrance of this area, just a few centimeters away from the barrier itself. His gigantic ymore had its tip touching the ground while its hilt was being held at the palm of the seven horned. Aeros seemed to be there to boost the morale of those fighting in the front lines while also making the opponents weary of his presence.

    While this urred, Zeke saw a soldier run up to the [Chaos General]. Hence the gamer decided to change location once again. Returning to the side of the said individual who immediately spoke.

    "Can you please exin to me why it''s taking us such a long time to destroy that barrier?" The chaos generalmented. With his impatience clearly manifesting from the tone of his voice.

    "It''s no use sir. Their mages and archers are firing on our men  decreasing our forces which has the same effect on the amount of damage we continually make."

    At this, the general gave a stern look to the soldier. He went down his mount and proceeded to walk near the reporting soldier.

    It was evident that he was going to get punched. The [Chaos General] even made a huge wind up in order for the soldier to know what woulde next. But, the soldier didn''t dare move. The implication of the actions was evident to the gamer.

    Zeke somehow knew that, if the soldier dodged or tried to move away then execution may follow. This was the only reasonable exnation as to why a soldier would stay as he was on that situation. And, knowing this, the [Chaos General] made sure that all his intentions would be figure out. Sending scenarios to the head of the poor soldier before the hit was even made.

    "Grit your teeth." The [Chaos General] ordered. The only action which the soldier ever made as the punch finally came.

    It was in no way a weak blow. The soldier was dropped to the ground as the front of his face received the full impact of the punch. With blooding out of his nose soon after as he stayed where he was. However, the punishment didn''t end here as the general kicked the face of the soldier; with blood being sprayed on the ground.

    "Do you take me for a fool?" The general said, sounding near a point of rage.

    "I-I am sorry sir." The soldier said in reply. Shaky in his voice as the sensation of pain gave him this instinctive response.

    "No you are not. Being apologetic could only happen if you know what you are saying sorry for." The [Chaos General] continued; adding to the punishment dealt. This time kicking the face of the solider once again which began showing discoloration of violet hues.

    "Let me make this clear. We were told of how some resistance may be put up by the enemies. We all were even before this mission began!"

    "What I''m asking you is why three hours from the estimated time have already passed and yet we have yet to clear our objective!" The [Chaos General] kicked the soldier three more times before he was finally satisfied.

    "I-I am sorry sir." The soldier repeated.

    "Ahh now that is a proper apology." Was all that the [Chaos General] said as he looked at the mission once again. Giving the soldier a few seconds to get back up before issuing his orders.

    "Tell our men that backing away is not an option. If those bloody monsters couldst this long in the defensive then we''ll just keep pressing them with force until they break."

    "Understood sir." The soldier said in reply. As if the whole painful ordeal did not even ur.

    "Master Vask will have the head of that self-proimed king served on a tter."

 Chapter 230: Blood, Order, and Chaos III

    Chapter 230: Blood, Order, and Chaos III

    Just as the [Chaos Commander] ordered, the soldiers were continuing to pursue the offensive against the forces of the [Blood King]. The earth around them continued to shake as the continuous bombardment of attacks rained down. Both from the defensive and the offensive side.

    Of course this included the faction of [Order]. They were doing their best in keeping up with the aggressive advance of [Chaos] soldiers. After all, even with this alliance formed, Zeke somehow knew that the joint forces weren''t necessarily allies.

    This was proven by the fact that there was a thin line dividing the two; one which they didn''t cross. This idea of Zeke was solidified even further soon as the [General of Order] issued amand.

    "We cannot allow those filthy beings from chaos outperforming us! Show them what you can do!" The [General of Order] shouted, which was responded to by the screams of the soldiers.

    Zeke was patiently waiting for the main event tomence. Just like every other memory piece which he has used, there would be one key point to the events. One which would also prove to be crucial for his missions.

    It was at this point that Zeke saw an owlnd on the shoulder of the [General of Order]. The owl had four wings instead of just two and, it was muchrger than the regr size of the said animal. On it was an engraved symbol and, as soon as the general touched this, rune like symbols entered the general''s head.

    There was a short moment of pause after this happened. Zeke understood that this must''ve been Jean''s way ofmunicating with her general despite being far from the battle herself. He didn''t know why Jean didn''t go and help personally. But he somehow guessed that it may be caused by two likely factors.

    One is that she may somehow die by doing so. While the other factor had something to do with diplomacy and customs.

    While thinking about these things, the general finally began making her move. She had a smile on her face with victory written all over it. Suggesting that the battle may end really soon.

    "There is a change of ns. Mages search the barrier for area that seemed to be modified! It seems that our dear witch has been ying us all along." This was the only hint which Zeke had on the events. He himself had no [Chaos Sight] nor [Order Sight] so he couldn''t see whatever it was that they were looking for.

    Thus the gamer changed his position once again. This time going back within the barrier to put the pieces of the clues together.

    It didn''t take him long to find what it was that he came there for. In the middle of what seemed to be gigantic magical circle was the so called [Immortal Witch] Selena. The spell marks were glowing in a bright blood red color while there were multiple points at its edges. Positioned there were mages which all had four horns on their heads.

    "Remember that every movement you make also decreases the amount of energy you have. Stay still if you wish to contribute more." This was the order uttered by Selena that did just this. It was only her lips that moved when giving this reminder. Other than that, she seemed to be a statue. Unmoving and unflinching.

    Just from looking at it, Zeke knew that it was a difficult ordeal to be in. The mages themselves all look to be properly trained yet, even they were having a hard time keeping up with Selena.

    This was the reason why the barrier wasn''t going down. All this time the enemies have thought that it was only the [Immortal Witch] who was capable of putting up the barrier. And they were right of course. Theplexity of her barrier makes it difficult for anyone else to meddle with it, let alone add to its strength.

    That is why the mages were simply channeling all of their energy to Selena. The [Witch] served as a type of conductor  receiving all of the energy as she in turn poured it all out on the barrier.

    This cheat move did note without a price. Zeke saw this in the form of blood spurting out of Selena''s bandages from time to time.

    The witch was bathed in crimson, with a pool of her own blood on the ground beneath her. Yet she still continued performing the spell. Zeke was amazed of course but, he was even more amazed by whoever the original Blood King was. For being able to make subordinates out of such incredible creatures to the point that they would willingly put their lives on the line in order to protect him.

    "I could at least sustain this for another hour or so. Everything else would be up to Aeros at that point." Selena thought to herself which Zeke was able to hear thanks to the [Memory Piece].

    The barrier was not going down anytime soon. This was the point of view of the [Blood King''s] forces. Yet outside, the attacking forces were already plotting something in order to shatter it altogether.

    [An event has taken ce outside the barrier. The gamer will be transported to the area immediately.]

    "Hold your fire until I tell you to." This order was issued by both Generals of Order and Chaos. They had what seemed to be a more advanced type of weaponry.Ones which continuously gathered the energy around them to an extent that even Zeke could see it.

    The monsters seemed to notice this because they started aiming their shots at the said artillery weapon. This proved to be a futile attempt as barriers came up, shielding the weapons and the generals that stood near them.

    It was only at this point that the soldiers were allowed to retreat. Clearly the reason for this was that they weren''t supposed to be needlessly sacrificed as the shots get fired. And because of this action, it was easy enough for Zeke to figure out just how strong the attack was and howrge its area of effect would be.

    The generals looked at each other sternly. They didn''t exchange words but it seemed like their eyes weremunicating somehow. This was likely to be the case as the [Chaos General] opened up what seemed to bemunication broadcasting spell. With his voice reaching up to the barrier as soon as he began speaking.

    "The weapons you see before you are called particle cannons. They syphon all the energy around the area and condense it into a small space. This is then amplified upon released. I won''t go into details of how it works because it would be best to simply show you."

    Two sts were fired right away. This covered the whole area and reached the barrier immediately. A blinding sh of light apanied by a mass of darkness covered the barrier. It looked a lot like a hydro cannon hitting a wall, with its power shaking the earth so badly that some soldiers even dropped to the ground as they lost bnce.

    Indeed it was a powerful attack but, as expected, the barrier was able to withstand the blow. For a moment though, Zeke saw it thin out to the point of breaking. Only to thicken once again. It was at this point that the general spoke once again.

    "Now I know what you are thinking. The interval of the shots is too far off and that barrier of yours would be able to hold out. But you see, we''ve figured out the trick you''ve been using."

    The general didn''t waste time. Two more shots followed. These were weaker than the first ones as they did not have time to gather that much energy but, as they made contact with the barrier something unexpected happened.

    The shots went through.

    The [Chaos General] had a smirk on his face at this point. Firing three more times in rapid session which produced the same effects. Parts of the barrier shattered over and over again. Showing no resistance over the half-charged bullets of the particle cannons.

    At this point Zeke was automatically transported back to the camp of the monsters. This was a good thing because he also wished to know the amount of damage sustained by the monsters. And also, the move they''d make against such powerful weapons.

    "Damn they figured it out already!" Aeros eximed in annoyance.

    Themanding monster ced his helmet back on and prepared to make his move. All round him were the rubble left by the said attack. Some unfortunate monsters got caught in the st, leaving them unrecognizable as pieces of flesh and meat scattered like the fallen chunks of rocks.

    Behind him were the soldiers who were mostly wounded. Nevertheless, these creatures were also prepared to fight once again. This was going against the [Blood King''s]mands but Aeros didn''t mind. He wanted to protect his king at all cost. In fact, he and his men were almost outside the barrier when the [Chaos General] spoke once again.

    "Let''s not add to the bodies of those who have already fallen. We all know who''d win at this point. Just give us that mortal you''ve been calling as your lord and everything will end peacefully. We''ll give you five minutes and I''ll leave the other end of themunication spell for you to reply."

    "No." This was the immediate response of Aeros.

    "Oh? You didn''t even take a second to form that on your puny brain I see."

    "You may belittle us. Enve us. Use us as game to hunt and torture. But you will not have our king!"

    "OOOHHH!" The screams of the monsters behind Aeros soon followed. All agreeing with this idea.

    Two more shots from the cannon came at this point. And this time around Aeros himself dealt with the blow as he went just outside the barrier. He erged his sword using [Chaos Energy], deflecting the st altogether yet also greatly wounding him.

    "There is no negotiation to be made. There will be nothing but blood for our king!"

 Chapter 231: Blood, Order, and Chaos IV

    Chapter 231: Blood, Order, and Chaos IV

    [Zeke''s PoV will bepletely disregarded on the following parts of Blood, Order, and Chaos. I forgot to put it on the author''s note on thest chapter. Thank you and enjoy!]

    The fight would''ve ended even before it had started. With the weapon being used by the enemies, it was only a matter of time before the forces of the [Blood King] got wiped out in a single attack. Yet, there was a problem encountered as the weapon finally heated up.

    "Well it seems that didn''t work out well for us." The [General of Chaos] mentioned as he looked at smoke that wasing out from both machines.

    The [Particle Cannon], although strong and potent, was not perfected just yet. Due to its nature of forcefully extracting energy and then amplifying this intorge bursts, its frame could not hold out for long. Meaning, there was only a certain threshold that could be reached before it got destroyedpletely.

    Of course the monsters did not know this. That was why the [Generals] were betting on the chances that they would give up. Seeing how they were able to pierced through the barrier in theirst attacks.

    "Thest one would''ve chucked arge part of it off if not for that pesky seven horned monster." The general continued, thinking how this was wasted because of Aeros'' antics.

    Yet this also meant that there would not be much energy left on the said monster. Blocking such an attack required an extreme amount of energy to be depleted. This would be coupled by a huge strain being ced on the body.

    "Gather our soldiers and give them the fight that they want." The general mentioned, tasting victory already.

    "Understood sir!"

    "These weapons would be able to generate onest fully charged st at the very least and I''m sure that would be enough to take them all out."

    "But sirwhat about our men?"

    "Does it look like I care what happens to you? Just do as I say before I decide to personally deliver you to the afterlife of Gaia." The general furthered.

    "Y-yes sir!" This was the immediate response of the soldier who scurried back to the ranks.

    It was the endgame at this point. They were finally going to get rid of the [Blood King] for all of the gue and misfortune that he created all over Gaia. This was the thought that ran on both of the generals'' heads. Feeling proud of the fact that it was their forces that got deployed to the said fight.

    This wasrgely due to their respective [Monarchs]; Jean and Vask. The two were not only prodigies of their own factions. They were also the most well spoken off and, although both were rtively new, their radical ideas and their steady development was something to look out for. After all, they were slowly going up the ranks, with even the [High Monarch] of both [Order] and [Chaos] beginning to fear them.

    This is the reason why their forces were the ones deployed on the mission. Aside from wanting to assess the strength of the said prodigies, the [Monarchs] wanted nothing more than for the operation to fail. This would greatly reduce the amount on infantry which both houses could produce and would ultimately flunk them back to the twelfth seat of both factions.

    The generals knew this of course and were not going to allow such a thing to happen. Hence both began with their battle cries. Deciding to personally join the fight themselves and put their lives on the line.

    "For Lady Jean!"

    "For Lord Vask!"

    The fighting thusmenced once again. There was the steady march of all the soldiers while artillery shots were being fired. Some meleebatants thus down even before getting a single sh in. And thissted for a few more minutes until, they finally shed.

    Aeros went in the front lines destroying the poor soldiers which only took him a single swing from his might [Harbinger]. This was a short-lived experience as two figures jumped in on him; forcing Aeros to go in the defensive immediately as a powerful long-range attack came. This attack was coupled by a huge swing of a ymore.

    "Well it seems that you aren''t just decorative forces after all."Aerosmented, seeing his opponents to finally be the generals themselves.

    "And you don''t seem like all that the soldiers have cut you out to be." The [General of Order]mented.

    "Although you''ll soon die, allow us the pleasure of introducing ourselves." The [General of Chaos] furthered.

    "I am Kleo Razis, the firstmanding general of the forces of Lord Vask." The male general said, wielding the ymore with only a single hand.

    "I am Silica rte, the firstmanding general of the forces of Lady Jean." The female general followed up. Wielding aposite bow that relied on [Order Energy] to create the arrows.

    Aeros was already tired from all that he performed for the battle. Yet he didn''t let this exhaustion show. Speaking in the same authoritative tone, with a voice that seemed toe from the depths of the seas itself.

    "I am the King of the Seas: Aeros Riptide and I assure you, once we are done, even your bones will be unrecognizable."

    The sh continued immediately. With gusts of wind being released that killed the soldiers nearby. These weren''t even skill shots yet, they were enough to wound those foolish enough to get near.

    It is said that warriors have a sharper sense of danger because of the countless times they get close to death. And at that moment death was not only flickering but instead oozing where this battle was ongoing. Hence, little by little, an area got created where Aeros and the two generals were fighting.

    There was a basic survival instinct telling them that, if they stepped in or if they got too close, then they were sure to die. Flesh scattered all around them and screams followed as those that were toote to get away have been caught in the furious exchange of attacks.

    "Not too shabby for a monster." The Kleomented, swinging his de once again in such a swift motion that his weapon would be mistaken to weigh as much as a stick.

    Yet its weight did not lie. And with the velocity of the said attack, Aeros was forced to go in the defensive as he blocked the blows. The ground he was stepping on gut crushed as he was being buried by the rapid session that seemed to know no end.

    Yet this was not the end of his problems. Silica made a way for her arrows to hit him from time to time. Although the creature''s senses were sharpened enough to the point that he could see these attacksing, there was no way to dodge if his movements were also being limited.

    "You talk more than the whores that visit me at night!" Aeros taunted, finally finding the momentum he was looking for.

    It was toote for Kleo to understand the danger he was in as the [King of the Seas] made one upward swing. The only thing which Kleo was able to do was block with his de  inevitably sending him flying. Aeros did not let go of this momentum and continued his advance.

    "Hydro sh!" Arge wave of water came blocking the arrows that went for him.

    This was a quick attack directed at Silica who was forced to back away further. Yet space was being limited by the soldiers who were also in the way.

    "You don''t seem to be an expert in close rangebat." Aeros said, surprising the opponent with his quick movements despite hisrge frame. He was already within striking range, with all of Silica''s blind spots being exposed.

    The monster was forced to back away however as he felt danger closing in. With the [Chaos General]ing down in a piercing motion, being able to destroy the helmet of the monster as the slice was able to connect.

    "Gravity bind!" Kleo followed, making Aeros stop in his tracks momentarily. Enough for Kleo to close in as he distorted the space in between him and the creature; shing right away which Aeros was not able to fully block. This resulted in his arm getting torn off.

    This was followed through by quick arrows that pierced the armor on his knees. Making the monster drop to the ground as even its eyes were hit with much precision of the arrows. At this point he was forced to go in the defensive once again.

    "Even before you gave your title, we''ve already known what they call you." Kleo began as he tried to destroy the [Hydro Barrier] set up by Aeros.

    "You''ve been living a solitary life in the depths of the seas, onlying out when there were those foolish enough to try and challenge you. Or so the voyagers say." It was Silica''s turn this time. Trying out one charged arrow which was still blocked by the barrier.

    "You should have stayed that way because, you would''ve been able to prevent this oue. Land is no ce for a hideous creature like you."

    Aeros was unable to make any counter attack anymore. His barrier was slowly but surely getting trimmed down by the two generals and so, he created water clones. Fighting on his behalf as he tried sustaining the barrier even longer.

    "We know that all your skills are weaker onnd. That''s why you''re simply a bit stronger than those six horned. So why don''t you do yourself a favor and die peacefully? We promise that your king would be following soon enough."

    These words triggered Aeros. He stood up releasing a massive amount of [Chaos Energy] and, in the process, also shattered his own de. Huge waves of water soon came, pushing the generals away and preventing much movement.

    "Peacefully you say? There is no peace for me until the waters of the seas are being disturbed by the likes of you." Kleo didn''t wait for whatever form the attack was going to make. He distorted space once again, thrusting his sword on the heart of Aeros. However, to his surprise, the monster held his wrist. Refusing to go down.

    "Let go you filthy creature! Let go!"

    "Everyone who goes to the seas either see me as a threat or see me as an adversary. It is only my king who has ever tried to negotiate with me and he did not lie for the currents of the waters were calm as he spoke. The only peace I''ll ever find is when my King has ruled Gaia"

    "You speak of him so benevolently but he''s just a Kalista who turned into a monster! Now let go!"

    At this point Silica did the unexpected. She began charging an attack to take them both down. Kleo felt this and knew that it was the right choice so, he continued increasing gravity. Preventing both him and Aeros from getting away.

    "Let''s end this!" Aeros demanded as Silica finally fired her arrow.

 Chapter 232: Blood, Order, and Chaos V

    Chapter 232: Blood, Order, and Chaos V

    There were a lot of things happening in the battlefield all at once. Aside from the fact that Aeolus and the twomanders were about to end each other''s lives, the [Particle Cannon] was also nearing its full charge. In fact, it would probably take a few seconds after the fight of the generals in order for it to fire.

    Selena would''ve poured all her remaining mana including her life force into the barrier just so it coulddefend against the said attack but, something unfortunate happened. A figure came down from the skies, with gigantic wings that resembled that of a raven''s.

    As soon as hended on the ground every spell being casted was nullified immediately. This included the waters of Aeros and the skills of the generals.

    With this reset Aeros was also able to activate an effect. The water he released got turned into a sort of healing spell. Restoring him back to full health in a matte of seconds as even his body parts were restored. Yet this did note without a price.

    The monster was out of [Energy] to use. Relying on nothing more than his physical prowess for the remainder of the fight. Kleo and Silica backed away from him because of the creature that just arrived.

    It was the [Monarch] who faced the [Blood King] in a duel and lost. The same [Monarch] who''s pride got deeply hurt because of the said event and, could not find no rest until he finished the [Blood King] himself. Bearing the title of the [War Monarch of Chaos], Pilliade joined the fight.

    "This is going to be rough." Aerosmented as the [Monarch] stood like he owned the whole battlefield.

    "WHERE IS ALEXANDER! GIVE HIM TO ME NOW BEFORE I TURN THIS WHOLE BATTLEFIELD TO ASHES!" This demand was followed up by the ck mes of the [Monarch]. It had simr effects to the mes of [The One Who Cheated Death] with the only difference being, he could burn spells. A feat he performed a few seconds ago when hended in the middle of the battlefield.

    "This is not good, how is he already awake?" Kleomented, thinking about how the same [Monarch] was left in a state nearma. This was how badly beaten up he was in the duel against the [Blood King].

    "Lady Jean will not be pleased with this." Were the thoughts that ran on Silica''s head. Knowing her master to execute anyone that dared go against thews.

    "ARE YOU ALL DEAF! I FUCKING ASKED WHERE THAT INSECT IS!" The [Monarch] was in a state where he was danger to both foe and ally.

    Some of the monsters were foolish enough to try and attack him. This ended in their bodies instantaneously catching mes. They weren''t the only ones however as the monarch burned everything he could see.

    Pilliade was known to be the cruelest among the [Chaos Monarchs] and also the most barbarically primitive. In fact, he was the perfect example of what [Chaos] should be. He did not take sides and only ever cared about bring ruination to those around him.

    Kleo and Silica knew this. That''s why they decided to run away as soon as the [Monarch] began his advance. They knew that anything they say or do can be used against them. Yet they weren''t even able to get that far off as the [Monarch] took notice of them. Grabbing them both by the neck and raising them up.

    "You aremanding officers, aren''t you? Why didn''t you answer me when I asked?"

    Both generals couldn''t make a response as the [Monarch] gripped onto their necks tightly. Air was slowly running out as they iled their bodies around. And, it was only at the point near death when the monarch decided to let go of the two.

    "Don''t even try anything funny. I may be wounded but my senses are as sharp as ever." Pilliade said; talking to Aeros who did as the [Monarch] told while also thinking of a way to get out of the situation.

    "Now, I do believe that I did not crush your vocal cords so you could still speak. Please exin to me why you tried running away."

    "W-we are sorry your lordship. We feared that we''d get caught in the mes." Kleo said as this was the most reasonable exnation he coulde up with. Silica on the other hand only bowed her head, as it was not her ce to talk to a [Monarch of Chaos].

    "THAT WAS THE WHOLE FUCKING POINT YOU DUMBASS!" Pilliade kicked Kleo so hard that the general''s consciousness slipped away for a split second.

    "Be grateful that you are both [Generals] of those cheeky [Monarchs] otherwise I''d have no problem burning you down." He continued, looking at the [sma Cannons] which he immediately burned down just by staring at them.

    The cannons exploded immediately. Killing all the soldiers who were stationed on the said area as the earth trembled even greater than before.

    "I''d have none of that sissy shit in this fight." He furthered, referring to the [Particle Cannons].

    "Return to your quarters and don''t you dare rally your men out of this ce. I''ll burn everything down until I''ve cooled off." The [Monarch]manded. With both generals doing as they were told.

    "Now as for you, let''s have a little talk shall we?" Pilliade began making his way to Aeros.

    The seven horned knew him quite well. After all, he was watching together with Selena when their king fought both [The Chaos Monarch of War] and the [Order Monarch of Discipline]. Even from that angle when he wasn''t directly fighting, he was already having a hair-raising sensation telling him that there was no way to win even if he went all out.

    That is the reason why his current situation was even more perilous. Yes, he was back to full health but there was no move for him to use except for one. Something he was reserving for the final phases of the battle where he decided to sacrifice his life for the king.

    "I have nothing to say to you." Aeros said boldly. Impressing the [Monarch] who saw that the creature was ready to fight him.

    "You see, I''m not really in a good mood. I woke up with my body hurting all over while there was this strange nightmare that kept repeating itself on my head."

    Even before Aeros could make sense of what the [Monarch] was saying, a punch already reached his face. Dropping the monster on the ground as a huge crater formed around him.

    "As to be expected of the so called "King of the Seas", you could at least handle my punches." The [Monarch] said as he continued hitting Aeros. This continued on for a couple more minutes as Pilliade released some of his frustration on the [Blood King''s]mander.

    "I need you to bring him out here. Tell him that I''m waiting for our fair duel to end." The [Monarch] furthered, cing burn marks all over Aeros'' body as the monster screamed in pain.

    "Now, what is your answer?"

    "Go  fu -." Aeros stuttered between the words. Whispering his response which forced Pilliade toe a bit closer.

    "What''s that?"

    "Go fuck yourself."

    "AhhI see."

    Pilliade proceeded to burning the monster even more. The whole area around them was caught in the mes, turning all soldiers into ashes immediately. Even the retreating generals could hear these screams, both of Aeros and of their dyingrades.

    "You should''ve brought him out when I asked nicely." Pilliade furthered finally showing his true colors and his bad temperament.

    He infused his fist with mes. With each punch burning Aeros'' flesh in a state that even his waters could not restore. This was how strong Pilliade was, yet, Aeros wasn''t going to let his king get insulted.

    "Now are you ready to give me a proper response?"

    "Yeah. The only reason you''re so brave is because you know that he''s badly hurt. That wounded pride and ego of yours would not rest until you somehow beat my master. And of course, you can only do that when he''s weakened because you can never match up to him."

    There was a dangerous silence that followed. Aeros even felt his own death closing in at that moment and, he wasn''t wrong.

    "HAHAHAHAHA!" This roaring ofughter was coupled by the continuous punches of the [Monarch]. He didn''t allow Aeros to speak anymore and simply gave hisment while he performed the brutal attack. With the seven-horned monster seeing his life sh before his eyes multiple times over.

    "For a disgusting creature you sure do know how to run that filthy mouth of yours." Pilliade said, making sure that Aeros would not have a swift dead. The monster''s blood was sttering on his face and on his fist at that point.

    He only stopped when there was no sign of resistance from the monster anymore. Pilliade was breathing heavily at this point. Thinking how he wasted his time on such a lowly creature.

    "If you''re not gonna tell him to get out, then I''ll just force him out." Pilliade said as he dragged the monster through the battlefield.

    Everything was burning with Pilliade''s [Chaos mes]. There was the smell of flesh and bones burning as well as metal and wood. The crackling sound made by the same mes were also surrounding them. A scene which Pilliade thought to be perfect for the opponent he needed to face.

    Soon enough he was at the front of the barrier. He threw Aeros inside it and issued his challenge without a moment to lose.

    "FACE ME BEFORE I BURN ALL YOUR SERVANTS TO KINGDOM COME!" His words echoed until the end of the hideout. Pilliade even began burning down the barrier which he found little difficulty on.

    "Well? AREN''T YOU COMING OUT?" The [Monarch] furthered, creating a gigantic ball of me. One which would not only break the barrier but also create the said effect which he told.

    There was only silence.

    Nobody gave him a response which Pilliade didn''t take positively. He was just about to release his spell when, he heard footstepsing near.

    "Ahhhso you were really hiding there." He said as the me he created illumined the creature that stepped out of the darkness.

    It was Alexander. The self-proimed [Blood King] who defied all of the Monarchs. He stared at Pilliade for a few seconds before finally responding to the [Monarch of War].

    "Let''s make this quick. I still need to take a nap."

 Chapter 233: Blood, Order, and Chaos VI

    Chapter 233: Blood, Order, and Chaos VI

    Alexander, or Alex as he likes to be called, is the one which everyone refers to as the [Blood King]. Nobody wished to im the said title simply because there were dangers connected to it. Specifically, Alex was the constant target of the [Monarchs] and all the curses they could cast.

    He had ck hair that suited well with his armor which had a dark crimson color. On his hand was the familiar halberd used by the gamer whenever he entered the form of the said creature. Yet, the version held by Alex seemed to be much stronger and alive. In fact one would even see the said weapon''s core beat from time to time.

    His red eyes glowed even in the darkness and, his aura was in par with that of Pilliade. Making the [Monarch] smile for the fight that was about to continue. One which he needed in order for him to assert his strength once again.

    "You know I''ve done my research and found out how barbaric you truly are but, for you to do this to one of my men. You really must have a screw lose on that head of yours."

    "You seem to be implying that you''re somehow better than me is that it?" Pilliade looked at his opponent. Alex had bandages all over him just like the [Monarch] did yet, this seemed to be a whole lot more.

    The [Monarch of War] didn''t understand why however. He was already unconscious when the other [Monarchs] stepped in. With the details only being narrated to him vaguely by the nurse that tended to him.

    "I think your body should already attest to that fact. I don''t need to prove anything to you." Alex said in reply; also noticing the damage he has done to the [Monarch].

    "Is that so? Why don''t youe here so that I could fix that cheeky attitude of yours." Pilliade demanded as Alex finally reached the half dead Aeros. Only to stop at that spot as he gave amand.

    "Don''t be impatient now. I still need to heal my subordinate."

    The healing was done even before Pilliade could respond. Alex didn''t need this because he knew that the [Monarch] would agree nheless. He knew that Pilliade would rather not have any excuses made by his enemy when the match was finally over.

    The healing was thus began immediately. Alex only needed the tip of his halberd to touch the skin of Aeros for the spell to begin. The core of his halberd shone at this point. Releasing the aberrant type of [Energy] which only the [Blood Monarch] possessed.

    "Blood Transfusion." As soon as Alex casted this, Aeros began to recover from the damage dealt. Even the burns made through the mes if Pilliade were cured. Something which should''ve never happened on normal circumstances.

    "M-my lord. Please forgive m-me for being unable to defend out base." Aeros said, waking up immediately although only half conscious.

    "It''s fine Aeros. You did what you could and have done so in an outstanding manner." Alexmented, with his healing finally being done.

    "Are you done already or do I need burn some more of your men?" The [Monarch] demanded as his patience was running thin.

    Aeros have just gotten up at this point. Alex instructed him to gather all their subordinates and escape at the back route. ''I''ll follow as soon as I''m done with him.'' Were the words he left Aeros who willingly did as was told.

    Alex waited for his subordinate to leave his sight first. He then focused his whole attention on Pilliade Saying only two words to the impatient [Monarch].

    "I''m done." As soon as Alex said this, he was already out of Pilliade''s field of vision. This did notst for long however as the [Monarch of War] felt the presence of his opponent pass through him.

    "COME AND FIGHT ME YOU COWARD!" The [Monarch] demanded, running after Alex who deliberately wanted to rouse the anger of his opponent.

    This only went on for a couple of seconds. With Pilliade somehow realizing what his opponent''s intentions were. Alex stopped on his tracks, looking Pilliade in the eye as the two of them finally arrived at the center of the battlefield.

    Aside from the two of them, not a single soul was left alive and thus, they owned the entirety of the area to themselves and, this was a good thing. Because with how massively destructive their powers were, all living things would inevitably die as soon as they began.

    "me Domain!" Pilliade didn''t even wait for any signal. The mere fact that Alex was the first one to cast a spell meant that they were already fighting.

    The mes scattered all around the battlefield were recalled toe close to their master. This surrounded the two in a circr shape, preventing Alex form escaping as, the said skill rose into a giant cylindrical wall of mes.

    "Nowhere to hide!" He shouted, releasing weapons from the mes themselves. All seemingly newly crafted by the same wall of mes.

    The god of war didn''t waste any time and began his assault. Two weapons immediately transferred to his hands. One being a broadsword while the other was a short sword.

    "This is going to be rough." Alex thought to himself as he began dodging the blows of the [Monarch].

    The same skill was actually used by Pilliade on their previous duel. But because of the long preparation time it took him to set it up, Alex was already able to make counter y after counter y. With the mes needing a certain amount of time in order for them to be activateable.

    However the present situation was a bit different form this. Pilliade didn''t need any time to set it up anymore. All the burning he did earlier have an ulterior motive behind it. One which involved generating more mes while also extending their duration. Both of which were effects needed by the [Monarch] in order to increase his chances of winning.

    The fight went on just like this. With the [Blood King] doing his best to avoid the movements of his enemies As mentioned earlier he was not yet fully healed. It didn''t help that he regenerated Aeros earlier as this also consume a significant amount of his energy.

    Nevertheless the Blood King was able to hold his ground against his enemy. In fact, Pilliade was making little to no progress at all with his attack. Despite his stats doubling while within the domain. Despite the wide variety of weapons that he could change from time to tine in order for his fighting style to not get figured out. He was still having a hard time against Alex.

    "I hope this sin''s everything you''ve prepared for me because I''ve already seen this once." Alex taunted, side stepping as to avoid a downward thrust. Then turning the other direction in order to dodge the stab of the [Monarch''s] short sword.

    "Keep provoking me. There''s nothing you could do at this point!" Were the words returned to him as Pilliade''s tempo was slowly increasing. Not only this but he also began looking like an apparition.

    Pilliade then shifted to arge axe. Alex dodged once again by jumping up and this time, he tried making a counter as he threw his halberd at the enemy. Only for Pilliade to disappear once again and reappear firing a few set of arrows to Alex who was still in mid-air.

    The Blood King dodged this by teleporting back to his halberd, A choice which seemed to be poorly made as Pilliade was there. The creature made a vertical sh. One which Alex was still able to avoid yet not as cleanly as the first few as, blood was gushing out of his chest.

    "Blood Transfusion." Was the spell he immediately casted in order to close the wound.

    The arena was beginning to heat up at this point. Alex felt his skin slowly sizzle as even the beads of sweating out did notst a single second from the heat. This began burning down the [Blood King] who had no cooling spell.

    The problems were beginning to pile up. None of them were even solvable as he couldn''t opt toe out of the wall of mes. Knowing that something of that caliber would burn him in a matter of seconds. He simply continued moving around, having a n in mind which was probably the best card he had at the moment.

    "Well aren''t you going to make any counters mister Blood King?" Pilliade was already overconfident at that point.

    He thought about the previous fight and how it was probably a fluke that he lost. Defending himself by asserting that he didn''t take the fight seriously form the get go although this was really the case. Slowly but surely the damage was umting on the [Blood King].

    With the rapid session attacks. The tempo that was consistently increasing. The attack types that fluidly changed. There was no way for Pilliade to lose and, this was finally confirmed as his sword found its way through the chest of the [Blood King].

 Chapter 234: Blood, Order, and Chaos - Final

    Chapter 234: Blood, Order, and Chaos - Final

    The move that Pilliade used was something which he referred to as the [War Bad]. It was a move which needed to be set up. Beginning with his domain being created and everything else following after that. The mechanics were simr to one of Gallio''s ace spells where every new weapon held raised his status points.

    Thus Alexander''s eyes didn''t lie when he saw his enemy moving faster and faster. With the blows also getting stronger and sharper at the same time. This also began heating up the battlefield, with Pilliade reaching his strongest state in no time at all.

    Along thest minutes of their fight, Pilliade actually reached the strength level of the High Monarch. A level where a single flick of his finger could destroy a whole mountain.

    Surely enough, the [Monarch] was confident that this move would work and, it did not fail to deliver. With his favorite weapon, the [zing Forge], Pilliade sessfully pierced through the chest of Alexander.

    "I knew that was just a fluke." He stated, looking at the poor and sorry state of his enemy. He was even beginning to think that he went overboard as to release his strongest attack.

    Yet things only began spiraling downwards from this point onwards.

    "A fluke you say." Alexander repeated, smirking as he held on to the weapon of the [War Monarch].

    Pilliade responded immediately by raising his [Chaos mes]. Covering his enemy form head to toe as he created some distance between them.

    Alex was able to dispel the mes although his body was already fille with burns. Even the shirt he was wearing got destroyed, revealing all the scars he got from the previous fights.

    "How are you still alive!" Pilliade demanded, continuing his barrage from where he left off.

    [War Bad] was a skill that continued so long as Pilliade was within his domain. Hence, the [Monarch of War] only got stronger and stronger with each passing strike. This created the inevitable oue of Alex simply left to dodging, evading, and blocking. Just like what happened earlier, Alex was still doing his best to survive but this wasn''t that effective against Pilliade.

    "Why are all my senses on high alert? He can''t even hold a candle against me." Pilliade said to himself as his instinct were still kicking in. Something which he thought to be wed as there was nothing special about what Alex was doing.

    In fact, he was undoubtedly winning and, once again. The [Monarch] saw this. Yet, he couldn''t shake the feeling of a deathly cold running through his body. One which he tried disregarding altogether because, he had control over mes after all.

    "I will not be shaken by your petty tricks!" He screamed. Thinking that what the [Blood King] was performing was nothing else but an illusion.

    The [Monarch of War] proceeded tond a decisive blow on Alex. This time pouring his all on the attack as he coated his weapon with most of his [Chaos Energy]. This was enough energy to rival the mes of the sun itself and, if it weren''t for his Domain Covering them. The attack would''ve surely burned half of Gaia to ashes.

    "That''s one nasty looking skill." Alex thought to himself as, in the blink of an eye, all of the mes [Chaos] poured down on him. This brought down a surging wave of me that spread around the area evenly as soon as the initial strike hit the ground.

    The wall of mes rose even fighter because of this. With the st reaching the heavens as some citizens witnessed the ck pir of me burning even the sky. This sliced Alex''s body in half, finishing the fight once and for all

    or so he thought.

    In the blink of an eye, Alex was already beside him. Pilliade didn''t have time to respond nor to even react as the [Blood King] slit both knees of the [War Monarch] with ease. Making his opponent drop to the ground kneeling.

    "How" Pilliade wasn''t even able to finish as Alex proceeded to slicing off his head; cleanly off his shoulders.

    The move in itself was anti - climatic but, Alex was running low on [Energy] to use so he needed to be quick about things

    "Think about the whole fight in the afterlife. If there is even any for [Monarchs] like you." He said, with the wall of me finallying down.

    Alex was already thinking of resting his body once again. The fight forced him toe back out in the open although there was still much recovery to go through. Yet he was dyed once again as, after the wall came down entirely, what awaited him on the other side was the Monarch of Order Jean. She had a bow loaded with an arrow and from the position he was in, Zeke knew that there was no form of escape which he could use.

    "Shit." Was the only though that came up on his head as Jean was riling up to fire. Stretching the bowstring as the [Energy of Order] resonated with the attack.

    "Anyst words?"

    "Actually there''s a ton I''d want to say sost words don''t fit the bill. Let''s just get things over with shall we?" He demanded, raising his halberd as he thought of the limited attack patterns he could use.

    Heb knew that he could also beat Jean. But that would only be if he was in his proper state. As he was at the moment, there was no way for Alex to win. And, it was at this point that the memory piece finally ended.

    [Congrattions! You have finished the Integrated Memory Piece: Blood, Chaos, and Order]

    [The following rewards have been generated:]

    [You have gained the skill - Ultimate Curse of Chaos]

    [Grade: SSS+]

    [Skill Type: Curse Passive]

    [Energy Consumption: None]

    [Information - A curse which prevents any form of buff or blessing to be received by the gamer that is aligned to [Chaos Energy]. This also prevents the gamer from making use of [Chaos Energy] entirely. However, because of this state, he is also immune to further curses which may be caused by the energy type mentioned.]

    [You have gained the skill - Ultimate Curse of Order]

    [Grade: SSS+]

    [Skill Type: Curse Passive]

    [Energy Consumption: None]

    [Information - A curse which prevents any form of buff or blessing to be received by the gamer that is aligned to the [Energy of Order]. This also prevents the gamer from making use of the [Energy of Order] entirely. However, because of this state, he is also immune to further curses which may be caused by the energy type mentioned.]

    [Information  You have gained ess to the skills of the [Blood King]. A random skill will be gained as soon as the gamer defeats one of the [Monarchs] regardless of the faction.]

    [Information  [Crimson Energy] will now be avable once the gamer reaches the form of the Blood King.]

    [Information: The Halberd of the Blood King is transformed into the real one.]

    [The gamer will be logged off now.]

    "They should''ve at least showed me how the other fight went. I don''t think that Alexander would lose nor die that soon." Zeke thought to himself as he got up from his bed.

    There was so much information take in but, nevertheless, he was thankful for the fact that he at least got some of the names of these [Monarchs]. Three from the [Chaos] faction namely, Paimon, Vask, and Pilliade. And one on the side of [Order] which was Jean.

    "That skill he used to end the fight. The trick seemed to be a bit sophisticated as those blood stains he scattered around the area didn''t seem to have been a random urrence." He didn''t waste time in trying to piece every bit of information together.

    He was also deep in thought about the two [Curse] type skill which he just gained. These were supposed to be debuffs but, thinking about it, Zeke hasn''t even began making use of either type of Energy. He already had everything that he needed with mana casting and [Death''s Void]. Plus, there were the [Conjures] which he could always rely on.

    "The bright side of this is that they basically can''t affect my statuses. Meaning, I have a partial immunity to both." Zeke thought to himself as he proceeded to go out of his room once more. The recent activity strained his body for some reason so he thought of sparing with the [Conjures] for a while.

    Everything was set for the gamer. There were still missing pieces of information but with this unexpected boost on his skills, he was even more sure of his ability to fight Pier. Sure there was a spine tingling sensation that ran over his body as he watched the fight between Alexander and Paimon but, this still proved one thing. That even those [Monarchs]could be killed and that they weren''t immortal. And if there was one thing which Zeke was sure about, it was that the halberd of the Blood King could do just this.

    "Just wait for me a bit longer" Zeke said, not being able to conceal his excitement anymore as a huge grin formed on his face.

    "I''m going to destroy both gods and monarchs."

 Chapter 235: A Brief Moment of Rest

    Chapter 235: A Brief Moment of Rest

    Zeke went on to training for a couple of hours. The [Conjures] did their best in showing off their strength to their master but, with Zeke entering the [Blood King''s] form, the match was already decided even before it began.

    Minutes stacked up immediately as this quickly turned into hours. Zeke didn''t even notice time passing by as he was fully immersed in the form of the [Blood King]. Thinking of all that Alexander perfumed within the shirt span of time that Zeke saw him.

    The skill in itself did not level up. In fact, there was even a notification telling Zeke that he couldn''t; upgrade it further. Yet Zeke could feel his strength surging. Not because of the curse itself but because of the [Halberd].

    As mentioned, the weapon turned into the original one. The same weapon of mass destruction wielded by Alexander. This meant that, all its features were passed down and, one of these seemed to be something simr to [Absolute Pierce].

    Be it [Physical] or [Magical], Zeke could easily slice through any obstacle hindering his path. Yet he knew that there were some restrictions to this kill because, if there was none, then Alex would''ve easily sliced through the walls of mes.

    "I''m guessing it can''t properly deal damage to [Chaos] and [Order] type spells. But the monarchs themselves could be handled by the weapon at least." Zeke made one more swing with the weapon. Surprised that there was noting but air to catch his sh.

    "Wait, am I done?"

    The gamer looked around him and saw that, he was already finished wiping out all of his [Conjures]. The rules to his practice was simple. He''d simply continue battling them in their ultimate forms. The same ones which made use of [Undying Loyalty], [Undying Fury], and [Infernal Form].

    He made sure that his mana would first bepletely depleted. This was the second rule and, as Zeke observed his surroundings, he realized that even this requirement have been met. Meaning only one thing  it was finally time to rest.

    "Damn, I''m beat." Were the words that came out of his mouth as he slumped to the ground.

    "I could only imagine the horror on my opponents whenever they face my [Conjures]. There''s no shred of hesitation in every movement they make. I''m definitely sure that the amount of pressure and killing intent they emit isrger than normal." Zeke thought, wiping off his sweat with a towel. Yet this was not the only thing he did.

    "I guess it''s time to call her out now."

    While practicing, Zeke felt someonee near. In fact, because of the [Minimap] and the [Party Function], he knew exactly who it was that was keeping watch on him. Yet, still, he didn''t pay her any mind nor did he intend on hiding his newly obtained skills. Because, if there was someone who could observe it properly and give a substantial report on this, it would be her.

    "You cane out now Allesiah." Zeke mentioned, with the footsteps of the elf getting ear as the gamer proceeded to changing clothes.

    After what happened, there was something different about Zeke altogether. Something which Allesiah noticed right away because, there was a strange distortion around the gamer. One which was pushing away all the [Chaos Energy] around. Like he was prevented from using it altogether.

    "So do you have any ns on telling me what that is?" She began, standing in front of the gamer. With her arms folded below her chest.

    "Okay, first of all, why are you even up this early in the morning? You''ve been standing there from what, 2:00 am I think?"

    "Yeah well, you''re not the only one who requires a lot of training. Especially with this dual wielded eyesight of mine." Allesiah said in reply as both her eyes glowed.

    "Figures." There was a smile on the gamer''s face as he continued.

    "So did you see anything odd? I doubt that you stayed that long just to watch me practice."

    "Sure did. Plus I was already practicing my dual wield when I was watching you." The elf said in reply. Making the gamer hopeful on what she would say next.

    "I do hope you got some good results from watching me. Even I don''t have a full understanding of this just yet." Zeke mentioned, looking at his body and thinking about all his movements during his practice.

    However, there was something needed before Allesiah could answer this. She first needed the answers on her first question. One which would probably pull the pieces of the puzzle together. Hence, she went back to her earlier point.

    "So are you going to answer or are you gonna pretend like I didn''t even ask at all?" This made the gamer sigh as he thought on where to start.

    "Well it''s not like I can hide this from you now can I?" Was Zeke''s short response as he went through the details immediately. Telling Allesiah every single detail because, he knew that they wouldn''t even be together for that long.

    "I might as well bepletely honest for once. I won''t be telling this to everyone after all." The gamer thought and, who better to reveal this to than the partner he had for most of his adventures.

    "Ehhh? So you mean there''s another kind of [Energy] that rivals that of [Chaos]?" Were the first words that came out of Allesiah''s mouth as soon as Zeke finished exining.

    "Yup. There are actually three but the energy type I own is a bit unique."

    "In what sense exactly?"

    "Well, for starters, there is only one who can use it and, apparently he is the origin of my [Blood King''s Curse]."

    "So basically, you''re the only one that can wield that energy type right?"

    "I guess so." Zeke replied as Allesiah was deep in thought.

    "To think that even you would be directly connected to all these. Are you sure you''re not just the original who decided to hide for all these years."

    "Oh?" Zeke simply said, wanting Allesiah to continue.

    "Plus, there''s the fact that you hopped on the body of my dead nephew. If you could do that then there would be an infinite loop. Preventing death as long as there is a new host to transfer to." Allesiah sounded skeptical of the gamer. With a stern look on her face.

    "Okay first of all, I do agree on your point. In fact, you sound reasonable and should just interrogate me altogether. But for that to actually be the case there are certain points that should''ve urred earlier." Zeke said, entertained by the little mind game of proving his innocence.

    He then raised one finger, indicating his first point being: "I should''ve known stuff about Pier beforehand."

    Through knowing Pier and all of his intentions, Zeke would''ve bee able to dodge a bunch of dangerous circumstances yet, each and every time on his first run, he was blindly falling into the traps of the said god.

    He then raised another finger as he continued: "I would''ve definitely killed de earlier on."

    This was the servant of Pier. Ultimately his ally and the one who nned the demise of the gamer. If Zeke just charged in and destroyed Pier from the get go, it would''ve also resulted in Gallio nevering out in the light anymore.

    Zeke then gave a bonus point. One which involved Allesiah as he raised another finger. "I would definitely not start off in a guild just to clear my objectives, right?"

    These were all salient points. Allesiah even looked back on the first fight where he witnessed Zeke. He was definitely having a hard time against [F] rank monsters. And with this, Allesiah finally dropped her half  meant allegations.

    "That does sound right. Okay, I conclude that you are a properly fishy person."

    "What the hell is that even supposed to mean?" Zeke said, almostughing from the term used.

    "Well duh. It means that there are still a lot of mysteries surrounding you but they aren''t things to be worried about. I know that you''re a good person Zeke." Allesiah had a smile drawn on her face.

    "Well you''re not a properly sane person either. I mean if you think that I''m suspicious and yet still trusting me, then that just means that you''d be easy to fool in the future." Zeke retorted, warning Allesiah about the possible dangers she could encounter.

    "I know. But it''s not like trusting in people is such a bad thing." Allesiah sat closer to Zeke, her shoulder rubbing against his.

    "There''s a lot of evil going on in Mythos right now. A lot of which are shrouded in events that would''ve stayed a mystery until you came. But the point is that, most of the inhabitants didn''t want this right? If anything, it''s only de who''s connected to the events." The elf furthered.

    "And that proves what exactly?"

    "Well for the most part, it proves that even in darkness, light cane out." Allesiah began, looking at Zeke as if to indicate that he was this light.

    "That even in despair there is hope. And just because one is sunk in the depths of hell, this does not necessarily turn them into bad people."

    "You know that reasoning isn''t half bad. You should probably be included in the ranks of those pesky gods. You''d do a better job than them I''m sure." Was Zeke''s quick response as he felt Allesiah''s head tilt on his shoulders once again. Something which he was getting used to

    "Don''t tter me too much Zeke." Allesiah said in reply. Savoring the short moment she shared with Zeke as there was another long day of fighting ahead of her.

    "It''s not ttery if it''s true." Was the gamer''s short response. The two stayed as they were for a couple more minutes. Waiting for the sun to beginning rising for the missions thaty ahead.

 Chapter 236: The God of Mischiefs Preparations

    Chapter 236: The God of Mischief''s Preparations

    Deep within the Beast Continent of Rak''shan, Pier was bidding his time. He hid on an area known as the [Forest of the Lost]. This had a strange type of mana oozing around it in the form of mist.

    It is said that those who were foolish enough to enter the ce have nevere out. Nobody knows what happened to them nor did the normal citizens intend to find out. Yet it was exactly in this type of area that Pier could survive.

    "It''s a good thing I made him build ab here." Pier said out loud. Referring to de whom he gave a type ofpass to. Allowing the elf to navigate his way through the forest and, into the rich deposit of [Chaos Shards].

    "Now where''s that anomaly again." Pier said as he looked at a virtual map simr to Zeke''s [Minimap].

    On it were the four continents of Mythos. Also disyed here are the deployed six horned monsters per continent and, the amount of [Chaos Energy] being gathered. It is through this that Pier was able to keep a steady lookout on all four continents even without going out. And because of this, he saw the effects created by Zeke on the Demon Continent of Helios.

    "Ah yes. This is the one." Pier furthered, looking closely on the said continent as he saw the gaps on [Chaos Energy]. He was looking at it intently just like he did the other day. But there was no change. The truth of the matter was that, Helios was being deprived of [Chaos Energy].

    "This won''t do. At the rate it''s going, the [Chaos Shrouding] would be hindered and I''d be back to square one once again." He furthered as he closed the [Virtual Map].

    "Now the million-universe question is who in all of creation would be capable of doing this?" Pier slumped on a couch as he began thinking of individuals. Closing his eyes as he ced fingers on his temples. Rubbing them as if this would make him think clearer.

    If it was simply killing the [Horned Beasts], then there would be no end to the number of those whom Pier could think of. In fact, the newly dropped heroes would be capable of taking out the four horned ones. They were also capable of defeating the five horned but, only if they decided to work together.

    Yet what was strange about all of this was how even the [Chaos Energy] was being depleted in the areas. A feat which should be impossible by merely using the instruments found in Mythos.

    "Even my fellow divines would not be able to interfere with this n of mine. Well, save for those three at least." Pier thought of both Nisha and Sinir who were both originally children of [Monarchs].

    "So if I take them all out, what does that leave me?" At this point Pier was already smiling as the pieces of the puzzle have been finally ced together.

    "This is a no brainer. I could think of only two mortals who could mess with me like this." The god furthered. With both Quinn and Zeke as his remaining suspects.

    The former was strong enough to face him head on. Not only this but Quinn was able to overwhelmingly win against him. This was due to the [Monarch] residing within the boy. An individual whom Pier was able to unveil.

    "A prodigy among the [Chaos Monarch''s] who could bend space to his will. That''s one heck of a portfolio for the youngest [Monarch]."

    Pier was able to make the necessary preparations should he fight this entity once again. He didn''t mind losing. Not at all. He didn''t have any specialty as a god after all. With his talent only in tricking and deception. Yet, the said [Monarch] would be a hindrance to his ns unless he was dealt with.

    However, something didn''t quite fit right. There were events which Pier knew of that didn''t line up with this recent development.

    "But if it was him, then he should''ve stopped the monsters as soon as I released them on the [Demon Continent]. He should''ve hindered it at that point if he could." Were the thoughts that followed as Pier moved on to his second suspect.

    Pier thought that Zeke Elwood was in every respect weaker than Quinn at the moment. In fact, this person may even be weaker than de who have recently woken up. However, he was also a wildcard. A variable that went outside the normal rules and so, among the two, he finally reached a conclusion.

    "So it''s that gamer kid again." Pier stood up from his couch and moved on to a nearby room.

    "I better stop him and his little minions before they take off all the [Chaos] on Helios." He pped his hands twice, opening the lights to the room which were powered by [Chaos Shards].

    Unlike the other rooms within the facility, this one was free form all the specimens that sometimes even disgusted Pier himself. He knew that the mutations were necessary but, seeing how it developed from a mush of meat and into a [Chaos Creature] was something that was revolting to him.

    In the middle of this room was a gigantic orb. It was being held together bypiled [Chaos Crystals], making it look sturdier. This thinking is not wrong, in fact, it was an object that could not be shattered even by ultimate level spells.

    Spiraling within this was [Chaos Energy] so condensed that it is visible even to the untrained eye. Pier walked towards this object, feeling his body getting heavier and heavier with each step.

    "I may have to release you sooner than nned." Pier touched the ss that held the energy inside. It resonated with him as the energy glowed, powering Pier up and the [Monarch] that was slumbering within him. Yet even before he could proceed with what he was about to do, a familiar silhouette reflected on the ss.

    "I didn''t think you could already walk." He mentioned, facing this person who was none other than de.

    The elf did not know who he was anymore. There were only blurry memories coupled with distorted ones created by Pier. His form itself have changed so drastically that, not trace of his former appearance could be seen anymore and, if there was something that was left of his former self, it was servitude.

    "I''ve been trying my best to get used to this new body master." de said in reply. With Pier holding back augh at how meek de became.

    "Well, you seem to have excelled even in trying." Pier closed the lights on the room. Stepping outside as the live specimen needed to be observed.

    de had eight horns on his head. This formed a seeming diadem as de had tworge horns on left and right side of his forehead  in line with the ends of his eyebrows. Following these are small horns that were small enough to be mistaken as spikes that were buried.

    His eyes turned into a deep obsidian while his hair was a deep-sea colored blue. His skin was still the same although his ears have turned into a human''s. The middle of his chest was glowing. With the [Chaos Crystal] still stuck within.

    "How are you feeling? Do you think we could test out your skills now?" Pier followed up.

    "I''m not sure. I do feel light but I think I may just destroy this facility if I tried to unleash my skills." de said as he tried moving his hands. Both of which were still wrapped in bandages.

    "Yeah figures. I think you need to go back to your room and absorb some more [Chaos Energy]."

    "Understood master." de said in a tone that expressed his discontent.

    "Don''t worry you''ll be heading out on a mission soon."

    "Really?"

    "Yup. In fact, I already have a target in mind for you. The ce is even wide enough for you to go all out so there would be no worry in killing anyone." de''s eyes brimmed in excitement at this point. He made a quick bow and proceeded to following Pier''s orders.

    "Man I still can''t get used to how he''s treating me now. It''s giving me the chills." Pier thought to himself as he waited for de to walk away; feeling proud of the fact that he was able to create a being transcending thews of Gaia.

    Within the history of the first world, there have been only two [Seven - Horned Beasts] recorded. These were the trustedpanions of the [Blood King]. Selena and Aeros. Yet de went over and above this. Something which he was only able to achieve because of the condition of his body.

    Aside from absorbing Gallio, de was also able to integrate some [Chaos energy] within himself. He also added the genes of the Windsprites which allowed him to ascend even further. All of this was, of course, within the calctions of Pier. Wanting de to grow into a suitable host for the horned beast [Aeros].

    "Well, I should get back to work now. That gamer kid would definitely be moving again today so I should send my regards." Pier said, walking along the halls of the facility. Deciding to show some of the cards he was hiding under his sleeves.

    "I do hope you entertain me properly kid."

 Chapter 237: The Second Day of the Mission

    Chapter 237: The Second Day of the Mission

    "How''s everyone''s locations looking?"

    "Well it looks pretty simr to thest one Mister Zeke." Amare began, getting a good look at her area using her [Sight] skill.

    "Same. There''s nothing new on these parts." Gawain followed up immediately as his eyesight was nearly as good as Amare''s.

    "Well that''s to be expected form the red areas at the very least. How about the dark ones?"

    "Theke area is filled with amphibian type monsters. I think they arergely influenced by the terrain Master Zeke." Heron replied immediately.

    "Ohh, then that''s also simr to my area. The mountains and rock formations gave me some sturdy looking enemies." Sylph continued.

    "I see." It was at this point that Zeke came to a conclusion.

    The ck areas were dangerous no only because of the types of monsters leading them but also, because of the terrain influencing their appearance and their fighting style. Something which he was unable to conclude before as, those deployed in the said areas simply thought that this was how the enemies looked like. Focusing only on the number of horns which Zek has indicated to them.

    "Well, nothing''s changed. Their horn count is still the same as before so I trust that there would be no issues on the ck areas although they have changed." Zeke said as he closed the [Voice Chat].

    At the moment, they were already at the second day of the operation. Zeke, the elites and his allies form Mythos all did their best in order to clean up the remaining areas for two reasons. One was to eliminate the [Chaos Energy] that kept increasing while, they were also doing this in order to get the attention of Pier.

    The gamer knew that this god wasing sooner orter. He knew that Pier would not let things go on like this forever. And because he was anticipating this, Zeke already had preventive measures that could be used.

    One of which was instantly transporting hisrades out of the situation if they fall below 10% health or if they get a debuffs like a paralyze, a stun, or outright turning them unconscious. This enhancement had been ced on their armors. Something which he never told to the group.

    "If they knew about it then they would possibly make a lot of reckless moves." This was the reason why he never told them.

    "Anyway, they''re still performing exceedingly well on the field so I doubt that the function would ever activate. That is, unless hees."

    With this Zeke transported out of Helios and into the Elven Continent of Elysium. This was his second safest bet as de was someone who probably knew all the ins and outs of this Continent. Hence, even if Zeke would yet again be unsessful in finding both the god and the king, he would still benefit by gaining more useful information.

    Meanwhile the elites continued doing their best in the field. With the statistics presented by Zeke, every member just wanted to get stronger. Remembering the words of the gamer which stated that "you can still grow stronger. And I expect you to."

    Although this rang in everyone''s ears. No member of the elite was as affected as their prideful javelin user. Jumping in the middle of the battlefield as he rained down spears on his enemies.

    "Hey how many do you have on your side?"

    "Seriously Jake just stop asking petty questions like that and get to work."

    "Well I don''t hear Kaguyain about it Amare."

    Just like always, the elites were lively in fulfilling their mission. With every new monster they killed, they we gaining even more experience points. In fact, it wouldn''t be long until they reached the ceiling level in Mythos which was [200]. Upon which they were surely getting some great buffs which Zeke knew would be useful for the other fights.

    "There are a hundred more monsters on my side than yours."

    "Why did you have to answer his question Gawain?"

    "Uhmmbecause he was asking? Plus, it''s true though. He could just outright look at our [Minimaps] and see the numbers there. But I guess mister muscle-head forgot about that feature again."

    "Hey!" Jake shouted. Annoyed that he was being belittled.

    "Come on we all know how you focus too much on the fights that you forget small details like this."

    "Tsk fine FIIINE! Listen I''m gonna finish at least an hour earlier than all of you."

    "Uhmm.. for what exactly?"

    "Just because I''m the greatest!"

    Some members of the groupughed at this. Thispetitive spirit of the javelin wielder has been present since day one. Something which he never hid nor did he try to do so. He prided himself in his physical prowess and always wanted topete based on this. Not because he knew he would win but because, he knew that there were those worth challenging.

    The leader of the elites picked up on this and made a sigh.

    "I''m sorry but that''s not gonna happen."

    "That''s right Kaguya tell him!" Amare furthered as she knew that Jake would listen to Kaguya at the very least.

    "I''m going to beat you to it."

    "That''s the spirit!" Jake said in reply. epting this challenge readily.

    "Hahaha! Okay! If Kaguya is joining then count me in!" Mordred furthered. Another upbeat spirit within the group.

    "GUUUUYS!" This was thest word uttered by Amare before everyone decided to turn off their [Voice Chat].

    With Quinn being gone from the scene, Zeke focused all of his efforts into refining Kaguya as the leader of the group. This was not out of favoritism but because of her natural resonance with [Chaos Energy]. She was shining the most and had the most potential among all of the humans. In fact, the graph he showed on the meeting didn''t even give her justice as Kaguya was growing even faster on that same mission.

    "I think this is just the right amount." Kaguya said as she felt the [Chaos Energy] that enveloped the area.

    She only relied on her senses in order to do this as she didn''t even have [Chaos Sight]. Yet even this was not needed as she has learned how to reconstruct the said [Energy] type. All with the help of the equipment given by Zeke.

    "Come on Kaguya, you can do this." She was slowly changing the mixture of the [Chaos Energy] around. This was slow progress but she didn''t mind.

    "I bet Jake already killed a bunch of monsters by now." Kaguya wasn''t getting noticed by the monsters because what she meddled with was the [Chaos Energy] already present. She didn''t add anything to this nor did she need to.

    "It''s fine even if they get a number of kills before me. I''ll be catching up in no time."

    Within her mind, she was thinking of a concept that went along the lines of filtering coffee. Grinding down the whole beans first and putting them on a filter in order to extract the juice. Kaguya broke down [Chaos Energy] and took only the essentials to perform her spell. Using only what resonated with her while attracting the residues to the same spell. And, soon enough, she was prepared. Casting without a second thought.

    "CHAOS OBLIVION!" The scream was so loud that the monsters heard it. They took notice of her at that moment but couldn''t do anything to stop her as, therge hole of [Oblivion] opened up on the air.

    The ground shook so violently that the nearby elites also felt it. In fact, the tremors were even beginning to leave cracks on the ground. Ones where some poor one horned monsters fell to. This move would''ve cleared the area altogether but Kaguya decided to abruptly close it as, she still hasn''t mastered the move and thus, did not want to risk the possible implications of leaving it on for too long.

    "That at least cleared out some of the weeds." There was a smile on her face as she brought out her katana. The same one made out of [Chaos Energy].

    This was met by razor sharp projectiles aimed at her. The elite was barely able to dodge as she ducked down, feeling even the air rip from the attack.

    "Now that''s a bit dangerous don''t you think?" Kaguya''s question was answered by even more projectiles of the same kind. All aimed at her vitals  making her realize that it was probably the leading monsters which released this.

    "Damn they aren''t even letting me cast a spell anymore." She said as she was slowly getting cornered by the attack.

    Without her even realizing it, she actually fell into the rap of the monsters. On the ground where shew as stepping on, spikes came up immediately and synchronizing with this were the projectiles. It was an almost inescapablebination. But in that moment, Kaguya was able to blink a short distance. Using a spell concept that she hasn''t perfected yet.

    "Fuck that was too close forfort." Shemented. Thanking all the heavens for what happened.

    Kaguya didn''t let this moment slip. She released ten [Chaos Spheres] all at once. Rapidly hitting the enemies who were at the far end of the battlefield. This cause some dys in the session of attacks, giving Kaguya time to go into stance.

    Everything was being set the same way she ended the fight with the gargoyles. The [Chaos Spheres] were at an even distance from each other and, as soon as Kaguya was ready, they all aligned themselves at the proper positions.

    "Oblivion sh!" In the blink of an eye, Kaguya moved through the battlefield. It was such a quick movement that even her shadow was left behind and, as soon as this reached her, all the bodies of the monsters got cut in half. She then looked at the monsters that remained. Having a triumphant smile on her face.

    "Like I said. I don''t have all day."

 Chapter 238: Chaos Plant

    Chapter 238: Chaos nt

    "Just gonna say that I''m halfway through on my end." Kaguya triumphantly said. Shocking everyone; moist especially Jake who voiced out his disbelief.

    "What? Already? No way that''s true. You must''ve cheated or something?"

    "Uhmmm how can I cheat exactly? I know that we''re making use of Mister Zeke''s [Gamer System] but there are no cheat codes in this world."

    "Tsk fine. I''m going to catch up to you in no time. You won''t even notice how I''m suddenly going to finish first."

    Amare decided to finally join in on this. Since it was Jake that started this stupidpetition, she might as well piss him off.

    "Come on Jake how are you even losing? You have the least amount of monsters on your area."

    "Hey why are you even ganging up on me!" Jake simply said as everyone else focused on the task at hand. Not wanting to lose too much to Kaguya.

    Just as expected, the ones who hadbat type job sses were finishing faster than everyone else. The support types were also able to hold their own but, not as quickly as the former mentioned were.

    With all of this going on, it would only be a matter of time before they were done with. It was a much speedier clear time than on their earlier runs. Particrly because all of them either gained a new ability or utilized their skills in a different way.

    Eerie in particr was masterfully making use of her [Secondary Job ss] as [Gambler] in order to increase her dodge and hit rate. With her level going up, she was also able to obtain the skill [High Risk] which allowed all percentages of dodging, hitting, and making critical hits increase the higher the danger level was. This move worked in two ways, lowering all the said things whenever she tried to y safe.

    The only downside to this was the fact that it was a passive skill. Meaning Eerie had no choice but to put herself in harm''s way each and every time.

    "I need more! Hit me you dumbasses!" Eerie demanded, sounding like a masochist as she wanted to make the most of the passive.

    Her archer counterpart, Gawain, was not too shabby himself. Although he wanted to snipe down his opponents one by one, there were too many of them. He''d be cornered in no time at all and, that was when he realized that, he could aim for another weak spot.

    "There its is."

    The archer fired at an area on the ground. As soon as his arrow hit this spot, a st of [Chaos Wind] came. Hitting every monster in sight and leaving the [Sniper] enough of an opening to follow through.

    "Man this sure is handy. I should''ve thought of this earlier on." He said to himself, finding more critical spots on the terrain where he could affect the most amount of units.

    Tanking for both of them were Zeke''s [Conjures]. This helped a lot in mowing down the enemies while also keeping them in check. Creating more openings for the long-range elites to fight; something which even their mages enjoyed.

    "Sub Zero!" Zane began his fight by freezing the whole field.

    This skill was in no way easy for him to cast. Even as an elementalist, the concept and the casting of [Sub-Zero] was soplicated that he still hasn''t gotten the full hang of it. But this didn''t stop him from trying on the first day of the mission and, on that second day of the operation.

    "Crap I''m still missing by arge margin on the effects." He observed the monsters being able to break free. Something which should not have bene possible if he casted a perfected [Sub-Zero].

    "Okay let''s just burn you all down then." He furthered, casting another ultimate level spell  [Hell ze].

    In an instant all the ice melted and evaporated, leaving a steam that rose up in the sky. This effectively killed many of the monsters while those remaining were still trying to get a grip on what was happening.

    "sh Strike!" This was another Ultimate Level spell. Making Zane activate three in rapid session.

    Thunder came down from the sky, electrocuting the monsters and killing of most of those that remained. The ice was melted with his fire, creating water which amplified the electric strike. With this, only the four horned beasts remained on the field with a few two and three horned beasts.

    Although unable to perfect any of the three which he casted, it was also only Zane who could consecutively fire three [Ultimate Level] spells. Every other elite member could do two at the very least yet, this couldn''t even be done as quickly as Zane did. And with such an amazing ability, there was also a price to pay.

    His whole body generated steam like it was an overheated machine and, it probably was. Because after the saidbination Zane needed to wait a few minutes before being able to cast spells again. He was half paralyzed and could only perform minimal movements. Making him vulnerable for possible attacks. Or at least that would be the case if not for Zeke''s [Conjures].

    "I''m leaving it to you guys." He told the [Conjures] which had the job of stalling for time as he waited for the cooldown to finish. Meanwhile, he took a quick nce at all the other elites. Finding his mage counterpart, Merlin who was doing just as good as him.

    "Ice shards."

    Unlike Zane, Merlin was being conservative with his use of mana. By generating an [Illusion Field] on the area, there was no way for his enemies toe at him or rather, they would have a hard time evening near him. In fact, there were even explosive fire spells nted all around the area just outside his perimeter.

    "It looks like Zane is on his cooldown period again." The illusionist magemented as he continued thinning out the number of enemies.

    "Well it''s not like that''s a bad thing. He does destroy a bunch of monsters all at once." The mage furthered, focusing on his own task at hand while and thinking if he should join in on the race.

    "Nah. Even Mordred would beat me to it so I''d rather not try." The mage continued, firing another barrage of [Ice Shards] that took down the two horned monsters nearby.

    The person he mentioned was doing just as good as he expected. With Mordred''s [Brawler] secondary job ss, she was able to continuously beat up the monster that came close. She didn''t even focus on her defense anymore because she was naturally sturdy. Ensuring that there was a thick barrier around her that would not be taken down that easily.

    "OOORYA!" She shouted, punching another monster with her pile bunker that released a burst of [Chaos Energy] at the back of the monster. Dispersing like a shotgun bullet and affecting those nearby.

    "Come on is that all you got?" She taunted, wanting them to condense on one area so she could lessen the amount of attacks she needed to make.

    Everything was going as Zeke expected. The elites we reperforming within their top conditions and once again growing rapidly as the [Chaos Monsters] provided a bountiful supply of experience points. Indeed, things would''ve ended the same way it did on the first day. With the elites sessfully fulfilling their missions. That is, if Pier did not interfere.

    "What the hell is that." Jakemented as he saw an object flying towards his area. Crashing down and leaving a crater along the way.

    This same object dropped on every battlefield. Even the yellow areas which were handled by the newer heroes had the same predicament.

    The object glowed and beated like it was alive and, for a moment, every elite didn''t know what to do. That is, until it suddenly grew vines.

    "What the hell?" Jakemented as he sliced a few of these that for him. He thought that it was another monster. One which didn''t seem all that powerful and, he was right. It wasn''t powerful nor was it a monster. It was a living nt from Gaia, one which mutated anything that it pierced.

    With its priority being any living being that possessed [Chaos Energy]. Specifically, the monsters.

    The loud battle cries of the monsters were heard around the whole continent as they could not escape from the grasp of this nt. They mutated immediately, gaining one more horn on their head which meant that, their rank and power increased. They also grew in size and had a strange glow to their eyes. Like they were already dead.

    "This isn''t good. I need to take care of tat thing quick." Jake thought as he targeted the nt. Yet it was toote as the thing blossomed and grew. Enclosing itself in a kind of armor that even Jake''s spear couldn''t pierce through.

    "There should be weak point here somewhere." He thought, trying to analyze the whole structure but, even before he could look at the whole thing, a monster came up. mming Jake to the ground without the javelin user even able to respond. This instantly drained [10%] of Jake''s health in the process.

    He wasn''t the only one having troubles. Every member of the elite was stuck on the same predicament as the nts went into full bloom. This wasn''t the end of the problems as the nt also dispersed pollens into the air. Thickening the amount of [Chaos Energy] all around the area.

    "Hey so do you have a strange nt on your side?" Jake asked the whole group including the Windsprites and Zeke''s two other allies.

    "Yeah what''s up with this thing? It just came up out of nowhere." Curio said in reply. Irritated by the gigantic target which he couldn''t evene close to.

    "I''m trying to find it''s weak point as we speak. Amare should do the same and while were at it, be weary of those things which it plugged its vines to. I''m sensing their [Chaos Energy] spike exponentially so they should at least be twice as strong now." Allesiahmented as her [Chaos Sight] began doing its work.

    "So should we call mister Zeke yet?" Julia suggested. Thinking that things may get out of hand real soon.

    "No. We can handle this. Let him continue the search operation." Kaguya said in reply. Wanting the gamer to rely on them and to know that his trust has not been misced.

    Yet even without Kaguya voicing this out, everyone wished the same. They didn''t want to be a hindrance to Zeke nor a roadblock to finishing the missions. They wanted to be of assistance and, to prove that they were worth the alliance which Zeke formed with them. Hence, they all took it to themselves to challenge the strange new foe  with Jake ever more eager to take down a challenging foe.

    "It''s time to kill some weeds."

 Chapter 239: Into Full Bloom

    Chapter 239: Into Full Bloom

    "Master, all of the [Chaos nts] have been sessfully deployed on Helios." de said, entering Pier''s room where the god was enjoying a ss of cold wine.

    "Wait what? All of them?" Pier said in disbelief.

    "Yes master. Is that not what you ordered?"

    "No you idiot. I told you to only deploy a few. Ahhh"

    "I''m terribly sorry master."

    "Honestly, what even gave you the idea that you need to release all of them anyway?"

    "Oh, I don''t know how many, "a few" should be. So I decided to just send one on every location in Helios."

    "Didn''t you just say that you deployed all of them?"

    "Yes master. All of the mature ones that were ready to sprout." de corrected himself, putting the god at ease.

    "Ahh de. You and your wordy."

    "I am sorry if I confused you master." de furthered.

    "Don''t worry about it. If anything, this is actually a good thig because, we''ll be giving even those heroes a hard time. This way that Zeke fellow would have his hands full. Good job."

    "Thank you master. I shall be taking my leave now." de immediately exited the room; and leaving the god to himself once again.

    "Too bad though, I wanted to y with that human a bit longer. I guess this is checkmate for the infamous god of games." Pier continued sipping on his cold wine. There was no rush nor panic in his mind because, everything was still flowing smoothly.

    "I spent all my immortal life nning for this. A mere mortal won''t be the one to defeat me." He thought as the elites began battling the [Chaos nts].

    "It''s not even moving! How the hell is an unmoving enemy defeating me!" Jake shouted, irritated by the fact that the main opponent wasn''t even a strong monster but an amplifying nt.

    "Don''t think too much about it. Just focus on conserving your energy for now." Sylphmanded, taking charge of the whole operation as it was too pressuring even for Amare.

    Impossible.

    That was the perfect word to describe the fight that the elites were going through at that moment. Their enemies were at a level where, no matter what move they performed or what actions they took, things still ended up in favor of their enemy.

    Yet the problem didn''t even end here. There were the troublesome monsters to worry about. The same ones which were amplified by the [Chaos nts].

    "How the hell am I even supposed to y safe if I''m cornered like this?" Julia thought to herself as the [Conjures] of Zeke weren''t able to do much to the amplified [Chaos Monsters].

    The horned monsters charged without any n. They all aimed tond a blow, not even thinking of the weak spots or the damage they could take and, this much is understandable because of their state.

    "They aren''t dying! How the hell is that even legal!" Eerieined, not even thinking about the fact that the summons lent by Zeke also worked on a simr concept.

    "Just focus on cutting the vines. That removes their connection to the main nt and ces them back to their normal state." Allesiah said, giving the elites a hint on what they should put all their efforts to.

    With all that suddenly happened, this concept escaped their minds. Inf act even Allesiah forgot about this at the moment as she was too busy figuring out the whole structure of the [Chaos nt].

    "Zeke would''ve been able to finish with this minutes ago." Allesiah thought to herself. Wanting to have something as handy as the gamer''s [Analysis] which would''ve shown her the following data:

    [Name: Chaos nt]

    [Type: nt]

    [Specification: Chaos Amplifier and Disperser]

    [Grade: S+]

    [Information: The nt is rtively dormant in most cases. The only asion where it was said to bloom was during the war against the Blood King, upon which data was collected on the nature of its flowering.]

    [Information: The nt actively amplifies all Chaos Energy while also releasing an immense amount into the air. This nt also works as a converter of whatever form of energy exists around the area. Turning it into Chaos rapidly.]

    [Information: Creatures which it roots its vines to will actively gain the Chaos Energy gathered by the nt. Increasing their power immediately by twofold yet, this also destroys their cognitive function as the nt will then order the rooted monsters to kill any hostile creature nearby.]

    Zeke''s allies were not aware of all these things yet. They only ced their faith on both Allesiah and Amare and on the speed they could make out the weakness of their opponent. Sylph''s leadership was alsoing into y here as she was actively givingmands even though she was also in a pinch in the battlefield she was in.

    "It''s no use, the vines just keep multiplying." Curio said who was one of the swiftest to do such a task.

    "Yeah and they keep targeting me whenever I try to get near." Mordred followed up.

    "The melee units should go and look for a tight space within the terrain. Watch out for any unusual movement that maye from the ground and just continue defending from that point on."

    "Yes ma''am!" Red said in reply. Going in the middle of two brick walls and making the [Conjures] protect him from all sides."

    "But what if we can attack?" Jake suggested.

    "If you think that you can beat the speed of the vines then be my guest. But don''t go in too deep. I believe that it''s level of defense and offense gets stronger the closer you get to the nt itself."

    "OKAAAAY!" Mirio said in a tone that was getting more heated up in the battle.

    "The long-range ones can try and deal multiple types of to the nts. Don''t exhaust your mana. Just use the shots to see if it would cause any change to our enemy."

    "Understood." Gawain immediately fired one arrow. Deflected by a group of monsters that served as a wall of flesh.

    They weren''t safe from any damage and, in fact, they were slowly umting a lot. The monsters were just too strong for them. Even with Zeke''s [Conjures] backing them up, they couldn''t perfectly defend against these enemies and, the same was even more urate for their offense.

    Even in the [Infernal] form of the [Conjures], they didn''t hold any chance as the monsters just kepting. No matter how many of their bones were broken. Even if their head were decapitated. Even if their hearts were taken off. Even if they were burned. As long as most of their structure was intact, they continued regenerating and fighting.

    "Allesiah how much longer do you need?"

    "Just endure a bit more! I''m almost finished with this." The elven mage said. But this wasn''t fast enough.

    One by one, the support type elites got taken down by the monsters. As soon as their health fell down the said percentage, they were transported back to the base. Something which Zeke noticed right away.

    "Man, they must be facing some real difficult enemies right now." Zeke said as he continued the scouting on Elysium.

    The things that were happening at that moment wasn''t hidden from the gamer. In fact, even before their health fell down these amounts, Zeke was keeping tabs on all his allies. He knew that they were in a pinch but dared not interfere. Wanting his allies to grow from the experience as much as possible.

    "Well at least the offensive types are still in y. I expected this much from situations such as this." Zeke said.

    Things only increased in difficulty from this point onwards. The monsters which were already amplified grew even stronger, making them opponents that were hard to deal with even for the Mythos dwelling allies of Zeke.

    They were being pushed into a corner quicker than the first few minutes of the fight. Not knowing that the nt was actually reaching the final phases of its transformation. With its flower going into full bloom as it destroyed every ounce of mana in the field.

    "Hey is it just me or are these things getting stronger?" Jake said as he was flung to a nearby wall. Followed through by a me attack that almost burned himpletely.

    "It''s the flower. I think that these things are getting stronger the more that it blooms." Allesiah said, reaching the final phase of her analysis. Yet even the elf couldn''t focus anymore as even she was cornered by the monsters.

    This was not the end of their problems. Even the [Conjures] provided by Zeke which were maintained through the devices he made have been depleted. Meaning, all the mana he poured on to the said devices have run out. Something which was only possible if the fights went beyond the estimated mana usage for the mission.

    With their vanguard gone, the elites were easier to attack. The monsters didn''t waste any time to do so and, no matter how good the elites were in maximining their movements. They continually got hurt. Badly.

    Clobbered.

    shed.

    wed.

    Punched.

    Burned.

    Every type of injury was being inflicted on them as they were sent back to the base one by one. And, with the end finally reached, it was Zeke''s turn to step in.

    "I guess it was too much even for them to handle." Zeke thought to himself, recalling all the [Conjures] he sent out for scouting.

    He knew that this was Pier''s doing. There was no other entity that could influence such arge area and buff the monsters all at once. This was how the gamer knew that his enemy finally recognized him. Having a cheeky smile worn on his face as he finally teleported back to Helios.

    "Let me answer in kind to you self-centered gods."

 Chapter 240: Burning Down Chaos

    Chapter 240: Burning Down Chaos

    "Conjure."

    Zeke didn''t waste any time and began by dispersing all of his [Summons] throughout the continent. He set his eyes on the enemy which was easy to make out as he floated 50 feet into the air. Looking down on everything like an omnipotent being.

    "Those are probably the enemies. Take them down immediately." Zeke''s summons made their war cry. Advancing rapidly and increasing in strength as their health fell below the needed threshold.

    Zeke could clearly make out what his enemy was. The [Chaos nts] stood at a solid 15 feet in height after all. And, aside from this, the middle of each nt was glowing with a bright violet color. While also dispersing particles which Zeke knew to be [Chaos Energy].

    "Damn that''s one nasty looking creature." Zeke said, observing that every area within Helios was going back square one. With the [Chaos Energy] being returned by the nts.

    "Zeke. Why are you here?" Allesiah asked, knowing that tehri was no other exnation for the massive amount of [Conjures] being summoned than the fact that Zeke has entered the [Continent].

    "Come on now, is that any way to treat your savior?" Zeke began, taking a quick nce at the [Status Bars] of the elites and noticing that there were negative effects included.

    "I need you to focus on something else for now so you better go back to the base right away."

    "What is it?" Allesiah immediately responded. Creating some distance between her and the enemies; ensuring that she would not take damage while she listened to the gamer.

    "Those kids probably need some healing and treatment right now. Based on their [Status Bars] I''m guessing that getting hit has more negative effects than what lies on the surface. So I want you to use your [Chaos Sight] while Julia and Red heals their fellow elites."

    "But what about the fight?"

    "Come on Allesiah, you know better than to ask that." Zeke continued, with his [Conjures] delivering on the order and damaging the [Chaos nts]. Something which Allesiah saw even on the area she was on.

    "Understood. Just tell us what to do after that."

    "Don''t worry. I will." Zeke said, finally closing the [Voice Chat] as the said elf teleported back to the base.

    "Now how do I deal with this exactly?"

    The puzzle was already being solved in the head of the gamer because, aside from the fact that there was an enemy right in front of him, there was an evenrger matter that needed to be solved. One which was brought by the same enemy. That is, the immense amount of [Chaos Energy] it was supplying.

    Zeke didn''t have an infinite supply of the [Empty Chaos Crystals]. This was just enough tost halfway through the missions. Specifically, clearing two continents and possibly forcing their enemy to face them at this point. It was, after all, impossible for no move to be made by Pier if half of his forces was already depleted.

    However things came sooner than he thought and, not in the way that he expected it to be. For all he knew, there was only a limited supply of [Chaos Energy] which Pier could create. Yet, the same [Chaos Energy] not only returned but also multiplied exponentially.

    "Man he really knows how to deal some damage huh." The gamer told himself. Thinking of his enemy who was still in hiding. Refusing to face him head on.

    "Well it''s not like I can me him. Even hiding is a useful tactic on its own merit." Zeke continued as he summoned Horizon in the air.

    With the [Conjures] that were already deployed, Zeke was able to test out a number of skills. The problem was only that, they were not sessful in casting anything that used up mana. Limiting them to [Chaos Energy] which was, did little to no effect on the said enemies.

    "That''s major problem number two already." Zeke thought to himself as his [Conjures] only relied on their physical strength in order to kill their enemies.

    This was not as big of a problem as theck of the [Empty Chaos Crystals] because, with the [Infernal] form being activated together with [Undying Loyalty] an [Undying Fury], his [Conjures] were basically unstoppable.

    "That still doesn''t erase the fact that those nts are still standing." Zeke thought as he noticed something peculiar with the said enemy. That is, it was trying even harder to push away the [Conjures] that have entered their [Infernal] form.

    Zeke then fired a bullet towards the [Chaos nt]. One which was infused with the mes of the fire god. Surprisingly, the said creature was not able to defend against it and, soon enough, its whole structure caught fire.

    The [Chaos nt] began making a strange sound. One which seemed to be a mixture of a shriek and a scream as its vines were also caught fire. Destroying the link between it and the monsters on the ground which immediately turned into corpses.

    "Huh Well I guess no matter how hideous they are. Those things are still nts." Zeke furthered, watching the sight and understanding what it was that he needed to do.

    Zeke brought out twenty fully charged bullets from his inventory. All were loaded with the mes of the [Fire God] and ced with a [Detonate] spell.

    He then summoned [Chaos Wyverns]. Making each of them eat a single bullet as he deployed them immediately to different areas within the map. The same ones which weren''t inhabited by citizens anymore.

    "Okay so there are two weaknesses now. The blind spot in the air and the me spell from the [Fire God]." Zeke furthered as a smile formed on his face.

    "Let''s try a little kamikaze dive on them." Zeke said as his [Chaos Wyverns] plunged headfirst towards the blind spot of the [Chaos nts]. Exploding immediately after and, creating the desired effect of the gamer.

    The pants were throwing tantrums. Hitting everything in sight while also removing the vines that were connected to the monsters. Just like Zeke''s first victim, their health was rapidly dropping and, upon reaching this point, they went into a defensive form.

    They turned into dormant like seeds. Zeke dind''t feel any hostility from them this time around indicating that, these would not pose any threat anymore. But just for good measure, Zeke decided to try the same move again in order to eradicate the nt entirely.

    "I''d probably gain more rewards if I take you down right?" Zeke furthered as he tried burning them in this state yet, only dealing half of the damage that he was able to generate when they were fully bloomed.

    "Huh. And that gives me problem number three."

    There was also a limit to the number of bullets charged with the [Fire God''s mes]. Zeke didn''t want to waste another round of bullets just for this. That''s why he simply went down on one of the areas performing a move which he knew would work as, the dormant state of the [Chaos nt] had the same header as itemponents on his inventory.

    The monsters on the area were also dead. Basically because of the same nt that buffed them a while ago. Making their state kind of ironic because it also killed them. There was no hassle as Zeke walked towards the seed and proceeded to itemizing it.

    "Collect."

    Just as he expected, the seed immediately went to his inventory. This meant that, its defensive state was nothing to worry about. It was basically an item at this point. Something which Zeke intended to forge into a useful item.

    "Okay. I think that''s all there is to it." The gamer furthered. Making his [Conjures] collect the other dormant seeds that have been affected by the fire.

    Although a useful pattern of attack. There was a small problem to this. The nt also grew on the areas where the demons are inhabiting. Making it dangerous for the gamer to perform the same stunt. Yet he was not worried with this as a new factor added up. One which made him open the [Voice Chat] once again.

    "Sylph."

    "Yeah what is it?" Sylph said. Not satisfied with the fact that Zeke needed to take over just for the mission to be sessful.

    "Someone''s a bit grumpy." Zekemented.

    "Stop teasing me and just say what you need."

    "Sheesh. We need to fix that temper of yours. Anyway, is everyone already finished healing?"

    "Okay, first of all, there is no need to fix my temper. I like it just the way it is. And secondly, everyone has been healed. Unfortunately however, most of them aren''t in fighting shape just yet. They''d need at least another hour or so if you''ll send them to the battlefield."

    "Yeah I know that. Don''t worry I have something else in mind."

    "Oh?"

    Zeke proceeded to telling Sylph the details of the n. As mentioned, Zeke''s [Conjures] were not capable of using the [Empty Chaos Crystals] and so he needed the help of the elites in order to do this.

    "Wait. What about those strange nts?"

    "Oh I took care of them already."

    "You did what?!?"

    "Seriously. You guys need to calm down about these things. I mean at this point you should realize what I''m capable of."

    "Anyway, I''ll be giving you the coordinates on the areas where they need to be deployed. Just collect the [Chaos Energy] and retreat. You don''t need to do anything aside from thosemands." It was the perfect mission for the elites. There was no risk involved in this as well. Meaning, Zeke couldpletely focus on the other things he needed to do.

    "What about you?" Sylph asked.

    "I''ll just show our dear enemy what I''m capable of." The gamer stated. Marking the location where he was to teleport as he said.

    "I''m going to wipe out all [Chaos] from this continent."

 Chapter 241: Time-Bound

    Chapter 241: Time-Bound

    As soon as Zeke decided on the actions he would take, the [Gamer''s System] generated the things which he needed to do. All being presented in a session of [Notification Windows].

    [A Time Limited Quest has been added  Taking Out The Weeds]

    [Quest Information: The gamer must extract all of the Chaos nts in any means possible from the continent. Leaving even a single one out will automatically result in the failure of the quest.]

    [Reward: One random skill from the Blood King.]

    [Note: Any skill owned by the Blood King is useful against the Monarchs.]

    [Time Remaining: 1:59:00]

    [A Time Limited Quest has been added  Monster Extermination]

    [Quest Information: The chaos monsters within the continent must be eradicated. Leaving even a single one out will result in quest failure.]

    [A halberd upgrade will be given as a reward]

    [Note: Halberd upgrades simply increase the overall status points which the weapon endows on its wielder.]

    [Time Remaining: 1:59:00]

    [A Time Limited Quest had been added  Sweeping Out Darkness]

    [Quest Information: All of the areas marked by the gamer as light dark and ck need to be destroyed within the allotted time. Failure to sweep away the chaos energy on the areas will result in the automatic failure of the quest.]

    [Ten random units from the Blood King''s army will be given as a reward. These will automatically be in the form of conjures.]

    [Time Remaining: 1:59:00]

    [An Optional Quest has been added  Savior of the Demons]

    [Quest Information: Upon finishing all the timebound quests listed, the overall poption within Helios must not drop below 80%.]

    [Aeros'' Horn will be given as a reward.]

    [Item Information: A devourer type unit can consume the said item. Allowing them to have some of the skills owned by the King of the Sea. The item may also be used to make a weapon with a water attribute.]

    "Well that''s a lot." Zeke said, opening the [Voice Chat] right away in order to give themands to his allies.

    "Sylph I need something else done right away."

    "Ack what is it this time? We haven''t even gone out yet."

    "Exactly. That''s why thismand is perfect as it stands."

    "Well, I mean, if that''s the case you should start talking." The elf said in reply. Noticing that Zeke was talking just a bit faster than usual. Meaning, things needed to be done quick.

    "Get the barrier crystals from the hideout and set them up on the area of the citizens. I''ll be sting those ces first." Zeke said, already making the proper revisions on his ns based on the quest rewards.

    "Understood. How long do we have until then?"

    "I''ll give you ten minutes. Teleporting in itself should not take you that long and the heroes would be too busy dealing with the nts to notice you." The citizens knew Zeke and the elites all too well already. In fact, them arriving would cause hope to rise for the demons who knew that victory was certain whenever they appeared.

    "Wait, so do the heroes also get sted? I mean they are within the immediate proximity of the nts after all."

    "Don''t be silly. They''re part of my quest reward so they need to survive. Just ask the elites to talk to them. I''m sure those guys would be more than happy to oblige to fellow humans. Especially if it''s one who''d provide a way for them to save face."

    "I think you got thatst part too urately. Anyway is that all?"

    "Yeah. I trust in you Sylph."

    "That doesn''t actually make things any easier you know." The elf said in reply. Something which Zeke simplyughed to as he finally closed the [Voice Chat].

    "Now where was I? Ah yes, I need to bring you out." Horizon came out from a gigantic ball of me that floated in mid - air; cing thirty bullets on the creature which he intended to use in order to perform the same move done on the [Chaos Wyverns].

    The gamer went on his way. He set the [Quest Countdown] that floated near enough for him to see it every time and, without a moment to lose. He began the race against time. The two of them teleported to one of the [ck Areas]. Crashing down before the enemies could even make any move against them.

    Just like that, the whole continent shook like never before. Even far away everyone saw the explosion that seemed to be as big as the sun. An exaggeration only because they were near enough topare it to such.

    Every monster within the area where Zekended on got burned immediately. Reduce to nothing but ashes as even their bones were burnt to a crisp. However, this was not enough to kill the six horned monsters. They remained standing in the field. But not for long.

    [The gamer has died.]

    [The conditions have been met for the Curse of the Blood King]

    [You have taken the Blood King''s form.]

    "Guess you guys are just naturally sturdy then." Zeke threw his halberd at the enemies and, just as he expected it pierced through them. Devouring the monsters right away.

    They couldn''t even fight back because they were already in a dazed and weakened state. Adding to the fact that, the session of attacks made by Zeke was so quick and unpredictable to counter against.

    "I mean. That makes one right?" The gamer noted. Collecting all the loot on the area and proceeding to the next one.

    Unfortunately he wasn''t able to make the same move twice. This was just a way for him to speed things up and to have extra time on his hands in case something unexcepted came up. Plus, this was also a great move for forcing Horizon to turn to its [Infernal] form. A dragon which was basically pure mes, having a burnt exoskeleton that served as both its frame and its armor.

    This was not for show. Horizon was basically capable of using the same mes of the fire god at that point. The trick which Zeke intended to use on the remaining areas. Yet before proceeding, he noted the time on his hand.

    "She should be contacting me right aboouuuuuut.now."

    "Zeke."

    "Yes! F**k I''m even psychic now." Zeke victoriously thought to himself before replying to Sylph.

    "Yeah what''s up?"

    "All the areas have been prepared for the attack. The heroes are giving us a hard time but they''ve followed the orders and fallen back for at least five minutes. That''s all the time they gave us to do what it is that we nned and  "

    Sylph wasn''t even able to finish with what it was that she was about to say. There was a huge explosion that came nearby. With the barrier shielding her and the citizens nearby from the damage. This immediately burned down the nt while also destroying the monsters nearby.

    "Did you just"

    "Yup. Sent my suicidal [Chaos Wyverns]."

    "Zeke!"

    "I''m sorry I don''t have time. Go clean the mess up and we''ll have as lengthy of a discussion as you need when I get back." Zeke said, ridding on Horizon as he went to the next areas.

    "Come on buddy we still have a long way to go." Zeke said, with both of them flying through the areas and burning down the [Chaos nts] they passed through. In not less than ten minutes, they have arrived at the second location.

    What Zeke was performing couldn''t be recreated on the next continent. Particrly because of the length of time needed to collect all the materials needed for the fight.

    Of course he could just destroy the monster but that would not give him anything. The enemies would still be able to regenerate because of the oozing [Chaos Energy] and, in fact, Zeke would only be helping the enemies regenerate  the exact opposite of his goal as this would increase the amount of [Chaos Energy] instead of reducing it.

    "I hope this is enough to give you a scare." Zeke said, dropping to the second area and facing the remaining enemies. Those which Horizon failed to burn down.

    "Okay guys, I''m kinda bit of in a hurry so I can''t talk to you anymore."

    "YOU''RE DEAD!" One of the monsters said  pouncing on the gamer with incredible speed.

    Yet the gamer was able to dodge easily as he dashed towards his enemy. This move was not only surprising but even shortened the amount of time needed for them to collide. In this split-second Zeke proved to be the quicker one. Activating [Overdrive] which allowed him to stab the opponent with the halberd and dodge the attack made.

    "Man this thing is really useful when it''s real huh." Zeke mentioned as he notice the significant increase in the strength of the halberd. The poor victim of the weapon was already on the ground. Unable to even pull out the weapon as its flesh as slowly getting absorbed.

    There was another six horned monster and luckily it was also a melee fighter. It thought that Zeke was helpless without his weapon. But it as dead wrong. Literally.

    "How" Zeke punched a hole through the chest of the beast. He then followed this up by creating multiple elemental reactions. Freezing. Burn. Corroding. Poisoning. Rotting.

    He mixed all of these up because he didn''t have time to test out what weakness his opponent had. Nor did he have the luxury of time to use [Analysis].

    "Yeah like I said, I''m running on some sort of timer so save your questions for the afterlife." Zeke mentioned. Removing his blood-stained hand from the hole on the monster''s chest.

    "Okay, now to absorb you too." Zeke took the lying halberd on the ground. It was already finished with its earlier meal, leaving not even a strand of hair from the poor monster. Something he recreated on the same monster.

    "Damn you''re a bit greedy." He mentioned, looking at the speed the halberd worked.

    [1:30:27]

    This was the time left for the gamer to finish his task. He looked at it with much excitement. Thrilled that there was a challenge he could benefit from this time around.

    "Okay, let''s finish this faster than Pier could even realize he''s f**ked."

 Chapter 242: Face Off

    Chapter 242: Face Off

    While Zeke was busy destroying all of the enemies, Sylph and Allesiah also had their hands full from the heroes who seemed to have a never-ending number of questions.

    "What exactly is going on? What was that explosion earlier?" An axe user said.

    "Who are you working with?" Another one inquired.

    Of course the Windsprites were expert in dealing with people. They were once part of the noble household after all. Meaning, they received training even on things such as this. However, the sheer number of questions flooding over them was just beyond what any of their training has ever prepared them for.

    "Is this some kind of trap?"

    "Yeah how do we even know that we can trust you? You seem to havee at a pretty convenient time don''t you think?"

    As time went by, the questions were beginning to raise more and more doubts about the Windsprites. In the first ce, the only reason why the heroes believed was because of the elites. Yet even then, they didn''t trust that a quick fix solution could be provided to an enemy that they themselves couldn''t figure out.

    Yet Zeke dealt with this in not less than a minute, beating the five-minute allotment that these heroes gave.

    "Did we not solve the problem? What are you even sounding suspicious about?" Sylph said, almost at the point of snapping.

    "That''s just the whole darn point! Some enemies would make you believe that they are allies in order to sabotage things from the inside out." Another heromented.

    "Whoah. Whoah. WHOOOAH! Don''t you think that''s going a bit out of line mister?" The heroes have done it. Sylph was finally angry and so, Allesiah took over. Telling her sister to step aside as Sylph decided to telepathicallymunicate.

    "Hey did these guys rehearse? Why isn''t there even anyg on the continuation of their questions?" Sylph asked, using [Voice Chat] and speaking through her mind.

    "I think that''s just the normal response of these humans to such a situation sister." Allesiah answered. Smiling at the heroes as she tried settling them down first.

    "Well we''ve got a reference and he''s nothing like these guys are. What a bunch of whiners." Sylph furthered, giving them a stern gaze. Like he wanted to use them for target practice.

    "If you guys could just calm down for one second, I''d be able to exin everything properly." Allesiah finally said. With a smile on her face as she tried to remain calm.

    "Why should we listen to a bunch of elves? Do you think you are above the heroes who saved multiple worlds?" One of them proudly imed.

    "No. Of course we don''t. That''s why I''m asking nicely madam." Allesiah furthered. Still sounding polite despite the crude words offered by the heroes.

    "Screw it! Your master must be one heck of a loser for not facing us." It was at this moment that they knewthey fucked up.

    Thisment struck Sylph immediately. She knew what would happen if such a provocation was made and, in fact, things were already beginning. They have roused the anger of Allesiah.

    "You should''ve just listened when my sister was still asking nicely." Sylphmented, with Allesiah slowly freezing the air around them while also thinning it out; making it difficult for the heroes to breathe.

    "That''s actually a good question. Why should you listen to an elf right?" Allesiah furthered. Masterfully continuing the spell which even the heroes could not see.

    "I mean. I must be an elf must be nothing but a background character on your worlds, right?" Allesiah furthered as she poured out all of her mana all at once.

    "Now you''ve done it." Sylph thought to herself. Smiling as she saw the heroes suffering in fear, dizziness, andck of airbined.

    Indeed they were individuals who saved worlds. All of them have in fact. However, none of the worlds which they saved was on the same level of difficulty as Mythos. This is proven by the fact that; Zeke was even facing a god as his main opponent this time around.

    Due to this, all of the gamer''s allies have been trained to an extent that, they would at leastst a couple of rounds against the god of mischief and deceit. And on that moment, Allesiah was disying this same level of power. One which went beyond any of the demon lords faced by the heroes.

    "I''m known to be the calmer one from us sisters so, if you just do as I say, then we can resolve everything in much more peaceful manner."

    "And I guess you need to know your ce before we continue" Allesiah increased the gravity as she ordered:

    "Kneel."

    The heroes dropped to their knees faster than one could blink. This didn''t take much effort as their legs were already shaky from the fear they were instinctively feeling.

    "Let me get this straight. We are helping you because our leader told us to. If I were to decide, I''d let those [Chaos nts] kill you. But you see, unlike you who want to horde all the fame and glory to yourselves, we just want to save this world. So zip those mouths of yours before I decide to personally do so myself."

    Allesiah then took back all of the mana. With the heroes beginning to breathe properly once again. Sylph was getting teary eyed at the scene. Seeing herself in the actions taken by her sister. Yet just as quickly as Allesiah showed her frightening side, she instantly returned to her m demeanor.

    "Okay, let''s continue, shall we?" She suggested. This time, getting the approval of the heroes.

    While the Windsprites and the elites were busy organizing all of this, Zeke was just about finished with all of the areas that needed to be cleared. In fact, he was already on thest area. Stabbing thest enemy with the [Blood King''s Halberd] and clearing half of the conditions for the mission.

    "Man that was such a rush." Zeke thought to himself, looking at the timer which only had [00:48:56] minutes remaining.

    "This is more than enough time for the other conditions to be cleared." Zeke thought to himself, opening the [Voice Chat] and making the necessary calls.

    "Kaguya. How is the absorption of the [Chaos Energy] going?"

    "We''ve finished with half of the continent already Mister Zeke." She casually said; like this was a feat that could normally be done by normal citizens. When in fact, it was only due to Zeke''s [Teleportation Scrolls] and marked locations that they were able to speed things up to this extent.

    "Perfect. Just remember to be careful with enemies that could possiblye. Don''t face them because I''m sure that things whatever woulde after those nts would be far worse."

    "Understood." Zeke was just about to close the [Voice Chat] when Kaguya followed through.

    "Oh and, mister Zeke"

    "Yeah, what is it?"

    "Please forgive us for failing this mission. As the leader of the elites I take full responsibility for this."

    "What do you mean?" Zeke said, unsure of the nature of Kaguya''s apology.

    "You trusted us with taking down the monsters on the said areas yet, we were stopped by mere nts." Kaguya was ready to receive some proper scolding at this point. But instead, all he got was Zeke''sughter; speaking right after.

    "Come on now. This isn''t such a bad thing. I mean we got Pier to leave some traces of his activities on the continent and, now we know that he is actively tracking us down. Both of which are big steps for the mission."

    "Yes but, we still didn''t perform that well." Kaguya wanted to be reprimanded no matter what. An eagerness that Zeke didn''t find reasonable.

    "Nonsense. You did what you could with the limited resources you had."

    "Does that mean that there was really no way around the situations?" Allesiah furthered. Finally sounding hopeful.

    "Nope. I could''ve done better myself." At this point Kaguya was ready to apologize once again. Yet Zeke immediately followed through.

    "But what I''m saying is, you did your best and that''s all that matters right now. I didn''t bring you to the fights expecting you to produce miracles. I brought you to give the results based on the statistics and, you did not only deliver but went beyond the numbers on the charts."

    Everything that Zeke said was true. These were only facts and, because they were such, theforted Kaguya even more.

    "Of course the variables could change within the battlefield. The numbers of the opponents may increase. They may even be ipatible with your fighting style. But putting all of that into consideration is my job as the head of these operations. I can''t scold you for defeating something you couldn''t handle on a single try. That would just be in stupid of me."

    "Thank you mister Zeke." Kaguya said, finally feeling at ease.

    "Don''t sweat it. Plus, don''t be so stiff when you talk to me. I''m not your master. I''m your ally."

    "Yes mister Zeke. I understand."

    "No you didn''t." Zeke thought to himself, hearing the same politeness and stiffness on Kaguya''s voice.

    "I''ll be continuing my mission then."

    "Okay. Keep it up." Zeke simply said, closing the [Voice Chat] as he noticed a presence approaching.

    "I was hopping for something toe up but, you''re an even bigger catch than I thought." He said, feeling the aura that was simr to what he experienced on the [Memory Piece].

    "Who are you? And how do you have his form?" The voice said, not sounding like any of the [Monarchs] which Zeke had already encountered.

    "Is that even relevant right now? I mean I should at least reprimand you for running away you know." Zeke tuned around and, sure enough the familiar face was there. The only difference was that. He had the same markings which Sylph reported about. It was Quinn.

    "I''m taking cheeky brat back."

 Chapter 243: Vask Vs. Zeke

    Chapter 243: Vask Vs. Zeke

    The only reason why Vask was able to find Zeke''s location was because the gamer was running around the whole continent - popping up from ce to ce. With that being said, it was a small wonder that the [Chaos Monarch] was able to pick his trail up and follow him.

    "How did you even track him down?" Quinn asked. Forced to surrender his body to the [Monarch] that was taking full control.

    "Well since you asked nicely, I might as well tell you." Vask began, continuing to track down Zeke.

    "Aside from the fact that he''s definitely in possession of Alexander''s powers, he''s been putting distortions on space."

    "Distortions? You mean through the teleportation?"

    "Yup. There is a certain amount of space upied by any living object. Having both him and whatever creature it was that he was riding jump from ce to ce gives me a hint on where he is. As, I could sense all these distortions even with my eyes closed.

    "You mean your tracking reaches throughout the whole continent?"

    "Well duh. How do you think we found Pier even though he already escaped us the first time around?"

    Quinn got another valuable information on the skill level of Vask. He knew this person to be truthful with his words at the very least. Even though he was making use of Quinn''s body  Vask wasn''t as bad as he initially wanted himself to look like.

    "Anyway, that''s the guy leading your former group, right?" The [Monarch] asked, passing the time by also getting information.

    "Yes. So I can guarantee you that he is a hundred percent human." Quinn said in reply, trying to avoid any kind of conflict with the gamer. Not wanting any harm toe to his generous benefactor.

    "Hmm well that''s not what the tingling sensation all over my body is implying." Vask said in reply, deciphering the traces left by Zeke and, finally finding him on a single area. One which also seemed to be the gamer''s final destination.

    "You don''t seem to be lying so I''ll believe you Quinn. However, I still need to get some answers out of this human that you speak of and, believe me when I say that, I won''t be showing any mercy to him."

    These were the events that led to the face off between the two. The prodigy among the [Chaos Monarchs] and earth''s god of games; bearing the burden of the [Blood King''s Curse].

    "Well you''re definitely not him at the very least. I could vividly picture his appearance on my mind. Heck even your posture and the way you carry yourself is way off."

    "You''re referring to Alexander, aren''t you?"

    "Oh? So you do know him. This makes things less difficult." Vask didn''t waste any time. He brough out his weapon immediately as the [Halberd] on Zeke''s hand was making him weary. It was the same weapon after all and, he didn''t want to be hit by that cursed object.

    "Actually things are only going to get difficult from this point on. Like I said, I need that boy back." Zeke said, going into stance.

    "So you chose to answer with your weapon are you not even going to ask me anything?"

    "Oh trust me when I say that, I can extract all the information I need after I win." Zeke said in reply. Feeling the immense amount of pressure from his enemy. Even Pier paled inparison to the amount of [Chaos Energy] being wielded by Vask at that moment.

    "Fine by me." The Monarch said in reply. Also making his stance which seemed to be morex than Zeke''s.

    "Let''s try out just how good you are."

    There was no way around it. Both of them knew that, in order to get the answers they wanted, they needed to defeat their opponent first. This was the one and only path of action that could be taken at the moment. And so, without a moment to lose, the two began their battle.

    "Conjure!"

    All of Zeke''s summons came out at once. Vask was not the bit impressed of the performance as he made a single snap of his finger. Destroying the space in the middle of the bodies of the [Conjures] and sending them to the void.

    "Wrong move." Zeke said, appearing right next to Vask. His halberd only needing a split second in order to pierce through his enemy. Yet, this attack didn''t connect.

    Zeke didn''t hesitate. He wanted the halberd to deal as much damage as possible. But still, the weapon only stopped in front of Vask. There was a n invisible wall preventing his weapon from advancing further.

    "That won''t do. If you knew me as well as the previous owner of that skill. You''d chose another course of action." Vask increased the space in front of him. Preventing anything froming through as a total of 20,000 kilometers worth of space was added.

    "You seem to have a lot of tricks up your sleeves." Zekemented as he attempted another strike.

    "That''s not even the beginning of it." Vask said in reply; making another snap of his fingers and pulling Zeke away from him.

    Vask distorted space over and over again. Attacking Zeke whose body was forced to move at different directions. All of which ended on a spot where the Monarch would suddenly appear.

    "Above you."

    "I''m here."

    "To your left."

    As if to taunt his enemy even further, Vask was giving Zeke hints on where he would appear. However, this tactic proved to be ineffective to Zeke who had [Gamer''s Mind] activated 24/7. Preventing any sort of negative effects to affect his mind.

    Still, this didn''t erase the fact that, Zeke couldn''t keep up. In fact, Vask got easily bored with this and decided to seriously attack with his sword. However, Zeke didn''t allow things to just go as his opponent pleased.

    The gamer activated [Overdrive] each and every time. Barely dodging by moving his halberd to a direction that weaved the monarch''s sword just a little bit.

    "Well you could at least fight. I''d give you that." Vask decided to stop with the barrage as there was no point to it anymore.

    Zeke tried attacking during this interval but, Vask had invisible walls set up all around the battlefield. These had the same property as the barrier which Zeke set on top of his body. And since Zeke couldn''t see this, his rhythm and pacing was greatly affected.

    "Let''s see how long you couldst against this." Vask continued by summoning multiple ck holes. Each of which had a different amount of force to it. Either pulling or pushing Zeke while not affecting Vask himself.

    He owned the whole territory and, in not less than twenty minutes into the fight, the Monarch already had a huge advantage over the gamer.

    "This is why I should''ve practiced more on duel type fights." Zeke thought to himself, still on the defensive as he couldn''t think of a way to win.

    His conjures would only be eaten up by the ck holes. If this happened, they wouldn''t be able to activate their skills as, their hp would instantly drop to zero. At the same time, they would be disabled. Both of which would bring no benefit for the gamer.

    "This is definitely on the same level as that Monarch on the [Memory Piece]." Zeke thought as he tried analyzing the terrain.

    This was only in vain however as Vask made another snap of his fingers. Changing the position of the ck holes. With one almost sucking up Zeke that barely escaped by using [Shadow Dive].

    "You need to do better than that if you want me to get serious." Vask taunted further. Releasing sh attacks with his de.

    Zeke saw the attacking from a mile away. But this same attack suddenly sped up  grazing Zeke who was not able to properly respond. This was followed by more attacks of the same nature. Some suddenly stopped in ce. Others curved. Then there were those that''d suddenly vanish  only to reappear a second before hitting the gamer.

    "I''m a bit disappointed actually. If this is all you could do then you don''t even measure to a fraction of his powers." Vask furthered  snapping his fingers once again and changing the position of the ck holes.

    "I could do this all day and you''d never figure out how to win." The Monarch furthered. Creating more sh attacks which Zeke did his best to avoid.

    With the release of [Chaos Energy] produced by the [Chaos nts], Vask was also able to absorb enough to fill his powers. In fact, there was even more lying around and he intended to make use of all this. Knowing that the [Blood King] is incapable of using both chaos and order.

    "You seem to be pretty confident on your skills but all of that means nothing when faced with absolute power." Vask continued  changing the position of the ck holes again. And, in the blink of an eye, Zeke disappeared from his sight.

    Multiple magic circles appeared in the air. Vask noticed this immediately but there was no way for him to didge as Zeke casted:

    "ze of the Fire God!"

    The whole ce lighted up in the bright yellow color of the sun. The mes spread on the ground below. Dispersing as this burnt everything in sight. But such a trick would not work on Zeke''s enemy  a fact that the gamer knew.

    "There''s no such thing as absolute power. If there was, then you wouldn''t have died right?" Zeke mentioned. Landing on the ground and waiting for his enemy who emerged out of the smoke.

    "You really do know how to run that mouth of yours do you?"

    "I have no idea what you''re talking about. I''m just stating facts." The gamer said in reply as he threw his halberd at the Monarch.

 Chapter 244: Vask Vs. Zeke - Conclusion

    Chapter 244: Vask Vs. Zeke - Conclusion

    "Come on now. Didn''t you learn your lesson already?" Vask mentioned as Zeke''s halberd throw didn''t reach the Monarch. It just stopped right in front of him.

    "Well you did say that there was a 2,000 kilometer''s worth of space added right outside your body. I just wanted to see how far my throw could go." Zeke said in reply, failing to deliver and calling back his weapon which materialized on his hand.

    Vask didn''t waste any time. He distorted the space all around the battlefield once more yet Zeke''s untrained eyes couldn''t see this.

    "What did you even gain from such an attempt?"

    "Well, for starters, I learned that you can''t touch the halberd." Zeke said in reply  making Vask raise one of his eyebrows.

    "Now I really need to dispose of you." Vask stated. Thinking that the gamer was even more dangerous than he initially thought.

    An hour has already passed since the two began fighting and, until that point, nobody has won yet. Vask had a natural supremacy over Zeke when it came to two things.

    The first was the nature of the [Monarch''s] spells. These weren''t upright attacks nor defensive moves. These were distortions on space and ones that Zeke couldn''t even see. Making the fight even more difficult than it already was.

    Then there is the second advantage of Vask which is the flexibility of these skills. As Zeke himself experienced, his opponent used space in such a way that his sh attacks were moving at a seemingly random pattern. This wasn''t the only thing that Vask could do with the skill and Zeke knew this. That was why he was threading carefully because, he understood that he could easily fall into a trap made by Vask.

    However Zeke wasn''t falling behind. Not by a long shot.

    "Ahh these invisible distortions are ruining my rhythm." Zeke thought to himself. Using [Overdrive] in order to dodge every time the Monarch''s attacks got too close forfort.

    Zeke had heightened battle senses because of all the passives he bought and umted during his 13 years of training inside the cave. Adding to this was the [Gamer''s Mind] that allowed him to optimize all his movements.

    "I hate to admit it but you''re actually decently strong aren''t you?" Vaskmented as he sessfully trapped Zeke in the middle of two walls that he couldn''t see.

    "Unfortunately for you, I''m still on a whole ''nother league." The Monarch continued, casting a spell that would crush the gamer.

    "You should look at your surroundings more." Zeke said in reply; with a smile that seemed to say that everything was moving ording to his n.

    Vask looked around but found nothing. That is, until two explosions came above him. Expanding so quickly that it would hit the Monarch in a matter of seconds.

    Vask moved out of range immediately. Releasing all the skills that were imprisoning the gamer which Zeke found to be odd.

    "I may have found your weakness." He thought to himself as he threw another bullet. Exploding right away but, this time, Vask didn''t move away.

    "Your tricks won''t work twice on me." The Monarchmented.

    "You should stop thinking all high and mighty of yourself." Zeke said in reply, raining down arrows on his enemy while also dispersing small des within the battlefield.

    The Monarch knew what these would e used for and so, he began sucking them all in using his ck holes. Yet this was also part of the gamer''s n as he threw his halberd again. Almost hitting Vask who needed to move out of the way.

    "I already told you. That won''t work." The cocky Monarch retorted. However, thement did not work on Zeke this time around. He smiled at his enemy, like victory was already his.

    "There''s one trick to your skill that you haven''t hidden well." Zeke began, with his enemy waiting for what he would say.

    "You can''t activate all of them at the same time. The moreplex the spell, the more you need to concentrate on it and so, you need to sacrifice on a few of your spells. Namely, the armor you coated yourself in."

    "My, and how did youe up with that conclusion?" Vask said in reply, now properly interested in Zeke who was more promising than Quinn when it came to cognitive abilities.

    "You activated that armor thing at the beginning of the fight to make me think that you are imprable. But ever since that instance, there were two asions when you dodged my attack." Zeke said, raising two fingers.

    "The first was when I used the exploding bullets."

    "But I blocked that one did I not?"

    "No. You dodged on the first instance and tried to cover up your tracks by epting the second one head on. But you were only able to perform this because you dissolved the trap you''ve set around me. That''s why I used the halberd to test things out again. Only throwing it after you''ve used up a wide range spell."

    At this point the Monarch was sure. Zeke was a fearsome foe because of an entirely different matter. It was true that he wasn''t at the power level of the Blood King yet but, he makes up for thisck by his quick perception and analysis. Integrating them in the fight without the Monarch even noticing it.

    "You could''ve simply stayed put as, with the description you gave, those attacks would never reach you. And yet you avoided them. You keep on saying that you''re better than me. But all you''re doing is revealing your cards to me. While I avoid every fatality you throw."

    "BRAVO!" Vask began pping his hands., never was he entertained as much as he was at that moment.

    "So why are you telling me all this? Would it not have been easier for you to win if I continued thinking that you weren''t aware of these?"

    "Of course that''s true. But like I said, I need that kid alive. That''s why I''m trying to avoid such a needless fight as this."

    At this, the Monarchughed his heart out. He wanted the gamer all to himself but it was toote. He already had a vessel and it was impossible to jump to another one without cultivating his soul for another 1,000 years.

    "So are you going to return that kid to me or are you going to continue fighting?" Zeke asked. Knowing that there was a high chance for the Monarch to throw in the towel.

    "Unfortunately, both choices you offered are wrong." Vask said.

    "Suit yourself." Zeke replied as he went into stance again but, the Monarch would not allow this.

    "I didn''t expect things to turn out this way. You have impressed me mortal." Vask said, snapping his fingers andpletely immobilizing Zeke.

    There was no spell casted. No preparation made. There was no movement that indicated that something of the sort was being prepared. Yet, Zeke felt an amount of heaviness that was impossible to lift off.

    "Don''t bother. That is my strongest spell. One which abruptly distorts the space around my enemy."

    "It''s working too well don''t you think?" Zeke said in reply. Forced to his knees as his legs couldn''t bear the weight anymore.

    ''You probably would''ve been able to figure that out anyway. But you see, the only reason why I was able to quickly cast it was because the duration isn''t even that long. In fact, you''d be able to break free from that in a couple of minutes." The Monarch furthered, swinging the sword on his hand.

    Vask looked at his enemy not in triumph but in failure. The fight was already decided and, in fact, the Monarch lost.

    He lost the moment his enemy found out about his tricks. He was running low on [Chaos Energy] and due to this, he couldn''t force the swap with Quinn any further. If the fight continued the way it did, then Quinn would not only be able to force his way out but also, possibly, be extracted from the body of his host.

    "I hope that we do meet again. Hopefully I''d be out of this vessel by that time so that I can release the full extent of my powers." Vask furthered making a swing in thin air and opening a dimensional rift. One which was just big enough for him to fit in.

    "Wait!" Zeke shouted, not epting the way things were ending. But the Monarch didn''t turn anymore.

    Vask simply raised his hand, bidding farewell to his enemy as he finally entered the rift. And in not less than a minute, Zeke was finally free of the binding ced on him.

    He slowly got up, felt his body that was sore all over and proceeded to gazing at the sky as he said the words:

    "That counts as a failure right? Damn I almost had him."

    He didn''t like the feeling of losing. But unlike Quinn, Zeke epted these wholeheartedly as these also gave him an idea of what he stillcked. And, at that moment, hecked proper skills that could be used against the Monarchs.

    "Well it''s not like I can do anything against him at that point. I should just consider myself lucky that he left the way he did." The gamer continued as he sat on the ground and monitored the progress of the mission. All the while thinking of all the ways he could win on future encounters but, even before he could properly rest, another problem came up as his [Voice Chat] opened up. With the voice of a worried Heron saying the words:

    "Master Zeke, Morpheus is going berserk!"

 Chapter 245: Demon Continent Cleared!

    Chapter 245: Demon Continent Cleared!

    Going berserk would not be a big of a deal on normal circumstances. Zeke had encountered countess warriors and monsters who had this state including thete King Gallio. Wielding not a normal version of this skill but something which is referred to as the [Ultimate Berserker].

    Yet, there was a troubled expression on Zeke''s face because, he knew that among all his subordinates, it was only Morpheus who has never actually shown his true potentials. It was true that he was strong but, the child was only able to grow based on the enemies he fought. And since there was nothing on Mythos but the normal monsters before, there was really no way for his metamorphosis to trulymence.

    There was no second thought on Zeke''s head as he teleported to Heron''s location. The area was surrounded by the Dragon Morpher''s [Cloud of Dreams]. And from the pained expression on Heron''s face, Zeke instantly knew that she was doing her best to hold back Morpheus.

    "Master I know that it would be rude of me to ask this but, what was going through that head of your when you told Morpheus to keep consuming the horned beasts?"

    "Well you see, I''d love to answer that but we do have more pressing matters on our hands right now yeah?" Zeke said in reply as he instantly got a sigh from Heron.

    "Well could you at least exin after all this?"

    "Sure thing. Now the details please."

    Zeke knew that Morpheus was like family to Heron. She treated him like his own little brother, making all the time they spent together one of the most authentic experience which she had in her life. That was why she didn''t like how Morpheus was reduced to the state he was in. Adding to this was how unsettled she felt because Zeke was the one who ordered Morpheus to do this.

    Yet her faith in Zeke was still there. That was why she gave what he asked immediately.

    "He seemed to have eaten all the corpses in this spot. He was taking too long in absorbing the Chaos Energy on this area and when I went to check on him, he was already in that state. Hostile and dangerous."

    "That''s bad. This is one of the three dark areas within Helios." Zeke said in reply as things finally became clear to him.

    The reason why Morpheus has gone berserk was because, there were too many corpses on the said area. And this was not the end of it because, there were also more remains of monsters that had [Five Horns]pared to the other areas.

    "So that''s his current limit huh." Zeke thought to himself as he formted a n for the situation.

    "I actually felt the chilling amount of power being released from your previous location master. Did anything happen?"

    "Oh I just caught a random big fish. Unfortunately, my wasn''t too sturdy to haul it in." Zeke simply said in reply. Giving an abstract exnation of how he encountered and fought Vask.

    "Usually when you resort to exnations like that, there are stuff that you don''t want me to know." Heron simply replied as she focused on maintaining the [Cloud of Dreams] the contained Morpheus.

    "You know me too well." The gamer responded, going to his inventory and taking thest few pieces [Empty Chaos Crystals].

    "So what''s the n master?"

    "That''s easy enough, take down your skill. We''re gonna tire him out until his transformationes undone."

    Heron immediately followed the instructions. The [Cloud of Dreams] dispersed, revealing a single entity in the middle of the open field.

    There were wings growing on Morpheus'' back that resembled those of the gargoyles. His tail looked simr to a snake''s while on its tip was a spike like object. His face waspletely changed into that of a lion''s while five horns stuck out on his forehead.

    This form also had long ears that were longer than the mane covering the whole shape of his face. His eyes had different colors. With the left being a brilliant yellow while the other had an emerald glow. He walked on all fours with his ws looking razor sharp while his whole body was covered with thick scales.

    "That is one scary looking Mory." Zeke said as his [Analysis] showed him all the data on this form.

    It''s looks did not fail to deliver as, the gamer saw Morpheus'' rank shooting up to an evolved [S+] creature.

    "Heron this may be a bit dangerous so stay behind me and keep a barrier up for yourself okay?"

    At this point, the lion already saw the two. It nted its feet on the ground as its mane began glowing. Morpheus then let out a loud roar. One which caused the earth to shake with the mere amount of vibrations it produced.

    "Conjure." Zeke summoned Horizon in front of him and, thankfully he did. Because the creature immediately turned into stone.

    [Alert! Conjures that have been turned to stone cannot be used for a whole hour.]

    "Oh dear that''ll be a problem." Zeke noted as he proceeded to summoning some of his [Conjures] on the field.

    With the warning given by the [System], Zeke chose not to summon all of his [Conjures] at once. This was because, the same move would instantly turn them into stone effortlessly.

    "Let''s try chunking off your health and look for your weak spots first." The gamer furthered as his [Conjures] began their assault.

    There were still a lot that the gamer needed to do and, he had all of these organized into a timetable on his head. Of course the matter at hand was of utmost priority but aside from this, he needed to form diplomatic rtions with the new heroes.

    There was also the problem of looking for more deposits where he could chunk out [Chaos Shards] as he would not be able to clear out the other [Continents] without this. Yet, he may not need to because of the quick pacing of events within Helios.

    "Well I can think of Pierter. I''m sure he won''t be sending some new nts this soon." The gamer said as he observed the fight closely  releasing new [Conjures] as soon as the first batch got turned into stone.

    "Okay now let''s be smart about this." He furthered.

    One thing which he noticed was that it took Morpheus some time before he could roar again. This didn''t weaken him in the tiniest bit because, within this interval, the [Chimera] released multiple types of spells. With his body parts also being useful in defense.

    "He''d make a good vessel if I get killed again." Zeke thought to himself as he knew that even in that state, Morpheus was still far from reaching his peak. But this thought did note with any malice nor hostility towards his ally.

    He only knew that there was one fact that would stand if it came to that point. That he would have risked his own life and would even die protecting his allies. Should this fail, the seeding events woulde naturally. That being, the death of those he failed to protect.

    But Zeke would not allow such a thing to happen again. His failure with the Windsprites would never reur. This much he promised to himself and to the current vessel that he held on to.

    "Conjure." Zeke sent out the next batch which continued the fight and at this point, he himself went into the field. Filling up one [Empty Chaos Crystal] on his hand with [Chaos Energy].

    Morpheus did the stance that indicate that it would roar but, Zeke didn''t flinch. He waited for the monster to perform the action yet, nothing came out just as he expected.

    "So the interval is real." The gamer thought as he measured the time in between the roars made.

    This didn''t stop Morpheus from attacking. He pounced at Zeke who immediately got out of harm''s way by using [Shadow Dive]. He then brought out one pistol and shot at the scales protecting Morpheus'' skin  unsessful in piercing through which didn''t matter.

    Zeke followed with [Weapon Blink], swapping ces with the bullet that was shot and proceeded to stabbing Morpheus with the melee form of his weapon.

    Morpheus made a loud roar in pain as he tried to strike down Zeke. But because it was simple minded in that form, it was easy for the gamer to see the patterns of attack. Allowing him to dodge once again even in melee range.

    He then made one more stab as he proceeded to teleporting behind Horizon once again. Waiting for the roar that came soon enough. The [Conjures] got turned into stone followed by the next batch of summoning right after. Giving no time for Morpheus to rest.

    This process went on repeat for a whole hour. Morpheus'' health pool was so huge that it surpassed even that of Horizon''s. And with the armor and resilience it had, it was difficult to make anyrge damage to it. Yet all of Zeke''s moves did their toll on him and, soon enough, the lion was left half awake. Beaten to a pulp, tired, and drained.

    "I''m sorry it had toe to this Mory." Zeke looked at Heron, giving the next instructions.

    "Use Somnus on him and add the effects pf [Cloud of Dreams]. Make sure that he gets a soothing dream. That''ll help in calming down his body."

    "Yes master." Heron said in reply as she followed Zeke''s orders.

    With this the second day of their operation on Helios ended without any casualties. All of the [Chaos Energy] have been taken out from the continentpletely. Which made the pacing quicker than initially nned  all thanks to Zeke who was forced to do so because of his missions.

    Meanwhile, the God of Mischief watched all of this with rage as his n not only failed but plummeted to the ground. Devoting himself to destroying the gamer before Zeke could do more damage to his ns.

 Chapter 246: A Moment of Rest

    Chapter 246: A Moment of Rest

    "DAMMIT!"

    Pier was more furious than he has ever been in his life. Nobody has ever made him look foolish in his whole immortal life. Even the main deities failed to do this. Yet, he was sullied not by an all-powerful being such as himself but a mortal nheless.

    "All those Chaos nts got taken out like he knew exactly how to deal with them!" Pier furthered as swept all the sks on the table with his arm. The fragile objects broke as soon as they hit the ground. With the liquid they contained and the shards of ss scattered everywhere.

    "And why does he have Calitha''s mes! Nobody fucking told me that he was blessed by that fool!"

    The level of infuriation which he felt was beyond anything that he ever felt before. Even after he sent out enough [Chaos nts] to fill the whole continent, this proved to be insufficient in stopping the gamer and his allies. And, as if adding insult to injury, Zeke even wiped away all the [Chaos Energy] on the continent.

    "Within a single fucking day! That human took away all those centuries of preparation and effort in a SINGLE FUCKING DAY!" Pier continued screaming his heart out. He needed something, anything to vent out his anger on but all he had were the sks that he already broke. Leaving only the tables and the screens disying the four continents.

    "My whole n is ruined now! How the hell am I supposed to move from this point!" Pier furthered and, it seemed like the heavens answered this plea because de suddenly entered.

    "Master  " de dodged a ss that was thrown at him.

    "KNOCK DUMBFOUNDED!" Pier screamed but, seeing the calm expression on de''s face made him rethink of his action. Making a deep sigh and slouching on a chair which had a sword pierced through it.

    "I apologize for intruding like this. However, I did not. It was just that your screaming was louder than my action."

    "Are you talking back to me?" Pier said in reply, forcing himself to stay collected.

    "No master. I am simply saying that it is uncalled for."

    "Oh?" Pier stood up from the chair, took the sword and walked towards de.

    "Say that again." I dare you." He furthered, with his intentions being clear to his elf servant.

    "There is clearly a way out of this. You just feel so defeated by the same methods that you take pride on that, your own judgement is clouded."

    "You really added more insult huh? I guess forfeiting your own life is not that big of a deal to you then." Pier furthered, pointing his weapon at de''s neck.

    "I do not know everything about you master but, I do know enough."

    "Okay then smartass. If you know me so much, then what is this method that you speak of?"

    "I do not know. But because you are Pier, I know that you can still pull this together." de said in reply. Without a shred of fear expressed on his face but instead, what was written all over it was his faith in the god.

    "You disgust me." Pier began  throwing his weapon away as he screamed.

    "OUT!"

    With this de left the scene. Yet his words stuck on Pier''s head. Echoing over and over again until, it finally became true. With a twisted smile on his face, the god of mischief and deceit knew exactly what it was that he could do.

    "I''d get you back for this humiliation that you gave me." Pier furthered as he began plotting not the next phase of his n but, the endgame of it.

    "You are ying with fire boy and soon enough you''ll burn."

    "Achoo!"

    "Master Zeke do you have a cold?"

    "Nah, I think some prettydy remembered me or something."

    "Gross."

    "It was a joke. Don''t take it seriously Heron."

    Zeke and the Dragon Morpher were inside his room. It was still early in the morning but both of them were already up because of their own reasons. The gamer nned to craft using the [Chaos nts] while Heron went to his room. Knowing that her master would not wake upter than 5:00 in the morning.

    Zeke exined everything to her up to the point concerning Quinn and Vask. One which surprised Heron immediately but was able to calm down just as quick.

    "So you mean to say that he''s in the Demon Continent?"

    "Well not necessarily. He was able to use some sort of teleportation spell and, judging from how it looked like, I believe that Vask could just as easily jump through the continents as I do. The only difference is that he isn''t limited to the areas where he could appear."

    "Wouldn''t that be bad? I mean how do we catch him if he continues doing that?"

    "Rx." Zeke slumped down on his bed. Proceeding to his next words.

    "I already made hime out once didn''t I? Plus, he made a promise with me so I''m sure that we''ll be meeting again soon."

    "And what is that?"

    "Well it''s not really a promise. It''s just that he wants to fight me again. Saying that he wishes for it to be when he was already out of the vessel." Thest words rang on Heron''s ear as she turned to face Zeke.

    "So does that mean that  "

    "I''m not sure yet. It can be either of the two things that you''re thinking of because I myself can''t think of anything else." Zeke said reading Heron''s mind.

    "He could have a way to exit Quinn''s body as soon as he reaches a certain condition. And this gives way to two possibilities regarding Quinn himself. It would either be that he lives or dies due to this process."

    "But wouldn''t thetter be tragic?"

    "Oh it would of course. That is if I allowed it anyway." Heron''s brows furrowed at this notion. As if Zeke was an omnipotent being capable of choosing who lives and who dies.

    "I know that you are strong master. But iming something like that is beyond arrogant don''t you think?"

    "I guess so. But if I need to believe stuff like that, not because I''m proud but because I have no other choice but to be that strong." Zeke said, remembering the events after defeating Morpheus.

    On the evening of the second operation, everyone came home more beaten up than usual. They were drained physicallyrgely due to the fight against the [Chaos nts]. Even their mental state was drained with all the talking and negotiation with the heroes.

    As soon as Zeke saw this state of theirs, he allowed them to have a whole day of rest. Saying that they could spend it any way they wanted to. This was the least he could do in order for the humans to recover. After all, their operation wasn''t even halfway done. Thus Zeke needed to make sure that even the strain and pressure would not build up on them.

    He also wanted them to reflect on their fight with the [Chaos nt]. Telling them that they need to pick up on what theycked during that fight  that they should try their best to improve even more.

    "This''ll remind them that that there are even more variables to a fight than they could count." Were the thoughts running through his head as he looked at the expression of the elites.

    "Do you n to go on a solo mission again master?" Heron brought Zeke back to the present. Asking a question which the gamer didn''t even need to think about.

    "There''s always something for me to do right? So I guess you can say that I do have missions even on these rest days that I dere." The gamer responded. Finally deciding to rise from his bed and sit next to Heron.

    "Anyway how''s Morpheus? Has he woken up yet?" Zeke furthered.

    "It''s too early even for him. You know how spoiled that brat is. He''d wake up when he wants to."

    "Well yeah there''s that." Zeke said as he chuckled on the observation of Heron.

    "But fi he''s sleeping soundly, that at least assures us that he''s okay. Thank you master Zeke."

    "Now there''s need to be all sentimental about these things. We''re family right? I''d never abandon you no matter what." At this there was a surprised expression on the Dragon Morpher''s face. It was like there was a spell casted by Zeke''s words  making her blush as shemented:

    "That''s the first time you even mentioned that master."

    "Which one?"

    "That we''re family."

    "Wait, seriously?"

    "Yes. You never referred to either me or Morpheus as family before."

    "HmmOdd. I thought I''ve already said this countless times now."

    "That is perhaps the effect of being too smart. They say that smarter people tend to be forgetful."

    "Oh? And who told you that exactly?"

    "Mordred did. That''s her excuse every time she loses her shields."

    "Don''t you think that kinda makes the statement an excuse?"

    "Ahh don''t argue with me over this master!" Heron said in reply.

    Although Zeke wanted the conversation tost a bit longer. He still had things to do. In fact, the notifications from yesterday''s missions were not yet opened.

    With that being said, he asked Heron to leave his room. A plea which Heron was more than happy to oblige  knowing that her master would begin that day''s work.

    "The food will be prepared by seven. Please master, at the very least, eat on time." Heron said like a strict mother.

    "That depends on how fast I can finish this."

    "M.A.S.T.E.R" Zekeughed at Heron again as she has just about reached the limits of her temper.

    "Okay okay. I''ll be there so make sure that the food is delicious."

    "Of course it would! Who do you think you''re talking to?" Heron finally left the room. Closing the door shut as Zeke had nothing but a smile still worn on his face while opening the [Notifications].

 Chapter 247: Overthinking

    Chapter 247: Overthinking

    [Information: The time limited quest - "Taking out the Weeds" have been cleared.]

    [A random skill is now being selected from the ones owned by the Blood King. Please wait]

    "Wait how many skills does he even have?" Zeke thought to himself'' never giving this any serious thought because the skill would simply be chosen at random.

    [Congrattions! You have earned the skill  Blood Transfer]

    [The information is now being generated]

    [Skill Name: Blood Transfer]

    [Rank: None]

    [Skill Type: Passive Consumption]

    [Information: The wielder is able to revive any fallen ally with the use of his own blood. However this will be at the cost them to gain the same curse of the Blood King  being unable to use both Chaos and Order. As a tradeoff, any being receiving this resurrection will gain a tremendous amount of physical strength and would be immune to most cases of death.]

    [Information: The first two creature who gains this will be an exception. Aside from the attribute boost, they will not suffer the same curse of the Blood King. Allowing them to make use of both [Chaos] and [Order] energy.]

    [Information: The Blood King himself is conditionally immortal. By using the skill however, he shortens the timer of his lifespan by a year.]

    "Okay that sounds like a fair skill." Zeke said as he looked at the other details connected to the skill.

    [Resurrection Limit: 200/200]

    [Special Resurrection: 2/2]

    "That''s a lot of resurrections. I guess being an elf does have a huge advantage when ites to this." Zeke thought to himself, knowing that elves do have a longer lifespanpared to the other inhabitants of Mythos.

    "Okay so basically I''ve got 200 more years to live if this was a normal life. That''s not bad. I mean this body has been pretty worn out by me so surviving that long is already a miracle in itself." The gamer then proceeded to the other notifications produced by his other quests.

    [Information: The time limited quest - "Monster Extermination" has been cleared.]

    [The halberd has been upgraded to "Halberd+1"]

    [50 points will be distributed to all status points.]

    [A 10% overall damage increase is also added whenever the gamer is in use of the halberd.]

    Upon seeing this, there was a thought that came across Zeke''s mind. One which thrilled him because of the possible implications that it had.

    "Wait can I fuse [Death''s Void] with the halberd?" The gamer said with a wide grin worn on his face.

    The idea never came across his mind before because the halberd ever onlyes out whenever he enters the form of the [Blood King]. Making it a weapon which only existed within certain bounds and conditions. Meaning, it wasn''t a weapon that he could always wield.

    "I mean I do have the option of simply turning into the [Blood King] each and every time but, won''t that ce some kind of punishment on me? Hmmm..." Zeke thought about it long and hard.

    No matter how powerful the form was, it was still a fact that it was a curse. Thinking long and hard about it, he wasn''t even the [Blood King]. Zeke was only a vessel which took its form and thus, the same benefits he enjoyed could also bring him some dangerous consequences.

    "System show me the details on the debuffs I receive by taking on the [Blood King''s Form]."

    [Understood. Generating data]

    [Skill Name: The Curse of the Blood King]

    [Effect - Activates the Blood King''s Form]

    [Form Rank: Ultimate]

    [Debuff Information: The gamer is unable to use both Chaos and Order energy.]

    "Yeah, I know about that part already. But what is the consequence on the frequent and consistent use of the form? Putting into ount the time psed whenever using it?"

    [There is currently no data on the question asked? Do you wish for the possibilities to show up instead?]

    "Yeah that works just as fine."

    [Understood.]

    [Reviewing data please wait for a few minutes]

    "If the punishment is what I think of it to be, then I may as well just take it. That''ll do me more good than harm and it''ll possibly hasten the speed of all that I want to do."

    [The results have been generated. Do you wish to see them now?]

    [Yes]

    [Information: There are two possible debuffs which the gamer could receive. They are as follows:]

    [1. The rapid reduction/siphoning of the gamer''s lifespan. Depending on the frequency and the duration of use, it is possible that the curse would have this adverse effect.]

    [2. The decaying of the gamer''s soul. If this happens then the gamer will be unable to use the skill "Soul Transfer" upon death anymore.]

    [Additional Information: These may reveal themselves individually in the future or may simplye at the same time.]

    "So everything boils down to whether or not I''m ready to die huh?" Zeke stared at the ceiling for a long time.

    There was only one goal for him. He simply wanted to destroy all the gods. There was no n for what would happen after as, he thought that everything will simply fit into ce once that happens.

    "After that I should just die right?" He furthered - thinking that no purpose woulde once he aplishes his goal.

    He thought that existence would simply be hollow and painful at that point. After all, there would be nothing else to live for if he transcended the very beings that created everything.

    "Ahhhh this is so gloomy! Okay let''s move to the next mission rewards first."

    [Information: The time limited quest - "Sweeping Out Darkness" has been cleared.]

    [The random units are now being generated by the system]

    [You have obtained the following units:]

    [Two - Horned Imps x3]

    [One - Horned Slime x1]

    "Wait what? A slime that has a horn? The hell was wrong with that world?"

    [Thee - Horned Obelisk x2]

    [Three - Horned Harpy x2]

    [Four - Horned Fallen x1]

    [Four - Horned Justicar x1]

    "Damn there isn''t even a single five horned among them." Zeke said as his luck attributes do not work on mission rewards that are given.

    He didn''t sulk over this for long. The creatures were already strong in their own merits and, considering the fact that they were from the Blood King''s army meant one thing. That some of them would make use of the [Energy of Order] instead of [Chaos Energy].

    "And that would be you, and you." Zeke said. Already finished reviewing the creatures. Having two types of [Order] attributed monsters. Namely:

    [Three - Horned Harpy]

    [Four - Horned Justicar]

    At the moment the gamer did not have the equipment needed in order to properly provide for the needs of these creatures. Mythos was alsocking in the energy they needed but, that doesn''t render them entirely useless. In fact, Zeke was already cooking up a way for them to release the energy which he needed.

    "I''ll deal with these once I go to trainingter." The gamer mentioned. Thrilled to test things out without knowing that, he was about to reach a level where an underprepared Pier wouldn''t be able to hold a candle against him.

    Thus he hastily proceeded to thest reward. The one requiring him to save a certain percentage of inhabitants within the continent.

    [Information: The time limited quest - "Savior of the Demons" has been cleared.]

    [Aeros'' horn is now added to the Gamer''s Inventory.]

    "Annnd that takes care of that! Man to think I''d have four high paying quests in a single day. The system must really be liking me a lot these days." Zeke mentioned as he opened his [Inventory] and looked at the information regarding the horn.

    [Name: The King of the Sea''s Horn]

    [Grade: SSS]

    [Item Type: Consumable Material]

    [Information: The horn thrown by the king of the sea into the depths upon pledging allegiance to the Blood King  both as a sign of respect and as a sign of total surrender. It is said that, the horn grew in power as it reached the very bottom of the sea. An area which Aeros himself has never reached.]

    "Well that history sure made this thing look even more valuable." Zeke said. Knowing exactly where to use the item.

    With this, the gamer was finally finished sorting out his rewards. Zeke stretched his body out, took a quick bath and groomed himself.

    Of course he also did this everyday even though there was nothing but fighting for him to do. This wasn''t a habit he did while he was on his real body. But, for some reason, he got fond of proper grooming which was probably caused by the genes of the original owner of the body.

    "I better go to the dinning room before Heron gets angry." Zeke mentioned, remembering his promise to the [Dragon Morpher] that he would eat on time.

    There was a smile worn on his face. Not because he was finally going to have breakfast, but because he was going to train non-stop after it.

    "This''ll probably be one of myst meals here on Helios." Zeke mentioned.

    "I never thought about that before." He furthered, without a shred of being sentimental about it. Simply shrugging off the thought as he continued walking through the halls.

    Death. Life. Eating. Talking. Taking care of his body. Walking. Fighting. Most of the things that life had to offer was already mundane and dull to Zeke. He was only living for the sole purpose of attaining his goals. No more no less.

    He thought about how this may have been caused by [The Gamer''s Mind] but, even without it, he knew in himself that this was a state he would soon reach.

    "A dead man walking." That was the perfect description for his state and yet, even before his own thoughts could consume him, he already reached the dining area.

    Sylph, Morpheus, Heron, and Allesiah were all there. They all looked at Zeke with a smile on their face and at this point, all of the gamer''s worries seemed to have vanished. He felt his heart warming up at the sight of hisrades.

    "Who am I kidding." He thought, smiling back at them as Allesiah came close to him.

    "I''m still alive."

 Chapter 248: Morpheus Evolution

    Chapter 248: Morpheus'' Evolution

    "So I just have to eat this and I''ll be super-duper powerful?!?" Morpheus said all excited as he held on to [Aeros'' Horn].

    "Yup. You''ll be as strong as Sylph or better yet, even as strong as me."

    As soon as breakfast was done with, Zeke proceeded to one of the training rooms. He then crafted two things which were essential for the first agenda connected to the rewards. He also called Morpheus, Heron and Allesiah. Telling them all toe after an hour and they did.

    Upon arriving at the scene, Zeke immediately gave them the instructions. Heron was to stay outside the training room and maintain the [Cloud of Dreams] while Allesiah, Zeke, and Morpheus were to enter it as they were essential for what the gamer had in mind.

    "Zeke are you sure about this? He couldn''t even control that new form yet right? I mean look what happened to that poor boy''s body." Allesiah said, sounding like a caring mother while Zeke was the strict father.

    "Rx. I''ve got everything sorted out. Plus, this much is essential to increase our chances of winning. It''s not like I''ll be torturing him to death nor would this be anything new to him."

    If Quinn was with them Zeke would have given the human the horn since, he had a much more mature mind. Plus there was more talent in Quinn. Adding to the fact that he knew how to use his resources well. These things would inevitably affect the transformation and allow him to have higher chances of controlling whatever adverse effects mighte along.

    Unfortunately, the human was not there anymore. He was taken by Vask and so, Zeke had no other choice but to put it on Morpheus. Although, before doing so he made sure that the [Chimera Morpher''s] status points were all fine and that his body was all healed.

    "Okay lets get started!" Morpheus excitedly said, without a shred of fear from the thought of transforming into something which he wasn''t even sure he could control.

    "Woah there. First things first buddy. You need to wear these." Zeke threw items which the boy caught with both hands.

    "What are these?"

    "That''s an anklet and a circlet." Zeke said in reply, with Allesiahing close in order to help the boy wear them.

    "You really look like his mother doing that."

    "Shut up idiot." Allesiah said in reply as she blushed with Zeke''sment.

    The items were things which Zek made before his three allies came. These were items that would help Morpheus speed up the process of controlling his new form because, Zeke knew that after absorbing [Aeros'' Horn], fighting for control would only be harder for the boy.

    [Item Name: Owl''s Circlet]

    [Grade: S+]

    [Item Type: Headgear]

    [Information: The wearer of the item has their intelligence stat boosted by 100 and gains resistance to mind eroding and degrading effects. The resistance grows proportionate to the number of times one gets exposed to the same effects.]

    [Item Name: Anklet of Dominance]

    [Grade: S+]

    [Item Type: Armor]

    [Information: The item enables the wielder to have better control of their body. The amount of control depends on the situation.]

    "We need you to control that new form of yours first. After that, we''ll proceed to your consumption of the horn." Zeke said, snapping his finger and returning the said item to his inventory.

    "Okay I''m ready anytime." The eager Morpheus said.

    The room which contained spell amplifying gems began getting immersed in the cloud of dreams. Heron stayed outside the room as she was ordered, requiring less effort in maintaining the skill due to the gems.

    As soon as the skill finished casting, the three the three got transferred inside arge ins. There was nothing in sight but the grassy fields and the open sky. A field which raised the concern of Allesiah.

    "Zeke."

    "Hmm?"

    "I know you''re smart but, didn''t you say that his skill goes along the lines of petrifying anything his roar reaches?"

    "Yup. That''s the overpowered skill."

    "Yeah and we need some solid object to block that right?"

    "Yup." Zeke said as if the area was not a cause for concern at all.

    "Then why are we in the middle of an open field?!?"

    "Anytime you''re ready Mory." Zeke said, with the boy giving a thumbs up as he began his transformation.

    "Zeke are you sure those items are going to do the trick?" Allesiah said, standing next to Zeke as she watched in amazement at the amount of [Chaos Energy] being generated by Morpheus.

    "Of course those would be able to help to him. Although I''m not sure to what extent because, at the end of the day, most of this depends on Mory''s willpower."

    The struggle began right away. Morpheus screamed as the horns began growing on his head. He was trying his best to control it while holding back the voices in his head that came with the increasing amount of [Chaos Power].

    "And how is he even able to manifest that much [Chaos]? Haven''t we depleted all of that within Helios already?"

    "The crystals we are using to amplify the [Cloud of Dreams] have been mixed with the [Chaos Crystals] we collected. Don''t worry I thought about all of this thoroughly already. There''s no way it would spread beyond this domain."

    "If you say so." Was Allesiah''s short response as she made a barrier for the two of them.

    There was a spiraling wind filled with chaos that came from Morpheus. Normally this would be dangerous but since it was nothing more than pure chaos energy Zeke didn''t need to worry as he already had the curse of the [Blood King] activated even in his base form. Preventing pure [Chaos] or [Order] energy to evene close to him.

    "Hey aren''t you supposed to give him some words of encouragement or something?" Heron asked through the [Voice Chat] as she watched Morpheus struggle.

    "Well I could but, that might ruin his concentration. This isn''t some anime clich where he''d suddenly power up just because of some encouraging words." Zeke said in reply, with Heron wondering what the word "anime" even meant.

    "Anyway, I believe he can do this. I mean, it won''t happen right away of course but the more he gets the feel of the form, the easier it would be for him to tame and control it."

    "If you say so master." Heron said in reply, watching as Morpheus finally finished turning into his new form. The creature red at Zeke and Allesiah who were still within the safety of the elf''s barrier.

    "Did he do it?" Allesiah asked and, before she could even receive a reply, Zeke snapped his fingers.

    Morpheus got electrocuted right away. There wasn''t even any fight as he simply dropped to the ground  reverting back to his human form right away.

    "Zeke!" Allesiah said, angry at what just happened.

    "Rx it isn''t as painful as it looks. That move simply distorts the flow of [Chaos Energy] around Morpheus. Preventing him from taking the form too long if he doesn''t control it."

    "Honestly, your methods are a lot like you."

    "Brilliant?"

    "No. Crazy." Allesiah said, walking towards Morpheus who was still conscious at that point.

    "It told you it didn''t hurt that much." Zeke whispered to Allesiah in a kind of triumphant tone. Walking past the elf and asking Morpheus right away.

    "How was it? What did you feel?"

    "I felt really powerful at first. The transition wasn''t as bad as the first time it happened but then my mind started bing hazy and stuff. The voices somehow took control of my body so it was a good thing that the item worked when it did." At this point Zeke looked at Allesiah again. Annoying the elf because of Zeke''s smug expression.

    "I told you so." Was written all over the gamer''s face as he continued talking to Morpheus.

    "Let''s try that out a couple more times. Don''t try to rush it, we''ve got enough time on our hands after all." Zeke said, patting the head of the boy as he waited for the child to recover.

    "Allesiah do you have anything for us?" There was only silence that answered Zeke.

    "Ohe on. Are you seriously getting angry over something like that?" Zeke continued, seeing the elf with her arms folded bellow her chest; her left pointing finger making a tapping motion near her elbow.

    "The power is not refined. I mean it is something you should definitely watch out for but, without any proper training and mastery, he''s nothing more than a wild beast."

    "Hey I''m not a beast! I''m Mory!" The child said, getting another pat. This time from Allesiah who finally calmed down after rousing the boy''s annoyance.

    "Yes sorry about that Mory. Anyway, I don''t have any data yet except for that because I wasn''t there the first time he transformed."

    "I figured as much. We''re going to start again soon and I hope you have no problems with this."

    "You have nothing to worry on my end. Just proceed with the training and I''ll do the analysis of the [Chaos Energy]." Allesiah said in reply.

    "Well you heard her Mory. We probably need you to transform a couple more times for the sake of the data."

    "No proooobleeem! I can do this all day!" Mory said vibrantly.

    With this the two backed away again and, with the signal given by Zeke, the Chimera began his transformation once again.

 Chapter 249: Absorbing Aeros Horn

    Chapter 249: Absorbing Aeros'' Horn

    Five tries. That was the number of runs they needed before Morpheus could get the hang of his new form. It was not aplete mastery yet but something close to it. Zeke could tell because, Mory was slowly getting back his humanoid form while also retaining the powers of his five horned form.

    But just like every other time, as soon as Zeke notice the boy''s hostility towards him and Allesiah, he snapped his fingers. Sending the same jolt that turned Morpheus back to normal.

    "Did you see that!" The boy was still brimming with energy despite the exhaustion he felt. He was covered in sweat all over and Allesiah could even notice his paced breathing. And if the elf could notice this, the same was much truer with Zeke.

    "Good job out there. You almost nailed it." The gamer said, brushing Morpheus'' hair as he ordered Heron to take down the [Cloud of Dreams].

    "Wait are we finished?" The surprised Morymented.

    "Yeah well, your body is not in any shape for us to continue anymore so we''re stopping for now."

    "Whaaat? But I can still go, I''m just a bit tired!"

    "I know. But that form also tires you out mentally. The lesser your mind is rested, the lesser the amount of concentration and control you can ce over that form."

    "That''s not fair! You always allow those elites to fight until they are beaten half to death. Why can''t I have that much fun?"

    The child was throwing tantrums. While he did, Allesiah couldn''t help herself and butted in.

    "Zeke he''s really like your son." The elf mentioned.

    "Why? Because we''re both strong?" Zeke suggested.

    "No. Because both of you have a screw lose." Allesiah furthered. Knowing that no child would want a kind of training that would beat their bodies down half to death.

    "Hey! That''s not a good thing to say to my dad!" Mory said in reply. Disregarding the fact that Allesiah said he had a screw lose.

    "Kid trust me, you''re better off not iming to be his son." Allesiah looked at Zeke and noticed how the gamer wanted her to support his decision.

    "Anyway he''s right. We can''t continue the training with your current state because even the flow of [Chaos Energy] around you have been taking a less refined shape as of thest training."

    "But didn''t you say that the more I use it the more I''ll be able to control it?" The boy said as he looked at Zeke.

    "I did. But it seems that I wanted things to progress too quickly. You need rest kiddo. That body of yours is still a child''s no matte how much power you do possess and can possess."

    Mory didn''t want to give up. He wanted to continue the training for as long as he could and so he made use of Zeke''s one weakness.

    "Okay how about this then. Let''s y a game." Time seemed to have stopped at this point. With Zeke automatically getting intrigued.

    "Oh? And What game would that be?"

    "Give me twenty whole minutes within the form. Don''t stop me no matter what happens and I swear I''ll be able to control it."

    "I don''t get it what will I gain from this exactly?"

    "I can prove that even your calctions and predictions can be wrong."

    "Crap. He''s got Zeke hooked." Allesiah thought to herself, viewing the smile form on the gamer''s face.

    "You know that''s not enough to convince me." Zeke said, with Allesiah breathing a sigh of relief as the gamer made the mature choice. But Morpheus already thought things through. Raising the stakes even more.

    "You didn''t let me finish. I will control my new formwith [Aeros'' Horn] already added."

    "That''s impossible kiddo. The chances are too slim for that to happen."

    "That''s the thing. It''s only slim, not impossible." There was both determination and confidence on Mory''s voice. Zeke didn''t know if this was misced but he liked the game. He liked the gamble.

    "Okay, it''s a deal."

    "Yes!" Mory was already revving up as Allesiah tapped on the gamer''s shoulder.

    "Can I have a word with you for a bit?" The two adults went to the corner of the training room. Zeke told Mory to stay put in the meantime and also asked Heron to be on standby.

    "What are you thinking? That''s an innocent boy! There''s no way he''d be able to live up to whatever crazy shenanigans you have nned."

    "Oh I wouldn''t be so sure about that." Zeke said. Looking just as confident as Morpheus.

    "I wasn''t actually nning on stopping the training. Knowing that boy, he would stop at nothing until he gets things right. And that stubbornness would be his downfall most of the time."

    "Exactly. So why did you allow him?"

    "Well because I''m the one controlling that same stubbornness right now. He made a bet with me and, knowing his personality, he would stop at nothing to prove me wrong."

    "You crazyso all of this was part of your n?" Allesiah continued, getting a pat on the head from the gamer.

    "Of course it is. I''m Zeke for goodness'' sake." The gamermented  walking back to the area as Allesiah sighed.

    With this the training continued where it left off. Zeke told Heron to put up the skill once again and the [Dragon Morpher] more than happily obliged.

    As soon as they were back to the same field, Zeke took out [Aeros'' Horn]. Throwing it to Mory right away as he proceeded to giving themands.

    "Twenty minutes. After transforming you will only have twenty minutes in order to control your ultimate form. If you can''t do it within that time limit, we will end the practice immediately."

    "OKAY!" Mory energetically replied, with both Zeke and Allesiah stepping away as he consumed the [Horn].

    [Information: Morpheus'' evolution will nowmence]

    The surge of [Chaos Energy] which he created before changed entirely. There were waves of water spiraling around Morpheus as his transformation furthered.

    Gills began growing on Morpheus'' face and his teeth were turning into razor sharp ones. The same ones that a shark has. His power level was steadily rising to an extent that, even Zeke was getting goosebumps from the sight of it.

    "He''s doing a wonderful job living up to that cockiness of his." Zeke thought to himself as Morpheus was maintaining a human - like figure while the transformation went on. Telling him that, the child was havingrge sess in winning his gamble.

    The first five minutes passed with the earnest struggle of Morpheus. He was slowly refining the form. Removing the parts that didn''t seem to fit right into the whole while making sure that he was still himself. Yet everything only spiraled downwards at this point.

    Mory was feeling more pain than ever before. There was the sensation like drowning taking over him and all the voices quieted down. Giving way to a single one which seemed to dominate all the rest. Telling him to go berserk and forcing his body to do just this.

    The wings grew back. Larger than their previous size. His tail also rapidly grew while blue mes were being emitted from Mory''s mouth. After this the ws began growing back and so did every other bestial parts that made him look like a Chimera.

    "Zeke shouldn''t you be stopping him by now?" Allesiah asked, worried about the well - being of the boy who was obviously losing control.

    "Nonsense he''s getting even closer than he had before. There''s no way I''m stopping him now."

    "Are you serious? Look at him he''s just about to attack us." Allesiah said as Morpheus'' form simply continued getting worse.

    "No. he won''t." Zeke said as he released the same mana which Allesiah was familiar with.

    "Conjure."

    The reason why Zeke wanted to use the ins was because it gives him the perfect opportunity to disperse his summons in such a way that, there would be a constant target for Morpheus to hunt if things boiled down to it.

    "Rx." This constant reminder of Zeke to his teammates isn''t because he was simply going with the flow. No. The gamer is prepared for each and every instance and would have ns backing up other ns based on what data he has.

    "Allesiah, take care of that pesky roar of his. Without it he won''t be able to take out all of my [Conjures] at once."

    "Wait a minute here. Did you n this far ahead? That''s the real reason you brought me here isn''t it?"

    "You catch on quicker than I expected." Zeke simply said, with both thendscape and Allesiah''s presence being part of his n in helping Morpheus evolve.

    Everything proceeded based on the parameters set by Zeke. Allesiah not only cancelled out Morpheus'' roar but also all of his skills as well. This also served as a way for Allesiah to train her skills even further which was also essential for the mission.

    Meanwhile Morpheus did his best in order to gain control and, with the help of the monsters beating his monster form to a pulp, the boy was slowly retakingmand of his own body. And, with only a minute left in the condition set, Morpheus let out a loud scream.

    It wasn''t something that was infused with any skill. It was s a regr one which Zeke knew to be the boy''s way of trying to fight for control.

    "I think he''s just about got it now."

    "Yeah, the energy is getting finer and finer." Allesiah said. Agreeing to Zeke''s statement as the gamer finally began walking towards the boy.

    He came closer and closer to Morpheus. Allesiah was told to stop interfering at this point and Heron''s skill was already being taken down. Zeke was so sure that Morpheus would seed that the training was thought to be sessful even though the boy was still struggling.

    "Good work Mory."

    The creature looked at Zeke with a kind of nk yet wondering eyes. It seemed to begin registering who this person was and, at exactly [20:00] within the clock. Morpheus finally responded.

    "I told you I could do it." The boy said with a grin on his face. Losing consciousness immediately as Zeke caught the boy in his arms.

    "I knew you could. Good job kiddo."

 Chapter 250: Halberd and Devouring

    Chapter 250: Halberd and Devouring

    "You guys should go now." Zeke was preparing for the next part of his agenda. But before that, he needed to be left alone in the training room first.

    "Heron, take care of Mory and put him in his room." The gamer furthered as Heron came closer to do what was asked of her.

    "Understood master." The [Dragon Morpher] immediately replied; bowing to Zeke and taking her leave after picking up the unconscious Mory.

    The boy was wounded all over. He didn''t sustain any serious injury but they all knew that the training in itself was mentally and psychologically taxing beyond what a normal boy could handle. This was probably the reason why Allesiah refused to leave. Standing just behind Zeke who was sitting on the ground.

    "Well?" Zeke said, ncing at the elf who seemed to want something out of him.

    "I still don''t agree with the method you used." She said, a discussion which Zeke thought was already over with and yet, the elf was raising it up again.

    "Honestly Allesiah, don''t you have better things to do instead of trying to argue about something as trivial as this?"

    "Trivial? Zeke that was a living and breathing creature! That was a boy not just one of your [Conjures] or any of the monsters you''ve faced!" Allesiah continued; snapping because of the gamer''s words.

    But Zeke wasn''t one to pick a fight on things like these. Thus he made a sigh and continued exining in a calm tone.

    "Look. Remember the first time we had an alliance?"

    "Don''t bring that up now, that has nothing to do with this."

    "It does though. Remember? I used a ve contract back then. Something which you elves found to be unsavory as much as it was a method that should be out of the question."

    "How is the ve contract connected to you torturing a child?"

    "For goodness''s sake Allesiah. You epted the conditions of my contract despite the taboo on elves. And from that very moment, you should''ve realized that I am not one to stick to some old and obsolete methods when there are better options to use." The gamer furthered, bringing out [Death''s Void] and pointing it at Allesiah who didn''t know what to make of Zeke''s actions.

    "Does death scare you that much?"

    "It does; because there''s no going back from it."

    "I see. Then let me die for you." The gamer immediately changed his aim. Pointing the gun at his temple and pulling the trigger just as quick.

    The gamer''s blood spilled on the ground. He was lifeless for a moment and even Allesiah forgot about Zeke''s skill set at this interval. Thinking of stepping forward but Zeke came back soon after. That is. in his cursed [Blood King Form] with the halberd on his hand.

    "Idiot what was even the point of that?"

    "Well for starters I''m showing you that I can just resurrect and have this badass forming along with it. But more importantly, I''m saying that I''ll die a thousand times before I let our enemies take your lives."

    Allesiah blushed at the remark. She didn''t understand why because it sounded so stupid. But she did and Zeke has caught her with his words yet again.

    "Allesiah, we cannot depend on those silly morals or obsolete practices in order to save the world. Miracles will never happen in the middle of the battlefield because the only results we can generate are those which we worked hard for. And that means doing everything within our power to achieve just that."

    "I know Zeke but, I just feel that you''re slowly taking away your own humanity with these acts." Allesiah furthered as Zeke came close to her and this time, the gamer pulled Allesiah. Putting her head near his chest.

    "Z-Zeke w-what are you"

    "You can hear it right? The organ that''s supposed to be there?"

    Allesiah observed it. She tried to calm herself down within this interval as she felt the gentle warmth of Zeke and the beating of his heart.

    "I know that we can''t associate an organ to emotions but the thing is, I''m still alive. All this time I''ve done nothing but protect those that I could with this same mortal frame including you of course."

    "Zeke." Allesiah said, staring at the gamer and hoping for something romantic to happen. Instead, she gets a flick of Zeke''s finger hitting her forehead.

    "That hurts you idiot!" She eximed which was ament more directed to her own embarrassment for thinking that the gamer would make any romantic advance on her.

    "Sorry." Zeke simply said as he patted Allesiah''s hair.

    "Idiot." The elf repeated, finally deciding to leave the room and giving Zeke onest look.

    As soon as the door mmed shut, Zeke brought out [Death''s Void] once again. He ced the weapon on the ground as it would simply crumble to dust if he held on to it too long while in the [Blood King''s] form.

    "Right. I do believe that takes care of that." The gamer told himself as proceeded with the next thing on his agenda. Namely, the crafting of the halberd and the [Death''s Void] together  or so he thought.

    [Weapon Name: Blood King''s Halberd+1]

    [Added Information: The weapon is now capable of devouring other weapons. Allowing it to gain the attributes form the weapons taken. Upon wielding the weapon, the gamer will instantly have an understanding of how these new features work.]

    "That''s a bit unexpected." Zeke saw this as he [Analyzed] the halberd. On the surface level the system only ever informed him of the attribute boost. But as he held the weapon, it showed that there was something else in store for him.

    "Okay that settles it then. I''m going to feed you until you can''t eat any more weapons." Zeke proceeded to taking out all the weaponry in his inventory. He took out the prototypes that were too unstable. He took out the older versions of the weapons used by the elites. He added these together with one pistol from [Death''s Void] all while holding on to the halberd of the [Blood King].

    The weapon immediately glowed. It''s core pumped like it was hyped or something of the sort as Zeke felt the tremendous amount of power being generated by it. Through his [Analysis] Zeke saw the numbers spike on the weapon.

    [Long Range Damage]

    [Short Range Damage]

    [Reach]

    [Force]

    [Attack]

    [Defense]

    [Speed]

    All of these went above an unprecedented amount and the gamer was nothing less than fascinated as much as he was amazed.

    "To think that a weapon like this already existed even before the beginning of time itself. No wonder those Monarchs feared that Alex. This weapon is more than enough to take them all down."

    But there was a question that remained on Zeke''s head. A single weapon was left on the ground. It was the other pair of his twin pistols  [Death''s Void]. The first one was already fed to the halberd and, even with just that, the amount of power which the weapon wielded already skyrocketed.

    "Hmmm should I feed both or should I feed just one." This was the thought running through the gamer''s head.

    The [Blood King''s] form was truly a fearsome transformation. But he couldn''t be in this state 24/7. Hence, he needed a way to be able to fight even without relying solely on this. There was no better weapon than [Death''s Void] to assist him on this.

    "Let''s decide after looking at all the added information first." Zeke decided to have an in  depth look at his new weapon. This was the only way for him to make a full evaluation and move on to making his decision.

    [Weapon Skill: Ender''s Sting]

    [Description: A skill taken from the "Ender''s Sword" which is aponent of "Death''s Void". This is a single use skill which guarantees a kill no matter what entity is faced. Upon using, the weapon may or may not break depending on its durability.]

    [Weapon Skill: sh Stab]

    [Description: The halberd can extend and be retracted within the interval of a single second. This speed increases based on the overall speed stat of its wielder.]

    [Weapon Skill: Absolute Defense]

    [Description: Upon enteringbat, floating barriers will be generated around the gamer. This will prevent any attack form passing through. The barriers themselves regenerate only after a 24 - hour interval and does not reset with every transformation.

    [Weapon Skill: Monarch yer]

    [Description: Any damage done to a Monarch using the weapon will be treated as a normal wound. It cannot regenerate immediately nor will any healing effects work well on it. The weapon is also capable of killing the Monarchs but, this requires hitting their vital organs or simply using any method that would kill any mortal.]

    [Weapon Skill: Trigger]

    [Description: The weapon can fire projectiles that have the same characteristics as the bullets of "Death''s Void". Firepower depends on the overall amount of kills made while using the weapon.]

    There was no word to describe how Zeke felt. The weapon in itself was not something he crafted so it didn''t add to the pride in his crafting skills. Yet it was also his safest bet in winning against the Monarchs and the gods.

    Zeke looked at his remaining pistol. It was the culmination of all his adventure so far but, sentimental value meant nothing if he couldn''t win with it. And so, he decided to bid this weapon goodbye just like he did with his past self and his old body.

    "Well that settles it then. I need to have both pistols devoured." Zeke pointed the halberd towards [Death''s Void] as the Blood King''s weapon immediately began devouring this.

 Chapter 251: Turning Tides

    Chapter 251: Turning Tides

    While Zeke was busy cing the finishing touches on his preparations, Vask and Quinn were already closing in on Pier. In fact, they appeared just outside the forest where the god of mischief and deceit resided. With Vask opening another dimensional rift that allowed him to get there in a matter of seconds.

    "Are you sure that he''s here?" Quinn moved out of the [Dimensional Rift], stepping on solid ground.

    "Well we''ve checked every area on the other continents already. All that''s left is Rak''shan and, what better ce for a god such as himself to hide than an area where he himself could not be lost." Vask said in reply, feeling really confident with his choice.

    "Okay but how do we navigate through this ce? I mean naming it as the [Forest of the Lost] definitely isn''t just for show right?"

    "True but, I think the monsters will answer that for me." Vask said in reply as the horned beasts came out of the forest like a gigantic wave.

    Quinn didn''t even sense them until they''ve gone out of the woods. He also didn''t see them as the mist prevented his vision.

    There were gargoyles on the air. Goblin riders mounted on wolves. Crawling monsters as well as others that flew up in the air. There were also long ranged units which Quinn was sure of because, a volley of projectiles came targeting the human.

    "Overdrive."

    Quinn dodged while summoning [Chaos Spears] that rained down from the sky. All of the skills which he copied from the elites have been modified even further. Giving Quinn the ability to infuse them with [Chaos Energy] if he so wishes.

    "Okay maybe you''re right. He''s probably in there." Quinn furthered. Barely dodging another set of attacks with two grazes hitting his skin.

    "Told ya." Was the short answer of Vask who watched the fight carefully.

    Quinn proceeded to taking one of the weapons left by the dead goblin rider. A spear to be exact which he immediately used to perform one strong thrust. Creating a wave of mana in the shape of a dragon that devoured all that was left in its path.

    This cleaned out a lot of the monsters but things didn''t end there as a more vicious downpour of projectiles immediately followed. Quinn dodged once again of course but in turn, this gave the monsters time to regroup. With reinforcementsing out of the thick fog of the forest in front of him.

    "Okay this is definitely a bit tricky." Quinnmented, trying to figure out how to get out of the situation.

    "That Zeke fellow could probably handle this quickly." The Monarch thought as he watched Quinn struggle.

    Not only did the number of monsters increase but also, the four and five horned monsters added to the bunch. Raising the difficulty even higher.

    "Should we switch?" Vask suggested. Ready to wipe out all the enemies immediately.

    "You should trust me more you know. I can take out this many by myself." The human replied as he finally began making his move.

    The area of the battle itself was not that big. Adding to this. The monsters were careful with their attacks, not wanting their allies to get hit along the way. This excluded the four and five horns who could care nothing less for bottom feeding creatures.

    Yet all of this information served as a leverage to Quinn as he used a weaker variation of [Singrity]. Many of the monsters got wiped out in the process with only the stronger ones surviving.

    "Consume." Quinn furthered. Regenerating and recovering his lost [Chaos Energy] by taking in the monsters he has killed.

    [Skill Acquired  Ground Spikes]

    [Summons Acquired  Stone Gargoyles]

    [Skill Acquired  Explosive sh]

    These notifications automatically registered on Quinn''s head. He also knew how to use them like they have always been on his arsenal.

    "Ground Spikes!"

    The attack covered the area where his remaining enemies stood. They tried dodging this so Quinn followed up by summoning [Flicker Flies] which served as catalysts for the next move he used.

    "Explosive sh!" The whole area shook as explosions came one after the other. Damaging the remaining monsters while also stunning them long enough for Quinn to use another move.

    "Singrity"

    Nothing was left after thisbination. As always, Vask was impressed with the level of skill disyed by the human who recognized his own strength.

    "These guys are getting weaker and weaker." Quinnmented, consuming the defeated creatures and gaining even more skills as well as attribute points.

    "They''re not getting weaker. You''re just outgrowing them."

    "It surely doesn''t feel like it." Quinn said in reply, knowing that he was still nowhere near the level of both Vask and Zeke.

    "Well it''s purely up to you if you''d believe me or not. I''m not one to be generous with my words after all. In fact, I''m adding the fact that you used up too much [Chaos Energy] in that fight."

    "You think I can''t feel that firsthand?" Quinn said as the tips of his fingers were numb and his whole body felt like it was drained of its energy.

    "It''s difficult to naturally get ustomed to [Chaos Energy] and yet you kept on flushing out and taking in vast amounts." Vaskmented. Knowing that he needed to swap with the human in order to prevent Quinn''s body frompletely getting destroyed.

    "We''ll swap. There would surely be monsters waiting for us inside and I''d be able to deal with them quickerOh and I won''t be taking no for an answer mind you."

    The swap began immediately. Markings of the [Monarch] appeared all over Quinn''s body and, in a matter of seconds, it was an entirely different person standing in front of the forest.

    "Let''s make this quick since I have ces to be." Vask began regting all of the [Chaos Energy] taken in by Quinn, all while entering the forest which gave him a warm wee. Literally.

    mes covered his path and everywhere he looked there was nothing but burning trees and nts surrounding him. The crackling produced, the burnt scent of nts, the heat and the smoke all felt real. But Vask was no fool to take it as such.

    The Monarch snapped his fingers and, in an instant, space was removed in the whole area. Sucking up the mist and the distorting spell along with it.

    "I''ve faced a trickier Monarch mind you and he isn''t even awake in that body of yours." Vask mentioned as he finally saw the monsters which got him surrounded.

    Just like with Quinn, they tried damaging the Monarch. But Vask didn''t even need to dodge. He stood where he was as he began preparing his spell. Taking into consideration the total number of monsters and the reinforcement that maye afterwards.

    "You aren''t nning on destroying the whole forest are you?" Quinn asked in a worried tone.

    "Don''t be silly. I''m not a brute." The Monarch snapped his finger once again and, this time, what was removed was the space in the middle of the bodies of all the monsters. Even without a [Minimap] assisting them, Vask knew that he sessfully took out all of the monsters nearby.

    "I thought we were supposed to be reserving power until wee face to face with Pier?" Quinn asked, knowing that the move took away a lot of [Chaos Energy] from Vask.

    "I did but you see, this ce is also overflowing with [Energy] so there''s no need to worry." Vask furthered, replenishing rapidly from the single strike that he did.

    There was no stopping the Monarch. He wlessly destroyed the illusions and the monsters that came with it. He took down every obstacle and dissolved every chunk of mist. He was getting close. He felt it. The energy of the Monarch sleeping within Pier''s body told Vask where he needed to go.

    Sooner ofter they would collide. Vask was eager for this as it was his sole mission to rid of the traitor among the [Monarchs] for good. The will of all the [Monarchs] that have passed on were on his hands and, he didn''t n to sully their name.

    But more than anything else, Pier was also aware of this. Within the safety and security of his base, the God of Mischief and Deceit was actually preparing to face the said Monarch. There was no rush nor fear on the face of the said god because, he had an ace up his sleeve after all  a being which entered the room at that moment.

    "Master, you called for me?" Pier observed the elf from head to toe. He was finally in perfect condition. Well enough to go out into the field and fulfill his sole function.

    "de there is an unexpected visitor outside." Piermented, looking at the screen which de also directed his eyes to.

    "Should I take care of him master?" The elf suggested in a calm and unbothered tone.

    "Yes. Please make sure that he receives proper treatment."

    "Understood."

    "Oh and, don''t take too long. We still have that gamer kid to take care of today."

    "Yes master." Was all that de said as he finally left the base.

    All of the pieces were finally in ce. Things didn''t go exactly as Pier wanted them to but, the tides of battle were still in his favor. And as he looked at the screen for thest time, there was nothing but victory written all over the god''s face as he said:

    "Checkmate."

 Chapter 252: Vask Vs. Glade

    Chapter 252: Vask Vs. de

    There was nothing in the way of Vask anymore. He not only destroyed all of the illusion and the monsters along the way but also, prevented his [Chaos Energy] from falling below [80%]. Bncing both usage and regeneration.

    Quinn was feeling confident that their main objective would be cleared right there and then. And even Vask had this thought on his mind. That was probably why Quinn was surprised when the Monarch suddenly halted.

    "Why did you stop?"

    "Can''t you feel it? Something dangerous is approaching us."

    The silence was something that Vask normally enjoyed. On the first few minutes this meant that he was sessful in clearing out all the barricades and hurdles. However, that same silence was dreadful for him because of the aura he felt closing in and, after a few more seconds, someone finally appeared.

    "You must be that Monarch which wounded my master while I was unconscious."

    de was almost back to his elven form. His hair was still white while his eyes glowed a chaos purple color. The [Chaos Crystal] on his chest was hidden with the armor he had on while the seven horns stuck out of his forehead.

    On his hand was a single had sword which oddly had a handle that was longer than the de itself. Making it extend to a point that it would be mistaken for a spear. In the middle of it was something that made Vask a bit cautious. A core that beat like a heart, reminding him of the weapon of the Blood King.

    But this was not enough to make him retreat. Aside from the appearance and the aura, there was nothing much going for this person. In fact, even if it would take some effort, Vask knew that he could win against the odd creature.

    "And you are?" The Monarch asked as it was customary for his kind to remember the names of worthy opponents.

    "I am de Leonis. First of my name and sole survivor of the household of Lions. Servant of the great god Pieras well as the person to end your life." Before Vask could even say anything, Quinn already butted in.

    "That''s our objective! That''s the elf which we are supposed to kill!"

    "Well that actually makes things more difficult."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Quinn, as soon as your main objective is finished, what do you think would happen?"

    The reason why de was the perfect opponent for Vask was not because he could overpower the said Monarch. On the contrary, in terms of skill, power, and tactics, Vask had a great advantage over de. Under normal circumstances de would have no chance against Vask. But the situation was actually against his favor because, defeating and killing de meant that Vask would immediately lose his vessel.

    "As soon as your main objective is done, you will be transported back to the realm of the gods. I can''t enter that ce because your bodies would turn incorporeal at that time. Forcing my soul out as I do not meet the requirements for entering it."

    "Master Pier was right. You really are clever. Although being clever doesn''t necessarily take you out of this predicament." de said, pointing his sword on the Monarch.

    "And I guess those horns on your head aren''t mere decorations am I right?" Vask mentioned, finally taking notice of de''s eight horns. Formed in the shape of a crown.

    "These are proof that I stand on top of evolution. I do advise that you take me seriously from the start if you do not wish to die in a regretful way."

    Vask remembered all the monsters in Gaia. How there were only two seven horned monsters which were considered to both be the rarest as well as the strongest among the horned beasts. It was his first time seeing an eight horned variant but, he also knew that this was not a natural phenomenon. It was something which Pier created. And if he could create something like an eight horned monster, then he was surely capable of much more.

    de began releasing his aura and it was noughing matter. The sheer amount was enough to take down Quinn. Limiting Vask''s options even more as he was the only one who could face it.

    "Why do I feel like I''m being lured into a trap here." The Monarch told himself. A thought which was immediately pushed to the back of his head as Quinn asked.

    "So what do we do? Are we going to retreat?" The elite had no better idea at the moment. Things didn''t seem to be in their favor simply because of the effects toe in the death of de. But the Monarch had other ns.

    "Don''t be stupid. We''vee this far right? I''m going to deal with him don''t worry." Vask said in reply as the battle finally began.

    de jumped up in the air, releasing crow like summons that rained down on Vask. The Monarch thought that this was a wasted move as it also gave a lot of openings for him to strike his opponent.

    "Let''s see here, breaking a few limbs wouldn''t kill him at least." Vask snapped his fingers which made all the crows vanish  getting sucked in the spatial distortions created by the Monarch.

    During this quick interval, de was able to escape from the Monarch''s field of vision. Only to reappear under him and making a rising sh. Vask countered this by immediately adding space on top of de -pushing him down until he was buried on the ground.

    But then de suddenly vanished from where he was caught. Leaving a thick violet mist where his body was a few seconds ago. He then reappeared at the back of Vask and, this time, the Monarch didn''t have time to use the same move.

    He dodged; although barely as the tip of de''s de grazed his cheek. The Monarch immediately felt poison from the wound and he dealt with it ordingly. Removing all the flesh and liquid in the said area on his face and storing it on a separate space.

    "That''s not fair you know. I worked hard to get past your defenses and you simply remove it that easily?" de mentioned. Realizing what happened right away because of the spurting blood which Vask also stopped.

    "Well I can''t allow a horned beast to beat me at the very least." Vask said as both limbs and arms of de suddenly got torn.

    "You didn''t actually think that you stood a chance now did you?" The Monarch continued as he watched the body of his opponent turn to mist once again.

    "The wind will not always blow in your favor. I suggest that you leave yourments for when the fight is truly finished." de appeared in the sky. Floating as he held on to his one-handed sword.

    All the wounds generated by Vask got taken away. He was perfectly fine with both arms and limbs intact. This was not some illusion nor some cheap cloning technique. The Monarch knew that from the beginning of their fight until that moment, there was only one de. The same one which didn''t sustain any injury.

    "That''s one heck of a skillset you''re using on me. Too bad it won''t work for long."

    Suddenly everything didn''t feel right for de. The sky above him was heavy. The ground below looked liquid. His whole body felts all sorts of uneasiness; like his organs were shaken so badly that their positions all got jumbled.

    He tried to move from where he stood but it didn''t work. He was caught in the middle of a spell casted by Vask.

    "From the start of this battle up to this point, I was focusing a lot of my attention in the creation of this spell. You were right though, I should probably erase you entirely before you could cause more trouble."

    Vask took out his de and prepared to strike. de could still move while inside the spell but even his motion was being limited to the point that it didn''t feel like he was the one controlling it. de didn''t even have any chance to dodge as the Monarch made four shes. Taking away all of de''s limbs and arms once again.

    The elf thought that this part was a bit futile. With his skill, he could immediately restore his body back to normal and, in a matter of seconds this happened again. But as soon as it did, his body fell apart once more.

    "What the"

    "I''ve thought hard about that skill you are using and I had the idea that, it must have something to do with time distortion. Specifically a skill that allows your body to work on a different dimension altogether. Of course that would be no easy feat to aplish and so were the twenty other assumptions I had on the nature of your regenerative skill."

    de tried putting his body together again. Yet the same thing urred. Even without Vask making another move, his body was cut to pieces. On the exact location where Vask made the cuts.

    "Don''t bother. My de can permanently distort the space in between the things I cut. I don''t just slice thigs apart. I literally remove any chance for them to be ced back together again."

    "I see. Then you leave me no choice." de emitted a ck aura that coated the whole surroundings in the blink of an eye. It enclosed them in a cube and within this same area, de was able to create new body parts made of the same substance.

    "You really are full of surprises aren''t you?" Vask said; ready to resume the fight.

    "Oh believe me. You haven''t seen nothing yet."

 Chapter 253: Vask Vs. Glade - End

    Chapter 253: Vask Vs. de - End

    Vask and de continued dueling it out. Within the confined space created by the Monarch and theyer of darkness added by de, there was no danger of their attacks harming the outside world. And this was a good thing because, each move they made from that point onwards was enough to wipe out arge portion of the continent.

    "Dragon''s Fangs!" de released a deadly toxin from his de once more. This dispersed all over the area in an uneven manner because of the distortions on space created by Vask.

    "Erase." The Monarch counterattacked by sucking in all of the poison within a gap in the space. Effectively taking away all of it even before a whiff of it could get near him.

    de then threw his weapon at the Monarch who pivoted his body to the side in order to dodge but then, de appeared at his back, punching the monarch on the side and sending him flying. The elf continued thisbination by taking his sword and making one horizontal swing. It was one that could fly over the whole continent.

    "He''s not making this any easy now is he?" Vask said as he removed some space below him, pulling his body downwards.

    He then proceeded to creating a distortion all around de, preparing to thrust his sword through his chest and paralyze him indefinitely. But then [Shadow Soldiers] came out of the darkness, attacking Vask who was forced to break the seal.

    "Darkness Howling." de casted, making all the shadow soldiers emit a vibration that caught the Monarch in the middle of it all. This disturbed the [Chaos Energy] around Vask, preventing him from making use of any spells temporarily.

    "This is beyond annoying now." The Monarch continued as he dashed toward one of the soldiers. Hitting it with is de as his weapon absorbed the soldier. With this, the trap was disabled and Vask was free to move once again.

    But the assault of the elf was far from over.

    "Heaven''s Judgment!" de furthered, raining down swords of every kind down on the Monarch. He was just about to counter this by using space distortion but then, the [Shadow Soldiers] reappeared around him, with de following up by casting: "Darkness Howling"

    "Crap."

    The furious barrage rained down on Vask and there was no ability to save him that time around. However, de thought wrong because the Monarch''s sword in itself was an extension of his own powers.

    With a single sh, Vask was able to make an opening in space, making all the weapons that could hit him enter this area instead. He couldn''t sustain this for long if he made it too big. Hence, he minimized it; allowing some of the projectiles to graze and wound him as the onughtsted for a whole minute.

    As soon as this finished however, Vask ran to the [Shadow Soldiers] again. He didn''t destroy them this time around and simply jumped over them. Aiming for nobody else but de who was still floating up on the sky.

    "Crucifix." The attack caught de by surprise as he couldn''t move an inch and was ced on the said posture. Like he was crucified on a cross.

    Yet this didn''t stop the [Shadow Soldiers] who continued chasing down the Monarch. Aiming their [Howl] at him in order to free de.

    "This is some interesting skill set. If I met you back on Gaia, I would''ve had much more fun fighting you." The Monarchmented knowing that all their skills relied on [Chaos Energy] which was purer and richer back then.

    The Monarch was stuck in a pickle specifically because he was just about to exhaust the [50%] mark of his [Energy]. As mentioned, this should not happen because he needed more than this in order to defeat Pier. But it couldn''t be avoided because of three things.

    First was the fact that there wasn''t any monster to take out [Chaos Energy] from. The second was that he was trapped on a separate space. Andstly, the Monarch was constantly making use ofrge amounts of [Chaos Energy] to keep his opponent in check.

    Aside from this he couldn''t make use of many ultimate level skills at once. He already had his [Energy] focused on sustaining the space they were in. Plus there was the binding ced on de. If he activated one more in order to deal with the soldiers, he''d need to break one of the two former mentioned  putting him at an even greater disadvantage.

    Vask admitted it to himself. That he was cornered and he needed some assistance in order to win. Hence he gambled on the only variable that has not yet been put into y.

    "Quinn I need you to use one of my skills for me." The Monarchmented, trying to buy some time and restore some of his energy even if only a bit.

    "How do I do that exactly? Aren''t you the one in control of my body right now?"

    "Just trust me. Think of it like you''re projecting yourself  like you are outside this body of yours. Like you are a pure spirit which could affect the natural forces of the world. Then picture ttening out these guys to the ground like they are nothing but insects."

    "You''re such a ve driver. That''s a lot of instructions you know." Quinn said in reply, doing as he was told. Meanwhile, de continued dodging as all he had to worry about at the moment were the [Soldiers] that continued increasing.

    It was not any easy of course, the move wasn''t anything near what Quinn was ustomed to. He didn''t even understand what a pure spirit meant but he nevertheless tried it out; thinking as if he was just outside his own body in a form that could not be damaged but could deal some himself.

    "This kid really has talent I''ll give him that." Vask thought as he watched Quinn do as he was told even though the instructions were vague and something entirely new to the human.

    Then after a few more minutes, the [Shadow Soldiers] got pushed down. Kneeling on the ground as Quinn sessfully activated the Monarch''s skill. All that was left was for Vask to take care of the rest.

    "Space piercer!" His sword extended and hit every soldier in the field. They got wiped out as they vanished into thin air - leaving nothing behind.

    "I mean I did order you to squash them to the ground but I guess this much should be enough." Vask continued, praising Quinn without making it too noticeable.

    "Ohe on you gotta admit that was well done for a first timer." Quinnmented on his own aplishment.

    "Yeah yeah. Keep a tab on that guy for me." The Monarch ordered as he began using another skill.

    He proceeded to emitting enough [Chaos Energy] to wipe out the darkness which de created. This took a heavy toll on the amount of [Energy] he had remaining, being drained rapidly as the whole area cleared up.

    Vask used the same skill on the space distortion which he created. Taking back the [Chaos Energy] he used up and returning it back to [70%]. The whole sequence was well executed that it left even de speechless as both he and Pier were not aware of the said Monarch being capable of refunding the spent [Chaos Energy].

    "Now. With that being cleared up, let''s get back to our friend." Vask dropped de to the ground, leaving his bones broken to the point that he was heavily damaged but nowhere near the verge of dying.

    "Those things you were using and your whole skill set in itself seem to have been made in order to counter me or any monarch for that matter." de was unable to answer because of the weight that was also put on his lips. His ribcage was also broken, preventing much speech.

    "Oh I''m sorry let me get that for you." Vask furthered as he removed the seal on de''s mouth. Thinking that this may be enough to make him talk.

    "T-this will end poorly for you."

    "Oh I doubt that. You don''t even have any strength left to move and even if you did, I believe a limbless and armless person can do nothing in this situation."

    "I w-wasn''t referring to me."

    The sky darkened immediately. Even Vask himself had all the hair on his skin rise as he watched the birds fly away from where he stood. Everything felt dreadful at that moment like there was a curse upon thend and, soon enough, they were caught in a ck sh.

    Pier, the God of Mischief and Deceit has made use of his secret weapon. All of the Chaos Energy he stored within the orb got released  living and breathing; consuming everything in its path in order to grow stronger. It knew no master and took out all living things within the continent of Rak''shan.

    Out of this came de. Completely healed once again as he floated on the sky. There was no trace of Vask anymore nor can the elf detect his presence. All that he felt was the breeze that hit his skin.

    "The wind has finally stopped blowing for you."

 Chapter 254: The Curtain Rising

    Chapter 254: The Curtain Rising

    There were a lot of problems that came with what Pier just did. The first among them was that the gods were notified of the immediate and mass death of the heroes. Thirty of them in total who were located in Rak''shan.

    They knew that this was a great possibility. They knew that not all of the heroes would survive in the fight. But they never imagined it to happen as quickly as this; in the blink of an eye. And the worst part about it was that, they couldn''t even see what was happening to the Continent.

    This was when the Pier who disguised himself as Nisha stepped in. Talking to the two remaining major deities and telling them about his n. That is, to take away the vision impairment they have put on themselves and the minor gods.

    "No!" This was the firm and resolute reply of Sinir who was already hurt from what happened to the heroes.

    "What do you mean no? Is it not our job to guide these humans to the path of victory? Don''t you think that it is finally time for the gods to descend on thends and create the change that we want with our own hands?"

    "Nisha you have never spoken of such revolutionary ideas before. You know as well as Chrono and I do what that would entail. We would lose our immortality. Although our powers would be kept, we would be as susceptible to death, decay, illnesses and wounds as any other mortal being."

    "Do you fear for your own life Sinir? Is it above the lives of these suffering creations of ours?" Nisha said in reply.

    "That''s not it! You very well know what I meant with my words Nisha!" Sinir responded, raising her voice.

    "Woahh time out. Time out." It was at this point tat Chrono butted in. Making the two goddesses sit on their chairs as the god of time floated in the air.

    Sinir''s fear wasn''t stemming from her wanting to save her own hide. Far from it, Sinir could care less about her own existence. It was her role that she was taking care of. The title of creator and light bringer. The sole being capable of doing what she does.

    If Sinir dies, all of the light in the universe would be extinguished along with her. She was not the same as Nisha whose bravery probably stemmed from the fact that, their circumstances were different.

    Even if Nisha died, the void would remain unchanging. There was nothing that could be taken away from something that alreadycks everything.

    "Can we please think about this more level headedly?" Sinir suggested, trying to reset the discussion again.

    "Oh I am thinking about this level headedly. Do you think those minor gods would sit idly by as their favored champions get defeated just like that?" Nisha furthered and it was at this point that they received a loud banging on their door.

    "The only reason I am forcing this is because I wanted to appease the anger of these other gods. Even if you wish to not do as I advised, they certainly will."

    At this point the minor gods entered one by one. Ten in total who all had a sort of connection to the heroes that died.

    "Well should we listen to what they have to say?" Nisha furthered with a smile on her face. Floating down to where the said gods where. With both Sinir and Chrono immediately following.

    "Please hear us out main deities we have a request to make." The goddess of lightning said. Being the one to lead the said minor gods.

    Nisha then looked at Sinir. Giving the que that she be the one to talk to them. As if suggesting that things will naturally flow in her favor.

    "Yes? What is it that you want?"

    "I believe you know exactly what it is that we want. None of us are blind here in the realm of the gods. We all know what transpired in Mythos."

    More than anything else, gods and goddesses take pride in their champions. Indeed, the gods and goddesses are immortal as much as they are all powerful. But they still felt emotions and, towards the heroes that did them the favor of saving the worlds where they were sent. These immortal beings developed a deep bond.

    They projected themselves to these heroes, thinking that the adventures which these humans went to where their own and, this was not that far from the truth. After all, these heroes have received their blessings as well as the close watch of the gods and goddesses at each point and turn.

    "I cannot allow that." Sinir simply said in reply. Biting her lips and trying to stay firm with this decision.

    "Why not! Our heroes have died just died in a way that we have not promised them!"

    Sinir did not ept this raising of the voice lightly. She red at them, with her eyes glowing in such a way that even they could get burned if she so ever wished. That was why they calmed down just as quick. Continuing in a more subtle tone.

    "This was supposed to be a mission to take down Pier in the most heroic of ways. And we could feel it, that their deaths were far from being heroic."

    "How can you even tell that? You cannot even see what is happening in Mythos right now."

    "That is beside the point goddess. They died. Thirty of them at that in not less than half an hour!"

    "I know how you are feeling at this moment but we must remain m and trust them. We have no other choice but to do so."

    "That''s easy for you to say. You never grew attached to a hero as much as we have. In fact, you guys never individually chose your own champions to fight for you. How would you even understand what we are feeling right now?"

    "This is not something we came here to negotiate with you. If you do not agree to our terms then we''ll take matters into our own hands."

    "Is that a threat?" Sinir felt enraged. She was just about ready to fight the minor gods but Nisha stepped in at that moment.

    "Hold up now. Let''s all be calm about this." She then patted the shoulder of Sinir as she whispered. "I told you this was inevitable."

    "As of the moment we cannot afford to lose any more gods. We have already lost two and although Pier''s role isn''t something positive, it is still one that is necessary to keep the bnce of the universe and everything we ever created. If we do drop you to Mythos right now, not only will you be susceptible to death but also, your roles will be left nk."

    "Yes we know of all those things and  "

    "Eh.Eh.Eh. You didn''t even let me finish." Nisha furthered, raising a finger as she rified things.

    "We can allow you under specific conditions."

    "Nisha what are you saying! We can''t do that!" The goddess of lightmented. Getting the res of the minor gods.

    "Don''t be an idiot Sinir. They''d just go down there themselves if we do not agree to their plea. And what punishment could we give them if they already sentenced themselves to the only punishment we could give to our kind?"

    It was right. The three main deities knew that there was no other punishment they could bestow on an immortal being than the possibility of death itself. Ironically however, these gods were willingly choosing this in order to give justice to their heroes. Thus removing the concept of punishment entirely.

    "Gather all the thirty of you; gods and goddesses. We will make an agreement that would allow the main deities to absorb all your skills and powers as soon as you die. You would still able to enjoy it until the end of your mission but, that would be it. Do you agree?"

    "Fine with us. We''ll go get them right now." The goddess of lightning replied. Leaving the main deities to themselves once more.

    Everything didn''t sit well with Sinir. She knew that this was not the proper route to take. She knew that there should be a better option out there. But all this time, she couldn''t help but feel like she was just moving ording to what Nisha wanted. Like the goddess of darkness had her on strings.

    "Just give up. There''s nothing you can do at this point."

    "Nisha, that is you isn''t it?"

    "Well that is a bit of a crazy question now isn''t it? I mean who else could I be given this aura I possess?" Nisha said as she finally dissolved into thin air and out of the council room.

    Without Chrono and Sinir realizing it, Pier had actually induced a temporary spell on the minor gods that came. This could only work if they were in a state of great anger, frustration, or any other negative emotion. And what better way to provoke these by killing off the humans they held so dear.

    Under normal circumstances they would hold their resentment towards Pier. They would sit back and watch the whole thing end but, because of the suddenness of the mass death the heroes, they got into the state which Pier wanted.

    The spell took effect without them realizing it. Putting them in a temporary state where emotions get the better of them. They would not even recognize this as a form of hypnosis as the emotions felt real based on the situation. There was also no way for Sinir or Chrono to discern this as being fake because of the same reasons.

    At every point and turn, Pier''s ns were still flowing smoothly. All for the sake of his goal to stand above all things that exist. The ultimate being that is and ever will be.

 Chapter 255: Mortal Gods

    Chapter 255: Mortal Gods

    Note: To avoid lengthy introductions of the gods. I would just name them ording to their powers.

    "Oh hey you''re back." Pier mentioned as he felt his elven servant getting near. He took a quick nce at this person and saw that he was perfectly fine.

    "I assume that our dear Monarch has been dealt with?" Pier continued as de stood right behind him.

    "Yes master. But that move is out of the question now." The elf mentioned. Referring to the trick he used to bring back all his body parts while also escaping the same wave of [Chaos] that drowned Vask.

    "It''s fine. Things are still smooth sailing at this point and all we need to worry about is that gamer kid and his allies."

    "But master won''t we be in trouble if he is actually capable of stopping you?"

    "You know I also thought about that but then I realized something." Pier looked at the screen and how the entirety of Mythos looked a lot different from when he started.

    At first there was only the even distribution of Chaos on all four continents. But that time around, there was simply arge wave of Darkness making its way to Elysium. Pier looked at this sight like it was the most beautiful thing he everid his eyes on.

    "If he was someone who could stop me at every point and turn, he would''ve done that immediately. Sure he was able to clear out all the [Chaos] within Helios in a matter of two days. Yet even in doing so, he still took time. He was fast of course, but still susceptible to the rules of time."

    "Meaningwhat exactly master?"

    "Meaning, my dear de, he isn''t someone who can do these things in just the snap of his finger. There is a process to it and, I''m betting on the possibility that he can''t handle this much [Chaos] with the said method. He is still mortal after all. And just like every mortal, he has his limitations and weaknesses."

    Pier was finally back to his calm andx demeanor. There was nothing to worry about because even though the thing he summoned was still iplete, it would still be enough for the task at hand. Namely, luring in the gods.

    "We''d have plenty of visitors soon enough de. You better rest that body of yours if you want to be of any use." Pier continued as he sipped from the wine on his ss.

    The minor gods who had their heroes killed descended upon Mythos immediately after the conditions were set by the main deities. The fake Nisha even added the condition that, the gods would be able to see through the eyes of those who would descend. Allowing them to finally take a good look at what was happening.

    Pier looked at this through his monitor. He watched how the gods and goddesses were within the same area where his [Chaos] was located. This was not how Pier wanted things to go actually. he wanted to kill all 100 heroes first but, because of Zeke''s interference and Vask closing in, he had no choice but to make do with what he had.

    "I shall be taking my leave now master." de suddenly said, interrupting Pier''s train of thought.

    "Oh yeah. You go and do that." He said in reply. Finishing his drink as he stood up and stretched his body.

    "Are you going anywhere master?"

    "Actually I wanted to just stay here but seeing all of them grouped up like that isn''t something I can pass out on."

    "Master you''re not thinking of actually fighting them are you?"

    "Of course not de. I''ll just put a dab of my skills into the mix to make the fight more interesting." He furthered, putting on a cloak with his favored daggers on both hands.

    Pier''s ns were nothing near small scale. It was the grandest there ever was and, in fact, probably the grandest there would ever be. From the moment he was created up until that point, there was nothing on his mind but the thought of bing the one true god.

    Always one step ahead. nning from the shadows. Watching as the gears slowly moved as he slithered his way through all chaos and catastrophe. This was what made him different from most of the gods. That is, except for Yaeger; a goddess who was hailed as the queen of the battlefield on her mortal days. One who knew what it was like to be mortal and who also never forgot this side of her.

    Yet that same goddess was not part of Pier''s current enemies which made it easier for him. After all, the gods didn''t know of all this. All that was on their mind was the absolute victory assured by their numbers and their powers. But this assumption will prove to be their downfall as they gazed upon [Chaos].

    "Dear lordwhat in the name of all the heavens is that?" The goddess of lightningmented as soon as she saw the enormous mass of [Chaos]. It has already enveloped half of the sea; expanding steadily with each passing second.

    "Same question but one thing is sure. That''s what killed our heroes." The god of frost created an ultimate level spell. Encasing almost half of the [Chaos] in ice.

    "Why didn''t you just cover it entirely?" Lightning asked as she looked at Frost. But even this same god had disbelief written all over his face.

    "Hey we still have our powers right? I definitely intended to freeze it entirely."

    Even before they could arrive at any answer, [Chaos] already broke free from the freezing. Apart from this, Frost also began coughing out blood as he felt his whole body jolt in pain.

    "Deities answer me! Did you betray us?" Lightning demanded an answer as it gazed at the sky. Yet all it had in response was silence.

    The gods who remained in the realm were not allowed to contact them. They were left to fend for themselves. Something which now felt horrifying as they experienced it. And it was at this moment that Pier finally came out.

    "Ahhh magnificent!" The god of mischief and deceit stood just on top of [Chaos]. It did no harm to him nor did it seem to care. As for the other gods however, they were all the opposites.

    "You!" One of the gods tried attacking Pier with a [Hydro Cannon] but his attack only passed through. Making them realize that what was in front of them was nothing but an illusion.

    "Nowe on; is that the proper way to treat one of your fellow descender?"

    "Where is your real body? Come here and face us yourself!" Lightning said in reply, feeling her blood boil as soon as she saw Pier.

    "No can do. I want to kiss all your cheeks and all but, I''d probably just do that to your corpses. That is, if anything would even be left of it."

    At this point [Chaos] grew innumerable tentacles. This all aimed for the gods who began flying up in order to escape. In the suddenness of it all, they forgot that Frost was still bleeding and in pain. Thus, he was the first victim of [Chaos]. Screaming as the tentacle coiled itself around him and drowned him to the ck abyss below.

    Pierughed even more as he saw this. This made the gods furious but, more than anything else, they felt fear creeping in on them. Frost has just died and it was likely that they''d go next.

    "Look at you all acting all high and mighty a few minutes ago. Did you really think that everything would be answered as soon as you descended? Man, you guys must be all sorts of dumb."

    "What are you talking about! Aren''t you just the same as us?" Lightning said in reply, with Pier drawing a disgusted look on his face from the words that were uttered.

    "Same as you? No. No. No. You must be hallucinating my dear goddess. Okay let me exin everything to you for now." As soon as he said this, projectiles shot out of [Chaos]. Surprised, some of the gods were not able to dodge in time and, as a result, their bodies corroded in a matter of seconds.

    "HAHAHAHA! You really thought I''d be exining anything to you fools? You can all die for all I care!" This time monsters came out of [Chaos], flying up on the sky as they aimed to kill the gods and goddesses.

    It was a beautiful requiem for Pier. He enjoyed the sight, moving his arms and wrists as if he was conducting for an Orchestra. He closed his eyes. Hearing the screams, wails, cries for help, despair, agony, bones crushing, flesh tearing apart, all in a wonderful harmony.

    It was the first time that any of them have actually gone into a fight. Of course they were gods before anything else. But the rules changed drastically as they became mortals. Their bodies have be susceptible to the same limitations that prevent mortals from transcending.

    There was a certain limit to the amount of skill they could use. There was a threshold to their mana capacity. Their bodies could not withstand the constant use of high-level magic nor was it possible. This was the reason why Frost''s body acted up the way it did earlier. As well as the reason why he couldn''t produce enough power to cover [Chaos] entirely in ice.

    Adding to this was the fact that, they literally had nobat experience. No matter how strong they were, fighting skills in itself was a different matter altogether. They all fired skills, thought thoroughly of their movements. But at the end of the day, if Zeke was there to watch them, he''d only sigh in frustration and squint his eyes as he gets annoyed by the sight.

    They were nothing more than rookies given master ounts. Fidgeting around without knowing what it was that they should prioritize. And, this was the main reason why everything began going downhill for them.

    One by one the gods died to [Chaos]. The creature absorbed them and took their powers as its own. Growing even more rapidly than before and, after thirty minutes passed, only Lightning remained.

    "Look at you. Who knew that the same proud and self - loathing goddess of lighting would be reduced to this state?" It was the real Pier this time around. He approached the goddess only to have her grovel at his feet.

    "Spare me. Please Pier. I would do anything for you. I would even be your woman if you so wish."

    "Oh really? Okay then, I ept your surrender."

    "Really?" Lightning said in reply. Brimming with hope in her eyes.

    "Yes. You can start by being food for my pet." Another tentacle grabbed Lightning''s ankle. She screamed and screamed. Teary eyed and trembling as all light disappearedpletely.

 Chapter 256: The Gamer, The God, and The Monarch

    Chapter 256: The Gamer, The God, and The Monarch

    The final hours have finallye for Mythos. There are a few major figures that ciuld affect these changes and, one of tehm is the hero chosen y the three maor deities,Z eke elwood.

    The gamer knew of the events that transpired within the beast continent of Rak''shan. This was updated to him through the use of his [Minimap]. Showing nothing but a mass of darkness over the said continent. The title of [Chaos] was directly on top of it.

    "Well this is certainly going to be troublesome." Zeke said, getting over the fact that all the Beastmen of the continent were already dead. There was no point in mourning, nor was Zeke any capable of doing so. [Gamer''s Mind] prevented this after all  allowing him to stay level headed even in that situation.

    "I did expect him to make a move, although this is way beyond anything I had in mind." The gamer furthered as he viewed where [Chaos] was moving towards. A problematic area at that because some of his allies had it as their homnd.

    It was Elysium.

    Right off the bat, before he could even make his move, the System updated his quests. Giving him the appropriate requests based on the situation.

    [The Main Quest has been Modified into a Chain Main Quest]

    [Threeponent quests must be aplished in order to clear the main quest. Rewards will be given as soon as all conditions have been cleared.]

    [Chain Quest Component 1: Striking Down Chaos]

    [Information: The Chaos that now envelops the sea of Mythos must be destroyed entirely. Additional rewards will be given if it is prevented from hitting any other continent.]

    [Chain Quest Component 2: Death to the Horned King]

    [Information: The former elven king, de Leonis, has transformed into an eight horned beast. The quest will be cleared as soon as he is killed. This requirement does not need to be met by the gamer. Should the quest target die at any point, this quest will still be cleared.]

    [Additional rewards will be given if the gamer or any of his allies deal the killing blow.]

    [Chain Quest Component 3: Requiem for the Gods]

    [Information: Pier, the god of mischief and deceit, now roams around Mythos freely. Kill his mortal form and the mission will be finished.]

    [Only the gamer is able to fulfill this condition. Any other form of death aside from the quest owner''s hands will be considered invalid.]

    [Reward: The Ancient Spell will bepleted.]

    [Reward: The gamer will be given free entry to the realm of the gods.]

    [Reward: The gamer will earn a Transcendent System Update. Information on the said system cannot be disclosed and will only be revealed as soon as it is imed.]

    "This system really knows how to get me moving."

    Saving Elysium was already on the top of the gamer''s head even before the quests came up. Although he felt no mourning nor sadness for Rak''shan, he still thought that it would be unjust of him to act based on the said event.

    "Well, on the bright side, it finally looks like the final moments of this mission."

    With how fast [Chaos] was moving, Zeke knew that he at least had a day or two in order to prepare. Within this time period, he needed to find a way in order to solve all problems. Provide back up ns for all of them in case some of these falls apart along the way. As well as providing backup ns for the backup ns.

    He began by opening his [Voice Chat]mand. Linking it to every ally he had at the base and giving onemand.

    "We''ll be having an emergency meeting in a few hours. I suggest you rest as well as you could in the meantime because, after it I doubt you''d get any decent sleep."

    While Zeke went on with this, Pier was already finished fighting the gods that descended. Again, he stood on top, showing his superiority even to his colleagues.

    Within the heavenly realm, he''d be a match to each of them. Probably losing some while winning others by a hair''s breadth. But in their mortal form, the gods and goddesses were nothing but newborn babes in front of him. He didn''t even waste any time and proceeded to taunting the gods that watched from the heavenly realm.

    He took the liberty of getting the head of the goddess of lighting. Preventing it from being part of what was devoured by Chaos. Through this, the gods were able to see him clearly as he held it at eye level.

    "Did you see that? You fools had no chance from the begging! I am, and always will be, superior to all of you!" Pier triumphantly dered and, this time around, his words felt real.

    "If you want to prove me wrong, then I''d be more than happy to amodate you here on Mythos!"

    There was no response of course. With what just happened, the gods would think twice before even trying to descend once more. But even this realization was toote because Pier already had everything that he needed.

    With the sacrifice of the gods, Chaos has matured and grown even stronger. It would still move steadily towards Elysium but, the amount of damage that it can cause has multiplied exponentially. Ensuring that no normal method would work in order to stop it.

    "You know, I''m not simply destroying Mythos for the fun of it. You see, there are things that would ur as soon as Mythos gets enveloped in [Chaos]. Do you wanna know what that is?" Pier ced his head near the decapitated head, as if waiting for it to speak to him. But there was nothing but silence.

    "Still acting all high and mighty I see." He continued, smiling as he said the next line.

    "Fine then. I was really nning on telling you anyways and, I believe Sinir would be able to understand the when I say that, all the Monarchs will be resurrected immediately." Pier''s smile twisted even more. Although he couldn''t see the gods and goddesses reactions, he knew that there was nothing but anxiety growing on them at that point. And this brought even more pleasure to him.

    "Now I know that everyone else is curious about what I just said. But you see, that trio has actually been keeping you in the dark about a lot of things. I suggest you begin interrogating them for your own good."

    "Well that would be all. World domination is hectic work so toodles." At this Pier threw the head down [Chaos] in order for it to be consumed. The things he said were half-truths, only aiming at causing as much disturbance in the heavens as he possibly could. And he was sessful.

    One could not even hope to imagine how chaotic the heavens became after that point. The minor gods began talking among themselves. nning an uprising if they didn''t get the answers that they wanted.

    The fake Nisha was also preparing for this. As soon as the whole of Mythos gets devoured and the fight in the heavens begins, she''d be able to gain even more power. Not only this but she''d also gain a valid excuse as to why she would murder the other gods and make them descend upon the other worlds.

    Pier had everything figured out. Things were still moving ording to his n but then, there was a variable that added. Something which can upset this bnce he created. One which was poorly cleaned up and finished by de.

    "I-I''m alive?"

    Within the shores of the Elven Continent, Quinn came out of a [Dimensional Rift] with his body barely holding on. His breathing was rugged and paced and his own heartbeat thumbed so strongly that he felt it from his chest. His clothes were torn and all but nevertheless, there were no injuries sustained.

    "How am I even alive? Vask what''s going on?" Quinn asked but nobody was answering him. In fact, it almost felt like the Monarch disappeared entirely.

    "Vask? He tried again, thinking that the Monarch was probably unconscious somehow. Yet the only answer he got were the sound of the waves crashing to the shores.

    "Va  "

    "For goodness sake kid. Can you not sound like a lost child in the middle of the forest?" Quinn didn''t understand why but, he felt relieved that the Monarch was still alive. There was a bond that developed between them after all and, although it started out rather roughly for Quinn, he has learned to understand the Monarch.

    "I thought you bit the dust already."

    "Why you arrogant little. I was just resting! That sudden attack made against us had me concentrating every fiber of my being to creating a space where we could travel. Lucky for you, I''m a genius."

    "Well I can''t even seem to get up. I just want to ask if the ce where you teleported us is safe." Quinn tried moving his body over and over again. But he was just so weak, to the point that his body felt numb.

    "Of course it is. Just stay there and sleep until both of us restores some energy. I already know what we''ll do next." Vask said in a reassuring tone.

    "What would that be?"

    "I made a way for us to go where the new Blood King is." Quinn knew exactly who Vask meant. It was Zeke.

    "Wait so does that mean"

    "We''re going to have a temporary truce with him."

 Chapter 257: A Game of Tag

    Chapter 257: A Game of Tag

    [Detection: A new entity has entered the continent.]

    [Further analysis: It is someone registered within the data of the system. A human named Quinn.]

    Thirty minutes before the meeting started, these notifications came up. There was no surprise on the face of the gamer nor did he think that any violence would be involved in the appearance of Quinn. But to ensure things, he needed to go there and greet the human himself. Something which he believed was part of the aim of the Monarch residing within Quinn.

    "This is a pleasant surprise." Zeke began, jumping to the location right away using a [Teleportation Scroll]. Quinn sat on top ofrge rock, looking apologetic as much as he was ashamed.

    "To what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting exactly?" Zeke said in his normal tone.

    "Mister Zeke, it''s me. Quinn." The human thought that it was necessary to clear this out as, Zeke may not be aware of who he was talking to.

    "Uhmm yeah I kinda knew that already Quinn. Anyway, what brings you here? I doubt that you''re already done with your mission."

    Quinn was surprised with how Zeke treated him. It was like there was nothing wrong with the situation. The gamer was casually talking to someone who left his team, nearly killed Sylph, and fought him to an extent that could have even reached a fight to the death.

    "Yow. Are you still there buddy?" Zeke furthered as Quinn snapped out of his train of thought.

    "Oh. Yes Mister Zeke."

    "Look, I don''t actually have a lot of time so let''s make this quick. I''ll ask and all you need to do is answer. Is that okay?" Quinn gave a nod in response.

    "Okay. First things first. Are you an ally or a foe."

    "Ally."

    "Good. That means you''re Monarch buddy also has a goal close to mine. Now tell me, what pushed you to this route?"

    "Pardon?"

    "A Monarch cannot be defeated that easily. Each one of them has enough power to rival the main deities. So you going here means that there is something, an obstacle, that was too overwhelming for your Monarch to finish on his own."

    "Yes, it actually has something to do with the ck thing which, I''m sure, can be seen on your [Minimap]."

    "Hmm I see."

    Zeke still thought of Vask as an enemy. But unlike Pier, he didn''t feel much hostility toward this Monarch and, if a truce was being offered, then the gamer simply could not refuse. After all, the power of the Monarch is second to none. But he decided not to let this show. ying his cards well in order to gain the upper hand.

    "Okay, this is myst question. What do you have to offer then?"

    "So it dide to this point." Quinn said in reply.

    "Oh, so you were aware that this was inevitable?"

    "Yes. Actually Vask told me about this."

    "Well that saves us a lot of trouble then. Now start talking."

    "We can give you two things. First is information of de and, second is on the Chaos that covers the seas of Mythos."

    Quinn was expecting Zeke to push things further. He knew that things wouldn''t be this easy and that there would even be a chance for the negotiation to fail. That was probably the reason why he got shocked as soon as the gamer said:

    "Okay."

    "What?"

    "Did bing a host fry some of your braincells Quinn? Okay means your part of the team again."

    "Aren''t you even going to make a binding contract Mister Zeke?"

    "Don''t be silly. That creature inside you is a Monarch and, a proud one at that. He won''t break a promise which he himself decided to make because, that''d just make him look stupid. As far as I know, Monarchs put a lot of value on their dignity and appearance. Well, most of them at least."

    "B-but."

    "Why does it look like you don''t like the oue."

    "No it''s not that Mister Zeke! Aren''t you even going to ask any other question?"

    "Look, there''s already all sorts of crazy going on in Mythos right now. I can''t go and ask every little detail and investigate on the same things. But that doesn''t mean I''m relying solely on my instincts." Zeke stepped close to Quinn and bumped his fist on the human''s chest.

    "Don''t get emotional but, you''re still the only person fit to lead the elites. And I''m counting on you in this mission."

    Quinn began getting teary eyed at this point. Zeke threw a handkerchief at him as he looked away.

    "Finish with those waterworks and make yourself look decent. The least we could do when I bring you back is to ensure that you''re presentable." Zeke said, waiting a full minute as both of them finally teleported back to base.

    As soon as they got back, Quinn felt his heart skip a beat. He was gone for so long that he didn''t know how his former teammates will treat him. He didn''t even know if they would see him as their ally anymore. But such things were trivial matterspared to therger task at hand.

    "We''ll be having a meeting shortly. Stay in your room and rest until I call you. Got it?"

    "Yes Mister Zeke." Was the short reply of Quinn who did as he was told. Or at least, that was how things were supposed to go.

    "Quinn?" Kaguya appeared. The only person which Quinn wanted to avoid as much as he could was there in front of him. He looked at Zeke and, there was nothing but a smile on the gamer''s face as he shouted.

    "WE HAVE AN INTRUDER!"

    Quinn didn''t have much energy at that point. He began by running form both Zeke and Kaguya as he assessed the situation.

    "What the hell is going on here? I''m sure Mister Zeke isn''t backstabbing us so why shout something uncalled for as that?"

    The next ones which got in Quinn''s way were Julia and Mordred. He threw a small de through them, [Weapon Blinking] to the location of the de as he continued running around.

    "Mister Zeke, if this is your idea of a joke then it isn''t helping at all!" Quinn furthered as he continued running around the base. Meanwhile, Zeke was still with Kaguya who slumped to the ground.

    "Mister Zeke, was that"

    "Well don''t just sit there Kaguya! We need to catch him. Go. GOOO!"

    Kaguya moved immediately. Mobilizing all the members of the elites and asking Amare to lead the team as she focused on assault and capture.

    Quinn passed by the elites one by one. Shock was written on all of their faces as Quinn continued moving through the headquarters. In fact, he didn''t even know why he continued doing so and only guessed that it was probably because of Zeke shouting as he did a few minutes ago.

    "Hey that''s Quinn right? Get him!" Curio said as two defenders who were with him tried to set up a barrier.

    This didn''t work because Quinn used a piercing spell, breaking the barriers as he followed up with [sh Step] which Curio was able to follow. But this was only a small distraction as Quinn weapon blinked again. Going back to the location of the two defenders and running to an open route.

    "Oh you ain''t running away mister!" Curio furthered but, even before he could follow, detonates came on their area. Freezing him and the two defenders temporarily.

    Meanwhile, as all of this urred, Zeke contacted the core members of the team; those who were natural inhabitants of Mythos.

    "Guys I need you to calm down and listen to me."

    "Zeke? What the hell was that shout earlier?" Sylph began.

    "Yeah that was so unlike you." Allesiah followed as both Windsprites knew that the gamer would never shout amand that may cause panic.

    "Ahh so you did notice. Good. Good."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Well for the moment, we''re having a little game with Quinn. Help him in avoiding the elites but don''t make your moves obvious."

    "Are you serious right now? We can destroy the base in the process you know."

    "Oh don''t worry about that. Heron will set up her [Cloud of Dreams] to prevent any actual damage to the base."

    "You crazy little"

    "Well that would be all for now. I''ll exin everything in the meetingter." Zeke said as he cut off themunication.

    There was no time to waste. More than anything else, Zeke knew that he needed to optimize all of his actions. And this included getting the elites to trust Quinn again.

    Under normal circumstances, they would just doubt him. Yes, if Zeke simply introduced him in the meeting, then there would be members of the group who''d have doubts about the agenda of Quinn. But through this method, they had no choice but to follow him and aim for him. Taking out whatever negative emotion they had against Quinn along the way.

    Zeke watched everything through his [Minimap]. Seeing how Quinn evaded the elites one by one while also ensuring that he didn''t cause any serious injury on them. And after a few more minutes, Quinn was finally cornered.

    "Heron." Zeke immediately contacted the [Dragon Morpher] at this point. Moving on to the next stage of his weing back party for Zeke.

    "Yes master?"

    "ce them on generated world number thirty-two."

    "That weird looking one?"

    "Yup. That''s the one." Zeke said as the whole base slowly changed.

    "Come on Quinn, you need to try harder." The gamermented as the skyscrapers and tall buildings rose one by one.

 Chapter 258: The Elites

    Chapter 258: The Elites

    "Okay guys change of ns. We need to corner him this way." Zeke said over the [Voice Chat].

    The elites were confused about what was going on. They didn''t expect the scenery to change as it did and, the worst part of it was that Quinn got away.

    "What do you mean? We already cornered him earlier what gives?" Jake said in irritation.

    "Yeah, uhm about that, you need to do it as I say or it''s not gonna work. Quinn''s new powers allow him to destroy anything in an open space and you guys were just about to fall into his trap."

    "So he was gonna kill us?" Julia asked.

    "Well I wouldn''t say kill. I suggest you guys take him down using this method so we can avoid any unnecessary casualties."

    The game continued this way. Zeke watched form the tallest skyscraper as the elites mobilized themselves against their former leader. Amare also wanted to prove herself at this point. Demonstrating that she has be a dependable and capablemander in ce of Quinn.

    "Defenders, begin by limiting the area where Quinn can go to." Amare began right away. Looking at the map and immediatelying up with a strategy for them to use.

    "Gawain, go to an open space where you can snipe him down. Merlin and Zane will join you and as soon as you track him down, make sure that he understands that he can''t move freely." The snipping archer did as he was told, moving up a skyscraper together with the two sorcerers.

    "Curio focus on following his trail. Don''t get too close. Just make sure that he is always within range. If a fight cannot be avoided, I''ll leave it to Jake, Mirio and Kaguya."

    "Copy that."

    "Horus summon as many aerial units as you could. We need to mark every location in this map."

    "Yes ma''am."

    "Every other unit focus on back - up and support. Don''t get too near until it''s time to capture him."

    As the elites began moving, Quinn stayed within one of the buildings. He was quickly restoring both health and mana using the regenerative skills of monsters he consumed. While doing so he was also taking into ount all of his former teammates. The skills they had when he left and the possible power spikes because of being trained by Zeke.

    "They''d definitely have [Chaos Resistance] as well as skills utilizing it. They''d also be better at moving as a group."

    There was one thing that was certain. If he came out as he was, the elites won''t find much difficulty reigning him in again. The human sighed, not because defeat was inevitable but because, there was one skill that needed to be used at that instance.

    Quinn knew that the elites would find him soon. He knew that his teammates were capable enough to do so. But he couldn''t rush the spell casting process. Simply because there was a certain threshold for mana and health that needed to be reached before he could use he skill. And, unfortunately, he didn''t finish on time.

    "Shit." Was all that he could say as he saw the flying summons of Horus look just outside his window. Quinn ran away immediately as arrows flooded the area where he was a few seconds ago.

    "We found him!" Horus shouted.

    Immediately all the Elites went toward the said direction. Quinn''s movements were already limited as, the flying summons also had detonates ced by Zilg on them. Aside from this, the melee fighters waited for him down the ground, following his tracks.

    "Ahhh this is so burdensome." Quinn said as he made another jump but, this time, he was caught in Kaguya''s trap. There was a hole of [Oblivion] waiting below, sucking him down as he was forced to weapon blink.

    He realized that this decision was toote as a flying unit also flew toward the said direction,. Exploding right away and forcing Quinn to use [Overdrive] while also deploying a thick fog that obscured the team''s vision.

    This didn''t stay for long as Gawain shot it away with his wind. Cornering Quinn once again.

    "My this is looking really grim for Quinn. He probably didn''t except them to get this strong in just a month and a half." Zeke said to himself as he watched the poor struggle of the human. But still it wasmendable because, Quinn was holding his own even though he didn''t have equipment anymore and was only optimizing the monsters he devoured during his travels

    "I think I should make his equipment right now. I have a rough sketch of his power level after all." Zeke said, proceeding to his inventory and leaving the elites to enjoy their little game of tag.

    "You aren''t getting away!" Jake shouted as he used an [AoE] spell  raining down spears on Quinn.

    "Jake that wasn''t part of the n!" Amare immediatelymented through the [Voice Chat].

    "Giev me a break. This is Quinn we''re talking about. I doubt that my [AoE] skill could kill him, let alone leave him in an incapacitated state."

    Jake was right on the money as something flew out of the cloud of smoke that formed. They all directed their attention towards this while some also noticed that another thing came out, running on the opposite direction.

    "Take down both!" Amaremanded which both de and Zane acted on. With one sniping down its target while the other used a freezing spell.

    All of them thought that one of these would be a decoy while the other one would be Quinn. But they were wrong as, after the smoke disappeared, they saw that both targets were decoys.

    "Where is he?" The elites began looking for Quinn without even knowing that the human was still inside and, this was all the time Quinn needed in order to finish his skill.

    They all felt the intense amount of pressureing form Quinn. Even Zeke halted form what he was doing as he wanted to see what was going to happen next.

    "Oh my. Now this is a surprise."

    "Avarice Manifest." Around Quinn was a serpent that had wings. Simr to the biblical one that was found in the beginning of Genesis yet, this creature had a vicious form. With fangs that looked venomous and scales that looked imprable.

    Jake tried hitting this but both Quinn and the serpent could not be damaged. Instead, his spear was met by a barrier. One which they could not even take down as they tried firing various types of projectiles. But this was least surprisingpared to the next event because, the same serpent then bit Quinn.

    It looked painful and it probably was because the human almost dropped to the ground. But it wasn''t something new to Quinn, he trained in the usage of the skill countless times already. So much so that at that point, the pain was, at the very least, something he could bear.

    "Ultimatebination. Unlimited spell activation."

    One by one, the flying summons of Horus got taken down. This was not the end of it as Quinn also used [sh Freeze] on the whole area where the elites were located down below. He also obscured the vision of the long-range units by immediately vaporizing the same ice, creating steam that also hindered movement for the ground units.

    He then followed this up by creating clones, all with a binding spell that would activate as soon as they came in contact with one of the elites.

    "Kaguya!"

    "On it."

    The female elite immediately shifted to her new transformation. Lizzie empowered her and, soon enough, she was flying all around the battlefield. Destroying all the summons while also searching for Quinn.

    But just as the steam cleared up and all the summons got taken down, Quinn showed up in the sky. Gaining the looks of the serpent while the creature itself disappeared. On top of him were fiveyers of magic circles, all with different colors.

    All the elites were just about ready to activate a spell to counter this. Yet before they could make their move, the spell circles shattered. This shocked the elites as Quinn also took away his transformation and went down the ground.

    "I''m not here to fight."

    "Like hell you aren''t!" Jake tried punching Quinn, but the former leader not only dodged but punched Jake on the cheek.

    "Who gave you the permission to be mad at me! Do you think I liked all that happened to me thus far?"

    "That doesn''t change the fact that you left! You didn''t trust us enough to carry that burden with you nor were we strong enough!"

    "Uhm is Jake defending us or outright saying we''re ipetent? Eerie asked Gawain.

    "I think it''s thetter."

    "Look. I''m back and I don''t expect any of you to ept this. But trust me when I say that there wasn''t a day that passed by without me thinking about all of you."

    Of course Quinn''s words were not enough in themselves. The ice would not have been broken soon. That''s why Kaguya stepped in, hugging Quinn which surprised all the other members. Some boys got jealous while there were girls that felt all jittery from the scene. Some were also teary eyed while there were those that simply sighed the whole incident off.

    "I think that should be enough for them." Zeke said as he ordered Heron to take down the skill.

    "Should I tell them to prepare for the meeting master?" Zeke looked at the group and felt some human emotions kick in.

    "Nah, just let them be for now. They deserve a bit of time to catch up." The gamer furthered as he proceeded to the preparations for the final battle.

 Chapter 259: The Final Plans

    Chapter 259: The Final ns

    "Is everybody here?" Heron asked as she lead the initial parts of the meeting. Zeke was still in his room, finishing some final touches on his work before proceeding there.

    One by one the elites answered her. Including Quinn who was already in good terms with his former teammates. Well, not so former anymore since he was back in the team again.

    The rift created between them wasn''t that bad after all. He didn''t choose to leave nor was he actually doing any evil. But if they just met normally, then there would inevitably be some problems when it came to trust and cooperation. Hence the reason why Zeke needed to make them fight first.

    Being in good terms with the elites also meant one thing. That there was someone who''d keep on pestering him again.

    "Quinn that''s my seat."

    "What are you talking about Jake? This has always been my seat. You just used it in my absence."

    "Well you were gone for a long time and nobody else wanted to take it. Plus, we''ve got a new elf so the seats were filled." He pointed to Allesiah who chose to not partake in such a childlike squabble.

    "Jake we have a spare one over there." Curio mentioned, pointing to next to him.

    "Why am I the one who needs to adjust for him? Come on guys, be on team Jake for once."

    "I think team Jake will get me into all sorts of trouble so no thank you." Merlin said in reply. With all the other elites agreeing.

    "Fine you can have my chair." Quinn said, giving way to what Jake wanted.

    "No I don''t want it anymore!"

    It was only at this point that Allesiah intervened. Decreasing the temperature in the room, with everyone begging to shiver to the cold.

    "Zip it or I''d turn you into popsicles." This was all that she needed to say in order to calm down Jake. He proceeded to the new seat designated to him while Quinn returned to his old one.

    "Did you really have to scare them like that?" Sylph asked as her sister slowly returned the temperature to normal.

    "I didn''t have a choice. Zeke''s almost here and they need to be properly disposed before hees."

    "All I hear from that mouth of yours this past couple of days is Zeke this Zeke that. Though it''s not a bad thing."

    It didn''t take long for the gamer toe. In fact, Heron has just finished making roll calls when the gamer arrived at the scene. Teleporting in front with the signature smile on his face and a hair that looked like he just got up from bed.

    "Right. Onto the order of business." Zeke immediately began. With the lights turning off and the screen showing at the back of the gamer.

    "First of all, Quinn will not be reassigned as the leader of the elites. He will act as an independent unit just like the Mythos dwellers."

    "Why is that exactly?" Amare asked, actually wanting to drop her position.

    "Well, that''s because of his own powers and the powers of the Monarch sleeping inside him. Both are already way beyond what you guys can produce. If the difference in power is too great, then you cannotplement each other properly. In fact, that line was already shaky to begin with as I''m sure you''ve all noticed how many times Quinn did solo tasks." A crystal lit up at this point.

    "Okay I ept the fact that Quinn is stronger than us. But as for the Monarch within him, isn''t he supposed to be our enemy? Why are we suddenly teaming up with him then?"

    "Well there''s that. But you see that same Monarch has stricken a deal with me. Until the end of this mission, both Vask and Quinn will be our allies." There were some doubtful looks in the room. So Quinn did them the favor od exining in behalf of the Monarch.

    "If I may add, Vask will not remain in my body for long. As soon as we defeat de and finish our quest, he will be removed from my body. I can guarantee you this. If that''s not enough to prove his innocence, let me add that we have never taken any life except for those of the monsters."

    "Heeeeh? Is that why he almost killed mest time?"

    "Miss Sylph I do not mean to be rude but, during that instance we did chose to leave right? You just insisited on fighting us."

    The elf made a pout at thisment; knowing that this was true. Meanwhile, Zeke had a smile on his face as he watched the small argument of the two. As well as Allesiah''s immediate interest at a specimen hosting a Monarch.

    "Look Quinn, we trust you and all but. Aren''t you too confident for your own good? For all we know that god could be a trickster." Kaguya asked in a worried tone to which Zeke gave an answer.

    "Our chances of sess isn''t at a hundred percent. Even with all the preparations I made, it won''t be enough for what is toe. With Quinn adding to the group however, our chances have increased exponentially and I''m not one to pass up on that."

    "And if Vask would act up, I''ll eliminate him myself." Zeke said in a confident tone. Finally giving the whole group a sense of relief.

    "Mister Zeke you keep on mentioning that but, isn''t our mission simply to collect all the [Chaos] in the continents? I mean if it''s just that, we won''t be needing the assistance of a Monarch." Julia asked, not knowing what was currently happening on Mythos.

    "Ahh I''m d that someone actually asked that. I can show this now." Zeke furthered as he finally shed the map of Mythos on the screen behind him.

    He has kept this a secret from the group. They were not aware of it nor did they have any way of confirming it. That is probably the reason why, there was a look of fear and concern on both Windsrpite''s faces as they saw [Chaos] closing in on Elysium.

    "Zekeis that thing going to our continent?" Sylph asked, not wanting to believe what she was seeing before her. The same was true with Allesiah but, she decided to keep her mouth shut.

    Even the Elites had horror written all over their faces. Forget the earlier fights they went through, what they were seeing was way beyond anything they have gone up against.

    "First of all, I need you all to settle down." Zeke was prepared for this moment. Releasing some [Cloud of Dreams] stored within the crystals of the room in order to calm their nerves. This didn''t work right away but after a few minutes, they were finally disposed.

    "As of the moment there is something covering the whole of Mythos. Well, technically it''s only covering half of the seas in Mythos. But I''m sure you know where this is going."

    "It''s [Chaos] right?" Allesiah said. Recognizing the energy type using her [Chaos Sight].

    "Bingo. It seems that our dear opponent has finally been triggered by ourtest feat and decided to use all his remaining cards at once. And this is a bit of a predicament for us because of one thing." Everyone thought what it could be as Zeke didn''t say what it was right away. Kaguya lighted up her crystal at this point.

    "Is it because we''ve run out of [Empty Chaos Crystals]?"

    "That is the correct answer!" Zeke said, imitating the tone of a gameshow host.

    "We do not have any [Empty Chaos Crystals] anymore. There is no item we can use to store all of that [Chaos]. Plus, there''s the fact that our dear enemy wiped out the entirety of Rak''shan. Which, ording to Quinn, was where Pier had his base of operations."

    "So what do we do exactly?" Quinn himself asked.

    "That''s simple. We''ll fight."

    "That doesn''t sound convincing Mister Zeke."

    "Well what did you expect? There''s no other option for us than to fight but that doesn''t mean we are abandoning all reason. I have a n after all." Zeke said as he snapped his fingers. Creating items for the support members of the elites. He then shed the specs of the new item on the screen.

    [Item Name: Chaos Detector]

    [Information: The item works on Chaos Energy and is capable of tracking any deposit of minerals connected to this.]

    "The healers and four of the defenders excluding Mordred will be in charge of finding more [Chaos Shards] on Elysium. I have a feeling that Pier isn''t just targeting the continent because it is rted to us."

    "Understood mister Zeke." They said in reply.

    "While they are at it, Curio will proceed to setting up a stronger barrier for the continent. Our enemy is onlying from one side. No matter howrge it is, it cannot envelop the whole continent at once."

    "No probleeemooo." Curio said in reply.

    "Allesiah and Kaguya will focus on trying to find any weakness to our enemy. Both of them have skills that allow them to get a better grasp of [Chaos] after all. And while they are at it, Mordred and Sylph will protect them while Lizzie enhances all four at once." Jake was looking worried at this point. His name was still not being mentioned after all, making him feel irrelevant for the mission.

    "Jake. Mirio. Gawain. Zane. Merlin. Zilg. Horus. Heron. Morpheus. Your skillsplement each other. In fact you are my best bet in defeating any minions that our enemy could dish out. Work as a group and take them out. If Pier or de ever targets you, leave at once.

    "ALLLRIIIGHT!" Jake shouted passionately.

    "Wait. So what will Quinn be doing?" Hemented.

    "Oh that? Pier and de will be handled by the two of us."

 Chapter 260: The Fight Begins!

    Chapter 260: The Fight Begins!

    The mission began right away. There was nog nor pause because every wasted moment they took from that point onwards only decreased their chances of winning against Pier and de.

    Zeke would have none of that. He needed the percentage to be as high as possible and so, Zeke and his allies began working. With work equally distributed to all the members.

    The pressure was high for every member of the group but, this was especially pressuring to the support units. But why is that exactly? Well the reason was quite simple. No matter how many times Zeke and the others fought, things would not really end until they find the [Chaos Shards].

    The sea of [Chaos] making its way to Elysium will not be erased without the proper equipment. This, in turn, needs to be made by Zeke who was miraculously supposed to craft the item while also fighting Pier.

    "Avoid getting seen by the monsters on the area. Also make sure that you avoid any form of trap." Juliamanded, getting a positive response from every member in their unit.

    A natural hierarchy formed among them. With Julia leading the group as they began teleporting from area to area. Trying to find the deposits of [Chaos Shards] which Zeke hoped to find within Elysium.

    "Make sure to be thorough in your search. We need to find those things."

    "You''re starting to sound a lot like Amare." Redmented, not actuallyining and simply teasing the other healer.

    "Red. I swear to the main deities. I''m going to pluck every strand of hair on that head of yours if you make anotherment like that." She said in reply, actually tensing down a bit because of Red''sment.

    "Just saying, although you''re not the only one who needs to loosen up." Redmented.

    The supporting members were also given [Conjures] to guard them. This was necessary because, the group needed to search even the darkest areas within the continent. The same ones which only Zeke could clear.

    "Guys if I don''t make it out of this, I just want you to know thatI''m still a virgin." Gerard said, getting everybody on the groupughing.

    "Yow you should''ve kept that to yourself man."

    "That''s just it! I mean some of our teammates would definitely think of that on my funeral right? I don''t want to be remembered a virgin so please go and tell them that I had more hoes than meals in a single day." Red roared inughter at this while others sighed at how helpless Gerard''s level of priority was.

    However, Julia was thankful about this. She knew deep down that, every member of the [Shard Hunting Group] also had their minds elsewhere. After all, as they began doing this, the other members of the team would''ve also begun their fight with [Chaos].

    As support type characters, there was a deep anxiety within them. Caused by the fact that they could not join in the main battle to provide healing and defense. Their teammates were not invincible and, they''ve lost count of the instances where these same teammates were damaged to a critical level.

    As if their thoughts could be heard, Zeke suddenly openedmunications with them. With Julia speaking even before Zeke did.

    "Mister Zeke what''s wrong? Are you losing? Do you need healing? Backup? Barriers?"

    "How about we start with you calming down Julia?" Zeke said in an amused tone.

    "Anyway, I want some updates on your quest. How are things going?"

    "I''m sorry to inform you sir but, we have yet to find a single [Chaos Shard]."

    "Hmm I see. Well nothing we can do about that. Just go based on your own pacing."

    "Are you sure mister Zeke? Don''t you need us to be a bit faster than this?" Julia said, again with a bit of panic hinted in her tone.

    "Look Julia, it''s actually a bit peaceful on my end right now. Both Pier and de have yet to appear so I can watch over your teammates properly. In fact, let me give you a bit of advice."

    "Advice?" Vorst spoke this time around. Thinking what it was that could be advised at that instance.

    "Well yes. You see, you don''t need to worry about your teammates. I am just as capable as all of you all are in healing them if necessary. I''ll also make sure that they won''t die in your absence."

    "Mister Zeke I don''t mean to be rude nor to question your intellect but, how is that an advice?"

    "Oh you''re right. It''s actually a reminder that''s mixed with an advice. Sorry about that." Zeke continued.

    "But you see, your teammates are putting their lives on the line. Stalling for time and believing that you can find the [Chaos Shards] that we need. And I believe you just as much!"

    "Don''t you think that gives off more pressure than encouragement mister Zeke?" Red said in reply.

    "You''re right but, who isn''t pressured right now exactly In games the support characters like yourselves are some of the most troubled ones of the bunch. In parties, supports would worry on a lot of stuff. Who to buff. Who to heal. How to conserve mana, and all those other things. But never forget that you are still human."

    "Holy crap he actually sounded a bit like a monk there." Gerard thought to himself as Zeke continued speaking.

    "You just need to do your best because nobody is expecting anything that you are not capable of okay?"

    These were the exact words they needed. Because of the urgency of things, they forgot this basic detail. That they were limited in their capacities and, could only perform to the best that their entire beings could offer.

    "Thank you mister Zeke. We''ll do our best!"

    "Julia you already are."

    "Okay then. That would be all." The gamer finished, turning off themunication device and focusing on his end.

    He wasn''t lying when he said that there was nothing for him to do. Both he and Quinn were on standby. They didn''t take part of the fight no matter how desperate the other elites looked because, Zeke knew that this may just very well be a trap setup by the god for him.

    But Quinn wasn''t as patient as him. He wanted to take part of the fighting and so, he asked Zeke once again.

    "Mister Zeke."

    "Nope."

    "But"

    "Nada."

    "Can''t you see"

    "No."

    "Look at them!" Quinn suggested.

    There were tentacles of chaos that kept on attacking at every direction. Flying horned monster were in the offensive as well as skill shots that continued firing out of nowhere. The group that handled all of this wasn''t falling short in their efforts.

    In fact, every move they made on both offense and defense was nothing less than perfect. However, perfection in itself would not suffice against an enemy that seemed to have an unlimited amount of power, ammunition and resources.

    The summons of Horus were deployed against the tentacles and the flying monsters. These took down as many as they could because, on them were detonates ced by Zilg. Merlin and Zane focused on freezing, mes, lightning, and other elements that they fired in a bnced amount.

    When it came to their defense, Heron and Morpheus had the group covered. With the [Cloud of Dreams], Heron was able to create a field around them. This prevented [Chaos] from tracking every move they made while also providing protection as it could absorb a certain threshold of damage.

    Meanwhile, Morpheus was dealing some serious damage. All on his own, he could outdo all of the melee units in his team. That is how strong he was in the offensive and, this was the primary reason why he was also good in defense.

    Due to the fact that Morpheus could take down a lot of enemies at the same time, the amount left for the elites to fight were at the very least, manageable. Gawain was also providing support. Ensuring that there would be not be any cheap shot or blindspot attacks that were sessful.

    Yet even with all of this, one could feel that the group was being worn down. They weren''tputer generated characters that could get revitalized instantly. They needed to rest. But their opponent did not allow it; simply because it was too strong for them to handle.

    "Don''t you think it''s high time for us to contribute in the fight?" Quinn asked again. Itching to go and help hisrades.

    "Quinn, can youmand better than me?" Zeke''s temper was being tested. He didn''t like idiotic ideas. Especially if this would be offered by someone whom he already viewed as an intellectual.

    "N-no of course not."

    "Then what gives you the right to insist on your wants? Do you think that would get us through this mission?" Quinn was thinking of a good argument but, he had nothing.

    "You are not some messiah that descended from the heavens okay? If you wanna go down there then by my guest. But don''t me me if our mission falls apartter on." Zeke said coldly. And this was all that was needed for Quinn to finally shut up.

    "Just calm down. We''ll have our turn." Zeke said, holding back as much as Quinn on aiding the elites in their struggle.

 Chapter 261: Avarice Serpent

    Chapter 261: Avarice Serpent

    The fight continued as Zeke anticipated. Without them being able to actually deal any significant damage to [Chaos], Pier simply went into hiding. There was no point to exposing himself to any danger when the enemies couldn''t even handle the problem at hand.

    This was as true as it could get. Pier was simply watching from another secret base he had. Waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. But this didn''t mean that he took Zeke lightly. In fact, as soon as the gamer''s operation began, he already had his eyes on all the members.

    [Chaos Vision] This was the skill he utilized for surveince. Through it, he could see anything as long as there was [Chaos Energy] within the area. He saw those who battled with the tentacles and the summons. He saw an elf and a human analyzing [Chaos]. He also saw some peculiar Mythos inhabitants who were both stronger than any Demon Lord.

    "de what are the odds of this bunch actually serving as a distraction?"

    "If we take into ount the intellect of your opponent, I believe that it is higher than 90%."

    "That''s correct! It''s a good thing that brain of yours is still working." Pier furthered, focusing his eyes on the remaining members of Zeke''s team. Namely, those that kept moving around Elysium.

    "If he thinks that he can outsmart the god of deceit, then he has another thinging."

    The god immediately deployed more [Chaos Monsters] to the area. He made it so that these will only target the elites, preventing them from aplishing their goal. He also ced some near the shore as Curio was still not finished in setting up the barrier for the continent. Topping it all off was his favorite elf servant.

    "de be a dear and watch over Elysium for me would you? Make sure that they don''t get what they need but, don''t let them feel your presence."

    "Understood maser." The elf said in reply, moving out of the room and into his homnd.

    "You want to y with fire boy? Fine, I''ll amuse you for a bit." Pier said, with a triumphant smile already written on his face.

    It didn''t take long for the support members of the elites to understand what was happening. After all, it was easy to feel the monsters that continued pestering them in their mission. Wherever they went, the monsters kept following them. And as soon as they appeared on an area, they were greeted with the attacks of the monsters.

    "Julia any ns on calling Mister Zeke?" Red suggested, feeling the eyes of their enemies seemingly lock on them.

    "On it." She said in reply, opening the [Voice Chat] and talking directly to the gamer.

    "Mister Zeke we have a problem." Julia was calm in updating him, remembering how Zekemented that she sounded panicked the first time.

    "Let me guess, you have some monsters following you?" Zeke said in reply, knowing that this could be a possibility.

    "How did younever mind. Yes mister Zeke, there are a bunch of monsters that keep on attacking and following us."

    "I see. Is there any chance that they would catch you anytime soon?"

    "Not for now. I think the teleportations confuse them but, we feel that they would be guarding every area now."

    "Gotcha. Just keep on doing your mission. I''ll handle the problem." Zeke said in a calm tone. Assuring Julia that everything will be alright.

    "Understood sir." The healer said as she closed themunication and focused on her mission.

    It was purely mind gamers at that point. Both Zeke and Pier were setting up the fight for things to go in their favor. Both also had confidence that they would win. But unlike the god who already showed all of his cards, Zeke still had plenty up his sleeve. And he was about to use one of those said cards.

    "Quinn you finally got what you wished for."

    "Wait, really?"

    "Yeah, juts wait for a second there buddy."

    Zeke opened his inventory, taking out another item which he crafted for the fight. Something that made use of the [Order] affiliated monsters that he recently got,bined with the [Chaos nts] that he extracted.

    [Name: Seed of Order]

    [Species: nt]

    [Specification: Order Affiliated]

    [Grade: S+]

    [Information: As soon as it is dropped into any surface, the seed will sprout and spread [Order] energy within the area. Should there be traces of [Chaos] around, it will purify the energy while also sucking it off and converting it to Order.]

    The seeds were already growing roots as Zeke held them on his hands. But since Zeke had the curse of the Blood King, they weren''t able to prate through his flesh.

    Nevertheless, they still developed rapidly; making Zek summon Horizon. He ced all of it on top of the [Chaos Dragon]. Feeding on the energy of the creature which was affiliated to [Chaos].

    "What the hell are those?"

    "It''s the opposite of those nasty nts that Pier used. I forged them while preparing for the mission." Pier then looked as the same nts grew beautifully on the surface. The same could not be said for its roots however as these were predators in themselves.

    "How did you even get the materials for that?"

    "It''s a long story. I''ll save it for when we''ve finished the mission."

    The nts continued growing and, soon enough they were in full bloom. [Chaos] reacted to this as the nt was its natural enemy. Proving this was the fact that it tried attacking Zeke and Quinn. With its tentacles trying to reach the two. Unfortunately they were too far up and, even if it got close, Zeke wasn''t going to let the creature touch him.

    "Are you going to tell me when I''m gonna fight yet?" Quinn asked, eager to cut those tentacles himself.

    "Of course. Come here for a sec."

    While Zeke gave the instructions to Quinn, Jake''s group was also busy fending off the added aggression of [Chaos]. Because of the nts that floated just above, [Chaos] became livelier in its attacks. More tentacles came up as well as higher ranked [Horned Beasts].

    "Why is this thing so grumpy all of a sudden?" Jake asked, having his hands full on both attacking and defending himself.

    "Don''t ask me. I''m not the crazy god who put this thing here." Mirio said in reply, punching a tentacle which immediately dissolved.

    They were getting exhausted. Fending off the creature was no easy task and, with the added intensity, they knew that their fatigue would also multiply exponentially. However, Zeke would not have any of this.

    "Guys you may want to move a bit." Zeke said over the [Voice Chat] as arge shadow covered up the sun. Jake turned his head to look and immediately saw Horizon which crashed down to [Chaos] a few secondster.

    "What the hell was that for?" Jake asked as his heart skipped a beat from surprise.

    "Well I did warn you." Zeke simply said, watching the nt begin doing its work.

    There were ten fully bloomed [nts of Order] which used Horizon as their foothold. These began spreading the energy of [Order] while also fighting the tentacles and monsters which aimed at it. Vines and roots swung and thrusted; fighting the sea of [Chaos] in a seemingly equal bout.

    The offensive unit stopped ion their tracks. Not knowing how they could even re-enter in the fight. In all this confusion, Zeke gavemands once again.

    "That thing would do your work for now. Reserve your strength and only attack when [Chaos] aims for you."

    "Shouldn''t we be helping it somehow?" Jake asked.

    "You won''t be of any use right now. Those things are aiming for each other so it''s a bit more difficult to read the movements of [Chaos]. Plus, those nts aren''t your allies. Those''d probably kill you as soon as you get close."

    "Seriously?"

    "Jake do I seem like the joking type in times like this?"

    "Hey no need to get all upset about it. Plus  " Jake looked up to where Zeke and Quinn should be at. His rival was suipposed to be standing just beside the gamer. But, not even his shadow could be seen anywhere.

    "Where the hell is Quinn?"

    "Oh calm down now. I already gave him his task."

    Within Elysium, de quietly followed the group of elites. He made sure to track every step they made while also hiding his presence. Both worked as he nned and, in fact, he even figured out the sequence to the teleportation of the elites. A few more jumps and they would be able to get to the deposits of [Chaos Shards] but, he wasn''t going to allow this to happen.

    He was just about to prepare the areas where the elites would be killed. But then he felt a familiar presence right above him. One which he wanted to avoid if possible.

    "Mister Zeke was right. You really are here." Gazing up, de saw Quinn with the [Avarice Serpent] already summoned.

    "You feel and sound different from thest time. But I can definitely sense the same presence within you." de said as he tried opening a portal out of the area. Yet this was cancelled immediately by Vask who was finally able to manifest some of his powers even with Quinn being in control.

    "I hope you''re not trying to get away because that''s not happening." The [Avarice Serpent] finally bit Quinn, beginning his transformation and the spike in his power.

    "That''s fine and all but, you see, your friends are in danger. The next area they will teleport to will be filled with higher ranked monsters. Master Pier knows of their capacities and also knows that the monsters sent will be too much for them to handle."

    Quinn was silent for a few seconds - as if pondering about this fact. Meanwhile de already had a smile on his face; thinking that he already won.

    "So what''s it gonna be? Do you want to y with me or are you going to save your  " An attack faster than what de could react to grazed his cheek. Blood came out as Quinn gave him a cold stare.

    "You know, for a dead guy, you sure do know how to run that mouth of yours."

    "Didn''t you just hear what I said? Your teammates  " Another attack hit de. This time cutting off his arm which sent a massive jolt of pain to his senses.

    "I don''t need to chose because I can do both." de used a skill which he wanted to use a long time ago. A cheap imitation at best but, in his host form to the [Avarice Serpent], the skill was as close to the original as it could be.

    The cold feeling of death came and mes rose from the ground. The whispers of the dead were carried by the wind as Quinn finally casted:

    "Conjure."

 Chapter 262: Forged for War

    Chapter 262: Forged for War

    There was a reason why de was reluctant to fight Quinn. The human may be a host of a Monarch but he was not the Monarch himself. Hence, de''s whole skill set which was optimized to counter Vask would not be as effective.

    "Julia I''m sending my Conjures to your location." Quinn closed [Voice Chat] right away; not even waiting for his teammate to give a response.

    Both Quinn and de stood perfectly still. Yet among the two, it was de who was on edge because, his opponent didn''t even seem to worry about the fight. In fact, Quinn even gave him a smirk as he made one step  vanishing through the use of [sh Step].

    "ck Field!" de in his panic used the same space altering skill as before. His horns all glowed and his aura''s strength increased, allowing him to exponentially increase all of his basic attributes. Quinn reappeared just below him, making a full swing which de barely parried with his sword. However, this was not the end of it.

    Quinn continued his rapid movement with the use of [sh Step], adding the skill [Overdrive] to better control all his movement on the point of contact. As a result, de was gravely wounded multiple times.

    His throat was slit open. His arm was cut off. His leg was stabbed through. His lung got pierced. Every attack made by Quinn made de experience extreme pain. But he healed each and every time. All thanks to the [ck Field] that gave him infinite regeneration.

    Soon enough, he was able to catch a lull in Quinn''s movements. He made a quick attack while stepping back and summoning soldiers which rose from the mass of darkness. But their appearance was just as swift as their end.

    "sh Freeze." Quinn encased all the soldiers in ice once again. These same creatures could not move anymore but newer ones came out from the ceiling of the closed space. Quinn used the same move on these, disabling all of the soldiers made by de.

    "Embers of Chaos!" de proceeded to making all of the soldiers explode but, Quinn was once again able to counter this.

    "Consume." All the explosions were absorbed through the palm of his hand  glowing with a seeming insignia that was foreign to de.

    The human then disappeared from his sight once again. This time making use of abination of speed increasing spells. There was only a split-second dy as Quinn reappeared just below him. With the human''s palm pointed directly at de''s body as he casted:

    "Embers of Chaos."

    The explosions focused on a single spot. de''s body caught on fire made of [Chaos] as he dropped to the ground. Arge hole was created in the left side of his body. Destroying all the body parts that were supposed to be on it.

    The elf coughed blood, regenerating right away using the same trick that he made use of against Vask. But Quinn was able to counter even this. He coated his sword with an imitation of Vask''s spell, the same one which prevented de''s body parts froming back.

    Unfortunately, the elf was able to escape even before Quinn could use it. He sunk into the shadows of the space he created; preventing Quinn from using his weapon.

    "You keep on talking about that Master Pier of yours. But it seems like he doesn''t have any idea who he''s messing with." Quinn taunted.

    "Oh my master knows exactly what he is dealing with. I am a living proof of that. In fact, you can''t even win against me because, as soon as I die, both of us knows what will happen next. That gamer of yours will be left to himself  fighting off all the hordes of [Chaos] without any backup nor savior."

    Quinn could hear de''s voice from every corner of the subspace. But he couldn''t see the elf anywhere. It was like he vanishedpletely as, even his aura could not be felt.

    "It''s funny. Every opponent we''vee across up until this point has been like you. Cocky and arrogant." Quinn said with a smile on his face.

    "Is it considered arrogance if I speak the truth?" de simply said in reply; preparing to escape from the fight and teleport back to base.

    There was a part of him that knew that, if the fight dragged on, then he would simply continue losing to the human. The elf had no intention of dying at that point because it wasn''t part of Pier''smand.

    "I''ll kill you the next time we meet." de thought to himself as his teleportation spell was almostpleted. He was sure that he could escape but then, he felt shivers down his spine as Quinn stared at him.

    "Impossible. Could he see me?" de was sure that his presence was fully concealed. The skill he used made sure of this. But Quinn''s gaze told otherwise. And the human didn''t even look away as he continued speaking.

    "It''s considered arrogance because you assume that you''d win." Quinn stabbed the ground with his sword and casted:

    "Consume."

    Immediately, the field created by de was being forcefully taken out. The elf was doing his best to maintain it but, the force was so strong that even his teleportation was being taken away. It was as if gravity''s rules changed entirely, as Quinn''s sword served like the center of a ck hole.

    The tug of war which Quinn began ended in his overwhelming victory. His sword absorbed all of the [Chaos Energy] unleashed by de and, to top it all off, he didn''t look like he broke a sweat. The subspacepletely vanished; leaving de dumbfounded.

    "H-How"

    "Hmmm? What was that?" Quinn spoke in a mild tone.

    "H-HOW ARE YOU SO POWERFUL?!?"

    de was trembling in fear. It was nothing like the fear he experienced when Pier tried to unleash the powers of the monarch residing within him. No. It was a fear not from overwhelming strength but from both tactics and skillbination that Quinn perfectly executed. All while looking as if he was enjoying himself.

    "You said that your master was powerful. Kept on spouting that garbage for minutes without end. But now you''re asking me something like that?"

    There was no choice left for de at that point. He finally decided to end his own life right there and then. If he did, then not only will Quinn and the other elites disappear, but so will Vask who was residing within the same person.

    The detonation didn''t need any preparation. de simply needed to put his hand on his chest, with the intent of making it explode. This was all that he needed, getting back his confidence from the assured victory.

    "This is your loss for being so cocky!" He shouted as the st soon followed.

    For a second, de''s whole life shed before his eyes. The self-destruct move worked like a charm but then, reality came back. As soon as his sense were regained, he realized that he was back in the same space he created. One which had a property of continually healing him.

    Again he looked at Quinn. All with the same expression of wonder, fear, and unsurety of everything that was unfolding.

    "Before you even ask, let me exin. This sword of mine was created by the same person you were belittling a few seconds ago and, it copies the unique properties of its wielder." Quinn stared at his sword, then ced his attention back to de.

    "Upon my transformation into [Avarice], the sword also shifted properties. Enabling it to consume any skill, store it, and release it at will. And that, you poor thing, is the reason why your skill is back up again."

    "Shadow Soldiers." Quinn furthered, as hands held down de to the ground. Another soldier then rose and stuck a sword through the elf''s throat, preventing him from casting any spell.

    "I didn''t get stronger. It''s just that, I have proper equipment now." Quinn idly said, casting another skill in order to seal the deal.

    "Manifest. Avarice Serpent."

    de felt cold immediately. He seemed to be a prey that was about to be eaten and this was true enough. The sound of hissing echoed throughout the area and de could feel the vibrations on the ground. Even without being able to see it, he knew that there was arge serpent waiting to eat him.

    "If you''re thinking about that stupid ''sending us back to the heavens'' concept again, let me tell you. Once you''re inside the serpent''s belly it would take two whole days before you are fully consumed. You will not be able to move but you will feel an excoriating amount of pain within this whole duration."

    de was just as mortal as any other creature. When faced with inevitable death such as that moment, he couldn''t help but try to scream for help. He even peed himself which made Quinn regret that he even thought highly of this opponent before.

    "Eat him." Quinnmanded but, before the serpent could evene near, the [ck Field] was destroyed.

    He looked up to where the attack came from and, sure enough, the real enemy was there. Floating up on the sky with a furious rage on his face, Pier finally showed himself.

 Chapter 263: Monarchs

    Chapter 263: Monarchs

    "Regret that you have invoked the wrath of a god."

    "Ah yes, another cocky speech for a future corpse." Quinn thought to himself, measuring his opponent properly before the fight could begin.

    "Give me the elf before I kill you." He began in a passively aggressive tone.

    "Yeah, that''s not happening." Quinn said as he prepared to cast a spell.

    "You''ve grown a bit too bold for your own good kid. I said  " Pier was still in the air but Quinn could feel a de positioned on his throat.

    "Give me the elf." Pier was in a position where he could make threats and demands. That is, until he felt a sword aiming at the back of his head.

    "Cheap tricks like that won''t work you know."

    It must be remembered that Quinn was still in the [Avarice Serpent] form. With this he could utilize all of the skills that he has seen with his own eyes but, with a reduction on their effects. However, Quinn could also merge skills together. Allowing him to reach the same level of effectiveness as any original skill by mixing it together with skills of the same nature.

    "You seem to have grown quite a bit from our first encounter."

    "And you seem to be falling behind."

    Everything that was happening was within Zeke''sputations. He knew that Pier would somehow have a way ofmunicating with de. This presumption heavily relied on the fact that Pier had a way of monitoring the whole operation and, if he could do this, then he could also monitor the fight between de and Quinn.

    That was the reason why Zeke specifically instructed Quinn to give every detail of the skill he was going to use. How he could trap de without any hopes of him dying by himself. Left with this option, Pier would have no other choice but to show up or at least, leave traces by deploying some other monsters.

    "You and your monarch can probably take him down. I won''t interfere because the Pier which could appear may also be a double. It would really be bad if that''s the case because I''m sure he can wipe out the elites as soon as we let our guard down." These were the exact words told by Zeke. It was hard for Quinn to believe it himself but, the gamer was basically giving him the mission of taking out the main opponents in order to save Mythos from ruination.

    "You know what''s so funny about this whole situation? It''s that you actually think that your level of deception is the same as mine." Pier vanished, with the one floating in the air being his only copy left.

    "I am the god of deceit. The god of trickery itself. And I would not let a mere human take me down."

    "That''s just the thing, I''m not only a mere human." Quinn said as the marks of Vask finally beganing out of his body. The monarch was preparing for that day, getting a much-needed slumber in order to fully cultivate his powers. And he still was.

    Vask didn''t switch ces with Quinn. He just allowed the human to borrow a portion of his powers. Exining why the markings only appeared on Quinn''s hands.

    "Fascinating! Truly fascinating! Entertain me more!" Pier also released a portion of the power which his Monarch had. Showing simr markings all over his body. And without further notice, he pounced at Quinn.

    It was an easy dodge for the human. Or so he thought as wounds tore open all around his body. There was no contact, Pier wasn''t even close to getting near him. But the wounds were as real as they could get.

    "You may be thinking how that happened. But I''m not gonna give you time to figure it out." Pier multiplied into ten, with all attacking at once. Quinn countered this by using [sh Freeze] but, even as his enemies crashnded to the ground as ice statues, more wounds still appeared on his body.

    "Is that all you can do boy?" Pier taunted, releasing the same number of clones. But Quinn did not falter. In fact, he waited for this pause in Pier''s attack in order to activate:

    "Event Horizon."

    The whole battlefield became a mush of distorted space. Pier tried to move normally but, each step he took was a bit different from thest. It was only Quinn who could move freely at that point but, this was not the true power of the skill. As a space altering domain, it allowed him to reach a level close to Vask.

    "Kneel." Immediately all of the copies of pier got forced to their knees. However, the fake ones did not disappear, making it difficult for Quinn to know which he should attack. But this dilemma did not stick around for long.

    "Hawk''s eyes. Chaos Sight. Mana Sight. All-Seeing Eyes. Odin''s Sight. Quinn used abination of all the sight enhancing skills he has seen thus far. Through it, even Pier would have great difficulty fooling him. It was a sure checkmate move. That is, if Pier was really there.

    As Quinn looked at all the copies of the god within the area, there was one thing that was certain. All of them were clones. Each had the same mana signature; there was no difference he could detect nor see.

    "Like I told you boy, you can''t defeat me."

    "This is bad, I need to report this to mister Zeke." Quinn already figured things out. He knew where their enemy was hiding. But he found himself trapped in another subspace. It was all ck once again, without any light prating through the area.

    [Teleportation skills are disabled]

    [Event Horizon has been disabled]

    [Voice chat and telekinesis are disabled]

    "Judging by the look on your face, you already know what''s happening."

    "The only thing happening here is me escaping." Quinn said, confident that he could still win.

    "Oh I doubt that boy. You see, this skill is called [Field of Silence]. It is made by focusing all the [Chaos] I dispersed in this continent to a single spot. Namely, this area." Two copies of Pier appeared near Quinn, attacking right away.

    The human was able to dodge by using [Overdrive]. He then raised his guard a bit more as the Pier floating above gave him a devilish grin. He then proceeded with his exnation.

    "The skill deletes all connection you have with the outside world while also preventing you from escaping. There''s a bunch of other surprises in store for you. In fact, let me show you right now."

    Five more copies of Pier came out. Quinn casted [Overdrive] once again but, it didn''t activate. This ced him in a dangerous spot as the des of the five clones all made their way through his flesh. He didn''t let things end here however as he made one full swing; twisting his body and extending the amount of damage done by the clones. Yet he was also able to cut off all their heads.

    "I believe the name of my skill is enough for you to understand why your skill didn''t work the second time around." Pier mentioned, still with a haughty look on his face. But he was right, Quinn did understand.

    The space created by Pier allowed him to use his skill only once. He tested out this theory by activating a power-up skill and trying to reactivate it soon after. The second time did not work which left him in a difficult spot. Quinn proceeded to healing his wounds, optimizing the most useful regenerative spell he could think of while Pier finally came down and took de to his side.

    "Dear me. Look what you did to my precious servant."

    de was already bleeding to death. His vitals were all damaged to the point that, he was not fit for battle anymore. While examining him, Pier made sure that Quinn was properly upied. Sending 20 more clones to fight in his stead.

    Quinn was fully healed at this point. He had no choice but to let go of de because he needed to focus his attention on his own healing and survival.

    "Skillbination. Inner Ring and Darkness Veil."

    There was a single w to Pier''s [Field of Silence]. Although it could cancel out the next activation of any skill, those that have longsting effects wouldst until the end of the fight. A goof example of this were the enhancements used by Quinn.

    The human avoided the clones easily through this. Even with their added stealth and agility, Quinn found no problem taking them down. But Pier also put this into consideration, adding a bit of surprise hidden within each clone.

    "Shift." Piermanded, turning some of the clones into a fury of daggers. With each aiming at Quinn''s vital parts. One by one, the daggers found their way through Quinn''s defenses. He was able to destroy some, but not all of them.

    "I bet that Zeke fellow brought you here thinking you can handle both me and de. But man, look at you. HAHAHA." Pier watched in entertainment as Quinn clung to dear life. Making the most of all his skills while also thinking of a way to counterattack.

    "Here''s a bit of information for you, a parting gift if you will." Pier summoned twenty more clones while he made some of the daggers explode.

    "Your defeat is inevitable." Quinn used a gravitational spell on Pier, killing him in one blow. But another one simply came up to continue his speech.

    "Even if you destroy all of [Chaos]. Even if you somehow miraculously destroy my mortal body. Even if you kill all monsters on the continents, I will still win." More daggers hit Quinn''s body. Two clones were able to grab his wrists tying him down the ground, forcing Quinn to use [Weapon Blink] to escape.

    "I''ll be going now. My dear servant should be able to deal with you at this point."

    Quinn was still recovering when Pier''s aura vanished entirely. The field of darkness was also being taken away but, not in a good way.

    "AHHHHHHH!" de, who was still floating in the sky, began absorbing all of the [Chaos] found in Elysium; taking thebined power of all the [Horned Beasts] summoned by the same energy. In the midst of all this, a notification window came up. One which made Vask switch with Quinn immediately.

    The Monarch immediately healed all his wounds and tried to take down de. But it was toote. Pirs of [Chaos ck mes] covered the elf, preventing Vask from entering.

    "Hey what gives?" Quinn asked.

    "Shut up kid. This is beyond what you can handle." Vask coldlymented, looking at the notification one more time and seeing the same ominous words.

    [The Monarch of War - Pilliade has been resurrected.]

 Chapter 264: Countering the Counter

    Chapter 264: Countering the Counter

    Vask and Pilliade only fought once. It was during the rank selection among the twelve seats of the Chaos Monarchs. Vask was still the twelfth seat at that time because he was newly appointed. But Pilliade was already the fifth seat.

    During this event, any Monarch can challenge another for their position. But it is on a firste first served basis. The one who challenges first gets first dibs and those who wants to try defeating the same opponent need to wait for the next rank selection.

    Normally, hours would pass by with nothing but festivities. But on that day, as soon as the event began, Vask stepped forward. Issuing the challenge to Pilliade. This in itself seemed like an insult to the strength of the fifths seat. Making him even more furious than normal against the monarch that dared belittle him.

    The fightsted for a whole day, with neither of them refusing to back down. The fight almost destroyed the subspace created specifically for the said fights and this just showed how promising both were in terms ofbat capabilities.

    In the end however, Pilliade came out victorious. Although this did note without a price as Vask was able tot permanently ce a scar on his face. One which the [Monarch of War] took pride in as time passed by, deepening his respect of Vask.

    That same mark appeared on the person that emerged from the pir of mes. It wasn''t the same thing that was simr because, both the aura and the appearance greatly resembled that of Pilliade''s.

    "Hey kid, you need to focus on this fight as much as I am if you want to keep all your body parts intact."

    At that moment, all of Vask''s memories of this monarch came flooding back. Just as Pilliade respected him, Vask also had a huge amount of respect for the [Monarch of War]. But this didn''t stop him from doing what was needed.

    The first one to attack was Pilliade. Raining down a thousand fireballs all at once. Each had enough power to take down a [Chaos Dragon] and to burn mes itself.

    "Event Horizon." Vask didn''t waste any time. The activation of the spell allowed him to take control of the trajectory of some of the fireballs, spinning them around and making them hit the others.

    Explosions filled the area like a kind of fireworks'' disy. One that was earth wrecking as cracks opened up on the surface of the ground.

    "PILL! IT''S ME VASK!" As much as possible, the Monarch wanted to avoid conflict. Yet his words only fell on deaf ears as Pilliade simply summoned a [me Basilisk]  screaming as it rapidly turned the earth intova.

    "Erase." Vask destroyed the creature within the blink of an eye; cing a huge gap in the space within its body which pulled the rest of its body parts inside.

    Admittedly, Vask was a lot weaker simply because he was using a mortal frame. But even in his weakened state, he could feel that Pilliade was also far from being capable of releasing all his powers. He concluded this because the same basilisk would''ve scorched a whole city''s worth of radius as soon as it was summoned, yet the creature that came out during that tune was rtively weaker.

    This did not mean that the opponent could be taken lightly. In fact, Pilliade followed up this attack by surrounding both him and Vask in a pir of mes. Something which was cancelled by the [Monarch of Space] right away.

    "I''ve seen all your tricks Pilliade. I''m not allowing you to use that." Vask mentioned, increasing the gravity around his enemy who crashed to the ground.

    Pilliade''s hands glowed at that point, releasing two pirs of mes from the ground up. These worked like serpents as they chased down Vask.

    "Erase." The Monarch made use of the same skill. He wiped out both pirs of mes but, as their fight dragged on, Vask could feel the strain building up on Quinn''s body.

    The fight wasn''t anything near being favorable to him. In fact, all the odds were against him because he needed to continually use his skills. All of which required him to release a huge amount of [Chaos Energy]. Adding to this was the fact that he needed to maintain [Event Horizon] in order to minimize the risks of the fight.

    Pilliade proceeded to creating streaks of fire that speared all around; slowly melting away the space created by Vask. Yet the Monarch countered once again, creating a vortex that sucked it all up in a single spot, firing the same amount of mes back at Pilliade.

    "Is that one of your colleague?" Quinn asked as Pilliade came out with minimal damage.

    "Used to be. But I doubt that''s the real him." Vask watched his opponent bring out two swords which was bad news. Pilliade was much more effective with his swordsmanship than his spell casting.

    "What made you say that?''

    "First of all, only I and the traitor were able to survive the annihtion of Gaia. Not counting Nisha, Sinir, and that monster of time which they''ve been keeping as another god."

    "You mean Chrono?" Fireballs were shot in the speed of light, exploding as soon as they got near Vask. Countering this was a wall of empty space which sucked in the whole attack.

    "Yeah that. Anyway this guy is a fake because he''s not even capable of speech and has none of Pilliade''s traits. The aura and the face is the same but everything else just spells like a cheap imitation." Vask snapped his fingers fifteen times. Creating small ck holes, each of which intended to minimize the area of Pilliade''s movements.

    He then charged up an attack on his sword. Destroying the space between him and his target as he bolted out of sight. He then reappeared a split secondter in front of Pilliade; with his sword aiming to decapitate the [Monarch of War]. Yet this was parried with the two swords of Vask''s enemy, resetting the fight as Pilliade kicked Vask in the gut, sending him back down the ground as three more basilisks were summoned.

    The fight was a close one. Even with his opponent being an imitation, Vask was still unsure of his own victory. This was the exact moment when Zekemunicated with them, or at least with Quinn.

    "Hey there how''s the fight going?"

    "Mister Zeke? How are you able to use the [Voice Chat] right now?"

    "Come on man, there are more urgent matters than your little curiosity. Now, answer please?"

    "We are currently fighting the reincarnation of a Monarch. It seems to have used a simr method to how Vask entered my body."

    "Hmm I see." It was never told to the group, nor to Quinn, but Zeke already anticipated an event like this. With two Monarchs already within Mythos, it would be no surprise if Pier could summon more. Especially with the amount of [Chaos] he umted.

    "That''s good!" There was no mistaking Zeke''s tone. He was both happy and excited about what was happening.

    "Mister Zeke, how is this good exactly?" Quinn asked, watching Vask struggle against his opponent who was, at that point, focusing on sword techniques.

    "Well you see Quinn, that sword I forged for you was made for this very moment."

    "What do you mean?"

    "The sword isn''t only useful as a way to get skills from your opponents. It can also serve as a waypoint for Vask."

    "A waypoint?"

    "Okay. First of all, can you stop asking like a parrot?" Zeke said as he continued his exnation.

    "The current dilemma with your body and Vask''s soul is that, if he tries to get another host, his power would be greatly diminished and his presence would take too long to recover. I have [Analyze] that''s how I know." Zeke said, blocking Quinn''s question even before it could be asked.

    "However if he transfers to a body which is already a host to a Monarch then"

    "He can transfer safely!"

    "Bingo! But there''s actually more to it than that. As it is also a Monarch''s host, he may just be able to fully recover his power. Of course that entails you having to fight his new host while he takes control. But that''s just a small struggle inparison to what we have to gain."

    Quinn was amazed with the things that Zeke just said. It was like the gamer saw all the events even before they could happen.

    "Mister Zeke did you juste up with that now?"

    "Don''t be silly Quinn. I''m not omniscient. All of this is simply within the range of my ns. Now run along, you need to finish the quest I made for you." Zeke said as he closed the [Voice Chat].

    Quinn immediately ryed the information to Vask. The Monarchughed at the idea, not because he thought it was impossible, but because he was greatly impressed by Zeke.

    "I knew it was the right call to make an alliance with him!"

    "So are we gonna do it now?"

    "Is that even a question? Of course well do it!" Vask said, preparing the stage for Quinn.

    Since he was going to transfer hosts, Vask didn''t need to conserve his [Energy] anymore. He tightened the space of [Event Horizon], preventing Pilliade from doing much as he was trapped in an invisible cube. One which had an added thousand-kilometer worth of space all around. Making Pilliade''s movements seem slow and sluggish.

    "It''s all yours kid. You have ten seconds before my skill wears off." Vask said, giving control to Quinn who took out his sword right away.

    [Overdrive] was used to make his skill activation quicker. [Avarice Host] followed giving his sword the needed trait for the process. [Space Disappearance] was the next move activated, cutting out the space between him and Pilliadepletely. Following this was another activation of [Overdrive] which prevented his opponent from blocking as, Quinn''s sword found its way through Pilliade''s chest.

    With all of this being set, Quinn gave the finalmand. Sending Vask to de''s body as he casted:

    "Release."

 Chapter 265: Greetings

    Chapter 265: Greetings

    Zeke was also busy at his end. Although Pier has yet to show up, he was already informed of the god''s possible whereabouts. Namely, right beneath the sea of [Chaos] which they were still fighting.

    "Judging by both Quinn''s and Vask''s abilities, I guess they''d need a whole hour to finish the task."

    Zeke was still watching from the skies. Although he seemed to simply be standing there, everyone knew that he was working the hardest.

    All of the [Minimaps] were opened. All of the visions connected to his allies were also activated. He was carefully watching every monitor through the help of [Gamer''s Mind] making sure that the slightest hint of danger would be traced before it gets worse.

    This was how he was able to reach out to Quinn as soon as it was needed. It was not on some sort of luck or proper timing. It was because Zeke watched the events unfold.

    He didn''t mind that there was one more [Monarch] that added to the count. He didn''t mind that both de and Pier were able somehow live through Quinn''s attack. There was a part of him that liked it because, the [System Quests] were also benefitting from the things that were happening.

    [Information: A hidden reward will be gained as soon as Vask is resurrected.]

    [Information: A hidden reward will be gained as soon as Pilliade is defeated]

    [Information: A hidden reward will be gained if the nts of Order survive until the end.]

    "Yeah that''s not happening." Zekemented to thest part of the notifications.

    The [nts of Order] were already close to being destroyed. It was an inevitable oue after all because, a few nts were nothingpared to a thick and visible sea of [Chaos].

    But that wasn''t any cause for the gamer to worry at all. Zeke achieved something else with the help of these nts. Something which was just as important. Through it, the gamer was able to give his allies time to recover while it also gave Allesiah and Kaguya time to finish their own task.

    "Zeke we''ve found the core." Allesiah said, releasing her [Chaos Sight] immediately as it was begging to strain her eyes too much.

    "Good job you two." Zeke began as the [System] once again gave a reward corresponding to the achievement.

    [Information: 5% has been added to thepletion rate of the Ancient Spell]

    Kaguya assisted Allesiah as the elf needed to close her eyes. It was as painful as the day she forced the skill to its limit. Making her eyelids twitch involuntarily; something which Zeke noticed right away.

    "Kaguya go join the others. As soon as anything happens to our [Shard Hunting] unit, you guys will teleport there to assist." He said, holding on to Kaguya''s hand. Allesiah did not ept this payment for her efforts however; deciding to rest her head on Zeke''s shoulder while hugging him.

    "Ahem." Kaguya was not used to seeing either Allesiah or Zeke in that state.

    "Do you need anything else Kaguya?" Zeke asked as he prepared a healing spell for Allesiah.

    "We can''t just leave can we? I mean, no matter how I look at this, it''s beyond catastrophe or cmity level." Kaguya said referring, of course, to [Chaos].

    There were more monstersing out of their enemy. The tentacles were also being more aggressive with its attacks. Thankfully, the nts were still able to withhold all these attacks in the meantime.

    "Nah it''s fine. I''ve got things covered." Zeke patted Allesiah''s shoulder once, making her back off a little bit as the gamer began healing her using [Phoenix mes].

    "Well if you say so." Kaguya went to the group immediately, rying the instructions given by Zeke.

    "You sure do know how to order people around."

    "Ites with the job description Allie. Now stay still." Zeke said with a smile on his face.

    It was weird but, even in the midst of all that was happening, Zeke was still calm. He knew that this wasrgely due to the [Gamer''s Mind] but, not being able to enjoy the thrill of the moment also had downsides to it.

    "Give me all the details on the core while your eyes regenerate."

    "Can''t we even have some moment here?" Allesiah suggested as she held no to Zeke''s hand.

    "Nope. Now spill it." The elf sighed in irritation but the mission was still more important than what she wanted. Hence she simply sighed as she began talking about the core.

    "Although we''ve confirmed that there is a [Core], it is also something that is continuously moving. That was probably the reason why it was so difficult for both me and Kaguya to spot it at first."

    "Hmmmm... I mean that much should be expected given its form. Something without a definite structure has arge possibility of having a trait like that."

    "But its not going to be that problematic. I''ve already memorized the [Energy] structure of the core as well as the faint traces it leaves when it moves. If we fight it, I''d only need about five minutes to track it down again."

    "Well that''s good to hear at least." Zeke said, finally finishing his healing of Allesiah''s eyes.

    The elf stared at her for some reason. It was a bit ufortable for the gamer. Especially because it seemed like Allesiah was trying to go to the very depths of his soul.

    "Zeke, what do you n on doing after this?" She asked in a serious tone.

    "Whoa, why the sudden change in mood though?" Zeke said, smiling as he gave his answer.

    "I''ll probably sleep all day and rx. There''s not much to do once we''re through after all."

    "Do you really think I''d believe that Zeke?" She said, cornering the gamer who finally gave an honest reply.

    "Look. This whole thing wouldn''t have happened if these gods and monarchs only knew how to do their jobs properly. It''s not only Mythos which I am referring to at this point. I''m talking about all the created worlds and the problems arising from each one."

    "So what? Are you gonna rebel against the gods?"

    "That''s a close answer actually. But I have something else in mind." The gamer said, with his gaze piercing right through Allesiah. As if it was looking at a future which only Zeke knew about.

    Allesiah was supposed to say something more. If she did, then a lot of things may have changed in the future. But time was not on her side. Nor where the hands of fate that weighed the gamer down.

    Below them a surprising feat just urred. All the [nts of Order] suddenly got cut down. By Zeke''s estimate, it should''ve taken at least an hour more before they gotpletely wiped out. But this, was far beyond anything he calcted which, led him to conclude one thing. There was an interference that urred.

    "Everyone, prepare your transportation scrolls." Zeke said as they all watched mes of chaos rise on the withering and burning remains of the nts. Smoke covered the area until, someone rose on top of it; the same god who started it all  Pier.

    "I see that you''ve been keeping my dear [Chaos]pany." His aura was nothing like all those which the elites have felt before. It was sinister and filled with malice; as if the one they were facing was the devil himself.

    Yet Zeke was not fazed at all. He already faced the god once and, this was when he stillcked power. Things have changed drastically from that moment and Zeke showed this through a bombardment of grenades.

    Kaguya followed this up by enhancing the skill. Using up the existing mes from the explosions in order to create a giant cylindrical wall of me. Trapping the said god inside.

    "Heron, Sylph and Morpheus will go to Mithril. Everyone else, focus on aiding the other elites on Mythos."

    Tentacles shot up from the wall of mes and so did various circr projectiles. All of which aimed at the elites and the other Mythos dwellers.

    "Wind Wall!" Allesiah casted; taking care of the projectiles while Zeke dealt with the tentacles. Slicing them all down using swords of his [Conjures].

    "Well?" He suggested, looking at the other team members who finally teleported out of the area.

    "Bravo mister Elwood! It truly is a pleasure to finally meet you like this." Pier destroyed the wall of mes easily. Using the sea of [Chaos] which he hadplete control over.

    "Oh I can''t say the feeling''s mutual buddy." Zeke said,pletely rxed while thinking of thebinations he could use in the fight.

    "Did nobody ever teach you of proper manners boy? Well, I guess that much is to be expected seeing as you even badmouthed the main deities."

    Zeke didn''t exchange words with him anymore. He proceeded to raining down skill shots at Pier and so did Allesiah. The monsters and tentacles retaliated in Pier''s stead but these were countered by Zeke''s [Conjures].

    The monsters immediately increased in numbers but, Zeke was already finished preparing his spell at this point. Fiveyers of runic texted magic circles floated in the sky. All with the same glow of sunrise as Zeke casted:

    "ze of the Fire God!"

    The inferno of mes came down from the heavens. All of the monsters summoned by Pier burned down while [Chaos] itself looked like it was being scorched. Along with this, Zeke also burned himself including all of his [Conjures]. Forcing them into their [Infernal] form while he also activated the [Curse of the Blood King].

    "Come out. I know you''re still alive." He said, waiting for Pier who emerged out of the smoke created.

    "Quite an all-out performance mister Elwood." Pier said, still wearing the same menacing smile on his face. It was meant to faze his foe. Yet the gamer only smiled back at his opponent as he gave his remark.

    "Please. That was just my greeting."

 Chapter 266: The True Master of Deception

    Chapter 266: The True Master of Deception

    With every exchange of blows between Zeke and Pier, huge waves of water rose up from the ocean. The waves were so high that they crashed to the barriers set up by Zeke on the remaining Continents. These were as high as tsunamis, sending tremors to the shores and to the nearby viges.

    Monsters continued rising from the sea of [Chaos]. Ranging from one to six horned creatures. Even the unique six horned ones which Zeke defeated came out of this.

    [Infernal Conjures] greeted these creatures with their relentless attacks. Although Zeke''s summons were fewer in number, their quality was still higher than that of the horned beasts. In fact, the lowest ranked [Infernals] were capable of handling fifty single-horned summons all on their own. Simply because aside from turning into [Infernals] the creatures also had both [Undying Fury] and [Undying Loyalty] active.

    Meanwhile the stronger ones were handled by Zeke''s Knights, Kayle, Samael, and Horizon. This made the fight look like an all-out war. With the sound of des shing and the screams of the summons filing the air. Adding to this were the mes on the [Infernals] and the burn which they let their enemies experience.

    Yet the heart of the battlefield was still the bout between the gamer and the god of deceit. No summon of Zeke dared toe close, knowing that this fight was reserved for their king. However, the same could not be said for Pier who had no hesitations in making his summons interfere.

    "It''s pointless boy, you cannot win against me."

    "Says the god who needs backup."

    More five horned monsters came to interfere in the fight. They shot projectiles towards the gamer which were easily dodged. These were the moments when Pier made his strikes, when the gamer seemed to have disconnected from his chain of movements.

    "Overdrive." Zeke dodged the dagger that was aimed at his throat. Kicking Pier in the face along the way and sending him flying to arge group of summons.

    "Detonate."

    Pier''s fake body immediately blew up with the monsters. A new one emerged right away but, Zeke didn''t let this stay for long. Three magic circles were already positioned on the possible areas where he could respawn and, as soon as he did, Zeke fired away.

    "ze."

    Zeke did not worry about his mana pool anymore. With all the skills he umted and the items he forged for himself, his mana pool regenerated quicker than he could cast. This was the reason why he could repetitively use high level skills.

    His body was also holding out because, it had Gallio''s genes after all. It wasn''t just any regr body. Topping all of this was the [Curse of the Blood King]. Exponentially increasing his body''s regenerative abilities as well as attribute points.

    Zeke created more magic circles. He didn''t think twice before casting the same spell multiple times over. Deleting even the existence of Pier''s summons as the gamer spoke with Allesiah.

    "How''s the core? Have you found it yet?"

    "Don''t rush me. With all of this [Energy] signatures moving around it''d take me some time before I can pinpoint it again."

    The elf was hidden within a [Cloud of Dreams] which Zeke set up. She was floating higher than all of them, preventing herself from being caught up in the attacks. Even if a stray projectilees close to her, Allesiah would simply snap her fingers and that same projectile would vanish.

    "I''m not rushing you; just asking."

    "Zeke just focus on the fight will you? I''ll update you as soon as I find it."

    "Roger that." The gamer said in reply, focusing back on the fight as his spell finally ceased.

    As expected, Pier was still alive. Also, he had no signs of getting damaged or affected which was normal. After all, it was simply a clone of the god which Zeke was fighting at that point.

    Nevertheless, Pier''s moves and attacks were as real as they could get. His words and actions were also just like the original. He was known for continually taunting and provoking his enemy. He would even casually talk to them about seemingly random and trivial things. And this was something which he did at that exact moment.

    "You fight well for a mortal." Piermended.

    "And you fight lousily for a god." Zeke said in reply, showing not the slightest bit of interest with his foe.

    "Well I can''t have that now can I?" Pier began summoning more tentacles from [Chaos]. A hundred of them to be exact. They circled around Pier who was deciding how to use them.

    "How about you y with my little darlings then?" The tentacles spun even faster and only continued increasing in speed.

    This created a hurricane which began sucking in all that were too close. It then began bending in a weird way, creating momentum as it turned into one gigantic tentacle  one which sprang up immediately after.

    The gamer simply sighed as he made a swiftbination of motions. Going into a thrusting stance while summoning a magic circle in front of him. The circle divided into five; getting bigger as it divided itself. And, with the tentacle reaching the point of contact, Zeke disappeared.

    A streak of mes was left by his trail as the tentacle got destroyed. It didn''t even end there as Zeke hit the fake Pier once again. Twisting his halberd a bit as mes bursted out; destroying Pier once again. However, this left Zeke within closer range to [Chaos] which spawned tentacles right away.

    "Overdrive." Zeke had no trouble destroying these even before they could do some damage. The tentacles seemed to be nothing but sheets of paperpared to the sharpness of Zeke''s halberd.

    Pier did not allow things to simply end here. He summoned monsters once again but, Zeke was already prepared for this. There were fiverge magical circle directly on top of him and, he didn''t hesitate to cast:

    "ze of the Fire God!" The gamer escaped from range by [Shadow Stepping] to one of his [Conjures]. Watching idly as the attack wiped out all of the said monsters.

    "BRAVOOOO! MAGNIFICENT!" Pier said, reappearing once again.

    "How do they even pick these gods up?" Zekemented as he thought how a lot of worlds must''ve been poorly made because of gods and goddesses resembling Pier''s traits. Specifically, having a screw lose.

    Zeke and Pier continued fighting and, thissted for a whole hour. As the god was weary that his core would be found, he became even more active in moving it around. Thus prolonging Allesiah''s search time. It was half of Mythos'' ocean which she was trying to find it on after all.

    While this battle dragged on, both Pier and Zeke only had one thing in mind. That is, how their victory was already assured at that point. In fact, the exchange they were performing was nothing but a show at that point as both tried to trick the other.

    Yet things didn''tst longer than this. In fact Pier ceased all of his summons as he began running his mouth again. A dialogue which Zeke would skip because of hos it was non-essential.

    "You''ll simply tire yourself out human. I am not someone you can defeat. I must admit, under normal circumstances you would''ve killed me already. But in this form, no matter how many times you try, everything will simply turn to my favor." He triumphantly jested.

    Meanwhile, Zeke was only staring at his opponent nkly. He also took down his guard because there wasn''t even any reason to be on edged against his opponent. He was not hopeless nor was he irritated. Zeke was simply bored with his enemy who had nothing but words.

    "You know. This is not a taunting battle. You won''t beat me by just spouting nonsense."

    "HAHAHAHAHA! Taunting Battle? What nonsense are you talking about? Don''t you know what I''ve been doing while you casually waste your energy?" Pier couldn''t wait to show everything to Zeke.

    While they were fighting, the god already deployed his most powerful forces to both continents. He also knew that Pilliade was finished killing off Vask and Quinn. As for the remaining allies of the gamer, he made sure that they were properly dealt with and disposed.

    In fact, he even created another Monarch on Mithril. One who killed Sylph, Heron and Morpheus. All of this could be seen by the real Pier who was, in reality, the core of [Chaos]. He yed around with Zeke simply because he needed to get the gamer''s full and undivided attention all while he destroyed every hope he had of winning.

    "I think it''s finally time to show you the kind of tragedy you''ve weed by opposing me." He said in excitement.

    Pier snapped his fingers. Revealing visions of all the continents and what urred on them as he eximed:

    "Come! Let me see the hopelessness in your eyes!"

    There was an excitement in Pier that he held back ever since the fight began. The excitement of seeing his enemy despair at utter defeat. There was nothing more satisfying for Pier than this. Yet things didn''t go as he nned because, Zeke simply smiled at him.

    "Man, to think that it''d work this well. Who knew right?"

    "What do you mean?" Pier looked at the visions behind him and, it was at this point, that everything fell apart.

    "What was it again?" Zeke said as Pier stared in confusion at the him.

    "Ah yesLet''s see the hopelessness in your eyes."

 Chapter 267: The Gamers Advance

    Chapter 267: The Gamer''s Advance

    Pier''s shock was valid. In fact, it was the only valid reaction which the god could have at that moment.

    After all, there was no way he could''ve seen wrong. His real body, the core of chaos, wasfortably watching idly by as all the destruction unfolded on the other continents. That was the reason why there was a visible amount of disbelief on his face.

    Yet there was a valid reason to this. Bing [Chaos] itself, his greatest achievement, was also a fatal w in itself and, this is why.

    Pier never ced into consideration the idea that, his enemy may have a way of summoning any creatures of [Order]. This was simply because, [Order] was even rarer than the traces of [Chaos]. In fact, there were only three worlds where this could be gathered in and, Mythos was not one of them.

    But then, Zeke was able to obtain some through his mission. Not only that but he was able to turn these into [nts of Order]. The nts that could spread its [Energy] while also destroying some of [Chaos] along the way.

    Upon using it, Zeke knew that Pier would not act up. After all, Pier thought thatpared to the built-up [Chaos], some white flowering nts was nothing to worry about. Or so he believed.

    With all of the information that Zeke gathered throughout the fight. He was able to piece together information, all leading to the fact that Pier was undoubtedly the core of [Chaos].

    Upon gaining this knowledge, Zeke dispersed the skill [Cloud of dreams] so thinly that, it could only be dismissed as a regr release of mana into the air. Furthermore, because Heron already released arge amount of this skill and in a visible level, Zeke''s own casting remained unnoticed. Making him look like he was simply looking through monitors through the whole duration of the fight. No more, no less.

    The release of this skill was for the same creatures that Pier did not even take seriously  the [nts of Order].

    This version of the nt created by Zeke were not exact replicas. The gamer deigned them in such a way that, they had the attributes of [Avarice] and Morpheus''s consume. Allowing these to suck in any skill which Zeke and only Zeke would fire.

    With the release of [Cloud of Dreams] the nts immediately registered its source. The nts sucked this skill inside them and added the [Order] attribute so that, when it came out, it would look like nothing more than dispersed [Order Energy].

    This was spread thinly on the whole sea of [Chaos] but this was enough for Zeke to prate.

    [Chaos] and [Order] are like oil and water. They cannot mix together and so, the residues of the modified [Cloud of Dreams] stayed on it. Entering [Chaos] without getting modified. And this was all that was needed in order for Zeke to cast an illusion on the unsuspecting god even before he could see Quinn stabbing Pilliade.

    From that point onwards, Zeke was simply feeding false information to Pier and not once did the god notice. Because of how all powerful his new from felt, Pier disregarded basic defensive measures such as this. Simply because it was the most unlikely thing to happen. Yet it was this same carelessness that led things to the present moment.

    On one vision, Pier could see the elites who finished taking all the [Chaos Shards]. On another, he saw how the other Monarch summoned on Mithril got defeated. But most importantly, on thest window, he saw Vask fully reincarnated.

    "This can''t be happening" It was all ruined. Everything he built up until that point. All the eons of preparation. All his hard work. Everything was crushed by a single mortal.

    "Zeke I found the core." Allesiah said, adding up to the bad things that were happening to Pier.

    "Look, I don''t know what you had in mind when you started all this but" One by one, Zeke''s allies came back to the scene. All perfectly fine. With Vask himself adding to their ranks.

    "this is game over."

    There was an ominous silence that followed. Nobody dared move because, they felt that their life would get taken away if they even breathed too much. Only Zeke and Vask were unaffected by this, raising their guard as Pier bursted intoughter.

    "HAHAHAHA!"

    It was not the sound of triumph, nor was it the sound of overwhelming joy. It was theughter of one who has gone mad. One who has lost hope.

    All of [Chaos] immediately went up, entering Pier''s body. Zeke told everyone to wait until it was finished as there may also be a trap set up for them. All they did was prepare the area of battle in a way that would benefit them.

    Meanwhile Zeke proceeded to crafting the [Empty Chaos Crystals]. This didn''t even take him effort as he simply clicked the number of pieces needed, set the materials into ce and, the forging began on its own.

    "We finally meet in person mortal." Vask said, with his interest focused only on both Pier and Zeke at tat point.

    "Yeah well, I''m not sure what to make of you yet. Let''s just team up for now okay?"

    "Agreed." Vask mentioned as he looked at all the preparations being made.

    Thick solid barriers made by the defenders. Ayer of illusion provided by [Cloud of Dreams] and Merlin''s spells. Detonateyered bugs provided by Horus and Zilg. Long range projectiles waiting to be fired. Vask was nothing but impressed at how well coordinated they were but, was also a bit disappointed by their skill level.

    His attention as well as everyone else''s then shifted to the creature being born. Long wings as big as the capital of Elysium came out. As soon as it pped, it created hurricanes of Chaos which Vask took cared of momentarily.

    Out came its tails next which were three in number, all resembling that of a snake. Its ws came up next, shattering someyers of the barriers immediately and as the creature only grewrger, a few members of the elites could not help but feel a genuine human sensation. That of fear.

    "Do not falter! This is thest mission to save Mythos!" Zeke began, feeling the tension building up on his allies. Aside from Zeke, it was only Vask and Allesiah who were unaffected at that point.

    "No matter how big it is. No matter how strong it may be. No matter how many tricks our opponent uses. We are going to win this fight!"

    It was an unconvincing speech. Nobody responded to him except for Vask who smiled and felt embarrassed on behalf of Zeke. It was unavoidable, especially because Zeke was not good in delivering such. He always worked alone after all and so, he decided to simply demonstrate his point.

    The gamer vanished from sight. Layer afteryer of magic circles then came on top of their enemy. Five. Ten. Twenty in total. The elites gazed at it, forgetting that Pier was even there at the moment as Zeke immediately casted together with the finished transformation of Pier:

    "BLAZE OF THE FIRE GOD!"

    It was a direct hit. With the dragon like form of Pier screaming in agony as its surface slowly burned. The spell, however, was not sessful in ending the opponent who fired beams of [Chaos] from its tails that had snake heads on the tip.

    "I have no room for half hearted warriors in this fight! If you are gonna hesitate and drag me down, then just chicken away and watch in the base. I can do this all on my own!" Zeke charged in together with all of his infernals.

    "My, and here I thought he didn''t; know how to rally his troops." Vaskmented, following Zeke and, soon enough everyone was finally fighting without worry nor fear.

    All the spells prepared by the elites were fired at that point. Allesiah also made sure to cancel out as many spells from Pier as possible because, in their opponent''s form, she only needed to focus on cancelling out the [Chaos] rted skills.

    Pier roared and took notice of her right away. Releasing fifteen magi circle right in front of its mouth and, this was too many for the elf to cancel all out once. Hence Pier inevitably fired [Havoc Chaos mes]; destroying all of the barriers and even burning [Cloud of Dreams] along the way. Even Kaguya needed to dodge as [Oblivion] would not be able to handle it.

    This is when Vask came in, altering the trajectory of the attack which rose to the sky. Coating it in a dark violet color as the spells spread and vanished.

    "Quinn, are all of your allies this weak?"

    "Hey who are you calling weak!" Jakemented, still getting a bored expression from Vask.

    "Well at least that one is lively."

    "I agree." Quinn said.

    More spell circles came out and this time it was from the wings and form the tails. Zeke tried cutting these but, the thing was coated in some sort of magic spell, preventing his halberd''s new property from kicking in.

    "You mortals dare oppose the one true God!" Pier''s voice was deep and monstrous,manding and authoritative even as it unnerved some elites yet again.

    "Singrity!"

    "Erase!"

    "ze!"

    Three spells hit Pier who flinched. The spells bursted as they collided with the [Chaos Monster], making it scream in annoyance. Pier immediately looked at the three who interrupted his speech; Zeke, Vask, and Quinn.

    "YOU DARE!" A cheap shot entered Pier''s mouth, exploding right away and causing smoke toe out of it. Zeke looked with an idle expression yet again, unimpressed even at that point.

    "I have no need for an obsolete God." He said, rousing Pier''s anger even more as the creature fired all its spells at once.

 Chapter 268: An Old Enemys Skill

    Chapter 268: An Old Enemy''s Skill

    Beam attacks. Chaos pirs. Spikes. Every kind of attack was fired by Pier. Monsters of every sort also came out of his body continuously, all firing long ranged attacks as well. It was a full out barrage and although Allesiah was able to greatly reduce their amount, there was still too many to dodge.

    "Erase."

    "Oblivion."

    "Aegis."

    Everyone who had some sort of defensive skill casted on a singr area where they huddled up. This destroyed any chance of them getting damaged as theypletely destroyed and blocked all attacks from the said spot.

    Meanwhile Zeke simply continued moving around, allowing some damage to be umted because his regenerative abilities would heal these off in no time. Little by little, he closed the gap until, he reached the eye of the monster. Stabbing it with his halberd and making the monster scream in pain.

    It iled its tails around and pped its wings which was all the force that was needed to create strong gusts of wind. Yet Zeke did not move from his spot and casted:

    "ze."

    The mes exploded at point nk range; giving Zeke time to move on to the next and eye and perform the same attack. With this, both eyes of the creature were destroyed but, even before Zeke could continue his attack, some scales of the monster turned into [Six  Horned Beasts]. Making Zeke back away as Pier''s eyes regenerated.

    The monsters followed the gamer and more of this came out. But the infernals only intercepted them as Zeke gave out amand to the group who has just finished fending off Pier''s attacks.

    "I have an idea."

    "Mirio, you still have your [Ring] skill, right?"

    "Yes mister Zeke."

    "Good, we''ll be needing that."

    It was only Vask who did not know about the skill at that point. So Quinn did the pleasure of enlightening him on the skill which the gamer sought after.

    "Basically, [Ring] can put three individuals in an area together with a singr opponent. Within this skill, the opponent''s overall attributes and skill effectivity are lowered. Also, the opponent cannot leave the area and if he or she tries, they would immediately be killed by the skill."

    "Dear me, that really is some sort of overpowered skill." Vask said as he understood how it would work.

    "We''ll increase its potency using Lizzie''s enhance. Quinn can also cast the skill so, all in all, we can put all the fighters inside." Zeke added up.

    It finally dawned on Vask. How everything must''ve bene prepared by Zeke up to that point. Knowing Pier, the god would never trust anyone except himself and, this proved to be a fatal w against such a skill. Without anyrades, he was left to fight on his own. Despite his overwhelming strength, by using a skill such as this, there was no doubt about it.

    Pier was going to lose.

    "I''m going to create an opening. Quinn and Mirio, use that to get close enough to cast the skill. Everyone else, prepare your teleportation scrolls for that moment. Just be on standby in the barriers and raise the defenses."

    "Understood."

    Zeke attacked once more, thrusting his halberd at the chest of the beast. However, things didn''t go as nned this time around as a barrier prevented him from creating any sort of damage. The gamer tried two more times on other body parts that would normally be left open but, even these had the same kind of barrier.

    Things didn''t even end there. All the damage which Zeke tried to dish out was returned back to him.

    "YOU THINK I''D ALLOW SUCH DEFIANCE TO GO UNPUNISHED! FEAST YOUR EYES ON MY ULTIMATE DEFENSE!"

    "You never run out of things to say do you?" Zeke simplymented as all the wounds healed immediately.

    "ALL DAMAGE RECEIVED BY MY SHIELD IS RETURNED TO YOU. NOW SHOW ME HOW YOU DESPAIR!"

    Zeke went into stance. Not even minding what was just said and proceeded to asking a question to the healers.

    "Red, Julia, how long is your healing range?"

    "Our range is as wide as the oceans of Mythos mister Zeke." Julia replied.

    "Yeah, plus with the [Party Feature] we don''t even need to see you. We can just click on your name in the [System Windows] and direct all the healing through it."

    "Okay, get ready then. I might tire you out."

    Before the healers could even ask what he meant, Zeke already leapt back to his opponent. His halberd was nowhere to be seen and, the weapon on his hand was a [Conjured] version of his summoned knight''s sword.

    Zeke began shing through the seemingly imprable defensive barrier. The gamer changed weapons with every strike while, the damage return of the barrier also continued working. Pier simplyughed at the seemingly futile effort while the two healers did their best to keep up.

    "I''m increasing my speed. I''m counting on you." Zeke said to the healers as he continued the furious assault.

    Even with Pier being able tond some cheap shots that would send him flying, Zeke would simply [Shadow Dive] to the nearest conjure and resume his attack. This continued on for a couple of minutes and, for some reason, Pier was begging to grow restless.

    "ALL THIS EFFORT IS FUTILE BOY!" Pier roared, thinking that there was no way for the gamer to even chip away his barrier.

    It was the ultimate defensive spell that Chaos had. In fact, even Vask knew of this and how sturdy the said barrier was. It wasn''t imprable of course but, it would take at least thebined power of two Monarchs just topletely break it. Topping this up was the fact that the barrier returned all damage made.

    "Just keep on yapping." Zeke thought as his barrage continued.

    Aside from Zeke''s regenerative skills, he also had all his [Health Potions] in the [Inventory] go on [Auto-Consume]. This meant that, topping it all up with the abilities of the healers who assisted him, Zeke was able to go back to full health with each strike.

    Yet it still looked hopeless. There was no damage to the barrier nor did Vask think that there ever would be. That is why, he decided to finally step up and go against Zeke''smand  only to be stopped by Heron who stood in front of him.

    "Hey, what do you think are you doing?"

    "Master told us to wait here until the opening was made correct? I believe the instructions were clear enough to be understood." Heron said in reply.

    "Are you blind? Can you not see that he has no chance of destroying that thing?" Vask said in irritation.

    "You may not know Master Zeke that well, but I do. We all do. And when he gives an order, it is not out of stupidity nor arrogance. It is on the assurance that things will go ording to his words."

    "Yeah well he''s mortal isn''t he? That means he can make mistakes so, move before my patience runs out."

    Even before Vask could touch Heron, he heard a shattering sound. It was not only him who heard this but everyone else. Including the [Dragon Morpher] who had a smile on his face.

    "Forgive my rudeness but, I believe that it is you who is mistaken." Heron said in reply as both he and Vask witnessed the cracks being made to the barrier.

    "I-IMPOSSIBLE!" Piermented but Zeke didn''t stop. Over and over again he disappeared and repapered. Jumping from one ce to the other and using a different melee ded weapon in order to attack. Scimitar. Axe. Sword. ymore. Broadswords. Daggers. ive. Hatchet.

    Zeke continued thebination and only after getting his barrier damaged over and over again dd Pier understand the full situation. Zeke was not attacking without purpose, from the very beginning of thebination, he already activated Gallio''s [Hundred Fangs]. A move which only got stronger with every strike made.

    "YOU DARE SHAME ME!"

    The next position where Zeke came up on was met by a hundred magic circles all aimed at him. Allesiah tried cancelling these out but was only sessful in taking out forty. More were covered for by Vask and Kaguya. Leaving a sizeable amount that were not enough to kill off the gamer.

    "IMPUDENT MORTALS!"

    Zeke hopped in the air using invisible footings through the skill [air hop]. He then spun his body so quickly that he looked like a top that was whipped out of its rope. All of this wasbined with the halberd that finally fell from the sky. And, with one final strike, Zekepletely shattered Pier''s barrier.

    "Blood Counter!" All the damage which Zeke umted through thebination was returned to Pier.

    The attack didn''t end here as Zeke created twenty magic circles once again. All on top of the creatures.

    "Synthesized spell! zing Fury!" Zeke threw his weapon down the magic circles and it caught fire as its size increased. The attack coon connected to Pier''s body, with the weapon stabbing right through his flesh as waves of mes soon followed.

    This made him scream even more as, he was in a partially immobilized state. The perfect condition for the next phase of Zeke''smand.

    "Now!" Quinn and Mirio teleported down the creature and, without a moment of pause, both of them casted:

    "Ring!"

    Pier recovered quickly from the attack. With mes of [Chaos] burning through all the wounds and healing him. But, when reality was finally crystal clear to him, Zeke and all the fighters of his team were finally there.

    "Let''s finish this. I don''t want to endure your babblings any longer."

 Chapter 269: An Unexpected Turn

    Chapter 269: An Unexpected Turn

    "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?" Even without being told of the effects, Pier could clearly feel that there was a difference made to his power.

    "Here let me show you." Zeke said, creating [System Windows] for Pier.

    [Alert: You have been ced in the effects of Ring.]

    [Alert: All attribute points are reduced by 30%]

    [Alert: All skill effectivity is reduced by 30%]

    [Alert: Leaving the Ring will result in your automatic death.]

    [Alert: The skill has been enabled twice. All effects are doubled.]

    "Basically you''ve been lured into a trap because you''ve overestimated both yourself and your skills." Zeke furthered, rousing up Pier even more.

    "HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO A GOD!" He said firing another round of [Chaos mes] but, this time around, Morpheus stepped in - countering with the same attack with the same amount of force.

    "IMPOSSIBLE!" Pier fired another set of spells.

    "Dude can you just shut your trap?" Zeke said, countering them simply by swinging his halberd.

    "Oh and I forgot to mention but, the same amount decreased on you is increased on us. Now stay still and let us kill you."

    Zeke expected him to scream again. After all, the situation was hopeless and the gamer has yet to show any respect nor acknowledgement to his enemy. All throughout the fight, Zeke acted like he was superior to Pier.

    Yet instead, what Zeke heard was a low and mild tone. Something which was even a bit unsettling because of how calm it was.

    "ONE."

    "What''s that?" Zeke asked but, Pier simply continued counting.

    "TWO."

    "Hey does he have some kind of bomb or something? Why is he counting down?" Jake frantically asked.

    "Pipe down will you. Even if he explodes, I can cover for you guys so just stay calm." Vask said, waiting for Zeke''s orders.

    "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DISRESPECTED AND HUMILIATED ME HUMAN?"

    "I don''t know. It''s not like the numbers are relevant." Zeke said in a t tone.

    "THE NUMBERS DO NOT MATTER?" Pier''s voice was beginning to rise again, calming Zeke down because he was then sure that there was no meaning behind his enemy''s tone of voice.

    "I mean, who''d keep the tally if you''re dead right? I certainly won''t and, since you went and acted on your own, I don''t think the other gods would acknowledge you again."

    Huge waves of [Chaos Energy] came out of Pier who was evolving even further. Everyone thought that it was already his final form but, the creature was still increasing in power at that point.

    "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR INSOLENCE BOY! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS WITH YOUR LIFE!"

    These were empty words as Zeke punched the creature in the cheek. Tilting it to the side from the force of the attack. The gamer then sliced off a portion of Pier''s wings. Making the creature scream in agonizing pain as his [Chaos] began recovering it.

    "Just shut up and go to hell." Zeke said, with all other attacks following up.

    Fireballs were casted by Zane and Merlin; exploding on impact right away. There was enough damage made to push through his sturdy scales. Water cannons came next, followed by lightning that struck from the skies.

    "Give this to everyone, as soon as he releases some [Chaos] capture it." Zeke said throwing all of thepleted [Empty Chaos Crystals] to his allies.

    "Do you mean those smoke-like things thate off his healing wounds?" Jake asked.

    "Yup exactly that." Was Allesiah''s short reply as the group finally resumed their assault.

    .

    There was nothing that Pier could do at that point. Zeke and his allies were just too powerful and, theirbined forces together with the effects of [Ring] only made things worse. All of Pier''s moves in that state were too wide in range and all of his minions couldn''t even enter the area to help him.

    Every blow thatnded on his body, every strike of the projectiles, every spell that made contact  all of these caused damage to Pier. The smoke continued rising from his body and everyone did as instructed; getting their [Crystals] filled with the [Chaos Energy] being released.

    With thirty minutes passing by, the group was able to take out a considerable amount of [Chaos] from Pier, in fact it was already at fifty percent while Pier himself decreased in his overall size. Signifying that the attacks were doing their work and so were the [Crystals] that have been filled.

    "ENOUGH! ENOUGH!" Pier shouted, not even realizing the kind of situation he was in; simply barking out orders.

    Nobody listened to him of course. He was not in the position tomand nor was anyone willing to listen to his pleas. Everyone had the onemon goal of destroying him and ending things once and for all.

    Oblivion sucked up his wings. Vask erased some of his body parts. A rain of arrows and spears fell upon him. sts of mana were produced. Explosions of a grand size also added to the mix. Punches, stabs, and other forms of strikes were also dished out.

    There was no room fort the god to counter. He was simply the poor creature on the receiving end. Even as he tried casting spells, Allesiah simply negated them all.

    [40% Remaining]

    [38% Remaining]

    [27% Remaining]

    The percentage of [Chaos] remaining was shown on Zeke''s [Window]. And while they pressed on, Pier finally decided to cast his ultimate defensive skill again. The same barrier coated his whole body while he added anotheryer of defensive skills on his wings which he used to wrap his body.

    "Keep on going! Heal after you strike!" Zekemanded with everyone screaming in agreement.

    Little did they know that their opponent actually had onest card up his sleeve. One which he was reluctant to use but had no other choice at that moment. That is, awakening the Monarch sleeping within him.

    A burst of mana came out from Pier, as if refreshing his [Chaos Energy] entirely. Zeke and the others continued fighting even in such a dangerous looking angle. But the waves of [Chaos] which also did some damage finally forced them to back away for a few seconds.

    "This mortal frame and all its chaos, shall be offered to your reawakening!" The waves continueding out and Vask could not help but be on edge for some reason. It was slow and steady but, as these waves continued pouring out, it finally resembled something. A heartbeat.

    "NO! STOP!" Everything clicked on Vask''s head at that moment. Pier was not simply putting up hisst defense; he was taking out his trump card.

    "WE NEED TO KILL HIM NOW!" Vask yelled and, seeing the monarch in such a frantic state only made Zeke resume with the attacks.

    Everyone prepared their strongest spells. It didn''t even take them ten seconds toplete these and, at Zeke''smand, they all fired at the same time. The barrier made by Pier shattered and so did his wings but, this was all that they saw before everything simply turned into a gigantic orb of darkness floating in midair.

    It was thebination of all the skills they fired. An object which would''ve probably given them lethal damage if not for the two [Rings] finally deactivating. Entailing that their enemy was killed while they focused on backing away.

    The skill was only growingrger andrger. Even swallowing up the waters from the ocean that began spiraling up to it and, all the clouds in the sky that it sucked down.

    "What happened?" Zeke immediately asked to the Monarch who still looked very much afraid.

    "He was just about toe out."

    "Who?"

    "The strongest of us all. The Grand Monarch and First Seat, Vardus Nevermore. He was the one who plotted the destruction of Gaia and seeded in doing such. He is also the same reason for the existence of the creature whose curse and weapon you are donning."

    "What power does he have then?"

    "He is the lord of time. Even I can only do so much when faced against someone of his caliber."

    Zeke had limited information on Gaia. All he had was the data given through the [Integrated Memory Piece]. He didn''t know of this Monarch and only knew of his abilities at that moment. But seeing Vask in that state was all that the gamer needed in order to understand.

    Yet. The heavens seemed to be against them at that moment as the smile on Zeke''s face faded. While everyone was already cheering in triumph, there was something that he noticed.

    "Well, it looks like we haven''t avoided him yet."

    "What do you mean? Thatst attack should''ve killed  " Vask turned his gaze to where Zeke was looking and, soon enough, even he was back on edge.

    A strange thing happened which made them continue raising their guard. The orb which was formed because of the unstable mixture of their skills was still floating in ce. It had no signs of shrinking nor diminishing in power. In fact, it was only growing stronger with each passing second.

    Then, a subtle sound came out of it; increasing in volume with each passing second. It was the same heartbeat. Thumping loudly and ominously.

    [Alert: The strongest Monarch is being revived.]

    [Alert: The otherbatants are not strong enough to face him.]

    [Alert: Death cannot be avoided at this point.]

    "All of you attack!"

    Zeke''smand was met by another barrage of spells that aimed at taking down the sphere. Unfortunately, a barrier kept them from hitting it. Chaos was then released by the sphere as a thick mist and, only misfortune came after.

    Everyone moved as quickly as they could. All their senses were razor sharp. Yet they were all experiencing a hair-raising amount of tension and then, their hearts thumped in a strange way.

    "What" Just like everyone else, Amare looked at her chest because, she felt something cold on it. And, in terrorizing shock her mind finally caught up to reality.

    The elites. The dwellers of Mythos. Vask the Monarch. Even the gamer Zeke Elwood.

    All of them were stabbed through the heart.

 Chapter 270: Enter the Monarch of Time

    Chapter 270: Enter the Monarch of Time

    There was at least two minute''s worth of time before Zeke could lose consciousness. His health pool was rapidly dropping as well as every other member of the team.

    [80%]

    [78%]

    [75%]

    Instead of staring at it and wasting his time, he decided to observe the new enemy in front of them. As expected, [Analysis] only showed [???] on the enemy''s stats. But Zeke knew he could still gain some information simply by looking at his enemy''s overall features.

    A young man with a ck slip - back hair. He was well built but not too muscr. On his head were two horns that resembled that of a dragon''s while on his back were wings and a tail whichpleted the said look.

    His eyes were dark purple,zily gazing at Zeke and his allies like they were not even worth his time. Gripped to both his hands were swords resembling the hour and minute arm on a clock. As soon as their enemy moved this, Zeke felt another stab at his heart. Making him cough more blood.

    It was only Vask who quickly responded to the situation. Trapping their opponent in the middle of two ck holes. Vardus simply looked at these with the samezy expression as he made a cross shape with his swords.

    "What the hell?" Zeke said as an anomaly urred.

    Both ck holes suddenly disappeared and Vask was back to his attempt at casting it. Vardus didn''t allow it this time around, stabbing Vask two more times and sinking him down the ocean floor. However, this was not the only thing that happened.

    Vardus coughed out blood which he sighed at. Making the gamer understand that, under normal circumstances, this was not supposed to happen.

    [Information: Due to the effects of "Gamer''s Mind" you retain memories of events that have already passed even if you go back in time.]

    There was another [Notification] but Zeke muted it for a while. He was observing the fight that was far from finished as, even Vardus was pulled down the ocean as well. Vask then came up, with all of the des already removed. His chest had mes on it and his health was rapidly being restored.

    All of this happened within the span of ten seconds. With both Monarchs delivering rapid blows against each other.

    Vardus didn''t even stay in the ocean for long. Without both Zeke and Vask noticing it, the monarch was back up again. Kicking his opponent in the gut and sending him flying to Horizon.

    Of course there were others that tried to act on impulse. But Zeke was toote to even tell them to stop as the enemy cut off their hands. Again, there was no way to react to the blow as nobody even saw iting. It was not a matter of speed because, time itself was not slowed down. It was stopped.

    Yet the enemy was too rxed for his own good. The gamer didn''t miss this opportunity to use Samael who was nearby - Actiavting [Grand Chariot] and capturing their enemy within a subspace.

    "Not yet." Zeke removed the weapon that stabbed through his heart and healed himself immediately using [Phoenix mes].

    No matte how strong their opponent was, [Grand Chariot] could not be disabled as long as Samael had mana to spare. Zeke could not give him any more than what he already has as, the subspace separates the dimension. But it was all the time Zeke needed to perform what was needed.

    "Wide area cast - Phoenix mes."

    Unlike all other skills owned by Zeke, [Phoenix mes] actually consumed more mana simply because the healing was the fastest there was and, would even recover stamina as well as take off all negative effects.

    "Don''t." Zeke said as Vask was just itching to fight back.

    "The hell are you on about? He''s going to escape that prison you made soon."

    "He isn''t. Grand Chariot works like a separate realm. I don''t know how that Monarch''s powers work but, I''m sure that there are certain restrictions to how he can activate his skills. Specifically, he could probably only apply it on whatever realm he is in.

    This was all the exnation which Vask needed in order to finally calm down. It was also a good thing that he did because, the Monarch was starting to affect the other members of the team. The gamer then proceeded to ask because, just like Vask, he didn''t want to waste time.

    "So how do we defeat him exactly?"

    "Normally he would have no openings because of the nature of his power. But, since he is mortal at the moment, there would be certain limitations to his power. The only problem is that I don''t know what those are."

    "I see." Vask thought that the gamer''s reaction was normal. After all, from the beginning of that fight they were already at a disadvantage. That is why he was taken aback by what Zeke said next.

    "That actually makes things easier."

    "What?"

    "If we don''t know his limits, then we should keep on attacking and measure those out ourselves."

    "How on earth do we do that exactly? We may have a chance at determining the intervals when he stops time but, when he rewinds it is another matter altogether."

    "I agree plus, what if he decides to go for our heads this time around? I''m pretty sure we can''t heal through something like that." Quinn furthered.

    "It''s not that we''re against the idea Zeke. Just that, fighting him under these circumstances seem foolish." The Monarch furthered.

    "Do you have any solution to offer then?" Zeke asked and, unfortunately the Monarch wasn''t able to say anything.

    "Whatever happens we need to take him down now. If we escape and leave him be, then he might be able to strengthen himself up and, honestly speaking, things are already difficult as it is. Running won''t give us victory, it''ll just provide a slower defeat for us."

    "I agree with Zeke." Allesiah finally came up and said it. Everyone was frightened about an opponent who could stab their chests as easily as he blinks but, all the gamer said made sense.

    It wasn''t that Vask and Quinn were wrong in what they said. It was just that, between the options presented, Zeke''s was the better bet. After all, there was truly no other option than what the gamer presented.

    "If that would be all, I suggest we begin preparing. There isn''t much time before [Grand Chariot] shatters." As soon as Zeke said this, the skill got destroyedpletely.

    Instinctively, Jake initiated the assault; raining down spears on their enemy. Merlin and Zane then fired hydro and electro charged mana orbs in order to create a stronger damage. Through all of this, Vardus decided to dodge instead of activating any of his skills.

    The next set of attack came from the meleebatants. But before they could evene close to Vardus, their enemy vanished into thin air. Without even a second passing by, all their arms were taken off. Making them scream in agonizing pain as Vardus reappeared next to the mages.

    He then stabbed them quick and threw away their staffs in the ocean. Nobody could shoot at this point because Vardus was holding on to both Merlin and Zane. He then performed the same trick, disappearing and reappearing. This time right in front of Gawain who already had the swords piercing his chest as the monarch made one sideward swing. Slicing through the left side of the archer''s chest.

    Zeke immediately gathered all the wounded through his [Conjures]. They were brought back to him for healing while Vask and those remaining tried to fight. Again, Vardus was not able to do anything against this.

    Slowly but surely, Zeke was piecing together the data. The fight itself was a torture for all his allies of course. They were fighting with the knowledge that they would lose and that, they would be subjected to an immense amount of pain. But it was all that they could do for the gamer to finish gathering every piece of information.

    "Event Horizon."

    Vask activated the only skill that was sure to work against their opponent. If there was one thing which Vardus couldn''t do, it was to dodge all of the distortions on space made by Vask without turning back time itself. Something which Vask knew to be impossible at the moment because if he did, then all the damage he caused to the enemies will also be reverted. Adding to this was the fact that, with his unleashed form, Vask was able to maintain the same invisible armor around his body.

    "That''s some good decision making." Zeke thought to himself as he finished healing the elites who all felt weird that their body parts coulde back just like that.

    "Be careful this time." Zeke told them as they went back to fight.

    Vask and Vardus were already fighting at this point. It wasn''t much of a fight as Vask could mover with ease while Vardus was doing his best just to keep up.

    Their enemy then casted another [Emperor''s Time]. The same skill that allowed him to stop time momentarily. However, he never reached Vask as he took too much of its duration navigating through the distortions in space.

    When time came back to normal, Vardus was simply on a different area. And although this did surprise Vask a bit, he nevertheless was able to pivot his body towards his opponent. Just before the moment of impact between the two, Vardus casted [Emperor''s Time] again; with the body of his enemy floating near him and waiting to get sliced in half.

    However, as his de went for the head of Vask, he was hindered by the space distortion created around Vask''s body. No matter how strong his swing was, it couldn''t reach through Vask''s armor and as time went back to normal, Vask was the first one to deliver the blow. Stabbing right through the side of Vardus.

    "You''re a lot weaker than I remember my lord." Vask said, waiting for the Grand Monarch to say anything. But instead of Vardus responding, it was Zeke whomented through the [Voice Chat].

    "Look at you. And to think that you were hesitating earlier." Zekemented, seeing how well his temporary ally was performing.

    "Oh shut up and continue gathering data." Vask replied as he and Vardus shed once again.

 Chapter 271: Try To Keep Up

    Chapter 271: Try To Keep Up

    There was a reason why Vask was the one who survived. It was a decision made by the remaining Monarchs; devoting all of their [Chaos Energy] to saving him. In fact there was a choice between him and another Monarch but then, Pilliade entered into the argument.

    "This is not even a question. Among us, Vask is the youngest, most talented and, the only one with a kind of power that could continually develop and be enhanced."

    "So you''re saying we should rely on the kid for such an important mission?"

    "I believe our fight is enough of a statement to prove his worth correct?"

    Even as the world of Gaia was ending, Vask was still the twelfth seat among the Monarchs. But this was only because he had no time to climb up the ranks anymore.

    Following the year when he failed to take up the spot of Pilliade, Vardus'' ns were finally set into motion. Bringing forth the cmity that is the [Blood King] and starting the war which began shaking the very foundations of Gaia.

    Yet even with the limited exposure of the Monarch, everyone witnessed how disciplined he was. How orderly his servants and citizens were. How the Monarch continued aplishing feats beyond any other Monarch. But the strongest reason as to why he was sent was because, Vask was the natural counter to their Grand Monarch.

    Despite Vardus being able to control time, Vask hadplete rule on space and could change it ording to his will. Even if Vardus speeds up time, slows it down., pauses it. None of this would matter if Vardus can''t even hit him.

    "We''re counting on you kid."

    "As soon as you see him again, stab his side for me okay? Make it as deep as the one he ced on Be."

    "Good Luck Vask."

    These were some of thest words retained in his memory as everything was consumed by Darkness. And throughout the eons, it was this sole mission that kept him sane. Even in the vast emptiness where he was contained, Vask never lost track of his goal nor did he stop preparing.

    That is why there was a sense of relief on Vask as he finally stabbed Vardus. He was able to grant one of the favors asked by his fellow Monarch. But things were far from over.

    "Don''t kick the bucket too soon. I need to repay you for all that you did to Gaia." Vask alone was enough to match the speed and phasing of Vardus. The two of them continued battling it out with all the other members of the team adjusting in order to support Vask.

    Every attack made by Vardus was met by either him slowing down or speeding up. Depending on the amount of space added or removed from specific spots, sometimes his hands would move too quickly while his legs would be dyed. Causing them to stretch beyond normal limits and break some of his bones while tearing off some of his muscles.

    Then there were the attacks made by the elites and the Mythos dwellers. because Vask could control the space within [Event Horizon] entirely, it was easy for him to change the trajectory of these things. To speed them up and to slow them down. All to increase the chances of these to make contact with Vardus.

    For the first time since Vardus came out, it finally looked like they had a chance to win. A glimmer created by Vask who was unrelenting.

    "Now that is a proper expression old man. I thought you would never take me seriously." Vask said, feeling the change of Vardus'' aura into something fiercer.

    [Emperor''s Time] was used once again. And this time, it was to summon something which Vask was quite familiar with. As soon as time resumed, Vask saw twenty orbs with gear like objects within them, floating around Vardus.

    "Back away guys! That thing is bad news!" Vardus forced the orbs toe out of [Event Horizon] and, while some of them just vanished, the next ones were able toe through.

    "Why? What would happen?" Kaguya asked, trying to swallow them within her [Oblivion]. The attack failed however as even before Kaguya halted the spell, [Oblivion] already vanished. Leaving the orbspletely fine.

    "Those things are called [Time Eaters]. As soon as they make contact with any object or spell, they would speed up its time until the point of decay. Absorbing the said amount for themselves."

    "You mean these things will kill us?" Eerie asked, shooting them down with her arrows. The attack proved to be a futile attempt as the orbs were still in one piece and still going after her.

    "Exactly that." Were the only words uttered by Vask as he tried to make Vardus lose focus on the spell. However, he was toote as more of these came out. With some leaving the area while others went to follow Vask.

    "How do we deal with these?"

    "Don''t feed it anything. Whatever the [Time Eaters] consume, it''ll just be redirected back to Vardus as energy which he could make use of."

    "That''s easier said than done." Quinn mentioned as he continued moving through the air in such a high speed just to get away from the orb. Another one came right in front of him, forcing him to fly up as the [Time Eaters] collided.

    There was one thing that was inevitable with the said skill. That is, a member of the group eventually getting hit. It was impossible for this to not happen and so, Vask did his best to try and force its cancetion by attacking Vardus.

    However the Monarch himself was surrounded by ten [Time Eaters] as his guards. This madeing close that much harder as Vardus could also stop time.

    Vask tried altering space over and over again in order to confuse his enemy. But the [Time Eaters] seemed to have minds of their own. Following Vask wherever he went. That is, until he finally found an opening. It appeared in a split second and, this was all the invitation Vask needed in order to close in.

    "Erase." Vask destroyed the space between him and the Grand Monarch, making it look like he blinked as he finally came within striking range. As he did however, he felt cold sweat run through his forehead as, his mind caught up with reality.

    It was a trap.

    [Emperor''s Time] was activated once again. Within this interval, Vardus destroyed Vask''s invisible armor through his [Time Eaters]. And these same creatures proceeded to eating away the Monarch himself. Yet there was not enough time for the execution. Forcing Vardus to back away as time moved again.

    To him, there was aplex amount of detail covering what happened to Vask. But to everyone else and, to Vask himself, all that he saw was his arm disappearing in the blink of an eye. The Monarch screamed from the pain and, this caught the attention of both Julia and Mordred.

    It was all the distraction needed for two [Time Eaters] toe close to them. Hitting them both at bullet speed and, in less than fifteen seconds, their body dried up and turned to bones. Soon enough there were only ashes that were blown by the wind.

    It was too much to take in all at once. So much so that the reaction of some elites could not be avoided.

    "NOOOO!" Jake screamed in a state of fury and went to attacking Vardus. Vask couldn''t stop him as there were still [Time Eaters] trying to catch him.

    "Bring them back!" Jake shouted, throwing his spear at Vardus.

    The Grand Monarch disregarded the weapon and focused on absorbing Jake through a [Time Eater]. However, Jake was no fool. He used [Overdrive] and weapon blinked. Swapping ces with his spear and creating a new one on his hand instantly.

    As Jake was too close forfort, Vardus was forced to turn back time. Back to the instance when Jake was just about to throw his spear. The Monarch didn''t miss this opportunity, performing the same moves until the point when Jake was in front of him. With two [Time Eaters] immediately hitting the Javelin user.

    "Overdrive!" Before he could even meet the same fate as Mordred and Julia, Jake was able to back away. Yet his resolve was still intact. Taunting the enemy just as quickly as his retreat.

    "I''m going to kill you!"

    Once again, it was a hopeless situation. It was like every time they got a bit of leverage, Vardus would just destroy itpletely with one of his attacks. But Zeke wasn''t just about to give up.

    "Vask are there any other moves which he has aside from this?"

    "Yeah. He has something called [Transcendent Time] forcing his body to go beyond its limits. Basically it destroys his physical form in order to give way to him turning back to a Monarch and, at full capacity."

    "How strong were you guys again back then?" Zeke asked just to make a proper estimate

    "Each of us were as strong as the three main deitiesbined."

    Zeke''s mind was thinking far ahead. Not only on the fight before them but the fights that would ur and the conflicts that would follow.

    He knew all of many possibilities that woulde after and, he needed to make use of all his skills while putting these into consideration. Failing just a bit in the equation would result in all of tier deaths. And he wasn''t just about to let something like that happen.

    "Okay I''ve got all the data I need." It was a lie.

    "Yes! So we can win now right?"

    "Yeah. We can beat him." Another lie.

    From that point onward. With the gamer entering the battlefield. The things which he said would always be a mixture of lies and truths. All for the sake of finishing the quests without any of the elites and Mythos dwellers dying. Including, of course, Mordred and Julia whom he knew how to revive.

    "I''m gonna need the best out of you guys." Zeke created [Thirty] magic circles on top of Vardus and, covering a wide area. And just before he struck, the gamermanded:

    "Try to keep up."

 Chapter 272: Time and Time Again

    Chapter 272: Time and Time Again

    The gamer didn''t waste any time. He ced the maximum amount which he could release on his next skill. Even Vardus flinched after feeling the sheer power behind it as Zeke casted:

    "ze of the Fire God!"

    The mes were so great that even Zeke''s allies got burned to death. Most of them did in fact. However, this was not without reason. After all, the gamer knew exactly what his opponent would cast after this.

    [Time Reverse]

    Everything went back to the moment before Zeke casted the skill. Vardus made haste and activated [Emperor''s Time]. Making sure that Zeke was heavily damaged before time resumed. However, due to the [Blood King''s Curse] Zeke could not be affected by the same withering effect made by the [Time Eaters].

    The gamer ced a gamble on this. That, the curse would also work against the [Time Eaters]. And as time resumed, he was d that his hypothesis proved to be true.

    "Here catch!" Zeke threw the Blood King''s halberd at Vardus.

    It was quick and sudden. And this was to be expected because, through [Gamer''s Mind], Zeke was able to perceive all the events that were rewinded. He remembered them all and had no trouble discerning what was real.

    Yet Vardus was not aware of all this. For all he knew, the enemy was simply quick to act and thus, he made the [Time Eaters] block the halberd. This failed yet again as the blood king''s weapon destroyed all the orbs.

    The Grand Monarch was able to dodge this at thest second. Pivoting his body to the side as the halberd caught nothing but air. Or so he thought.

    "Weapon Blink." Zeke reappeared to the position of a nearby [Conjure]. The gamer then grabbed on to the halberd that came at his direction.

    Just as Vardus looked at his direction, Zeke used the same skill again. Swapping ces with an arrow fired by one of his [Conjures]. An arrow which flew directly on top of Vardus. Zeke used [Overdrive] and, before the Grand Monarch could even realize the trouble he was in, the gamer has alreadye down on him. Tearing off one of his arms in the process.

    "You won''t be using this anymore." Zeke held on to the arm as he wore a triumphant grin on his face.

    Vardus stopped time yet again. He decided to just tear away the heart of his enemy who has finally roused his anger. And he did. His swords stabbed through Zeke''s chest and because he wanted to see the shocked reaction of his enemy, he made time move in that position.

    Zeke coughed blood and even twitched a little bit. Yet the reaction was far from what Vardus imagined because, Zeke still had the same smile on his face. Before Vardus could even understand why, both he and the gamer were bombarded with skills. Finishing off with the same [ze of the Fired God] on maximum output.

    "HAHAHAHAHA!" Zekeughed like a maniac as he burned together with the Grand Monarch.

    Vardus couldn''t get out of range because, Zeke was holding on to his arm. The grip was so strong that it even crushed his bones in the process. More skills were on standby, waiting for the moment when [ze of the Fire God] stopped. And because of all the danger presented in the situation, Vardus had no choice but to reverse the flow of time even greater. Back to the moment when he released the [Time Eaters].

    "Back away guys! That thing is bad news!" Time began moving properly again at that point  when Vask was giving warnings to everyone.

    "Why? What would happen?"

    Zeke didn''t wait for the replies toe nor did Vardus. The two of them battled right there and then, leaving everyone else confused about the sudden turn of events.

    "Do not group together. It''ll just give the [Time Eater''s] more opportunity to take you down." The gamer instructed as he casted [ze of the Fire God] once again. Vardus body was already staring to copse at that point and Zeke could also feel the dwindling amount of [Chaos Energy] within his opponent.

    "Looks like some effects to linger on you even if you turn back time." Zeke mentioned and, this was the first moment where Vardus looked shocked.

    The Grand Monarch was forced to focus his [Time Eaters] on the said spell but, Zeke wasn''t about to allow his attack to be halted by this. The gamer began moving around the battlefield as more [Time Eaters] followed him. So much so that the elites were given less trouble dealing with them as Zeke had a monopoly on the said orbs.

    "How can you move that quickly?" Vask asked; without even knowing that he already provided Zeke with a ton of data about Vardus.

    "Can we leave the petty stuff forter?" Zeke said as [Shadow Dived] over and over again. Confusing the [Time Eaters] which automatically followed his trail.

    Zeke was intentionally making himself look weak and slow. This would inevitably make the opponent lower his guard and, once Vardus does this, Zeke will have the opening he needed.

    Yet this did not erase the fact that the [Time Eaters] were annoying. He could just easily destroy them with his halberd but, this would just hint his opponent that he could retain memories from rewinded futures.

    "Let''s see. We need that opening."

    Zeke was waiting for Vardus to activate [Emperor''s Time] again. It was the only thing hindering his ns from moving forward at that point. However, Vardus was still a bit cautious of him and, if this was so, then there was no way for him toe close as time would simply be stopped before his attack reaches Vardus.

    "Any of you guys free?" Zeke activated the [Voice Chat], using only the [Thought Channel] which allowed all of his thoughts to be heard by the group.

    "What do you mean mister Zeke?" Quinn asked, dodging a [Time Eater] merely by moving around in a repetitive pattern.

    "Well you see, I need him to use one of his skills. And that requires that he''s put under pressure."

    "So we need to attack him is that it?" Jake said, also doing his best to keep on avoiding the orb that seemed to always be on his trail.

    "Yes that is exactly what I mean! Barrage him with your skills but keep a safe distance. Remember, those orbs aren''t supposed to hit you no matter what." Everyone gave their approval to themand; changing the mood of the battle entirely.

    The attacks of the elites came down like a vicious storm on Vardus. Just like what the gamer thought, he was already at his limit and it won''t take long before everything was squeezed out of him.

    Instead of activating [Emperor''s Time], Vardus simply continued dodging. It was aplete mistake to do so because, most of the skills thrown by Zeke''s team made contact with the body of their enemy. Even with the reinforced defenses, Vardus was still heavily damage and was still umting so in that point.

    Zeke on the other hand, watched carefully. He didn''t make it obvious but even with his continuous dodging, his vision was still locked on Vask. And as soon as the Grand Monarch began the motion path needed for the skill, Zeke activated [Overdrive].

    There were a few things which the gamer could do at that point. One of them was to create enough distractions in order to be hidden from the opponent, just enough for the skill to finish.

    With [Gamer''s Mind], theputations came quickly. Giving Zeke a rough estimate on the best route. Hence he [Shadow Dived] onest time; within the same interval of [Emperor''s Time] being activated.

    Vardus was uninterested in the other fighters. He could easily deal with themter on. The only worry he had was against Zeke. The gamer who could react no matter how crazy the events could be after [Emperor''s Time] or [Reverse Time] activated.

    However, as Vardus looked around, Zeke was nowhere to be seen. The gamer was not on his previous location, nor could Vardus even see him anywhere. Time was rapidly draining from his skill but, not even Zeke''s shadow could be found anywhere.

    "Is it possible? Could someone actually be capable of reading my moves? Me, the Monarch of Time?" For the first time in the whole fight, Vardus finally spoke. Yet his voice was caught by nothing but the wind as time was still paused.

    "Where is he? Where is that bastard?" He furthered, slowly getting back his personality. Something that was left out by Pier''s abrupt transformation.

    He searched as quickly as he can. Looked through every possibility and, even strained his body as he forced the skill to extend. However, Zeke was still nowhere to be found. And as time resumed, Vardus felt a chill run down his spine. A sensation he never felt even back in Gaia.

    He looked at where it came from and saw the [Chaos Dragon] Horizon. The creature breathed out mes aimed at the Grand Monarch. This was met by the [Time Eaters] which Vardus entirely focused on bringing down the monster. Thinking that his senses would calm down after it gets defeated.

    His [Time Eaters] would easily cancel out the mes. It could cancel out almost everything after all. And he was right. The mes were being sucked in by the orbs. But not the thing that was inside it.

    Zeke emerged out of the mes. Burned but resolute in continuing his attack - shattering the [Time Eaters] in not less than a single second. Within the suddenness of it all, it was Vardus'' turn to feel like time was too slow as he saw everything unfold without being able to react fast enough.

    With a single swing of his halberd, Zeke Elwood sliced the strongest Chaos Monarch in two.

 Chapter 273: Breaking Point

    Chapter 273: Breaking Point

    Throughout the whole fight, the group has been unsessful in actually dealing a killing blow in a single hit. Vardus thought this was impossible as he could simply continue turning back time whenever it was needed.

    Even with only a miniscule piece of his identity being retained at that moment, the Grand Monarch still prided himself in this fact. That was probably the reason why, Zeke''s attack infuriated him so.

    "We did it!"

    "We''ve won!"

    There were already cheers being made by some members of the group as Vardus'' head began falling towards the ocean floor. He was beheaded. Not by a Monarch whom he could at least consider as an equal but, a mere mortal at that.

    These thingsbined was all it took for Vardus to finally snap.

    Time stopped at that moment. But unlike the previous versions of the skill, everything stopped aside from the Grand Monarch and all of his enemies. All the waves froze in the moment as well as the clouds in the sky. The wind also felt static as Vardus began transforming.

    "ZEKE!" Vask was in an even greater state of panic than before. Knowing exactly what was toe.

    "Hey pipe down will you." The gamer on the other hand was calm about it all. And this wasn''t something normal because, aside from him, everyone was in a state of tremendous fear.

    "Do you not understand the situation we are in? This is bad news." Zeke simply sighed as all of them could do nothing but watch. Even without any detection skill, everyone knew that Vardus had no openings at that moment. And that striking would lead to their immediate death.

    However, the gamer still wore a smile on his face. Like what was happening was nothing to worry about; as if he got everything covered. And he did.

    A few seconds before Vardus finished his transformation, Zeke snapped his fingers which was a signal for his favorite [Conjure]  Samael.

    "Allesiah, I''ll leave everything to your care for now." Were thest words the gamer spoke as he [Shadow Dived] right on top of Vardus who just finished transforming at that point. But within the same second that this happened, Samael already activated [Grand Chariot].

    "You know it''s funny. Thest time I went in here, it was also to fight someone who was a lot stronger than me." Zeke said, with the Grand Monarch finally turning back to his true form.

    As mentioned, the new form of Grand Chariot allowed Samael to sustain it as long as Zeke could supply him mana. Dying itself was not a problem for the [Conjure] as, its existence was also determined by how much mana Zeke could provide in order to sustain him. In short, as long as Zeke had mana and, as long as he was alive, [Grand Chariot] would be maintained.

    But Vardus didn''t know any of this, nor could he care less.

    "Die" Vardus didn''t waste any moment. He activated [Emperor''s Time] and, at his current form, it could go on for as long as a whole hour.

    He didn''t want to tolerate the insolence of the gamer any longer than he had to. Nor did he want to listen to any ramblings made by the mortal.

    Right through Zeke''s body, a hundred spears pierced through. Vardus was even generous enough to leave a few seconds of life for his opponent. Just so he could see the despair on his face.

    "Regret having faced me in battle." Vardus said as time finally resumed.

    Blood was supposed to stter all around. But since the spears also served as a clog to Zeke''s wounds, there were only spills of it dripping out. Vardus waited, observing Zeke''s face closely.

    "Anyst words human?" Zeke nodded to this, making Vardus feel even more superior.

    "Well what is it then?"

    "Game Over." Vardus didn''t even have time to understand the meaning behind the words as Zeke finally passed away. But even before the Grand Monarch could lower his guard, he felt a dangerous presence form. And as he looked where it wasing from, his gaze went back to the dead gamer.

    [Information: The gamer, Zeke Elwood, has died. Requirements have been met for the activation of a skill.]

    [The One Who Cheats Death has been activated]

    Zeke was swallowed entirely by darkness. Vardus rewinded time just a bit in order to prevent this from happening. Casting [Emperor''s Time] right away as he even beheaded the gamer. Yet, as he resumed time, the transformation still continued. Consuming all that was Zeke Elwood into an eternal darkness.

    [Skill Limitations have been released.]

    [Immunity from damage has been activated.]

    [Infinite Mana has been activated.]

    The one-time skill, [The One Who Cheats Death], was also reset as Zeke changed bodies. Apparently, what the skill registers is the body of the one who uses. Hence, with Zeke changing to Keith''s body, he not only gained superior health and mana. But also, Zeke was given another activation of the said skill.

    "It''s your loss." Zeke said and, with this, the two began their fight.

    Sparks flew in the air as their weapons shed against each other. Vardus stopped time over and over again, hitting Zeke on all his vital spots and even tearing him to pieces. But Zeke''s skill allowed him toer back in one piece no matte how shredded he got. After all, the condition of the skill was that, it could never end unless the opponent who killed the skill caster has been disposed.

    "What is this sorcery!" Vardus was slowly but surely regaining his ego and his personality back.

    The gamer continued attacking in all direction. They shed multiple times and despite Zeke not being able to follow most of Vardus'' movements, he was nevertheless able to predict some of them. In fact, this data only grew as the fight progressed.

    No matter what Vardus used, the [Time Eaters], [Emperor''s Time], every skill he had at his disposal was of no use to Zeke and, this was when he decided to turn back time. Back to before he ascended and back to when Zeke has not yet reached that form.

    However as he did this, he was stuck at the beginning of the realm being generated. Zeke was, of course back to his normal form but, his memories of what had happened was retained.

    "You seme to be confused, do you need any form of enlightenment?"

    "What have you done to me?" Vardus resorted to trying to kill Zeke multiple times over.

    In fact, his n at that point was typo simply give Zeke a taste of painful and excoriating death each and every time. He would kill the gamer and as Zeke transformed into his final form, Vardus would rewind time and proceed to doing the same.

    "You will break. Just like any mortal, you have a breaking point and once that is reached you will simply retreat." Vardus mentioned, already gaining back around 40% of his personality. A lot of things were still hazy to him but, that did not matter. He was already preupied with the enemy in front of him.

    "I will break? That''s a funny thing to say." Zeke was feeling the pain of course. After all, he didn''t have [Gamer''s Body] anymore. But this did not mean that he was going to give up any time soon nor was this a possibility.

    With the alterative of [Gamer''s Mind], Zeke simply ce it on [Autopilot]. Allowing his real self to stay in the subconscious while [Gamer''s Mind] received all the beating. Hence, even with the one thousand rewinds done by Vardus, Zeke was still in once piece.

    "You. What are you?" Vardus was at 60% this time around. Nearly aplishing what Zeke wanted.

    "Oh me? I''m a human of course."

    "A human and yet you have his form? You dare ridicule me!" Vardus continued chopping and dicing Zeke multiple times over. Zeke''s bones were crushed. His muscles and tissues were torn. His brain was scooped out of his head and so were his eyes.

    It took a thousand more tries before Vask finally realized the truth. That for whatever reason, his opponent did not have a breaking point.

    "You must be wondering how I''m still alright even at this point." Zeke mentioned.

    The Grand Monarch was no fool. Nobody could deceive him when it came to emotions, especially fear. After all, this was the most dominant among the emotions of the enemies he has faced. Yet Zeke showed no signs of this. No shaky voice that tried to conceal a coward. No hands or legs that seemed to give away at any moment. Not even the slightest hint of it could be seen on Zeke''s face and, in fact, all he had was a triumphant smile.

    "You must be thinking that you are above me, don''t you?" It was Vardus who began showing these signs. Beginning with his voice that trembled as he spoke.

    "Oh far from it. I believe that you aren''t even worth my attention." Zeke smirked at his opponent as he took away the halberd and summoned swords that floated all around the subspace.

    It was still dark and cold but there was a different level to it when Zeke finally decided to direct his killing intent at the Monarch.

    "You cannot defeat me!"

    Over and over again the fights repeated. Stopping at Zeke''s death and starting all over again at the point before it. Vardus didn''t give up. He refused to give up thinking that he would win sooner orter. Yet, there was no hope for him.

    Zeke survived every blow he made. And what made things worse was the fact that, not once did the gamer show any signs of fear. In fact, he was enjoying it.

    Like a true gamer, he viewed the fight from a third person''s point of view. Like he was holding a console in his room as he tried looking for that one single spot where his attacks could create damage. This umted throughout the time repetitions and, at rewind number 4,000  Vardus finally broke.

    "NOOO! SPARE ME! PLEASE!"

    "That''s funny. I thought you were going to break me." Zeke calmly said, watching his pitiful opponent.

    "PLEASE, I''LL DO ANYTHING YOU ASK. PLEASE!"

    "Oh? Fine then. Listen to what I''ve got to say."

 Chapter 274: Graduation

    Chapter 274: Graduation

    Due to how Samael''s [Grand Chariot] was tampered with, it didn''t even take a whole hour passing in the real world as Zeke and Vardus'' finished their battle. All four thousand attempts of Vardus into making his opponent submit was reversed into his utter defeat.

    The ominous ck orb in the middle of the sea suddenly shattered, sending waves of [Chaos Energy] that could only be described as strong. Everyone looked at the figure who came out and, a smile crept up on their face immediately. It was Zeke.

    They were just about to cheer. In fact, they were about toe near him when they noticed another figureing out of the shattered realm. It wasn''t Samael nor any of the other [Conjures]. It was something much more powerful. It was Vardus.

    "Mister Zeke! Behind you!" Jake screamed but just as he was about to strike, Zeke raised his hand.

    "Calm down will you." The gamer mentioned as Allesiah used her [Chaos and Mana Sight] on Vardus. Understanding what was happening right away as she asked:

    "He became a Conjure?"

    "Well basically yes. He lost all of his will to live and to fight so, I just did him the favor of returning it."

    There was something different about the Zeke that came back to them. It may be because of the four thousand fights he had to go through or, the effects of [Grand Chariot''s] darkness leaving residuals around him, or it may even be because of the ominous Grand Monarch who turned into a [Conjure]. Nobody knew for sure.

    Yet something was clear to them. With all the fights they''ve gone through and all the opponents they needed to face; their instincts screamed out the same thing. Zeke, at that point in time, was a potential threat.

    "Guys, stand down." Zekemanded, feeling the animosity from all his allies.

    "Zeke, are you still on our side?" Allesiah asked, also showing hostility towards the gamer.

    "Stand down." Zeke repeated but instead of doing so, everyone just prepared to attack.

    "Look. I don''t have a moment to waste on this so, this''ll be thest time I ask you. Stand  "

    Even before Zeke could finish speaking, Vask attacked him right away. Cutting off one of the gamer''s arm. And this was all that Vask could do as the [Conjured] Vardus activated [Emperor''s Time].

    Only Zeke and all of his [Conjures] could move at that moment. And bringing out his trusted halberd, he stabbed through Vask''s heart. Every member of the elites was pinned down by the [Conjures] as well as all the Mythos dwellers.

    [Emperor''s Time has reached its limit; time will now resume.]

    There was a shocked expression on everyone''s faces. Especially because, Zeke was restraining them like they were his enemies.

    The whole thing was confusing for the gamer''s allies. But for Zeke, things couldn''t be more crystal clear as he twisted his halberd, creating spikes that grew all around Vask''s body.

    "Mister Zeke what is the meaning of this!" Quinn demanded but, all he got was a static gaze from the gamer as the notifications began popping up.

    [Information: All the Monarchs within Mythos has been eradicated.]

    [Information: King de has been killed.]

    [Information: The mortal form of Pier has been killed.]

    [Information: The elites will return to earth upon death.]

    "Zeke is this some kind of joke? If its is then it''s not funny at all!" Sylph suggested but, the gamer didn''t even look at her. Instead Zeke summoned Samael once again.

    "NO! ZEKE DON''T DO THIS!" Allesiah shouted but it was toote as she, along with all Mythos dwellers were ced inside Grand Chariot.

    This left a peaceful battlefield. Zeke even took away all his other [Conjures], including those that restrained the elites. Leaving only him and the other humans who floated in mid-air.

    "Well, I''m sure you''ve got a lot of questions yourself but, honestly I don''t have the time to answer them all."

    Zeke didn''t wait for any of them to speak. He released his bloodlust and killing intent, so much so that it put every member of the elite on edge. Their emotions were still conflicting between attacking and retreating so, Zeke made the option clear to them as he took out his halberd.

    "I will not speak to you after this so listen carefully." Zeke began, and because the elites still held a respectable image of Zeke, they did as was told.

    "From the very beginning, both of us have been using each other for our goals. You cannot deny that nor would I ever do so myself. And I know that some fights and missions were a bit more dangerous forfort. I sincerely apologize on those parts. Nevertheless, you all came out alive and stronger." For some reason that he could not exin, Jake had tears forming on his eyes. And it wasn''t just him, everyone else were also getting teary eyed.

    "All of that is finished now. Those notifications made it clear and I only have onest favor to ask for all that I''ve done for you." Zeke released his fighting aura at that point and, he was oozing with mana.

    "Fight me with all your strength and skills, that is all I ask in return."

    Nobody knew how to describe what they felt at that moment. It was such a weird mixture of emotions but, even without knowing what Zeke''s true goal was, they epted this plea. With a single "UNDERSTOOD MISTER ZEKE!"ing from all of them as they began attacking the gamer.

    Five summons attacked Zeke all at once. Monsters ranking at an evolved [A+] tier at that and this got the gamer impressed. He looked at Horus who had resolve on his eyes, showing every intent of killing the gamer on the spot.

    "Dear me, he might''ve been able to surpass me in summoning if he was the first one called upon by the deities." A dragon type monster tacked Zeke head on and this was met with the gamer slicing it in two.

    However, as he did, he noticed that there was something inside it. Explosions soon came, provided by nobody else but Zilg. The trap expert who turned into an outright lover of explosions, sprayed almost dust sized objects, all with [Detonates] ced on them.

    "DETONAAAATE!" The explosions looked like fireworks as they continued crackling in the sky. The waves on the ocean below them continued rising because of the force it created. Yet Zeke came out virtually undamaged and targeting Zilg and Horus right away.

    However he was stopped by the defensive type summons among the [A+] ranked. All being given an extrayer of barrier provided for by Vorst and Gerard which was even reinforced by Lizzie. This deflected the blow of his halberd but also shatter the barriers in the process.

    Two other summons appeared behind the gamer. And before he knew it, Zeke was already in a trap masterfully crafted by Amare the tactician of the group.

    "Amare, she turned out to be a more capable leader than I thought." Zeke mentioned as [Oblivion] was casted both on top of him and below him.

    On his back was Jake who charged up his spear, condensing all of the me mana scattered around them. Multiple magic circles appeared in front of him, provided for by Curio who gave him a speed boost and, without a second to lose, Jake went to attack.

    A streak of mes and lightning was left on his path as he moved even faster than the speed of light at that moment. He even activated [Overdrive] in order to ensure that he wouldnd a blow.

    Yet all he was able to do was graze the gamer who still managed to pivot his body to the side. Zeke used his halberd to hit Jake''s spear in such a way that, he could move his body while getting the lightest amount of injury possible.

    "NOW!" Jake shouted and at this, three cores appeared right in front of the gamer. Teleported to him by Zane and Merlin.

    The objects lighted up and activated right away, sending out a shower of bullets each. These were provided for by the weapon of Eerie who still had two cores to spare.

    Gawain didn''t miss this chance and snipped down the target who was unable to move from that point. He aimed for the forehead of the gamer and condensed as much wind mana as he could into that singr attack.

    To his surprise, Zeke was able to grab on to the arrow. Just before the moment of impact, Zeke was able to get a grip on the body of the projectile, sending a strong st of wind towards the gamer.

    "These two archers have really grown themselves." Zeke thought as he sliced though the cores, halting the attack altogether.

    The joint attack of Gawain and Eerie left him with even more wounds. Zeke wondered why these weren''t closing even with his healing skills and, this was when he took notice of Red. A healer who was focused on him as he casted:

    "Reverse heal!"

    "Man, even the healers are troublesome." Zeke was genuinely enjoying himself. Fights of that caliber didn''ter often and, unconsciously, he might''ve also been preparing the humans for this end.

    Every move he made had risks involved and, every strategy he was cooking up on his head had a simr consequences. It was a true fight to the death and yet, everyone was enjoying themselves.

    "Come on then kids, show me all that you learned." Were the words running through Zeke''s head as the battle continued.

 Chapter 275: Ultimate Berserker

    Chapter 275: Ultimate Berserker

    On that day, every continent heard the continuous roaring of the skies. It was as if there were drums as massive as mountains that were continually getting hit; in a strange yet synchronized rhythm.

    Although things started off with a more [Chaotic] rumbling. One which was cause by Pier''s antics and the fights dating back to the gods and goddesses who fought him. Things were nevertheless better off at that moment. There were still rumblings and, the citizens of Mythos were still on edge but, they felt that this came from a different source. One which wasn''t any cause for fear or panic.

    It was a thought that was as true as it could get. Because the ones causing it were Zeke and the elites. Fighting, literally, to their deaths.

    As their mentor, teacher, and also their ally, Zeke was nothing but proud at what the elites achieved. He didn''t think it would be possible that he would feel this way towards the achievement of other people but he did.

    He was genuinely enjoying the fact that the same humans he took care of ever since they arrived in Mythos were able to reach such great lengths all on their own.

    "Oblivion!" Both Quinn and Kaguya casted this, creating a cube-like version of the skill which caught Zeke in the middle. And since it was a spell that ate up anything that came too close, the four sides of the skill also began eating through themselves  crushing into a small ball as the two elites ordered:

    "Compress!"

    Soon enough, nothing was left but a ck ball. One which continued shrinking down to the size of a marble until it disappearedpletely.

    "D-dib we identally win?" Jake asked, not sure what to make of the moment and of the hype that began dwindling.

    They genuinely thought that Zeke was dead as there were no traces of the gamer left. However, they were no fools. They knew just how strong Zeke was and, what the gamer was capable of.

    That is why they tried to sense him as much as they could. Soon enough they felt a strong amount of manaing from the heavens. Amare tried to focus her sight skill on the location and, true enough, she was able to see past the [Cloud of Dreams] which the gamer seemingly set up.

    Past it was still blurry to Amare. Yet she was sure of one thing. That is, there were ten [Magic Circles] aimed directly at them.

    "This is bad! Everyone take cover!" It was the least that Amare could order as the spell was fired by Zeke.

    As the st came down, multiple barriers and other defensive mechanisms were being casted. This was all over the ce and Quinn knew that the fight could very well end at that moment because of this.

    That is why Quinn dashed towards the point of contact. Focusing on his de as he casted:

    "Event Horizon!"

    Quinn was able to retain some skills owned by Vask. Despite the Monarch getting killed and disappearing, these were already imprinted on Quinn. Making it possible for him to imitate the move using mana instead of Chaos Energy.

    "Of course he''d pick something up from that Monarch." Were the words running through Zeke''s head as Mirio and Curio closed in on him. Forcing the gamer to stay put as Mirio activated [Ring] andyering it up with Quinn''s own activation of the skill.

    "I knew you would be the most problematic member." Zeke thought as he looked at Quinn who was already donning his [Avarice Form].

    Among the elites, it was Quinn who was the most versatile. If likened to a chess game, Quinn would be a queen piece. Able to move at almost all directions.

    This made the horizons binding down the strategy of the elites to widen even more. Amare was restricted by a lot of things before but, with Quinn adding to the picture, it allowed morebinations of moves to be of use in the fights.

    With two [Rings] being activated and, with the enhancement of Lizzie, all members of the elites were able to enter through. Buffing themselves up with the attribute increase while decreasing the same percentage for Zeke.

    "If you thought that we were some easy target or prey, then you have another thinging." Quinn mentioned, getting a smile form the gamer as theirbination of attacks continued.

    Zilg began this by throwing in bombs at point nk range. The explosions came soon after which shocked Zeke even more. At first he though that these would only serve as decoys or a way to misdirect him. But they were real bombs and, Zilg was truly caught up with the attack.

    "That was a bit reckless of them." Were the words running on his head as the [Trap Expert] emerged with just enough damage. Shattering a barrier that was ced on top of his body.

    "Limitless Blessings!" It was Lizzie''s turn to impress Zeke that time around. Finally showing the unique skill which her secondary job ss had.

    This allowed her to enhance anything twice instead of once and, whatever enhancement she ced on others would also be applied on her in a lesser degree. Meaning, at that moment, she almost as strong as Quinn.

    "We''re going to kill you with all we''ve got!" She shouted as she faced Zeke head on.

    With the notification telling them that, they would be returned to earth as soon as they died, there were no restrictions to the moves which the elites could use anymore. All of their attacks were set to the maximum, disregarding all safety in order to maximize the amount of damage they could deal.

    And it was also for this reason that they became even fiercer opponents for Zeke. In the current state they were in, even the healers and defenders would attack. Meaning there were limitless possibilities to how thebinations could be done and, Zeke could do nothing but be on the receiving end.

    As soon as Lizzie backed off, another member of the group reced her. It was Curio who used [sh Rush]. Combining it with his clones that turned into gigantic shurikens.

    With the clones being imbued with the same skill, they flew up to Zeke in the speed of light. The gamer was barely able to dodge but this was not the end of it as, the shurikens turned back to clones of Curio who attempted the same attack.

    "Smart. I didn''t think it could be applied that way." Was the thought running through Zeke''s head as he dodged the shurikens again. Yet one of the des was able to make contact with him. Wounding him on the side of his waist.

    Spears flew towards him from the opposite direction, provided for by Jake. The gamer wasn''t able to dodge all of these in time, finally getting one solid hit to his knee. With the spearhead burying inside the gamer''s flesh.

    He didn''t mind this and continued fighting them. Facing the defenders next. They were the toughest members of the group and, among them was Mordred who had explosive damage. All of the attacks the other defenders made was in order to set things up for Mordred. Landing blow after blow which Zeke tried to block with all his might until, one finallynded on his stomach.

    They retreated immediately, Giving way for all the projectiles which were already aimed and charged for that interval.

    Without any moment to lose, these were rapidly fired on the gamer. And even the melee fighters threw in some projectile spells which they knew.

    This recreated the ck mass that was formed by multiple skills merging together at one point. Zeke was inevitably caught in it because there was no other way outside the [Ring] and, Amare was also weary of any use of [Cloud of Dreams].

    The orb of darkness continued spiraling but, the group was still in their battling poisons. The [Rings] were still active after all. Indicating that their enemy was still alive. And he was.

    The skill was forced to dwindle, smaller rand smaller. Until it was simply and orb in the middle of Zeke''s hands. He looked worn out and strands of his hair were all over his face. So before the fight resumed, he brushed all of it back into ce using his hands.

    "I thought you were going to kill us mister Zeke. You don''t look the very least convincing at this moment." Quinn said, doing the one thing which every other elite has learned to avoid ever since the [Infernal] incident. That is, being rude to the gamer.

    Yet Zeke didn''t say a word to them. He knew that if he said something, they might rx a bit and that would ruin the fighting mood. Instead, he finally decided to go all out on them. Activating the single spell which he was holding back against the elites.

    A burst of crimson red mana came out of Zeke. Gravity seemed to have increased at that moment but they had no intention of letting Zeke finish what it was that he trying to perform.

    They tried attacking and, through it all, Zeke didn''t even dodge. In fact he began healing through the wounds, even with Red casting [Reverse Heal] on him. And, with his eyes turning the same color as the mana he emitted, the gamer casted:

    "Forced Activation: Ultimate Berserker."

 Chapter 276: Sending Them Off

    Chapter 276: Sending Them Off

    The famous trump card of King Gallio worked in order to punish whoever was foolish enough to dare and stand in his way. [Ultimate Berserker] umtes all damage taken by the user from the beginning of the fight and, converts it into attribute points. And this was all that it took for Zeke to finally get a lead on the elites.

    "Honestly I wanted to make this a bit more fair for you but if you insist." Although promising not to speak anymore, Zeke did at that time. Quinn got on his nerve after all and, he wasn''t just about to let it slide.

    "Focus on defense! We''ll get a hang of his new patterns soon enough!" Amaremanded.

    Zeke already ced this into consideration. With the growth of the elites, he knew that there was a high possibility of him getting trapped again by anotherbination. That is why he prepared another move on top of [Ultimate Berserker].

    "Skill Upgrade: Thousand Fangs." A thousand des floated within the two [Rings].

    Jake tried taking these but, his hand simply passed through. There were also some that tried destroying these with spells but the same thing just happened. This indicated that, the weapons were probably only going to materialize as soon as Zeke touched them.

    "Stop him!" Amaremanded, knowing exactly what woulde next.

    The fight continued this way. With Zeke shattering all the barriers set up by the group. He didn''t even have as much of a hard time. Despite [Oblivion] and [Event Horizon] alsoing into y, Zeke was able to sh though everything.

    After the use of every de, these would disintegrate. A requirement in order to ensure that they were strong enough for one good hit. The tides have rapidly shifted to Zeke''s favor and there was no use getting ustomed to Zeke who was growing stronger by the second.

    "Spread everyone! Spread!" Amaremanded and, as she said this, a sword found its way to her heart, surprising the group because of its suddenness.

    "NOOO!" Curio tried saving her with his clones but, just like their tactician, the heads of the clones came rolling down the ocean floor. Or at least this was what was supposed to happen. Instead, Amare became a mass of white particles which quickly disappeared.

    [Amare Sternfield has been killed. The elite has been transported back to earth.]

    The notification made the elites have a single second interval ofg. This was all the time that Zeke needed in order to take down one more member of the group. It was red, the one who reverse healed all of his injuries. And just like Amare, Zeke offered him a swift death. Aiming also for the head.

    [Redderick Bastion has been killed. The elite has been transported back to earth.]

    "Is this convincing enough for you Quinn?" Zeke asked, taking two more swords and throwing them at the defenders.

    Quick to act, these membered of the elites were able to set up a barrier. But these proved to be futile as the swords simply broke through their defenses. Hitting Gerard who decided to take it all instead of making them all die at once.

    "Give him a hard time at least. He deserves the best from us." Were thest words that came from his mouth as he met the same fate as the first two.

    [Gerard Henderson has been killed. The elite has been transported back to earth.]

    Without someone to lead them, Quinn tookmand once again. It didn''t take much effort for the transition to be made because, Quinn was a natural leader. Allowing him to bnce things off from where Amare left off. But there was another element beside his God-given talent.

    "He''s lucky, Amare set everything up ensuring that even after her death, the one who takesmand would not be too lost." Zeke thought,pletely understanding the setup of the battlefield.

    Just like chess pieces, everyone had their roles and Amare also gave them orders that they needed to follow through until the end. Thettermand made things stable; enabling them to continue going toe to toe with Zeke even with three members already dead.

    "Force him out of hisbination. If he uses any other skill beside [Thousand Fangs], it''ll end and so will the increase that he''s been gaining because of it." Quinn said, with Zilg releasing paralytic gas in the air while filling every member of the group with marks that allowed them to survive through these.

    Meanwhile, Horus finished transferring the powers of a six-horned beast to himself. Making him a summoned incarnate capable of being on the same level as Jake and Mirio who, continued facing the Berserker form of Zeke.

    "I''ll have you know tat I won''t be going down as soon as them." Jake said, thrusting continuously as Zeke answered with the swords he picked up one by one.

    "Oh I''m sure you won''t. That''s why I''m not aiming for you." As his des hit the spear once more, he kicked Jake in the face and used it as a stepping stone to leap up. Aiming at Lizzie who was at the far corner of the [Ring].

    "Kneel!" It was Quinn''s turn to make a move. Hindering Zeke from proceeding as his gravity was increased by a thousand.

    "That''s not gonna help." Zeke [Weapon Blinked] five times, disappearing and reapearing on various areas.

    He would step on the hilts of the weapons. Launching them down at incredible speed. The first five served as warning shots which made the elites even more alert as, all other weapons floated to Zeke''s height and, at that moment it was just an all out assault with hundreds of des falling down on them.

    Unfortunately, they couldn''te out of it unscathed. Two more defenders were the price of this attack as well as their enhancer Lizzie.

    "Miss Kaguya, I hope we''ll meet on earth." She thought as she watched the woman who cared for her continue fighting.

    Quinn, surprised by the sudden decrease in their numbers, decided to release the gravity spell ced on the gamer. Making Zekee down to talk to those remaining.

    "Who told you that I needed to grab the weapon for thebination to continue?" Zeke asked, making Quinn look like a fool because of the stunt he just did.

    "I forgot they didn''t give you the title God of Gaming for no reason." Quinn mentioned; remembering how Zeke reached the top by focusing on unconventional as well as unorthodox methods.

    "I''ll take that as apliment." Zeke said in reply as they continued fighting.

    One by one, the numbers of the elites were decreased. Horus and Zilg got taken down as well as Zane and one more defender.

    Because of this, their attacks were gradually getting weaker and weaker and, theirbinations were bing less. In fact, Zeke was only at sword number 600 that time, giving him plenty more chance to power up and take down those that remained.

    Mordred.

    Julia.

    Curio.

    Kaguya.

    Jake.

    Gawain.

    Merlin.

    Eerie.

    Quinn.

    Mirio.

    These were the only ones left and, with one swift motion from Zeke, he took out Curio. Leaving the elites with just nine heads strong.

    "You already exceeded my expectations. That makes me a bit more proud than I already was." Zeke mentioned. Holding on to sword number 650 in his hand.

    "Does that mean you''ll tell us what you''re real goal is?"

    "Don''t push you luck kid."

    They were all having trouble breathing. With the fight dragging on, they were also exhausting both their mental capacities as well as their physical one. They knew that if the fight continued any longer, then they would simply die from over exhaustion. And with an enemy like Zeke, this was even more likely.

    As it was, there was already no way for them to win. And so, with this in mind, Quinn gave onestmand to his allies.

    "Guys, give me two minutes."

    The other elites looked at him. There was still no hope of winning but, they knew that Quinn might just be able to pull something off with the time he needed.

    "Still acting liken you''re way ahead of us huh. Fine." Jake said to his rival, puncturing his heart and entering the final stage of his job ss - [Impaler].

    "Give us a bang okay?" Mordred asked, punching her fists together and preparing thest two bullets on her gauntlet with all the mana she had left.

    Everyone else gave their final words to Quinn and went on their way. Battling Zeke with all they had and ensuring that Quinn had all the time that he needed.

    Kaguya stood beside Quinn. Being his final vanguard in case Zeke was able to pass through their defenses. And this didn''t even take long to happen.

    The first to get taken down was Eerie, forcing the cores to explode while still loaded on her guns. This gave room for the others to attack but, Zeke simply weapon blinked to an area far from the explosion.

    Gawain was able to predict the location. Sniping down Zeke with his strongest arrow. The gamer answered in kind by throwing two daggers. Killing off Gawain as one went for his forehead while the other was buried on his chest.

    Meanwhile, Zeke was forced to catch it, getting pulled to the edge of the ring. Mordred followed through by punching with both fists. Sending out her strongest shockwave which Zeke caught head on. He was heavily damaged of course, but so was Mordred whose hands also got destroyed by the blow. Zeke took this opportunity and quickly decapitated her.

    Not long after, Merlin got taken out. And because Zeke was already at his eight hundredth weapon at that time, they couldn''t follow him anymore. Allowing Zeke to take down Julia and Mirio immediately. Decreasing the [Ring] to one as he set his sights on the big three.

    There was still thirty whole seconds needed by Quinn and, Kaguya finally used up all the mana she could in order to ensure that Quinn gets it. She wasn''t able to open her lips earlier but, there was something that she really wanted to tell Quinn.

    That, if they met on earth, she wanted them to be friends.

    Zeke rapidly changed swords as both Jake and Kaguya offered their life force in order to match him. In fact, Zeke was already at 990 swords when his deciding blow made contact. Taking nine more to give honorary deaths to the two.

    With hisst de, he focused his attention on Quinn.

    If only for a second, Zeke felt that he could actually lose. Time seemed to move slowly as all of the mana within the area gathered at Quinn. Using his [Avarice] he devoured all there was to take and condensed it to the body of its host.

    Zeke moved as quickly as he could as the two casted theirst spells.

    "Singrity!"

    "Thousandth Fang!"

 Chapter 277: Departures

    Chapter 277: Departures

    The sh between Zeke and Quinn''s spells caused time to stop itself. Even without having to make use of Vardus'' powers, Zeke and Quinn was able to forcefully halt the movement of time. Both of them didn''t know what happened exactly.

    Things were a bit fuzzy. All they remembered was that they casted their skills and shed straight ahead without any intention of dodging. That was probably the reason why, Zeke was so surprised after seeing his own arm chopped off from the left shoulder down.

    "Huh, would you look at that. You guys really did a number on me huh." Blood was gushing out of the gamer''s wound and his arm was floating just above the sea.

    "Look who''s talking." He looked at Quinn who was just in front of him; head resting on his shoulders.

    It may look like Quinn was able to win with that single trade but, in fact, Zeke was able to do much more. Thest sword of the [Thousand Fangs] was able to stab through his heart. Creating a gapping hole where his chest was supposed to be.

    Quinn already lost any ability to speak. And, the only reason why he was able tomunicate was because Zeke''s [Party Function] still being active on him.

    "This is goodbye kid. I forgot to mention it to all of you but, even your memories of this journey will be washed away."

    "That''s so like you mister Zeke." With this, Quinn''s consciousnesspletely faded. Making his remains tun into light particles that vanished right away.

    "Well. I guess this is good bye kid."

    [Notice: All members of the elites have been sessfully sent back to earth.]

    [Notice: Their wishes have been automatically granted by the heavens.]

    "At least I can rest easy knowing they''d be safe and happy." Zeke thought as he looked at the tongues of fire floating around him.

    [Notice: Soul imitations have been left by the said elites. These can be Conjured and added to the gamer''s army.]

    "Yes, let''s do it."

    A ck mass surrounded him at that point. These rose intorge pirs of mes and, out of them emerged the members of the elites, all on their new [Conjured] forms.

    "That takes care of step two. Now onto the next part."

    [Information: With all of thetest achievements added together, the Ancient Spell has acquired 100%pletion. All the points in the Skill Shop will be used in order to purchase it. Will this be okay?]

    "Yes."

    [Understood. The Ancient Spell''s data will now be integrated into the gamer''s skill set.]

    [Please wait]

    Zeke was preparing for the final stage of his n. With all that just happened, all he needed to do was to take care of the Mythos dwellers and he could proceed to entering the heavens.

    He was sure that it would be rowdy there right at that moment. Especially because, he knew that the stronger version of Pier would definitely be fighting against the other gods at that point. But it is also because of this exact reason that, he knew his n would work.

    [The Ancient Spell has sessfully been added.]

    "Okay good."

    Zeke was indifferent to everything that was happening at that point. Things would simply be smooth sailing for him because, the harder parts were already dealt with. He thought it to be weird and unpleasant at the same time  thinking that there wasn''t even any point to life if there was no thrill of the battle anymore.

    "I guess this world''s vanity did consume me a little huh." He said to himself as he realized this.

    The gamer proceeded to the [Grand Chariot] casted by Samael. To where the Windsprites, Heron and Morpheus were. He knew that they would be surprised with what was happening but, he was nevertheless ready to give them what they deserved.

    "Okay Samael, you can release it now."

    [Grand Chariot] shattered slowly and, as the mass of ckness disappeared, out came the four valiant warriors. With all of them prepared to fight the gamer. But instead, what they received was surprise as they saw Zeke Elwood bowing in front of them.

    "Ohe on Zeke how am I gonna shoot you down now!" Sylph said, lowering her bow and arrow.

    "Everyone. Thank you for all you''ve done for me. Words alone cannot even describe how much I''m grateful for all that you''ve done for the sake of this selfish mission of mine."

    The only reason why Zeke ced them in [Grand Chariot] in the first ce was because, he wanted to give separate send offs to the two group. The elites had quite a different version of this. Needing to be killed by the gamer one by one in order to return to earth. But nothing of the sort was required for the Mythos dwellers.

    "What on earth is happening Zeke?" Allesiah asked, confused with how the events were turning out. Zeke raised his head and looked at them with genuineness in his eyes.

    "I know that you have a lot of questions and, I''m sorry that I cannot even answer them all but, what I can guarantee is that this would be thest time we''d be seeing each other."

    All of it was too sudden for them. Nobody was prepared for that moment, not even Zeke''s loyal servant Heron nor the child prodigy Morpheus who began crying.

    He then snapped his fingers, cing them all on a kind of barrier that prevented them from speaking. He didn''t want to add to any more regrets nor did he have time for it unfortunately. Among the mortals, it was only Zeke who was aware that, the universe was already a ticking time bomb at that point. And he wasn''t about to let it all disappear to darkness.

    Hence, he began speaking. Directing his farewells one by one to the four of them.

    "Sylph, you have been a good leader and teacher to the elites in my absence. You are a reliable ally who can also be stubborn at times. But nevertheless, you are still the most gant and graceful." Sylph was banging on the barrier, using her dagger in order to shatter it. But it was no use. Zeke was already on the level of the gods at that point and so were the tier strength of his spells.

    "Farewell." Zeke snapped his fingers again, teleporting Sylph out of that area and into the Elven Continent. She lost consciousness right way, preventing her from going after the gamer. He also added something else to the spell. A memory distorter, ensuring that she and the other three won''t ever remember him nor the elites that came.

    "Heron, you have always been a person who lived for the sake of others. First to your own mother and then for me. I have grown fond of you throughout our journey and I have treated you more than a servant. I''ve treated you like my own family." Heron was crying through the barrier, pleading to be let out and to at least hug Zeke but, the gamer did not allow this.

    "All I want is for you to live for yourself from now on. You are free." Zeke snapped his fingers, leaving only Morpheus and Allesiah.

    "Mory, I don''t know if I''m even fit to be called your father. I''ve always been busy at work and have only paid attention to your growth as a warrior. I know that I''ve neglected a lot of your emotional side and, there''s really no way to get all that time back. But I know that you''ll be a fine man someday and you don''t even have to impress me anymore. To me, you are and always will be my pride and joy." Zeke snapped his fingers, sending Morpheus off.

    This left him with only Allesiah. And just as he predicted, the elf was able to shatter his barrier. Using her superior eyesight skills in order to perform this feat.

    "Allesiah."

    "Don''t give me that shit!" It was the first time Zeke heard her so furious. Disregarding the part where she was brainwashed, it was Allesiah''s real anger that was showing at that moment.

    "You''re saying goodbye? You''re leaving us behind? I didn''te all this way just to get separated from  " Before Allesiah could even finish, Zeke''s soft and warm lips touched hers.

    It was the first time that the gamer took the initiative. A passionate kiss that showed all that he truly felt for Allesiah.

    The elf wrapped her arms around him as tears formed on the corner of her eyes. And, just like that, Zeke''s lips left hers. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Allesiah buried her face on his chest.

    "Allesiah, no words could even begin to exin how I truly feel for you. My emotions are a bit slow on the uptake to be honest but, I''m sure that I''ve never desired someone as much as I''ve desired you. I''ve never thought of someone as much as I''ve thought off you. And no smile has ever made my heart flutter as you have so effortlessly done time and time again."

    "Why are you only saying those words now you idiot!" Allesiah said, grabbing on to him like he could disappear at any moment.

    "Because there''s no room for my own ego in this personal mission of mine. I can''t be stopped by anyone, not even by my own feelings for the sole woman I love."

    "Zeke" The gamer kissed her again. More intimate than he did before, holding her in ways that made Allesiah feel like she was a woman whom he desired  her and only her.

    This was probably why she didn''t feel the spell that Zeke slowly casted on her. Restraining all her powers so that she couldn''t repeat the same thing. The gamer then pushed her away and snapped his fingers, cing Allesiah back inside the barrier.

    "I hope that you find someone better my love." Zeke snapped his fingers and, just like that, he was all alone again. But just a few seconds after everyone departed, Zeke began moving again.

    "Conjure." Out came Vardus, Zeke''s key to going to his destination.

    "Let''s go buddy, I have gods to kill."

 Chapter 278: Transcendence

    Chapter 278: Transcendence

    This was the idea going through Zeke''s head as he forced a way into the domain of the gods.

    There would always be a natural cause and effect rtionship. Even in the realm of the heavens this should be no exception.

    With all that happened thus far. With the antics of Pier, and the movements he made on Mythos, it wouldn''t take long for the gods and goddesses to act. In fact, some of them already did and they failed miserably. Yet they weren''t the only ones who failed because, even the mortal half of Pier already died.

    "With this his powers should be greatly diminished. Not that it''s a cause for any worry."

    With Zeke forcefully awakening Vardus'' true consciousness, the same would also be true for the monarch''s other half which was sleeping within Pier''s immortal body in the heavens. He could only imagine the amount of problems being caused there at that moment. In fact, he could already feel it with the darkening skies.

    "They didn''t even bothering to pick up the elites themselves. That in itself is enough proof that there is chaos up there right about now."

    The mission on Mythos was over. Zeke was the only human remaining there and he knew why. The body of Keith ovepped with the will of the world and his very own [System]. Creating a contradiction which registered him as a trueborn of that world while the [System] retained his identity as Zeke.

    This issue already existed as soon as he transferred bodies. This was also the reason why Zeke needed the [Ancient Spell] because, it was the only way he could overwrite everything that limited him at that point.

    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Zeke''s hand was shaking just a bit. Probably from the terror which he knew he was about to face all for the sake of him aplishing his goals. He then remembered Allesiah and, for some reason, it was all he needed to calm back down.

    "Man I couldn''t even stay with her. This is such a bummer." Zeke said, summoning another [Conjure] which was essential at that point. Samael.

    "Well? Are the two of you ready?" Vardus and Samael knelt before their one true king. Even though they were nothing but mere [Conjures] they had one sole longing. That is, to make Zeke Elwood the one true ruler of all.

    "Okay let''s begin the evolution then."

    Samael created [Grand Chariot] once again, Zeke and Vardus along with it. The ce was dark and empty as usual yet, the space was wide enough for Zeke to use the [Ancient Spell] which was finally revealed at that moment.

    [Ancient Spell Name: Transcendence]

    [Above Ranking Levels]

    [Information: A method developed by the first Mythos dwellers in order to be a god. The spell requires the collection of enough creatures whose egos and attributes will all be passed on to a sole receiver.]

    [Information: Every creature added lowers the possibility of sess by a certain percentage. The transcendence will also fail if the amount of attribute gathered does not meet the minimum requirement.]

    [Information: If the gamer''s is not strong enough, his will would corrode and vanish entirely. Another creature would then emerge, having an ego of its own.]

    [Current chance of sess: 1000%/100%]

    With Samael''s [Grand Chariot] Zeke could exponentially decrease the amount of time needed in order for him to finish the skill. Adding this up with Vardus'' [Time Rewind] allows Zeke to return if there was any failed attempt. Meaning, no matter what happened, he was sure to transcend.

    The only thing he needed to worry about was his own will. He needed to maintain it no matter what happened and, quite frankly, he wasn''t as confident on this part. It was an unknown variable. One he couldn''tpute.

    But Zeke Elwood still leapt into the great abyss because there was no turning back. Because the only freedom which Zeke desired was one which he could open up for himself.

    "Conjure."

    All the creatures Zeke umted all throughout his fights appeared at that instance. Individually, they were strong and capable of taking out almost everything which Mythos could throw at them. They have been tested by various fights and not once have they ever failed the gamer.

    "All of you. Thank you for your service. I don''t know if you have emotions but, it was my pleasuremanding this great army." His [Conjures] all bowed down. Those who could kneel did so. They couldn''t speak but it couldn''t be even more evident that, they too were honored to fight beside their king.

    The gamer smiled, thinking that he wasn''t truly alone because he still had these guys. But even they would soon disappear. The peak of evolution, the summit of all that exists, it could only be reached by one. And if Zeke wanted to reach it, he needed to discard, abandon, and leave all he ever was and all he ever cared for behind.

    "For thest time, be of service to your master." The [Conjures] made onest battle cry as Zeke snapped his fingers.

    In that instant, the [Conjures] damaged themselves until they reached [1% HP]. Giving them all the added attribute points which, boosted what Zeke could gain even more. The [Infernal Conjures] shone with warmth and brilliance, boosting Zeke''s confidence as he finally said:

    "Begin."

    [Transcendence ismencing.]

    [All the creatures found within the vicinity have been ounted for and would be devoured ordingly.]

    Zeke began feeling lightheaded at that point and, his sight was begging to turn darker and darker. This was also part of the requirements. The one who needed to transcend should be asleep throughout the process because, another battle needed to be fought within one''s own will.

    [The System has configured the process in order to store all the necessary data. The System will also update together with the Transcendence.]

    [The Gamer''s Mind will automatically operate the process.]

    Zeke Elwood finally lost consciousness at that point. His body floated within the dark subspace while variousyers of magic circles surrounded him. There were runic symbols added to the mix, all creating a small sphere, with his body as the core.

    Although the operation talked about devouring, nothing as gruesome actually happened. The [Conjures] disappeared one by one like pixted data, all moving towards the magic circles around Zeke''s body. Vardus and Samael stood side by side, being the final ones who would be devoured as their services was still needed by their king.

    [All Rank C creatures have been devoured.]

    [Chance of sess remaining: 150%]

    The [Conjures] weren''t supposed to have any emotions because they were simply animated versions of the fallen. But still, one could feel that they were honored to be part of that moment. To be there to witness and take part in the Metamorphosis of Zeke Elwood.

    [All Rank B Creatures have been devoured.]

    [Chance of Sess remaining 50%]

    With just his C and B ranked [Conjures], Zeke was already at a level a bit beyond the minor gods. But this was not the kind of power Zeke needed. It wascking all too much because, what he needed was the power to change fate and destiny itself.

    [All rank A Creatures have been devoured.]

    [Chance of Sess remaining]

    [1%]

    [Transcendence resuming]

    [Transcendence failed.]

    This was when things began getting difficult. It was time for Vardus role to fullye in y at that point.

    The [Conjure] repetitively made use of [Time Rewind], going back to the moment before the failure until sess is reached.

    [Transcendence failed.]

    Nobody knew what was happening with Zeke''s ego at that point. His body was already a mass of darkness but no scream nor shout came out of his mouth. No soul was aware of the kind of torture that Zeke was going through and, continued to go through over and over again.

    [Transcendence failed.]

    One by one, the [S] ranked [Conjures] were getting devoured. This began with Zeke''s [Knights] whom he tried to imitate from the knights of the round table. There was also Kayle, the creature which became of great help in the absence of Samael. A [Conjure] which made a lot of Zeke''s missions and operations less problematic.

    Then there was [Horizon], a [Chaos Dragon] born from Zeke''s multiple attempts at [Conjuring] the souls of these creatures. Out of all these, it was only [Horizon] that heeded his call. This honored the dragon which, although mutated, was still from a noble race.

    [Chance of Sess remaining]

    [0.0000076%]

    The only ones remaining at that point were the [Conjured] elites. And, this was the most difficult part. Not because Zeke''s body rejected them but because, the percentage was already too low. The failures happened over and over again, making Vardus repetitively cast his skill in order to save Zeke.

    Thus, the actual duration being consumed by [Transcendence] reached higher than a year''s worth of time. But in the real world, not even two hours have passed since Zeke entered [Grand Chariot]

    [Devouring the conjured Kaguya]

    [Sess]

    [Devouring the conjured Jake]

    [Sess]

    One by one, Zeke was able to consume his [Conjures]. And, although the process was both painstakingly long and meticulous, he was finally down to thest piece that needed to be devoured.

    [Devouring the conjured Quinn]

    [Sess!]

    [All those registered for the transcendence has been sessfully devoured by Zeke Elwood.]

    The dark cocoon which covered Zeke''s body began shattering a that point. Light emanated from the parts that were also revealed and, soon enough, [Grand Chariot] was entirely caught in its brilliance. Forcing the subspace''s destruction as both Samael and Vardus witnessed the birth of a new god.

 Chapter 279: The God of Gaming

    Chapter 279: The God of Gaming

    Zeke looked a lot like his former self. An adult version of that which was leaner and taller than he was. He had six wings on his back and over it was a half halo arching right over his topmost wings. His forehead has two horns sticking out of it and in the middle is an ominous looking eye.

    Zeke wore a traditional Japanese kimono which had a hakama over it. His waist had arge red rope tied around it, with the knot being on his left waist''s side. His hair was long, reaching the end of his upper body in length and, on his hands was a transcendent version of his favorite weapon - [Death''s Void].

    With Transcendence beingpleted, Zeke has finally reached the state of Godhood. Yet, the question still remained:

    Who emerged out of this transformation?

    While the transcendence took ce, the real Zeke Elwood was in a trial inside his own mind. He had no memory of all that happened to him nor did he have any idea that he was transcending at that moment. He was simply there and, one by one, his memories were brought back to him. Namely, those that brought some form of regret.

    The first that came up was his performance in school. Although highly intelligent, Zeke could not actually cope up with his ssmates and his teachers. All because they couldn''t reach the level of discussion that he wanted from them.

    "Zeke, you cheated again didn''t you?"

    "I never did anything of the sort sir!" He replied, feeling genuine anger from the audacity of his teacher to say something like this. Just because they couldn''t see what he could and understand on the same level that he was capable of.

    "Oh quit lying will you. All your teachers think the same."

    "Then why don''t we have a test then? If I have a single wrong answer then I''ll just drop out of school." Zeke failed this challenge only because their teacher put a question based on a character inside a video game. The Zeke during that time was not yet immersed into games and so, was not able to give the proper answer to the question.

    He then quit school just like he promised. And as if to bite back his teacher who dared mock him by the use of games, Zeke began nurturing his won capabilities in this world.

    He regretted not being able to spend his time like any other young kid and he regretted losing time for his parents, but just alike all things, his emotions towards these simply died out until, he finally grew up.

    "Ahh what the hell am I doing with my life?"

    The next thing that showed up was a possibility. One that could have happened with the choice that he made.

    He saw an adult version of himself. A man who aplished nothing in his life. With a thin body that seemed tock nutrition, a beard that grew too long which matched with his unkempt hair. Clothes that were torn and worn down and, a rented apartment where he lived.

    Unwashed dishes were on his sink and, garbage bags piled up at the front of his door. A notice is taped in front saying [For Sale] even though he was still living inside it.

    Zeke was ying a game. Immersed in it as he always has been. But this immersion turned to realization as the screen suddenly turned ck. With the words [Game Over] disyed. He then saw how he looked like through the ck screen, throwing away the controller as he began screaming.

    "No! This is all wrong! Where did I go wrong!" Zeke beat himself up.

    With the transcendence continuing, Zeke continued facing hardship after hardship. Getting immersed into situations and events as if they truly urred and, testing the will of him who dared trespass the borders of mortality.

    The thin Zeke looked around him. He looked at how his life turned so miserably and how everyone else was sessful in life. All his ssmates got decent jobs. The teacher that humiliated him became the principal while the other teachers were also promoted. There were others whom he deemed to be undeserving that have gotten only the good things in life.

    Suddenly, there was a gun on his hand. A bullet on the other. It was all so simple. The way in which Zeke could escape the hell which he was stuck in. The way out of it was through that single bullet and the pull of the trigger.

    [Game Over]

    These words were still disyed in the screen. He just lost, like in every other game that he yed, Zeke lost once again and tears began falling from his eyes.

    "No! I''m not a loser! I am not!" The room began getting darker and darker until, it was only him and the gun that was present.

    "Pull it."

    "Pull the trigger."

    "Kill yourself."

    The voices murmured until they got louder and louder. Turning into screams thatmanded Zeke on what he needed to do.

    "KILL YOURSELF TRASH!"

    "AHHHHH!" The sound of a bullet being fired echoed around the darkness and, suddenly Zeke was back to the same room. The gun was thrown to the side and, since it was old and worn down, it was a small wonder how it shot on its own when he threw it.

    He then stared back at the same screen. [Game Over] was still on it but, as he touched the console, a new option appeared

    [Continue from the save point?]

    Everything came back to the moment with his teacher. Within the faculty room where everyone was looking at him.

    "Well how about it Zeke?" The teacher asked, with a foxlike smile on his face.

    "Why don''t you take the exa-" Zeke''s fist met his teacher''s face, sending him down the ground as the young Zeke shouted.

    "WHY DON''T YOU GO FUCK YOURSELF!"

    Zeke continued battling with his will. Even without knowing it and, despite getting presented in the most hopeless of situations, the gamer continued wing up from his own grave. Wounding his hands and injuring his body. Step by step, through a mountain of torture and pain. Until the summit could be seen and transcendence was within reach.

    Slowly, he began forgetting who he was. But even in that moment, even with his memories distorted and a flood of amnesia clouded him. Zeke was still able to surpass it all, screaming:

    "I AM ZEKE ELWOOD!"

    The god opened his eyes, slowly. Like he was a newborn babe getting used to the light of the world. And, as soon as he was conscious, the answer finally came on the question of who emerged.

    "Holy shit it actually worked!"

    There was no doubt about it, Zeke was the one who came out of the process. This was because, even with his will getting shattered, [Gamer''s Mind] automatically restored it. This came at the price of the said function getting dissolved. This exins why Zeke was more expressive than he was before the [Transcendence] because, without [Gamer''s Mind], his emotions were restored to their normal state.

    [Congrattions on your transcendence Zeke Elwood! The System has finished updating and this is the full rundown of the patch notes:]

    [1. All functions owned within the System has reached the level of the divine.]

    [2. With the amount of devouring done, the Gamer has reached ultimatum in all attributes.]

    [Ultimatum refers to attributes going beyond Level 999. This cannot beputed anymore and are hence simply given this title.]

    "Wait, doesn''t that mean that between two [Ultimatums], I won''t be able to distinguish who is stronger?"

    [That is correct.]

    [3. Analysis has ascended into The All-Seeing Eye. This removes all restrictions on Analysis and the skill may be used even without the physical body of the caster being present.]

    "What function will help me in using this skill?" Zeke asked, knowing that there would be something of the sort because of the former function''s description.

    [That will be trough patch note number four:]

    [Minimap has ascended into Odin''s Vision. This allows the gamer to see all of creation and to monitor them. This consumes some of the gamer''s mental capacity and is not rmended when in the middle of fights.]

    "Okay I don''t even want to try that right now. It just sounds like a major headache to me." Zeke thought as the updates continued disying in front of him.

    [5. The shop will only contain divine items and divine cancelling items at this point. The money to be used in buying these will be avable in the new quests.]

    [6. Forging has ascended into "Hephaestus'' Workshop". All things crafted by the gamer will automatically gain an Ascended attribute.]

    [7. Voice Chat has ascended into "The Oracle". This allows the gamer to speak directly to any living being within all of the created worlds and realms.]

    [8. The gamer has acquired "Divine Tongue" allowing him to understand and speak allnguages.]

    [9. The gamer has acquired the "Will of the Universe" all his actions will be justifiable under its authority.]

    [10. You have acquired Death''s Void  Ultimatum.]

    [11. You are immune to death and aging. You are also immune from all negative effects including those affecting the mind.]

    [12. Conjurer has ascended into Seraphim  All Conjured creatures that remain can also ascend above their limits.]

    "Oh that reminds me." Zeke began calling out the two that remained, instantly teleporting them in front of him.

    "You have served me well and, this is thepensation for all your efforts." Zeke ced his hand in front of the two, covering them with light as runes began circling around them.

    "Ascend." The two creatures began evolving immediately. Wings grew on their back, six all in all just like their master. They had four eyes each and were entirely different in attire.

    Samael retained its knight - like look; covered entirely by a ck armor. Meanwhile, Vardus wore a robe that made it look like a high mage. Yet it still held to the same weapon which was a dual wielded sword.

    "Well if the two of you don''t mind. I believe it''s time for us to go up there." Zeke said, snapping his fingers and forcing the doors of heaven to open up for him.

    "Time to show those noobs how their work should be done."

 Chapter 280: Divinity

    Chapter 280: Divinity

    Zeke was right about one thing. There was really a catastrophe which went on in the heavens as soon as he defeated Vardus. In fact, it was all aligned to what he hypothesized because, the other half of the Grand Monarch has awakened in the heavens.

    It came suddenly. While the main deities entertained all the questions of the doubting minor gods, Vardus suddenly woke up. He didn''t let this show. In fact, he simply observed his surroundings, trying to figure out what was happening. Then, as soon as he got a good grasp of it, Vardus stopped time.

    "Ahh so even these self-proimed gods have no way of escaping my powers."

    "Time Spears!" Vardus was caught a bit off guard, unable to dodge all the projectiles and getting hit by one.

    "Of course, a poor imitation."

    "Look old man, I don''t know who you are but, you can''t be messing with my stuff like that."

    "Oh don''t worry you''ll know me soon enough."

    The two rulers of time were the first to sh. With the infinite duration of [Emperor''s Time] nobody was able to intervene between Chrono and Vardus. Their fight was evenly matched as they had simr powers to make use of, yet, the difference in experience evidently showed.

    Little by little, Vardus was able to take the upper hand. He used his [Time Eaters] which continued attacking Chrono while also defending himself. He used [Durthas], creatures made of time which barraged Chrono with their attacks.

    This was all the leverage Vardus needed in order to capture the other ruler of time. However, it proved to be taxing just to contain the said god in one of his [Time Eaters]. Preventing him from maintaining his [Emperor''s Time] which shattered at that moment.

    All the gods and goddesses within the council room had their eyes widen in horror as they became witnesses to the event. Chrono was captured and was slowly getting absorbed by the [Time Eater] while, standing right beside him was a man whom only Sinir knew of.

    "I guess this muste as a bit of a shock to you but, you all need to die."

    A lot of things were revealed at that point. Nisha''s death came into light as well as the things which Pier secretly did to the other worlds. With the use of the powers held by the god of deceit and the goddess of darkness, Pier was able to hide some of the worlds which began rotting away due to chaos. This was still in a restorable state but, with only two main deities maintaining the bnce, the task was close to impossible.

    "Oh darlings that won''t work against me." Vardus drained multiple spells through the use of his [Time Eaters]. This inevitably caught the gods and goddesses in a state of shock but, not as much as the other feat which Vask was able to perform.

    He was able to catch one more god with his [Time Eater]. With the thought that they are immortal, the gods and goddesses weren''t as afraid. But, this immediately changed as the said god began screaming. The [Time Eater] drained the very existence of that god until, nothing was left.

    "And now I have something new to use." Vardus said, releasing razor sharp wind des which he obtained by absorbing the said god.

    "What have you done!" Sinir shouted but, the only reaction she received was a hystericalughter.

    "HAHAHAHA! What have I done? Dear I''m just getting started."

    The sh within the heavenly realm continued. And because it was in such a state, nobody noticed the birth of the new god on Mythos nor the other tings which Zeke was up to.

    Vardus was immersed in eradicating all the gods and goddesses while, the said divine beings tried their best to take him down.

    "Oh don''t be shy, just ept this little gift of mine and all your troubles will be over."

    "No! We will not allow you to win Vardus!" Sinir fired lightspeed projectiles. Each with enough force to create a new world.

    "Ahh to call me by that name brings back memories." Vardus cancelled them out, catching the projectiles through the seemingly infinite amount of [Time Eaters].

    "Speaking of which, do you remember how I slept with your mother?"

    "SHUT UP!" Sinir fired a beam of light so bright that it even erased some of the starts along the way. On the various worlds below, the mortals could even see it in the form of a gigantic star.

    It was the same light of a universe being created. All of this power was fired at Vardus. Yet, as the light diminished, she saw that the attack had no effect.

    "Tsk. Tsk. Princess."

    "How?"

    "Oh you truly are the daughter of your mother. Both seemingly calm yet aggressive when it is their loved ones that are being hurt." Vardus showed the magic circle, the symbols and runes used for his incantation and the effect that it created.

    "This is basically a barrier made of the same principles as my [Time Eaters]. Any spell casted on me, any attack, as soon as all these things hit my barrier, they would simply get absorbed." He snapped his fingers and a hundred [Time Eaters] appeared. Alling after Sinir who did her best to dodge and attack at the same time.

    "Tik tok. Tik tok. Your time is running princess, you cannot escape the hands of time forever."

    At that moment Vardus was unstoppable. Within the heavens nobody had enough power to stop him as he was. The slimmest chance they had was with Chrono and yet this same god has been sessfully contained within arge [Time Eater].

    As if this wasn''t bad enough, Vardus had the powers of some deities. Darkness from Nisha. Deceit from Pier. Ice and Lightning from the foolish gods that perished upon descending in Mythos and, Wind from thest god which he consumed.

    "This is just a pointless struggle! You and these so-called gods cannot defeat me!"

    Vardus summoned all of his powers at once, creating multipleyered magical circles. This covered the entirety of the heavens, and nobody could do anything to stop it. With the [Time Eaters] chasing them down, they needed to put their full focus on defending.

    "Your attacks are absorbed by my [Time Eaters]. Even if you all attack me at once, my barrier would simply absorb everything and strengthen me even more. If you lower your guard, you''d be easy prey to these same spheres." Vardusmented, trying to put some sense into his enemies who refused to give up.

    "Look princess, no matter what you do, your end is inevitable." Vardus didn''t even look like he was trying. He simply sat down, preparing all the divine energy to make his final strike.

    "Silence!"

    "I tried reasoning out with you but, it seems to be pointless." The magic circles began rotating, like gears of a clockwork waiting to be aligned.

    "I just want you to know that, all you''ve created, the bnce and harmony which you did your best to maintain. All of it will be devoured by Chaos."

    With this the condensed attack was fired down on all of the heavens. With the amount of power poured out on it alone they knew that, it was enough to shatter the very reality of their existence.

    Some gods closed their eyes. Some continued fighting. Others pleaded to be saved by Vardus but, none of it was of any use. They were all waiting for their imminent death. And, this was when things began to turn.

    "You all look pathetic right now."

    Instead of dying, they were shielded. Not by any god or goddess but by two summoned creatures nheless. With one looking like a knight while the other seemed to be a mage.

    "And who might you be?" The nullified attack irritated Vardus who got up from where he sat.

    Vardus and all the divine creatures stared at the new entity that appeared out of nowhere. He looked nothing like any of them yet, they could tell from a nce that he also had divine aura.

    "Oh me? Nothing much, just gamer passing his time."

    "It can''t be. Zeke Elwood is that you?"

    "Oh my god it''s the useless boob goddess." Zekemented, disregarding Vardus altogether.

    The Monarch of Time didn''t let such insolence go unpunished. Sending fifty [Time Eaters] toward Zeke. And for good measure, he even increased their speed a thousand-fold.

    "Ultimatum Overdrive."

    In one fluid motion, Zeke summoned the Blood King''s halberd and destroyed all of the spheres dispatched by Vardus.

    "Of course you''d try attacking when I''m not looking. Typical video game goon." Zeke said, referring to Vardus.

    "Who are you?"

    "You know I''m getting tired of being asked all these things over and over again. Just think of me as Death, and I''vee to pick you up."

    "HAHAHA! Death? You''d do well to mildly entertain me boy!"

    Vardus used [Emperor''s Time]. Deciding to simply pause everything and attack the dangerous opponent while he couldn''t move. But, just as he casted the said skill, it got nullified. Putting Vardus in a state of disbelief for the first time after he woke up.

    "How" he looked at Chrono but the child was slumbering within the time eater. There was no one else who was supposed to be capable of such a feat.

    "Like I said, I am death." Within one fluid motion, Zeke destroyed all of the [Time Eaters] and cancelled out every attempt at rewinding, pausing, or speeding up of time. Within the span of ten seconds, Zeke''s halberd was already piercing through Vardus as he whispered.

    "Tell Vask I said hi." The gamer twisted the halberd, creating a burst of divine energy and, killing Vardus along the way.

 Chapter 281: The End?

    Chapter 281: The End?

    [You have sessfully cleared all of the objectives. No further missions will be given by the System.]

    As soon as Zeke defeated Vardus, all of the distortedness and anomalies he caused also ceased to exist. The [Time Eaters] shattered including the one which imprisoned Chrono. The boy aged a lot and was at his teen years all because of the [Time Eater].

    However, there were some things that couldn''t be restored right away. This includes the worlds destroyed by Pier.

    This was a top priority for Sinir who only began feeling the loss of Nisha at that moment. Yet there was something she needed to do even before that. Namely, the gamer, Zeke Elwood, must first be properlypensated.

    "Mister Elwood, thank you for all your services until this point. We would''ve had great difficulty with the enemy if it weren''t for you?"

    "Great difficulty?" Zeke repeated in a mocking tone.

    "Why are you making it sound like we couldn''t handle it without you?" One of the minor gods butted in, turning Zeke''s attention to them.

    "Ah these must be the minor gods. Tell me, who among you schemed with Pier and the god of mes Calitha?"

    "W-what are you talking about?"

    "My first death. All the bad things that happened throughout my mission. Who among you sons of bitches were responsible for that?"

    "T-this human is giving false usations on us!" Those responsible were having cold sweat run on their foreheads. Zeke could clearly see it. Even without them saying anything, [All Seeing Eye] was doing its job; looking into all of their information at the same time.

    "This doesn''t feel as weird as I thought it would." Zeke said to himself as the gods and goddesses felt what he was doing.

    "Stop that! You are not allowed to look into a god or goddess'' information."

    "If I''m not allowed to look, then you should put some effort in hiding it."

    It wasn''t like they weren''t doing so. In fact, all effort was being ced into the task. Yet Zeke could easily bypass all of their defenses and still gather the information he needed.

    "So fifty more of you were in on it."

    "Zeke Elwood, stop that at once!" Sinir demanded.

    "Oh? I thought you were going to reward me or something." The gamer''s voice was sarcastic. There wasn''t anything in the world that they could offer him. Zeke already had everything he needed.

    "If you do not stop this insolence, you will leave us with no other option but to use force." Just as Sinir finished speaking, a bullet grazed her cheek.

    "What"

    "Unfortunately for you, this isn''t anything like thest time."

    All of the gods prepared to fight at that point but Zeke simply snapped his fingers. Samael was actually ready to cast its spell, activating [Grand Chariot  Ultimatum] which enclosed all of the divine beings. Chrono tried stopping this but, in the presence of the conjured Vardus, his spell was inevitably cancelled.

    "That''s not gonna work kid." Zeke said to Chrono who also had shock written all over his face as, the [Grand Chariot] finally closed.

    He was in the Heavenly Realm. The ce where the gods resided. It was beautiful as much as it was grand; with all the created worlds just beneath his feet. Yet, it was also a delusional prison for a bunch of immature hypocrites.

    "System, how long will it take me to rewrite the basic system of all created worlds?"

    [Answer: If these would simply be a few variables that would not cause a dramatic change, then it would only take a whole divine day.]

    "So a year in human time?"

    [Yes. But within this realm, you will only feel the passage of days just like the gods.]

    "Okay then. We have something on our agenda as soon as I deal with these pesky brats." Zeke brought out the item he forged a while ago. One which was thebination of the five gems he found in the caves of the Demon Continent''s Rift.

    [Item Name: Realm Prison]

    [Information: Anything sealed within the item cannot escape unless the requirements have been met. The prison may potentially break depending on the overall strength of that which is imprisoned.]

    [Information: It is impossible to trap a god or a goddess within the item.]

    Zeke ced the item on his [Forge] together with the loot he obtained by killing the divine version of [Vardus]. He ced all of these as sacrificial materials; assuring that the item that woulde out was still a [Realm Prison] of the sort.

    "Hephaestus Forging." The item shone with the same brilliance of a star exploding. mes from the forge rose and, as soon as this died down, Zeke had his new item in his hands.

    [Item Name: Eternity Prison]

    [Information: Anything which enters this realm have no chance of escaping and will gradually have their essence drained away until they die.]

    "Well I should say my farewells at least." Zeke said, putting the item back in his pocket and deciding to enter the [Grand Chariot].

    "You two stay here." Samael and Vardus nodded as Zeke Elwood met with the gods he resented so much.

    "GET US OUT OF HERE MORTAL!" A demand was shouted at the get go. Running the fuse of his patience even lower than it already was.

    "Okay, it seemes like we started on the wrong foot so let me try that again."

    Some gods and goddesses tried attacking him at that point. They were divinity. The highest form of creation that could ever exist. They breathed life into worlds and maintained bnce because of their providence. Yet, one of their creations had them trapped. And what made this even more humiliating was that, they didn''t even have the power to escape.

    They simply acted based on the normal response. Furious on the audacity of Zeke Elwood to even dare the stunt he was pulling.

    Various spells were fired at the same time. All being divine level. There was no escaping it because Chrono could simply turn back time. All their spells shed together and mixed, creating the same sphere of darkness which the elites identally made during the fight with Pier.

    It had enough power to destroy a whole universe yet there was nothing but a frightened expression on their faces. The prison they were ced in was still intact and, this meant that the summoner of the creature holding them there was still alive.

    "You really had to begin with an attack didn''t you?" Zeke''s voice could be heard from within the spiralingbination of spells.

    "Unfortunately for you, I''ve got a ton of spells that could nullify your attacks." Zeke emerged out of the attack virtually undamaged. He raised the sphere on his hand; still highly dangerous as it was. Then with a single cast of a spell, it vanishedpletely.

    "I believe that is enough of a demonstration on the difference of our powers."

    "Zeke stop this! Don''t you know what you are doing?" Sinir pleaded.

    "Oh I know exactly what I''m doing."

    "While I was in Mythos, I encountered the god that you exiled. Both of us were on our second lives because of a single bloody god that you couldn''t keep in check!"

    "We tried our best to stop him but we had no evidence."

    "Evidence? The hell are you saying? His title in itself is enough to put him to exile dumbass."

    "Do not speak to me in that tone!" Sinir raised her voice and this was all the motivation Zeke needed to cast a hundredyers of divine level spells above his enemies.

    "Temper. Temper." Zeke said, making Sinir bite her lips as she waited for the gamer to finish.

    "Calitha told me about everything. He resented you guys so much that he revealed all thepses and blunders you caused throughout history. And all I can say is that, for a bunch of All-Powerful beings, you guys are also All-Stupid."

    "I cannot take this anymore! Let''s kill him!" As soon as the goddess said this, a bullet passed through her chest. Divine blood flowed out of it and Zeke didn''t waste time to shoot her head next. The goddess was dead and, the terror of this event sent chills on every other divine being.

    "The only reason I''m here is to bid you all farewell. You are relieved from your jobs so feel free to do everything you want inside this prison."

    "Zeke please! What have we ever done to you?" Sinir demanded.

    "It''s not what you did. It''s what you didn''t do. It''s what you could''ve done."

    Every one of them was epting Zeke''s words. With the spells aimed at them and the guns he used to kill one of their own, they weren''t stupid enough to speak against him again.

    "Can you at least give us another chance?"

    "Another chance? Do you know how many mortals died asking for that same thing? You are not even qualified to ask of that you sick self-centered prick!"

    "But Zeke  " The gamer snapped his finger and the spells he prepared all fell down as a beam of multi-colored light. In the midst of all these gods, there was only one which Zeke save. Taking her by the waist and bringing her out of [Grand Chariot].

    "That was quite the show there Zeke." It was Yaeger, the mother of Heron.

    "Oh don''t pretend you didn''t like it. You hate them as much as I do." Zeke used [Eternity Prison] right away. Sealing all the gods within a cube which he held in his hands.

    "So what do you n to do now?"

    "That much should be obvious ma''am." Zeke said, staring down at all the worlds which were slowly getting destroyed.

    "I''m going to rewrite every naturalw."

 Chapter 282: The End

    Chapter 282: The End

    "You can go down to Mythos if you want. Nobody''s stopping you."

    Zeke was beginning the preparations in order to restore the worlds. It wasn''t as difficult as it seemed. Especially because he had his [System] as well as other useful skills such as the [All Seeing Eye] and, [Odin''s Eye]. Both skills were activated at the same time, activating through the third eye on Zeke''s forehead.

    "Can you handle this job all on your own?" Yaeger asked in genuine concern. They were both divine beings who were once mortal after all so, Yaeger knew how stressing the job could be.

    "Miss Yaeger, who do you think you''re talking to?" Zeke said in a cocky tone.

    "Right, I forgot. You are the god of games after all."

    "God of games huh, my fans on earth would go wild if they knew that I actually became a god."

    "I bet they will." Yeager said, seeing a portal open near her.

    "That''s your pathway down to the same vige where your daughter is at. There''s no Pier and no other being that can control spells like this as well as I can. So you''re at least sure that the teleportation would be urate."

    "Are you still holding a grudge for that time I sent you back to Mythos?"

    "No, of course not." Zeke said, actually thinking of sending Yaeger near a ck hole just to scare her before immediately teleporting her to Heron. But he also thought that Yaeger may die from shock and he didn''t want something like that to happen because of a pun.

    "Well I guess this is good bye then." Yaeger said, looking through the gateway which showed what was on the other side. Through it Yaeger could see Heron who was happily talking to a bunch of children.

    "I guess it is." Zeke said, not feeling sentimental because he already had his fill of farewells.

    "Oh and Zeke." She waited for the gamer to look at her as she mouthed the words.

    "Thank you." With this Yaeger jumped in on the portal and, Zeke was once again left to himself.

    "Honestly what''s up with everyone thanking me. It''s not like I''ve done anything saintly." Immortality in itself was a punishment and, it wasn''t one that he wished upon himself. He didn''t want to be a creature that simply served as a spectator with his emotions slowly dying.

    That is why, with the [Eternity Prison] serving as the core, Zeke began programing the perfect system.

    "Allesiah I hope I could still remember you when I go back there."

    [Do you wish to activate the Will of the Universe?]

    "Yes."

    [Understood, a patch update will be done to the whole multiverse.]

    The milky way itself and all the shine of the stars bore witness to Zeke''s masterful programing. ck holes whirled around him ands were being born as quickly as some were destroyed. Below Zeke were cogs of time operated by Vardus while assisting in maintaining it was Samael.

    "Well then, shall we begin?" Zeke said, emitting all the divine energy which his limitless body had.

    The n was simple, Zeke was going to share fragments of all the gods and goddesses and pour them on the existings. His [System] will then measure the bnced number of worlds that should exist at the moment.

    [10% of the patch has beenpleted. Worlds have broken during this time and new ones have been born.]

    Zeke would then change the algorithm. Ensuring that within the history of the worlds, there would exist some individuals who can change it for the good. Inevitably, Zeke also needed to ce the variable of evil in order to bnce both creation and destruction.

    [20% of the patch has beenpleted. New entities have been created while some creatures have gone extinct.]

    Zeke''s will would then be shared on the worlds existing at the time. Without the heroes or heroines knowing, he would grant them certain things which were present in the [Gamer''s System]. Yet these will exist merely as the natural potential of the heroes and heroines that would be born.

    [30% of the patch has beenpleted. Additional assets connected to the initial data are being merged.]

    Through this, there would be no such thing as a person being forcefully taken out of earth. Everyone will live within their own worlds, existing until the end of their lifetimes without any interruption nor interference from some greedy cosmic beings.

    "Some isekai fanatics on earth might screw me over for this but, hey they wouldn''t know." Zeke thought as the update continued progressing.

    [40% of the patch has beenpleted.]

    Everyone would be free to move ording to their wills. Even if someone is born a hero with Zeke''s blessings, they may never know of this and may live normal lives until the end. And the gamer thought that there was nothing wrong with this.

    "Fate must never be something dictated on a person. It must be something that is grabbed by one''s own will and, challenged as much as one likes. Nobody deserves to be puppets on strings."

    [50% of the patch has beenpleted. Gctic entities have been generated during this time.]

    The worlds began moving in ordance with the patch. Some were able to recover while others got destroyedpletely. Zeke had no intention of meddling with this natural flow and simply added the provisions he wished.

    [60% of the patch had beenpleted. Fixing some data problems that urred along the way.]

    It was a beautiful sight to behold. Like creation itself was being repeated from a subatomic level. Sand dust shaped particles of various colors swirled around the gamer. Runes and symbols found on different worlds also filled this process as well as magic circles.

    [70% of the patch has beenpleted. Going through the initial parts and checking for possible bugs.]

    It was a harmonic chaos. An event that could never be replicated and, the only witnesses to this were Samael and Vardus.

    [80% of the patch has beenpleted. Greater entities on all worlds have been created both good and evil.]

    It was ending. Zeke finally put an end to the tyranny of the gods. To the meddling of the beings that simply wished to save themselves, thinking that they were needed by creation. Not realizing that they had it all backwards.

    It wasn''t creation that needed them, it was them that needed creation. For without the mortals nor the worlds where they thrived, then there would be no purpose to their existence. And until the bitter end, they refused to ept this.

    "At least you''ll be serving to make the world better." Zeke looked at the [Eternity Prison] how it served its purpose greatly at that moment. Stabilizing the entirety of the process which Zeke was performing.

    [90% of the patch has beenpleted. Adding all the additional data required before thepletion.]

    It was only a matter of time at that point. Zeke was patiently waiting as all the dust settled and all the winds stopped blowing. Even the ck holes in the infinite void seemed to slow down in destroying as the process was ending.

    [95%]

    [96%]

    [97%]

    With the remaining moments, time seemed to freeze as Zeke looked back on all that happened to him. How everything happened with the game invitation that sent him to [Trial Ind]. How he found out that he was chosen by the highest of all creators within the multiverse. This all led to his fateful descent on Mythos and, the encounter of a seemingly normal family.

    A bunch of things happened along the way. Then he met an elf who wanted to be the best sorceress of all time  Allesiah. With her, the journey of Zeke continued taking various twists and turns. Until he was caught by the meddling of some gods. Until he was killed and transferred to the body of a ten-year-old boy.

    [98%]

    The twenty elites then descended on Mythos. Through them, Zeke found trustworthypanions whichsted until the end of their mission.

    "Not a single one of you will die." This was the promise he made to himself as he took them in. And, as a man of his words, Zeke did all he could in order to live up to this promise.

    [99%]

    Zeke was going to disappear with the operation. With fragments of himself spreading on all created worlds and on the ones that were still to be generated, there was nothing of his godly frame that would remain. He was simply going to disappear and, the only ones who would be left in the heavens are his two [Conjures]. Eternally watching over the core that was the [Eternity Prison] and, ensuring that nobody gets their hands on it.

    "I''m counting on the two of you." The [Conjures] bowed to the only king they served, grateful that they would continue doing so until the end of time itself.

    "So I''m really going to die this time around huh. This is so weird." Zeke said, feeling cold as the world around him began cking out. Yet, in thest few seconds of his consciousness, the [System] offered him a choice.

    [Due to Allesiah''s Mana Maniption, she was able to cancel out your Mind Wipe skill.]

    "That crazy woman." Zeke said, thinking how Allesiah probably had the same lock ced on her mind as the one she used against de.

    [Due to her prayers, you may reincarnate as an Elven Zeke Elwood in Mythos. No further reincarnations may happen after this. Do you wish to continue?]

    "Yes."

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!