Monarch of Luminescence || Solo-Leveling

Ɛ ɹǝʇdɐɥɔ

"I should really train more, huh. Where are the injured?"

"Reserve your energy, I won't die from this." Song waved him off.

"Alright old man, let's get you healed up now."

"... I didn't know your healing magic was this good... to the point where I recovered my entire arm."

"I had to get better at it just in case this guy beside me ends up getting one or two limbs chopped off." Chang-min pointed his thumb towards a certain black-haired male who bashfully looked away. "But returning to the topic at hand..."

"Right. This place is definitely beyond D-rank than the association labeled it to be. That thing is an A-rank... no... possibly even an S-rank. The commandments of the cartoon temple from earlier stated...

'One, thou shall worship god.

Two, thou shall praise god.

Three, thou shall prove thy faith.

Those who fail to obey these commandments shall not be spared.' —

—That's what was written."

"Mr.Song... The 'God' in these commandments is probably... referring to that statue, right?"

They looked up at the largest, most menacing statue in the room.

"I don't believe so. The one radiating the most amount of mana is—" Chang-min looked over to the winged statue holding the Commandments, but it exuded the most chilling aura that he had ever felt and managed to shut him up.

"Hyung? Are you okay?"

"...I don't think many of us will make it out alive today. This temple... It muddles with the higher beings." Hwan felt cold sweat dripping down his face.

"It's only a matter of time before we get annihilated, then... We shouldn't try to do anything against an opponent like that. Once things settle down, let's just try to figure out how to get out of here... Though it won't be easy." Song Chiyul sighed.

"I'll try to break the doors," Hwan said. His determination was clear.

"Have you not seen what it can do? One misstep and you're gone!" Jinwoo tried to talk him out of it, but his willpower did not waver.

"Better than waiting for the king of the dead to scoop us away. If I fail, then... good luck." Chang-min gave a little smile before dashing towards the door. He didn't have to deal with most of the statues since they'd all fallen onto the ground, but he did have to deal with that insta-kill laser beam.

The door did not succumb no matter how much damage Chang-min did. Even the laser beam from the statue did not destroy it. He then dashed back using the same method as he did before; lowering himself as much as possible.

"Not even a scratch. So, what's the plan now?" Chang-min sat down, exhausted.

"I'm going to give it a shot. I'm confident in my speed, and I bet I could break through those doors in one go. I refuse to die here!" One side character declared.

"Suit yourself. You're just asking for the grim reaper to knock on your door."

"Get off your high horse, D-rank." After getting into position, he blasted off, only to be burnt to nothing by the laser.

Many teammates looked away from the horrid scene. Some screamed and some wailed in despair.

"They could kill us at any moment, yet they haven't." Jinwoo pointed out.

"Yeah, their attacks are based on a set of rules, which probably line up with those rules over there, on the slate. But something just doesn't feel right. 'Prove thy faith?' What, are we meant to provide a sacrifice?" Chang-min ruffled his own hair in distress. Even he has run out of ideas. "We can't be too pessimistic... Even though our situation is looking grim..."

"Let's... try following the commandments for now. There's nothing else we can do." Song Chiyul looked at the concrete floor.

"I think... we should all bow down to it. It'll attack if you stand above a certain height, but it won't if you stoop down. That's what 'Thou shall worship god' means." Jinwoo explained.

"I hope this isn't just a hunch... Everyone! Bow down to the statue!!" Song Chiyul ordered, and everyone slowly did so. Was it out of fear, or desperation...? Or perhaps both? Many people were sobbing, some were trembling uncontrollably.

After a while, the statue resting on the throne had the light in his eyes diminish. What replaced it was a malicious grin that no one could ever forget.

Someone brave enough to stand up — the old man in the green puffer jacket who gossiped about Hwan Chang-min and Sung Jinwoo — discovered that its lasers did not continue anymore. The excitement of this spread through the entire unknowing crowd, cheering for their lives and survival.

Even with the cheers surrounding them, the duo understood immediately that this wasn't the end of what they'd hear from this statue. What came after was a heavy rumble, as the statue stood up from its throne.

"It's not over yet!?"

"Wait... We're not going to have to fight that thing, right?"

Some had caved into consternation and waited for death, while others wanted to stay alive.

"Sung, Hwan! Got any other tricks up your sleeve?!" Chiyul had shouted, but the two didn't have any answers either.

It raised its foot and began to squash the others like mere ants on a sidewalk.

"Believe me, I'm going to make him ram his nasty stinky ass foot into a wall one day." Chang-min cursed, trying to lead as many people away from the statue as possible.

"It would be nice if it was right now rather than one day!!" Jinwoo grabbed onto Joohee, who was still paralyzed in terror, taking her to run away from the statue.

Jinwoo's brain was running faster than ever. This was his first time encountering such a situation, where even Chang-min was backed into a corner.

"It's dangerous to stay in a group! Let's split up for now!" Song Chiyul ordered, and everyone began scattering in different directions. Chang-min can only hope that they'll be fine because he'll expend too much energy if he tried to save all 10 people left, especially now that they've run further away from him.

At this moment, Jinwoo made a realization. "Everyone! Run towards the statues with instruments!!"

Chang-min understood his thoughts and ran under the closest sculpture holding a flute. "Haha, well aren't you like me? With the flute and all." He let out a relieved sigh and sat down, listening to the flute play as he began to watch out for Jinwoo and Joohee's backs.

Jinwoo ran toward a statue with a drum, but it coincidentally refuses to play if there are two people under it. Almost like an elimination game, they're trying to get rid of as many people as possible. Jinwoo ditched Joohee at the statue while he made a run for it. The statuette's drum can be heard from behind him, but he had no time to think. There was a large silhouette coming for him, and it made it its life goal to crush Jinwoo.

"Jinwoo! That's not an instrument!-" Chang-min jumped up, worried sick as Jinwoo unknowingly made his way towards a shielded statue.

"Huh?" He looked closely at the statue, but he realized it too late. He was in an awkward position after sliding away from the laser eyes. The shield strikes down, right where his leg was supposed to be.

Chang-min and Joohee called out his name, with one being on the brink of tears and one bawling their eyes out. Chang-min doesn't know what to do. He could run and scoop him up, but where would he go? Both of them would die. He watched, squirming in his clothes as the heavily injured boy crawled away from the moving statue behind.

Please... if there is really a god, please.. save Jinwoo...

Almost as if his prayer was heard, the statue beside Jinwoo started singing, and the so-called 'god' of the room paused in his tracks. Both of Jinwoo's friends rushed over, realizing his lost leg.