The lighting strike sliced the giant into two. Every bit of the giant was decimated by the intense strike.
I crawl out of the cloud of dust slowly. Thinking it is finally over, I lie on the sand staring into the sky.
*Pit pat pit pat*
Droplets of rain descend from the lingering clouds, washing away the remnants of the battle.
...
"Huff huff huff..."
...
Huh?
Amidst the many droplets, I can suddenly hear footsteps from afar...and detect demonic mana.
I look to my right to find a man wearing a black robe. He pulls down the hood to reveal himself as the same youth with the hero's face, the mastermind that forced us into this dungeon.
"Y-You..."
The young hero smiles at me and walks to the fortress. He is going for the vase.
My eyes weren't playing a trick. There is another enemy, that bastard!
I can't feel anything. How do I...
---------------
?????
Strength:???
Weakness:???
Tribe:???
Level: 100
?????
----------------
His level...dropped?
...
Things were never fair from the start. No matter how much a player struggles and prepare. The odds are always against the player because of the "Butterfly Effect".
...
Even in reality, this remains true.
As if to taunt me, the man looks at one of our dead allies and stomps on his head.
...
I clench my fist.
"Fuck no..."
I won't fucking die after everything I've done. I pushed and pushed just for survival. I won't fucking die just because of one scheming fucker.
I don't care if I become a cripple, I will at least take that robe bastard down with me.
----------------
Warning!
You are attempting to use a skill you have not learnt. The drawbacks will be tremendous.
----------------
I pull myself up again. Bloody and tired, my body refuses to give in.
Pulling back my sword, my body fades into a transparent white and materializes beside the robed mage.
The robed man widens his eyes when we lock contact.
*PSSSH!!!*
With one slash across his neck, I decapitated him and rolls to the ground, throwing my sword a distance from me.
I'm not sure what drawbacks occurred to my body but I fell unconscious before I felt it.
----------------
You have obtained a technique from using it:
[Rena's Origin Skill]
Phantom Phase
A special footwork created by Rena at her prime in the future. It allows the user to use space-time traversal to teleport a short distance through any obstacles.
Cooldown: 1 second
Condition to use the technique:
->1000 Mag
->2000 Def
->5000 Dex
As the player used a technique that far surpasses his capabilities, a penalty is applied:
Mana Sense(lvl 4 -> lvl 1)
Lvl: 238 -> 201
Hp:100000 -> 80000
Mana: 20000 -> 10000
Atk: 572 -> 500
Def: 378 -> 300
Dex: 409 -> 300
Mag: 421.5 -> 400
----------------
----------------
You have achieved the impossible.
Your existence grows stronger.
----------------
----------------
Main Mission complete!
Calculating an appropriate reward...
----------------
----------------
Dungeon cleared!
Rank: SSS
Casualties: 6
Monsters killed: 1,100,002
Time Taken: 31:02:17
Calculating an appropriate reward...
----------------
================================
Ngh...
"What..."
It feels comfortable, soft, and warm. I am in bed.
High ceilings adorned with intricately carved wooden beams are all I see. Getting up, I notice I am in a bedroom on a large, canopied four-poster bed, crafted from dark oak and draped with sheer white curtains. The bedposts are ornately carved with delicate floral motifs, while the headboard features a design of intertwining vines and leaves, painted in shades of blue and white.
The walls are covered in rough-textured white plaster with flooring of plush blue and white rugs.
Against one wall, a carved wooden wardrobe with blue-painted accents stands tall. Adjacent to the wardrobe, a small vanity table with a matching wooden frame holds a mirror, adorned with intricate carvings of mythical creatures and floral patterns.
The room is softly illuminated by the flickering glow of candlelight emanating from a wrought-iron candelabrum suspended from the ceiling.
"You are awake." a voice comes from my right.
My awe distracted my instinct to detect the person.
Sitting beside the bed is a short young girl of enchanting beauty. Dressed in a long white gown, her lustrous white hair tumbles down in gentle waves, caressing her shoulders and back. Her most captivating feature, however, lies in her eyes. Like orbs of clear cerulean, her azure gaze is both serene and piercing, exuding an aura of wisdom and elegance.
"I'm Eva Targula. You've met my aunt, didn't you?" she says. (Note: Her aunt is Ava Targula, the sister of The Hero.)
Eva Targula is the daughter of the Hero and Saintess Mari. She was executed fifty-one years ago after her father's death along with Saintess Mari by the Demonic Cult.
Any records describing her appearance felt vastly exaggerated. It was not. She is beautiful.
"What's going on?" I ask.
Eva stares at me with a poker face. "You are within my abode, the room of intermission. In gaming terms, this would be akin to a loading screen."
"Loading screen?" I attempt to move my body but to no avail.
"The system requires some time to compute your rewards due to an unexpected variable. Anyways, our time is limited, I will get to the point. I am a moderator in Elvis Arcane. It's a pleasure meeting you, Player Samuel." She says.
M-Moderator?!! W-What?
An in-game character is a moderator???
"Due to time constraints, I will allow three questions. Ask away."
...
I have many questions but the most important one is...
"What kind of existence is Arsto?" I ask.
Eva stares at me with her rigid expression. "I don't know."
????
"After I was executed, I found myself resurrected by Arsto as he appointed my role. What I can say for sure is that Arsto is the founder and CEO of Star Valium." (Note: Star Valium is the company that released "Elvis Arcane" as a game in Samuel's original world, refer to chapter 1)
"W-What the fuck?!" I exclaim. I couldn't believe my ears.
"I am equally as confused as you are. My apologies."
...
"Hah..." I sigh. "It's fine. The system threatened me before entering the dungeon, what was that about?"
"Ah...that was a blunder on our side. Someone hacked into the system and that person has been taken care of. We will send compensation after you return. Any more questions?" Ava says.
Hacking into the system is possible?
...
"Uhm...Some people cleared the game before me. Are they in this world?"
Ava nods. "They were."
Past tense?
"Unfortunately, I cannot reveal too much, your existence is too weak. Grow stronger and survive. The answers to all your questions will eventually reveal themselves."
"I see..."
Eva gazes down. Despite her stone expression, I think she is sad.
"Player Samuel, your final enemy is not The Demon Lord. Remember that. This is the only space we are safe from their observation. Thus, do not chant my name when you return."
"From who?"
The moment Eva opens her mouth, a distorted piercing shriek paralyses my ears.
"UGH?!"
Eva sighs. "I told you; your existence is too weak."
"Huff huff...alright," I reply.
Eva nods.
...
"Lastly, this is my advice for you. You are not Rena. Her methods won't work for you. While you have been gaining experience, she has been gaining Enlightenment." Says Eva.
!
...
"I...will keep that in mind."
"Now then, go back to sleep. I want to talk with your alter ego."
"My-"
Eva flicks my forehead and my mind instantly goes blank.
...
...
...
...
...
"Stop pretending, I know you arrived."
...
I smile. "Yes ma'am~ It's me, the bastard alter ego of Samuel. What do you want?"
Eva furrows her brow. "That's my question. What truly is your goal?"
...
My smile widens into a smirk.