Chapter 364

Chapter 364. Birth of a Hero (1)

It was merely a clash of swords.

Yet, its aftermath could only be described as explosive.

I was flung aside by the explosion, as it erupted right next to me.

“Ugh!”

Struggling to rise from the ground where I had been thrown so unceremoniously, I heard Senoa’s sudden voice in my head.

– Do not get caught in its grasp.

Her unexpected warning came as I saw Omby charging toward the Damned System.

Damned System had already been kicked far away by me.

Yet Omby closed the distance in the blink of an eye.

On the other hand, Senoa, who pursued him, was…

‘Lagging behind.’

Having been flung farther than me by the explosion, Senoa would take longer to catch up to Omby than Omby would take to reach the Damned System.

Realizing this, I propelled myself off the ground.

With Senoa from behind and me from the side.

Two different entities, each rooted in different worlds, with the same purpose: to bind Omby’s feet.

Between the two of us, I reached first, thanks to my closer distance.

I aimed my spear to block the path.

Omby ducked low to slip past the obstacle.

I released authority along the spear shaft to prevent that escape.

Crackle-!

The tangled web that sprang forth was enough to bind Omby’s feet.

With its path blocked, omby lashed out.

A black sword, undoubtedly crafted from corrupted divinity, extended toward my throat.

While I took a step back to fend it off, Senoa caught up from behind.

Omby quickly turned to block Senoa’s attack.

Once again, thud!

“Ugh!”

I gritted my teeth against the shock wave, erupting like another explosion.

In the midst of that chaos, something suddenly appeared in my line of sight.

“Hup!”

I twisted my torso to avoid Omby’s grasp.

Simultaneously, Senoa’s sword intervened between me and Omby.

‘Don’t get caught in its grasp.’

Reflecting on Senoa’s earlier advice.

Senoa suddenly leaped onto Omby, enveloping it, and within a split second, both vanished.

To be precise, they were absorbed into the shadows lingering beneath their feet.

Thanks to her swift action, the skirmish with Omby ended abruptly.

I frowned at the empty space left behind.

“Senoa…”

Where had she come from and where had she gone?

‘Her previous sudden appearance was likely a similar technique.’

Could this be an unknown authority of Senoa?

Why did she tell me not to get caught by Omby?

What was the reason for her unexpected assistance?

‘The alliance should have been nullified when I brought all her followers.’

I believed that we had turned hostile toward Bihar’s gods.

Then why did Senoa help me, or the Damned System?

Was there something that I didn’t know?

Senoa’s unexpected appearance caused thoughts to swirl in my head.

But I didn’t have the luxury of ruminating over those who had already disappeared.

‘What about Angramoti?’

Angramoti was missing from sight.

Given its colossal size, it shouldn’t be so easy to overlook.

A chill ran down my spine as I surveyed my surroundings.

I turned my head to where the familiar scenery of the material world was visible, which followed me as if attached like a tail.

Everywhere.

Like searching through a globe, I scanned here and there.

‘As expected.’

Angramoti had used the brief moment I was entangled with Omby to enter Earth.

– Roar!

Without any attempt to hide or strategize, the being had manifested openly and begun a merciless massacre.

‘Its location…’

It was near the southern border of Bulgaria.

“Tsk.”

I clicked my tongue and roughly ran my hand through my hair.

Though the situation was far from welcome,

‘It’s not the worst case.’

Having entered the material world, it was now subject to causality.

Thus, the material world favors me when fighting gods.

Angramoti had crawled into a fortuitous battle site.

I couldn’t call this the worst case.

‘From the perspective of winning or losing, it’s a boon.’

As long as it was within the Earth, a material realm, I could locate Angramoti anytime.

And since every moment it manifested on Earth exacted a toll, Angramoti’s power was waning.

After thinking long and hard, I turned my body around.

Instead of heading directly to capture Angramoti, I walked in a different direction.

‘Though the damage will be significant…’

There wasn’t a compelling reason to force Angramoti out of Earth.

‘Dragging it out might only postpone the hunt if it escapes.’

I wasn’t ready to give up the advantage of knowing its location.

It was a selfish and cruel decision, knowing that it wasn’t my kin who would be dying because of it.

I clenched my fist tightly, swallowing the emotions that came with that choice, and quickened my pace.

I needed to verify with my own eyes if the Damned System was intact.

The white sphere, just slightly smaller than my height.

Letters that hadn’t been there before floated above it.

「Recovery 0.055%」

Fortunately, it seemed the worst-case Scenario, the System’s annihilation, was avoided.

‘It’s in an injured state, I suppose.’

When Earth was first invaded, the Damned System had been attacked, and there was a weeklong hiatus.

If it was self-recovering like back then,

‘It will return soon.’

Seeing that status gauge fill up means the Damned System would return.

I exhaled in relief after confirming with my own eyes that the Damned System still existed.

Then I looked around.

‘It’s unsettling to leave it here so exposed.’

The area was wide open and barren.

Should Omby suddenly appear to attack the Damned System again…

‘The System would not have been in such an unsecured place.’

It knows its safety is paramount.

It wouldn’t have been left out here alone, vulnerable to sudden attacks.

It must have been in a secure location to be attacked here.

But without knowing what was here or not, it was hard to make a proper decision.

‘I need to relocate it.’

Since I couldn’t wander off leaving the Damned System unguarded, I hefted the white sphere.

It radiated warmth and intensity, yet it felt fragile and precarious at the same time.

Like holding a tattered rag in my hands.

How long did I wander anxiously with the Damned System on my back?

“Ah.”

I stumbled upon a massive white dome.

Nothing had been visible just a few steps back.

It only appeared once I got close enough.

‘It’s like a maze.’

A maze where you can’t see the next path until you turn the corner.

I explored beyond causality, believing there was nothing there.

But it might actually be a highly complex configuration.

I pondered this as I approached the white dome.

Part of the dome was wrecked, and the divinity that emanated from it was undoubtedly of the Damned System.

Judging by the scene, it seemed to have been attacked while it was here.

‘As far as assumptions go.’

Though I didn’t know the exact circumstances, it wasn’t critical for now.

At the moment, I placed importance on having found a place to hide the Damned System.

Carrying the System, I entered the dome.

“What an odd experience…”

It was a bizarre sensation of all senses being cut off.

Inside, I could only see the diverse Holes puncturing Earth.

The Damned System had been guarding against the Holes all this time here.

The adversaries were breaching this defense to keep opening Holes.

Standing there, I could see clearly how arduously the Damned System had been protecting Earth, enough to shake old grudges slightly.

However, it didn’t mean I would forget the grievances amassed in exchange for its past hardships.

“… Foolish.”

I forced a bitter word out and sighed deeply, placing the Damned System down.

‘With the current situation, the global frequency of Hole appearances will increase.’

Without the Damned System to block the Holes now, the enemy might launch a full-scale offensive.

Perhaps it had already begun.

Meaning as soon as I descend to Earth, an infernal schedule would await me.

The silver lining was that Earth already had a solid response system in place.

Even if I’m a bit late, millions of player legions would handle the surge in Holes.

‘Meanwhile, I need to plug the holes in the dome.’

Although it wouldn’t be perfect, blocking entry to the dome would ensure minimum safety.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to do everything manually.

During my attempts to find a solution, I realized something.

‘It regenerates on its own.’

The gaping hole in the dome shrunk slightly over time.

When I infused my divinity into it, the recovery speed increased.

Knowing that I didn’t have to leave the Damned System vulnerable was reassuring, and all I had to do was wait now.

Emerging from the dome, I leaned against it, continuing to infuse divinity.

There seemed to be screams echoing from the direction of the material world.

‘Until there’s at least a means to protect the Damned System, I cannot move.’

My priorities were very clear.

Even if billions of Earth’s people died, the Damned System must survive.

So I stayed, guarding it until the dome recovered.

In dealing with everything in my absence, I relied on those present there.

***

News of the monstrous creature that appeared in Bulgaria spread rapidly worldwide.

The sudden surge in the number of Holes that followed was more than triple the usual.

The emergence of a new legion amidst this chaos was not surprising.

Fortunately, having faced similar circumstances before, the Player Association remained unfazed.

With the world interconnected through satellite networks, they communicated and took necessary actions efficiently.

Every action was swift and precise.

But perfection was unattainable.

Despite being dispatched to battle the newly appearing legion in Turkey, Yang Taeho frowned as he pondered the message from Lily.

– Nine Platinum ranks have been wiped out at once.

Hunting the colossal monster that appeared in Bulgaria resulted in a casualty of nine Platinum ranks.

The loss was unprecedented and shocking.

Consequently, the Association virtually suspended the hunt for the monster with serpent-like heads.

– Currently, we consider it to possibly be one of the standard-exceeding ones and focus on civilian evacuation.

If so, only Hyunwoo would be capable of hunting that monster.

The fact that such a crisis erupted while Hyunwoo was away hunting another god was regrettable.

With the situation as it was, we had to endure and minimize damage until Hyunwoo returned.

And should we reach a failing point…

– Rashar and Ethan are currently monitoring the site, but please be aware that all apostles may need to converge in an emergency.

Even Yang Taeho, who had become an apostle again before Hyunwoo left, wasn’t an exception.

So, hearing of a potential assembly, two days passed.

Unlike Rashar and Ethan, assigned to track the anomaly northward through Bulgaria, Yang Taeho was dispatched to Türkiye to confront the legion.

He gritted his teeth and raised his hammer once more.

“Get out of the way!”

Bang!

As the hammer struck the ground, it shattered and crumbled into countless fragments.

The screams of monsters, plummeting into the abyss with no end in sight, were deafening.

A fourth-rank earth-element magic, earthquake.

All the high-rank mana stored in a Mana Accumulation Tool was required to cast it.

Thanks to it, swathes of low-rank evolved species fell, seemingly clearing the area.

However, a fresh wave of evolved species quickly filled the vacuum.

Such was a typical ordeal when facing a legion.

Battles with hordes of monsters, endlessly slaughtered yet endlessly respawning, resembled labor.

After another full day, the tedious battle finally waned.

Yang Taeho, finally placing his hammer’s head on the ground, wiped his face.

Damned System