Exp +50,000
[Level up!]
[+2 Strength]
[+1 Agility]
[+1 Mana]
Zyrus gulped down another recovery potion and looked at the status prompts. He wanted nothing more than to rest for the day, but his plan was only halfway through.
[Congratulations! You have killed the field boss “Nidhogg King”]
[+3 SP, 10% increased Exp gain underwater]
[You have dealt the most damage to the field boss!]
[You have dealt the final blow to the field boss!]
[You have obtained the Passive skill: Fear (A)]
[+5 SP]
The skill came as an unexpected surprise to Zyrus. He didn’t hope for much since the true rewards of this map were the pile of treasure chests. A few unique items were guaranteed for the first ones who explored this place.
Still, the biggest money-making reward was the next one.
[Congratulations! You are the first flag bearer who has cleared the 'Lair of Nidhogg']
[This area will be permanently accessible from now on.]
[Your Flag’s Tier has risen by 1!]
[From now on, 10% of the loot earned in this map will be sent to your faction storage]
The 10% tax was pointless since no one apart from his troops would come here in the first place. It was only useful for some adventurer parties or weak kings who didn’t have the power to control a large territory.
What use would it have for Zyrus who planned to rule the entire ocean? What mattered the most was the fact that this region would now become an open map.
This was the case when he came here first time before his regression. The field boss and the mob would respawn periodically, and most importantly, the chests would respawn as well.
Although the drop rates were lowered, Zyrus could afford to deploy a portion of his troops to grind this place.
Just the image of his future treasury was enough to lift his exhaustion.
Zyrus affirmed with Franken via his mental link and walked to the entrance that led below. The previous fight was rather ‘ground breaking’ in nature, and it had fully revealed the way below which was supposed to be hidden.
Zyrus shrugged his shoulders at the reply and leaned over towards the entrance. He didn’t know how Franken found this place, or why did he know that the eggs would escape.
‘Anyway, it’s time to prepare for the second part,’
The corpse of the field boss wouldn’t remain for long. Zyrus didn’t hesitate for a moment and jumped into the barrel-sized hole.
*Craack*
The cave was pitch black with no sounds. It was impossible to tell the way. But even without Franken’s reminder, Zyrus was able to feel the existence of something.
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‘It feels familiar yet disgusting at the same time,’
His steps echoed around the area and he could roughly make out his surroundings. Rather than a cave, it looked like an underground basement.
Zyrus stepped past the ten-meter mark, and sure enough, the scenery changed.
*Swoosh*
Numerous objects whizzed by his side before he could adjust his eyes. But he had no time to bother about them as his senses were being bombarded by all sorts of signals.
Desire, Greed, Fear, Animosity, and one that towered them all, Disgust.
It was the first time he was feeling different responses from the various powers within him. Zyrus walked step by step into the cave, towards the object that was the cause behind everything.
‘This is the last thing I expected to be the source of mutation,’
A green fruit was floating at the center of the cave. Brilliant motes of emerald light were swimming around the area. Although the cave was 15 meters in diameter, Zyrus found himself suffocating at this moment.
“What the fuck is that?”
Noone answered his question. He drew a sharp breath and used his willpower to keep his powers in check.
His entire body was drawn to that apple-like fruit. He was sure that every living creature would have the same instinctive response.
‘This is definitely the law of life,’
Zyrus was sure that the emerald motes and the fruit were filled with the laws of life. To make a comparison, the active laws were hundreds of times stronger than his attack against the glemorax king.
He found it unfathomable. How can someone indefinitely use the power of laws? He was certain that this fruit was under someone’s arrangement and not a natural object.
It was fortunate that this place was filled with the laws of life. If it were anything else, then he could only die with regret.
Zyrus’s scales grew back and even his hidden injuries were healed at a rapid rate. But even under this seemingly beneficial encounter, his senses were tingling with danger.
Every living creature would desire the fruit. His talent was greedy and yet afraid of this power, while his Sylvarix bloodline was giving him a sense of animosity.
These were hard-to-explain sensations. But the feeling of disgust that came from the cube was different from them.
He didn’t know why the cube would feel disgusted towards the laws of life. Nonetheless, his plans were the same.
Zyrus didn’t plan to use the source of mutation from the beginning. This might be useful to some players, but for someone who had the bloodline of a Sylvarix, it was the worst poison.
An ability to evolve without limits and an object that caused mutations- they weren’t a good match. He had no intentions of becoming a freak like Nidhoggs.
‘I’d be better off not touching it,’
Thus, he activated the shackles of nihility to bind the green fruit. Even if there were any lingering aftereffects due to the surroundings, Zyrus was sure that he could deal with them with his void laws.
*Thunk*
“…”
The fruit fell off like a boulder as if its power was cut off.
‘Why is it so hard to lift it?’
It was an absurd situation. As such, Zyrus was forced to use his shackles of nihility as ropes once again. He dragged the black chains and clawed his way to the ground. He doubted that any player except him could lift this thing that weighed like a mountain.
Zyrus analyzed his status after telling them to evacuate the area. Both his MP and stamina were recovered halfway. He was by no means in his peak conditions, but he couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
‘I’m sure the administrators are happy that I didn’t exterminate the field boss this time,’
Zyrus smirked as he imagined their relieved expression. It was a pity though.
They’ll have to find a new boss regardless, especially after they announced the opening of the map to all the players.
*Splatter*
He jumped on the corpse of the Nidhogg king and started digging at his heart. Yes, considering their difference in size, digging was the right word to describe it.
Its hard scales and stiffened muscles fell of under his claws. He didn’t kill the field boss like before for two reasons.
One, he wanted to make sure that this region operated as normal. Only then could he farm the mobs and treasure chests. Secondly, he wanted to use the source of mutation on the Nidhogg king’s corpse.
‘I wasn’t sure about the success at the start, but now it’s different,’
Wouldn’t it be a joke if the laws of life couldn’t revive the dead monster? It wasn’t even 'dead' in the first place.
‘But why does this bastard have so many bones?’
Zyrus felt like the Nidhoggs had strayed too far from their ancestry. Soon enough, he reached the field boss’s heart after digging for three meters.
He grabbed the chains once again and dropped the fruit where the Nidhogg king’s heart was supposed to be.
Time seemed to stop at this moment.
No, it really did.
[What the hell are you doing?]
“I say, can’t you guys decide who’s in charge of the area?”
[That fat ass slime declared that everything was okay and went back home. Anyway, can’t you sit still for a moment?]
Zyrus smiled at the fuming Anansi and pointed at the corpse,
“What’s the big deal? Do you think I’m a moron who doesn’t know anything? I know how powerful that fruit was,”
[Yet you fed it to that worm]
“Yeah, so what? Can it be stronger than lv 50? No matter how much of a powerup it gets, it won't break past the limits of the second ring,”
Anansi finally understood his reasoning. However, it made him even more incensed.
[So, you’re using the rules of the second ring as a purification device]
Zyrus looked back at the administrator with a nonchalant face. He didn’t know what effects the fruit would have or what would happen if he used his talent on it.
But one thing was for certain, he'd become stronger than before.
And that’s all that mattered.
[Fine then, have it your way]
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