[Fang of Nidraxis (Unique)]
Zyrus dropped the white fang on the swirling mass of energy. The mold created by mana almost exploded when he added a part of the blood dragon into the mix.
[Drake’s bones x 10]
[Drakes’s tendons x 10]
[Drake’s mutated heart x 1]
While inferior in quality, the remains of the drakes were sufficient to fortify the mold. Nidraxis and Jormungandr were beings who stood at the apex. A no-named Drake who failed to evolve wasn’t even worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as them.
And yet, it were his remains that reigned the two mighty beings’ power. This was the beauty of the forging, a miracle of the evolution. Such a feat was only possible for someone who possessed the bloodline of the Sylvarix.
[Ore of Kothar (Fragment)]
Zyrus added the ore given by Kyle and Lauren into the mix. It nourished the nascent spirit within the bloodspine spear so that it could handle the strain of ranking up.
It would add another trait after evolution, and most importantly, the possibility of obtaining an 'Unbreakable' trait in the future.
‘And this should harmonize them all,’
[Weapon Enhancement Potion (Rare)]
Indeed, the mass of energy calmed down after he poured the sparkling potion. He had used all of the precious materials he had collected thus far.
Now all Zyrus could do was wait with a bated breath.
Seconds and minutes passed by as the mass and energy became more and more condensed. A ten-foot-long pillar of light was forged from the mountainous vortex of energy.
*Flaash*
There was a glaring blast of reddish-orange light that even the ones atop the dragon of war saw. The forever-dark regions of the ocean were greeted with fleeting light. It was like a mirage bordering between illusion and reality.
“Hahaha…perfect, Come,” Zyrus held his hand forward with shining eyes.
Like a hatchling bird returning to its nest, the 10-foot-long Goedendag jumped into his palm.
[The Epic Ranked Weapon “Twilight Crusher” acknowledges you as its master]
…
Months later, on the 365th day since the flag march was initiated.
Zyrus stood on a barren mountain with his eyes closed. He had reached lv 40 by hunting down monsters in the deep ocean.
It was a week ago when he completed his class advancement test, or rather, lecture by Oroszlan. It was three days ago when he gathered 100 ‘Xue Ginseng’ as his reward on the Rakt gorge.
For the past 31 hours, 17 minutes, and 45 seconds, he was sitting in the same posture. Harsh wind that scraped against his scales and glaring sunlight that boiled his insides wasn’t enough to break his concentration.
Such things became trivial once one learned to reach their source of origin. Even if others were to hold a New Year celebration right in front of him, he wouldn’t be bothered in the least.
“Hoh! You became a monk while I was away? Maybe a lizard martial artist? Lizardist?”
Well, a pipsqueak who can somehow intrude on someone else’s source of origin was an exception.
“Oh my, who could this be? Are you perhaps Aurora? But she looked a bit taller than you…”
“A lizard who grows like bamboo,”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“Better than a fairy grandma who’s forever in her pre-growth stage,” Zyrus smirked after he opened his eyes. It wasn’t the smartest of decision to tease someone who could control space and time on your source of origin.
The duo bantered for a while before coming to the main topic. Today was the day he was supposed to fight.
“Cough..cough..Let’s talk about official business,”
[Congratulations! You have been chosen by the Committee of Administrators]
“Is there a need to send messages when I’m right in front of you?”
[The administrators have observed your journey in both lives, and deemed you worthy]
The words struck like thunder in Zyrus’s mind. His joking mood vanished without a trace as he realized the true meaning behind those words.
‘Both lives, huh,’
It meant that even the strongest person in the sanctuary wasn’t worthy. It meant that this had nothing to do with battle powers.
There was only one conclusion he could reach with this.
Being the strongest in ‘one life’ wasn’t enough.
[Zyrus Wymar is granted access to Jeohang Archway]
[We Welcome The Last Apostle]
[We Welcome The Plage Bearer]
[May the Fire of Order light your way]
“…”
“…”
“Is this it?”
“Uh…normally, players only receive this message when they’re already on the battlefield. Like you died a moment ago and bam! Now you’re in the middle of a war. Unknown allies welcome you while you scurry for your life against the never-before-seen aliens…You get what I mean?”
“…”
“For the record, it helps the dead players adjust better while they slowly learn the truth about the sanctuary. It's a necessary process,”
“You came up with it, didn’t you?”
“Hmm…Oh, let me show you the way to the fifth peak. You must be surprised,”
Aurora dodged the allegations of creating a cliché scenario and explained about the Jeohang Archway. Everything was the same as he had told the players, the exp, the levels, and the time loops.
Except that there was one exception that he didn’t know.
“So, not everyone is recycled into exp. You send those with Title and suitable temperament to this Jeohang Archway,”
“Recycle is a harsh word.”
“Sugarcoating it doesn’t make it any less fucked up. Not that I’m against it. It’s a very efficient process from a wider perspective,”
“You…have grown. If it was you before regression then you’d probably fight for the injustice of humanity and cause a ruckus,”
“I’m not sure if that’s something to be proud of, but at least I’m stronger. That’s enough,”
Aurora didn’t explain anything further as they walked with silent steps. Zyrus also didn’t ask any questions as he had a rough guess with the information he'd gathered thus far.
The Aliens, Sanctuary, and what the administrators wanted from him. All of them were linked to the Jeohang Archway.
When a world faces an invasion, there are generally three groups of people across the eras. Those who sacrificed their life to face the invasion, those who surrendered or defected, and those who escaped.
But it’s too simple to just categorize them into that. World doesn’t end in a day unless the disparity of power is too big. It’s a constant tug of war where both sides lose and gain different things. Building safe cities, recovering lost ground, finding more escape routes, betrayal, counter-invasion, finding allies with the same cause… the art of war complex.
In this case, the sanctuary could be considered a safe zone.
‘Perhaps the universe’s biggest safe zone,’
Zyrus recalled the hive he saw back on earth. It was a force that could easily decimate a planet. He couldn’t even imagine who the enemy facing against the sanctuary was.
And if the purpose of the sanctuary was to grow refugees from this war, then there had to be something they’d have to give in return. There was no free lunch in the universe.
The ‘Sanctuary’ was also the ‘Training Camp’ that trained mighty warriors. It was hard to imagine the time and energy needed to build a place like the sanctuary.
The ignorant players had the right to whine about why they were summoned to a cruel place out of nowhere. They had the right to curse this place which forced them to kill and slaughter even if they didn’t want to.
But once they learned the truth, they would lose that right. The same was true for Zyrus.
Regardless of the circumstances, the ones being protected by other’s sacrifice didn’t have the right to demand justice from the place that gave them refuge.
At least, that’s what he believed. It was beneath a monarch to whine like a bitch about the world’s injustice.
Were you mistreated? Did you lose your loved ones in war? Do you think life is unfair?
Go and fight then.
Fight and build a better ‘Sanctuary’ than this.
This was the untold message to all the players who were worthy of walking on the Jeohang Archway.
‘And when have I shied away from a challenge?’
Zyrus clenched his fists as he looked at the stone archway that led to the endless sky. More than anything, he was eager to test his power against his predecessors forgotten by the sanctuary.
“It’s good that you’re motivated. Do realize that it’s a privilege given only to you. You are the sole player who has the right to go back and forth from this place.”
Zyrus nodded at the weight of her words. That was a true battleground, and as such, a perfect place to grow. The players in the sanctuary didn’t have the experience of fighting without the system’s assistance, and the ones fighting outside didn’t have the system’s assistance in their growth.
‘And I have the best of both worlds,’
More than that, he had the chance to go back to earth as well.
Zyrus walked towards the stone stairs at the edge of a mountain. Just climbing on the archway was a test of one’s strength and willpower.
He waved at Aurora to say goodbye, but apparently, she had something more to say.
“To motivate you a bit more, one of your enemies is also there. ‘Eternal Marcus’ has defected to the other side,”
“…Wonderful,”
The duo shared a cruel smile before parting ways.