237-247

Chapter 237: The Sealed Place (7)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

The magic runes spinning around her scattered like water snakes and slithered toward the crystal ball hovering in the air. Soon, the smooth surface of the crystal ball began to crack. Lapis clenched her teeth and observed quietly.

"Stop! What do you think you're doing!"

The figure of light screamed as it stretched its arms to stop Lapis. But before his arm could touch Lapis, the magic runes swiftly retaliated and lashed towards Rafah like a whip.

It forced Rafah to retreat, but Rafah clearly didn't have any intention to stop. Rafah bellowed and the surrounding floating crystal balls began spinning rapidly, shooting scorching rays of light at the magic runes. Alas, it didn't have any effect on the Symbol Protection.

Along with a sharp crack, many crystal balls shattered into countless pieces. Their radiance gradually dimmed and collapsed to the ground after losing the magical sustenance that kept them afloat. If one looked closely, there were many tiny skulls within the dimmed crystal balls.

This wasn't an ordinary place.

Lapis knew that the Behermians originated from this place and it was also the birthplace of their nightmare. While it may be true that past Behermians indeed chose this path to fight for themselves, their faith had long been twisted over the years. The end of the battle didn't make them give up on the path to a perfect Behermes — instead, it was the start of a tragedy.

The Behermians who had died long ago had their spirits captured in a crystal ball and corrupted by the Behermes Family. These Behermians weren't able to resist because every Behermian possessed Spirit Crystals within themselves.

It was just as what Gillian had explained — the Behermians were like computers without a firewall and were interconnected with each other through something like the internet. The corruption permeated into the system from the central server room of the 'Behermes network.' Other than transmitting a virus to the dead Behermians, there wasn't any other purpose for it.

"Stop right this moment!!"

As the crystal balls shattered, the radiance on Rafah's body dimmed. He grew frantic and bellowed for Lapis to stop.

Lapis, being timid by nature, shrunk her body in reflex and tears of fear brimmed below her eyes. She almost threw the necklace away in panic.

However, Lapis carried on.

She would never give up.

The spirit's determination to achieve perfection had destroyed the entire Behermes Family in the process. It passed the virus through telepathic means and incited the Behermians to obtain perfection. However, their mental state ended up being destroyed and the Behermians who contacted the 'virus' became walking zombies. Their population gradually declined and all of them perished in the end.

Lapis was a being closest to perfection according to the Behermes Family's standard. And because of that, she was immune to the mental corruption that had ended the Behermians. That was why she could escape the city of death and its viruses.

However, Lapis would never forget the damage done to her home. Her predecessors who were supposed to be quietly overseeing their newer generations had destroyed everything she had ever known. That kind of pain was something that couldn't be washed away with time.

But she couldn't do anything to stop it at that point.

She had accepted her fate and tried to lead a simple life according to her parents' wishes. While the life of a mercenary was far from safe, it was at least much better than being manipulated by a bunch of lunatics and their walking zombies.

After becoming a mercenary, Lapis had witnessed and experienced many things. Tragedy didn't only apply to the Behermians, but also humans as well. There were suffering everywhere, so why was there no one there to rescue them? What about herself? She neither possessed any legendary world-changing powers nor good luck even though she was 'near perfect' from the Behermes Family's perspective. Even if she could muster enough courage to challenge the spirits, how could she remove all those spirits and return the Behermians to normal all by herself?

Lapis knew that she wasn't any good in battle. Randolf had already been promoted to an official ranger while she remained as an Apprentice. She couldn't perform her duties as an alchemist properly even though it was apparently her area of expertise as a Behermian. It was only when Lapis found out that Rhode was heading to Unicorn Peak that she could proceed with this plan.

After musing to herself for some time, Lapis finally solidified her decision to come here.

Since the ship had already sailed, she can't possibly turn back now.

Only a Behermian with a royal bloodline like her could enter this chamber. She also knew that she was the only one who could destroy these spirits.

Lapis straightened her body and lifted her necklace high in the air. Beneath the tears and the worry-ridden face was a brave and undeterred woman.

"Stop it!! You are destroying the final wishes of the Behermes Family!"

Rafah bellowed at Lapis as she lifted up the necklace. However this time, Rafah reacted swiftly and caused the remaining crystal balls to emit a bright light. In a blink of an eye, the figure of light grew many times larger and only stopped when it reached three meters tall.

Lapis' legs turned soft.

The fearful figure of the giant almost pushed her to the brink of giving up, but she managed to squeeze out the last of her bravery and encouraged herself to chant the incantation.

Soon enough, the magical runes transformed once again as countless of lines rose up into the air, producing a spiral which soon formed a giant as well. Both giants were roughly around the same height, but compared to Rafah, Lapis' rune giant was slightly dull.

Both giants began brandishing their arms.

Both sides had no intention to defend. As each punch landed, it released a deafening sound. Giant Rafah and the rune giant sparred mindlessly; each blow was extremely terrifying, and every time they clashed, they would let out meaningless howls.

All Lapis could do was to observe. The rune giant was Lapis' ace. It was the royal family's defensive device passed on from one generation to another. Although Lapis wasn't the brightest of the bunch, she wasn't dumb either. She didn't think that she could eliminate the spirits all by herself.

Could she succeed?

Lapis wasn't confident.

"Boom!!"

The rune giant once again struck giant Rafah which caused it to take a few steps back. Lapis became slightly optimistic.

Can I win?

"Fool!!"

Giant Rafah stabilized its body and dispelled Lapis' joyous thoughts with its angry howl. It swung its massive fists and rays of light erupted from the surrounding crystal balls. The rays were like chains which latched onto the rune giant's body, stopping it from moving entirely. And at this moment, Giant Rafah clenched its fist and transformed it into a sharp blade. The giant took a step forward and slashed the blade downwards!

The blade slashed at the rune giant's torso, tearing a long, gaping rift from its shoulder to its lower body. Bang! Along with a loud sound, the rune giant's body trembled and exploded into countless of dust particles that floated into nothingness.

Meanwhile, the necklace in Lapis' hand shattered and a huge impact swept her off her feet before she could scream. The broken necklace flew out of her hand and landed on the ground.

Failed!

Lapis trembled as she stared at the broken necklace on the ground.

She failed!!

Before Lapis was able to react, Giant Rafah spoke once again.

"You disappoint me, Lapis. As the closest one to perfection, you dared to oppose us?"

"I... I have never said that I wanted to be perfect." Lapis struggled to lift her head and refuted.

"Since things have ended this way, we can only force you to be one!"

Giant Rafah extended his arm and pointed at her.

Shiing!! Chains flew out from the crystal balls and bound Lapis' body. Although the woman struggled with all her might, she wasn't able to move at all. Lapis could only stare helplessly at the colossal finger that had already reached her face.

"Show me your Spirit Crystal, mend the defect, and fulfill our desires!"

"No...!!"

That was her last cry.

The next moment, Lapis' body flew into the air, and a beautiful, pure white flower bloomed on her chest. A multi-colored crystal floated quietly at the center of the flower. Then, it began to flash.

Chapter 238: The Sealed Place (8)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

A violent tremor forced the mercenaries to halt.

What happened?

While the mercenaries looked at each other in confusion, Rhode's expression turned gloomy. A system prompt appeared informing him that Lapis was in grave danger.

Due to the mercenary group system, Rhode was able to receive information of important members of the group, especially when they were in danger or close to death.

When Rhode was configuring his Stronghold settings, the first member he chose to monitor was neither Lize, Marlene, nor Anne. Instead, it was Lapis. Compared to the three, Lapis' ability to protect herself was almost nonexistent. Rhode even believed that even if she were given a knife to fight a defenseless enemy, she would end up injuring herself instead.

Nevertheless, disregarding her combat ability, Lapis' importance to the mercenary group was indisputable. She was an expert in manufacturing — a rarely seen trait among mercenaries.

For Rhode to build a top-rate mercenary group whose goal was to become a guild, they must strive to be self-sufficient. Starlight would naturally be expanding, but the Paphield Region wasn't able to provide enough talents in the manufacturing field, and therefore Rhode was exhilarated when he met Lapis.

Rhode had always been looking out for her to prevent any mishaps. If it was possible, Rhode would rather keep her inside a cage to stop her from contacting the outside world — after all, Starlight had made quite a few enemies.

Thankfully, Lapis was a female 'geek' who preferred to stay in the Stronghold. Unless absolutely necessary, she wouldn't leave the safety of the Stronghold. Even if she had to leave, she would bring her friends like Randolf or Anne along. It could be said that the woman's introverted character had been her best protection, yet now...

Rhode frowned. Although he did consider the possibility of danger when he brought her here, he relented to her endless pestering in the end. Initially, he felt somewhat glad as Lapis would trigger her personal quest, and if he assisted her in the completion of her quest, perhaps she would upgrade her strength substantially.

Alas, Rhode miscalculated when he thought that Gillian and himself would be able to prevent Lapis from falling into any grave danger...

Rhode looked at the flight of stairs.

He knew where the path led to. At the end of the stairs, they would enter a room filled with Golem Guards who hid within thirty suits of armor. They had to clear these mobs before entering the control room where another major battle would occur. This was when Rhode realized that he had to make changes to his plans.

"Kavos."

Rhode hooked his finger and beckoned Kavos to come. Kavos quickly made his way towards him and was shocked when he saw Rhode exhibiting a never seen before grave expression.

"Order everyone to get ready, we are going in!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Kavos didn't understand why Rhode would do this, but he swiftly followed his commands. Meanwhile, Gillian suddenly appeared with her iconic smile on her face. Her twitching ears indicated that she was also starting to get serious.

"Are we starting, Master?"

"Of course. You know what to do. Let's move!" Rhode replied Gillian with a cold expression.

He swung his sword and quickly transformed into a shadow. Then, in a blink of an eye, he disappeared up the flight of stairs with both Celia and Gillian following closely behind, leaving a trail of flames and holy light which illuminated the dark cave.

Kavos stared blankly at the trail of flames and light for a moment. Then he took a deep breath and shouted at the mercenaries who were equally astonished.

"Ready your weapons and move it you idiots! It's time for battle!!"

–

Rhode once again realized that things were out of his expectations.

In the game, the Golem Guards would only move after detecting trespassers in their territory. But when Rhode was dashing up the stairs, he realized the Golem Guards had already been activated and were advancing towards him.

Another unforeseen circumstance.

But so what?

Rhode didn't care about these changes. He extended his arm and summoned the Black Hound who leaped out from flames and rushed towards the aggressive Golem Guards. At the same time, Rhode opened his right palm and swung his hand to the side. Two additional cards shot out and smashed into bits, following with a screech and a loud roar. The Spirit Bird and Centaur Knight appeared once more!

Rhode quickly used all his strongest cards so he could instantly clear all these obstructions. When Spirit Bird and Centaur Knight arrived on the field, the poor suicidal dog sacrificed its life once again and kicked the bucket with an explosion.

Boom!! When the Golem Guard's sword pierced into the Black Hound's torso, a huge explosion erupted and rocked the whole cave. This time, with the help of the fire element lord, Rhode could contain the blast to a specific radius. Finally, Rhode could now freely utilize the Black Hound's self-destruct ability without injuring his own men.

The impact of the shockwave tore apart a few Golem Guards like an invisible hand sweeping through. However, it still wasn't enough to stop the other Golem Guards from advancing. Unlike humans, they were devoid of fear and thus, the rest of the surviving Golem Guards commenced their primary goal to eradicate any intruders.

Rhode, Celia, and Gillian finally arrived in melee range.

Rhode chose to use Fury Trial instead of his recently acquired Shadow Dance. The Crimson Blade lost its agileness, but instead gained a huge increase in range as the condensed beam of light at the tip of the sword swept through the Golem Guards. Along with a loud bang, a heavily-armored Golem Guard was sent flying. The massive force left a deep depression on the Golem Guard's thick metal armor, and when it crashed into the wall, its body split into half.

Gillian's battle was equally as exciting.

Compared to Celia who used a sword, the fire elemental lord had no interest in using weapons at all. The fox-eared lady made a few gestures with her hand, invoking countless of tiny fireballs in the air. She lined them up in front of her, creating a 'fireball minefield,' and when the Golem Guards mindlessly rushed towards her, it was the start of their tragedy.

Hundreds of fireballs exploded at the same time, engulfing the pitiful Golem Guards. While Gillian couldn't single-handedly clear out all the obstacles here with her current strength, her innate powers of a fire elemental lord were sufficient to create hundreds of tiny fireballs to form a minefield.

Perhaps one or two fireballs wouldn't be able to damage the Golem's thick armor, but when a hundred exploded at the same time, even the strongest Golem of them all wouldn't be able to come out unscathed. After the series of explosions, what was left in the smoke were unrecognizable broken parts that had once been part of a Golem Guard.

As for the Centaur Knight, these Golem Guards didn't pose any threat to it at all. The Golem Guards could attack all they wished, but the Centaur Knight would just sweep them with its long spear. The sturdy Golem Guards lost the battle of durability when faced against the Centaur Knight and were eventually smashed into bits.

At this moment, the mercenaries finally arrived.

Of course, they couldn't fight a Golem Guard one-on-one like how Rhode, Celia or Gillian could, but these mercenaries could utilize team-based tactics to overwhelm the Golem Guards. For experienced mercenaries like them, it wasn't too difficult of a task.

Bam! Another Golem Guard slammed into the floor and smashed into pieces. Rhode took in a deep breath and lifted his head towards the big door in front of him.

The BOSS fight was just behind this door.

If he didn't guess wrong, Lapis should be in there somewhere.

Chapter 239: The Sealed Place (9)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"Seems like your companions know that you're here."

The giant of light said as he turned to Lapis who was tied up. Tears appeared in her eyes and the crystal at her chest vibrated as several rays of white light revolved around it.

Rafah was surprised.

It was no easy task as completing the Spirit Crystal required the owner's absolute acceptance. If the owner had even the slightest resistance against accepting the power, it would undoubtedly fail. Even though Rafah managed to forcefully pull out the Spirit Crystal hidden within Lapis' body, it realized that her resistance made it impossible to accomplish his task. If it tried to bend her will forcefully, it might trigger an irreversible backlash and end its goals once and for all.

That was something Rafah would never want to see. Thus, it used the 'persuasion tactic' in an attempt to change Lapis' view. However, no matter how hard it tried to convince her, the timid lady never backed down. Even when Rafah threatened her, her will remained the same. This left Rafah speechless. From its perspective, it didn't understand how a woman with such a major lack of confidence could be so stubborn. Wasn't it supposed to be an easy task to convince her?

"I don't understand why you would reject."

Rafah shook its head and gazed at Lapis, puzzled.

"I went through your spirit and seen your past. You've faced such situations before, haven't you? We, Berhermes, is neither spirit nor human, but an abnormality. Humans are afraid of us, hate us, and keep a distance from us. You should know how it feels like, so why are you still hesitating? You can control your fate after becoming a perfect being, Lapis."

"..."

Lapis remained silent for a moment before shaking her head vigorously once again.

If Rhode was present, he would certainly tell Rafah that their methods were wrong from the very beginning.

Truthfully, Lapis was indeed an individual who lacked self-confidence. However, Rafah underestimated the level of her lack of self-confidence. For example, when humans faced setbacks, some would stand up and oppose it while others would sink deeper into the abyss.

Even though Lapis had encountered many setbacks, she had eventually lost the ability to make her own decisions and drowned in an inferiority complex syndrome. In other words, as long as she met a person that could be trusted, she would listen to him or her without question. She would think that she didn't possess sufficient capabilities to make suggestions, and as long someone she trusted could convince her in doing something, she would follow his or her instructions wholeheartedly.

That was why Rhode assigned her to focus on alchemy and forbid her to conceive of her own theories. Well, Lapis wasn't unhappy with his decision. Through experimentation in accordance with Rhode's directions, she was able to understand how to exhibit the greatest potential in blending potions. Thus, after that, she followed his words unconditionally.

Coming back to the current situation — it was exactly the same scenario. Rafah hoped that Lapis would accept her own powers, but Lapis deemed it as an impossible task. From the very beginning, her heart was set against this notion, and even if she took a thousand steps back, her lack of self-confidence would prevent her from thinking that she had the attributes of a perfect being.

However, if it were Rhode, Anne or Randolf who persuaded her instead, Lapis would do it without hesitation.

Rafah had no clue what to do with this stubborn woman. Now, his only option was to break her mind and push her willpower to the brink of despair. Once Lapis had no more hope, she would no longer cling to any willpower to live. Then, Lapis would become the perfect doll that wouldn't resist or doubt. By doing this, she would undoubtedly turn into a perfect product — a perfect product that had lost its self-awareness which would make it somewhat flawed. Nevertheless, Lapis could produce offsprings that could become the next perfect Behermian. So, as long as she lived, it would be enough.

Although it might sound simple, to break the woman's willpower wasn't easy at all. As the spirit and flesh were tightly linked, Rafah wasn't able to use any violent methods that would injure her flesh. What if Lapis couldn't take the pain and passed away from it? Rafah would go crazy...

So, what else could make her fall into despair?

Right. As long as she personally witnesses the death of her companions, Lapis would lose everything that she had loved and fall into despair. Simple.

Alas, things don't always proceed as planned.

Rafah stared at the image floating in the air. Its face twitched as it didn't expect the Golem Guards to be so weak. He was mad as they were all smashed to smithereens in minutes, but what made him even angrier was that because of this, Lapis' will to live actually soared!

It was supposed to break her will, not reinforce it!

But even so, it didn't give up altering Lapis' mentality.

"Do you really think that they would come and save you?"

Rafah sneered as he extended his arm and pointed to the gem that appeared on Lapis' chest.

"Do you think that they would want to save you after knowing what you are? You should already know that humans always hated the Behermes Family. The humans are afraid of the unknown, of what we have, and what they can't understand. We can live in this world without the organ the humans refer as the heart, and continue to appear as ordinary humans without becoming the undead."

Lapis' expression froze for a moment, causing the Spirit Crystal on her to dim. But it soon returned back to normal.

How is that possible?

Rafah was shocked. He felt that this was absurd. Lapis had no reason to trust those humans! According to the information it obtained from her spirit, Lapis had been hiding her identity from those people and not even her closest friend knew of her secret. Rafah thought that exposing Lapis' secret would be her greatest fear. But why wasn't she affected?

Where did she get her confidence from?

Rafah just couldn't figure it out.

Although he might be able to read through her memories, Rafah still couldn't read or alter her conscious thoughts. In fact, at this moment, Lapis' sole source of confidence stemmed from the young black-haired man displayed on the image.

Rhode.

Perhaps if it were others, Lapis would have second thoughts about this matter. However, if it was Rhode, she knew that he would be able to do something. Moreover, Gillian and Anne's presence proved that Rhode wasn't afraid of other races.

In Anne's previous mercenary group, Mark White, she saw how Anne distanced herself away from other mercenaries. Other than the late leader of Mark White, there weren't many people who wished to get close to her.

However, Starlight was different. Although Anne had revealed her true identity, Rhode had neither displayed any hint of fear nor dissatisfaction. Also, Gillian obviously wasn't a human from her appearance.

Thus, if Rhode could accept them, he should be able to accept her.

That was her faith towards Rhode that the woman carried deep in her heart. It was filled with hope, trust, and confidence. Even if she couldn't trust herself, she could trust Rhode.

Indeed, the human heart was contradictory, yet oddly fascinating.

Boom!! At this moment, the huge door burst open.

Rhode entered the room with large strides.

The first thing he set his eyes upon wasn't the projected image or his surroundings, instead, after entering the room, he immediately locked his gaze on the woman who was tied up in chains — of course, that meant that he saw the Spirit Crystal on Lapis' chest.

She indeed was the Perfect One.

Rhode was rather surprised. Although he had heard of similar stories, this was his first time seeing a Spirit Crystal. Luckily he had rushed here in time. Lapis' death would be unacceptable according to Rhode's standards. If it were the game, the dead NPC could simply respawn, but if he were to fail here, it would be irreversible. Rhode didn't wish to have such an ending.

Thinking of this, he turned his attention to Rafah.

It appears that this is the mastermind.

"Whoever you are, I hope you can release the lady. After all, no matter what, she is part of my mercenary group."

Rhode's tone sounded refined and polite, however, the motion of drawing his sword and pointing to the enemy spoke otherwise. Rhode's follow-up proved this point. "If not, I don't mind doing it myself."

"Ignorant humans."

The giant of light gave a cold laugh after listening to Rhode's threat. He extended its arm and suddenly the crystal that was hanging in the air flew above Rhode's head and formed a circle which shrouded him within.

"Do you really think you can defeat the power of the Behermes? This is the holy central control room of the Behermians. In here, everything is under our control. And you are the same!"

Along with the angry howls from the giant of light, the floating crystal ball immediately erupted with an incredibly bright light. Then, a beam of light ejected from within, aiming straight for Rhode who was still shrouded in the circle.

Chapter 240: The Sealed Place (10)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

The scorching ray flashed in the air. Fortunately, it missed Rhode and changed its direction toward the crystal ball instead.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

After a series of explosion, the smoke and dust dissipated, and the dozen crystal balls were nowhere to be seen.

What happened?

The giant of light was appalled. He didn't expect the light ray to change its trajectory by itself. But he didn't have the time to consider how all this happened because, at this moment, Rhode dashed over.

Rhode spiralled into the air and slashed a perfect arc with his crimson blade, piercing right into the giant of light.

"How dare you!"

The giant of light let out a bellow. His right arm transformed into an enormous, razor-sharp blade of light and slashed toward Rhode swiftly. If Rhode didn't dodge, he would surely be dead. However, he didn't have any reactions at all as though he had disregarded the menacing attack.

"Leader!"

Lapis yelled worriedly. Suddenly, scarlet radiance flashed in her eyes.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

A violent shock blasted from the series of explosions, deflecting the giant's blade and missing Rhode widely. At this moment, Rhode drew a circle in midair with his sword and stuck it in the giant's arm.

"—!"

The giant of light let out a blood-curdling screech as it flinched and half-knelt on the ground. Its right hand had been sliced off at its wrist and dropped to the ground. Losing its source of energy, the hand turned into dust and vanished into the air.

How is this possible?

The giant of light felt unprecedented and immense pain and was terrified. He knew he wasn't a physical being, so logically speaking, it was impossible for Rhode's attack to cause him any harm. Since he was an imaginary reflection formed by a coalescence of magical energy, the only thing that could harm him was magic. But, as a swordsman without magical skills, how did this young man do it?

And how did he actually get hit?

Not only did Rhode's attack damage his body, but it also felt as if ice cold venom had entered the depths of his spirit. This terrifying, evil, and ice-cold energy dulled the emanating light on its body.

Dozens of scarlet rays flashed and erupted into a series of explosions that engulfed his body and limited all his movements.

At this moment, he realized that there was another enemy floating in the air.

Gillian hovered high up in the air. The fox-eared maiden was surrounded by small, suspended fireballs. She smiled and extended her right hand forward, pointing at the giant of light. Along with this action, the fireballs spun and it was apparent that she was the culprit that had diverged his sword attack.

"Piss off!"

The giant of light swung his hand furiously and countless crystal balls gathered from the surroundings and blasted toward Gillian in a magical light beam.

Then, an astonishing scene happened.

Gillian had no intentions to hide. She shook her finger gently and suddenly, the magical light beam shifted its trajectory along and headed straight back toward the giant of light!

Never did the giant of light expect his own attack to come back to bite him. He clumsily dodged, but Rhode took the opportunity to launch an attack. If the giant of light wasn't quick enough, perhaps his head would have gone along with his right arm.

Even though he had dodged, Rhode's attack was still a huge threat to him.

Of course. The giant wasn't aware that Rhode had used his Dead Soul Blade skill, which was most effective on spiritual targets. Initially, when the Dark Elves created this skill, their main motive was to inflict damage even if they couldn't kill their enemies. This skill wouldn't affect mentally strong beings much. However, it was totally different for the giant of light.

The giant was a spirit coalesced from magic, after all. A spiritual being without a physical body had already lost a layer of protection, and logically speaking, Rhode's sword attacks would naturally cause more damage. This special and proud trait of the giant of light had now become his lethal weakness. Right now, the situation had gone beyond his expectations, especially after his magical attacks had betrayed himself. The giant of light was flabbergasted.

Fortunately, he immediately returned to his normal size after witnessing the enormous threat before his eyes. Not only did his enormous size not give him any advantage, but it also stopped him from dodging Rhode's attack. Moreover, Gillian's opportunistic attacks were like adding salt to his wounds. He swung his hands forward and the coalesced light energy around his body spread out abruptly. In the blink of an eye, light figures appeared all around Rhode.

"Gillian!"

Rhode called out. He had a solution for this situation.

Gillian swiftly retreated. At the same time, she swung both her hands forward and countless fireballs pounced on the crystal balls. The explosions went on for a while and the crystal balls hovering in midair reduced to one fifth of their size. At this moment, about half the number of light figures surrounding Rhode had also disappeared.

Although Gillian's powers weren't as powerful as before, she still had absolute control over her flame forte, albeit her attacks lacking a bit in damage. If the fireballs under Gillian's full potential were considered guided missiles, then the destruction from her fireballs now were only that of grenades. However, from a certain perspective, the difference between 1000 grenades and 1000 guided missiles wasn't actually that huge.

This was why she chose to win via quantity. Of course, Rhode once doubted this. Since her abilities were limited, why did she chose to use small fireballs? A fire elemental lord should have had many more choices.

However, bombarding the enemy was the best way for her... And Rhode was left speechless.

Who kind of person is he?!

Rafah became completely lost in fear, as he didn't expect that anybody would be this formidable. Even though this man didn't come up with a wide range of countermeasures, each countermeasure he chose was very effective. Not only that, this man also knew the secrets of this room. How was that possible? This place was supposed to be the top secret of the Behermes Family, and not even Lapis had been here before, so this man shouldn't have been aware of it at all!

Rafah definitely wouldn't know the answers to these questions. Although it appeared to Rafah that Rhode had stepped into this place for the first time, Rhode had actually defeated the boss of this dungeon until he was sick and tired of it. This boss was merely a spirit slightly over level 20 who knew how to use magical artifacts and manipulate magical crystal balls. Rhode had to destroy the crystal ball first before gathering his attacks altogether on the boss. If Rhode attempted to defeat this boss before he advanced in levels, it might be too difficult. However, his current level was higher than this giant of light and furthermore, Gillian was by his side too. So wasn't this all too easy for him?

The longer the battle continued, the more fearful Rafah was. He realised that this mysterious man wasn't as easy to deal with as he expected. Right now, he couldn't even think of a way to make use of Rhode in cracking down on Lapis as Rhode's attack could inflict damage on himself. Not only that, this young man even knew the weaknesses of the central core. The central core of the Behermes was a magical space formed by past Behermians through alchemist skills. They sealed their own corpses into a magical crystal and used the crystal's powers to maintain the lifespans of their spirits. As days passed, other than the spirits who lay undiscovered here, this secret was never leaked. But this young man appeared extremely familiar with this place. He even ignored the presence of Rafah's phantom and figure and continued to attack the crystal ball!

This can't go on!

Rafah's heart sank. He hadn't experience such anxiousness for a long, long time. He looked at the crystal ball that was slowly shedding and losing its magical powers under the attacks of Rhode and Gillian. This was definitely something that Rafah didn't wish to see.

There was no other way.

Rafah no longer hesitated. He swung his hands forward and suddenly, the whole area shone brightly. After a few moments, Rhode, Gillian, and Rafah were surrounded by a dazzling radiance, then disappeared.

However, this was only for an instant.

In a blink of an eye, all 3 of them reappeared. However, this time, Rhode and Gillian were thrown into the left and right corners of this huge area. It was as though a pair of huge hands had positioned them. Then, Rafah flew into the air and stood at Gillian's previous position.

"Meet your doom!"

Rafah let out a snarl while raising both hands. Shortly after, the entire room flickered, trembled, and powerful magical powers erupted. The crystal balls had become glaring suns.

Lapis shrieked in horror and shut her eyes tight.

A powerful shockwave came thereafter.

Chapter 241: Awakening (1)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

The surging magical powers coalesced and resounded in the entire space. Rafah raised both arms as an incomparably strong source of energy flowed within his body. The ground and walls cracked under the pressure. Lapis gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and turned away to avoid the strong gale.

"Ignorant humans, all of you will die here!"

The central control room could no longer be saved, but that didn't matter as long as Lapis was around and he had the powers...

A crimson ray of light flashed.

Rafah stopped moving and time seemed to have frozen at this second. He opened his eyes wide and glared at Rhode, who had mysteriously appeared before him. The black-haired young man maintained a stance as he slashed his sword down.

Rafah lowered his head. His body, which was made of light, had suffered a terrifying slash on its right shoulder.

Why?

Rafah couldn't understand how this man could have such amazing reflexes. Logically speaking, Rafah's teleportation should have negated Rhode's attacks, but how did he move so nimbly, even in this space?

Rhode stared at the figure of light without any emotions. This was an illogical situation to Rafah. However, Rhode had repeated these steps countless of times. When a boss's HP had reached a critical level, it would trigger a skill that would change the player's position and release an attack that damaged all players after a three-second summoning. However, to the players, the three seconds weren't for them to expect death.

From the start of the battle, Rhode had been on the alert for this ultimate move from Rafah.

After noticing the shift in his position, Rhode instinctively activated Shadow Flash and dashed toward Rafah's face. The Dead Soul Blade emerged in the air and sliced through Rafah's body and broke his spell...

"No—!"

Rafah let out a mourning scream.

The powers contained in his body gushed out like a flood and his body turned even brighter and sharper. He lifted his hands in the air helplessly. He couldn't believe that he failed. How? How did this man understand the Behermes and the central control room so much? Who exactly is this man?

Rafah didn't receive his answers.

Because, at this moment, a glaring magical radiance soared and devoured him instantly, and he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Settled.

Rhode let out a sigh of relief. He lowered his sword and had decided to check on Lapis' condition. However, at this moment, a high pitched scream sounded.

"Ah—!!"

What happened?

Rhode turned his head toward the source of the voice and saw Lapis floating in midair. In the wake of Rafah's disappearance, the light chains binding onto her had also shattered, but the she still didn't fall to the ground. On the contrary, she stuck out her chest and the crystal shone even brighter. Not only that, the maiden also held her hands tightly to her chest while her face revealed an incomparably painful expression. Shortly after, the surrounding magical powers coalesced into her body. Rays of magical radiance merged into her body and the magical crystal shone increasingly brighter.

What was going on?

Rhode was puzzled. His experience in the game was effective in facing the dungeon boss, but he had never gone through this scenario before. In normal circumstances, the boss's magical energy would be gone after its death, but it seemed otherwise now.

"Gillian!"

No matter what, Lapis' painful expression definitely wasn't any good sign. Gillian swiftly made a few hand gestures and numerous flame walls emerged around Lapis. However, they failed to withstand the strong flow of magical powers. For the first time, Gillian's powerful flames appeared weak before the magical storm as they were extinguished almost immediately.

"Master, the flow of magical powers is too strong. They seemed to be attracted to Lapis' spirit crystal. I can't do anything about them!"

"How troublesome!"

Rhode frowned. He gripped his sword and observed the maiden, who was within the heart of the magical storm. At this moment, the devastating magical powers had already affected the surroundings and formed a huge hurricane that forced Rhode and Gillian away.

"Can't we drag her out by force?"

"I wouldn't suggest that, Master." Gillan maintained her expression, but said in a serious tone. "I'm not sure if Miss Lapis would be able to survive that. If you drag her out from it, I can guarantee that she will be dead. With the strong flow of magical powers flooding into her, it would definitely trigger a strong reaction in her. She will perish in the struggles of the magical powers and end up in the same predicament as that fellow... Master! Be careful, stay bac—!"

Before Gillian could finish her sentence, the pitch-black room once again shone brightly with magical radiance. At the same time, the roaring storm came to an abrupt halt with a beam of glaring light shining from above. Then, the solid ground cracked, collapsed, and enormous rocks fell right through the endless pit.

As Celia and the mercenaries rushed to the scene after hearing the commotion. The first thing they witnessed was the deep, black abyss.

Rhode and Gillian were nowhere to be found.

"What's going on?"

Kavos stared into the abyss under his feet. Previously, after Rhode and Gillian charged into this room, the other mercenaries were fighting against the Golem Guard's attacks. After losing their two most powerful attackers, Rhode and Gillian, the mercenaries had a hard time following up. However, they were lucky that Celia was around to help survive their ordeal. Just as they finally dealt with the Guard Golems, the strong trembles from the other side urged the mercenaries to hurriedly check on the situation. Then, they realised that the entire ground of this huge room had collapsed into an endless, pitch-black abyss.

"This is terrible."

Kavos gritted his teeth. This ex-mercenary group leader threw a flame torch down to check the depth of the abyss. However, the flames were completely devoured by the darkness, leaving them no clues.

Were Leader and Gillian defeated by the monster here?

Kavos was at a lost for words, not knowing what to do as he ran around in circles.

"Master is fine." Celia assured him. "He is still alive; I can guarantee that. There's no point in panicking. Go and gather the people at the back, and we shall wait for Master to return at the tall platform... I think, Master will be able to handle this situation."

Kavos hesitated, but eventually nodded. No matter what, Celia, an angel, wouldn't lie to humans. Not to mention, Rhode was also her master... Kavos turned around hurriedly and ordered the mercenaries to leave. But even so, he still felt extremely worried about his leader's whereabouts.

On the other side, even Rhode wasn't aware of the answer to their questions.

"Argh..."

Rhode shook the dizziness off from his head and stood up.

"Where in the world is this place?"

The place was entirely dark. Shortly after, a glaring flare brightened the area.

"Although I'm not sure where we are, I can confirm that this place is definitely not the place we came from, Master."

Gillian patted the soil off her body and stood on her feet. Numerous fireballs floated around her and illuminated the area.

Different from the man-made room in the previous ruins, this underground cave was definitely natural. Stalactite hung from above, and there were ice-cold reflections from the illumination of the fireballs. In the distance, there was a huge lake and above them, a huge tunnel leading to the top. However, it was pitch-black without any end in sight.

This is so weird.

Rhode had something more important to check on: Lapis, who was lying unconsciously beside them.

Chapter 242: Awakening (2)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

The blooming flower and spirit crystal on Lapis' chest had disappeared, most likely having returned to her body. There were some changes to her; her body was still slender and thin, like a fragile greenhouse flower that was unable to withstand any damage. However, Rhode and Gillian felt surging spiritual powers within her. It could be said that even though Lapis still had a weak constitution, her spirit had already turned indomitable.

Other than the changes within her body, her appearance had changed slightly too. Her forehead appeared to have a silver-made accessory of an inverted triangle. The thin, long necklace hung down from both sides of her forehead. On her chest, the tattoo-like accessory extended from her collarbone to her neck, which gave her a peculiar look and a sense of beauty which didn't belong to this world.

"Are you sure waking her up is a good idea? Master?" Gillian was hesitant of this idea. "We have no idea what happened to her in the end and how her current situation is. Are you sure she won't smash us away as soon as she opens her eyes? The spiritual power in her body now is extremely powerful and very odd to me. Her current powers seemed to be on par with the Mages and Clerics at the moment."

Gillian twitched her delicate nose as she spoke. "Also, there is also a metallic smell. What if she becomes a terminator?"

"At least it's still better than Smith." Rhode checked on the data regarding Lapis as he answered Gillian's questions. Soon enough, Lapis' attributes floated in his face.

Lapis

Race: Behermes (Perfect)

Talent Reward: Induction, fusion ability

Talent Punishment: Lowered individual strength

Job: Alchemist (Advanceable) / Ranger Apprentice

Hidden Attribute: Spirit Alchemy, Spiritual Energy

Alchemy Technique: LV MAX

Mastery: ?? Potions & Equipment Making

Body Condition: Healthy

There were indeed changes.

Rhode twitched his eyebrows as he read her attributes. The hidden attributes of the Spirit Alchemy and Spiritual Energy had been released. And not only that; Lapis' Alchemy Technique had also hit LV MAX. This was a huge change and Rhode could confirm that it was due to the absorption of the Behermes dead spirits' powers and some unknown knowledge. Also, with the word "Advanceable" behind the word "Alchemist"... If this was truly Lapis' unique mission, then this mission's reward would indeed be really generous.

The upgrade of levels in a Production Class wouldn't be as dangerous as that of battling classes. She could gain advancement as long as she improved her levels in production techniques. And it was due to this that the production advancement was much harder than battling advancements. Most battling classes could advance when they reached level 20. But the advancement for production jobs was only possibly at level 30. This was the reason why production players were rare and in demand. After all, not many players sat around and practice the same old procedure over and over again. However, those that lasted until the end gained a lot of respect from other players.

Therefore, Lapis could gain advancement just based off this mission. This meant that she could advance from an Alchemist to an Alchemist Master. If this was true, then it would mean good news for Rhode because an Alchemist Master could produce many more varieties of products and possessed much stronger alchemy skills.

However, Gillian's worries weren't for naught. Lapis' abilities had leaped so much in one day, and such an odd phenomenon definitely included some hidden negative influences. Just as Gillian had mentioned, nobody knew if Lapis was still herself. However, Rhode wasn't worried about this point at all.

"I don't understand Lapis too much in the first place." He looked at the maiden's face and said. "So, even though she changed, I'm still fine with it. Besides, I don't think there will be any dangers."

It was no easy feat to wake Lapis up.

After the maiden opened her eyes, she was totally lost. Her eyes were lifeless and she seemed to not have recovered from her previous, shocking encounters. Rhode tried many things, including shaking her shoulders and even gave her a few merciless slaps across the face, but all of them were meaningless as she stared blankly without any reactions.

"Master, I don't agree to such abusive methods..."

Gillian shook her tail and ears as she hopelessly looked at Lapis. The bright red palm imprints across Lapis's cheeks proved just how much strength Rhode used in his smacks.

"If you continue to slap her this way, I'm afraid Miss Lapis will become an idiot even before she wakes up to her senses."

"You're right."

Rhode felt that his method was useless in triggering a response from Lapis. However, there were many more methods in waking someone up.

"Since the hard way didn't work, let's do it the soft way."

"Soft?" Gillian's expression slightly changed. "Master, you..."

Before Gillian could finish her sentence, Rhode had extended his right hand and squeezed Lapis' chin. Then, he lifted her head up. He pressed his lips on the maiden's.

Rhode pried open the maiden's mouth and his tongue went deep inside.

Lapis let out a violent shiver and her blank eyes regained their focus. She seemed to instinctively respond to Rhode. Her small tongue intertwined with Rhode's and she let out a soft moan. Afterwards, Rhode pulled himself away from her and she finally realized what she had done.

What was I doing?

Lapis stared foolishly at the black-haired young man. All she felt was a burning sensation across her face and the residue of an unforgettable sensation on her lips...

"L-L-L-Leader, w-w-what did you do?!"

Lapis jumped up and pointed at Rhode with her shaky finger. Her face was as red as a tomato. As though nothing had happened, Rhode turned to Gillian, who was stunned in place.

"It seems like fairy tales are kind of useful, aren't they?"

Rhode said. What responded to him was a loud smack.

—!

The crisp, strong slap resounded in the entire place, and even the pond rippled...

A minute had passed.

"Alright, don't mind it, Lapis. You did well. Everything's fine!"

Gillian waved her small fist and comforted as Lapis worriedly glanced over to Rhode, who was rubbing his own cheek. At last, she summoned up her courage and nodded slightly. Although the maiden had finally cleared her head, the stimulation that Rhode had given her left her brain in a complete havoc... To a maiden who hadn't fall in love yet, putting her straight into such a high level of intensity was indeed too stimulating for her.

However, now wasn't the time for this.

Although Lapis was blushing and Gillian was rejoicing in Rhode's misfortunes, he didn't feel like he had done anything wrong. The palm imprint on his cheek wasn't able to change him one bit. Soon enough, he got right back into the most important topic. Firstly, he had to be aware of what was going on in Lapis' body.

Lapis was at a loss herself facing Rhode's questions. She didn't feel like she had changed much. However, the experiences and knowledge of an alchemist in her mind had improved greatly. They contained things that she had never learnt and all of them were floating in her head now. Not only that, but Lapis also realised that she had an amazing ability. She could start her alchemy productions using her spiritual powers without any tools. However, that would require her to use up a large amount of mental strength, which was still challenging for her.

Rhode finally understood the situation after hearing her explanation.

The giant of light must have been the core of the Behermes central. After he was defeated by Rhode, the Behermes powers that had lost its core needed a new vessel and detected Lapis' spirit crystal. After all, no matter what, Lapis was still a fresh breath of life and the liveliness of her spiritual powers definitely was much more active than those of the corpses trapped within the crystal ball. As a result, the powers and experiences that had lost control went right into her body and became a part of her. In other words, Lapis had the entire knowledge of the Behermes Family now. It would just depend on how she used them thereafter.

As for Lapis' character, Rhode realized that there weren't many changes, especially in her reactions when she had just woken up.

However, the amount of strength in her slap wasn't weak at all...

"So then..."

After concluding Lapis' situation, Rhode let his hair down and pointed toward the accessory on the maiden's forehead.

"This thing; do you know what's it for?

"This?" Lapis unknowingly touched the inverted triangle accessory on the middle of her forehead and closed her eyes in deep thoughts. "This... Leader, I'm not too sure. But, if I recall correctly, this should be a secret artifact that belonged to the Behermes Family: the Composition Adornment."

Oh?

Rhode twitched his eyebrows.

Chapter 243: Awakening (3)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Rhode had considered the relationship between the Composition Adornment and the Behermes, especially after Lapis' abnormal actions. If this place was really the historical remains of the Behermes, then it wasn't strange that the Ophenians would come and dig for their composition skills. Considering the exquisite alchemy skills of the Behermes Family, this was very normal. However, Rhode couldn't understand why he hadn't seen such things in the game at Behermes City and yet, this secret artifact that belonged to the Behermes Family would be created by a group of Ophenians.

Of course, Lapis wouldn't know the answer even if he asked. Right now, this maiden was like a librarian that was just got a whole inventory of information from books. She had to first categorise the information into each of their genres before digesting and understanding them. Rhode turned his attention to something more important at this point.

Where in the world is this place?

From the surface, this appeared to be an ordinary underground cave, but Gillian didn't agree to this saying. She flew to the top, but failed because no matter how she flew, she could only spin in circles. With Gillian's knowledge, she definitely knew the reason behind this: this place was an enchanted field. It was apparent that the previous battle in the Behermes central control room had activated or discovered this enchanted field, which allowed them to enter. So, in order to leave this place, there was only one way out.

"Find the central point of this enchanted field and either close or destroy it." Rhode made a decision instantly. "Let's go."

Since this underground tunnel was part of the enchanted field, then there would definitely be a central point. Rhode had no doubts that as long as they found the central point, they would be able to leave this place. He had to say that he felt an unshaped pressure on himself. In here, Rhode had no way to speak to Gillian and Celia through spirit communications. He tried to summon spirits here and eventually failed. This was a strange and rare situation which alerted Rhode to be on his toes. At this moment, his heart was filled with curiosity and doubts because in the game, it was rare that a Summoned Swordsman would fail to summon any spirits. Even if they were in forbidden jails that Mages created using countless magical seals, Summoned Swordsman weren't restricted in their summonings. However, it was totally different now, so Rhode had to find and understand how all this came about.

Gillian realised this situation too. Fortunately, as a core card, she was no longer a pure summoned spirit, which was why she wasn't influenced by the pressure. And she had proven to Rhode that her ability to control her own element was still active in this space.

Although this underground tunnel was filled with twists and turns, Lapis seemed to know where it was heading. The maiden, who always hid behind the last person, finally led everyone for the first time. Based on her knowledge received from the Behermes central control room, Lapis finally understood this place now. This place used to be a forbidden area for the Behermes Family and their original place of existence. Also, deep in Lapis' heart, there was a soft voice encouraging her to move towards the path.

But, this time, Lapis didn't choose to remain silent. She explained her body conditions to Rhode and Gillian, at the same time, apologising for her rude and ignorant behavior from before. After all, no matter what, Lapis's covering up of the truth had affected Rhode and the mercenary group a lot. However, Rhode wasn't furious with her over that and that comforted her.

This was the reason why the maiden was able to lead them courageously.

The pitch-black tunnel appeared never ending. If it were in the past, Lapis would have long been apprehensive. But now, she advanced forward with the new information in her head and her thoughts on another matter.

Leader...

Lapis gently touched her lips. She could feel waves of heat flushing across her face. Oh lord, this was the first time she had encountered something so thrilling. Of course. She was regretful for slapping Rhode. Back then, she was traumatised and could only react instinctively. Actually, she didn't intend to hit him at all. Although she was indeed stunned by his sudden actions, she unexpectedly realised that she wasn't feeling angry at all. Instead, every time she recalled that kiss, she would feel her heart beating faster while her cheeks flushed. That soft, overwhelming sensation would once again reappear on her lips...

What am I thinking?

The maiden shook her head hard to erase this filthy thought from her head. However, she realised that this wasn't easy at all because every time she saw or heard Rhode's voice, she would instantly recall that incident.

But... Is that a kiss?

Lapis felt weakened from her head to toes. Back then, her whole soul seemed to have left her body. Her brain was emptied and she didn't even wish to move. She greedily wished that this comfortable, lovely sensation would stay forever. Not to mention, Rhode had also used such a high level of french kiss on her, which was too much for an innocent and inexperienced maiden like her to handle.

"Master, that was indeed too much." Glancing at Lapis' back view, Gillian grumbled softly in the back. "I can guarantee that Miss Lapis hasn't returned to her senses even now. After all, you stole her first kiss."

"I clearly remember that I already apologised and received a tight slap for it." Rhode innocently spread out his hands in response to Gillian's lecture. "What do you still want me to do, Gillian? Do you expect me to marry her? But, now that you've mentioned it, I have yet to settle it with you on how you stole my first kiss. Maybe I should consider prosecuting you and seeking mental compensation?"

"That wasn't even your first kiss, Master." Gillian flung her tail. "Besides, the whole of myself is already yours, so what other compensation do you want from me? This is too much."

The fox-eared maiden chuckled while rejoicing in Lapis' misfortune with a cheeky smile. She turned back and narrowed her eyes at Rhode. "But, Miss Lapis' reactions were indeed amusing. It seems that she doesn't hate you. Master, work harder and bring her to bed! Just as the saying goes... Conquer a woman and you can conquer the world. You must assert your manliness so you can succeed in conquering the whole continent!"

"I don't remember such a saying." Rhode twitched his eyebrows, and just as he was about to correct Gillian's mistake, he quickly gave up.

As for Lapis... Rhode admitted that he didn't hate her. Although Lapis wasn't as stunning as Gillian, she had this pure and cute charm of hers, which lured Rhode into kissing her. But it would be another matter to go to bed with her. Although, from the perspective of desire, Rhode had no objections since he had many relationships in the past and had already experienced everything, he would rather save future troubles, just as he did in the incident with Anne previously...

As both of them quietly discussed, Lapis suddenly came to a halt and timidly stared at the tunnel before her. After a few moments of silence, she spoke. "I—I think... it's in front."

"Oh?"

Rhode lifted his head and shifted his gaze forward. The chaotic tunnel had reached its end. However, it seemed that there was an accident here, which alerted Rhode of the possible dangers.

A huge metallic door stood silently as though waiting for guests to enter.

"Lapis, stay behind me."

Rhode drew his sword. Although the maiden had the Composition Adornment, she had no idea how to utilize it at all. In this strange yet dangerous environment that was prone to ambushes, it was definitely not suitable for her to practice her skills here. That was why Rhode immediately moved her to the back.

Lapis blushed as she extended her hand and tugged onto Rhode's clothes. The black-haired young man's skinny and tall stature seemed to bring so much sense of security to her, just like a strong, secure wall.

At the same time, the maiden didn't notice Gillian's gaze, which was filled with smiles.

"Be careful and get ready to defend yourselves."

Rhode strode forward. He grabbed the metallic door handle and inhaled a deep breath.

Then, he pushed it opened.

Chapter 244: Awakening (4)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Behind the huge door lay a space that was familiar to Rhode.

On the surface, its appearance was similar to the Behermes' central control room. The only difference was that there was no crystal ball hovering in the air, and white slab covered this entire room, which was totally different from the pitch-black room from before.

The whole room seemed to be cold and cheerless with dozens of Behermes statues silently lined in two rows by the wall, holding stone-made weapons in their hands. Rhode didn't believe that these were Golem Guards as their bodies had deformed over the long years. At this moment, they were merely normal artistic pieces.

However, compared to these, Rhode found something even more peculiar.

Five pitch-black coffins were erected straight up in the middle of the room and a smear of black on them gave them an oddly glaring appearance. Rhode slowed down his pace and reminded Lapis to be careful. On the other hand, Gillian shifted her position so she could she protect the maiden and also aid Rhode. Then, the trio slowly approached the coffins.

"Ah!"

The maiden's scream broke the silent air. Rhode turned to Lapis with a frown and found her covering her mouth worriedly while her big round eyes were overflowing with fear. Then, she calmed down and explained.

"L-Leader, t-there's a voice speaking to me."

Again?

Rhode twitched his brows and turned to Gillian. The latter shook her head and she believed that this wasn't something to be alarmed of. However, even so, Rhode stayed vigilant. He thought for a moment and said.

"What did it say?"

"It... It asked if I'm the heir of the Behermes Family, and... it said it had something to tell me."

Lapis showed lingering fears on her face. She couldn't be blamed since the previous traumatic experience was just within the past hour. Even the most carefree person in the world wouldn't forget about it easily. This was why Lapis immediately reported to Rhode as soon as she felt a voice attempting to speak to her.

The maiden stuck closely behind Rhode while clutching onto his clothes. Her expression was filled with uncertainty even though she had received the Behermes Family's knowledge and experience. It didn't seem to have made any changes to her character...

Rhode wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

Rhode observed the surroundings, but nothing seemed to be of a threat. He had not come to this place before because, normally, reaching the central control room would mean victory for the players. However, this special individual mission of Lapis obviously brought them to an unfamiliar place. Rhode shut his eyes calmly and carefully thought it through.

"What did it say?"

The trio was trapped in this place and needed an opportunity to escape. Rhode wasn't sure if this was considered as an opportunity, but it was better than working their way through without any leads. Furthermore, since the voice here was almost the same as that idiot from the central control room, it would also mean as extra spoils of war for Rhode. Originally, after defeating the boss, the reward had already been absorbed by Lapis and nothing was left for himself, which was kind of disappointing. And now, if there was another boss who wished to present itself as a sacrifice to compensate for Rhode's loss, he would be more than happy to take it.

"It said..."

Lapis tilted her head and listened for a brief moment.

"... It wishes to know your identities... Huh?"

Lapis sulked and her face was smeared with a reddish blush. Then, the maiden took two steps back and waved her hand in denial.

"It's not. You are mistaken. It's not like that..."

It seemed that Lapis was interacting with the unknown voice. What exactly did it say to make her so panicked? Rhode and Gillian looked at each other suspiciously and before they were able to ask, Lapis lowered and shook her head, embarrassed, as if she understood something.

What exactly was she talking to the voice about?

Rhode wasn't too affected by this commotion and continued to stay vigilant of the surroundings to prevent any accidents. He didn't notice that Gillian was already looking over at him with a profound smile and twitching ears.

After a few moments, Lapis finally lifted her head. Rhode carefully observed her and she seemed to have restored her calmness a little. At the very least, her eyes were back to their clear radiance. This proved that she wasn't under anyone's control anymore. However, what made Rhode suspicious was that Lapis' fair cheeks had turned red as though she had a fever.

Then, the maiden stuttered.

"L-Leader, it wishes to speak to you..."

"Oh?"

Rhode was taken aback. However, before he reacted, a deep, loud voice resounded in the pure white room.

"Hi there, my guests. I represent the protector of Behermes and hereby welcome your arrival."

"Thank you for your warm hospitality." Rhode sulked as he held onto his sword and scanned the surroundings. "I apologize. We have something urgent and we hope to leave this place now... Not sure if you could give us a hand?"

"Of course. I'm willing to help." The voice sounded calm and monotonous. "But, before that, you have to pass my test, Black Successor."

Successor?

Rhode knitted his brows. He turned to see Lapis dressed in a green cloak and Gillian in a white gown. He was the only one dressed in a pitch-black nobleman's clothes. Was that voice referring to me? And what's with the "Successor'? I don't remember having any relations with the Behermes Family?

"I don't understand what you mean."

Of course, Rhode wouldn't recognise himself by adding another title which he wasn't aware of, so he quickly answered.

"Although I'm indeed dressed in a black shirt, I'm sorry that I'm not a Successor. I think you might have mistaken me for someone else."

"I have not mistaken, Successor."

Facing Rhode's answer, the voice had no intentions of changing its view and answered calmly.

"I, the protector of the Behermes Family, am the guardian of this land of the Behermes Family's great martyr. I have witnessed the ritual that you have gone through with our most perfect heir, and now you wish to abandon your calling?"

"Ritual? Calling?"

Although this voice wasn't as strange as the one in the central control room, Rhode felt ridiculed. It seemed that the long period of isolation had lowered their abilities to communicate and Rhode couldn't understanding what the voice was talking about. Of course, if it were in the game, Rhode wouldn't care for such crap. Even if the other party had 1001 reasons, he eventually would need to defeat it, so couldn't he cut the crap?

This time around, facing Rhode's questions, the voice went silent for a moment. Then, an enchantment image appeared before Rhode.

That was the scene when they first arrived in this underground world. Then, Rhode extended his right hand to lift Lapis' chin and kissed her lips without any hesitation...

"Wahh!"

Lapis covered her eyes with both hands and lowered her head in embarrassment. Rhode was dumbstruck and left speechless. The deep voice spoke once more.

"You have expressed your devotion and beliefs to our Behermes Heir and passed the ritual to protect her. The Behermes heir herself has personally agreed, yet you still choose to give up, Black Successor?"

...

Rhode was stupefied. Oh lord, he had never thought this would happen and he didn't know that the Behermes Family had such a rule.

Are you kidding me? That was only a kiss... Forget it, it's useless to talk about it now. So what's next?

As Rhode pondered helplessly over what to do next, someone tapped his shoulder lightly. He turned around and found Gillian with a grin, obviously soaking in the joy of his calamity.

"You need payback for what you have done, Master. Just admit it..."

"... You mean you don't intend to help?"

"Isn't that for sure?"

Gillian answered so righteously as though she didn't care about her own summoner's death.

"..."

Rhode hopelessly shook his head and looked at Lapis. The maiden's face was full on red as she fixed her gaze at the ground. She couldn't be blamed since—to be honest, Rhode knew where he went wrong, but he had already received a tight slap in return, right? If only he knew earlier at that time...

But, it was a pity that there was no medicine for regrets in this world.

Rhode shrugged and resigned to his fate.

"So, what do I need to do to pass this test?"

Suddenly, the center of the room where the black coffins were erected shone brightly. Then, lines of golden runes appeared within the light circle. In a blink of an eye, the lines of golden runes formed a silhouette of a human and it approached Rhode.

"Rules are simple. You will pass the test as long as you defeat me and prove your might to be capable of protecting the Behermes heir."

After that long commotion, didn't it still come down to this in the end?

Rhode rolled his eyes and lifted his sword.

"Sure, I won't hold back."

Chapter 245: Awakening (5)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

Dark clouds roamed the skies.

Heavy thunderstorms roared.

A human figure stood up in a shrub in the distance, carefully staring at the pitch-black cave.

"There are no signs of mercenaries," he said.

Suddenly, another man leapt down from the tree branch above. The rain was pouring. Both of them were naked and their beards and hair had grown wantonly over their faces.

"From the situations nearby, it seems like they didn't stay for long and have entered the historical remains? How ignorantly daring of those mercenaries." One of the man said in disdain while the other man let out a snort. Then, the latter went silent for a moments. Both of them stared silently at the pitch-black cave. Other than the sound of rain, there was nothing else.

"What should we do next? Return and report this to Elder?"

"Go ahead."

The other man seemed to have different ideas. His eyes were filled with burning determination which the rain wasn't able to extinguish. He gritted his teeth and both his clenched fists were slightly shaking.

"I will bring the rest of us in to check on the situation. You go report to Elder and bring more support will do."

Hearing his answer, the other Druid revealed an uncertain expression.

"But this wasn't what Elder wanted. Besides, you have previously..."

"I know what I'm doing."

Although the man's voice was calm without any sense of violence, the Druid, who heard his answer, couldn't help but shut his mouth. From the words of his companion, he felt as if this man was a cold, fearsome beast, revealing his teeth and ready to destroy everything.

Everything returned to the heavy sound of rain.

But, at this moment, it was another scene in the historical remains.

The sound of bonfire echoed in the spacious area. Kavos sat by the flames worriedly, staring into space with a cup of alcohol in hand. The mercenaries gathered restlessly and nobody had the mood to start a conversation. The disappearance of Rhode was a huge blow to them, especially at the end when many of them witnessed the endless abyss. They couldn't imagine how anyone could survive the fall.

However, the only thing these mercenaries could do now was to wait in confidence. On the other side, the battle angel maiden sat quietly on the statue erected on the edge of the tall platform. No matter what, Celia was the real deal. Moreover, she had a close relationship with Rhode and most mercenaries knew that. That was why Celia was able to console them while they panicked at the disappearance of their dear leader. No matter what, an angel wouldn't lie like a demon, not to mention that Rhode was her master. Since Celia said that Rhode wasn't dead and was still alive and proper, the only thing the mercenaries could do was to believe in her and wait patiently.

Although they didn't spend much time together, the mercenaries' attitude and feelings toward Rhode had major changes. To them, Rhode was a great mercenary leader who was rare to come by. He was brave, kind, generous, smart, and decisive. Anyone would wish to work for him and not only that, but Rhode had also led them in battles, which made him earn their respects.

As for the Ophenians, they found a random excuse that allowed them to rest on the tall platform after the discussions with Shauna and Kavos. After all, ever since entering the historical remains, everyone was rushing for time and Rhode's group exerted even more energy as they had engaged in battles. On the contrary, the Ophenian researchers expended less energy. However, after such a long period of time, they were eventually exhausted and decided to rest for the night on the tall platform.

Although it was easy persuading the Ophenians, the worries deep within Kavos' heart grew as he didn't know what to do next. What if Rhode didn't return? What would happen to the Starlight Mercenary Group? Kavos was afraid to face the truth. He could imagine the faces of Marlene and the rest when they heard this news.

But... Was Rhode really coming back? Where were they now?

Clink!

A clash of steel sounded.

Rhode drew his sword and retreated, once again drawing some distance between the Runes Guard.

The Runes Guard laid its hands down and its ten fingers extended to form long runes lines that hung above the ground. Rhode kept his guard as he knew that those flowy lines could turn into long whips through the previous battle, which could be a real trouble to deal with.

To be frank, the Runes Guard wasn't too powerful. If this were Rhode back in his days, he would have long defeated it.

However, it was a pity that half of Rhode's powers were sealed and he was unable to summon spirits. The only help he had was from Gillian, who was watching the fight from the sidelines with no intentions to help. Although Rhode's Dark Brandish technique was powerful, the Runes Guard didn't any lethal weaknesses. Therefore, after exchanging several blows, there was no winner yet.

"Tch... troublesome."

Rhode let out a snort as he faced this translucent, bandaged mummy. He tightened his grip on his sword hilt while carefully sizing up this enemy. He finally understood its strength. But it wasn't easy to search for a way to defeat it. Although his Starfall Swordsmanship was formidable, the long charging time would make it too easy for the Rune Guard to dodge. As for the Moon Shadow Swordsmanship, even though this initial sword skill could damage the Runes Guard, it wouldn't be effective.

Rhode had no choice but find an opening.

Lapis bit her lips and watched worriedly from the side. Gillian watched her master and the enemy fight as if no life and death was involved. She excitingly admired this battle and constantly cheered for Rhode.

"That's the way, Master. Go for it!

"Ah, just a little more. That was a pity, Master! Go and give him death!

"M-Miss Gillian..."

Gillian's actions were probably over exaggerating to which even Lapis couldn't stand.

"L-Leader is trying his best to fight. It's not too nice of you to say..."

"What's the matter? Master asked for it anyway."

Gillian obviously didn't take her words seriously. She continued to swing her tail and revealed a rejoiceful smile. However, after seeing Lapis' expression, Gillian smiled, narrowed her eyes, and lifted a finger to her lips.

"Don't worry, Lapis. Master will definitely win. Besides... Isn't that what you hoped for?"

"Eh?"

Lapis curiously lifted her head and looked at Gillian. However, before she could reply, Gillian interrupted her.

"I heard it clearly when the protector spoke just now...'Gain the recognition of the heir.' Miss Lapis... wasn't that your wish?"

"... I... I..."

Lapis' expression changed and lowered her head, not knowing how to answer. But it seemed that Gillian was unconcerned.

"Don't worry, Miss Lapis. Master will be fine. Since you have chosen him, shouldn't you trust him too?"

"Trust him..."

Lapis lifted her head again and devoted her focus at Rhode's moving figure as her eyes revealed a complicated feeling.

"Of course I... trust Leader..." Lapis replied softly.

Chapter 246: Awakening (End)

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

The two figures split up and dashed left and right.

Rhode clutched his sword while panting on the spot. Although he wasn't injured, that didn't mean this battle was easy. If Rhode was hurt by the enemy, he would have one foot into his coffin because as a Swordsman, he relied on high speed actions.

How troublesome.

Rhode gritted his teeth while facing this Runes Guard. Being unable to summon spirits made it hard for him in battle. After all, an advanced Swordsman and advanced Spirit Swordsman were two totally different concepts. If Rhode was a specialized Swordsman, he could rely on his strength to defeat the enemies. But, it was a pity that, as a Spirit Swordsman, his battle abilities were lower than specialized Swordsman by one-third. In addition, he currently didn't possess any sword techniques with high mastery levels, which was a cause of trouble for him.

On the other hand, the Runes Guard didn't seem to change. However Rhode knew clearly that its attributes were entirely different from the giant of light. The Runes Guard seemed to be a full magical being and not a spiritual being. Judging from the non-effective Dead Soul Blade, perhaps the Runes Guard was a magical puppet under manipulation.

But... what was next?

Rhode wasn't a robot. After all, and he couldn't keep this wrangle on forever. Furthermore, his battle style required him to go into battle headstrong and defeat the enemy with an abundance of energy and high speed attacks in order to finish the fight in the shortest time possible. But once the battle was prolonged and he used up too much of his energy, it would spell trouble for him.

Rhode once again narrowed his eyes and carefully sized up the Runes Guard. From their previous clash, he had discovered that other than the magical energy ball in the middle of the Runes Guard's chest, the other physical presence was the bandage-like runes lines. In other words, to defeat the Runes Guard, Rhode would need to destroy its core. But that wouldn't be an easy task, as Rhode had attempted once before, but failed. No matter what, the enemy only had one vital part to protect while Rhode had to stay alert of his surroundings the entire time.

It seemed that to seize every opportunity was impossible and the only choice left was to take the direct approach.

Rhode lowered his head and gazed at the Crimson Blade in his hand. He had made a decision since there were no other choices. He could only give one last shot while his energy was still sufficient.

Rhode raised his sword and pointed at the Runes Guard.

Shadow Embrace, activated.

In an instant, Rhode flitted by and emerged beside the Runes Guard. He pierced his sword into its chest.

The Runes Guard turned around instantly, raised its hands to defend its chest, and erupted into a blaze. Rhode, who was by his side, disappeared in a flash and was replaced by another image of him leaping upward. However, from his swift movements, it seemed like his attack had ended.

This was the special effect of Shadow Embrace: Ghosting.

Even though Rhode wasn't able to unleash this move within a second like Mages could cast their spells, it was somewhat similar with the high flexibility of the Dark Elves with the Dark Dance Swordsmanship. It was just like Rhode now. Whenever he gave his all, almost nobody could see his movements.

However, 'Ghosting' was scheming. On the surface, it appeared similar to the afterimage of an Internet lag, but it wasn't actually there when the players looked at it. The ghosting that appeared was slower than the actual velocity by two to three seconds. In other words, when one saw the enemy raising his sword in one's face, one might have already been sliced from the back...

Shadow Embrace could be said to be vicious. As long as one saw it, regardless of if one wished for it or not, one's brain would react with what one's eyes had witnessed, which made it easy to be tricked. Even for those who were well prepared, the rationale in their heads and from what they actually saw would contradict and cause hesitations.

And in aggressive battles, this hesitations would cost people's lives.

However, the Runes Guard didn't take the bait. After all, he was a magical being and didn't rely on watching with his eyes, so the effects of Shadow Embrace were useless on him. But, even so, Rhode had no intentions of giving this technique up. Even though Ghosting wasn't able to trick the Runes Guard, its extreme speed was real. Although the Runes Guard didn't use its eyes, there were still flaws in his movements. With enough observations, there would still be a chance if Rhode's velocity was quick enough.

Just as the 'Ghosting' showed an illusion of Rhode leaping forward, the actual Rhode had already gone around to the back of the Runes Guard.

The Runes Guard had already seen through Rhode's movements after similar encounters, which forced Rhode to fail. But this time, could he succeed?

Shing!

Just as Rhode had expected; as he moved forward, the Runes Guard suddenly turned around.

But this time, Rhode didn't attack because he was looking for an opening.

Rhode held the sword with his right hand and swiped the blade on his left palm. Along with the splash of fresh blood, the Crimson Blade flickered.

Clang!

The Crimson Blade struck the Runes Guard. But this time, it didn't slide off its surface like before. Instead, the sharp blade brought along a dazzling blade ray and sliced into the Runes Guard's arm. Dozen of runes lines were reduced to shreds and half of the Runes Guard's arm was damaged badly.

As a being who lived on their source of magic, the Runes Guard was naturally sensitive to the movements of magical powers. Although the sword in Rhode's hand was a magical weapon, it was no different from a normal weapon before it got into contact with fresh blood. This was why Rhode's previous attacks were useless. But now, the activated Crimson Blade immediately stood off with the Rune Guard's magical powers, which was why Rhode's attack wasn't negated this time.

But, even so, the Crimson Blade wasn't strong enough to defeat the Runes Guard.

However, Rhode was long prepared for this.

This surprise attack put the Runes Guard at a loss. After all, it was only a being similar to a magical puppet and it was impossible for it to possess the advanced battle intelligence as humans. Due to this reason, the Runes Guard, who had always been fast in reactions, was caught off guard.

Rhode seized this opportunity and once again swiped the blade along his left palm.

The immense pain forced him to grit his teeth as he struck forth.

This time, the Runes Guard finally failed to defend against his attack. The more blood the Crimson Blade absorbed, the sharper it would become. After absorbing Rhode's sacrificial blood twice, the blade became razor-sharp and penetrated the Runes Guard mercilessly.

"—!"

The magical undulation of the Crimson Blade disrupted the magical flow within the Runes Guard, and shortly after, it trembled violently. Its four limbs shook and its body cracked wide open. The Crimson Blade's magical powers had struck deep into its body.

Now's the chance!

Rhode's eyes glinted with hope. He gritted his teeth and held the blade with his left hand. At the same time, he swung his sword downward and ripped a huge tear through the Runes Guard's body instantly. A blue magical radiance shone and speckles of light dust fluttered past Rhode's blade and into the air with some sense of beauty.

However, Rhode wasn't in the mood to admire this mesmerizing scene. As the Runes Guard lost its balance, he finally caught onto an opening.

Fury Trail!

On the tip of the sword blade, a bright, spiritual light gathered. Then, he struck the Crimson Blade down, and this time, the Runes Guard wasn't able to guard on time. It raised its hands helplessly, but the radiance of the Crimson Blade dazzled as it pierced into its body like a knife slicing through butter.

At this moment, the stored energy in the blade finally erupted.

Bam!

The Runes Guard exploded as though crashing to a giant fist landing from above. In the blink of an eye, the Runes Guard was utterly destroyed. Broken bandages flew in the air along some light dust, quickly disappearing into nothingness.

Rhode came to a halt and took in a deep breath as he looked at the remains of the Runes Guard.

It finally ended.

Chapter 247: Zero Refining Equipment

Translator: AtlasStudios Editor: AtlasStudios

"Phew...!"

Rhode collapsed to the ground after defeating the enemy. Although he wasn't injured, the amount of blood he had lost was plenty. The Crimson Blade carried blood-sucking attributes and with around 300 to 400 milliliters of blood lost, even he couldn't hold it together. Furthermore, the battle with the previous Runes Guards had used up a chunk of his energy.

"L-Leader!"

Gillian and Lapis hurried over and attended to Rhode's left palm, which was gushing with fresh blood. As pale as a sheet of paper, Lapis felt her heart almost stop. Luckily, although Lapis was always timid, she was only afraid of death in battles. It was due to this reason that the maiden always brought along backup potions and bandages. She immediately retrieved them from her bag and attended to his wounds.

After downing two bottles of healing potions, Rhode felt a little better.

"I'm fine now."

Rhode shook his head and gestured with his hand, at the same time unsheathing his sword. He was speechless as he gazed at the Crimson Blade. This wasn't the first time he had purposely cut himself for its absorption. Although this was indeed a great attribute, why did he always have to be the one sliced every time?

Rhode felt a little annoyed; his luck was hideous.

Actually, it wasn't to be blamed on Rhode's unluckiness. After all, the few times where Rhode had no choice but to cut himself, were when he faced monsters such as the Runes Guard, which didn't have blood flowing in it. As a result, the Crimson Blade's attributes were totally useless. Moreover, this blade was considered a blood-sucking weapon and it went without saying that it would reject any engine oil or calcium oxide...

"L-Leader. Sorry..."

Lapis stuttered. She gazed at Rhode with teary eyes. Previously, when Lapis heard of this battle as a test, she wasn't too mindful, because, after all, a test would definitely be safer than a real battle, right? However, she didn't expect it to be this dangerous. At this moment, Rhode's left palm was already drenched in blood. Lapis was restless and full of guilt. She was regretful as to why she had admitted when she heard those words from the voice... If she strictly denied it back then...

To the contrary, Gillian displayed a cheeky smile. Rhode's injury didn't seem to worry her at all, and she didn't even ask if he needed any help. No one knew if Gillian was totally confident of Rhode or if she was just unconcerned.

"It's okay."

Rhode didn't mind Lapis' apologies. He tapped on her shoulder and consoled her. Although Lapis was timid, she had a decent temperament and wasn't annoying to others. In the game, Rhode had seen many top-rated female players behaving arrogantly even though they were still newbies and only after their mercenary groups were defeated due to their mistakes would the female players start crying and beg to be forgiven. It wasn't even enough to forgive the female players because you would still need to console her. If not, she would continue to cry on and on. Rhode felt helpless toward such women and luckily for them, it was only a game. If that happened in real life, Rhode would have given them tight slaps. Everyone's time is precious. Must we waste it on your endless weepings?

Luckily, although Lapis was timid, she knew where to draw the line. After listening to Rhode's answer, she forced a smile and stepped away with her head down.

And at this moment, the voice finally sounded.

"You have passed the test, Successor... Behermes' future... will be all on you."

"I understand."

Rhode nodded lightly and answered. Although he didn't know what this 'Successor' thing was, it seemed to be something of importance to the Behermes. Moreover, Lapis was the heir of the Behermes Family, and if Rhode could bring the Behermes Family into his mercenary group using this special connection, it would be one of the best possible scenarios. This world didn't consist of players with the Production Class, so Rhode wouldn't give up when a chance to recruit natives with the Production Class came. Moreover, Lapis was the gem of the mercenary group. Even without the voice's reminder, Rhode still wouldn't let Lapis get into danger.

However, after hearing Rhode's answer, Lapis blushed and lowered her head. Rhode didn't understand what 'Successor' meant, but Lapis was very clear about it even though she didn't explain it to him.

At this moment, the broken pieces of the Runes Guard and the light dust floating in midair coalesced into a shining metallic item that emerged out of thin air. It was a metallic bracer emanating in a faint, magical radiance filled with mysterious aura. Small, expensive-looking gems were embedded on it, carrying a sense of beauty.

"Since you have passed the test, as a Behermes Successor, you have won the rights to have it. It's the emblem of the Behermes, and now, it belongs to you."

Really? Such great things exist?

Rhode twitched his brows as he finally knew he made the right choice to come to this place. Previously, he was feeling pitiful that the spoils of war from defeating the boss were absorbed by Lapis, but now, there was apparently still a chance.

Well, having something was better than nothing.

With this principle, Rhode quickly extended his hand and held the bracer. Quickly, a line of system prompt appeared before his eyes.

[Received Zero Refining Equipment]

Rhode was surprised and opened his eyes wide.

Wasn't this the Composition Adornment?

The Composition Adornment was a common artifact in the late game of the Dragon Soul Continent. Without this adornment, most players would face problems even in normal dungeons. Because of that, after Rhode led his men to take over all the production jobs of the Composition Adornment from the Ophenians, many players chose to join the Starlight Guild.

The Composition Adornment wasn't any ordinary artifact. It wasn't an armor, cloak, or shield. Instead, it was unique because of its strange attribute: Fusion.

In other words, it could allow all the weapons' attributes of the player to fuse into the best usage. In the game, unless its was a set of equipment, the numerical values of the equipment were always different. Whereas, the Composition Adornment's value was that every equipment would have a set attribute after equipping it. Not only that, but the Composition Adornment could also make adjustments to the attributes and numerical values of the equipment. That was why every player's set effect was unique. Some players preferred higher defense and after equipping the Composition Adornment, they would receive special defense enhancements. Others chose to boost their attack, which would increase the attacking attributes. And if some players had multiple elemental attributes equipment, then the Composition Adornment would increase the elemental attributes' set effect.

This was especially important when facing the Devils because the Devils from the depths of hell were mighty and normal players wouldn't be able to survive without the set attributes. Set equipment was difficult to obtain and not every players had the ability to craft them. Furthermore, the set equipment was job specific. A Ranger's set equipment with the high speed dodging attribute was something that Thieves would love to have. However, this was Ranger-specific, which wouldn't be suitable for Thieves as they weren't specialized in bows and arrows. However, the Rangers' set equipment could only be effective when paired up with the Guardian Bow. Wouldn't it be ridiculous if a Thief carried a wooden bow on his back all day?

However, with the Composition Adornment, as long as Thieves wore sufficient speed equipment, they would also be able to achieve high speed dodging. Of course, this counterfeit version would be less impactful as the original, but if the Thieves didn't need to carry a bow on their back all day, it would be good enough.

There were still flaws in the Composition Adornment, which was the restriction on the fusion rates. The fusion rates were directly proportional to the set equipment effect. In other words, the higher the fusion rate of the Composition Adornment, the higher the effects on the set equipment. However, in the game, the success rate of the strongest Composition Adornment fusion rate was still less than 90 percent.

This was why players treated the Composition Adornment's set equipment effect as counterfeit version. Compared to an authentic set equipment effects, the difference was at least 10 percent. This difference wasn't only in numerical values, but also fairly obvious in battles. However, to the normal players who didn't have the time and energy to hunt or craft set equipment, this counterfeit version was good enough.

However...

Rhode frowned.

The early and late stages of the game were totally different. This felt like from the very start, the hunters could crush the whole dungeon with a Fury Meteor. However, in the later stages, the Fury Meteor was everywhere, but there weren't many bosses that were readily available to be defeated.

But what did this [Zero Refining Equipment] mean?

Rhode decisively tapped on the details of this equipment.

[Zero Refining Equipment]

Fusion Rate: 100%

Additional Effects: Alchemist Technique LV 5

Set Equipment Attribute: 3

Aura Attribute: 1

Special Effects: Increase Magical Equipment Attributes by 15%

[This is the Behermes Family's painstaking production, the highest result of alchemy.]

Such great attributes!