Chapter 1384

Chapter 1384

‘What actions will the four Pillars take to kill one person quickly?’

Minhyuk ran hundreds of simulations in his head. As the gears in his head turned, he came to a single conclusion.

The most efficient way for them to kill someone quickly was to borrow Hephaestus’ power, which specialized in debuffs. Hephaestus had used the Blacksmith’s Order during the Pillar of the Battlefield’s Raid and weakened the Pillar of the Battlefield’s artifacts. Artifacts possessed varying effects. Some effects increased stats, magical defensive power, attack power, defensive power, DEX, skill effects, and many more. Weakening the artifacts would result in a massive decrease in power.

Compared to Obren, Hephaestus, the Master of Life and Death Louis, and The Persistent Beladon all have significantly lower defensive power and HP. That was especially the case for Hephaestus.

Although Hephaestus was a blacksmith with a sturdy body, he only had half the HP of a combat class who was at the same level as him. Even most of the artifacts he had equipped and the skills he possessed were specialized for production. As someone who could easily break or restrict an enemy’s artifact, Hephaestus could be said to be the most dangerous of all the enemies to Minhyuk right now.

Nevertheless, Minhyuk was currently in an absolutely invincible state. If he took into account the Absolute Defense that he had kept using the Save skill, he would have a total of 20 seconds in this state.

Then there was the Absolute Monarch, a skill attached to the Most Radiant Crown. It was a power that could force Minhyuk’s enemies to submit to him. With the increase in the artifacts’ effects, the duration of Absolute Monarch increased from 2 seconds to 3.7 seconds.

All of the calculations were over. Although he couldn’t kill Obren, he could still deal with the other three in a short amount of time. In the first place, Obren was someone whom Minhyuk could not kill even if he wanted to.

Meanwhile, Obren stared wide-eyed at Minhyuk, his pupils shaking as blood continued to spurt.

Gulp!

[Overlapping Delight.]

A golden die appeared above Minhyuk.

[The die has been cast! You have rolled a three!]

Then, a black die appeared.

[The die has been cast! You have rolled a one!]

With this, all of Minhyuk’s stats have increased by 37% while his skill has leveled up by one. He chose to apply the effects of the black die, the impact that would bring the level of a desired skill to the maximum, onto the Sword of Carnage.

Minhyuk passed by Hephaestus.

Swoosh!

Thud, thud! Thud, thud, thud!

Fwoosh!

Minhyuk swung his sword a total of one hundred times. It was the Supreme Blade with an 88% increase in artifact effects, too! In just one second, Hephaestus’ entire body was riddled with holes.

‘After reaching Level 800, the Supreme Blade will be unsealed, giving it an attack power of over 4,000.’

This meant that each attack that landed on Hephaestus from this sword could inflict damage that was equivalent to four attacks from high rankers.

“Ughhhhh...!” Hephaestus groaned, his face turning a deep shade of red from the exertion of trying to stop the attacks.

He only had two choices. He could either escape from the range of the attacks or stop them completely.

Clang, clang, clang!

‘Artifact Destruction!’

Dozens of artifacts shot out from the ground and gathered in front of Hephaestus. They moved to create a protective barrier that enclosed Hephaestus.

“Sorry, Hephaestus.”

When Hephaestus first met Minhyuk, he had given the young man a gift. It was an artifact that he originally made to gain the recognition and respect of Zeus and the gods of Olympus. However, the artifact changed its owner. And now, it was called the Battle God’s Guardian Spear. This very same spear, which had been in transparent mode, appeared briefly in front of everyone.

Obren and the other Pillars instantly understood what Minhyuk intended to do. Just like Hephaestus, they hurriedly created barriers and defensive walls to protect themselves.

[Exploding Lightning.]

[All enemies within an area with a forty-meter radius will fall into a two-second stunned state.]

Bang!

Bang, bang!

Baaaaaang!

BANG!

Four bolts of lightning fell from the sky and struck the four Pillars, leaving them in a stunned state. As for the shield made of artifacts that were being formed in front of Hephaestus? They were on the verge of crumbling and turning into ruins.

Swoosh!

Minhyuk’s sword pierced through one of the cracks in the shield, accurately stabbing Hephaestus’ heart. Still, he was not yet done. He swiftly pulled out the sword. Then, he spun around and hacked and slashed at the blacksmith with two swords in his hands.

“Keuhaack! You’re really doing this?!”

Although Hephaestus said those words, there was a delighted smile on his face. Minhyuk was his dear and faithful friend. Although he did not say it, he was pleased that his friend had grown stronger.

“Supreme Overlord’s Technique.”

Crackle!

A blazing firestorm engulfed Hephaestus. As the flames devoured him, he was slowly reduced to ashes that were scattered by the wind.

[Asked if he could endure, Minhyuk ended up turning Hephaestus into nothing but ashes.]

[This is a very unexpected yet surprising development!]

[That is what makes this even more enjoyable! Because he had reduced his opponents by one, Minhyuk will be able to last longer.]

Master of Life and Death Louis was fully aware that he was the one next.

[It only took nine seconds for Minhyuk to kill Hephaestus!]

[From what we know, the Blacksmith’s Order lasts for an entire minute. This means that I will still be able to show off a more extraordinary power for fifty more seconds.]

[This is very fun. The game where he had to endure had completely turned into a 1v4 match!]

In a flash of light, Master of Life and Death Louis disappeared from his position. This was all thanks to Obren. Louis, who appeared at a distance, slammed his staff on the ground.

Rumble!

The ground beneath their feet changed. From a plain and shiny marble floor, it transformed into dry, crumbling soil. At Master of Life and Death Louis’ command, Death Knights crawled up from the ground. At the same time, a gigantic bridge was made.

Louis stood at the end of the bridge and smiled at Minhyuk. Then, he said, “Come.”

Boom!

Minhyuk shot forward.

Obren continued to control the Evil God’s Books in his hands. Knowing that he was unable to deal any damage to Minhyuk, he chose to destroy the terrain around them.

Bang! Bang, bang! Bang!

Every hit left Minhyuk tethered on the edge, his balance collapsing from the constant destruction of the area around him.

Flash!

Then, Minhyuk kicked the ground. He soared to the sky using Hermes’ Shoes. As if on cue, the 10,000 summoned Death Knights bent their knees and jumped up.

They smiled bitterly as they watched the Death Knights block Minhyuk in the air above them. They all knew that they could not kill Minhyuk even if they attacked him right now. In fact, the only thing they wanted to do right now was stop him from pursuing Master of Life and Death Louis.

Unfortunately, they remained unaware of one of the special effects associated with Hermes' shoes.

[Thief’s Sprint.]

[You can go through anything in front of you, whether they are objects or living beings. Your movement and flight speed will increase by 350%.]

Minhyuk ran swiftly through the sky.

Vwooooong!

In just a blink, he was able to pass through the 10,000 Death Knights blocking his path.

“...!”

Louis moved quickly.

Rumble!

Tens of thousands of bones shot out from the ground and formed a castle that surrounded and protected him. Before the bones could completely seal Louis off...

“Transcendence.”

Rumble!

A black stream of energy shot out and covered Minhyuk’s entire body. Louis stared at Minhyuk through the gap that the bones were slowly filling in.

[The Gourmand’s Five Stars.]

At that moment, five stars were summoned in the sky above them.

Gulp!

Minhyuk swallowed the Star of Skill.

[Effects have been applied to the Transcendental’s Spear.]

Rumble!

At that moment, the world’s most powerful black spear was created. It had an additional damage of 120,000% and would leave enemies in a stunned state for four seconds. Right now, the Transcendental’s Spear might just be able to kill any and all enemies standing in front of Minhyuk with one single shot.

The bones finally filled in the gap in the walls and completely hid Louis’ face. However...

Crack, crack, crack!

The fierce and powerful Transcendental’s Spear hit the wall of bones and began to dig through their defenses.

Thud, thud, thud!

As the bones turned into dust, the Transcendental’s Spear finally pierced through Louis’ abdomen.

Shwaaaa!

“Kghhk!”

The walls slowly crumbled, revealing Louis’ figure. He was left in a four-second stunned state, his body bent like a bow with dark blood flowing down his mouth.

Rumble!

Suddenly, the ground trembled. It slowly soared and created a circle. Hundreds of pillars shot toward Minhyuk. They all came from Obren. And this move was telling him that he could no longer go further and make a move on the Master of Life and Death.

However, Minhyuk raised his sword and broke the pillars coming his way. One of the pillars pushed Minhyuk up to the sky. At that moment, his Absolute Defense ended.

“Absolute Defense.”

Minhyuk wanted to use the remaining Absolute Defense that he had saved using his Save skill. However...

[Evil God’s Book of Restriction.]

[The Evil God’s Book of Restriction will reduce the effects of the skill by 50% upon the skill’s activation.]

Again, the one who put a hiccup in Minhyuk’s plan was Obren.

At the same time, the Ego Chain Sickle was summoned. It shot forward and wrapped around the crumbling wall of bones. Minhyuk pulled the chains firmly. He used the momentum to charge straight toward Louis.

Louis’ face grew pale. He still had one second left before he was released entirely from his stunned state. However, there was still a smile on his face.

“Come.”

“Sorry, Louis. Let’s have a cup of tea soon.”

Swoosh!

Louis turned into ashes that disappeared with the wind with a single swing of Minhyuk’s sword.

‘Now there’s only three seconds left.’

He had to kill The Persistent.

Gulp!

[You have swallowed the Star of Agility.]

[Your AGI has increased by 275%.]

[It will remain in effect for three minutes.]

Today was different from yesterday. After all, Minhyuk's artifacts did not have any 88% increase in abilities and effects. Minhyuk moved swiftly. The viewers could not even follow Minhyuk’s speed with their eyes.

Swoosh!

On Beladon’s side, he had already made eye contact with Obren and communicated what they had to speak.

[You have swallowed the Star of Strength.]

[Your STR has increased by 475%.]

Minhyuk had already exhausted most of his skills. Regardless, with the increase in STR and AGI, he believed that it was still worth a try.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

Minhyuk’s sword constantly cut The Persistent Beladon. And the pillars that had stopped him earlier? They were still shooting from the ground and trying to stop him in his tracks.

The ground moved and surged. It devoured both Minhyuk and The Persistent Beladon. However, the ground swallowed Beladon to protect him while it swallowed Minhyuk to stop him.

Rumble!

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Minhyuk destroyed the ground that tried to restrict and stop him with brute force.

‘Just three more times!’

He was almost there.

[Absolute Defense has ended.]

Minhyuk’s expression grew stiff.

[You should do things in moderation.]

At the same time, Obren’s voice drifted over.

Twenty-three seconds had passed since this started. In other words, Minhyuk had been enduring and holding on for that same amount of time.

‘From now on, I have to focus on holding out. If I do that, then I think I’ll be able to hold out for at least a minute.’

This event was originally a game of endurance. Now that he had killed some of them, he would be able to last longer...

Boom!

A powerful lightning bolt fell from the Evil God’s Books.

Minhyuk was covered with cold sweat as he laughed.

‘Considering the state of my artifacts now, I will be able to endure that lightning...’

But then...

[Repetitive Effort.]

[The damage inflicted will be amplified depending on the effort that the skill user has put into creating the skill.]

Minhyuk had forgotten because he had been under the effects of the Absolute Defense. The people that he had been dealing with were Pillars. If he did not have Absolute Defense, then he would have been forced to log out long ago.

[The damage has been amplified.]

[...amplified.]

[...amplified.]

Dark clouds gathered in the sky above them.

[The efforts and hard work of The Persistent reside in the power of the Evil God.]

[You will be hit dozens of times following the efforts of The Persistent!]

The combination of the two was truly beyond common sense.

[You did well.]

Obren and the rest of the world were shocked. They had never expected that Minhyuk would think about killing the Pillars to save more time.

[However, it doesn’t change the fact that everything will end in thirty seconds.]

Obren looked at Minhyuk coldly.

[Endurance Time: 27 seconds.]

Minhyuk’s expression grew ugly.

[The amplified damage applied by the Repetitive Effort has been determined!]

[The Evil God’s Lightning will inflict 77,413% damage!]

[There will be a total of 31 strikes!]

[Every Evil God’s Lightning that will fall upon you will leave you in a stunned state!]

BANG!

His artifacts’ 88% increase in abilities? They were completely useless. The damage that would be inflicted upon Minhyuk was beyond anything that he had ever seen. If he had the Silver Dragon Armor equipped, then he might be able to last much longer. However, that was made impossible because he was in a state of stunned silence. Perhaps this result was a consequence of his arrogance.

Bang!

Bang, bang, bang!

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

[Endurance Time: 28 seconds.]

The lightning that fell more than fifteen times upon him forced his HP to fall drastically.

[Your HP has dropped below 10%.]

In just an instant, his HP had been dragged to the ground.

Obren looked at him coldly. Then, he turned away. Alas, things weren’t over yet.

“Didn’t I tell you? I can endure that long.”

[Don’t be frustrated. Things are already over...]

Ping!

[...?!]

Obren’s expression grew ugly. The sound that rang in Obren’s ears was a sound that he knew all too well. On the other hand, unfamiliar with the sound, Beladon fell into confusion.

Minhyuk smiled as he looked at the shocked expression on Obren’s face.

[Ten Thousand Li Sword.]

Swoosh!

Blood spurted out from the chests of both Obren and Beladon. Inflicted with damage that was beyond common sense, the two could only spit out groans. The best part for Minhyuk was that most skills would be interrupted and cancelled when the skill user was attacked. In other words...

[The Persistent’s power has been nullified.]

Bang!

The lightning that rained down upon Minhyuk disappeared.

[Endurance Time: 30 seconds.]

[Endurance Time: 31 seconds.]

[Endurance Time: 32 seconds.]

Minhyuk looked at Obren arrogantly.

“Absolute Monarch.”

Thud!

[Endurance Time: 33 seconds.]

[Endurance Time: 34 seconds.]

Minhyuk swung his sword carrying the symbol of Destruction.

Bang, bang, bang!

[There is a 20% chance that your enemies will fall into a two-second stunned state.]

[Endurance Time: 35 seconds.]

[Endurance Time: 36 seconds.]

Then, he swung it again.

[There is a 20% chance that your enemies will fall into a two-second stunned state.]

[Endurance Time: 37 seconds.]

[Endurance Time: 38 seconds.]

Obren stared at Minhyuk as if he were a monster. Then, a bitter laugh escaped his mouth.

Bang!

Lightning fell from the sky once more and devoured Minhyuk. In the end, Minhyuk turned into ashes that disappeared with the wind.

[Total Endurance Time: 42 seconds!]