Lee Shin Woo narrowed his eyes. Although the Garudaâs corpse had disappeared, it hadnât dropped any loot yet. He had a hunch as to why. Since a snow-white light rose from within the Garudaâs body as it disappeared and was sticking to the Titanâs body.
When the greatsword melted away, Zenon immediately left the blade and entered the Titan. This peculiar phenomenon probably had something to do with Zenon⊠His assumption was completely correct. Zenon was busy speaking with the Garudaâs final remaining will.
[Young spirit. Could you inherit my will?]
[L-Lord Garuda. Iâm just a regular spirit following this humanâŠ]
Zenon was conversing with a part of the Garudaâs consciousness. When it had realized that its body and soul were being eroded by the undead curse, the Garuda had torn a piece of its soul off and stored it away; its soul was incredibly pure.
Of course, not everyone could do this just because they were a high level. It was only possible for the Garuda because it had developed its innate element, the Shining Flame, and the light element to near perfection.
[The fact that I was able to meet you, one who wields the same fire energy as me, before I died in vain must be due to God. And if youâve chosen that human as your contractor, then I will respect your decision.]
[Is that soâŠ]
The Garuda spoke amicably, but it just made Zenon feel a sense of awe and break into a cold sweat.
It probably didnât understand Zenon and Lee Shin Wooâs relationship in the least. If thatâs not it, then it wouldnât be so calm! Zenon thought about it faintly, but he didnât say it out loud.
[If you have something you want from me, then⊠Please say so.]
His short interaction with Lee Shin Woo was drawing attention to him. Right now, the right move was to just listen to what the Garuda had to say!
[This human, who youâve entrusted your soul to, is incredibly strong. Moreover, heâs realized part of the truth of this world at such a young age, so if he doesnât tread down the wrong path, then he should be able to correct the chaos of this world.]
[ChaosâŠ]
[You should already know. That curse, which was able to corrupt even I, who had transcended death, came about due to mankindâs unending greed⊠If left unchecked, the world is doomed. So long as your contractor⊠a hero doesnât correct it.]
Thatâs right. The Garuda possessed some divinity, albeit weak, so it knew that Lee Shin Woo was one of Godâs heroes! Hearing that, Zenon slightly tilted his head.
[Then why arenât you telling him this yourself?]
[Itâs related to what Iâm about to tell you. I will give you the power to erase anything, so⊠if that hero treads the wrong path, then Iâd like you to destroy him with your own two hands.]
Zenon could tell how earnest the Garuda was being and just laughed inside. He doesnât think that thatâs actually possible, does he? However, the Garuda maintained its serious tone and continued.
[Your contractorâs ability is exceptional. At such a young age, he not only reached level 8 but also possesses the ability to distort the truth. In my long life, Iâve never seen someone like him. He should be able to correct the chaos that plagues the surface and the underground. However, if he were to go astray, then it will result in unspeakable disasterâŠ]
[Yes, thatâs true.]
Now that Lee Shin Woo was level 8, he considered life and death the same. And with his Wild Card skill, he could distort reality in a limited space. The Garuda probably didnât know this, but Lee Shin Wooâs innate element, Dark Shadow, was incredibly dangerous (The Garuda thought that Lee Shin Wooâs innate element was something like the Fiery Sandâs Dark Flame Ghostsâ Dark Flame).
And if he were to advance even further? What if he were to use that power for evil? The world would become even worse than it is now. He was right of course. Heâs right, butâŠ
âBut I donât think this human will do something so troublesome. Moreover, contrary to the Garuda, he hasnât been affected by the curse, and can actually use the curse for himselfâŠâ
Zenon couldnât imagine Lee Shin Woo straying from his path. If he had to be wary of anyone who had a dangerous ability and was talented, then there were so many more that heâd have to be worried about. After all, even the Garuda, who had obtained divinity, had caused a lot of trouble!
Yet, he had the gall to say something like âexterminate the heroâ, so Zenon was speechless. Regardless of the why, Zenon thought it just wanted vengeance against the one whoâd killed itâŠ
âWhat would Lee Shin Woo⊠The contractor of the Spiritsâ Spring, say at a time like thisâŠâ
Lee Shin Woo would keep his mouth shut and get what he could first. If he retorted, then the Garuda might leave, which would be such a waste! Zenon nodded his head and the Garuda continued in satisfaction.
[âŠI understand.]
[And Iâll give you my power as well. You will become my successor who wields both light and flame, so if you continue to train both, then you will one day be able to use my innate element⊠Shining Flame! I grant you this authority for the sake of all spirits, so if youâre in a situation where your own power is insufficient, then you should borrow their power to overcome it!]
So the Garuda did have an underlying motive for bestowing his power. He was giving him one of the Garudaâs abilities, the power of light which could sever all! It thought that if he was given this power, which could sever all connections if need be, then he wouldnât be controlled by Lee Shin Woo.
[Then, young spirit. I hope you make the right decision. I hope that you use this power that I leave behind for the betterment of this worldâŠ!]
The Garudaâs remaining consciousness emitted a bright light and split into two. One went into Zenon, and the other was absorbed by the Titan. It forcefully raised Zenonâs âlevelâ and raised his body and soul to new heights. To be more specific, Zenonâs karma exploded and he leveled up!
[Lv8 Shining Salamander Zenon]
That wasnât all. Zenon realized that he could now use the high rank level 1 light element. To think he, who was born a fire spirit, would be able to use another element as well! The Garuda wasnât wrong when it said that he would be its successor!
But what he gained wasnât purely positive either. The Garudaâs will, which possessed divinity, had a huge effect on Zenon and planted a sense of distrust in Lee Shin Woo. But it was the exact opposite of Zenonâs original feelings, so he felt quite uncomfortable.
[Is this the price of thoughtlessly accepting a godâs power?]
[Yeah. Thatâs not something you accept without thinking.]
He had forged an improper contract with God and become a magical girl⊠No wait, he was forced into becoming a hero. Lee Shin Woo genuinely gave him some advice and Zenon found himself nodding automatically⊠But then asked in shock.
[Did you hear everything!?]
[Not everything, but most of it. If it knew that I was the one who made the Titan and it was made of bone, then it wouldnât have done something as stupid as talking within it. Even at the very end, that asshole looked down on me.]
[âŠI think he did. He thought heâd lost to you because of his corruption.]
Of course, it was true that the Garuda had weakened, so much so that it was incomparable to its original strength, but had made a basic miscalculation.
It hadnât realized that Lee Shin Woo had used his ability to âcreate a stage in which he could win against the Garudaâ! In other words, Lee Shin Woo was way too talented!
[Iâll take care of it, so stay still.]
[Mm, MmmmâŠ!]
Lee Shin Woo looked squarely at Zenon with his Soul Seeing Eye. Immediately after, he used his Dark Flame and Shining Flame to cut out a piece of Zenonâs body. Then, the unpleasant feeling disappeared. He was a little weaker, but it wasnât enough to lower his level.
Lee Shin Woo erased the Garudaâs foolish will with his shining flames and absorbed only the essence within.
[The Beginner Shining Flame skill has become Lv3. Magic has increased by 20.]
With this, the negative effects of the Garudaâs power disappeared from Zenon. He was going to erase the traces of the Garudaâs will from the golem as well but decided to leave it be, as he found that he could use it for himself.
But Lee Shin Woo found his experiences and abilities a bit lacking to properly study it. Moreover, he couldnât maintain the Titan Bone Golem any longer.
[Beginning to recharge heat. Time before fully charged: 45 days]
âItâs gotten a lot stronger, and the recharge time went down too. Itâs more efficient at absorbing heat now, which may be attributed to the reinforced Dark Flameâs power of absorption. âŠThe next time I call the Titan, I hope I can combine all the flames together.â
Lee Shin Woo gripped the Titan Bone Core, which released the Titan form and returned to its original size, and then sighed.
The Garuda had engraved the Shining Flame deep within the golem. If he got more used to the Shining Flame and advanced enough that he was able to combine the Shining Flame and the Dark Flame together, then he should be able to develop the golem even further. To be more specific, he would be able to raise the Titan to level 9.
[After unearthing the dungeonâs secrets, you managed to defeat the dungeonâs master, who had managed to acquire divinity. You have acquired the title, âHe Who Challenges Godâ. All stats are increased by 10% when battling against the divine. All stats have increased by 50. The Rebellion skill has become Lv6 and all stats have increased by 10.]
By the time Lee Shin Woo had eliminated all traces of the Garuda, a message indicating that the battle was over finally appeared! He had just acquired an innate element, yet there was another headache inducing word (god) that heâd have to look into⊠But more importantly, he had to collect all the loot!
[Lucky Strike! You have acquired 681,993,040 Perium! The Lucky Strike skill has become Lv5!]
[You have acquired the Lv9 Garudaâs Wing Bone and Sphenoid Bone!]
[You have acquired the Lv9 Phoenixâs Feather. The Bone Reinforcement skill is not at a high enough level, so a change does not occur.]
[You have acquired the Lv8 God Sword of Light. Through the Bone Reinforcement skill, it changes into the Lv8 Death Godâs Shining Bone Sword (+3).]
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[You have acquired a Lv7 Sunstone. Through the Bone Reinforcement skill, it changes into the Lv8 Sun Fossil.]
No way. To think Lucky Strike would activate here. He gaped from gaining 700 million Perium all at once.
That wasnât all. Befitting a divine bird trapped underground for hundreds of years, it dropped such amazing loot! But Lee Shin Woo couldnât keep his eyes off of one of the two bones⊠the Garudaâs Wing Bone.
âShin Woo, are you ok⊠H-Huh!?â
Once heâd confirmed that the battle was over, Jin had flown over to Lee Shin Woo, but for some reason, he felt a chill and started shaking. As if he felt the pain that was to come!