Chapter 10: Is This A God?

Chapter Nine

That was enough. The feeling of being in heaven vanished immediately, the peaceful atmosphere became meaningless, and the beautiful palace, the countless treasures, and the endless galaxies above them... none of it mattered anymore.

The sense of danger they had experienced before returned, only this time it was stronger than ever, far stronger. Dread wrapped around the warriors’ chests like an invisible vice, and they wanted to run, desperately wanting to turn around and flee for their lives.

But then they realized something that multiplied the terror within their hearts a millionfold: they couldn’t move.

Not their legs, not their arms, not their fingers, not even their heads; they couldn’t control any part of their bodies, as though their bodies no longer belonged to them.

What is happening?!

The same thought screamed through the minds of every warrior as their chests tightened, their hearts pounded, and despair began spreading through them.

Before they could completely drown in that despair, the figure leaning against the white throne finally opened his eyes, and the instant his eyes opened, the world reacted.

The air trembled, space itself seemed to distort, and it was as though the entire world had suddenly awakened to serve its master.

All fifteen remaining warriors simultaneously dropped to their knees, their bodies moving without their permission because the very fact that they had been standing before this being was already the greatest disrespect a human could possibly commit, and the world itself seemed to correct that blasphemous action before the being even needed to think about it.

Then they saw his eyes: scarlet red, glowing like two miniature suns burning within the darkness.

The warriors instinctively lowered their gazes, none of them daring to look directly into those eyes. Unfortunately, a few weren’t fast enough, and the moment their gazes met his... BOOM! ...their eyes exploded inside their skulls.

Before anyone could even scream... BOOM! ...their heads burst apart, and then their bodies followed... BOOOOM! ...with flesh and blood exploding across the pristine white marble as three warriors were gone in an instant.

The remaining warriors trembled violently, and Michael’s pupils contracted. The scene before him was familiar, far too familiar, and his mind finally connected the pieces.

So this is the being...

His breathing became ragged.

This is the being that killed Hayley with a single glance.

Perhaps the being hadn’t even intended to kill Hayley, perhaps he hadn’t intended to kill the others either, and maybe they had simply been unfortunate enough to look into his eyes.

But the fact that merely looking into those scarlet eyes was enough to erase powerful warriors spoke volumes about just what kind of terrifying existence this being truly was.

Michael’s thoughts were scattering and churning at the same time, everything around him seeming to move in slow motion while his entire being felt as though it were fighting against itself... his mind wanting to think, his body wanting to react, and his instincts screaming at him to flee, yet none of them could do anything.

And this was merely the passive effect of kneeling before this being.

What kind of existence is this...?

While the remaining ten warriors were completely gripped by fear, the being sitting upon the white marble throne simply stared down at the puny creatures before him with no emotion on his face, no curiosity, no surprise, nothing.

Then...

"Human."

His voice was low, yet the moment it sounded, it reverberated throughout the entire massive hall, causing Michael’s soul to tremble violently and the souls of the other nine warriors to shake as though they were about to be forcibly dispelled from their bodies.

For a brief moment, Michael felt as though his very soul was being crushed beneath those two syllables, before slowly, the trembling souls stabilized once more.

"What are humans doing here?"

The being’s voice carried a trace of anger because the reason was simple: humans were not worthy of entering this Trial Palace, much less standing in his presence.

The moment those words left his mouth, even the slightest trace of rage within his voice caused the entire environment to tremble, the air to shake, space to tighten, and the gravity pressing down upon the ten warriors to suddenly become even heavier.

CRACK!

Cracking sounds echoed from their bodies, pain ravaged them, and their bones felt as though they were being crushed from within.

Yet that wasn’t the most shocking thing that happened: all ten of their Systems suddenly flashed with dark-red light filling every corner of their System screens as the word DANGER repeatedly appeared again and again and again, with the Systems themselves trembling as the ten warriors stared at the terrifying warnings in disbelief.

Michael, still suffering from the aftereffects of the being’s voice, forced his eyes toward his System, and then a strange thought suddenly appeared in his mind.

Wait... Is the System terrified?

It was an absurd thought, impossible, because the System was the foundation upon which humanity’s strength was built, having existed for as long as anyone could remember without ever showing fear, displaying emotion, or reacting like this.

Yet, as though answering Michael’s question... CRACK! ...his System screen suddenly developed a crack, and the dark-red DANGER warning began glowing brighter.

Then another crack appeared... CRACK! ...and another... CRACK!

The ten warriors stared in horror as something that had never happened in human history, something completely impossible and unheard of, happened before their very eyes: the Systems of the ten warriors began to shatter one after another... CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! ...their System screens shattering like brittle glass as the fragments of light dispersed into nothingness.

Michael stared at the scene with a stunned, trembling gaze.

Impossible...

The thought formed inside his mind, his entire being shaking.

How can this be...?

The System, the very thing humanity regarded as the core of its existence, the mysterious power that had guided humanity for generations, the foundation that allowed humans to grow stronger... was being threatened.

Not merely threatened... it was terrified, terrified to the point that it could no longer maintain its own existence before this being.

And then it shattered, just like fragile glass.

Michael’s body trembled violently, a deep, overwhelming fear spreading through his entire being.

Just who is the being sitting upon that throne...?

His breathing became ragged.

Is this perhaps...

His eyes trembled.

...what the people of ancient times called a god?

Of the twenty warriors who had entered Dungeon X, half had already been killed, and the remaining ten seemed destined to follow the others.

Yet far away from Dungeon X, the atmosphere was completely different.

A terrifying roar echoed through the night.

"GRRRRRAAAAH!"

A powerful Level 2 beast stood covered in blood... a massive three-horned bull with its body covered in wounds as blood dripped onto the ground beneath its hooves.

The bull stood several meters away from a human dressed in black with a dagger resting casually in the young man’s hand. The bull lowered its head, its three horns pointed toward the human, and it growled furiously, attempting to scare the strange human child away.

But instead, the young man’s lips curved into a small, excited smile, his grey eyes clearly visible beneath his short raven-dark hair.

"Enough playing around," his smile widened, "let’s end this."

Before the beast could even react... BOOM! ...Orion charged forward.

The bull’s pupils contracted.

Why...?

Fear appeared in the beast’s eyes.

Why is he so different from the other humans?

Humans were supposed to run in terror when they saw it, for the three-horned bull was a monster that caused humans to flee in dread.

Yet before this particular human, the roles seemed to have been completely reversed: the human was weaker, the human was smaller, and yet... why is he so strong?

Orion’s figure flashed across the battlefield.

Why is he so skilled?

The dagger moved with frightening precision.

Why is he so fast?

Every attack landed exactly where it needed to.

Why...

The bull desperately tried to retreat.

Why is this human so terrifying?!

It attempted to escape several times, but Orion never allowed it to get away. The battle continued again and again until, several minutes later, "GRRRAAA..." the three-horned bull released one final dying cry, and its massive body collapsed heavily onto the ground... dead.

Orion also collapsed beside it, his chest rose and fell rapidly as he stared at the night sky, and the excitement he had felt during the battle slowly settled within him.

Many people would probably consider him strange, perhaps even crazy, for who in their right mind would feel excited every time they fought a monster?

But that was simply Orion’s nature: he enjoyed fighting, he enjoyed the thrill, and he enjoyed the feeling of pushing himself against a powerful opponent.

His grey eyes stared quietly at the moon above, the pale moonlight reflecting inside his eyes, and his excited smile slowly faded.

Then his expression twitched.

Orion raised a hand and rubbed the back of his head.

"How can he still be out so late at night...?"

He dragged a hand down his face, his expression became solemn, and he sighed.

"Damn it... There is no way I’m escaping being scolded again tonight."