Chapter 186: Chief Weaver

Zyrus exited from avatar state at this moment. There was no need to make himself a bigger target.“W-we can’t stop them,” Shi kun spoke in a trembling tone as all of the whales surrounded the dragon of war. Their maximum firepower wasn’t enough to kill the stubborn monsters.

They were used to seeing monsters flee after the field boss was killed. A mad and ruthless charge like this was something they never expected.

“Retreat as far as you can. You too,” Zyrus waved his hand at the goblin riders and his knights. Even though they wanted to stay, they knew that it was futile.

His words rang like thunder in the ears of Ria and the others. They had never felt so ashamed of themselves. The feeling of helplessness was worse than defeat.

“Remember what I told you. In front of true strength, nothing else matters.”

So what if his strategy worked against the whales? So what if he won? The 19 surviving whales were dead set on seeking their vengeance.

War didn’t always result in a clear winner.

The players watched with hardened faces as the whales sank one by one. They felt no accomplishment as not a single one of them even glanced in their direction.

958 ships retreated from the blood-red sea. Although they had total faith in their leader, they couldn’t help but be nervous.

Zyrus looked at the dying ketos and recalled his last moments before regression. Once upon a time, he too had followers who wouldn’t hesitate to burn their lives for him.

As the one who once ruled the sanctuary, how could he be unfamiliar with something like this? Too many had led a suicidal charge against his armies. Those who wanted him dead at all costs weren’t few in number.

But in the end, he survived. It didn’t matter who was right or wrong. History always did and always will remember the victors. It was a bitter pill to swallow as a mortal, but he had lived for centuries.

*Wuuuuuuu*

*Wuuuuu*

The 7 whales and Ketos cried out one after another. Their gigantic bodies were tattered with holes under the fleet’s bombardment, yet they had the power to do one last attack.

*BAAAAAAANG*

The entire ocean in the five-kilometer region was lifted into the sky. Just how much mana was stored in their bodies? All of it was detonated to claim the life of their enemy.

Everyone was blinded by the glaring explosion, except for two. Ketos’s eyes were filled with despair as it looked at Zyrus upon its dying breath.

“From the start, we weren’t on the same level to begin with,” Zyrus held his hands behind his back as he stepped on the dying whale. The mark on his chest was glaring in defiance against the laws of nature. His scales that were burned off were regenerating at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Even though his celestial vitality was restricted by the system, when it came to a life-and-death scenario, the system would favor him in the end.

Keeping balance was fine, but you couldn’t just kill someone for being strong, right?

Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

Twisted or not, this was the order maintained by the system.

“ALL HAIL HIS MAJESTY!”

“ALL HAIL HIS MAJESTY!”

A dying monster, Zyrus who stood above its head, and the bloodlike rain that fell from the heavens above.

This image was seared into the players' hearts for eternity.

[Congratulations! You have killed the Roaming Boss monster: Ketos]

[+3 SP]

[You have dealt the most damage to the Roaming boss!]

[You have dealt the final blow to the Roaming boss!]

[+2 SP]

Exp + 1M

[Level up!]

.

.

.

Zyrus looked past the usual texts and focused on the last two rewards.

[You have obtained the Achievement: Unfair Survivor (B+)]

[+30 HP recovery/sec in Boss fights, Water Element affinity (F)]

He didn’t really need more Hp recovery, but water affinity was a good surprise. It was bound to increase the power of vortex manipulation by a notch.

“Got something good?” Franken asked while looking at the pile of glittering loot. The gains were substantial to say the least.

“Let's see…” Zyrus picked up the ring from Ketos’ skull and held it in front of Franken.

[Chief Weaver]

A ring forged with the threads of a calamity-class aquatic spider. It is enchanted with an array core that can manipulate water.

Effect: Agi +10, Decreases air and water resistance

Web of the Vengeful: Upon hit, the chief weaver creates one ‘Thread’. After 10 such threads are accumulated, the user can manipulate the threads at the cost of 1 MP/sec. The effect will last as long as one such thread remains.

“It’s amazing!”

“Yeah, a pity it doesn’t suit my style,” Zyrus shrugged his shoulders and placed the sky-blue ring among the items that’d be placed in the contribution store. It was uncommon for a unique item to not have many options, but every time it did, it was bound to have a single powerful ability.

The Chief Weaver was perfect for the agile dagger users. He could almost imagine Lauren throwing a tantrum since she and all the ‘Marshals’ were dirt poor to purchase anything.

“Here, I got you something good,” Franken had a smug smile on as he pushed two items towards Zyrus. One was a scroll, and the other…was also a ring.

“Whales sure have a higher drop rate huh.”

“Makes sense when you think about how they sunk nearly a hundred of our ships.” As the self-proclaimed fleet commander Franken was still upset about it.

Only the ships that had Nuckelavee’s essence possessed the ability to self-repair. The rest had to be either scrapped or reassembled.

Leaving his companion’s grumbling aside, Zyrus opened the scroll to take a look. He was planning to keep them for himself since Franken said that these were good.

[Scroll of Self-Demise]

A scroll that carries the dying wish of Ketos. Upon activation, you can trap a target no bigger than 1km with conjured baleen. The filaments will explode with surrounding mana once they are destroyed.

Usage: 1/1

Imagine your wish for vengeance was turned into an item; and it was rewarded to the one who killed you. It was apparent that the system had no pity for those who lost.

Finally, Zyrus held the reddish-golden ring in his palm. Even though he knew that it was a rare item that dropped from one of the eight followers of Ketos, the power he sensed from it was beyond Chief Weaver.

[Muileartach’s Cursed Ring]

An ancient artifact that was once used as an offering. It has lost most of its power under the tides of time.

One-eyed Doom: On the night of the new moon, summon a single eye to paralyze your foes.

Note: This is an absolute ability. The duration will depend on the user’s and the targets’ level of existence.

Shape of the Firstborn (Inactivated): Transform into an oceanic monster based on your status.

Curse of the Drowned (Inactivated): Use the blood of those slain by you to create an ocean’s mirage. Those with weak willpower will be trapped inside the ring for eternity.

##?#-#..’,-##?.

Immortal Crone: The sea hag will mark your presence from the moment this ring is equipped. The sea hag will chase you as long as the oceans exist, for only one of you may exist in one era.

Caution: Cursed items are dangerous as they can harm you and those close to you. Do not use them unless you are prepared for the consequences.

“…”

“…”

“Don’t you have something to say?” Zyrus raised his eye at Franken.

“It’s a good item, and more importantly, one that suits you.”

“…Fair enough,” Zyrus sighed and put the ring on his index finger. He knew that this was destined to be a hot mess sooner or later, but the rewards were worth it.

Absolute paralysis was one of the top-class abilities. The same went for transformation– especially the ones that were based on the whole status screen.

Zyrus felt that the Curse of the Drowned was something he needed. It was an unfamiliar instinct, but he was proven correct the moment he put on the ring.

The onyx crown that had been quiet thus far was trembling right now. He was just a step away from creating his fourth authority…or perhaps, something much greater.