Free Web Novel[ You are using the Rune of Heracles. ]
[ The Rune of Heracles is being absorbed. ]
Two brief notification lines.
Soon, tremendous power began to leak out from the Rune of Heracles.
'It's coming!'
Something big is coming!
At that moment.
Shuaaa!
Along with the system notification, an enormous amount of energy began to surge into Su-ho's body.
'This is an SS-rank rune...!'
The power was incredible.
But was it because his player rank had risen?
Compared to before, it felt manageable.
Just as he was about to slowly accept the power of the Rune of Heracles like that—
[ Heracles descends. ]
All of a sudden, Heracles abruptly descended.
Hwaaa!
It seemed as though holy light was being cast down, and then, just like during his usual entrance effect, streaks of light were drawn through the air as Heracles revealed himself before Su-ho.
Having fully descended, Heracles smiled warmly and said to Su-ho,
- Haha! Have you been well?
Heracles greeted him cheerfully the moment he appeared.
He had a strange kind of charisma that somehow made people feel energized just by looking at him.
Su-ho also smiled as he welcomed him.
"Yes, it's really nice to see you again so soon."
- Heh heh, I knew you'd pull it off. But I didn't think you'd reach High Player this quickly.
"Haha, somehow it just turned out this way. I didn't know I'd make it this fast either. But what brings you all the way out here?"
- What do you mean, what brings me here? You used the rune I gave you, so I came in person.
"Huh?"
Wasn't the rune he gave him just a structure where he would simply obtain a skill or reward?
He hadn't expected him to personally come just because he used the rune.
When Su-ho put on an intrigued expression, Heracles added,
- To be exact, I came because you used the rune while it was in its SS-rank state. If you'd used it while it was in its S++-rank state, I wouldn't have come. No, to be exact, I couldn't have come.
What did that mean?
But it didn't take Su-ho very long to understand what he meant.
Su-ho beamed as he said,
"You became a Constellation!"
- Haha, that's right. Thanks to you becoming a High Player, I gained the qualifications to become a Constellation as well. So I chose the path of becoming a Constellation, and now I've become able to go in and out of other worlds too.
A sub-Constellation is only something like an indigenous god of that world, so it cannot get involved with other worlds.
But if one formally becomes a Constellation based on the method presented by the system, then from that point onward one can get involved with other worlds through stigmata.
That was why Heracles had been able to descend here in person.
- And while I was at it, I also came to do what I truly wanted to do.
"If by that you mean something you wanted to do...?"
- I gained the qualifications to bet as well.
"Ah!"
His goal was to use the betting system to make his sponsored player win the Independent Game and be reborn as a free player.
Since Su-ho knew that goal well too, he answered briskly,
"Then let's get started right away!"
- I like how straightforward you are!
Heracles immediately placed the bet.
[ Constellation Heracles wishes to place a bet on your victory in the Independent Game. ]
[ Will you accept Heracles's bet? ]
[ You may refuse the bet. ]
There was no notification saying that, unlike a Constellation who had originally been a player, the fate of the Constellation and the survival of the world he belonged to would be at stake.
So it felt much less burdensome.
Su-ho accepted his bet immediately.
[ You have accepted Heracles's bet. ]
[ You have become the first human to successfully receive bets from more than one Constellation. ]
[ You have accomplished a truly remarkable achievement that no player has ever achieved. ]
[ The system recognizes your noble achievements and gifts you 30 bonus stat points. ]
Oh?
Because he had previously received bonus stat points in relation to a Constellation's bet, he had thought he wouldn't be able to receive them this time.
But he was able to receive bonus stat points again this time as well.
The reason was that he had become the first human to receive bets from more than one Constellation.
Su-ho immediately checked his status window.
[ An Su-ho ]
That was the accumulated amount, including the 30 he had received upon obtaining Dominion Core.
But what stood out even more than that was the expanded betting list.
With a faint grin, Su-ho invested every bonus stat point he had gained into True Demon.
Before long, Heracles said with a refreshed expression,
- My fight, too, begins now.
He wanted to say, Isn't this basically a fight you're leaving entirely to me alone? but Su-ho did not say it.
"That's right. You placed a bet on me, so now we're tied together by fate. So please help me out a lot."
- Haha, what help could I possibly give? As you know, once a Constellation places a bet, they can hardly see their betting player until the Independent Game is over.
"We can at least be together in spirit. But then what exactly can I obtain from the rune you gave me, Lord Heracles?"
- Ah, look at me, what a lapse.
At Su-ho's question, Heracles lightly gestured with his hand.
Then two notifications rose before Su-ho's eyes.
[ Constellation Heracles grants you special power. ]
[ You have acquired Heracles Mode (SS). ]
[ You have acquired Godslayer (SS). ]
Su-ho's eyes widened when he saw the notifications.
He had expected to receive an SS-rank skill, but he hadn't expected there would be two of them.
Heracles said with a smile,
- To explain it simply, the former is a technique that lets you become as strong as I am for a short time, and the latter is, just as the name says, an ability that lets you kill gods. You know from experience, don't you? That gods normally can't be killed.
He knew.
Wasn't that why they had not killed the Olympian gods and instead shoved them into Tartarus?
But if Godslayer could make the impossible possible... at that moment, a good idea came to Su-ho's mind.
'Oh, this might actually...?'
The corners of Su-ho's mouth rose.
But he decided to postpone confirming what he had just thought of for a little while.
It wouldn't be too late to check the details later.
Su-ho answered gratefully,
"Thank you. You gave me something really incredible."
- Heh heh, I placed a bet on you, so of course I did. Well then, that's everything I have to give you....
As he continued speaking, the look in Heracles's eyes deepened solemnly.
- You can win, right?
"Of course. Just trust me."
- Haha! As expected, my avatar really is different. That's why you've overcome so many hardships so magnificently.
With his faith in Su-ho having deepened, Heracles held out his hand and asked for a handshake.
Su-ho clasped his enormous hand.
It was the first time he had ever held the hand of a demigod hero.
He had thought it would only be big and rough, but for all its size and roughness, there was a strange sense of reassurance in it as well.
- I've roughly told you everything I needed to tell you, so check the details for yourself.
"Understood. Then are you leaving now?"
- I've become a Constellation, so now I should do what I have to do and wait for you. From the looks of it, you're preparing for the Guardian God rank promotion match, aren't you?
"That's right."
- The promotion match itself will be easy for you. Surely you're not going to fail something that easy. So if there's one last thing I want to say to you....
He tightened his grip on Su-ho's hand and said in a serious voice,
- No matter what happens, don't give up. The moment you give up in a fight is the moment you lose.
"I'll keep that in mind."
- Good. Then I'll be going now.
Having said what he needed to say, Heracles bade him farewell.
Then, just like when he had first come here, streaks of light were drawn in reverse order, and soon his divine form vanished.
Looking at the traces he left behind after disappearing, Su-ho smiled.
'I didn't know the rune would work like this.'
Still with the corners of his mouth raised, Su-ho checked the two powers he had gained from Heracles.
[ Heracles Mode ]
# The moment Heracles Mode is activated, you consume a vast amount of magic power and gain Heracles's power by stage.
# Mode Stage 1 additionally grants 50% of the power possessed by Heracles.
# Mode Stage 2 additionally grants 100% of the power possessed by Heracles.
# Mode Stage 3 additionally grants 200% of the power possessed by Heracles, and while Mode Stage 3 is maintained, Heracles temporarily possesses you and fights in your place.
[ Godslayer ]
Two information windows.
Of them, he looked first at Heracles Mode, which had appeared first.
'A three-stage mode.'
He already had several mode-type skills.
But among them, this was the first one structured by stages.
He especially liked the last part.
'If Heracles participates directly, that means auto-hunting is possible, doesn't it?'
And it even came with an additional 200% in stats.
Of course, it would consume that much more magic power, so it was not unconditionally a good thing, but even so, it felt like something he could use as a sure-kill move.
Then came the latter: Godslayer.
The information was short.
But the shorter it was, the heavier it hit.
He especially liked the phrase "regardless of their rank of existence."
'The words regardless of their rank of existence mean that whether the opponent is a sub-Constellation or a godly Constellation, as long as they're a divine being, I can kill them without fail.'
That was why, the moment he saw Godslayer, the Olympian gods came to Su-ho's mind first.
Because thanks to Godslayer, he could now completely kill the Olympian gods.
At the same time, he was able to draw up a new blueprint.
Because he thought that perhaps, through Godslayer and Dominion Core, he might be able to make the Olympian gods participate in this East-West War.
'And not just the Olympian gods.'
The countless sub-Constellation-class gods that existed on Earth.
If he subjugated all of them with Godslayer, then through Dominion Core his own power would surely grow like mad.
'Well, this is nothing more than a tiny guess of mine for now.'
With this, the first spec-up task was over.
Next, what he took out was the Lizard Dragon's Rune.
Su-ho used it immediately.
[ Your qualifications are insufficient. ]
[ You still cannot use this. ]
A message of refusal.
It said his qualifications were still insufficient.
'Yeah. I tried using it just in case.'
Still, he had become a High Player, after all.
Without even feeling disappointed, Su-ho immediately took out the third item.
That too was a rune.
More precisely, it was the Rune of Life Evolution.
Back when he had been a Middle Player, he had tried using this on Jack, but at the time its use had been rejected because of the gap in rank.
But what about now, when he had become a High Player?
Su-ho called Jack.
"Jack."
- Yeah.
"Now the time has come."
When Su-ho showed Jack the Rune of Life Evolution, Jack grinned.
- I wonder if it'll work this time.
"You won't know whether it's long or short until you lay it against it."
- Good. Let's do it right away.
[ You are using the Rune of Life Evolution. ]
[ Is this the correct target you wish to use it on? ]
The system's question.
Of course the answer was yes.
[ You are using the Rune of Life Evolution. ]
[ The target is 'Hollow Jack, King of the Shadow Divine Beasts.' ]
Hwaaaak!
Light burst forth.
The moment he used the Rune of Life Evolution, the rune shone pure white just like before, and then glowing motes of light began to appear and seep into Jack.
