The Heart of a Hero (3)
It was not for any trivial reason that Antares of Scorpius grew interested in the ‘game’ held on Earth.
It was the death of Karas of Corvus.
And the fact that his seat had been taken by a human.
It so happened that the publishers were planning something related to the Zodiac signs, so Antares expressed a desire to get involved personally.
He had already requested to take a few of his scorpions along, so he thought they wouldn’t refuse if he offered to participate as well.
When Antares, who belonged to the Zodiac’s Scorpius, decided to participate, the publishers did not outright refuse.
However, with a constellation of the Zodiac involved, essentially beings with divine powers at an intermediate level or higher, it was necessary to significantly reduce his status, and that was exactly what had been done.
Antares was aware that his overall abilities had been reduced to a tenth.
If not, he would immediately be subject to the system’s sanction – a natural consequence.
‘No matter. I am still one of the Zodiac.’
Even reduced to a tenth, he was a formidable presence for the current players.
Even if every player in Seoul came together, they would not be able to kill him.
Aware of this, the publishers decided to limit Antares’ presence in the mortal realm to a total of two days.
Only two days would he be able to roam the mortal world, and when the time was up, he would naturally return to his throne.
Yet those two days were more than enough to lay waste to half of Seoul.
It was a strategic move by the publishers, considering the number of overly powerful players recently sighted in Seoul.
“Giggle, running away isn’t a bad decision.”
Antares leisurely chased after the fleeing humans.
He could have killed them all with poison, but he was in the mood to play, so he held back his toxic breath.
‘An Avatar of Virgo is here too. Did she know I would be coming?’
He noticed a blond man amidst the people trying to escape.
The man looked well-trained but not particularly impressive.
What Antares was interested in was the player who killed Karas.
He was curious about what method a human could possibly use to kill a star constellation.
‘The game has been going on for a while, but there shouldn’t be a player powerful enough to kill a zodiac sign. There must be some trick.’
This was Antares’ reasoning. Currently residing in the 8th seat of the Zodiac, he wanted to climb even higher.
“Move faster, you vermin.”
The passageway was narrow, but it was no issue for Antares.
A swing of his massive pincers widened the path in an instant.
Anyone hit by those pincers would not leave a corpse behind.
Yet, Antares paced his attacks, allowing no fatalities thus far.
“Oh, I’m bored.”
The fun was over quickly.
It seemed pointless to play with mere insects that could only run away.
Antares took in the fleeing figures.
One was an Avatar of Virgo, while another was an Avatar of Ares, the god of war.
He intended to spare the former, who belonged to the same Zodiac, and to save the latter’s life to later boast about it.
But it was different with the other humans.
Watching Antares swing his pincers like lightning, Luke stood in his way and managed to stop them.
Despite being pushed back, he was able to hold it for the moment.
‘As expected of an Avatar.’
Though he simply swung his pincers nonchalantly, that someone could stop it was impressive.
“Shit. My arm’s broken from a single blow.”
While Antares looked amused, Tae-Sung Kang’s forehead was streaming with sweat.
If Antares had exerted a bit more force, they would’ve been pulverized.
‘I must be insane.’
His greed had put himself and his guild members at risk of death.
If Antares got out, it would mean death for the people in Seoul.
There was no greater sinner than this.
“Why the hell was that bastard over there? Damn it all.”
Hearing Kang’s swearing, Luke took a deep breath.
His arms were not broken, but he was far from unharmed.
Bearing the pincers’ strength was reaching its limits.
If Antares pushed a bit more, Luke would perish.
“Run away. I’ll hold him off here.”
Luke’s words left Kang with an impossible expression. He knew it.
No matter what they did, they stood no chance against this monster.
Fight back?
No.
Kang shook his head.
“The Tae-Sung Kang I am…”
He couldn’t muster the courage to face this scorpion.
In the end, he chose to flee.
Grateful for the unknown human blocking the way for him, he ran.
Antares let him go without interference.
There was no need to chase him; he was planning on killing them all later anyway.
Instead, he was considering how to kill the one blocking his pincers.
‘I do not show mercy twice.’
Antares exerted only as much force on his pincers as he deemed Luke could cope with.
Like a child squashing a bug with a finger, he leisurely increased the pressure.
If it weren’t for Si-Woo’s equipment, his sword would have surely shattered long ago.
‘This is as far as I go.’
Luke had resigned himself to death.
At least he had managed to allow his guild members to escape.
Some might call him a fool for this.
He felt sorry for Rin, who would be left alone, but he wasn’t overly worried since there were other companions.
‘They will surely raise Rin well.’
Luke had seen many people and knew that his daughter would become far greater than himself.
Rin undoubtedly possessed the qualities to become someone extraordinary.
Suddenly, his bones screamed out under the strain.
Just as Luke’s strength started to wane, he heard a voice.
The dungeon vibrated, and a golden light poured into the dark cavern.
Though Luke could not see the outside, a golden light was shining from the sky above the dungeon.
It wasn’t a descent of a god, but it clearly presented divine authority to the world.
“Luke Taylor, I offer you the position of proxy.”
It was a woman’s voice he had never heard, but he knew who she was.
His patron deity, the goddess of justice Astraea.
“What nonsense is this, you crazy woman? A proxy? Do you seriously mean that?”
It seemed Antares also heard her, for he scoffed in disbelief.
A proxy is a world apart from an Avatar.
Avatars were merely the toys of the gods, but a proxy truly represents them.
A proxy’s death would severely harm the god, potentially leading to their demise.
Thus, the gods rarely chose proxies, for it bonded them in a profound partnership.
‘To forge an oath now which wasn’t made even in the mythic era? Have you lost your mind, Astraea?’
Antares’s outcry echoed in the dungeon, but Astraea remained silent, watching her Avatar at a critical juncture.
Not as an observer, but with her own eyes.
“Luke Taylor.”
Prodded by the goddess’s voice, Luke snapped back to attention.
He didn’t understand but agreeing would make him her proxy.
Considering Antares’s reaction, it might allow him to stand against him.
It could mean saving more lives.
“I, uh…”
Luke exerted all his strength to push back the pincers and began to respond to the goddess.
If only.
“Sorry, but Astraea, I would hope you abstain.”
Another’s voice interjected before he could finish.
Creaking loudly, the pincer that was about to rip Luke apart was pushed back forcefully.
Antares was aghast at the black-clad man who had appeared seemingly from nowhere.
“Who are you? Where did you come from?”
“Just now.”
The man’s casual response was astonishing, as was his action.
The man, Se-Han, was clearly pushing back Antares’s pincer with his bare hands.
‘Is this strength even possible for a player?’
Antares pushed harder, but it was futile.
The situation was beyond comprehension, from a god wanting to make a player her proxy to a player who prevented it.
And now, this player was dismissing Antares with ease.
“Antares.”
It was as if Se-Han had heard Antares’s mutterings.
He pushed the pincer harder with a smirk, slamming it against the dungeon wall.
“You probably came here wanting to know how I killed Karas.”
“…How did you know that?”
“You are such a creature.”
Even with Se-Han’s explanation, Antares did not understand.
A stranger was speaking as if he knew him intimately.
“I’ll tell you, since you’ve come this far just to find out.”
Se-Han faced the massive scorpion.
He looked at Antares, the Scorpius of white color that could kill hundreds of players with just a breath.
“You’ll eventually learn, even if you hate it.”
Now facing each other, Se-Han realized something.
This current Antares held no significant difference in power from Karas.
The Heart of a Hero (3)
It was not for any trivial reason that Antares of Scorpius grew interested in the ‘game’ held on Earth.
It was the death of Karas of Corvus.
And the fact that his seat had been taken by a human.
It so happened that the publishers were planning something related to the Zodiac signs, so Antares expressed a desire to get involved personally.
He had already requested to take a few of his scorpions along, so he thought they wouldn’t refuse if he offered to participate as well.
When Antares, who belonged to the Zodiac’s Scorpius, decided to participate, the publishers did not outright refuse.
However, with a constellation of the Zodiac involved, essentially beings with divine powers at an intermediate level or higher, it was necessary to significantly reduce his status, and that was exactly what had been done.
Antares was aware that his overall abilities had been reduced to a tenth.
If not, he would immediately be subject to the system’s sanction – a natural consequence.
‘No matter. I am still one of the Zodiac.’
Even reduced to a tenth, he was a formidable presence for the current players.
Even if every player in Seoul came together, they would not be able to kill him.
Aware of this, the publishers decided to limit Antares’ presence in the mortal realm to a total of two days.
Only two days would he be able to roam the mortal world, and when the time was up, he would naturally return to his throne.
Yet those two days were more than enough to lay waste to half of Seoul.
It was a strategic move by the publishers, considering the number of overly powerful players recently sighted in Seoul.
“Giggle, running away isn’t a bad decision.”
Antares leisurely chased after the fleeing humans.
He could have killed them all with poison, but he was in the mood to play, so he held back his toxic breath.
‘An Avatar of Virgo is here too. Did she know I would be coming?’
He noticed a blond man amidst the people trying to escape.
The man looked well-trained but not particularly impressive.
What Antares was interested in was the player who killed Karas.
He was curious about what method a human could possibly use to kill a star constellation.
‘The game has been going on for a while, but there shouldn’t be a player powerful enough to kill a zodiac sign. There must be some trick.’
This was Antares’ reasoning. Currently residing in the 8th seat of the Zodiac, he wanted to climb even higher.
“Move faster, you vermin.”
The passageway was narrow, but it was no issue for Antares.
A swing of his massive pincers widened the path in an instant.
Anyone hit by those pincers would not leave a corpse behind.
Yet, Antares paced his attacks, allowing no fatalities thus far.
“Oh, I’m bored.”
The fun was over quickly.
It seemed pointless to play with mere insects that could only run away.
Antares took in the fleeing figures.
One was an Avatar of Virgo, while another was an Avatar of Ares, the god of war.
He intended to spare the former, who belonged to the same Zodiac, and to save the latter’s life to later boast about it.
But it was different with the other humans.
Watching Antares swing his pincers like lightning, Luke stood in his way and managed to stop them.
Despite being pushed back, he was able to hold it for the moment.
‘As expected of an Avatar.’
Though he simply swung his pincers nonchalantly, that someone could stop it was impressive.
“Shit. My arm’s broken from a single blow.”
While Antares looked amused, Tae-Sung Kang’s forehead was streaming with sweat.
If Antares had exerted a bit more force, they would’ve been pulverized.
‘I must be insane.’
His greed had put himself and his guild members at risk of death.
If Antares got out, it would mean death for the people in Seoul.
There was no greater sinner than this.
“Why the hell was that bastard over there? Damn it all.”
Hearing Kang’s swearing, Luke took a deep breath.
His arms were not broken, but he was far from unharmed.
Bearing the pincers’ strength was reaching its limits.
If Antares pushed a bit more, Luke would perish.
“Run away. I’ll hold him off here.”
Luke’s words left Kang with an impossible expression. He knew it.
No matter what they did, they stood no chance against this monster.
Fight back?
No.
Kang shook his head.
“The Tae-Sung Kang I am…”
He couldn’t muster the courage to face this scorpion.
In the end, he chose to flee.
Grateful for the unknown human blocking the way for him, he ran.
Antares let him go without interference.
There was no need to chase him; he was planning on killing them all later anyway.
Instead, he was considering how to kill the one blocking his pincers.
‘I do not show mercy twice.’
Antares exerted only as much force on his pincers as he deemed Luke could cope with.
Like a child squashing a bug with a finger, he leisurely increased the pressure.
If it weren’t for Si-Woo’s equipment, his sword would have surely shattered long ago.
‘This is as far as I go.’
Luke had resigned himself to death.
At least he had managed to allow his guild members to escape.
Some might call him a fool for this.
He felt sorry for Rin, who would be left alone, but he wasn’t overly worried since there were other companions.
‘They will surely raise Rin well.’
Luke had seen many people and knew that his daughter would become far greater than himself.
Rin undoubtedly possessed the qualities to become someone extraordinary.
Suddenly, his bones screamed out under the strain.
Just as Luke’s strength started to wane, he heard a voice.
The dungeon vibrated, and a golden light poured into the dark cavern.
Though Luke could not see the outside, a golden light was shining from the sky above the dungeon.
It wasn’t a descent of a god, but it clearly presented divine authority to the world.
“Luke Taylor, I offer you the position of proxy.”
It was a woman’s voice he had never heard, but he knew who she was.
His patron deity, the goddess of justice Astraea.
“What nonsense is this, you crazy woman? A proxy? Do you seriously mean that?”
It seemed Antares also heard her, for he scoffed in disbelief.
A proxy is a world apart from an Avatar.
Avatars were merely the toys of the gods, but a proxy truly represents them.
A proxy’s death would severely harm the god, potentially leading to their demise.
Thus, the gods rarely chose proxies, for it bonded them in a profound partnership.
‘To forge an oath now which wasn’t made even in the mythic era? Have you lost your mind, Astraea?’
Antares’s outcry echoed in the dungeon, but Astraea remained silent, watching her Avatar at a critical juncture.
Not as an observer, but with her own eyes.
“Luke Taylor.”
Prodded by the goddess’s voice, Luke snapped back to attention.
He didn’t understand but agreeing would make him her proxy.
Considering Antares’s reaction, it might allow him to stand against him.
It could mean saving more lives.
“I, uh…”
Luke exerted all his strength to push back the pincers and began to respond to the goddess.
If only.
“Sorry, but Astraea, I would hope you abstain.”
Another’s voice interjected before he could finish.
Creaking loudly, the pincer that was about to rip Luke apart was pushed back forcefully.
Antares was aghast at the black-clad man who had appeared seemingly from nowhere.
“Who are you? Where did you come from?”
“Just now.”
The man’s casual response was astonishing, as was his action.
The man, Se-Han, was clearly pushing back Antares’s pincer with his bare hands.
‘Is this strength even possible for a player?’
Antares pushed harder, but it was futile.
The situation was beyond comprehension, from a god wanting to make a player her proxy to a player who prevented it.
And now, this player was dismissing Antares with ease.
“Antares.”
It was as if Se-Han had heard Antares’s mutterings.
He pushed the pincer harder with a smirk, slamming it against the dungeon wall.
“You probably came here wanting to know how I killed Karas.”
“…How did you know that?”
“You are such a creature.”
Even with Se-Han’s explanation, Antares did not understand.
A stranger was speaking as if he knew him intimately.
“I’ll tell you, since you’ve come this far just to find out.”
Se-Han faced the massive scorpion.
He looked at Antares, the Scorpius of white color that could kill hundreds of players with just a breath.
“You’ll eventually learn, even if you hate it.”
Now facing each other, Se-Han realized something.
This current Antares held no significant difference in power from Karas.
