Chapter 124: Disaster's Heart
"That mortal... I want to see that pathetic bastard to suffer!"
As the god kept lashing out, other gods watched him. Some looked amused, others remained indifferent. They were being entertained like never before.
For them, killing a disaster wasn't as big of a deal, but watching the mortal kill the disaster was something they enjoyed. After all, it was the first time anything like that happened.
One god, whose presence was barely visible except for the faint glow of starlight around her, couldn't help but smile.
"A mortal has got you all riled up," she chuckled. "You lose your head on such a trivial matter, yet call yourself a god?"
The sun god only grew more furious at her words.
"Don't you dare test my patience!" he snarled.
Some gods laughed at his outburst, while others rolled their eyes. But no matter their reaction, they understood why he acted like that. He was the mole disaster's creator, and no one wanted to see their beloved pets get slaughtered by a mortal.
"Calm down," the one with the thunderous voice spoke. "It is but one disaster. More await the mortal for the trial."
"But that was my disaster," he growled.
"Don't be a child," the booming voice roared again. "You'll get plenty of chances for revenge as they climb the world tree."
Countless gods nodded to the god's words. It was true, after all, that the world tree was but a mere staircase. The disasters were merely the start of their suffering. Eventually, they would have to face the gods themselves, that's when they will get true entertainment.
"Think of it in this way," a beautiful maiden commented. "The higher they climb, the more painful their demise will be."
"Fine," he muttered through gritted teeth. "But when the time comes, I'll kill him with my own hands."
"We won't interfere. But what about the other pantheons?"
"They have their pawns, we have ours," the sun god said, turning his gaze back to the mortal realm. "If their pawns die, they will have no right to interfere in our matters."
***
Last night...
After cleaning and getting medical attention from Yeji, YuWon decided to rest. It had been a tiring couple of days and the moment his head hit the pillow; he was fast asleep.
"Oi! Wake up!"
No reaction.
"...wake! Up!"
No reaction.
"I didn't want it to come to this..."
Smack!
YuWon sat right up, feeling the stinging pain on his cheek.
"Who the fuck—!" YuWon shouted, but the angel quickly covered his mouth with her hand. "What are you doing here!?"
The angel looked offended and crossed her arms.
"Why? Don't you want your reward?" she said. "It would be easier for both of us if that were the case."
YuWon scratched his head. If they wanted to reward him, couldn't the angel have given it earlier? Why bother showing up in the night?
"About time you showed up. Couldn't you give it earlier—?"
"Do you want everyone to know what you got?" the angel shrugged. "It wouldn't be fun for the sponsors if people were to get stronger because of you. So just take the reward and we can head our ways—"
"What's the reward?"
The angel sighed and snapped her fingers.
"There, everything has been deposited in your phantom bag."
With that, she disappeared again, leaving YuWon on the edge of his bed. Without wasting time, he brought the rewards out, staring at the two strange objects.
The first was a pinkish crystal. Strangely, it felt alive, as if it had a heartbeat of its own. As he touched the crystal, a prompt appeared before him.
[Contains Lilith's Essence: Can resurrect Lilith.]
From what Anna told him, Lilith was Asmodeus's wife. If he were to know about it, the guy might go crazy to get the crystal off of him.
I better keep it hidden for now.
He shoved the crystal into his bag, deciding to deal with it later. Then his eyes fell on the other item he got. It was a fleshy, pulsating thing with veins running through it. But when the item's information appeared, YuWon couldn't believe it.
+++
Item Name: Disaster Mole's Heart
Set: Incomplete (1/5)
Item Type: Consumable Artifact
Rarity: Mythical
Attributes:
>> HP: +7500
>> Strength: +60
>> Agility: +35
>> Intelligence: +10
>> Defense: +70
>> Endurance: +60
Special Ability:
Tectonic Slam:
Effect: The Awakener can unleash the power of the titan's heart to slam the ground, sending a shockwave that deals damage to all enemies in a 30-meter radius and knocks them prone, reducing their defense by 30%.
Cooldown: 1 hour.
Unique Traits:
>> Titan's Resilience: The Awakener's skin hardens upon the heart's absorption, reducing all damage by 30%.
>> Thermo-sense: The Awakener gains the ability to detect movement and hidden creatures within 20 meters circle around them.
+++
As YuWon finished reading the details, another prompt appeared before his eyes. This time, it was a quest.
+++
Quest Title: Shards of the Disaster Heart
Objective:
— Hunt down the five disasters and absorb their hearts.
— ??? (Alive, undiscovered)
— ??? (Alive, undiscovered)
— ??? (Alive, undiscovered)
— ??? (Alive, undiscovered)
— Disaster Mole (Dead)
- Reward:
- Title: World breaker
- Final Reward: ???
+++
...this bitch wants me to hunt disasters!?
Not only did he have to hunt the disasters, but he also needed to absorb their hearts into his body. It was a strange quest. However, he couldn't deny that the attributes he would get from absorbing the heart alone made it worth it.
But how was he supposed to absorb it? Just then, another prompt appeared before him.
[Consumable artifact found.]
[Proceed with absorption?]
[Yes / No]
That's... convenient.
YuWon agreed, and immediately a pain shot through his chest like his heart was being ripped out. He gasped, before falling to his knees as the Disaster's heart slowly merged with his own.
A moment later, his skin burned, and his bones felt like they were being crushed from the inside.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! THIS WASN'T A GOOD IDEA! ARGH!"