Chapter 518
The gigantic creature fell and raised a cloud of dust. As Seong-Il stepped on its chest with one foot, a torrent of blood spurted from its wounds. All this blood was a sign that the end was imminent.
Seong-Il managed to fend off its resistance and successfully grabbed its head. Then, he pulled with all his might. Soon, the monster’s head was torn off, spilling even more blood from its neck.
A message popped up.
[Guild: Guild Leader Caliber has defeated the Light Pillar Guardian.]
Seong-Il narrowed his eyes as the monster guarding the pillar was stronger than he had expected. He could get rid of it without much difficulty only because he was fueled with Pa.s.sion, but it seemed challenging for other challengers in other stages.
His arms naturally rested on his knees in the same stance as he looked down at the monster’s corpse. He bent over for a long time, catching his breath, then straightened his back. By then, messages of support from his group members were pouring in.
[Vice Guild Leader Sapa: You did an amazing job.]
[Mayor of City (2), Ager: Thanks for your achievement.]
[Mayor of City (3), Michael: Thanks for your achievement.]
The light pillar that had been stretching vertically towards the sky had disappeared.
[All: Caliber in the guild ‘Caliber and Suicide Squad’ have destroyed the light pillar for the first time.]
[All: A hundred thousand coins are awarded to Caliber as a reward for the first destruction. Please work harder, other Awakened. Here are the reward details.]
[All: First destruction reward - 100,000 coins
Second destruction reward - 50,000 coins
Third destruction reward - 30,000 coins]
[All: Please keep in mind that these are the official rewards. There are many hidden rewards based on your achievements. The System is fully supporting you.]
It took two and a half days for h8im to destroy the pillar.
“There are a total of five hundred, right?”
Lulua appeared when Seong-Il murmured to himself.
[Now there are 499 left.]
“Okay. Let’s go straight to the next round.”
***
[Area: The guild ‘Caliber and Suicide Squad’ has joined.]
[Area: The guild ‘Savior’s Citizens (11)’ is a.s.signed under the guild ‘Caliber and Suicide Squad.’]
“Were you guys fake?”
“Our hearts have always been with them. It’s an honor to serve under you, Mr. Caliber.”
The man who replied seemed overjoyed by the fact that he had been granted a second lease of life. Not only him but everyone in front of Seong-Il also seemed excited about Seong-Il joining them.
[Miguel of City (1): Mr. Caliber is here! No one else but Caliber himself!]
[Capu of City (5): Invincible Caliber! It is an honor to see you.]
[Aishwara of City (3): Sincerely congratulating you for being the first to destroy a light pillar in the previous stage!]
[Yangmi of City (2): We were eagerly awaiting this moment, holding on in the struggle. Invincible Caliber!]
[Calam Neru of City (8): Invincible Caliber!]
More than half of the original members had died. The city walls, cracked in many places, looked as if they would collapse with the slightest disturbance. They seemed doomed in the face of the impending Night Raid.
Therefore, the fervor was palpable in the messages, but it was only temporary. A warning message, which they had never seen before, cooled their enthusiasm.
[Warning: The Declan Corps is aware of Caliber Kwon Seong-Il.]
[Warning: The risk of Night Raid has increased.]
[Guild Leader Caliber: There is no need to panic. I will cover for the build score.]
Seong-Il hastily shoved food inside his mouth and sped up his pace.
[Caliber: Noona, just listen since you must be busy. It seems like the a.s.shole Doom Kaos has been targeting me, and I think it will be like that for a while.]
[Caliber: He sent me s.h.i.+n Kyung-Ah last time, but this stage is the dog-heads, Declan Corps. But isn’t the leader of the Declan Corps Doom Kaos?]
[Caliber: What I am saying is, if Doom Kaos shows up, please help.]
[Mary noona: The King of h.e.l.l is dealing with Doom Caso.]
Four major battles were underway.
! First Battlefield: Doom Kaos and Him
! Second Battlefield: The Final Stage around the light pillar
! Third Battlefield: Mary noona raiding the monsters’ homeland
! Fourth Battlefield: King of h.e.l.l and Doom Caso.
The third and fourth battlefields supported the second, and the second supported the first. Thanks to the King of h.e.l.l blocking Doom Caso and Mary noona rampaging in the monster territories, the Night Raid was only this intimidating. Without these conditions, it was hard to even imagine the intensity of the Night Raids.
[Caliber: I will make sure to repay your trust.]
[Mary noona: Huh?]
[Caliber: I realized once more how much Odin trusts me. Thanks for your response, noona.]
[Mary noona: Hurry up. I know you are doing your best, but try even harder.]
[Caliber: I will talk to you later.]
***
After destroying another light pillar and entering a new stage…
[* Rankings (Light Pillar Destruction)]
[First. Caliber: 12
Second. s.h.i.+n Kyung-Ah: 5
Third. Hera: 4
Fourth. Lee Tae-Han: 4
Fifth. Apollon: 1
Sixth. Hades: 1]
Seong-Il was consciously exerting force on his eyes. Every time he attempted to close his heavy eyelids, a drowsiness overwhelmed him, pulling him towards sleep. Every sensation from his feet touching the ground felt overwhelmingly strong, as if it was shaking his entire brain. It felt as if someone was piercing his cerebral cortex with sharp needles, yet his whole body felt incredibly heavy. Despite his explosive growth, inherent limits were inevitable.
Seong-Il glared at the unfamiliar faces.
“Get the f.u.c.k out.”
The threat in his gaze was unmistakably delivering such a warning. Those who were greeting him felt an instant chill of fear. The impression they had of him, known as ‘Caliber,’ was completely different from the rumors.
Seogn-Il disappeared to find a place to rest with Lulua. Only then did the atmosphere in the area, which had been tense because of Seong-Il, began to relax a bit.
The woman in charge of this stage had met with Seong-Il’s vice guild leader Sapa. She carefully opened her mouth, “I cannot trust the rumors. I was confused, thinking I was facing Lord Osiris.”
Facing the hostility of overwhelmingly powerful rulers would make anyone’s mind go blank, thinking of nothing but death. The fear she felt from Caliber’s gaze was like that.
“Please ensure nothing upsets Mr. Caliber. He has not slept a full night’s sleep at all,” Sapa responded.
The woman’s eyes widened. “So far?”
Sapa nodded. “From the start of the stage until now.”
“For ten days?”
“Prepare a light soup that is easily digested in thirty minutes and ensure nothing disrupts his rest.”
Then, other necessary preparations were listed. However, the woman was still shaken from the initial shock. She asked after seizing an opportunity to speak, “...Can the rulers of the Challenger stage stay awake for more than ten days?”
Sapa replied, “Ask Hera, and make sure everything is ready as I have mentioned. Caliber is no longer a challenger.”
Ah! She then realized that the enormous XP gained by destroying over ten light pillars would be unimaginable. The woman gazed in awe in the direction where Caliber had disappeared. She could hear the faint sound of his snoring already.
[Wake up. Wake up! It’s time, Mr. Caliber.]
Seong-Il did not do anything whether it was rubbing his sleepy eyes or retaliating against someone who disrupted his precious sleep. As soon as he opened his eyes, he immediately grabbed the food and water beside him and dashed out.
Seong-Il had become quiet ever since he entered the Ender section. When he had exceeded all his limits and could not control his sensory net, he accidentally felt a certain domain. That realm was one where one could only enter when their innate senses had exploded to such an extent that their cognitive abilities surged incomparably to before.
In that transcendent realm, everything seemed to move slowly. Although he only spent a second there, it felt extremely vivid, leaving no room for doubt. One second could stretch into hundreds of hours or even days there.
Moreover, considering that Seong-Il could experience it, the past ten days for him could have felt like an eternity to Him, who was in an even higher domain. No, he was certain that that was the case.
No words could describe the kind of torment He might have been going through. Compared to that, sleep deprivation was merely a trivial matter he had to overcome.
Yet again, Seong-Il forcefully widened his eyes, resisting the weight of his eyelids. Even if he felt drowsy again, once he overcame this wave of fatigue, he would gain the energy to keep going until the next wave hit. In between, he would shatter another light pillar because Seong-Il had reached the Ender section!
I am finally gaining some speed. I will take down all the remaining light pillars and even those of the missing ones, so please don’t give up from fighting Doom Kaos and what feels like an eternity.
Seong-Il looked up towards the sky, where His battlefield would have been unfolding.