CHAPTER 266

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Eighteen days had passed since I started doing dungeons.

Eighteen days since I had last seen the real world.

Eighteen days where I hadn't slept, at all, doing dungeon after dungeon, non-stop.

Eighteen days where I hadn't eaten.

In short, eighteen days where I had done nothing but killing monsters.

[Serenity - Weapon Skill - Passive - LV 571 =

Allows the user to freely handle Serenity better. 6281% increase in energy consumption efficiency.

Affinity LV 1 = +50% increase to all weapon buffs.]

During this time, I had focused not only on leveling up, but on increasing my weapon skill as fast as possible. Experimenting with Serenity, and some of my other skills as much as I could.

I was confident that at this rate, I would be able to face Knull without any difficulties.

I was overwhelmingly happy with my progress, however, it was time for a break.

Time to see how everyone was doing, before coming back to my grind.

I yawned, exiting the dungeon I had just cleared, teleporting Asgard as I took the first step out.

"Oh Thor is ba…" I stopped mid sentence, realizing as I opened my map that there was something wrong, Sif and Adara were alone in her house. Without a second thought I teleported to her house, a few feet behind Adara, to find at a first glance, Sif lying on the ground coughing in pain, her body spasming, as Adara tried to help her.

"Drink this, you will feel better," Adara said, his tone soothing and full of worry.

I said nothing at the sight, instead deciding to act, by taking a step forward, snatching Sif out of his grasp before he could react, as I scanned her body.

[ Curse of Set - Unique Affliction.

Those afflicted by this curse have their minds warped and twisted, leaving nothing but static noise behind, and broken memories for as long as the curse remains.

The curse is transmitted via bloodstream, meaning that Set requires to mix his own blood with that of his target for the curse to activate. Once active, the curse becomes nearly impossible to lift, as any curse purifying methods would also affect the victim's blood that has now become one with Set's.

Unique status = As a unique affliction, this curse can only be lifted if Set himself breaks the curse, or by giving the afflicted to drink from a vial of purified blood from Set himself.

[Negation] can also cure the affliction, by negating Set's blood in the victim's body, or the mixture of both bloods from existing, however, the user requires to know the properties of both bloods to discern between negations.]

I needed more information to lift the curse with [Negation], it would be easier to have him lift it, or kill him and purify his blood.

"Alex! You're back! I'm glad you came, I don't know what to do… I was looking for you, and decided to ask your girlfriend about your whereabouts, but when I came to talk to her, I found her like this!" Adara sighed, his tone full of worry. "Even with my powers, whatever afflicts her is beyond my reach to help."

"Undo the curse, now!" I ordered, my voice muffled by absolute rage.

"Undo the… it's a curse?" Adara said, in shock, "Then this complicates things…"

I turned around, glaring at him as I gently placed Sif on her couch, summoning Serenity to soothe her mind, taking her mental pain away with the powers that once belonged to the mind stone.

[Set - The Serpent God - LV 2489]

"You can't fool me any longer," I replied my eyes on Sif, as I summoned a pair of healing golems to attend to her.

"What?" Set, still pretending to be Adara tilted his head to the side, confusion dawning on his face.

"I am offering you the undeserving luxury of a quick death, Serpent God, so do as I command, and undo the curse, now!" I spat, taking a step towards him.

The moment I said that, something in his eyes snapped, like a balloon bursting, his entire demeanor changing, as he bowed slightly, "You saw through my disguise, remarkable, but rather unexpected, was it Gaia that sold me out?" he sighed, "I guess it doesn't matter anyways if my sister sold me out or not, too bad though, I was sure the images I had extracted from your surface thoughts would do, I mean, they belonged to people you subconsciously love, hell, I even overwrote my mind and that of a clone I had created to play the perfect role, planning to keep being Adara, and Vest, at least until you were ripe enough for… well, you will see soon enough."

"Very well then, if you won't heal her, I have no use for your existence," I replied in a deep, menacing tone.

"Aren't you a confident one," Set chuckled, his eyes on me. "Child, don't let your hubris blind you, while it's true your potential is unmatched in every conceivable way, you are still nothing but an infant compared to me, one far, far away from my league. However, seeing as you are about to throw your life away for that worthless female, I will offer you a once in a lifetime deal, surrender to me, and I will lift the curse."

"Enough talk, you putrid parasite," I scowled, teleporting the both of us to an empty planet to avoid hurting anyone, leaving behind Serenity to aid the golems in keeping Sif without any pain.

"Once again, my generosity is wasted, oh well, that's what happens when I want to eat without bruising the meat, it never works," Set sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.

"I don't think you've fully understood what's happening, or why I'm so confident, so before I begin dismantling you and turning your remains into a fucking bag, have something very clear, I am stronger than you," I replied, walking towards him.

"That's sweet," Set snorted, wearing a honeyed look. "I almost feel bad for what I'm about to do."