It didn't go as far as to say that the trap was triggered as soon as the relic was obtained.
As mentioned, the ruins had already been visited by dozens, or perhaps even three-digit numbers of grave robbers. Although it was a world fraught with danger, they didn't hold Kim I-Hyeon to a strict standard.
'It's a problem because it's all crap.'
Everyone is treated fairly in this world called Polaris.
Knock, knock.
I picked up the awl and brushed away the dust and stones. The design was simple, even shabby. It was almost weightless. At first glance, it looked as fragile as a tree branch.
'It looked like trash.'
Polaris has several users who run in real time and write commentary articles whenever an event is updated. And the reactions of users who got an awl during the event were quite harsh.
[Title: (Spoiler) Going to the desert and picking up poopㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
This damn game doesn't even know the concept of feedㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
It's been several years since you started the service, please don't lose your beginner's mind!!!
I'd rather give you Edkina's cold, frozen corpse or something
└Who is Edkinaga?
└It's like talking about the mafia that came out before
└Why are you putting the corpse in your inventory? Lol
└The scholar is really funny. He picks up a stick and says, 'Hmm, I feel an ominous energy!'
└Professor, '... ... ' I think this kid is going crazy inside when he says this ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└The professor's hate behavior is slowly becoming cool. 100% scholars are being burned.
Personally, I thought it was a somewhat comical yet vain scene. At the time, I played it for the long-term affection rather than for the fun of the game itself, and I sat down to get some random items as event rewards.
But public opinion changes in the next patch.
'I didn't know that the distribution would be 6 stars.'
The method of acquisition is production.
As the event progresses, a 6-star weapon crafting method will be added to Lab's workshop. And the key material needed to make that weapon is this awl.
'It may not be as good as the 6-star draw…'
It's a matter of birth.
Polaris is a game with a vicious gacha system as its BM. If free equipment that is better than paid equipment appears, it is a design flaw. It is natural that high points and versatility are limited.
Even so, it boasts overwhelming performance right now.
─ Thump, thump... ... .
The temple shook and pieces of broken stone fell from the ceiling. Kim Yi-hyun, who had picked up an awl, looked around the passage. The commotion that had started less than ten minutes ago was still going on.
I was just thinking, "We've been fighting for a long time."
"Oh. I guess it's finished."
At that moment, it became quiet outside. I wasn't worried about the outcome. Even though the sergeant was strong, there were only three of them.
There's no way that Edwin can't handle three people.
* * *
The prediction was accurate.
As I returned to where I had parked my car, I saw the back of a man standing at the entrance. Edwin slowly turned around, perhaps noticing the approaching presence.
"It's a sight to behold."
"For whose sake?"
A voice mixed with a sigh, as if he was tired. And his appearance was even worse.
Thick thorns were embedded in both shoulders. Deep cuts were carved all over his limbs. There was a large amount of blood on his stomach and thighs. There was no sign of blood coming from others.
Bam!
Edwin pulled out the thorn with his own hands. It must have been painful, but he didn't even blink. He pulled it out so violently that blood spurted out like a sprinkler.
But that only lasted for a moment.
The wounds were sutured together as they should have been. New flesh grew where the skin had been torn off. Even though his entire body was dyed red, not a single scratch remained on Edwin's body.
Kim Lee-hyun muttered, half in admiration and half in bewilderment.
"Is that a cockroach?"
"This is the word I hate the most. Please be careful from now on."
Sorry, but hundreds of thousands of people around the world call you that. Roughly 70% of Polaris users. In the West, they are also called trolls.
Edwin's skill in the system is [Indomitable].
Putting aside the various settings and games, to put it simply, he has an absurd regenerative ability. It's embarrassing to compare him to the Ricardo Family members he fought before.
There are very limited ways to kill Edwin.
If you want to choose an effective method, it would be assassination. You can kill them instantly by destroying their brain or heart so that the spell cannot be activated. Or you can continue to inflict damage until you reach your limit.
The latter is not very realistic.
'Of course he's a guy who can survive bombings.'
A typical protagonist who directly goes against Polaris' common sense of 'people die when shot'. Although her godmother was shot and survived, she is an exception in many ways.
In short, Edwin is a tanker who is truly a tier 0 tanker. He is a character that users never fail to include in their team even in Polaris, where tank value is relatively low.
It's not called a deep-rooted evil for nothing.
"Yeah, I misspoke. How was it?"
"They are people who cannot be underestimated."
Edwin's gaze descends. At his feet is a corpse, its limbs hacked to pieces with a knife. The other two are slumped against the pillars, their parts torn and torn apart.
A hole was dug in what was originally a flat land. Why was it so noisy? It was a scene that would make an archaeologist or group obsessed with protecting cultural heritage scream.
Of course, neither Kim I-hyeon nor Edwin cared about anything.
"The linkage was excellent. It was enough to convince me that there was no chance of winning. If there had been three, or even two more, I would have had a hard time."
"It's even funnier to say that you didn't have a classic with that body."
"Everyone has different standards. Aren't you okay now? And…."
He asked, his voice trailing off for a moment.
"Do you know what the Legion studies?"
"I've seen it in many different ways in Bastetira."
"Then at least you understand the theme of the research."
"Are you talking about chimera?"
He nods his head as if to say that it is correct.
"They seemed to be on the same level as that. If the Legion's research progresses any further, they could create half-breeds like them. That's not good."
"응?"
Kim Lee-hyun, who had been tilting his head, soon nodded and said, "Ah."
"It would certainly be dangerous if the sample were to fall into the hands of the Legion."
It was an idea I never imagined possible.
Since Hasasin and Banjar had no previous relationship with the Legion, it was all a change that occurred when Mithril came over to Banjar.
However, it wasn't something to worry about too much.
"I don't think the Legion has the capacity to do that right now."
"예?"
"Coming all the way to Naraka and kidnapping these guys without anyone knowing… It won't be easy. Even if we were to get information from somewhere, who would do it? With Shadow, Snowfield, Camellia, and Mithril all dead."
There are still a few executives left, but the credibility of the information is questionable and it is difficult to enter and exit the dangerous area. For now, the Legion has no choice but to take a passive approach.
'Anyway, a disaster will strike after a few years.'
Of course, Edwin had no way of knowing. All he had to do was tell him that there was little risk of the research subject, Hassashin, falling into the hands of the Legion.
No, from the beginning.
I plan to destroy the Legion before the Hassasin is annihilated by the disaster. Of course, that will require luck. Above all, I will have to deal with the Great Mother first.
While Kim Hyun-ah checked the plan, Edwin's throat was parched.
'As expected, Shadow is also for this person… … .'
There are already four.
Camellia may not have been a senior officer, but she was definitely one of the main forces. Snowfield alone was terrifying. Isn't she truly the natural enemy of the Legion?
Current. Origin unknown, career unknown.
It was shortly after the failed conquest of Cilicia that his name first began to spread within the Legion.
Edwin was not aware of the current state of affairs in the Legion due to his pursuit of Mithril, but it was clear that the events in Bastitera had drawn more attention than before.
'I've been watching for a while, but I still don't know.'
He is a man full of mysteries. For example, his words and actions seem to have a detailed understanding of the internal affairs of the Legion. His past actions have not been revealed at all.
But two things were certain.
"But hey, you punk. Who would use my sword like this? It's gone."
"Sword fighting is not my specialty."
"I got this too. I heard you nagging me to take good care of it when I came here."
"Of course it's my fault, but if it was something precious, I should have said so from the beginning...."
"Oh, I don't know. Just follow the rap. Follow me and you apologize."
First of all, he's a terrible guy. And then.
"...Yes, I understand. I can just go."
There is no sword sharper than the string against the Legion.
* * *
There was no more business for Naraka.
We started moving towards Kavarati again. We had to move quickly since we had been staying in the ruins for a while. It would be annoying if we were to be surrounded while being slow.
'We've come this far smoothly, so we need to end it on a high note.'
Wouldn't it be unfair if things go wrong at the very end? There is helixivir, but no matter how well it is packaged, it is poison. I don't want to use it again.
The escape itself wouldn't be difficult.
There is more than one way. Whichever way you choose, you must first get through the sandstorm surrounding Naraka.
But why is that?
"It seems like we're going back the way we came. Is that right?"
"Is that so? I'm not sure."
"That's what it looks like to me…."
Edwin, who was looking out the car window, threw a fastball.
"Are you worried about the mafia?"
In fact, it was not much different from what he had done in Atlanta. At that time, he had abandoned his collaborator, Al Qamar, and escaped. A pang of conscience? Not a shred of it.
What is the difference?
The time we spent together? Memories of our everyday conversations? Or perhaps he felt sympathy for the criminal, having become more dirty and vicious than before?
I don't know the exact reason, but,
'It's annoying.'
It feels like there's a thorn stuck in my throat.
Even without trying to imagine it, Echidna's end is pictured in my mind. A woman who was full of passion and ambition, dying in vain.
Things that weren't expressed in the illustration.
The dried tear stains on her eyes, her disheveled hair that had lost all the dignity she usually held dear, the traces of drugs she hated so much visible in her rough fingernails, and things like that.
In the end, Kim Hyun-ah didn't answer. Edwin didn't ask any more questions either. I don't know if it was consideration or what, but it was fortunate. If he had scratched, I think he would have gotten annoyed.
I had no intention of searching the desert for pearls in the sand.
I can't take that much risk, and I have no intention of doing so. I just think that if I happen to meet him 'by chance', it's worth putting in a little effort.
That was all.
"Ha, I thought it would be like this."
She was there.
He was walking through the desert, holding his injured right arm. Fortunately, it wasn't bleeding, even though it was just a bruise. There would be footprints, but it's better than blood. Some people have sensitive noses.
Unlike usual, there was no one by her side. Not Antonio, not Ravi. Not a single member of the organization that had followed her to Naraka was visible.
I realized that everyone was dead.
She was also going to die sooner or later.
"...."
Echidna's steps stopped at the sound of tires running on sand. He turned his head so he could see her expression. Her face was as if her soul had been taken from her.
He parked the car in front of Echidna. A helpless gaze shot out through the window. It was a gaze that lacked will and was filled only with hatred that had nowhere to go.
at that time.
"...ha."
Echidna closed her eyes. The feelings she had for Kim Yi-hyeon right now were complicated. After all, Kim Yi-hyeon was the one who had lured her into coming to Naraka.
Although they were nameless monsters who had directly destroyed the organization… I thought that Kim I-Hyeon had indirectly dragged them into the situation. However, I was not in a position to blindly criticize him.
Because you betrayed me first.
And in the end, it was her decision to come to Naraka.
Kim Yi-Hyeon had a reason to kill Echidna. She knew that he was not the type of person to hesitate at times like this. The moment she saw the car, she knew that death had come.
But the prediction was wrong. As always.
Instead of taking out his gun, Kim Hyun opened the door.
"You… what are you doing."
"Shut your mouth and decide in 10 seconds."
He spoke with a frank expression of the discomfort seething in his stomach.
"Either I cling to someone or I die."
Echidna's lips twitched.
The first emotion that came to Echidna's mind was shame. She was saved by someone who was no different from her enemy. She was ashamed of her future self who would be dragged around without any subordinates.
It was at that moment that the words 'get out' rose to the tip of my tongue.
It was a sudden and instantaneous sensation that enveloped Echidna's entire body. It was cold as ice and sloppy like a swamp. It was a sensation that made her muscles tense and her hair stand on end.
It was the fear of death.
It was a huge sense of emptiness, as if one's values and identity, the history of a human being who had lived for over twenty years and a future that should have been even longer, were all swallowed up by the barren sand.
My breath was trembling, as if I was crushed by the weight of despair.
After licking her lips, Echidna answered.
"...I want to live. Help me."
Even she, who lost everything she held and became nothing, was ultimately human.