Chapter 564: Good people really do get rewarded
Chapter 564: Good people really do get rewarded
Left by Nathan?
The revelation hit the two of them harder than they expected.
Pointing at the words engraved on the monument, Mike asked,
"Your dad came to the Void Maelstrom?"
"How would I know?!" Maxen threw up his hands, looking completely innocent.
Nathan had died in battle when Maxen was still a child. The last time he saw his father was atop the Supreme Abyssal mountain.
"Strange..." Mike muttered, his tone laced with unease.
Given Nathan's strength, it wasn't surprising for his name to appear here. Just looking at Shadow Nine was proof enough-Nathan had been a force to be reckoned with. When the Supreme Abyssal opened, Nathan had been the first to charge in.
But the problem was, no one had ever mentioned him coming to the Void Maelstrom.
If Nathan had been here, his meticulous nature would have ensured he left behind detailed records for future generations. Yet, when Mike had scoured the archives, there wasn't a single mention of it.
It didn't make sense.
"What now?" Maxen asked, staring at the monument, visibly hesitant.
By all logic, this thing was sealed by his father. He couldn't just go against his dad's decision, could he?
"What are you scared of? Beneath this is the Source of Calamity!" Mike said confidently, his tone brimming with self-assurance.
"Or are you saying you don't think I can handle the Source of Calamity?"
Maxen: ...
He had a point.
Thor sweetened the deal with an offer Maxen couldn't refuse.
"Let's split it fifty-fifty."
Pointing at the monument, Mike began painting a picture of their future spoils.
"You get the monument after we're done. I'll take the Source of Calamity. Fair, right?"
"Fair!" Maxen nodded. It really did seem fair.
With the loot division settled, Mike fell into deep thought.
How were they supposed to break Nathan's seal?
If they couldn't undo the seal, this entire trip would've been for nothing.
And let's not forget, the Fifth Demon God was still hunting Mike. If he couldn't further enhance his control over the Source, he'd remain on the defensive, eventually forced to flee the Void Maelstrom in disgrace.
The Source of Calamity was his only hope.
[Why not ask the Eye of Truth?]
Oh, right! How could Mike forget about his SSS-grade talent?
His gaze fell on the monument, and lines of information began to appear before his eyes.
[Condition 1: Possession of an SSS-grade talent...]
Mike read through the conditions one by one and realized he met every single one of them.
In other words, Nathan hadn't made the conditions particularly difficult.
As long as someone had an SSS-grade talent, even a dog could probably break the seal.
"Wait, your dad left a message!" Mike exclaimed.
Using the Eye of Truth, he saw shadows swirling, forming new words before his eyes. "Where? Where?" Maxen shoved his way over, eager to see for himself.
Unfortunately, he couldn't see anything.
Maxen had no choice but to rely on Mike to translate bit by bit.
As for information about the Source of Calamity, Nathan hadn't left much behind.
What he did mention was that if the Source existed within the Void Maelstrom, it would periodically give rise to a Calamity Lord, who would then break free and wreak havoc on Earth.
In fact, the first Calamity Lord had been slain by Nathan himself.
Once again, Mike felt the weight of the title "Human King."
Nathan wasn't just any ordinary person. As the first Ultimate Lord of humanity, his legacy was unmatched.
Among the sparse information Nathan left behind, he mentioned that if the one who broke the seal couldn't control the Source of Calamity, they should seek out the wielder of the Thunderclap Hammer.
Reading this, Mike's expression turned strange.
He and Maxen simultaneously glanced at the Thunderclap Hammer hanging from Mike's
waist.
Mike: ...
Maxen: ...
Nathan had specifically instructed that if the Source couldn't be subdued, they should find the Thunderclap Hammer's wielder.
But who would've thought...
The Thunderclap Hammer's wielder might still be below Level 999.
"Alright, let's not dwell on the details!" Mike rolled up his sleeves, ready to get to work.
"Maxen, I'll deal with the Source of Calamity. You keep watch. If anything goes wrong, we
bail!"
After all, the Source of Calamity was sealed here. Without Mike, no one else could break the
seal.
Maxen agreed. Without wasting any more time, Mike got to work.
Meanwhile, at the Tower of Truth, 99th Floor.
Foreskin stood outside the tower, diligently reporting his findings.
After rattling off a string of astronomical figures, he closed the ledger in his hands.
"The Mystic Market's profits are about this much..."
"Got it," Apollo replied indifferently, his tone as cold as ever.
He had always been like this-aloof and detached.
Foreskin bowed respectfully. "Boss, what's the next step?"
A calm voice echoed from within the tower.
"Wait."
Foreskin hesitated. "Wait for what?"
Apollo began calculating, his fingers moving rhythmically, only to suddenly stop mid-
motion.
He seemed surprised, though not overly so.
"Now."
As he spoke, a butterfly emerged from the Tower of Truth.
Foreskin frowned. Something about this felt off.
This avatar... it was the most powerful one Foreskin had ever seen. Its mere presence caused
the surrounding space to tremble and crack.
This was no ordinary avatar.
But what was Apollo planning to do with such a terrifying manifestation?
Killing a Demon God shouldn't require this much effort.
The butterfly flapped its wings and spoke in a human voice.
"Go."
Foreskin remained respectful. "Where to?"
Apollo replied, "Wherever he goes."
Foreskin was puzzled. "Who is 'he'?"
"The Supreme Demon God."
...
Void Maelstrom
Beneath the monument, Thor was busy breaking the seal.
"Thor, are we sure about this? I mean... isn't this kind of a bad idea?" Maxen scratched his
head nervously. "What if digging this thing up causes some kind of disaster?"
"Don't worry!" Mike replied, sparing a moment to reassure him.
"I've got an SSS-grade talent. If there's any real danger, I'll know ahead of time."
That... actually made sense. Thor's eyes were indeed incredibly powerful.
Mike continued, "First of all, this thing isn't exactly a good thing. That's why your dad sealed
it here in the first place."
That much was obvious. "Secondly, yeah, the Source of Calamity is dangerous, but it's not that dangerous."
Mike explained further, "Your father's message clearly shows he wanted someone to deal
with this problem eventually. The fact that I'm the only one who can break the seal means Nathan already considered this possibility."
"And most importantly..." Mike's gaze locked onto the monument, his tone turning serious. "This thing is ultimately a calamity. Among humanity's Supreme Beings, I'm probably the
most qualified to subdue it."
Maxen: ???
At first, that statement sounded absurd.
But on second thought...
Since it was Thor, it actually made sense.
Convinced, Maxen resumed his watch, staying alert for any signs of trouble. If anything went wrong, he'd immediately switch to horse and carry Thor to safety.
Mike, meanwhile, continued working on the seal, preparing to claim the Source of Calamity.
In truth, Mike found the monument itself potentially more valuable than the Source.
After all, it was Nathan's handwriting!n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
If he could bring it back and show it to Shadow Nine, they'd definitely appreciate it.
Elsewhere in the Void Maelstrom
The Fifth Demon God, now back at level 1000, was an unstoppable force, reigning as a supreme overlord.
Enemies who had once hunted him were now fleeing for their lives.
But the Fifth Demon God wasn't in a killing mood. Instead, he began searching for Thor.
When he finally spotted Thor near the monument, the Fifth Demon God smiled.
He didn't attack. Instead, he stood at a distance, watching silently. Michael, standing nearby, asked nervously, "You're not going to make a move?"
"No." The Fifth Demon God shook his head.
"Just watch. Watch them dig their own graves."
Clearly, whatever was sealed beneath the monument wasn't something to be trifled with.
The Fifth Demon God sneered.
When they inevitably provoked that, he'd enjoy watching them try to clean up the mess.
Michael hesitated, wanting to say something, but before he could, the communicator in his
pocket shattered into pieces. There was no way to warn Thor now. "Close your eyes. Silence your tongue. Empty your thoughts."
The Fifth Demon God's voice was light, almost casual, but the moment he spoke, Michael's
vision went black. His mouth refused to move, and even his thoughts were swallowed by an
endless void.
There was no way to warn Thor...
Instructor Michael had always tried to be a good person.
But the power of a level 1000 Fifth Demon God was beyond anyone's imagination.
To put it into perspective, the Fifth Demon God had once used everything he had at level 1000
to unleash a single attack-an attack strong enough to instantly kill Maxen.
If Thor hadn't stepped in unexpectedly, Maxen would've already been reporting to the
Guardian Shadow.
Restraining someone like Michael? That was child's play for the Fifth Demon God. Standing in the void, he wasn't idle. A document appeared before his eyes.
It was a file he had purchased at great cost from a high-ranking member of the Guardian
Shadow.
It even bore Gregory's personal seal of authentication.
"Terenas' son...."
The Fifth Demon God read the line in the file:
"Arthas Bloodscribe: 'You keep preaching about humanity's wars, about how power is
everything. Then tell me this-why have I only ever seen Lords and Chiefs die in battle, but
never an Ultimate Lord?""
"Idiot."
The Fifth Demon God shook his head. Humanity had already lost Nathan. Wasn't that
enough?
Nathan's death alone proved that no one was invincible.
This quote? It was clearly fake.
It had obviously been tampered with by some "history inventor."
But even so, the original words Arthas Bloodscribe had spoken were probably not far off from
this sentiment.
"I think I've figured out what he really said back then."
The Fifth Demon God stood in the void, his gaze fixed on Thor in the distance.
This quote was fake.
But the real one? He had a pretty good idea of what it was.
Back at the Monument
Michael's seal was suddenly lifted, and the Fifth Demon God's voice echoed in his ears.
"Go. Tell Thor that quote. I'm curious... how he'll react."
Michael, who had been trembling uncontrollably, clenched his teeth and shook his head
furiously.
"I'm not going!"
"You're not going?"
The Fifth Demon God found this amusing. A coward like Michael, suddenly growing a spine?
"If you don't go... how about I kill you instead?"
Death has a way of bringing out the deepest fears in people.
Especially for someone who had already died once.
Michael hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Then just kill me."
Huh?
The Fifth Demon God was genuinely surprised.
Where did this guy suddenly get the guts?
He turned his head slightly, glancing at his deputy leaders.
The Fifth Demon God's pupils contracted, his expression turning serious.
On Michael's shoulder...
A butterfly had landed.
The butterfly was silent, its gaze fixed on the center of the Void Maelstrom.
Instructor Michael, who was already trembling like a leaf, felt his pants grow damp. He
desperately wanted to change into a fresh pair, but he didn't dare move. Because that familiar gaze had fallen on him once again. Michael didn't even need to turn his head to know what was happening.
From this day forward, he would no longer pray to the Goddess of Luck.
Instead, he would believe in a simple truth:
Good people really do get rewarded.