Chapter 333

Chapter 333
Chapter 333

The massive entity had realized he was holding back.

However, the wolf simply shook his head in response.

“Had I gone all out, the result would have been a funeral for one of us. And weren’t you, the Giant of Ruin-Demolition, doing the exact same thing? Truthfully, did you even have the heart to win this fight?”

“…One does not simply slaughter a ‘Druid’, after all.”

The outcome would have shifted drastically if he had engaged with lethal intent. But from the very beginning, the Giant of Ruin-Demolition had no desire to end the life of the ‘Druid of the Golden Rule’.

“The World Trees are failing; all of nature is in a state of decay. Consequently, the beasts of the world and even the inherent power of our mythical lineages diminish with every passing century.”

This was the reality of the continent that had ascended to the heavens.

The fundamental issue was the steady depletion of the land’s vitality over time. As the earth lost its strength, nature withered, and as nature withered, the creatures of the world shrank in stature. Even the legendary mythical species could not escape this decline.

The Giant of Ruin-Demolition spoke, his voice heavy with solemnity.

“…If this continues, we will eventually regress into nothing more than mindless brutes. Unless the ‘Druids’ can mend the broken strength of the earth…”

While common folk viewed Druids merely as those who planted seeds, their true, vital purpose was the restoration of the world’s life force. This was why the Giant of Ruin-Demolition never intended to slay the ‘Druid of the Golden Rule’. After the long-presumed extinction of their kind, the return of the Druids was something to be celebrated with open arms, not met with a death match.

And yet… he had witnessed it.

The man’s potential.

His sheer tenacity.

“What was your impression of him?” the wolf inquired.

The Giant of Ruin-Demolition gave a slow nod. “He did not seem cut from a different cloth than ourselves.”

“Hmm. I suppose so. It appeared his only objective was to ‘subdue’ us. In that regard, his motives aligned with our own.”

He avoided senseless slaughter. It was clear he understood the necessity of the ‘Star Guardians’ and the delicate balance required for their coexistence. Furthermore, the ‘Star Guardian Knight Order’ had no wish to become enemies of the ‘Knight Order of the Golden Rule’. Their attempt to suppress them quickly had been a strategy to settle matters without lasting bitterness.

“And yet… he is a truly extraordinary individual.”

“Extraordinary?”

The term used suggested something far beyond the norm—something ‘uncommon’.

Recalling the tension of their recent clash, the Giant of Ruin-Demolition continued, “He operates with a full understanding of the consequences of his movements. It is as if he can perceive the future, or as if he has already lived through a thousand similar battles…”

“Are you suggesting he possesses ‘foresight’? Is he a prophet?”

Such people did exist—beings born with the gift of vision, favored by the heavens. While they could not see a fixed destiny, they could accurately anticipate outcomes seven times out of ten. They were heralded as prophets and worked wonders.

But the Giant of Rued-Demolition shook his head.

“No, it isn’t that. I mean that his level of experience is so vast and his instincts so sharp that it merely mimics foresight. Every move and every decision he made was the work of a master. If it were simple prophecy, he wouldn’t be able to execute so many complex choices with such speed.”

His resolve was instantaneous. There was no trace of doubt in his movements, yet every result fell perfectly in his favor. The way he evolved and merged the blade, resulting in a weapon of an entirely different caliber—was that the extent of it?

It felt as though he knew exactly how the Giant of Ruin-Demolition would react. The Giant felt as though the Druid had been waiting for his specific move since the start. He had positioned his knights and orchestrated the battlefield so that every variable served him.

Yet, the Giant of Ruin-Demolition was meeting the Druid of the Golden Rule for the very first time. How could a man act with the absolute certainty of experience without having lived the moment before?

The wolf pondered this for a moment before speaking.

“Usually… because the future shifts based on a person’s path, those with foresight tend to waver when making a choice. But you’re saying he has no such hesitation?”

“None. He simply knows. Do you grasp the weight of that distinction?”

“…You’re implying he is a true god.”

A god.

He wasn’t referring to mere ‘divinity’. This world wasn’t devoid of demigods or those with divine fragments; the Giant of Ruin-Demolition himself was a hallowed being of semi-divine status. The ‘god’ they spoke of now was a deity in the primal sense—the ones who stood at the dawn of creation.

Most of those entities had vanished, erased by the Ruin or faded into the void of being forgotten. The most prominent examples were the twin goddesses, Lea and Pina.

“He carried the ‘Blessing of Creation’.”

“…!!!”

The wolf was struck with visible shock. The surrounding Star Guardians who overheard were equally stunned. How could the deity of the Druids possess the legacy of the Goddess? And the Blessing of the 0th Rule, no less!

“That isn’t all. When the Druid of the Golden Rule pierced my chest, I sensed the presence of other ‘gods’ within him.”

“Is that why you were rendered immobile?”

“Indeed.”

The Giant of Ruin-Demolition nodded. The blade he had tried to dislodge had refused to move. His fall hadn’t been a simple loss of balance. For a being of his power to fall just by tripping was unthinkable. It was because, for a split second, he had felt the weight of the divine.

“The deities who have perished and been scrubbed from memory… it seems he is beloved by them.”

The divine will. Their very essence. This was why the Giant had not dared to strike back even as the man stood upon his chest. It wasn’t just the two lost goddesses, nor just the long-lost god of the Druids.

‘There is more. I felt the remnants of many more deities inside him.’

This was a truth only the Giant of Ruin-Demolition, protector of the Mother Star, could identify. He had known many gods and watched them turn to ash. He was certain.

‘The ancient gods who disappeared at the beginning… why do their echoes remain in him?’

Why were they marking him? It felt as if they were pleading for recognition, begging him to settle their ancient debts. It looked less like a blessing and more like the gods were desperately seeking his favor. Even the goddesses were no exception.

Therefore, he was likely far more than a mere ‘god of the Druids’. That title might just be one of many ‘keys’ he held.

If that were the case…

‘…There is nothing to be gained by standing against him.’

As long as he harbored no malice, being his ally was infinitely more valuable than being his enemy.

“Should I have tested him in a real fight?” the wolf asked, licking his chops with a hint of longing.

The Giant of Ruin-Demolition chuckled. “Even if you had, a victory would not have been easily snatched.”

“Well… that Albino fellow didn’t look like an easy mark either.”

In truth, he was a terror. If they had truly gone to war, the Star Guardians would have likely been wiped out. Albino alone would have probably slaughtered half their number. Even the Giant had no certainty of defeating Albino; at best, the odds were six-to-four… or perhaps seven-to-three in the other’s favor.

“How did ‘Lyca’ perform?”

“…”

The wolf went silent at the Giant’s question. He hated to admit it, but that human was just as much of a monster as Albino. He had excused their failure by pointing to the hostages, but the reality was they simply couldn’t stop the two from merging their power.

The Giant of Ruin-Demolition nodded slowly. “Humans possess a terrifying rate of growth. They can surpass us in the blink of an eye. There is a reason the goddesses favored them so.”

“Are you saying we are becoming obsolete?”

“Wolf, it means we must also evolve. We have remained stagnant for too long under the title of ‘Star Guardian’. The time for a new generation has come.”

The Giant’s gaze drifted to the side. The Great Serpent Dramut, meeting that gaze, shivered slightly. Dramut had been the first taken captive, labeled as one of the weaker links among the Guardians.

“Using this World Tree dungeon as a catalyst, the Star Guardians will ascend. Those who lack the merit will lose their status, and those who are worthy will rise to take their place.”

Observing the Knight Order of the Golden Rule had made one thing clear: if they remained as they were, the title of Star Guardian would become an empty shell. They might eventually lose all their ‘stars’ to a superior force and fade away.

The ultimate duty of the Star Guardians was to protect the stars—the very body of the goddess—and ensure her power didn’t fall to the unworthy or the wicked, like the Demon King.

‘The abyss is rising, and the Demon King is moving with intent.’

More would come for the stars. The Guardians had to be strong enough to ensure that power only reached those with the proper qualifications. Fortunately, there was great potential in the younger mythical lineages. A massive shift would begin the moment they exited this dungeon.

‘Not every knight order will be like this one…’

He worried for the Druid of the Golden Rule and his companions. Of the seven orders in the dungeon, many would be hostile. Clashes were inevitable, and many would be destroyed. Specifically, a few individuals had drawn his concern. The White King was one—the way he looked at the Druid was chilling.

‘Stay sharp.’

The Giant of Ruin-Demolition silently wished him luck.

—

Past the portal lay an expansive grassland. It was a peaceful place, filled with darting rabbits, but not a single one of my knights was nearby.

‘A solo trial masked as a team effort.’

The goal was clear. We were each meant to nurture a ‘Monster Soul’ and eventually converge at the final destination. There would be various trials, but the objective of being the last one standing remained.

‘So this is the Monster Soul.’

It was a stone etched with a rune. I looked down at the item that had appeared before me.

**[Monster Soul (Grade 0, None)]**
*- Activating this ‘Soul’ will call forth a Grade 0 monster that corresponds to the user’s attributes.*

A summon tailored to me. The process was straightforward.

*Flick!*

I made a tiny incision on my finger and let a drop of blood touch the rune.

*Swoooosh!*

**[A ‘Baby Hydragon (Grade 0, Beast, Fire Attribute Normal)’ has been summoned!]**

A Baby Hydragon? It seemed the ‘Soul of the Hydragon’ I already possessed had influenced the outcome. The identical rune on the stone confirmed it. Soon, a Hydragon roughly the size of a toddler stood before me. It had nine heads and a draconic lower body.

*Waddle waddle!*

Given its tiny stature, the way it moved was almost comical.

**《The Hidden Trait ‘Beast Lord’ is activated.》**
**《The summoned ‘Monster Soul’ is influenced by the summoner.》**
**《For details, please check the status window of the ‘Baby Hydragon’.》**

A hidden trait had triggered. ‘Beast Lord’ was clearly a taming-focused ability, but it seemed to go deeper than that. I focused my gaze on the Baby Hydragon’s many heads.

****
**Name:** Baby Hydragon (Grade 0)

****
**Strength:** 10
**HP:** 6
**Agility:** 4
**Intelligence:** 3
**MP:** 8

The raw numbers were abysmal. With stats like these, I doubted it could even take down one of the rabbits in the field. However, the section that followed made me do a double-take.

****
**Natural Regeneration:** +51,400%
**All Natural Attribute Stats:** +514%
**Light Attribute Stats:** +100%
**All Resistances:** +20%
**Minimum Physical Resistance:** +50%
**Total EXP Gain:** +500%
**Proficiency Efficiency:** +2,100%
**Damage:** +120%
**Additional Damage to Boss Monsters:** +20%
**Total Penetration:** +34.3%
**Curse Penetration:** +15%
**Curse Reflection:** +40%
**Curse Duration Increase:** +30%
**Sense Sharing:** +200%

“…”

The sheer wall of bonus stats left me speechless. They were an exact mirror of my own attributes. Seeing the massive regeneration boost from my ‘Endurance’ stat applied to this creature was particularly staggering.

Suddenly, I knew exactly how to train this little thing.

*Whine?*
*Yelp!*

The Baby Hydragon stared at me with terror. All nine of its heads tried to shrink away, but there was no escaping its fate.

‘As long as it doesn’t get obliterated in a single strike.’

With that level of regeneration, it could survive almost anything that didn’t kill it instantly.

‘Which means we don’t need to waste time in the beginner zones.’

I turned my back on the peaceful meadow of rabbits without looking back. On that day, the Baby Hydragon learned the meaning of suffering.