“What took you so long?” Alex asked, sighing as he stretched his arms.
The [Grand Mage Master Core] was still in his hand, its shimmering surface catching the light.
He hadn’t placed it in his inventory yet, interrupted by Arceus’ sudden appearance.
“Because of [Mental Sleep],” Arceus groaned, “It’s a skill that only puts your mind asleep, meaning that after only a few minutes, based on the other person’s determination, they wake up.”
“Oh,” Alex understood.
He paused, his expression turning serious for a moment.
“Plus,” he added with a sigh, “I had to deal with everyone else in the mansion.”
Alex raised an eyebrow.
“Oh damn.”
He had forgotten about the servants and butlers who worked for the Grand Mages.
Arceus had been busy cleaning house even after waking up, it seemed.
“They were with the Grand Mages, AKA the gods, so it’s to be expected that I killed them,” Arceus said, a grin spreading across his face, “No loose ends, right?”
Alex couldn’t help but smile back.
He hadn’t expected Arceus to stick with him after he’d killed all the Grand Mages, but here they were.
Arceus had proven himself to be a reliable ally, even if his methods were a bit ruthless.
“And now that I’m the final Grand Mage…”
Arceus laughed loudly, his voice echoing through the empty garden.
“I AM THE GRAND MAGE MASTER!”
Alex stared at him, his expression neutral.
“Do what you want,” he said, shrugging, “Just don’t cause trouble here.”
He had been about to store the [Grand Mage Master Core] in his inventory for later use, but Arceus’ intervention felt like a sign.
Maybe this was fate.
Without hesitation, Alex gently tossed the core to Arceus.
“Holy shit!”
Arceus exclaimed, catching the core with both hands.
His eyes widened as he stared at it, disbelief written all over his face.
“Can I actually take this? Assimilating it will boost my powers as a Grand Mage!”
“Go ahead,” Alex said, waving a hand dismissively.
The reason Alex couldn’t use the core himself was simple: he wasn’t a [Grand Mage].
The core only responded to those who held the title, and Arceus was now the last one standing.
It was a fitting reward for someone who had proven their loyalty, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
“I’m gonna go,” Alex said, turning away, “I have stuff to do.”
“Keep checking the [Abyss Scythe] in case you discover anything from it.”
“I’ll come back later to get it.”
Arceus nodded, his attention already focused on the core.
He placed it against his chest, and it began to glow, slowly sinking into his body.
The process was mesmerizing, the core’s energy merging with Arceus’ own, amplifying his power.
“Alright,” Arceus said, his voice filled with excitement.
He snapped his fingers, and in a flash of light, he disappeared, leaving Alex alone in the garden.
Alex stood there for a moment, taking in the scene.
Just an hour ago, he had arrived on this island for the Grand Mage meeting.
Now, all of them were dead, and only he and Arceus remained.
It was overwhelming to think about, but Alex knew there had been no other choice.
The Grand Mages had aligned themselves with the gods, and that made them enemies of humanity.
For now, though, Alex had one more thing to check: his advancement tasks.
He had gone from level 934 to 1303 in one fell swoop, breaking through two tiers in the process.
Tier-8 was at level 1000, and Tier-9 at level 1250.
The system had merged the tasks into one, but Alex knew it wouldn’t be easy.
[You have reached level 1000, thus becoming a Tier 8 player!]
[You have reached level 1250, thus becoming a Tier 9 player!]
[Due to these special circumstances, your experience wasn’t locked, and you will instead receive a single, but more difficult advancement task.]
[SSS-Rating detected for previous task and dual class. Difficulty adjusted accordingly.]
“Oh boy,” Alex muttered, bracing himself.
He was already used to receiving the most difficult tasks, so combining two into one wasn’t a surprise.
In fact, it was beneficial.
If he could complete this task, he might even reach Tier-10 before the [Chosen Games].
That would give him a fighting chance against the gods.
But then the system dropped the bombshell.
[You will receive one of the hardest possible tasks in the entirety of Universal Descent.]
Alex frowned.
This was the first time the system had phrased it like that.
Usually, it just said “hardest tier task.”
The wording made him uneasy, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it.
The task appeared before him, and when he read it, he almost choked.
[Advancement Task: Destroy the Hatred Sect and defeat the Hatred Demon.]
[Your rating depends completely on whether or not you do it.]
[If you fail, you get sent back to level 1.]
[Have fun!]
“What the fuck?”
Alex exclaimed, staring at the screen in disbelief.
Was the system against him?
Not only was the task insanely difficult, requiring him to take on the Hatred Sect and the Hatred Demon, who wasn’t even fully revived yet, but failure meant being sent back to level 1.
It was a brutal punishment, one that would undo all his experience progress.
Thankfully, there was no timer attached to the task.
Which meant that the condition to fail the task likely meant death, and if he died at the hands of the Hatred Demon, his soul might be destroyed, preventing any chance of revival.
But Alex wasn’t one to back down from a challenge, no matter how impossible it seemed.
The Hatred Sect was already on his [Elimination List], and taking them out would only benefit humanity in the long run.
If he could kill them before they found another way to revive the Hatred Demon, it would be a major victory.
But even with all his power, Alex couldn’t shake the feeling that the Hatred Demon was still stronger than him.
Otherwise, this wouldn’t be one of the hardest tasks in the game.
Alex glanced back at the mansion, his instincts telling him there was nothing left to find.
The two remaining tokens, the [Token of Wrath] and [Token of Nightmares], were likely not here.
He had too many things to do, and the first item on his list was clear.
‘Well, the first thing to do right now is head to [Golden Star Academy],’ Alex thought.
Dominic, the chairman of the academy, was one of the [Guardians of Hatred].
If Alex could extract information from him, it might give him the edge he needed to take down the sect.
With determination burning in his chest, Alex opened his [World Map] and selected [Golden Star Academy] as his destination.
In a flash of blue light, he teleported away, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.
It was time to get rid of the [Hatred Sect], once and for all.