[Administrator.]
Akashic addressed him, perfectly composed.
Sin Hyeok found the current situation a bit suspicious.
‘Could this be an illusion?’
It was a reasonable suspicion.
[Shall I call up the Administrator's personal memories stored in the Akashic Cabinet?]
[For reference, when you were nine years old, to your elementary school desk mate.......]
"Hey! Hey!"
He choked up for a moment.
[Has your suspicion been resolved?]
Sin Hyeok let out a sigh involuntarily at Akashic's shameless response.
"Yeah, thanks a lot."
[We are currently preparing to break the barrier trapping the Sky Temple and the Administrator.]
‘Just prepare for now. I haven't found a way out of here yet.’
Sin Hyeok looked around the space where he was trapped with Arin.
He pondered deeply, recalling the data Akashic had provided.
‘Hmm.......’
Akashic read Sin Hyeok's intentions and responded.
[There is currently insufficient data on the Astra Ring. My apologies.]
‘It's fine. The data you gave me before is enough.’
Akashic had already provided Sin Hyeok with the biggest hint.
‘Akashic gave me enough hints. What I need to do now is clear.’
To destroy this, all he needed to do was extract the metal called 'Orichalcum.'
"So there's only one thing to do now."
He had to search this massive structure.
He had to extract the trace amounts of Orichalcum.
‘That's the problem. It's probably mixed throughout in an alloy form.’
Sin Hyeok was guessing that it was a combination of two metals.
‘I didn't get a proper look.’
The reason he couldn't examine it properly was because of those so-called 'gods' everywhere.
They said they wanted to get out.
But having heard about what happened to the previous owner of this hammer, the dwarf, they weren't beings who truly wanted to leave.
Right now, a fun toy had come in, and they were simply enjoying themselves.
‘I have to pretend to be working hard in their eyes. Or thoroughly pretend to be their plaything.’
- I can hear your wheels turning. Use that time to work hard instead.
- That's right. But that human will die doing it.
- He's going to croak.
- He'll drop dead.
Sin Hyeok forced himself to ignore the mockery of the so-called gods.
He glanced at Baek Arin, who was leaning against the debris, resting.
*Soft breaths.*
She rested with her eyes closed.
The best method available to her right now was simply closing her eyes to prevent the outflow of energy.
‘I don't have much time.......’
He kept the staff Hermes had handed him close and approached the Astra Ring.
- Ooh~ You're like an indomitable hero~
- I raised plenty of brats like that back in the day.
- Do they still run that racket these days?
- It's old hat.
- As expected. That only worked in our time. Hero and Demon King, really.
- I miss those days. If you just put on a rough act and tossed it out, the kids would eagerly devote their faith.
Sin Hyeok tuned out the banter of the fallen gods as he approached the surface of the Astra Ring.
*Whir.*
As expected, it immediately rejected his touch and tried to repel him.
*Sffft.*
He lightly applied an adaptation of his constitution to dismantle it.
- I told you it's fascinating. How does he dismantle the curtain of those damned pigeons?
- Right? As expected of an Alchemist.
- If we dissect him, can we take it?
- Hey. Instead of dissecting something like that, make him your retainer.
Sin Hyeok ignored the gods' noisy chatter and placed his hand on the metal.
The moment he touched it, his source was drained.
"Hup!"
He struggled to examine it while minimizing the loss of energy as much as possible.
"Kuh."
However, it was not easy to verify.
*Tak.*
His hand grew increasingly hot, so he hurriedly pulled it away.
"Ugh, haah......."
Sin Hyeok's palm was covered in burns.
‘I only figured out one thing.’
The two metals were not smelted together as an alloy.
‘It's a structure with Orichalcum placed here and there.’
He caught a brief glimpse of the path the energy flowed through.
He confirmed the orbit of the rolled, ring-shaped Astra Ring.
"It's wide."
He had to search all of this.
The size of this place was beyond imagination.
"Damn it."
Sin Hyeok's expression scrunched up at the overwhelming size.
[Analyzing the structure of the Astra Ring and predicting the points where Orichalcum is placed.]
‘Thanks.’
[Administrator. Miss Baek Arin's condition is critical.]
Sin Hyeok checked on Arin, who was sleeping deeply, leaning against the debris.
Her condition had deteriorated significantly compared to moments ago.
[Also, it is dangerous for the Administrator to remain in this space for an extended period.]
‘Got it. I have to hurry.’
[Marking 5,429 predicted Orichalcum locations on the map.]
‘Haah.’
There were too many predicted points.
Without complaining, Sin Hyeok moved immediately.
He went around to various places and repeated the same task.
Remove the curtain and verify.
Go over there, remove the curtain, and verify again.
He repeated this process endlessly.
He repeated it infinitely within this barrier, where the flow of time was utterly unpredictable.
[Current remaining predicted locations: 3,892.]
[Identified Orichalcum has been marked on the map.]
Sin Hyeok looked at his ruined hands for a moment and caught his breath.
"Hoo, what about Arin...?"
Sin Hyeok turned his head.
She still had her eyes closed, her face scrunched up.
[It's dangerous.]
[Approximately 30% of the energy required for basic life activities remains in her body.]
[There is a high probability that life functions will cease within approximately 24 to 48 hours.]
Baek Arin's face had become haggard.
She was withering away in real time.
Sin Hyeok stopped working for a moment and approached her.
"Arin...."
"Yeah."
Baek Arin responded faintly.
Her eyes fluttered open.
The light had mostly faded from her pupils.
"Hang in there a little longer. We can get out soon."
"Mister... I... won't die. Don't... hurry..."
Baek Arin grabbed Sin Hyeok's hand and urged him.
Even as the light in her eyes dimmed, her will remained firm.
"I know."
Sin Hyeok forced himself to answer, looking at her fading spirit.
She smiled with difficulty and tapped Sin Hyeok's hand.
"Go. Go and... do what mister has to do."
"I'll be right back."
[Re-analyzing and optimizing the predicted Orichalcum locations on the Astra Ring.]
[Current remaining predicted locations: 1,567.]
Sin Hyeok looked at the remaining points and glanced around at the gods.
Their atmosphere was different from when they had been laughing and chatting.
A feeling of beasts slowly baring their fangs at prey emanated from them.
- At this rate, he'll really break it.
- He's identified more than half the Orichalcum locations.
- Hey. Hermes. Was that your intention too?
Hermes stood with his arms crossed and said nothing.
- Well. Surely he won't break it? He's still a human.
- True. Just a worthless nobody without any real divinity.
- It's unsettling. Last time we messed with the dwarf, we ended up like that.
- Yeah. It's a bit concerning. Let's draw the line early this time. It's not like any of us want to leave now, right?
They issued a final ultimatum to Hermes, who stood watching with his arms crossed.
- Hey. Hermes. Shall we wrap this up?
Hermes didn't say much.
But they ignored him.
Sin Hyeok caught his breath and checked the Orichalcum prediction points Akashic had reanalyzed.
‘Let's check quickly and move on to the next.’
It was time to consider the method to extract the Orichalcum and the way to target the Adamantium.
‘I just need to hurry.’
Thinking so, Sin Hyeok tried his best to forget about his lack of time.
He moved again and identified Orichalcum.
‘Here's one too.’
[Marking that location on the map.]
- Hey, human.
Sin Hyeok felt a sense of crisis at the voice of a god from behind.
[Administrator!]
Instinctively, Sin Hyeok extracted and pocketed the Orichalcum his hand had reached.
[Extraction - Orichalcum]
*Boom!*
He blocked the attack from behind with the chunk of Orichalcum in his hand.
"Kuh!"
The white mineral trembled.
The Orichalcum withstood all the attack, but the aftershock was borne entirely by Sin Hyeok.
- Wow. He pulled that out and blocked it in that instant?
- So that's why that devil bastard was wary.
- This is going to get annoying.
Hermes watched them from the very back and spoke.
- I'll handle it.
- What are you going to do?
Hermes approached the hole in the central sphere.
He stood tall and struck the hole with all his might.
*BOOM!*
A tremendous shockwave erupted, shaking the area.
The hole at the point he struck widened.
The gods who saw it panicked.
- Hey, hey.
- Hey, everyone run!
- That madman!
Hermes laughed and swiftly reached out his hand.
His true form obscured by the light was revealed, and he grinned.
"Work hard, human."
*Hum.*
The staff tucked at his waist reacted.
"What the hell! Hey!"
From the impact, Sin Hyeok's body was sucked into the hole.
In the midst of it, Hermes's smirking face flashed past.
‘He told me to hurry.’
The moment he passed by Hermes, Sin Hyeok clearly saw the shape of his mouth.
"What?"
*Whoosh.*
But before he could understand the meaning, he was already sucked into the hole.
After Sin Hyeok disappeared, the hole slowly closed on its own.
Only Baek Arin remained in the barrier, barely holding on.
"You... bastards...."
- She'll die soon, right?
- She's annoying. Let's just get rid of her.
- Yeah. If she buzzes around like a mosquito for no reason, it's a nuisance.
The moment Baek Arin stoked her rage and tried to rush out, she saw Hermes stepping on empty air, smoothly flying toward her.
"Excuse me."
*Thud!*
He kicked her abdomen hard.
Baek Arin's body flew up and away just like that.
[A portion of Hermes's divine power is being transferred.]
[Hermes's Authority is being forcibly activated.]
[Forced transition into false death.]
Baek Arin's body flew helplessly and collided with floating debris.
*Boom!*
- Wow, strike.
- As expected of Hermes. No blood or tears.
- Ah~ It's a shame to end her like that. I thought I'd enjoy watching for the first time in a while.
- She stepped up too quickly. We didn't think he'd really try to break it.
- We can't leave now anyway. Those pigeons have their eyes wide open.
Hermes looked at the sent-flying Baek Arin and carefully approached.
- Hermes?
The gods looked at Hermes approaching Baek Arin curiously.
"I'll keep her in storage. It's a waste to throw her away."
- Ah, is that so?
- What bad taste.
- Scary bastard.
Hermes smiled brightly and showed them Baek Arin in her forced slumber.
"Why would I throw away this pretty thing?"
Hermes grabbed and lifted Arin's hand, then flinched.
Because he witnessed his divine power being faintly absorbed.
'What...?!'
Hermes was bewildered by the bizarre phenomenon he couldn't understand, yet a faint smile formed on his lips at the same time.
"So that guy wasn't the only interesting one?"
- What?
He looked at them saying something and asked back.
"Nothing~ I said she's very interesting."
- Yeah, well, what are we going to do for fun now~
- Let's just sleep. It's a waste of divine power.
- You must find divine power precious. We're still getting ours replenished in spades.
- Damn bastards. This is why the haves... Tch.
Hermes muttered as he looked at Baek Arin in her forced slumber.
"A vessel that devours gods."
* * *
"Yaaah!"
Sin Hyeok entered the central sphere with a bizarre scream.
He could see a small hole before him, but he couldn't get out.
"Fuck!"
Even when Sin Hyeok pounded fiercely with his strong fists, it wouldn't break.
"Haah."
He let out a deep sigh and looked around.
"The situation's fucked. Just great."
[It does not look like the situation is that bad.]
Sin Hyeok was bewildered by the system that hadn't disappeared.
"Huh?"
[Is something the matter?]
"Hey, you... why are you fine?"
[Because you still have Hermes's divine artifact, Administrator.]
At those words, he checked his waist.
"Why do I have this?"
Sin Hyeok thought of Hermes's mouth shape from earlier.
'He told me to hurry.'
A hollow laugh escaped him.
"What the hell is that guy?"
[Administrator. Please look ahead.]
"Why?"
He turned around and looked forward, and his whole body stiffened.
A giant snake resembling the deep cosmos was before him.
*Slither. Slither.*
The reptile's golden pupil looked at Sin Hyeok.
[It is Jormungandr, the serpent known throughout the world as the one that devours the world at the end of days.]