"Fuck 'em," Orion snapped, his patience completely gone. "They want to stay? Fine. They can stay here and rot for all I care."

  Even the Elder just shook his head and sighed. He hadn't been involved in the village's affairs for many years. While the people still called him Elder to his face, in practice, they followed the lead of Captain Simbra and the younger generation. The Guardian Elder had dedicated his entire life to finding a safe new home for his people, only to be met with this. The light had gone out of his eyes.

  Lila approached him. "Elder, you should come with us. If this dimension truly begins to fail, they will follow you through the portal."

  He shook his head again. "I cannot. This teleport nexus requires my energy to maintain. If I leave, it will cease to function within a day." He paused, gesturing to the stubborn villagers. "My mission is to protect them. If I abandon them to save myself, what meaning would my life have?"

  Kael had been on the verge of agreeing with Orion, ready to just leave them to their fate. But seeing the Elder's unwavering resolve, he couldn't bring himself to walk away.

  He steeled himself. Time to take a risk.

  He reached into his backpack, pulled out the Right Hand Bone of Apollo, and raised it high above his head.

  "Wait—" the Elder started to say, reaching out a hand to stop him, but then he froze. He let his hand fall. Whatever happens, happens.

  CRACK!

  Kael slammed the bone against the ground, and it exploded into fine dust.

  Instantly, the world spun on its axis. The entire Land of the Behemoth destabilized, the fabric of the dimension twisting as if the sky itself was about to collapse.

  Orion yelped and made a mad dash for the teleport nexus. "Dude, are you insane?!"

  Kael ignored him, tilting his head back to watch the sky.

  After a few chaotic moments, the Land of the Behemoth settled, and a brilliant, clear light filled the heavens.

  "Hahahaha! Well done, boy."

  A voice like thunder cracked across the sky. In the next moment, a colossal, divine effigy materialized above Behemoth's Watch. Kael immediately dropped to one knee.

  A moment later, the radiant form of Apollo appeared before him.

  "Less than a month, and you've already released a second of my soul-shards. Impressive." Apollo's figure was far clearer than their last encounter, and his mood seemed considerably brighter.

  Finally, the system notifications Kael had been waiting for chimed in.

  System: You have released the second soul-shard of Apollo. You have acquired a new skill.

  System: New Skill Learned: [Arrow of Dawn]

  [Arrow of Dawn]: Cost to Unlock: 4 Skill Points.

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  For 10 seconds, your damage is increased by 20%, and your attacks ignore all of the target's buffs and active skill effects.

  Cooldown: 3 minutes.

  Kael smiled. It really is Arrow of Dawn. He knew this was a god-tier PvP skill that only became more broken in the late game.

  High-level support skills were ridiculously powerful, with a single buff often being equivalent to equipping an epic or even legendary item. This skill was the hard counter to every support class in the game. Its only saving grace was that it was single-target. If it were an AoE that could shred buffs group-wide, no other team would stand a chance.

  "Thank you," Kael said with genuine sincerity. "I'll do everything I can to help you be reborn."

  "Excellent," Apollo replied. "Then I shall take my—"

  "Wait!" Kael shouted, cutting him off. If Apollo left now, the dimension really would collapse for good.

  "What is it?" Apollo asked, a hint of impatience in his voice.

  "Mentor, after you depart, how can we save this world?"

  Apollo scoffed. "Why would you preserve this insignificant pocket dimension? In time, you'll be able to create such places yourself."

  "There are thousands of people living here," Kael said patiently. "They don't want to abandon their home." He looked up, holding Apollo’s gaze.

  It wasn't just Kael. The Guardian Elder and all the villagers of Behemoth's Watch stared up at the majestic figure, their faces taut with anxiety.

  Apollo cast a cold, indifferent glance around him. To him, these mortals were like ants; he wouldn't change his plans for their sake. His expression flickered through several emotions before finally softening almost imperceptibly.

  He turned his attention back to Kael. "I have a solution."

  Kael’s face lit up. "Thank you, Mentor!"

  The Guardian Elder prostrated himself on the ground. "Thank you, great one!"

  "Thousands of years ago, after I slew the Behemoth, I buried its corpse beneath Mount Celestara," Apollo announced. "Go and retrieve its body for me."

  "Yes!" Kael exclaimed.

  "I have imprinted the location of its remains upon your mind. I will give you three days. If you have not returned by then, I will depart."

  "Understood!"

  Without another word, Apollo vanished into thin air.

  Kael let out a long breath. He wasn't trying to save this Hidden Realm purely out of some laughable sense of compassion. The truth was, this place was an invaluable resource for players at their current level.

  The fast-spawning, high-XP Mawflowers and the incredibly useful items in the village shop made it a paradise for anyone around Level 30.

  Securing this Hidden Realm meant securing a stable source of top-tier gear. Releasing Apollo’s spirit here had been a gamble, but it had paid off.

  Kael considered the task. Three days to find a corpse on Mount Celestara, with the exact coordinates already in my head. How hard can that be?

  Kael and his party said a temporary farewell to the Elder and returned to Starlight Village. Back in their headquarters, Lila laid out the boss loot: two Ascendant items, three legendary items, and five epic pieces.

  Kael glanced over them, but since nothing was a direct upgrade for him, he let the others divide it all. Orion also picked out a few reagents for his inscription work.

  Then, Kael took out the three items he'd found on the Behemoth's throne.

  One was an [Exquisite Skull], another was a [Skill Upgrade Scroll], and the last was the Mythic item currently ranked number one on the server's gear charts: the [Solar Mantle of Apollo].

  The [Exquisite Skull] wasn't listed as a crafting material and had no description; it was likely a quest item. As for the [Skill Upgrade Scroll], Kael wasn't sure which skill to use it on yet.

  Finally, he looked at the Mythic cape.

  [Solar Mantle of Apollo] (Mythic)

  Physical Defense +5000

  Magical Defense +5000

  Strength +1000

  Constitution +1000

  Agility +1000

  [Power Unbound]: The mantle's true power is sealed. Defeating players or monsters will slowly unlock its potential.

  [Sacred Aegis]: Generates a shield with 50,000 HP every 3 minutes. The shield does not stack.

  [Aegis Retaliation]: If struck 6 consecutive times by the same enemy, you will automatically retaliate for 200% of your own attack damage.

  [Divine Ward]: Protect one friendly target, granting them 10,000 bonus defense for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.

  Requirements: 2000 Strength, 2000 Constitution, 2000 Agility.

  Kael grimaced as he read the requirements. He already had over 2000 Strength and Agility. But his Constitution was only around 1000.

  He sighed. Where the hell am I supposed to get another 1000 points of Constitution?