The quest to collect the four divine artifacts had two purposes.

One was to grant Eurius the full abilities of a player!

Ding!

[Quest-Player Awakening completed.]

[You are recognized as an official player. New abilities are unlocked.]

[Your achievements are greatly increased.]

[You have completed all the achievements.]

[Achievements are converted into points.]

‘Points?’

He remembered the word ‘achievements’ that appeared when he cleared the quests.

He didn’t know much about it until now.

And now! Its use was revealed.

[Current achievement points-99,990,000 points]

[At the system’s request, high-grade equipment will be created with points.]

“Huh?”

Lee Cheongmun widened his eyes in astonishment.

The energy he felt from Eurius was beyond his imagination.

Swoosh!

First, it was the power of Black Tortoise.

The power to control water and ice transformed into a more sturdy armor.

Ding!

[You have equipped the ‘Legendary’ item, Formless Divine Armor.]

[Your strength and force rank increase. The unique effect increases your durability and defense as a player.]

Whirr!

Second, it was the power of Vermilion Bird.

The fire power turned into wings of flame behind Eurius.

Ding!

[You have equipped the ‘Legendary’ item, Wings of Scorching Heat.]

[Your mental power and force rank increase. The unique effect allows you to fly.]

Whizz!

Third, it was the power of Azure Dragon. The raging wind gathered and draped behind Eurius like a cloak.

Ding!

[You have equipped the ‘Legendary’ item, Azure Dragon’s Cloak.]

[Your agility and force rank increase. The unique effect gives you a wind barrier.]

Zing!

Last, it was the power of White Tiger.

As expected from the power that symbolized the earth, it covered Eurius’s lower body and turned into silver shoes.

Ding!

[You have equipped the ‘Legendary’ item, Footsteps of Earth.]

[The unique effect increases all your abilities when you touch the ground.]

A formidable aura burst out from Eurius’s body. He had narrowed down the gap in abilities with one item effect.

“Kuk!”

Lee Cheongmun hurriedly tried to defend himself.

He had planned to go easy on him at first, but if he allowed him to attack first in this situation, it would be fatal.

But Eurius’s sword swing was much faster.

Woo-woo-woo-woong!

A dazzling golden light burst out from the Yellow Dragon Sword in his hand.

That’s right! That was also an item.

Ding!

[The last seal of the Yellow Dragon Sword is broken. Its true power is unleashed.]

[Yellow Dragon Sword (Legendary)-The unique effect amplifies the power of all attacks made with the sword.]

Boom!

“……!?”

That strike was too fast and fierce.

The golden energy that was amplified hundreds or thousands of times by the sword pierced Lee Cheongmun’s body.

Kwaaah!

“Cough cough!”

A loud noise echoed throughout the plain. Lee Cheongmun let out a horrible scream and bounced off like a ball, crashing into the wall of the capital.Eurius had completed his revenge by satisfyingly landing one blow on him.

Bang!

“Gasp!”

“Your Majesty!”

There was a gasp from Lee Cheongmun’s camp. It was because Eurius’s sword had easily swept him away like a leaf.

“Tsk! Is it still hard to finish him off in one go?”

But Eurius clicked his tongue and raised his sword again.

Despite receiving such a powerful blow, he didn’t feel Lee Cheongmun’s energy decrease at all.

Swoosh

“This… will be fun.”

“……!?”

Eurius quickly turned his body around.

Lee Cheongmun had teleported behind him and swung his fist.

Bang!

“Kuk!”

Eurius was pushed back. Even with all kinds of fancy items, he couldn’t completely negate the shock.

Lee Cheongmun, who had sent him flying, sneered and opened his mouth.

“I admit that you have reached the same level as me, even if it’s a bit of a cheat. Now I’ll go all out.”

“…”

‘Did I start with too much of a gap?’

Lee Cheongmun was indeed a formidable opponent.

He had accumulated inner strength for hundreds of years, which was like an ocean, and his combat experience was even more abundant.

He seemed to have taken Eurius’s critical strike head-on, but he had twisted his body in that situation to reduce the impact.

“Kkng…”

Eurius raised his sword again and faced Lee Cheongmun.

A single thought flashed through his mind.

‘It seems like it will drag on.’

***

Crash!

Rumble!

Boom!

“Hehe… I don’t know if I’m seeing reality or not.”

Marius scratched his head and looked at the people around him.

They were observing from a distance, but the duel between the two was so huge that it was easy to see.

‘Maybe I should have suggested to His Majesty to use the unexplored land in the north as the battleground. There would be no need for cultivation.’

With one sword swing, the clouds split and a large hole was dug in the ground. The wall of the capital that had been caught in the aftermath was already half-ruined.

They also had to widen their distance from a few hundred meters to several kilometers as time went on.

“Really…”

“I’m worried that His Majesty seems to be at a slight disadvantage.”

The others were also shaking their heads. The unbelievable scene of destruction had happened in half a day.

Eurius and Lee Cheongmun.

Their fight had lasted for more than twelve hours.

As time went on, anxiety began to grow in the hearts of the spectators.

No, it wasn’t just time. Among the spectators, those who were superhuman or above in martial arts noticed one thing. They could hardly see their fight, but they could roughly tell by looking at the results whenever they exchanged blows.

“His Majesty is being pushed back little by little.”

“The power seems equal, but it’s probably because of the experience…”

***

“How about giving up? You might be able to fight for a few more days, but the result is obvious.”

Lee Cheongmun sounded a bit tired, but he spoke with a bright voice.

Eurius in front of him was half-dead.

“…”

But Eurius didn’t answer back.

There was only one thought in his mind right now.

‘I didn’t want to use it if possible… but I have no choice.’

He still had one hidden card left. It was his sixth-stage ability!

But using that ability had a powerful and deadly risk.

That’s why he hadn’t used it until now.

In fact, he was a bit complacent because the power amplified by the items was so great.“Hoo…”

Eurius let out a sigh and Lee Cheongmun’s eyes sparkled.

“You did your best. Have you decided to surrender?”

He had regained his composure.

He had struggled for a while when Eurius unleashed his fierce attack at first, but as expected, he couldn’t withstand his experience in a long-term battle.

Lee Cheongmun looked at him with pity and said.

“As you know, I don’t intend to harm this world. I just need to extend my life.”

“…”

Eurius snapped back incredulously.

“So you think it’s okay to steal someone else’s brother’s body? And I almost died several times because of you?”

“Hehe…”

‘Even the closest friends or spouses have secrets that they don’t reveal to each other, let alone humans…’

This technique was literally a way to reveal the innermost feelings of a ruler to his subjects. Of course, it was impossible to use it without a decent amount of trust.

And even with trust, it was absurd to expose one’s emotions to hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of people.

But he had a reason to use this technique at the risk of all that. It was why he had brought so many people to this plain for a one-on-one duel!

***

“That’s impossible!”

Lee Cheongmun screamed for the first time.

He stared at Eurius, who was emitting an enormous aura as if he was possessed.

Woo-woo-woo-woong!

The sword that Eurius lifted up to the sky became a huge golden pillar.

An unbelievable amount of power was condensed in the Yellow Dragon Sword.

Lee Cheongmun couldn’t hear his inner voice. But as soon as he felt the aura that spread in all directions, he knew how he had gathered such power.

“Could it be… you sucked up all the power of those people? How did you do that?”

He couldn’t understand it with his common sense.

It wasn’t like he had stuck a straw in them, how could he freely absorb the power of those people who were far away?

“Watch your words. Do you know how embarrassed I was?”

“…!?”

Eurius answered with a dumbfounded expression.

“And I didn’t suck it up. I borrowed it with their consent.”

His true ability was the empathy between the ruler and his subjects.

The ruler rules and cherishes his subjects.

The subjects assist and devote their power to the ruler.

This technique, [The Ruler’s Innermost], was a manifestation of that content.

Eurius was able to do this unbelievable feat of borrowing the power of others so easily because he had revealed his entire innermost to his subjects.

There was also a risk. It wasn’t just the shame of exposing his innermost, but there were two more drawbacks to this ability.

The first was that it was very difficult to make a mountain out of a molehill. How many sincere followers would there be unless he was a ruler who had earned enough trust?

Even if he squeezed their power, it wouldn’t amount to much.

Eurius had deliberately gathered all his forces in this plain to clear this condition.

The second was the burden on his body.

It was dangerous to wield power that didn’t match his level.

“Kkueu…”

Eurius began to feel a dull pain throughout his body. But it wasn’t a big enough burden to kill himself.

This was the power of items! If it weren’t for the divine artifacts that greatly increased his durability, his body would have collapsed long ago.

With these various conditions overlapping, Eurius could use an transcendent power that surpassed his ability only once!

“Let’s end this. To be honest, I can’t hold on much longer.”

“…”

Lee Cheongmun fell silent after hearing all the explanations.

It was impossible to know what he was thinking right now.

“You… won…”

He uttered his last words with difficulty and closed his eyes.

Eurius smiled slightly here.

“I didn’t win. ‘We’ won.”

Swoosh!

And then the huge pillar that soared high in the sky finally began to fall to the ground.

The pillar reached the ground in an instant and swallowed Lee Cheongmun’s body whole.

Kwaaah!

The earth split in half for a moment.

Eurius saw the dirt and rocks flying around him and felt his strength drain away.

‘I expected it, but it’s still damn exhausting.’

He lost consciousness due to the aftereffects of using too much power.