Chapter 3

The Arch-Enemy of the Gods, Regression 003

3. Contract

Zzzzzz.

The moment the massive sphere of lightning, Astrapê, touched the lake.

All the goblins in the lake screamed.

“Keee!”

“Kyaah!”

The goblins twisted their bodies.

No goblin could escape the range of Astrapê.

Moreover, this place was a lake.

A space filled with water.

The power and range of the lightning were several times greater than on dry land.

……

……

Crackle.

After a round of lightning storm.

Astrapê transformed into a sword and was held in Shi Xian's hand.

The players, excluding the goblins, were already far away.

Shi Xian was completely immune to 'electric shock.'

The goblins were the only ones who suffered.

‘I can't just stand by.’

Crack!

Thus, Shi Xian beheaded the remaining goblins one by one.

These creatures, if left alive, would lose their minds and attack humans.

There was no need to keep them alive.

“Ghhhh...”

After disposing of all the goblins.

Ragen, who had been the last to remain, barely lifted his head.

“You... What... Who are you...”

“I don't care.”

Shi Xian lifted Astrapê.

“Monster.”

“...Fiend.”

Flash!

Ragen's head was pierced through.

……

Shi Xian turned off the holographic window that filled his vision.

He then took a hard stone from Ragen's heart.

#A low-quality magic stone possessed by the Goblin Thousand Commander.

▶Material Item

▶Effect

Magic Stone.

A stone held by powerful monsters.

Using this material to craft items or facilities grants additional effects.

For example, if Shi Xian used the E-grade magic stone he just picked up to make a sword or staff.

The item would have the effect of increasing magic power by 1.

‘Even if it’s E-grade, it’s still a magic stone.’

Shi Xian roughly stuffed the magic stone into his pocket.

He then moved on.

The first disaster was not yet over.

Even if all the goblins that emerged from the Stone Village Lake were dead, many more individuals remained.

Having finished this, Shi Xian quickly moved on.

The remaining Thousand Commanders and goblins.

He had to kill as many of them as possible.

‘Things are going smoothly.’

……

Zzzzzz.

“Kieeek!”

“Kaaah!”

A crack appeared in the air.

It began to absorb the remaining goblins.

Of course, goblins were among the weakest of the many monsters that would follow.

‘This is different from before. A good start.’

Before the regression, Shi Xian had no idea what item to obtain after his characteristic bloomed.

This was because there was almost no information about the gods.

So the weapon he chose was King Arthur's 'Excalibur'.

While it was certainly an excellent sword, it was inferior to the lightning of Zeus, the king of the vast world of Olympus.

‘It was also incredibly heavy for my strength stat level.’

▶Objective: Contract with an approaching god

*However, if you have already contracted with a god, you cannot proceed with this quest.

▶Reward: Contract with a god

▶Failure: No penalty.

Contract.

An event that occurs at the end of each destruction.

Players can choose to contract with one of the gods approaching them.

‘Ares. That damn guy...’

Shi Xian frowned when he saw the name of the god.

Ares.

The son of Zeus and Hera, he was a major deity ruling over a part of the vast world of Olympus.

Of course, his relationship with Shi Xian was not good.

He was the one who led the charge in the slaughter of humanity.

‘A god...’

Lower, Middle, Higher.

These are the ranks of gods.

Even a lower god requires considerable achievements.

To become a middle god, one must achieve tremendous legends in human form.

And the higher gods are unknown.

It is only known that they are strong enough to face thousands of middle gods.

The first god to approach Shi Xian, Ares, was not a lower, middle, or higher god.

He was a major deity (主神).

A deity who governs and dominates a world, ranking above higher gods.

Contracting with a major deity would allow him to decimate all enemies up to the fifth destruction.

‘I didn’t expect to be this popular.’

It was surprising.

While he had overwhelming stats and had shown excellent performance, he did not expect to be this popular.

Thinking back to the same point before the regression, where he did not receive any god's choice, made the moment even more poignant.

‘Absolute Deity?’

Absolute Deity.

The beings at the pinnacle of major deities, who govern multiple worlds simultaneously.

Among them, Shiva is the 'Destruction God' of Veda.

His power rivals that of Zeus, Odin, or Lucifer, whom he faced in the final destruction.

Just by contracting with him, the creatures that appear before the tenth destruction would be reduced to dust before they could even counterattack.

‘Shiva’s power is indeed alluring, but... I won’t contract with any god.’

Shi Xian had no intention of contracting with a god.

‘The instigators of the disasters. Contracting with humans to protect and empower them was just to play with us.’

However, his resistance was not solely due to the fact that the gods ultimately played with humanity.

In fact, contracting with a god would not be bad for players.

The different 'powers' of the gods would be reflected in the players' skills and equipment.

The gap between players who contracted with a god and those who did not was unimaginable, so not contracting with a god would be foolish.

‘But there is a fatal flaw.’

Players who contract with a god cannot refuse the god's demands.

In other words, they lose their freedom in exchange for power.

‘Well, there is a way to cancel the contract, but... the penalty is too great.’

To survive immediately, contracting with a god would be the right choice.

But Shi Xian was looking much further ahead.

“Get lost.”

Shi Xian smiled.

‘They must be a bit hurt.’

The pride of the gods was beyond human imagination.

While lower or middle gods might not, major deities like Ares or Thor.

Especially absolute deities like Shiva, would never have imagined their offers being rejected.

Just then, a message announcing additional rewards for the first disaster was heard.

#This is the MVP reward for the first disaster.

#Player Shi Xian, he is known as a 'Fiend' among the goblins.

▶Equipping Effect

When facing goblins or small monsters, grants 30% additional damage.

Causes goblins below a certain level to enter a 'Fear' state.

Some goblins in the 'Fear' state will enter a 'Stiffness' state.

“Goblin Slayer.”

Shi Xian, upon confirming the title, could not hide his satisfaction.

Slayer.

A basic S-grade title, it is the best title one can obtain by killing a monster or a different race.

‘I needed the MVP for this.’

Each disaster has an MVP.

The reward varies each time.

And the reward for the first disaster was 'Goblin Slayer'.

A god-like title that increases damage against not only goblins but also small monsters.

Most importantly, by collecting seven 'Slayer' titles and meeting certain conditions, one can obtain the EX-grade title 'God Slayer'.

It was important to collect them one by one from the beginning.

‘Good, this is settled. Checking status.’

Level: 11

Class: X

Title: Goblin Slayer (S)

Brilliant Arsenal of the Gods (EX)

Shi Xian's level is 11.

Compared to the level 3 he had at this point before the regression, it was a significant improvement.

‘Stats are important.’

Stats are the foundation of a player.

No matter how good one's movements, items, or skills are, ultimately, it is the stats that solidify the foundation.

Raising the 'Strength' stat.

The muscles in the arms and legs expand and become firm, literally increasing strength.

Raising the 'Agility' stat.

Overall movement becomes faster, and other things seem to move more slowly.

Raising the 'Stamina' stat.

The body becomes lighter, and one breathes less heavily.

Raising the 'Intelligence' stat.

While it speeds up brain function, this effect is minimal.

However, there is a reason to raise the intelligence stat.

Skills.

To learn regular skills, a certain level of intelligence stat is required.

The higher the intelligence stat, the more powerful the skill.

The main stats could be increased, and each level-up granted 1 point.

All players' initial stats were fixed at 3.

Clearing the main quest of the first disaster, [Goblin Elimination], granted 4 additional stats.

And reaching level 10 granted an additional 10.

Players distributed their stats in various ways, but Shi Xian preferred to distribute them evenly.

This was important for handling a variety of items.

‘Thanks to Astrapê, my magic power is 15.’

Shi Xian smiled.

Magic power starts at 5, unlike other stats.

Magic power increases the power of skills and slows down the aging of players.

Most importantly, the damage dealt by Astrapê, the lightning he possesses, is determined by the magic power stat.

‘I’ve leveled up much more than expected.’

This would allow him to become much stronger much faster than his original plan.

‘15 days until the second disaster. I need to find food by then.’

Shi Xian arrived near Jamsil Station and smiled bitterly.

Most buildings were in ruins.

The internet and phones, of course, did not work.

Goblins had flooded the world, destroying all facilities.

The players were trapped in the 'Jamsil' area.

‘Well, before finding food...’

……

‘Should I consume the item first?’

Red magic power swirled in Shi Xian's hand.

It soon spread like a blooming flower.

Sssss...

A luxurious bag was created within it.