Master Shrine

When the void in his mind dispersed, Shen Yu stood on the pale ground once more, the towering, pale Godhome reappearing before him.

The ruined pillars still stood, but this time, I'm not the same as before.

Shen Yu chuckled and released a strand of Silk Thread, winding it around the top of a massive pillar. With a forceful tug, he launched himself forward. After landing on the pillar, he followed up with an Aerial Thrust and landed firmly atop Godhome.

The Godseeker was already waiting before the platform. Once Shen Yu landed, she spoke:

(Karas) "Your body has nearly reached the pinnacle of a [Fool]. You may now pay homage at the Master Shrine."

"Hold on," Shen Yu interrupted her. "Let me test my weapon first."

At that, the Godseeker silently stepped back a few paces, examining Shen Yu's current E.G.O. equipment.

A blood-red coat covered his dark brown leather armor, and bloodstained black bandages wrapped his limbs. A Meat Cleaver and a blood-red flintlock hung at his waist. (Image)

Seeing that she had moved away, Shen Yu drew the flintlock from his waist and inspected it.

What was with that mechanic in the Lobotomy Corporation game where you had to swing the Meat Cleaver three times before firing? When Little Red Riding Hood shot on the move, she just kept firing nonstop.

Let's give it a try, Shen Yu thought. He spun the blood-red flintlock in his hand and fired ahead.

With a deafening bang, brilliant muzzle fire erupted. The powerful recoil slammed into his left arm.

Even after the recoil subsided, his left hand kept trembling. His arm was sore and weak, and only after some time did sensation slowly return.

All right, now I get it.

Looks like I'll need a different gun first. Shen Yu returned the blood-red flintlock to his waist with his trembling left hand. He took the Ice Crystal Spear off his back and began envisioning its new form.

In the end, the spear transformed into a crystalline ice pistol, with flecks of frost and snow drifting from its muzzle.

E.G.O. manifestation:

[Frost Shard] HE grade

Template: pistol

Attack: 4-5, speed: extremely fast, range: long

Special effect: targets hit have their movement speed reduced by 30% for 1.5 seconds.

Tch, why does this have balance adjustments too? Shen Yu grumbled inwardly. Didn't the spear form slow targets for three seconds? Still, it's ranged now, and its attack speed has increased too. Fair enough.

Shen Yu then followed the Godseeker into Godhome, arriving before the leftmost pale gate he had seen previously. The Godseeker turned back and cautioned him:

(Karai) "Art thou certain thou wouldst enter the first shrine and face the Nailmaster upon sacred soil? We must warn thee: the master hath attuned to other beings and broken free of his own shackles."

"I've come this far. Not going in wouldn't be my style." Shen Yu chuckled and pressed his hand against the pale gate.

The pale gate slowly rose, brilliant light bursting forth with a ding.

Shen Yu was immersed in light once more. When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing on a raised platform, drifting clouds surrounding him.

At the same time, the Godtuner vibrated, and those messages appeared in his mind again:

[Lonesome] resonance beginning

[Red Eyes] resonance beginning

[Frost Shard] resonance beginning

[Crimson Scar] resonance beginning

Then a deafening roar descended from above, drowning out the surrounding clamor. A piece of information suddenly came to Shen Yu:

"Vengefly King."

The voice belonged to a giant insect. Its four yellowish-brown wings beat as a pair of enormous pincers protruded from its bony head. (Image)

(Karaso) "Look, that strange fellow from last time is back."

(Sika) "I heard it's a series of consecutive fights this time. I wonder how long he'll last."

(Dodi) "Look at that giant insect. He'll be lucky to survive."

Unlike the fools discussing Shen Yu's fighting ability, the Godseeker's tribe was completely captivated by the E.G.O. on him and discussed it in hushed voices.

(Qise) "Listen! There are actually four different sounds of resonance coming from him!"

(Kuraso) "Unbelievable. Where did he find so many strange objects?"

Amid the many discussions, the Vengefly King beat its wings to retreat, then lunged fiercely at Shen Yu.

Seeing that powerful charge, the fools cheered in unison.

Shen Yu shook his head and sighed.

"You really haven't seen much of the world."

As the enemy charged, Shen Yu leaped straight into the air. He swung the Meat Cleaver in his right hand in a reverse slash, opening a wound, then fired repeatedly with the ice pistol in his left.

Ice shards streaked through the air in trails of frosty white light. After piercing the carapace, they released a bitter chill that slowed the creature's body.

As a result, when it charged again, Shen Yu only had to take a few simple steps to evade it, all while continuing to fire into its body.

The Vengefly King let out another battle cry. Two smaller vengeflies emerged from its rear and charged at Shen Yu.

However, Shen Yu casually cleaved the leading one apart, then shot down the one behind it with two ice bullets.

After a few repetitions, the Vengefly King was dead.

Skills acquired: [Flight] and [Dive] both require wings. [War Cry]: "Aaah~~" Make your existence known to all living beings.

Attunement increased:

[Lonesome] 80 → 81

[Red Eyes] 60 → 61

[Frost Shard] 20 → 22

[Crimson Scar] 0 → 5

With a ding, the scene changed to a cavern filled with golden branches and leaves.

(Kara) "That was just an exception. We have to believe in the advantage of size," said the fool who had supported the Vengefly King earlier, pointing at the newly appeared giant weevil and shouting: (Image)

"Look, this one's really something."

"Gruz Mother, huh." Shen Yu sighed as he looked at his opponent and silently raised his pistol.

Shen Yu began firing continuously.

Gruz Mother's speed decreased.

Gruz Mother used Dive.

Shen Yu used Evasion.

Gruz Mother used Repeated Charge.

Shen Yu used Backstep and successfully evaded.

Shen Yu's gunfire showed no sign of stopping.

Gruz Mother fell!

Shen Yu's [Flight] skill improved (but he still had no wings), and his E.G.O. attunement increased.

Ding!

When the light dispersed, the insects found Shen Yu alone in the arena and began complaining in displeasure:

(Kuoluo) "What a coward, running away from battle."

(Sas) "Hurry up and start the next fight."

But Shen Yu paid no attention to their complaints. Instead, he looked up at the sky. The moment he spotted that thing, he used Spider Silk to cling to a wall high above.

The insects were puzzled by Shen Yu's behavior, but their question was soon answered.

A black speck appeared in the golden sky, then rapidly grew larger before crashing into the arena. An enormous shock wave erupted, making the nearby fools duck their heads in terror, not daring to look directly at it.

The knight at the center slowly rose. Beneath a gray longhorn-beetle helmet were pauldrons of the same color. White armor covered the rest of the massive body, and a long-handled War Hammer was gripped in one hand. (Image)

The knight's stunning entrance instantly captured every fool's attention, followed by a deafening wave of cheers.

(Karas) "Look at that powerful body."

The fool who had always favored the huge creatures even stood up, stepping on someone else's shoulders as he cheered:

(Karon) "I'm betting 2,000 Geo on the big guy."