Let's rewind to thirty minutes earlier, to the moment when the Conference of Nations had just begun.
Deep within the underground mine, information travels through the rock strata via an invisible, Blessing Link, reaching a dark cavern.
"Prepare to move out; the other three will be at your location soon."
"I will provide assistance if necessary."
That majestic voice resounded directly in my consciousness.
In the darkness, eyes that gleamed with a faint golden light opened—a sign that one was about to ascend from an ordinary Blessed to a true " Golden Folk."
"Clear!"
Por sat up abruptly, his suppressed excitement almost bursting out of his chest.
The Divine Tree's command has finally arrived!
He'd been lying in that damned "black coal mine" for so long, he was itching to get out of there.
Just then, the old man, who had been keeping an eye on the commotion outside, quietly crept over.
"Kid, something's wrong. The Dorok soldiers and a lot of guards have just been transferred away."
39
A burly hand quietly reached into the haystack, groped around in the sand for a while, and pulled out a sharp piece of Ceramic Steel.
"I bet that bastard Gore is going to make his move today. I'll get your shackles off later, and we'll wait until the next shift change, when the guards are least alert—you, what happened to you?"
The old man discovered that the enthusiastic young explorer who found everything fascinating had disappeared.
Sitting on the haystack, Por's eyes were sharp, and he exuded a restrained ferocity.
Por grinned, stood up, and stretched languidly, his bones making a soft cracking sound.
"No need for that, sir." He made no attempt to lower his voice. "I will take all of you with me."
His words immediately drew even deeper hostility from the other slave laborers around him, and some couldn't help but mutter curses under their breath.
The old man grew anxious and grabbed Por's arm. "Don't you understand? Don't think about saving everyone, it's useless! They—we've already had our spines broken. Only by sending out the intelligence can we have a chance to save everyone!" The old man still refused to believe Por's previous statement about reinforcements.
Ignoring the old man's attempts to stop him, Por walked straight toward the iron railing.
"You say they are fearful, timid, and cowardly—that's just a facade. You yourself have said that they weren't born that way; they were just terrified by repeated beatings and torture."
"What if the target they fear is eliminated? And what if the person who eliminated the target is standing right in front of them?"
Outside the fence was a relatively open space at the bottom of the mine, where several overseers were sitting around a wooden table drinking and chatting, while a few armed guards were lazily patrolling further away.
Por took a deep breath, then suddenly raised his voice.
"Hey! You fat bastard over there! Yeah, stop looking, that's the guy who whipped me twice yesterday!"
The laughter and chatter abruptly stopped, and several overseers simultaneously turned to look at the cell where Por was located.
Hey! That kid called you by name!
"I think you went too lightly yesterday; they thought you were just tickling them!"
"Go quickly, don't let people look down on you!"
Amidst the jeers of his companions, the fat overseer abruptly slammed down the wooden cup in his hand and stood up, cursing.
"Fine, very well! You want to die? I'll grant your wish! Drag him out here!"
The gate was violently opened, and two guards rushed in and dragged Por to the open ground.
The portly foreman, his belly protruding, walked to the center of the open space, cleared his throat, and roared at the crowd in his naturally loud voice, "Listen up, all of you! You lowly miners, it's only been a few days since we cleaned up, and some of you are already thinking about things you shouldn't be thinking!"
Upon hearing his words, the other two foremen immediately understood, and with sinister grins, they took two tools covered in dark brown filth, each with a large iron hook at its end, from the tool rack.
The tips of the iron hooks Winky coldly, and the dried blood and suspicious bits of flesh on them spoke of their purpose.
Piercing the limbs will not be immediately fatal, but the intense pain and continuous blood loss will cause the victim to struggle in agony for a long time until they bleed to death or die from exhaustion. The process is extremely painful.
"Watch closely! This kid is a prime example of someone who sticks their neck out!"
Baruk took the pair of terrifying iron hooks and pointed the hook tips at Por.
Por remained calm, but the fat overseer disliked his composed demeanor; he preferred to see his prey filled with fear, weeping, and pleading.
"What, scared out of your wits? Aren't you going to say something before you die?"
"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll be merciful and allow you to say a few more words."
Por nodded and loosened his grip on his guard slightly, allowing him to straighten up.
Por looked at the surrounding cave dwellings and saw the eyes hidden in the darkness, then suddenly burst into laughter.
The laughter was hearty and loud, even tinged with mockery, echoing freely through the mine.
"You all heard that, that fatso is right! I really will be a role model."
"Be a role model for the rebels!"
The fat overseer's face instantly turned from liver-red to ashen; he realized something was wrong.
"Shut up! Kill him! Now! Immediately!"
However, at the very instant he roared the order, "Die, you scum!"
Por slowly raised his hands above his head, and his aura began to rise and condense, finally exploding with a roar!
The eyes, which had previously only shone with a faint golden light, transformed into a burning golden hue. The shackles of the life level were broken at this moment, and power and will reached a sublimation through perfect fusion.
He became the first warrior to enter the realm of the " Golden Folk " without relying on divine gifts, but through his own hard work and combat experience!
Buzz-
Centered on Por's raised hands, a dazzling and solid golden Rings of Light rapidly converged and took shape.
Immediately afterwards, he swung his arms sharply to the sides of his body, and the Rings of Light suddenly expanded, Cleansweep outwards from the center of Por.
The Radagon's Rings of Light!
The fat overseer closest to them still had a look of shock and anger on his face, the two overseers next to him holding iron hooks still had a sneer on their lips, and the guards closer by had just touched the hilts of their knives.
The golden Rings of Light Silencio sliced through their bodies, cutting them in two along with the iron hooks and weapons. The men fell to the ground with a dull thud, not even having time to let out a scream.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Por took a light step, and the shackles binding his feet snapped like noodles.
Only then did the overseers and guards in the other areas awaken.
"Monster!"
"Kill him! Shoot!"
"Quick! Gather together!"
The remaining guards rushed in from all directions, their guns spitting out large tongues of fire, bullets whistling and covering the area where Por was located.
Por neither dodged nor evaded, but simply raised his right palm, and a layer of pale golden, Shield of Immutability appeared in front of him.
The bullet struck the light membrane with a crisp clanging sound, then fell limply to the ground.
"This is the power of the Golden Folk —awesome!" Por clenched his fist and couldn't help but let out a low growl.
A surge of power coursed through his veins, and the connection between the Golden Rune and his body reached a new level, making the manipulation of that power even more effortless.
at the same time-
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three swift figures silently leaped down from the shadows above the mine, their bodies shimmering with light, forming swords and shields forged from light.
"Move out, leave no one alive!" Por's cold command rang out.
The four Blessed Warrior, like four red-hot daggers, slashed into the few remaining guards.
The sparse bullets could not penetrate the Shield of Immutability, and swords were easily cut by the Order's Blade. This was an efficient cleanup operation.
After the last overseer who tried to escape was sliced in two by the golden Rings of Light thrown by Por, the bottom of the mine finally fell into a brief silence.
"Hey, the new Incantations bestowed by the Divine Tree is really effective."
Por was very satisfied with the " Rings of Light " series of Incantations. This attack method, which consumed little resources and had a long range, was not limited by height or leg length, making it perfect for someone as short as him.
He stepped over the scattered weapon fragments and gradually cooling corpses as he returned to the initial open space, facing the countless gleaming eyes in the dark cell.
"Did you see clearly?" His voice carried clearly to every corner of the mine.
"I know that many of you are praying in your hearts that heroes will descend from the sky, that an army will march in, that a miracle will happen and save you from this hell."
He pointed to himself, then to his three teammates.
"Now, here we come."
"However, we will not personally unlock every cage, nor will we force weapons into each of your hands, much less carry you away."
He raised his arm and pointed to the sky, towards the Mining Town above the mine shaft.
"Remember, it was the great Erdtree that guided us to this opportunity, but you must walk the path yourself; you must avenge yourselves; you must reach out and take your own freedom!"
Por's voice suddenly rose, like a war horn. "Only you yourselves can save you!"