Demon Mountain was a one-time heroic spirit with a limited summoning duration, immensely powerful. Ye Chui’s original plan was to outlast the summoning time until Demon Mountain vanished. However, through the combined efforts of Ye Chui, Guni, and Godo, Demon Mountain’s body began to disintegrate before the time limit was reached.
Together, they successfully defeated the human demon from centuries past.
As Demon Mountain’s body crumbled, the fragments of flesh turned into blood mist, dissipating into the air as he was rapidly pulled back to the heroic spirit realm. Whether due to the agony of his body’s destruction or a lingering shred of consciousness recognizing his defeat, his blood-red eyes locked onto Ye Chui.
“I’ll remember you. When I return, I’ll tear you to pieces!” he spat venomously before his body vanished completely.
Demon Mountain had long been dead, existing now only as a heroic spirit. Even if defeated, unless his soul was fully purified, he could be summoned again by others. Clearly, he now harboured a grudge against Ye Chui, a potential future threat. Ye Chui frowned slightly but shrugged it off. Who knew when they’d meet again? By then, it wasn’t certain who would overpower whom.
With Demon Mountain gone, Godo immediately enveloped Guni with his power to shield her. Ye Chui swiftly returned to Debbie and the others, continuing to channel his fire snake spell to counter the surrounding cold. McKenzie’s [Ice Age Descent] had finally ceased. With a crack, McKenzie’s ice statue shattered and scattered across the ground. Though the Holy Light Forest remained frozen, the bone-chilling power that threatened to freeze everyone solid had dissipated.
At this point, even without Ye Chui’s spell, robust swordsmen like Cass and Guni were no longer harmed by the cold.
Finally, Ye Chui and the others breathed a sigh of relief. The battle had been perilous.
“It’s a pity we let the Fourth Prince escape,” Cass said with a hint of regret. When the Fourth Prince summoned Demon Mountain, he had used the ensuing chaos to escape the Holy Light Forest with [Earth Escape], slipping away from his rival, leaving Cass frustrated.
“We’ll meet him again someday,” Ye Chui said, glancing at Debbie. He knew Debbie and the Fourth Prince had a past, at least in her mind. Though now on opposing sides, she likely didn’t truly want to kill him, a complex sentiment.
Ye Chui surveyed the surroundings. The houses, trees, and ground of the Holy Light Forest were encased in ice, with the freezing effect intensifying closer to McKenzie’s body. The spell’s terrifying power left Ye Chui both awestruck and envious.
Countless anime and films featured ice themes, so learning ice magic would be easy for Ye Chui. When he spent 3000 points on [Insight], he had briefly considered unlocking an ice magic attribute or a fire enhancement attribute to counter the cold. But he quickly dismissed the idea. As a mid-level mage, his spells, though unique, lacked the raw power of a high-level mage’s. Even if he unlocked ice or fire spells, they wouldn’t match McKenzie’s suicidal [Ice Age Descent]. Thus, he chose to unlock magic to help Guni defeat Demon Mountain.
Still, he was fond of ice magic and resolved to learn it next time.
As the chill slowly receded, Godo led the Holy Light Forest villagers toward Ye Chui’s group. Ye Chui dispelled the fire snake spell, and a wave of cold hit him, though he could endure it. Guni reluctantly handed the golden greatsword back to Ye Chui.
Some villagers looked angry, as the sacred sword they had revered for generations now belonged to Ye Chui.
“This sword is clearly fated for Ye Chui. Perhaps it was placed here to await his arrival,” Godo interjected, glancing curiously at Ye Chui. The sword had turned to golden dust and was then summoned from Ye Chui’s grimoire, a phenomenon even a Half-step Sword Saint like Godo couldn’t comprehend.
With his ancestor status now recognized, Godo held great authority among the villagers. His words calmed those who had been resentful.
Ye Chui examined the golden greatsword closely.
Debbie, Gilga, Reisha, Winsa, Cass, and Green crowded around, inspecting the Goddess of Wealth’s weapon. Debbie touched the blade, her mouth agape as if handling a rare treasure.
Gilga regarded the sword with reverence. Her power stemmed from the Goddess of Wealth, and she felt a deep, instinctual awe for the weapon.
The golden greatsword’s summoning seemed to have a time limit, like Dragon Treasure, not consuming Ye Chui’s magic or points. After a certain period, it had to return to his iPad grimoire.
Soon, the golden sword turned into a phantom and vanished.
The villagers began moving about. Their home was now ice-covered, the sacred stone sword gone, and the trees and crops frozen. Though the forest’s warm climate would soon melt the ice, it would be uninhabitable for some time. Yet, the villagers didn’t seem overly saddened, as their ancestor had returned to them.
Godo had revealed his identity as their guardian spirit. As long as the villagers remembered his name, he would protect them forever, bringing joy to their faces.
Ye Chui began considering how to leave this relic world and return to the outside. Several villagers had perished in the battle, but over a hundred remained. They had only five teleportation tokens, capable of transporting thirty-five people. It was unclear if the tokens still worked, and even if they did, they couldn’t take everyone.
“My teacher is a powerful spatial mage. He might be able to reopen the portal here,” Green said, comforting Godo.
“It’s fine. They’ve lived here for generations. Even if they can’t return to the outside world, it’s peaceful here,” Godo replied, though his eyes flicked worriedly toward a certain direction.
Ye Chui knew his concern: the demon’s seal.
“The golden greatsword was part of the demon’s seal. Now that we’ve taken it, the demon might break free,” Ye Chui said, his expression darkening.
Their mission wasn’t over; the toughest battle was just beginning. The Fourth Prince, McKenzie, and Demon Mountain were formidable, but the sealed demon was the true terror. He looked at his companions. “We must head to the forbidden zone and deal with that demon!”
“No time to waste. Let’s go,” Debbie said immediately. They could activate the teleportation tokens and leave, but what would happen to the Holy Light Forest villagers if they did?
Debbie recalled the weary Gilga to the heroic spirit realm and summoned Jiji, whose power was better suited for fighting the evil demon.
Green and Cass had no objections.
But Cass hesitated, turning to Winsa. “Stay with the villagers. The forbidden zone could be dangerous.”
“No, I’ll stay with you forever, my love,” Winsa said, embracing Cass. “I’ll face life or death by your side.”
“Winsa…”
“Cass…”
As the two prepared for a passionate kiss, Ye Chui, Debbie, and Green turned away, exasperated. Ye Chui then looked at Reisha. “Reisha, maybe you should stay…”
“No, little brother, I’m going with you,” Reisha interrupted with a smile, her gaze resolute. “You might face Bishop Talbot. My power may be weakening, but my insight as a believer will be crucial.”
“But…” Ye Chui hesitated. He didn’t want Reisha entering the forbidden zone, partly because her faith was weakening her power, and partly because he didn’t want her involved in a conflict against the Church, given her status as a nun.
“Little brother, I know your concerns,” Reisha said, clutching her Bible. “But I need this fight. I’m struggling with my faith, and this battle will help me reclaim it.”
Seeing her determination, Ye Chui nodded. “Alright.”
Green sidled up to Debbie, greeting Jiji with a creepy uncle vibe before whispering, “Miss Debbie, how can Miss Reisha reclaim her faith?”
Debbie, accepting a fruit from a villager, replied, “She’s set her sights on the Bible left by the Goddess of Faith.”
Despite her playful demeanor, Debbie was sharp.
Green’s face lit up with realization. “I see.”
After some discussion, the villagers decided to move away from the Holy Mountain. Ye Chui’s group prepared to head to the forbidden zone, a half-day journey despite its proximity. Godo chose to join them, his combat strength invaluable for defeating the demon. As a guardian spirit, he could be summoned instantly if the villagers faced danger.
Guni, carrying a new stone sword, joined them. “I’m coming with you.”
“Let Guni go with you,” the village elder said in his odd tone. “She’s our warrior, the strongest among us. Defeating the demon is our mission, and she should fight alongside our ancestor.”
“Right. Guni can ensure Godo doesn’t vanish by staying with us, as she’s a villager,” Debbie added.
“Alright, let’s move out,” Ye Chui said, reluctant to part with Guni’s immense firepower. She was part of his team, and since Godo was technically her heroic spirit, any kills he made would earn Ye Chui points.
They bid farewell to the villagers and set off toward the forbidden zone.
Finally, Ye Chui had time to check his mission rewards.
He had earned a lottery chance.
The lottery offered prizes like: “Thank you for participating,” 100 points, 200 points, 500 points, 1000 points, 10000 points, another draw, random [Insight], chosen [Insight], random magic attribute unlock, chosen magic attribute unlock, mid-level spell pack, mid-level curse emoticon pack, and more. His first draw had yielded 100 points, a low-tier prize, and the odds of hitting a big prize were slim.
Like a perennial lottery loser, Ye Chui was still filled with anticipation. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side.
The wheel slowed, passing the “chosen magic attribute unlock” zone and landing on 500 points. The pointer crept forward, nearly reaching “chosen [Insight],” a high-tier prize, but stopped on 500 points.
Congratulations, you’ve won 500 points through the lottery!
“At least it’s better than last time,” Ye Chui consoled himself, hoping for a big win next time.
His current point balance was 2254. Guni had landed the killing blow on Demon Mountain, but as part of Ye Chui’s team, his 1002 points were added to Ye Chui’s total.
As they headed toward the forbidden zone, Ye Chui pondered how to use his 2254 points to boost his strength.
“Two thousand points can’t unlock a powerful heroic spirit or BGM. A discounted powerhouse like Teacher Saitama was a rare fluke. Maybe I’ll try a random [Insight].”
Unlike chosen [Insight], which let him select a specific film or anime, random [Insight] picked a work from the entire library, its outcome purely luck-based. Unlocking a weak attribute from something like *Tiny Times* would be disastrous, but a powerful attribute could be a massive gain for just 1000 points.
“Let’s go for a random [Insight]!” Ye Chui decided.
He opened the library and activated random [Insight].
A glowing box flickered across the resource list. Ye Chui watched with anticipation, waiting to see which work would be chosen.
Seconds later, a sinking feeling hit him.
“Bright… *Bright Sword*!?”
Staring at the selected title, his eyes widened.
A wartime drama? What could he possibly gain from that!?
His 1000 points seemed wasted.
But then, a system notification arrived:
“Congratulations, you’ve gained [Insight] into a fusion of fire and lightning magic attributes. You’ve unlocked the Explosion Magic Attribute and can access the mid-level spell: [Second Battalion Commander’s Italian Cannon].”
Ye Chui: “Holy crap! This spell is awesome!”
