[God Statue: Goldius]

[Statues dedicated to the Primary God Goldius, ruler of Orien. These structures are spread across the world and act as focal points of divine influence.

For Believers: These statues serve as a medium to communicate with their God. Under specific conditions, they can grant blessings, temporary enhancements, or divine protection.

Current Function: The statues are being actively used as summoning anchors. Through ritual offerings, they allow Goldius to deploy allied entities and forces into Orien to support the Believers in their war against the Defiers.

For Defiers: These statues act as high-value targets. Destroying them grants significant rewards in the form of experience, Combat Points (CP), and Influence Points (IP). They also weaken the presence and reach of Goldius in the surrounding region.

Additional Properties: Some God Statues contain sealed subspaces (Dungeons).

Clearing these grants:

→ High experience gains

→ Rare rewards

→ Large amounts of Influence Points

→ Possible access to unique skills or items

[Warning: Statues may be guarded or actively monitored by forces aligned with Goldius.]]

I dismissed the window and let my gaze sweep across the clearing once more, taking in the statue, the circle, the pillar, and the ground around it, but there was nothing else hidden in plain sight, no openings, no distortions, no signs of a sealed subspace that could hint at a dungeon. Whatever this place was meant to be, it wasn’t that. Which meant the only immediate threat in front of me was the orc.

Level 10.

Three levels above me.

Under normal circumstances, I would have taken a different approach, but time wasn’t something I could afford to waste here. The longer I delayed, the more of these things would appear, and the situation would only get worse.

So I moved.

Stepping out from behind the tree, I walked straight into the clearing, my grip tightening slightly around the sword as I closed the distance without hesitation.

The orc heard it immediately and turned.

Its eyes locked onto me the moment I came into view, and almost instantly, a wide, feral grin spread across its face.

"Well now... this must be my lucky day," it said, its voice rough as it dragged the axe up onto its shoulder. "I’ve just arrived, and fresh Defier meat is already walking toward me." A low laugh followed, building into something louder. "Hahahah..."

I let out a quiet chuckle in response.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself," I said, meeting its gaze without slowing. "I’ll rub your face down in the dirt soon enough."

That only made it laugh harder.

"You talk funny, man," it said, shaking its head as it stepped forward, bringing the axe down into a ready position. "Best joke I’ve heard in years."

It stopped just a few feet away.

"Ready?" it asked, grinning.

"Let’s go," I replied, matching it.

The moment the words settled, it moved. A single step forward, followed by the axe rising and coming down in a heavy arc, cutting through the air with a sharp whooshing sound as it descended straight toward me.

I didn’t raise my sword given its condition. I was sure one hit would break it in multiple fragments.

Instead, I stepped back at the last possible moment, letting the blade pass just inches in front of me before it slammed into the ground with enough force to crack the surface beneath it.

I moved in immediately.

My sword came up, aiming straight for its neck, but the orc reacted faster than expected, bringing its forearm up to intercept. The blade cut through its skin cleanly, biting deeper until it met bone and stopped there. Blood spilled down its arm, but it didn’t pull back.

I did.

Twisting the blade free, I stepped away before the counter came.

It came instantly.

The orc lifted the axe again as if the injury didn’t matter and lunged forward, swinging horizontally this time, the motion wide and fast enough to catch me if I misjudged it.

I dropped low.

The axe passed over me, the air shifting from its force, and I drove forward at the same time, my left fist shooting straight into the center of its chest.

The impact landed solid. Its body lifted off the ground, thrown back a few feet before hitting the ground hard.

I didn’t give it time. Closing the distance in a single burst, I moved over its fallen form and drove the sword down toward its heart.

It reacted even then. Coughing blood, it twisted just enough.

The blade missed the heart.

Instead, it pierced through its stomach.

It grinned.

Before I could pull back, its hand shot forward and grabbed the blade, holding it in place despite the damage.

"Got you," it muttered.

The axe came up again. I let go of the sword and jumped back just as it swung, the blade cutting through the space I had just occupied.

The orc began to rise slowly, its movements heavy but steady, as if the wound in its stomach meant little more than an inconvenience.

I didn’t move in immediately. My sword was still lodged deep inside its body, angled through its abdomen, and I watched as it gripped the blade and started pulling it out inch by inch, the sound of steel dragging through flesh spread in the clearing.

Instead of stepping in, I shifted my focus inward.

The moment I called it—

[Ruin Strike]

Something changed.

It wasn’t sudden and explosive like the Overdrive, but concentrated. A strange pressure built across my entire body, drawing from my muscles, from my breath, from every bit of strength I had left. It condensed rapidly, tightening into a single point before rushing toward my right fist, gathering there with a weight that felt unstable, barely contained.

I didn’t move.

My eyes stayed locked on the orc.

It finally yanked the sword free, blood spilling from the wound as it tossed the blade aside without a second thought. Its grin returned, wider this time despite the damage.

"I’m going to put a much bigger hole in your body," it said, lifting the axe again as it straightened fully.

"Try your best," I replied without hesitation.

The orc roared and charged again, closing the distance in a few heavy steps before swinging the axe in a wide arc, aiming to cut through me completely this time.

I stepped in. Dropped low just as the blade passed over me.

And drove my fist forward.

"Ruin Strike."

For a brief moment, my fist flared red, the condensed force releasing all at once as it slammed into the orc’s chest, just above its heart.

The impact didn’t throw it back immediately. Its body leaned forward slightly, as if something inside it had stopped working all at once. Blood spilled from its mouth as it tried to breathe, the grin still faintly present but already breaking apart.

Then a second later, a loud, compressed boom echoed through the clearing. A fist-sized hole burst open through its back, flesh and bone giving way from the inside as the force tore through it completely.

The orc’s body stiffened. Then collapsed. Dead before it hit the ground. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The clearing fell silent again. A notification appeared immediately.

[Level Up]

[Level 7 → 9]

[Combat Points +60]

[Influence Points +10]

[Skill Level Up]

[Combat Mastery I (Active)] → [Combat Mastery II (Active)]

Another stream of information regarding the skill flowed into my mind.

I exhaled slowly, lowering my hand as the last traces of the earlier force faded from it but I did feel slightly weak as if all my stamina and strength were extracted at once.