Became the Weapon Monopolist of the Gods-Chapter 85: Gaia’s Garden (4)

Wooong─

My entire body, inherited with Nemea’s Lion Skin, was bathed in golden light in an instant.

Along with this, the black ribbon around Jeanne’s wrist began to glow, and divine power surged within me.

And then—

Huaang─!

The golden tail of Radon swept across the earth as it advanced.

It was a majestic sight, as though a massive golden pillar was approaching.

I raised both hands toward Radon’s tail.

As my hands made contact with the golden tail, I felt an immense weight pressing against me.

It was a strength so great that it could easily push aside even a small hill, not to mention a human...

But...

Ggrrgh─

I didn’t fly off.

My feet, planted firmly on the ground, created long furrows in the soil as I was pushed back, but I mustered my strength and halted the tail.

[!!!!]

Radon’s eyes reflected a feeling of ‘shock.’

The souls of nearly a hundred beings were all crying out in shock, unable to believe that such a small human had blocked its tail.

Logically, it was impossible for me to block Radon’s tail.

It should have been normal for me to be crushed under the tail, like an ant kicked by a person.

But not only did I not get crushed, I actually stopped Radon’s tail.

“Kkeung-cha.”

I mustered my strength and threw the tail aside.

Kuwung─!

The tail of Radon flew sideways and landed with a loud crash, shaking the ground. freёweɓnovel.com

[......?]

Radon’s eyes were not only filled with disbelief but also confusion.

I seemed to be defying the ‘laws of physics.’

To Radon, it appeared as though I was a child who had lifted a building pillar and thrown it, an inconceivable sight.

This was the ‘discrepancy’ because Radon had no idea how many buffs I had applied to myself.

The reason I didn’t suffer any damage after being hit by Radon’s tail was because of the ‘Physical Attack Immunity’ buff granted by inheriting Nemea’s Lion Skin.

Radon’s attack, which used its massive size and overwhelming strength, was a physical attack, so it couldn’t harm me, as I had inherited Nemea’s Lion Skin.

Secondly, the reason I could stop and throw Radon’s tail was due to the combination of buffs I had applied.

First, this ‘Gaia’s Garden’ was part of the 11th trial of Heracles’ 12 Labors, and Radon was the guardian of that area.

This triggered the effect of the ‘Battlefield with Heracles’ Myth,’ which caused the power of Nemea’s Lion Skin Gloves to increase by 80%.

The time for the inheritance of the Lion Skin was extended, and the tremendous power that emerged at the start of battle was further amplified.

Additionally, my stats were increased by the effect of ‘Sacred Hunt.’

[42%]

The moon symbol on Radon’s forehead was about halfway filled.

With the rising moon’s effect, my overall abilities were also increased by 42% against Radon.

Lastly, Jeanne’s divine power was also applied.

To summarize:

[Complete Immunity to Physical Attacks]

[Unbelievable Strength of Nemea’s Lion Skin Gloves]

[80% Increase in Nemea’s Lion Skin Gloves’ Ability]

[Sacred Hunt]

[Jeanne’s Divine Power]

I had five such absurdly powerful abilities stacked on me.

It was no wonder Radon was stunned and confused.

However, his surprise didn’t last long.

[Krrraaargh!]

Radon’s jaw opened wide, and a dark, abyss-like space appeared.

Swaaah─!

As Radon inhaled, the air from the garden was sucked into its mouth.

Radon’s massive stomach swelled up like a mountain.

Then, a purple mist began to coalesce inside his mouth.

The ominous mist, which looked dangerous just by seeing it, was Radon’s poison.

As Radon exhaled, the poisonous mist shot toward me.

───────!

The breath of the poison dragon exploded, dissolving everything in its path.

The flowers and earth struck directly by the breath turned to toxic sludge and melted away, and the vibrant land turned black.

It was like witnessing the apocalypse, as if the entire world was melting away.

But even within Radon’s breath, I walked out unscathed.

[Heir of the Hydra]

Apart from the five buffs I already had, I was permanently immune to poison.

To me, Radon’s breath was no different from him simply exhaling.

“Ugh, if this keeps up, even apples will rot.”

I quickly hid the golden apple in my arms.

Although the golden apple was a sacred fruit blessed by Gaia, prolonged exposure to Radon’s poison could damage it.

If it rotted, I would have to wait 100 years for the apple tree to bear fruit again.

‘I need to get out of here quickly.’

Seeing the surroundings completely melt away, I clicked my tongue and activated a skill.

—Shadow Step.

As my shadow footsteps unfolded, my body moved forward as if the twilight stretched ahead.

By the time Radon stopped exhaling, I had already reached the end of the garden.

[!!]

Radon’s eyes widened in shock as it confirmed that I was still unharmed.

Rising its heavy body, Radon charged toward me.

Kuwung─!

Kuwung─!

The ground beneath Radon’s steps crumbled like cookies, flipping over.

It was as if a massive mountain was charging toward me, and I quickly retreated into the forest outside the garden.

As soon as I left the garden...

Kuuuung─!

Radon stopped at the edge of the garden.

Even though I was right in front of it, Radon no longer pursued me.

It was because Radon, the guardian of Gaia’s Garden, only considered the garden its domain.

Once I left the garden, Radon lost interest in me and returned to its original position.

“What a mess.”

Looking at where Radon had come from, I clicked my tongue.

The ground had flipped over, the trees were uprooted, and all the flowers had been crushed.

The once-beautiful Gaia’s Garden was now a wreck, and the Hesperides were in chaos.

─Τι θα κάνεις με αυτό, ηλίθιε; Ο κήπος της Γαίας έχει μετατραπεί σε απόλυτο χάος!

─Ηλίθιε, τι θα κάνεις αν συμπεριφέρεσαι τόσο ανόητα;!

The Hesperides surrounded Radon, mercilessly scolding and hitting it.

The fairies, who had been too scared to approach me, were now unrestrained against Radon, who was far stronger than I was.

Perhaps they were used to it, as Radon simply laid there and let them scold it.

It seemed more accurate to say that it didn’t even care because it wasn’t taking any hits.

[Inheriting Nemea’s Lion Skin]

Remaining time: 02:04

Even after leaving the garden, the inheritance of the Lion Skin still had nearly 2 minutes left.

‘At least I got out safely.’

I looked down at my hands.

In my hand was a golden apple, shining with sunlight, looking delicious.

[You have obtained the Hesperides’ Golden Apple.]

[Gaia’s Garden Conquest Complete]

[Conquest Rating: SSS]

[Reward: Summon Reset Token]

‘I’ll have to manage the rating too.’

The rewards for the gates varied depending on the difficulty and rating, so the conquest had to be approached carefully.

On the other hand, mid-tier and lower gates didn’t offer as much of a reward, even if the rating was high.

[Gaia’s Garden Quest Complete.]

[You will now exit the gate.]

When the quest was completed, the exit message ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) appeared.

I hadn’t entered through the gate, but through the living room of my home.

Since I hadn’t gone through the normal procedure, my exits were always like this.

However...

[Exit Denied.]

[You remain in Gaia’s Garden.]

For the first time, I canceled the exit from the status window.

Aside from the Summon Reset Token, I still had other rewards to collect.

The Kreutz Report.

The Kreutz family, a lineage that had existed since the days of Greek mythology, had a warehouse filled with all the artifacts they had collected.

If I took the golden apple and visited the Kreutz family, I could enter that repository.

[Waiting Time 72:00]

‘Oh, I can use it again.’

When I refused to exit, a waiting time of three days was applied. Just like how I could freely enter, I could also freely leave.

“Eun-gong, please wipe yourself.”

“Thank you.”

I wiped the dust off my face with the handkerchief Vanesha handed me.

“Seo-jun, are you hurt anywhere?”

“Yes, as you can see, I’m fine.”

After Jeanne carefully checked my condition, I was finally able to turn around.

The path out was separate from the one I had entered.

But there, a man I hadn’t seen before was standing blankly.

“Is it okay to go this way?”

“Oh, yes. This path is faster.”

The man, who had been staring blankly at the golden apple, snapped out of it and answered.

“Thank you.”

“Oh! But be careful. There’s a Cretan bull on that path—”

Kugugugu...

Before the man could finish his sentence, the ground cracked open, and a bull made of dirt appeared.

─Krrrk!

The bull charged at me without hesitation, its horns pointed forward.

I grabbed the bull’s horns with both hands and threw it sideways.

Kuwung─!

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

“......”

Leaving the stunned hunter behind, we walked toward the forest path.

At the same time I was collecting the golden apple and leaving the gate, a group of bishops in white robes entered Gaia’s Garden.

“Do you believe in the Lord?”

“I don’t attend church.”

“Then you are a heretic.”

“What? Are you starting trouble now?”

“I was simply stating the truth.”

The hunter, angered by being called a heretic, glared at the bishop but flinched when he saw the clear, piercing eyes of the bishop.

“Bishop Nicholas. Please stop. The Patriarch asked us not to cause a scene.”

A calm-looking priest stopped the bishop, Nicholas.

“I’m sorry, brother.”

“Don’t call me brother.”

After taking a deep breath, the hunter, his face contorted, hurried away.

Nicholas reached out as if to stop him, but another priest raised his hand to stop him.

“Heretics must be punished, but the mission comes first.”

“Understood.”

Nicholas nodded.

They had a sacred mission—to capture the ‘Saint.’

They were the enforcers of the ‘Holy Army,’ mobilized by Patriarch Felix of the Russian Orthodox Church to secure the Saint.

They were zealots, serving only the Lord they believed in, branding all others as heretics.

“Adel, are you certain the Saint is here?”

“Yes, the prophecy clearly says so. It’s certain.”

Adel was an awakened being with the ability to read a prophetic book.

Through the prophecy, they knew the Saint was coming and entered Gaia’s Garden.

The prophecy read as follows:

─Where the hundred-headed, sleepless dragon lies, you will meet the holy maiden.

In the black earth, watched by hundreds of yellow eyes, the moonlight will guide you.

Adel interpreted the prophecy this way:

The sleepless dragon with a hundred heads was Radon, the guardian of the golden apple.

The hundreds of yellow eyes and black earth referred to the ‘Night of the Rising Stars.’

And the ‘moonlight’ shining down on them meant...

‘It means we will succeed.’

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, moonlight represented the light of the truth, the sun reflected on the moon, symbolizing enlightenment.

Adel accepted the prophecy as a sign of good fortune.

‘Moonlight on the Black Earth.’

Even if darkness tries to creep in, the soft moonlight would guide their way.

And, remarkably, the moonlight was shining down from the clear sky.

As if the Lord was guiding them.

“It’s an omen of good fortune.”

Adel smiled.