Former Hero, Solo Play Oriented-Chapter 168

The Lamias had developed troublesome reflection shields on their bodies, but this was a named battle area.

If there’s a special pattern, there’s also a way to break it.

Obviously, a clear solution was in sight.

“There’s a guide here, huh...!”

*Pop! Pop! Pop!*

I started breaking the remaining Lamia eggs one by one.

*Hissss—!*

The pattern hadn’t gotten any more difficult; it was just harder to deal damage. As I dodged the Lamias’ deadly poisonous needles and deflected them with my sword barrier when they became too overwhelming, I went around breaking eggs as I moved.

The blue and red miasma lingering around the edges of the nest seemed to accelerate the eggs’ growth and grant the giant Lamias their reflection shields.

Then, by breaking these eggs that absorbed the miasma as they grew...

*Bzzz!*

Before I knew it, my sword was coated in miasma, a blue aura instead of starlight.

I looked toward the Lamias in the center of the battle area, showing signs of slight panic, and gave them a wry smile.

“So, who wants a piece of this?”

Where should I send it? Since it’s a blue aura, maybe it would work against the Red Lamia? No, their shields absorb energy. Maybe I could overload the shield by focusing miasma of the same color.

After deciding, I directed the blue miasma toward the Blue Lamia, launching it from my sword as if it were an energy blade. *Whoosh!* The blue miasma shot out, absorbed by the Blue Lamia’s shield.

*Bzzz!!*

*Clink!*

A satisfying sound echoed as the Blue Lamia’s overly saturated blue reflection shield shattered.

“Knew it!”

I snapped my fingers.

It was a 50-50 guess anyway. If it hadn’t worked, I’d have just tried again.

Next up, the Red Lamia.

I quickly moved to the other side of the battlefield, where the red miasma accelerated the eggs’ growth, and began smashing eggs.

*Pop! Pop! Pop!*

“Heh, heheheh!”

This was kind of fun.

The Lamias’ tears could practically form a river by now.

Becoming a merciless homewrecker, I diligently set up the groundwork for a complete monster massacre.

*Keaaak-!!*

*Boom.*

Without their reflection shields, the giant Lamias were no match for me. I easily finished the hidden named battle and left the charred remains of the Lamia nest behind me.

“But you know...”

Although this named battle wasn’t particularly difficult, there was one part worth reviewing.

The giant Lamias. Both were females.

They were performing strange acts, rubbing their bodies against each other.

An uncontrollable curiosity rose within me.

Of course, I’m an adult. I knew they were in the middle of mating.

Those creatures, consumed by miasma, weren’t governed by ordinary logic. So, even though it’s a mystery how eggs are laid between two females...

My face reddened slightly.

“Just what do females... do when it comes to... that sort of thing?”

It was purely out of curiosity.

Sure, I could look it up on the internet. But the internet is full of unfiltered information. With my limited tolerance for this kind of thing, opening Pandora’s box recklessly could be dangerous. Imagine accidentally clicking on the wrong site, with an explosion of flesh-toned pop-ups flooding the screen—I’d probably die of embarrassment.

Maybe I should ask Chris about it.

---

**[South-East Divine Mark Activated 1/1]**

**[South-West Divine Mark Activated 1/1]**

**[North Divine Mark Activated 1/1]**

*(All Divine Marks Activated)*

*(Purification Progress 98%)*

**[Eliminate the Pair of Giant Lamias (Completed)]**

**[Heavenly Basin Full Progress 0/1]**

---

*Yawn.*

Though there were still ordinary Lamias lurking throughout the Heavenly Basin, they no longer attacked in an organized manner without their leaders, nor did they respawn.

At a quiet defense point, I watched the purification process nearing completion, yawning repeatedly.

“Took way too long.”

The named battle itself wasn’t lengthy, but it took forever to activate all three Divine Marks on my own.

The inevitable time wasted from working solo was frustrating, but there was no way around it. That’s just how the dungeon was structured.

*Flash!*

Soon, a powerful light burst from the area where the Divine Marks were buried.

*Ding.*

**[First Purification Success]**

**[Eliminate the Pair of Giant Lamias (Completed)]**

**[Heavenly Basin Full Progress 0/1]**

Watching the soft sacred energy flow over the entire Heavenly Basin, I headed toward the central open area.

---

As I reached the center of the Heavenly Basin, I looked around at the blackened boulders along the edges of the clearing.

A thousand years ago, after the hero’s party perished alongside the Demon King, it seems this world didn’t exactly enjoy peace.

Had the goddess still been alive, priests of the Temple of the Goddess would have purified these miasma-tainted regions. But with the goddess gone, only a few holy relics remained. Humanity’s efforts focused solely on purifying areas where they lived, without the luxury to worry about places like this.

Judging by the monster-filled northern tundra and the current state of the eastern canyons, the miasma left on this land must have exerted its influence over time.

Just as in the frozen north, where miasma is sustained by new invaders from other realms...

“Or here in the Heavenly Basin, where creatures exposed to miasma over time evolved into unique beings.”

The Lamias I had just dealt with were likely originally just canyon-dwelling snakes. The miasma mutated them into something strange and powerful.

And it wasn’t just living beings affected by the miasma over time.

Even inanimate objects were transformed.

*Rumble.*

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

The blackened rocks.

The stones began to move.

The metal contained within these rocks was likely mithril, known for its high mana conductivity and used in crafting magical artifacts. Absorbing the miasma in the canyon, these rocks had transformed into something bizarre, radiating miasma on their own.

*Roooar—!*

Finally, the black stones assembled into a giant humanoid figure.

A towering form at least three or four meters tall.

Its rock-solid body, infused with swirling black miasma.

It was thick. Clinging.

Like condensed tar, the sticky black miasma oozed from its entire form.

*Shing.*

I drew Astaroth.

“This creature... it’s a consequence of me not finishing the hero’s mission.”

It was a being that wouldn’t have existed if I hadn’t left so abruptly.

With the goddess’s holy power gone, this continent has few means left to counteract the miasma.

Back when I returned to Earth, the goddess must have used all her remaining power to send me back. For a goddess of the lower dimension, interfering with a higher one would have been difficult.

In a way, I too contributed to her demise.

So, I’ll tie up loose ends.

I’ll personally restore this world turned into a game...

and rewrite it back into the history of this dimension.

*Roooar—!*

*Glint.*

Two ominous red lights gleamed from what seemed to be the golem’s head.

As the eerie black golem let out a resonant hum, I gripped my sword and charged forward.

---

**[Named]**

**[Level 55 Nightmare Amalgamation]**

**[HP 100,000,000 / 100,000,000 (100%)]**

---

*Whoosh, whoosh!*

Despite its massive size, the black golem attacked with surprising speed.

Swinging its massive arms at me, I ducked to dodge, slashing upward as I moved in close.

*Clang!*

Sparks flew as my sword struck the golem’s body. The dense mithril, saturated with miasma over countless years, seemed to barely flinch, showing that its massive HP pool could withstand my strike.

I quickly turned, sweeping my sword imbued with starlight in a horizontal slash. *Clang! Clang!* The golem hugged itself with its massive arms, adopting a defensive stance before following up with a spinning attack.

*Whoosh!*

*Clang!* *Scrape.*

Extending its arms wide, the golem spun with terrifying power, sweeping everything in its path. Knocked back by the immense force, I gritted my teeth, grounding my sword for support.

Right after defending, it launches a sweeping attack. Powerful damage and a knockback effect that penetrates even a guard. Without a perfect guard, I’m going to get hit.

The golem turned to face me, closing the distance.

*Bzzz!*

A sinister resonance began to concentrate in the golem’s head.

My mind raced.

Most likely, it’s a breath-type frontal attack. Should I rush in and dodge behind it? But it’s already preparing the breath—rushing in could get me hit mid-charge. Backward evasion? That would increase the distance, making it hard to close in again. It’s a boss with deadly patterns, and adjusting will take trial and error. But for me, death is weightier than it is for other players. I can survive one instant kill, thanks to my belt, but it’s still going to hurt. And if the breath lingers, I’d just die again right after revival. So...

Only one choice.

I have to use my sword barrier immediately.

*Whoosh!*

I swung Astaroth in a rapid motion. With the swift elegance of a swan’s dance, starlight enveloped me in a protective barrier.

*Boom-boom-boom!*

Moments later, a black gale of energy surged toward me.