A system notification immediately followed.
[System: Congratulations on passing Apollo's trial. You have learned the skill:
[Apollo's Descent]
Cost: 6 Skill Points
Briefly channel the divine power of Apollo. As the power is immense, you will enter a weakened state after use.
Active State: All primary stats (HP, Strength, Agility, Attack, Defense, etc.), Attack Speed, and Movement Speed are increased by 100%. Attack Range +50 yards. All attacks automatically trigger Arrow of Dawn. Duration: 10 minutes.
Weakened State: All stats are reduced to 10%. Duration: 1 hour.
Cooldown: 24 hours.
It was Apollo's Descent! The legendary six-point skill.
In his past life, Kael had never managed to acquire it. It had been learned by a rival archer in the [Leonis Imperium] guild on the Aethelgard server.
Like Kael, she was a Divine Archer, and they had often clashed in Hidden Realms over Apollo spirits, with Kael usually coming out on the losing end. The only times he could ever beat her were when he knew for a fact that her [Apollo's Descent] was on cooldown.
This confirmed it. In his previous life, the Land of the Behemoth must have been conquered by [Leonis Imperium], which explained why he'd heard so little about it.
Faced with such an incredible reward, Kael was ecstatic. The [Guardian Elder's Blessing] had been a tantalizing but unattainable power-up; he knew it was impossible to gain a buff like that permanently at this stage of the game. Still, he was dying to know what the trap had been.
After thanking Apollo, he asked, "Mentor, what would have happened if I had chosen the Guardian Elder's blessing?"
Apollo smiled faintly. "That power belongs to the Land of the Behemoth. You would not have been able to take it with you to the outside world."
It couldn't be taken to the outside world?!
Holy shit! I almost fell for it!
A cold sweat broke out on Kael's brow as he thought back to his moment of hesitation. What was the use of a god-tier buff that only worked in this one specific zone?
Apollo seemed to enjoy Kael's panicked expression. He gestured to the unconscious Elder. "Shall I revive him now?"
"Wait just a moment," Kael said quickly. He opened his inventory and equipped a new piece of gear.
[Solar Mantle of Apollo (Mythic)]
Physical Defense: +5000
Magic Defense: +5000
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Strength: +1000
Constitution: +1000
Agility: +1000
[Power Unbound]: The immense power of the Solar Mantle is sealed. The seal can be gradually broken by defeating other players or monsters.
[Sacred Aegis]: Every 3 minutes, generates a shield that absorbs 50,000 damage. This shield does not stack.
[Aegis Retaliation]: If struck 6 consecutive times by the same unit, retaliate for 200% of your own attack damage.
[Divine Ward]: Protect 1 friendly unit, granting them 10,000 defense. Duration: 30 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
Requirements: 2000 Strength, 2000 Constitution, 2000 Agility.
.....
His Constitution had been too low to wear it before. Now, with the Elder's blessing still active, he quickly swapped out his old leather chest piece for the magnificent mantle. His total defense was now close to ten thousand.
The [Power Unbound] effect of the Solar Mantle was far superior to the level-scaling effects of his Galeharrow or Diadem of Unyielding Will.
If Ascendant items like those were the pinnacle of mortal craftsmanship, then Mythic gear like the Solar Mantle was forged by the gods themselves. They weren't even in the same league.
As Kael donned the mantle, a strange look flashed in Apollo's eyes, but he said nothing.
Kael gave a firm nod. "Mentor, please save the Guardian Elder."
Apollo inclined his head. With a gentle wave, a golden light enveloped Kael, who felt the very blood in his veins begin to churn. A wisp of red energy, the life force the Elder had given him, rose from his head, drifted through the air, and seeped back into the Elder's body.
A moment later, the Elder's eyes fluttered open. He looked around, bewildered, unable to understand how he was still alive.
Then he saw Simbra's defeated form and knew that Kael had succeeded. He immediately prostrated himself on the ground, bowing deeply to Apollo and Kael. "Thank you, thank you both for protecting the peace of this land."
Kael quickly helped him up. "You deserve much of the credit. If you hadn't risked your life to help me, I never would have won."
The Elder stood, gripping Kael's shoulders. "You are the great benefactor of Behemoth's Watch. From this day forward, you are the new [Guardian Elder of Behemoth's Watch]."
System: You have obtained the title [Guardian Elder of Behemoth's Watch].
[Guardian Elder of Behemoth's Watch]: All five core stats +200.
For a normal player, a +200 bonus to all core stats would be cause for celebration, but for Kael in his current state, it was merely icing on the cake.
He pointed to the defeated Simbra. "Mentor, what should be done with him?"
"Let him reflect on his actions within the Sanctum," Apollo said. A gentle breeze swept through the square, lifting Simbra's body and carrying it slowly towards the distant, glowing Sanctum. "He has devoured the Behemoth Corpse, and his power will slowly recover. You will all need to periodically enter and suppress his strength."
"Suppress his strength?" Kael repeated, not quite understanding. Did he mean they had to go beat him up on a regular basis?
Before he could ask, another system notification appeared. This time, it was a server-wide broadcast.
System: Congratulations to player Dawnbreaker for unlocking the Hidden Realm Dungeon [Behemoth Simbra].
His name was in the spotlight once again, and the world chat exploded.
"How is it Dawnbreaker again?!"
"What level is the dungeon?"
"I know what a Dungeon is, but what's a Hidden Realm?"
"Wait, I thought hidden realms were dungeons? They're different things?"
"A Behemoth named Simbra? Is he a lion?"
…
Kael had no time for public education. He was already reading the dungeon description.
[Behemoth Simbra (Normal)]
Level 30, 20-Player Dungeon
Resets once per day.
.....
[Behemoth Simbra (Hard)]
Level 30, 20-Player Dungeon
Requires completion of Normal mode to enter.
Resets once every 3 days.
.....
This was the first time a dungeon with two separate difficulty modes had appeared on the server, though the lockout timers were a bit long. Kael wondered about the difficulty. If it was anything like the fight he had just endured, only the top-tier guilds would have a chance. An average party of random players wouldn't stand a chance.
After bidding farewell to Apollo, Kael returned to the village with the Elder. The place was in ruins, but thankfully, most of the villagers had survived.
After the Elder repaired the teleport nexus, Kael prepared to leave. But then he stopped. He turned back to the Elder, a strange, calculating smile on his face.
"This teleport nexus," he asked, "is it possible for me to restrict who can use it?"
"Of course," the Elder replied.