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Its fascinating. To be able to log back into the game like this

The temporary space prepared by the Thunder God, Brahma.

Seong Jihan, accepting Artemuss proposal, entered this location. Despite being busy with planet colonization,

-Please if it continues this way, my forge will be completely destroyed! I wont be able to make a comeback! The glory of the dwarf tribe will turn to bubbles.

-Thats truly unfortunate.

-Yes, right. Youre doing planet colonization This time Ill provide you with the latest and efficient biobot models. Of course, for free! And Ill add three more forge usage vouchers.

-Well see.

After Artemus offered several incentives and pleaded for a moment of his time, Seong Jihan ultimately accepted the proposal.

[You are currently participating as the leader in the league competition planet colonization. If you do not log back in within 2 hours, humanity will be disqualified.]

In the game within the league competition, upon being summoned to another space, a system message popped up urging him to log back in quickly.

While non-leader players were free to log out, leaders were central to planet colonization and therefore had a 2-hour restriction.

Ill just listen to the story and leave.

Seong Jihan thought this as he looked around.

A space similar to where the Brahmas Throne was located, although the most important throne itself was absent.

Then,

Zzzzz

[Youre here!]

At the center of the summoned space, a current of red electricity flowed, revealing the figure of the red lion.

Despite its immense size, the leader of the thunder gods appeared riddled with holes.

Seong Jihan gazed at it before speaking.

Your body is in tatters, Brahma.

[The Martial Gods disciples pursued me fiercely. Especially Dongbang Sak, he was incredibly powerful]

Why is the Martial Gods disciples tribe after you?

[Probably because of the crimson thunder. The Martial God absorbed all of the Thunder Gods powers except for that one.]

Havent you absorbed the crimson thunder yet?

[Thats why they are chasing me so madly]

Seong Jihan tilted his head, finding it peculiar.

He had thought it strange that the Martial God hadnt absorbed the crimson thunder during their last encounter, and now even after possessing the Brahmas throne, it still hadnt been absorbed.

Maybe Dongbang saks imparted Crimson Divine Art wasnt mastered either.

If he hasnt acquired Crimson Divine Art,

Seong Jihan could speculate that the Martial God hadnt been able to replicate powers associated with him.

Well then, what is it you want from me? I only have 2 hours, so be quick.

[Retrieve the crimson thunder you gave me.]

You want me to take it back? After you gave me an EX-grade skill for the crimson thunder?

[Yes I dont need it anymore.]

The leader of the thunder gods spoke wearily.

[Survival comes first. I will eventually be caught by the Martial Gods disciples. Its better not to possess the crimson thunder, which they are targeting.]

I dont mind, but doesnt that mean youll perish?

Originally, to stand against the Martial God, he had accepted the crimson thunder to exist as an independent concept.

But what would all his actions amount to if he now gave up the crimson thunder?

However, Brahma dismissed that question with a shake of his head.

[Ive managed to escape, for now. My primary objective, at any rate, was successful. As the leader of the thunder gods, I am not bound to the Divine throne until death.]

Then why dont you just give up the crimson thunder? Is there really a need to pass it on to me?

[Since Ive become one with it, I cant separate it myself. You, as the source, must take it back.]

Hm

This offer isnt bad at all.

Seong Jihan thought so.

Thunder God held powerful energy within the crimson thunder

Successfully absorbing it would greatly enhance the power of his Lightning attribute.

But,

There might be underlying intentions. I should be prepared.

Seong Jihan did not completely trust the words of Brahma.

If it were such an advantageous proposal for Seong Jihan, Artemus wouldnt have bothered with the threats on his spaceship.

And Artemus, who was quietly listening nearby, interjected with a comment about the proposal.

[Taking the Crimson thunder back sounds good but can the customer handle it? Absorbing the power of the Thunder God is no small feat.]

[Youre talking nonsense. Hes the originator, so he can handle it however he wants.]

[But]

[Stay out of this, third party.]

As the leader of the Thunder God discharged currents towards Artemus, he fell silent.

[What will you do? Will you take it? If you accept it, when I become the constellation again, youll be richly rewarded.]

How can you become that again if you perish?

[Even though the Thunder God constellation has vanished for now, it will eventually reappear. The concept of venerating the heavens lightning as a divine power wont disappear. In the meantime, I will exist as a lightning spirit, waiting for the opportunity. If I survive, chances will undoubtedly come]

Even if the divine throne was taken away and the collective of the Thunder God was annihilated, the concept of the Thunder God didnt disappear, so it could resurrect again.

Seong Jihan carefully listened before retorting.

When will that someday be?

[That is]

I want something I can receive right now.

[Arent you taking the crimson thunder?]

Well, Im also taking on the risk. How can a human like me safely reabsorb divine thunder? There must be compensation for such a risk.

[Really this tiresome being! Why so many demands?! Even after seeing my current state, you want to take more from me!]

Im not in a leisure situation either.

In order to counter the Martial God, Seong Jihan had to become stronger by any means necessary.

Even if dealing with a fleeing leader of the Thunder God, he was not so free as to be charitable.

[Gah Ill give 1 trillion.]

1 trillion GP?

[Yes! Be satisfied with this amount. I cant give more than this. I need to recover after passing the Crimson Thunder!]

Hmm. Anything else besides GP? Like skills or items?

[None. Theres none!]

Even if he received GP, Seong Jihan didnt have much use for it.

Its all just piling up money.

Seong Jihan smacked his lips and nodded.

Fine. Ill take the GP, and then retrieve the crimson thunder.

[Hah. Much appreciated.]

Having thriftily extracted even the GP,

Now, Ill take it back.

He absorbed the crimson thunder from Brahma.

With a 2-hour limitation, he initially wondered if he had to go back and forth,

Zzzzz

The body of the red lion, full of holes, shrank rapidly,

and the crimson thunder was absorbed by Seong Jihan in an instant.

[The rare stat Thunder Seal has been replaced with the unique stat Crimson Thunder.]

[The value of the Crimson Thunder stat has reached 200, reaching the players limit.]

[The remaining Crimson Thunder will remain in the body and will be reabsorbed when the stat limit increases.]

Crimson Thunder is separated into stats and 200 is the limit?

The Crimson Thunder, previously almost bound to the void, was now branded on Seong Jihans hand after taking it back from Brahma, replacing the Thunder Seal stat.

And,

Ssshh

The formidable presence of the red lion deflated like a balloon,

shrinking to a size similar to Seong Jihan.

[Its done. Now I shall retreat again.]

Flash!

With those final words, the leader of the thunder gods vanished.

Simultaneously, a message appeared.

[The world will close in 1 minute. Prepare to logout.]

The transfer of the crimson thunder from the Thunder God was neatly concluded within two hours.

Looking at the results, it was a transaction filled only with gains for Seong Jihan.

Apart from receiving money and crimson thunder from the Thunder God,

[Hey, um, After receiving 1 trillion GP could you possibly invest in our forge? The Thunder God wrecked it even more]

Then, send over some more new bio-robots. Offer them at a reasonable price.

[Of course! Ill go pack them right away!]

Ill also give you the Dragon Heart later.

[Definitely!]

Since Seong Jihan was able to obtain more resource-gathering robots from Artemus, he was quite satisfied. However, just before logging out

Hmm

Seong Jihans face grew cold as he examined the crimson thnder flowing within him.

Although the part of the current absorbed into the stats was under his control,

The movement is subtle.

It was irritatingly tickling his senses.

* * *

= The planet colonization has already reached its 13th day!

= Ah, its coming to an end now. Truly regrettable! Weve gained a lot during this time, havent we?

= Indeed. When Seong Jihan restocked the bio-robots, the entire Earth cheered!

As the planet colonization was nearing its end, humanity was in a celebratory mood.

-Already ending? Thats too bad

-Seriously, these few days of benefits feel more significant than years of training.

-Still, the vitality increase hasnt been that much lately. It seems like theres been more focus on player abilities, right?

-Yeah, these past few days, theres been a huge increase in gift appearance rates.

Life vitality resources havent been appearing as much after a certain point, but instead, resources directly related to BattleNet activities, like increased gift appearance rates, GP exchange rate boosts, and experience point boosts, were becoming more prevalent.

While regular folks lamented the scarcity of these resources,

-In comparison with other races, humanitys level is too low.

-Its not good to keep relying on Seong Jihan alone.

-Eventually, if more people get gifts, wont the players levels go up? This should be welcomed.

Those with even a slight interest in BattleNet welcomed them as a means to enhance humanitys overall power.

Meanwhile, at humanitys base camp,

Ugh I want to rest. I want to sleep, I want to bathe.

Yoon Seah lamented with utter exhaustion.

Day 13 of planet colonization.

Yoon Seah had not logged out once, catching little sleep within the game, and continuously hunting indigenous species.

Your face looks clean, though?

Sophia used a cleansing magic spell on me Her divine power flashes and cleans the body. I appreciate it, but I wish for a bath to soak in, not just magic.

Why not just log out for a while and take a break?

I cant. I need to stay within the top 50.

Why?

The BattleNet Association will award hefty prizes to players in the top 50, sponsored by major guilds.

Why does a Sword Palace landlord care about prize money?

Its not just about money; its about honor! And they said theyll give items too!

To employ the bio-robots, Dwarves had to capture indigenous creatures, a task that required human players to eliminate them. To motivate human players participating in planet colonization, Earth leaders offered substantial prizes and SS-grade items along with the prize money, creating a fierce competition.

So, what rank are you in?

Me? 25th. Haha Im going to push into the top 10. But what about the Elves? Theyve been invisible since the 10th day.

Thats right, Theyve completely disappeared.

Theyre still earning points every day, though. They might be at sea.

Elf remnants vanished after day 10.

But they werent annihilated, still earning planet points daily in the ranking competition.

Although their numbers paled compared to humanity, who controlled the colonization game,

Elves earned not insignificant Points.

Even after searching near the coast, I found nothing.

Where could they have gone? Arent they planning something big on the last day?

I wonder

As Seong Jihan conversed with Yoon Seah, a message arrived from a player scattered across the area for hunting

-S-Seong Jihan! Here, on the east coast somethings not right. The seawater is shooting up into the sky!

Its not the last day, but the day before that theyre causing trouble.

Seong Jihan rose from his seat.

Ill be back in a bit.

Ill go check it out.

What whats happening?

Zzzzzzz!

As Seong Jihan summoned all the Crimson Thunder, now fully under his control with a stat of 200, there was still a lingering buffer in his body.

Even after several days, the power remained beyond his complete control.

Given the power reliant on his soul, it was indeed daunting.

The Thunder God wouldnt have just given it back for no reason. Stilltheres a place to utilize it all.

With a meaningful smile, he headed eastward.

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