THE GODDESS WARRIOR
1259 Words
The forest exploded into motion.
Golden-armored warriors descended from the sky, their weapons shining with divine light.
Ren tightened his grip around his knife.
Beside him, Aria raised her silver bow.
Kael drew his sword.
Mira stepped backward and prepared a spell.
There were six warriors.
The woman standing at their center stepped forward.
“Ren Takahashi,” she said. “By order of the Goddess, you are to return with us.”
Ren stared at her.
“And if I refuse?”
The woman's expression hardened.
“Then you will be considered a threat to the divine order.”
Kael moved beside Ren.
“He's not going anywhere.”
Mira nodded.
“Neither are we.”
Aria's eyes remained fixed on the warriors.
“They aren't here to negotiate.”
Ren's instincts suddenly screamed.
“Move!”
A golden spear flew through the air.
Aria fired an arrow at it.
CLANG!
The arrow knocked the spear away, sending it spinning into the trees.
The warriors attacked.
Ren disappeared forward.
His enhanced reflexes activated.
A sword swung toward his shoulder.
He ducked.
Another warrior attacked from behind.
Ren twisted around and blocked the strike with his knife.
The force pushed him several steps backward.
“They're strong,” Ren muttered.
[Divine Warrior]
Level: 40
Ren's eyes widened.
Level 40.
These weren't ordinary enemies.
Aria released three arrows in rapid succession.
One struck a warrior's shield.
Another struck the ground beside his foot.
The third hit his armor and forced him backward.
“Ren!” Aria shouted.
Ren understood immediately.
He charged.
His knife struck the warrior's shield.
BOOM!
A burst of magic erupted between them.
The warrior stumbled.
Ren followed with a second strike.
The warrior fell.
[Enemy Defeated]
[Experience Acquired: 2,000]
[5× Experience Bonus Applied]
[Total Experience: 10,000]
Ren's status window flashed.
[Level Increased!]
[Level: 30]
A strange warmth spread through his body.
But there was no time to celebrate.
Two more warriors attacked him.
Ren jumped backward as golden blades cut through the space where his head had been.
Kael rushed forward.
“Ren, I'll handle these two!”
Kael blocked one warrior's attack.
His sword shook from the impact.
Mira raised her staff.
“Flame Burst!”
A wave of fire struck another warrior and forced him away.
Aria continued firing from a distance.
The battlefield became chaotic.
Golden light.
Fire.
Steel.
Arrows.
Magic.
And beneath it all, the strange black mark on Ren's palm began to glow.
Ren noticed it.
The warriors noticed it too.
The woman leading them stared at his hand.
“So it has awakened.”
Ren looked at her.
“What has awakened?”
The woman didn't answer.
Instead, she raised her hand.
“Seal him.”
The remaining warriors suddenly stopped attacking.
They formed a circle around Ren.
Golden symbols appeared beneath his feet.
Ren tried to move.
He couldn't.
“What is this?”
Aria's expression changed.
“Ren!”
She fired an arrow at the magic circle.
The arrow shattered against an invisible barrier.
“It's a divine restraint!” she shouted. “Don't let them complete it!”
Mira immediately began casting.
Kael charged toward the nearest warrior.
But the warriors were prepared.
A golden wall appeared between them.
Kael slammed into it and fell backward.
“Kael!”
Ren struggled against the magical chains forming around his body.
His strength wasn't enough.
Then he heard something.
A voice.
Not the goddess.
Not Aria.
Something deeper.
Something ancient.
Break the chain.
Ren froze.
The voice continued.
You were not given Absolute Growth.
You were given the ability to surpass limits.
Ren's eyes widened.
His status window appeared.
But something was different.
The text was distorted.
[Unique Skill: Absolute Growth]
[Hidden Function Detected]
[Divine Restriction Detected]
[Would you like to break the restriction?]
Ren stared at the message.
There was only one answer.
“Yes.”
The world went silent.
The golden chains cracked.
The warriors froze.
The leader's eyes widened.
“No…”
A dark pulse erupted from Ren's body.
BOOM!
The divine circle shattered.
The warriors were thrown backward.
Ren stood in the center of the broken formation.
His eyes glowed faintly.
Aria stared at him.
“What… was that?”
Ren didn't know.
But something inside him had changed.
The leader slowly stood.
Her golden armor was cracked.
“You shouldn't be able to do that.”
Ren raised his knife.
“Then maybe your goddess doesn't know everything.”
The woman's face became cold.
“You are making a terrible mistake.”
Ren stepped forward.
“No. Someone already made the mistake.”
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then the leader looked toward the sky.
A golden light descended.
Everyone felt it.
Even the forest seemed to hold its breath.
A voice echoed across the trees.
“Ren.”
Ren looked upward.
He recognized it immediately.
The goddess.
“You have been given a second chance,” she said.
Ren's fists tightened.
“Why are you afraid of me?”
Silence.
The goddess didn't answer.
Aria slowly stepped beside him.
Her expression was calm, but her eyes were determined.
“Because you are beginning to remember.”
Ren looked at her.
“Remember what?”
Aria touched the silver pendant around her neck.
“The first world.”
Before Ren could ask another question, the golden light disappeared.
The divine warriors vanished with it.
Only the damaged forest remained.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Kael finally lowered his sword.
“Did we just survive a fight against divine soldiers?”
Mira nodded slowly.
“I think so.”
Ren looked at his palm.
The black crescent had changed.
A tiny silver line now crossed through it.
Aria noticed.
“That wasn't there before.”
Ren looked at her.
“You know what it means?”
Aria shook her head.
“Not completely.”
She hesitated.
“But I know where we can find the answer.”
“Where?”
Aria looked toward the northern mountains.
“There is an ancient ruin beneath them.”
Mira frowned.
“How ancient?”
Aria's voice became quieter.
“Older than the kingdoms.”
Kael looked uncomfortable.
“And what exactly is inside?”
Aria stared at Ren.
“The place where the first heroes were summoned.”
Ren felt a chill.
The dreams.
The black moon.
The silver-haired girl.
The ancient door.
The goddess.
Everything seemed connected.
Then Aria suddenly looked away.
Ren noticed something unusual.
Her face had become slightly red.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“You're hiding something.”
Aria gave a small smile.
“Perhaps.”
Ren couldn't help smiling back.
For the first time since arriving in Asteria, the mystery surrounding him didn't feel completely terrifying.
He had people beside him.
Kael.
Mira.
And now Aria.
But that feeling disappeared when a strange sound echoed from deep inside the forest.
CRACK.
Everyone turned.
A tree fell in the distance.
Then another.
Something enormous was approaching.
Ren opened his status window.
A warning appeared.
[Emergency Quest Activated]
[The Ancient Ruin Has Awakened.]
[Objective: Reach the Ruin Before the Unknown Entity.]
[Failure Condition: Unknown.]
Ren stared at the final line.
Unknown.
For some reason, that frightened him more than any monster.
Aria raised her bow.
“We need to move.”
Ren nodded.
The four adventurers disappeared into the darkness of the northern forest.
Far above them, hidden behind the clouds, a golden eye opened.
And somewhere beneath the earth, something ancient whispered:
“Finally… the fifth has returned.”
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD