It has been 2 years since the 3rd Great Cataclysm, and the second year Yu IlHan has been left alone.
"Oh, there's one here too."
[Khaaaak!]
[Critical Hit!]
[Kahk!]
Whether it was deep in the sea, high up above the clouds, or a forest full of thick trees, it didn't matter. With the flying fortress, Yu IlHan roamed around the Earth and killed all the monsters he could find.
[Human, we need to find and kill humans...!]
"And another one."
[Kuhuk!?]
[Critical Hit!]
[You have...]
[The skill, Deathgod, activates...]
The monsters somehow harboured an enormous resentment towards Yu IlHan from birth and tried to find him, but Yu IlHan didn't want any more useless foreshadowing, so he killed them mercilessly and didn't interrogate them for information. In fact, he found it annoying that he could understand what the monsters were saying.
"Just what did I do to piss off even the newborns?"
[Honestly, there are numerous reasons… Do you even remember how many monsters you've killed so far?]
Just the destruction mirrored that orbiting the flying fortress, as guards on patrol had probably killed tens of billions of monsters. If there were something like a collective consciousness among monsters, it would be strange if they didn't resent Yu IlHan.
Liera remarked as if it was absurd, but Yu IlHan replied with a shining pose.
"Liera, do you remember how many slices of bread you have eaten until now?"
[Fine, I get it.]
Yu IlHan collected the monster he had just killed. Although it had died too easily, this guy was a proper 4th class, one that even had a magic stone.
"So Earth is such a laborious place."
[Although this is nothing new… your thought process is really shocking...]
Yu IlHan acknowledged that he was being overly optimistic, but he also thought he wasn't really wrong to say that. That was because just counting the 4th-class magic stones he had acquired in the past 2 years came to 150 thousand!
"Would it be possible to acquire 150 thousand 4th-class magic stones even if we clean up a thousand other worlds, other than Earth?"
[If it's a lower world, then of course not.]
Yu IlHan looked at the pile of 4th-class magic stones in his inventory and muttered. Just a few years ago, he had to be careful about using any 4th-class magic stones, but now he was literally swimming in riches!
Perhaps the heavens blessed him with the ability to make anything he wants in compensation for cursing him with loneliness. Perhaps he might have exchanged the two values which must never be exchanged!
[However, if it's a higher world, it's not impossible to gather that many magic stones. The problem is that 4th class magic stones aren't that useful to higher existences]
"So one would need a magic stone of a higher existence to go against another?"
[Well, yeah, it's supposed to be. In fact, whatever magic stones are used, they would work if the weapon's rank is high. Rather than their abilities, it's their tier that makes the difference.]
"Explain it more simply."
Liera pondered for a moment before giving a short and clear answer.
[Everything you make will work.]
"Yes, that's enough."
No 5th-class magic stone was used in the making of the flying fortress. If he had heard that the flying fortress could not confront higher existences despite being a god-ranked artifact, even he would have gone berserk at the injustice of the system.
[In fact, I think it's really unfair that you could make epic or chaos or god or whatever using just 4th class magic stones... but that's nothing new so I'll skip past it.]
"You just said everything though."
Yu IlHan looked at his inventory and considered what he could do with the magic stones he had gathered, but he decided to save them since he had nothing to use them for right now.
Yes, 'right now'.
[You're planning something again!]
"It's nothing."
In fact, he had plenty of things to use the magic stones on, if he wished. He could consume them without waiting for the destruction mirrors to charge up and also use them as fuel to accelerate the flying fortress. However, the 3rd-class magic stones, which numbered ten times as many, would suffice for that.
It was an infinite cycle of killing monsters, gaining their magic stones, and becoming more efficient at hunting them. The more he repeated the cycle, he acquired more magic stones, and by consuming them, the flying fortress increased its speed and destructive power in killing monsters.
The result was that, after 2 years, Yu IlHan could go around the world on the flying fortress in just a day or two. That round trip also included killing monsters that appeared from various corners of the world.
[The rate at which monsters disappear is faster than the rate at which they appear... you know what may happen at this rate, right?]
"Overflow."
Like how Electrodes (Pokemon) didn't die even when they self-destructed, dungeons didn't disappear even when he made them explode. Rather, as the contents were emptied out, it desperately emitted mana to refill the space, but the monsters outside had long since been cleaned up by Yu IlHan, so it would not get any.
Then what happens? The Earth, possessing a thick concentration of mana, would generate more monsters to counteract that.
The mana emitted by the Traps of Destruction, the mana possessed by the Earth, and the Akashic Records of that region would combine to give birth to literal freakish monsters!
[If you know, then slow down!]
"However, if an Overflow occurs and stronger monsters appear, then the Earth's growth speed would accelerate, wouldn't it? In fact, the majority of the monsters spawning nowadays are 4th class beings."
Was it just 4th class? An overflow is occurring somewhere on Earth even now. Elite monsters over level 250 were being born non-stop! Of course, no monsters could survive the direct attack from Yu IlHan himself and the flying fortress!
Right now, Earth was giving off a relatively peaceful atmosphere and was rather quiet thanks to the flying fortress. But if the flying fortress disappeared from Earth for just one week, then Earth would enter an era of chaos and destruction again. Even worlds after the 4th Great Cataclysm wouldn't be in such a dire situation.
Liera actually feared that Earth would progress into a higher world very soon.
Once, Yu IlHan had said that he would replace the 7 billion humans on Earth and kill the monsters for them, but looking at the flying fortress and Yu IlHan right now, that was an absurd lie. Yu IlHan was doing well, worth over 7 billion. It was more like 10 or 20 billion.
[But IlHan needs to get his 4th class too.]
"Hm."
At this point, the only requirements Yu IlHan hadn't met were the blessing of the goddess of fire and mastery of Blaze and Deathgod. Deathgod and Blaze were nearing mastery and were at level 99. Thinking about the path he had taken so far to achieve that, he wanted to cry.
"Fire.... fire."
Calling out the conditions for acquiring his 4th class, Yu IlHan muttered as he looked at the list.
"Should I try turning the world into a sea of fire?"
[How can you say such evil words like it's nothing?]
"Or should I try making an artificial sun?"
[I can't even keep up with you now!]
Of course, whether it was covering the Earth with fire that is enough to dry out all the oceans, or making an artifact to replace the sun, he would need a 5th-class magic stone. So, whichever it was, it was still a dream inside a dream.
"I also need to evolve the Language skill too."
[You don't need to hurry. Just remember that you're progressing plenty fast right now.]
5th class magic stone? Liera didn't even know they existed before she became a higher existence. Meanwhile, Yu IlHan asked them whether it was about acquiring 4th class or evolving his skill, which was very absurd.
"Ah... okay."
[Huh?]
However, contrary to her intentions, Yu IlHan looked dejected upon hearing that.
"Yes. You're right. There is a lot of time, so I don't need to hurry."
[...]
"Fuu..."
Perhaps, just perhaps, the reason why Yu IlHan wasn't pedalling the brakes was to escape this stuffy reality. Although it was easy to forget because of his optimistic attitude, he was currently in a situation where it wouldn't be strange even if he went crazy.
In the beginning stages of the 3rd Great Cataclysm, there were a lot of monsters to kill, and there were a lot of weapons to develop as well, so he had a lot to look forward to, but now that 2 years had passed, there was nothing more to make, and there were no monsters to kill for 3 or 4 days once he went on a round trip.
Even now, he had just finished a round trip around the world, so he couldn't find any signs of monsters, no matter how hard he looked. He had just emptied out all the dungeons on Earth, so that was sure.
Liera finally realized she might have made a mistake, but it was too late. The dejected Yu IlHan put Blaze on his spear and swung it around, pioneering a new realm of playing alone.
His figure, a figure of flames in the air made with the Eternal Flame, was very beautiful from afar but looked very miserable up close. Liera couldn't leave him alone and tried her best to think of ways to improve his mood.
[Bath, if you take a bath, you'll feel better.]
"You're trying to share it again, aren't you?"
[I don't want to enter such a poisonous bath, duh.]
However, Yu IlHan's mood didn't improve even after he finished bathing. That could be seen from how the figure of flames he was making had evolved from a rabbit to the perverted vibration demon. If it was possible, Liera wanted to ask him to make something else, but Yu IlHan right now was like a bomb that would go off at any moment.
[Th-then...] This was her chance. Liera decided to try a bolder approach to make Yu IlHan feel better. In no way was this to fulfill her desires. It was to console Yu IlHan! – even her own excuse was perfect.
[IlHan.]
"Speak."
She licked her lips, blushing in embarrassment, then closed her eyes and opened her mouth.
[IlHan, how about you…..]
"Huh?"
At that moment, Yu IlHan abruptly raised his head. The vibration demon's figure in the air dissipated. Did he realize without her having to say it? Just as when Liera's face turned as red as a tomato,
"It's an Overflow."
[....]
"This aura is explosive. Is it because I cleaned out all the monsters from the ground? No, several Traps of Destruction are resonating at once. Don't tell me it's..."
Yu IlHan, who had even shown signs of listlessness up to that point, instantly became proactive. Well, this was why he could grow until now, but Liera couldn't help but think she had just become a fool when she saw him moving so busily.
[Should I just…..]
"Talk to me later, Liera. It looks like the thing I was waiting for is about to happen."
[Waiting for? I was waiting for hundreds of years! ...wait, waiting for what?]
Yu IlHan didn't answer and drove the flying fortress. He applied concealment to the entire castle and wasn't satisfied with that, then gathered all the Hundred Eyes in one place and prepared them to shoot at any moment.
Liera thought 'no way' at the sight, but realized it when the flying fortress reached the region of the Overflow.
A storming current of golden light; movements of the Traps of Destruction that defined reason and were converging in one area; amplifying mana and the Akashic Record.
And a violent life form that was struggling inside it.
[A naturally occurring... 5th class...?]
A miracle that could not happen and should not have happened was occurring on Earth right now.