Utopian System

Chapter 379 System's Spoils of War

"It's time to return," Elio announced after the echoes faded.

"Our families wait, and we have to honor our companions as they deserve."

♢♢♢♢

As they were advancing in their journey back to the city, the first glimpse of the walls stopped them in their tracks.

The familiar white stone had undergone a transformation, new patterns of blue light coursing through its surface like glowing veins.

The group halted halfway as they spotted the column of soldiers approaching from the city. Lucien and Diana marched at the head, with Ren organizing the formations behind them.

The two hundred men and women advanced with determination, their system armor gleaming under the setting sun.

When both groups met, Diana spoke first, her face tense with concern. "How many artromus did you kill?"

"Seven eliminated," Elio responded, exchanging a look with Selene. "One managed to escape."

The color drained from Diana's face. "No... no, no, no. This is bad."

"What's wrong?" asked Selene, stepping forward.

"The god explained it to me," Diana took a deep breath before continuing. "The gods have a balance system. If we manage to conquer a deposit or ring, artromus who meet the requirements have the right to return, wake their queen, and she in turn has the right to awaken one hundred sleeping warriors to counter our advance."

"Sleeping warriors?" Lucien frowned. "Like the ones we just faced?"

Diana nodded. "And now that one escaped, he'll wake the queen. The god said they'll take approximately ten days to complete the process and bring the warriors, those 10 days are his... 'gift' for us to prepare by feeding the new barrier in time."

"Will the barrier stop them?" Ren's question was direct, practical.

"Only if we keep all four deposits fed," Diana responded. "If any deactivates..."

"We can not allow that to happen," Lucien interrupted, his voice charged with authority. He turned to Ren. "Did you bring the potions?"

Ren nodded, patting his bag. "Three metamorphosis flasks, all the city could afford, as ordered."

"Good." Lucien observed the gathered soldiers. "We need to secure the deposits immediately. Four million mana points, divided between the four cardinal points."

He turned toward the central building, its silhouette now more imposing than ever. The statue waited, and with it, the answers they needed to move forward.

"Let's go," he said, his voice firm. "Let's see what options we have to defend ourselves now and honor the sacrifices."

♢♢♢♢

The first transparent core glowed with an ethereal light as Elio inserted it into the statue's base.

The interface materialized before him, revealing five options to choose from.

"A god's sword," Selene murmured, her eyes scanning the descriptions. "And look at this: a combination potion, a summoning core, a helmet and divine cape."

Elio selected the sword first, more out of curiosity than final decision. The weapon materialized in his hands, its appearance deceptively simple compared to his four-elemental sword.

"Only a hundred damage points?" The disappointment in his voice was palpable.

Diana approached, studying the weapon with a critical eye. "Try combining it with your current sword."

When Elio wielded both weapons, he felt the immediate resonance. The blades seemed to vibrate in harmony, as if they had been forged to complement each other.

The option to combine appeared in his book. At first, he felt reluctant about possibly losing the metal coating that held the enormous damage he'd achieved at his magic maximum, but finally Elio accepted and saw the statistics:

Unique (4)Elemental Sword / Attack 100 (7580/7680) + God Weapon 100 (10) / ((Attack 100) (Magic Damage 100)) =

God Elemental Weapon 200 (10) / ((Attack 200) (Magic Damage 100))(7780/7780)

Fortunately he didn't lose it, it even recovered and... Observing the options and remembering the goddess's weapons, he understood.

"It's like the system armor," he reflected aloud. "Or the goddess's weapons. Their true power depends on the level of who wields them."

"Nine cores," Elio frowned, making mental calculations. "We could equip nine warriors with divine swords, form an elite squad to..."

"Or," Selene interrupted, her voice charged with determination, "we could ensure that our leader who demonstrated the greatest capability has all possible advantages."

"But..."

"Imagine a leader with five different divine powers," Selene countered. "The artromus we faced today were just the beginning. The queen will bring a hundred more, and we'll need every possible advantage."

Elio nodded slowly, thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea to know what the other options were about. "Let's see the potion then."