Rise of the System Slayer

Before they could enter the cave, Ares's summoning was no longer possible. They were completely sealed with the effect of an unknown emerging power inside the cave.

"Brother, where did all your summons go?" Magnus asked him.

Before Ares could even answer, Magnus sensed an unknown monster within a five-meter radius. Ares's eyes widened after sensing it.

"What the hell is this monster?" Ares thought, looking ahead as the unknown creature neared them. He immediately pulled out his Serpent Dagger. He couldn't let his guard down this time since his summoning had been canceled.

As the monster neared them, they could hear a deep rumbling from the ground. When it was just three meters away, Magnus began to feel its presence.

Dang! Dang! Dang!

Magnus's face started sweating as he looked at it anxiously.

"Brother, what is that?" Magnus asked, curious about the monster.

As the sound drew closer, a massive shadow appeared in front of them.

Then, a giant behemoth appeared in front of them, its name displayed on a transparent screen.

[Boreal Behemoth – Level 25]

[You will receive a reward after defeating it.]

But before the behemoth could even attack, Ares quickly dashed toward it, slashing its head with his Frostbear Claw. Within seconds, the behemoth collapsed, crashing down like an avalanche from a mountain.

The behemoth couldn't even react to Ares's Phantom Skill. Using his Frostbear Claw, he swiftly took it down. Ares grinned for a second as he stood atop the behemoth's body.

Moments later, a reward notification appeared on the screen, and he obtained an item from within the behemoth's body.

[Congratulations on defeating the Level 25 Boreal Behemoth!]

[You have received a reward.]

Instead of focusing on his reward, Ares shifted his gaze to the item he had obtained from the behemoth. His eyes widened upon seeing it—an item he had never seen before. His eyes burned with excitement and mixed with confusion about this.

A transparent screen appeared before him, displaying the item's details.

[The Elemental Core]

A mysterious black cube with intricate glowing runes carved into its surface. The cube remains dormant until it absorbs four elemental fragments—each representing a fundamental force of nature. 

As Ares looked at it, he was dumbfounded. He had no idea what it was or how this cube could help him grow stronger. Staring at it with a helpless expression, he let out a sigh and set it aside.

"Hmph, I thought it would be something useful, but it's just like a puzzle cube," Ares exclaimed.

But before he could store it in his system, a thin, eerie voice suddenly whispered to him.

As he listened carefully, the voice became clearer, sending a chill down his spine. Suddenly, he realized it was coming from a girl.

"Fool! Fool! Fool!"

The eerie voice echoed, growing louder with each word.

As he looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, he suddenly heard it coming from right in front of him.

To his shock, the transparent screen was cursing at him—and it had a face on it!

"You damn—who are you?!" Ares exclaimed, shocked to see the screen take the shape of a face.

"I'm your system! I am Sylphir, you fool human! What were you thinking, ignoring that cube like it's nothing?!"

Her tone was thin yet high-pitched, filled with irritation.

Sylphir instantly switched the screen back to the cube's page, and the details of the item appeared before Ares.

"Take a look at this cube, you human!" she commanded.

[The Elemental Core]

[A mysterious black cube, etched with ancient runes, lies dormant until it absorbs the power of four elemental fragments. Each fragment—fire, ice, lightning, and earth—must be claimed through perilous trials, testing the wielder's strength, resilience, and mastery. Once fully awakened, the cube transforms into the Primordial Cube, granting its wielder unrivaled elemental power.]

"Not only that! Once all four fragments are fused into the cube, it will transform into the Primordial Cube, unlocking its true power. The wielder of it gains mastery over all four elements and can summon elemental constructs, wielding the combined forces of fire, ice, lightning, and earth in battle!"

As Sylphir explained about it, Ares's eyes widened in shock. He was dumbfounded, carefully listening to every word.

"And not only that... and—" Sylphir hesitated.

"And?" Ares raised an eyebrow, sensing something suspicious.

Her voice suddenly became hesitant, almost shy, as if she was struggling to say what came next—because she needed something.

"And after combining it… my true form will be restored."

Ares raised both eyebrows, staring at the screen in surprise. "Your true form?" he muttered, eyeing Sylphir with suspicion.

"Yes, hehe!" Sylphir giggled nervously.

"I've been sealed within this system ever since my master was defeated. The other gods… trapped me here to keep me alive while my spirit was scattered across different elemental fragments. And he..."

Sylphir's voice trembled, and then she started crying. Even though Ares couldn't see her, he could feel the sorrow in her voice.

Before she could continue, the pain of her master's suffering overwhelmed her. Ares immediately stopped her, overlooking his own curiosity. For the first time, he felt something unusual—a strange sense of sympathy for the voice within his system.

After a minute, Sylphir regained her usual tone. "So… that's what happened."

Before she could say another word, Ares suddenly remembered something.

"Wait a minute..." he interrupted, his eyes narrowing as a thought crossed his mind.\

"You... You! You're the one who pissed me off when I was in the demon castle, weren't you?!" Ares exclaimed, his eyes widened.

"Don't play innocent, you dummy! I know it was you! Your voice matches perfectly—and that same annoying attitude!" Ares snapped, pointing at the screen.

Immediately before he could say another word, the screen glitched again.

[System Failure: Response Unavailable]

"You… you dummy! You're trying to escape again!" Ares said, narrowing his eyes. But this time, he knew he had the card to pull out.

"Alright then, it's fine! I don't need to look at that cube. I can get stronger in another way—"

Before Ares could even finish his sentence, Sylphir suddenly reappeared in a panic.

"W-Wait! Wait a minuteee!" she cried out, her voice filled with urgency.

Ares laughed after seeing her reaction. "See? I'm easy to talk to." He smirked, enjoying the fact that he finally had the upper hand.

"Now, I want you to form an agreement with me," Ares said firmly.

"What kind of agreement?" Sylphir asked, her tone filled with curiosity.

"When I need you, you have to help me."

"Oh, that's it? Sure!" Sylphir replied confidently, without hesitation.

"Good"

Sylphir quickly spoke up, wasting no time. "Here! Look at this—this is where you can find the elemental fragments!"

A transparent map appeared on the screen, marking several locations.

Ares felt like he was being ordered around like some lowly servant. He sighed, deciding to just give up on arguing and take a look at the screen.

[Frozen Soul (Ice Elemental Fragment)]

Location -> Sealed inside an icy cave protected by the Frostbound Titan.

Requirement -> The wielder must conquer the freezing cold and defeat the ice spirit to claim the fragment.

Effect: Grants ice manipulation and the ability to slow enemies with frost.

"And here's where you can find the other fragments!" Sylphir said as she turned to the next page on the screen.

New locations appeared, each marked with a glowing symbol. Ares narrowed his eyes, carefully studying the map.

Ember Heart (Fire Elemental Fragment)

Location -> Deep within the Blazing Catacombs, an ancient dungeon buried beneath the Demon Castle, lies the Ember Heart, sealed within a throne of molten rock.

Requirement: -> The wielder must endure the trial of flames, surviving extreme heat and defeating the fire spirit within.

Effect: Unlocks fire-based attacks and resistance to intense heat.

"And here's the next one—this is where you can find the Lightning Crystal!" Sylphir said as the screen shifted again, revealing another marked location.

Storm Crystal (Lightning Elemental Fragment)

Location -> Found atop a floating island, guarded by the Thunder Warden.

Requirement -> The wielder must harness the power of a storm and defeat the lightning spirit.

Effect: Enhances speed reaction time, and grants lightning-based attacks.

Ares glanced at it, his mind already calculating the journey ahead. "Tch… this won't be easy," he muttered.

Earth Core (Earth Elemental Fragment)

Location -> Buried deep within an ancient labyrinth, watched over by the Titan of Stone.

Requirement -> The wielder must prove their strength by moving a massive stone monolith to awaken the fragment.

Effect: Increases physical durability and grants the ability to manipulate the ground beneath them.

"What the hell is this?! This is a pain in the ass! Especially that Earth Core—it manipulates the ground! What am I, the Avatar?!"** Ares complained, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

"Don't worry about it! Once you collect all four fragments, you'll become way stronger!" Sylphir said, trying to convince him with an eager tone.

Ares crossed his arms, sighing. "Yeah, yeah… easier said than done."

.....

Thanks for reading this chapter. I hope you'll continue to read the next one!.