What were the limitations of the 'King' role? One, they couldn’t attack beyond the range of 100 meters, and two, they were unable to move out of their space without using a turn.

  And judging from the fact that Zyrus was ‘moved’ from his space without using any turns, it was obvious that there were ways to get around the role’s restrictions.

  Still, some ingenious means were needed for that. He couldn’t just hint his allies to ‘carry’ him out of the space. Such blatant loopholes would’ve been fixed by Matope since the start.

  ‘But I’m sure he wouldn’t have expected this,’

  Zyrus was both nervous and excited as he channeled his mana. Zirnitra and others had retreated by now, and the enemy king was most likely searching every nook and cranny to find his traces.

  Never would they think that he was right below them.

  Even before the flag march began, he had his plans for the third zone. The changes that happened along the way and the recent event of shatar had done nothing to contradict them. All he had to do was slightly tweak his actions to get the best out of this.

  Vast amount of black mana surged around Zyrus as he chanted one incantation after another. The soil was brimming with the laws of metal, and it made him feel like he was submerged in an ocean of needles.

  The blood on his scales proved that it wasn’t just a feeling. The sheer concentration of laws was enough to rip a normal player to shreds. How powerful would be a spell that could utilize these laws?

  Zyrus didn’t know the answer. Nor did he intend to find that out.

  It would be an understatement to call their presence on this island as reckless.

  He knew that the second and the third rings were in the merging process. The third ring was nothing but the regions that were shrouded by a mist– and the capital of Jindao was one such example.

  To be precise, the core of the capital. That was where the experiment originated, and it was also the place that marked the doom of the entire island’s populace.

  ‘The changes in Jindao’s environment are the result of overflowing mana– mana that originates from the capital.’

  This was something that Zyrus wasn’t willing to tell the players. How devastating would it be when they realized that their greatest threat was nothing but a side effect? The terror of the capital was too much for anyone of them to bear, including Zyrus.

  Even he wouldn’t dare to step foot on this island once the fog was lifted. No one could survive in this place without nearing lv 100. The sole exception to this rule were those who could use the laws of metal. In other words, those with an affinity towards metal attribute.

  Naturally, the players who had the elemental seed were included.

  Leaving the future things aside, there was something Zyrus always wanted to experiment on. What would happen if two laws were mixed? It was impossible to attempt anything of the sort when the mist was lifted, but the current scenario was different.

  The concentration of laws was just about right for his plans to work. He couldn’t do this with his void laws. Why? Because the outcome was fixed. One of the two laws would cease to exist. Worse, the aftermath might make the islands ‘disappear’ as well.

  Such experiments shouldn’t be done in one’s backyard. That left him with only one option– one that happened to be the best-case scenario.

  Abyss.

  It was hard to pinpoint the exact effect of the laws of abyss. It was deep, sticky, and most importantly, corrosive. There were few things the abyssal mana couldn’t corrupt.

  Zyrus planned to use the same tactic he used against Oroszlan. Spreading his mana and corrupting the very foundation of Jindao was the simplest way to achieve his goal.

  It was a pity that this was only temporary. Once the third ring opened, his abyssal mana would be flooded out in no time.

  *HZZZZZZ*

  Zyrus’s blood and mana congregated in front of his heart. The tar-like blob was similar to a beating heart, pulsating with the abyssal mana he had released.

  “Hahaha..it’s a pity that no one’s here to witness this miracle!”

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  Zyrus laughed aloud without a care in the world. Even if the natives noticed something was amiss, it was too late.

  He wasn’t tooting off his horn when he spoke of a miracle. If anything, he had undermined his achievement.

  [Congratulations! You have achieved an unprecedented feat]

  [You have created a unique elemental seed]

  [Your assimilated achievement: The Architect of Abyss (EX), has undergone a transformation!]

  [Your contribution will be remembered]

  [|[ Please name your creation ]|]

  Zyrus didn’t feel a lest bit tired despite his mana depletion. There was nothing better than reaping the fruits of your hard work.

  The Architect of Abyss was of the highest grade of achievement. It was assimilated with his existence under the blessing of order. While Zyrus didn’t know what the transformation was about, he believed that it was bound to be a good thing.

  *HZZZZZZ*

  The blob of mana began to vibrate at greater intensity. It no longer needed his mana to corrode the surroundings.

  What he did was akin to shooting three birds with one arrow. The two limitations of the king's role were negated since this wasn’t an attack directed at anyone. To top it off, he had achieved his goal of learning about the usage of laws.

  The realm of world core and the elemental seeds in the event shop were related. It wouldn’t be far off to call the elemental seed a pseudo world core. This was a valuable experiment as he had figured out a way to create elemental seeds from concentrated mana.

  While he couldn’t do this for other elements due to his lacking affinity, the theory itself was the key. It would be up for Strongfist to figure things out.

  ‘But what should I name it?’

  Zyrus rubbed his chin as he observed the seed he had created. A black blob of mana was throbbing with surges of mana, and each time, it further extended its tentacles into the surroundings.

  “Heart of Abyss,” Zyrus declared the name, and in the next instance, a dark golden light erupted from the deep underground.

  The natives had to be blind to not notice such a scene, but as he had said before, it was too late.

  The golden light signified that his creation was acknowledged by the system. There was a huge difference between his experimental product and something that could use the system’s power to enact its effect.

  [Heart of Abyss (???)]

  An abyssal seed created by Zyrus Wymar. It can absorb mana and spread without limits, though it could be purged with overflowing mana as well.

  Corrupted Veins: Consumes all forms of energy to release tendrils of abyssal mana. These tendrils will repeat the same process until everything is corroded by the abyss.

  [Note: This is a dangerous item. Please use it with caution]

  “Thir unth Va?”

  “Kryn unth Kahl!”

  The natives’ shouts reached deep underground. Zyrus could imagine them being flustered and scurrying off to notify their superiors.

  ‘Only those who have seen abyss’s corruption would know how terrifying it is,’

  Zyrus was among the few who had survived to tell the tale. Heck, he even went a step further and gave others a chance to witness such a 'wonderous' sight.

  The earth darkened faster than one could follow with their eyes. Even the metallic stones were covered by a black sheen.

  “Aren’t I a magnanimous one?” Zyrus asked after he felt the space around him fluctuate. It was easy to guess who the uninvited guest was.

  “…”

  “…”

  “…This will be the first and last time you win like this.”

  Zyrus gave Matope a smile which the latter was disgusted by. Imagine if two players were playing chess, and one of them just poured a bottle of ink on the chessboard and declared– checkmate.

  The current situation was pretty much like that. Matope had no choice but to temporarily evacuate the players to guarantee their safety. As infuriating as it may be, it was his responsibility as an administrator to save players from such accidents.

  Even if that ‘accident’ was caused by their own leader.

  [Spatial Shift]

  Zyrus saw Matope use the skill he was all too familiar with. 89,438 players were brought to the sky above the Jindao island.

  They took the front seat in seeing the apocalyptic disaster. The vibrant island gleaming with silver radiance was being corroded by a black mass. The highly concentrated yet uncontrolled mana did nothing but fuel the rate of corrosion.

  It might be a lackluster ending for the war, but still, seeing this sight was worth it.

  “So, what do you want?” Matope asked with this usual calmness. However, the mana he was emitting hinted otherwise.

  “Let him stay.”

  “That’s impossible!”

  “Not if you help.”

  The two argued back and forth while the one in question, Strongfist, was oblivious to what they were talking about.

  In the end, it was decided that Matope would help the players chosen by him stay on the islands. In return, Zyrus wouldn’t use the Heart of Abyss before achieving victory.

  “Don’t worry, I don’t plan to do anything excessive from now on. You should know that it was my goal to train them. Now that they have the elemental seeds, they barely pass off as pawns.”

  Matope was visibly relieved after he heard that. It wasn’t like he could stop Zyrus from messing around in the first place. The arcanists were a notorious bunch due to the countless means they had. Even administrators were hard-pressed to keep them within rules.

  Besides, sanctuary advocated freedom for the strong. Regardless of the means and motives, what Zyrus and the one before him had done on the islands was of tremendous value. Rules and morals mattered little when the fate of the universe was at stake.

  [Congratulations! You have won this round]

  [Commencing the next round in 00:05:00]

  Finally, it was time to move on to the next island. All eyes were set on Zyrus who was standing before the roulette wheel.

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