Requiem Of A Failed Hero

Raith stood in front of the large gate, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"What? How did it come to this?"

His left eye took on a golden color, and he could see the composition of the gate, and its energy level, everything appeared to him in numbers.

[Corrupted Gate]

[Energy level: 999]

[Monster population: 2]

[Gate area: 9,578 square meters]

"I know, it's size is enormous. I was like that when I first saw it too"

"No,"

Raith responded with a frown on his face and his tone a little somber.

"What do you mean no?"

Ruan Zhaohui looked at him, her face slightly tensed with concern.

"It's not the size," Raith continued, his gaze unyielding. "It's the gate's energy level. It's overwhelmingly potent, strong enough to spawn armies of monsters capable of annihilating an entire country. And yet, there are only two monsters inside?"

Ruan Zhaohui squinted her eyes. "How do you know this, Hunter Raven?"

Raith hesitated for a moment, realizing he had spoken without thinking. He opened his mouth to answer, "It's... part of my skill. I can gauge the energy level of gates with my eyes and deduce these kinds of details."

Is that what the faint glow in your left eye is for?" Ruan Zhaohui asked, having just noticed it when he turned towards her.

"Y-yes"

"Two monsters inside, as you mentioned? If there are only two, in contrast to what you said—a gate meant to house thousands, capable of erasing an entire nation—does that imply these two possess the power to single-handedly bring about the nation's downfall?"

Raith's eyes widened as the implications sunk in.

'Hell, I didn't think of it like that!'

His forehead dampened with a sheen of sweat, he nodded in agreement.

"I see. If you're comfortable with it, I can arrange for a companion to join you. You don't need to face this alone."

'And have you potentially cut into my earnings.'

"No, the deal still stands. I gave my word, and I intend to keep it."

"Your word?"

Ruan Zhaohui looked puzzled.

"A deal is a promise, isn't it?" Raith replied, wearing a self-assured smile as he slid his hand into his coat pocket.

"Very well, then," he announced, taking a step forward.

As he neared the gate, he paused, tilting his head upward to admire the gate's towering, circular frame.

Then he entered.

A few minutes later Rizo arrived, he was to standby in case things went south.

Raith entered the gate and met nothing but destruction. The once pristine landscape had been irrevocably altered as if nature itself had been ripped apart by some unimaginable force. Mountains that once stood tall and proud were now reduced to nothing more than gaping craters, their majesty forever lost.

The ground beneath his feet was a patchwork of dented earth as if some colossal titan had playfully pressed its fingers into the terrain.

The trees, once towering sentinels of the land, now lay strewn about, fallen like forgotten soldiers, their branches entangled. It was as if the very forest had borne witness to a violent upheaval, a cataclysmic event that had left the world forever scarred.

As Raith ventured deeper into this desolation, the air itself became heavy with the weight of the destruction, and an eerie silence hung in the atmosphere, broken only by the occasional creak of fallen timber.

He walked with God's eyes actively analyzing every information of what he encountered. The difference between God's eye analyzing and Omnisavant analyzing was that the information received was directly imputed into his brain, he sees and knows automatically.

Of course in rare cases like a few moments outside the gate, numbers are displayed.

But the analysis was child's play compared to what Omnisavant or Savvy as Raith now called her, could do.

But why use her for something like this when he can just use God's eye? Moreover, using the skill would allow him to be more proficient with it, who knows what surprises the skill entails?

'I wonder if my skills can level up'

[No, they can't]

[When skill proficiency increases, energy consumption decreases]

'So at what point do they level up?'

[Skills tied to the source do not level up, under rare occasions they may upgrade]

'This source? What is this source? Haven't you completed your analysis?'

[No]

'Ah, fine. I hope you do. So I can find out what the hell this source is about

THWOOOOM!

Suddenly, an overwhelming force came crashing down upon Raith, ruthlessly reducing the ground to rubble within seconds. It birthed a cataclysmic explosion that enveloped the land, unleashing a deafening uproar throughout.

The colossal impact unveiled a creature that had landed precisely where Raith once stood. It stood there, bare-chested and bald, a distinct frown etched onto its face.

"I missed?"

The creature tilted its head, its widened eyes revealing tiny, pinpoint pupils nestled in their depths.

Then it turned to its back, where a round golden ball had formed.

The ball's transformation was a deliberate, graceful act, unfurling like a blossoming flower as it dissolved into a shimmering liquid. Its golden essence flowed into the space just before the person it had previously encased.

With a deft, almost anticipatory gesture, Raith closed his palm as the fluid gold surged towards it with breathtaking velocity. Then, in a fluid motion, he reopened his hand, revealing the astonishing result of this mystical alchemy—a single, ruined gold coin.

"Thanks for the save," he expressed, nonchalantly flipping the coin into the air.

"I'm still getting the hang of my skills as a ruler, but thanks for the assist, Savvy."

[You're welcome]

In the brief moments since the contact between Raith and the tumultuous force, Omnisavant had activated an art—a skill known as [GOLD SHIELD], derived from the sin of GREED. It wove a portion of wealth into a formidable shield capable of absorbing and deflecting damage.

Raith examined the rough and battered gold coin, a sigh escaping him. 'I've lost precious gold...'

[Using ruler exclusive skill Thought Acceleration]

Raith's golden eye shone brighter as he widened them, feeling a rush of information pour into his head. Though it threatened to overwhelm his senses, his heightened thought patterns allowed him to sort and process the information rapidly, with guidance from Omnisavant.

"Gate of Avarice"

Golden ripples surged from the air surrounding Raith and the humanoid monster that stood confidently before him.