Return Of The Strongest Player

Jimmy–with unsteady breathing–simply stared at Bob for a few seconds before hesitantly allowing his hair to fall. His purple-golden eyes reverted to their natural state, while the thunder crackling around his body faded.

But the battle wasn't over.

The eye ignited once again, detecting a flying projectile heading straight toward Jin-Woo. Jimmy and Jin-Woo glanced at each other before nodding wordlessly, having conveyed many thoughts through a single glance.

Blood continued to escape Jimmy's eyes as he rushed forward, closing the gap between him and Jin-Woo.

Jumping in front of the man, Jimmy attempted to protect him using his own body as a tool. But that was a mere facade, as immediately, he locked eyes with the Devil only a few hundred meters away.

Light burst from their bodies, and the two switched places.

"What…" The Devil muttered in uncertainty, watching helplessly as the spike he forged as a weapon impaled his body. At that moment, a dagger oozing the energy of darkness embedded itself into the creature's body.

The Devil had sandwiched, some might say.

Staring incredulously at the figure of the dark-haired youth in the distance, the Devil felt rage and indignation arise, but he was helpless in such a situation. Black blood cloaked his body, his thoughts entering the eternal abyss as his life floated away.

Before death, even Devils couldn't resist.

Jimmy returned to the group, tearing a piece of cloth from his outfit before wiping the blood away. He tore another piece, wrapping it around his eye but avoiding the obstruction of his vision.

He wanted to use the eye but didn't want too much blood to leak.

'So this is why he was so confident,' Arthur laughed internally, staring at Jimmy with a gaze conveying his amusement. To have control over such an overpowered ability was a great blessing.

But the crimson-eyed man was certain it came with a price much vaster than mere blood loss.

'At least I'm not dealing with a team of incompetent players this time,' Arthur displayed optimism, recalling his experience traversing through floors three to nine. Those were absolute hell.

As the group huddled up, everyone stared at Jimmy with widened eyes. His power, even if it wasn't destructive, was beyond anything they had ever witnessed.

An eye that could switch places with living and inanimate objects was worthy of praise and surprise. It was obvious that a person such as him would be peerless on the same level, as his eye practically made him invincible.

But that was the catch.

Why wasn't he invincible?

'Because of a drawback,' everyone muttered internally. No one was a greenhorn if they'd managed to reach the Thirteenth Floor. They may be inexperienced, but no one was too naive unless they'd been carried to a particular floor.

At least, the four players that stood before Arthur were not children. They understood that such an ability definitely had its drawbacks.

Quite hefty ones, too.

Otherwise, Jimmy would be spamming the ability every chance he received and would be invincible amongst the new players. 

"What was that ability?" Lisa inquired, unable to contain her curiosity. Her eyes glittered as she gazed upon the majesty of the purple-golden eye. To be fair, anyone would be charmed by the mysterious phenomenon.

"I don't know…" Jimmy replied. "Apparently, it's called the Celestial Ametrine Eye."

Cough! Cough!

Arthur's head jerked forward, causing him to choke on his own saliva. His hair rose for an unknown reason, while all the players turned to face him, confused by the sudden outburst. "It's… Nothing. Continue."

Jimmy cocked his head before giving a sidelong glance. "I just… I ran away from home and fainted… When I woke up, I had this."

'It's a fucking protagonist!' Arthur exclaimed internally, utterly bewildered by Jimmy's words. He considered his [Sin Toll] to be overpowered, but to see someone possess the Celestial Ametrine Eye was simply terrifying.

'I thought he might die in this trial… But no, he's protected by the heavens themselves.'

Arthur recalled hearing about the Celestial Ametrine Eye by a former friend of his during his first life. Although that friend eventually came to betray the crimson-eyed man, Arthur didn't doubt his words about the Celestial Ametrine Eye, as the proof stood before him.

The Celestial Ametrine Eye was an eye possessed by the world, an ability directly given by the world to the chosen.

The number of people that had ever received a Celestial Ametrine Eye could be counted on a single hand, and usually developed into players surpassing Divine Rankers themselves… An example was the Custodian Of The Violet Pantheon. 

The Custodian Of The Violent Pantheon–or Custodian for short–was the last remaining member of the Violet Pantheon. As the last survivor, he strived to protect the legacy of the Violet Pantheon but was eventually eliminated by the combined efforts of many Divine Rankers due to his overwhelming power.

As he was about to fall, he revealed the Eye of Heaven–the Celestial Ametrine Eye. As a last resort, the Custodian split the sky on the 97th Floor, disturbing the energy in the atmosphere and preventing 99% of qualified candidates from ever becoming Divine Rankers.

He did this as a way to preserve his beliefs and as a way of limiting people from reaching the 98th Floor, which he believed was the Violet Pantheon's Holy Land.

Many labeled him as crazy, while some labeled him as loyal.

'No, they all believed he was crazy. Some simply thought his actions were for the greater good.'

Since then, the Celestial Ametrine Eye has simply been labeled as a myth. Many denied its existence, crediting the splitting of the sky to the Custodian's ridiculous, raw power. Of course, his power was greater than many Divine Rankers, but the eye was the catalyst.

'If I remember correctly, the Celestial Ametrine Eye has nine stages… Switching places is only the first one…'

'I must recruit this guy, or at least form an alliance.'

Arthur felt excitement bubble up, while the sudden urge to engage in a battle surfaced. He enjoyed fighting strong people, and battling a man with access to a Mythical Eye was the greatest honor.

The others didn't question Jimmy further, as even he was unaware of the specifics. The others felt jealousy and envy, but they also felt confident in their own skills. 

"Level 2 will begin, now."

Eros's voice reverberated across the arena, inciting the sighs of the players. He clapped once, causing great changes. As he relaxed, Eros felt a surge of excitement, staring at the dark-haired youth named Jimmy.

He recognized that eye, much like Arthur.

As one of the oldest Guardians, he naturally encountered the Custodian once and knew of his unusual personality. The Custodian was one of the most interesting people Eros had ever met. It was a pity the man succumbed to the might of the Divine Rankers shortly after their encounter, otherwise, they could have been great friends.

For him to witness the birth of another legend such as the Custodian was a great honor.

'Perhaps I should take him under my wing.'

He suddenly noticed Arthur's intent gaze, releasing a soft chuckle. 'It seems a predator is eyeing my prey. It's a surprise that such a greenhorn can think of recruiting other talents rather than honing his own.'

'Surprise, indeed.'

*

"Bob, start us off," Jimmy commanded, assuming the position of leader after displaying his abilities. Although the others were hesitant, they eventually agreed to follow his commands, considering he was the reason they passed Level 1.

"After Bob has inspected the Devil's power, his information will help Lisa and Jin-Woo unleash destructive attacks. While that happens, I will support them using my ability. After the Devil is exhausted, Arthur will finish it off. Is that okay?"

The other four nodded, including Arthur.

Although very simple, the tactic was quite effective, especially against the comparatively weaker Devils, who simply relied on their hatred against humanity, rather than their cunning and/or insidious nature.

Arthur backed away, allowing the four to construct a positioning that would be most efficient.

The crimson-eyed man maintained an apathetic expression, but his thoughts couldn't help but wander. He recalled the instance with the Corrupted Beast on the First Floor… Perhaps something similar would occur on the Thirteenth Floor, as their formats were the same?

Arthur glanced at Eros, noticing the Guardian was still watching.

With the latter present, the former didn't believe any mishap would occur. But just in case, he decided to mentally prepare himself.

A few seconds passed, and a deafening roar resounded across the arena, following the traveling of seismic waves across the ground. The ground cracked, forcing the players to separate.

The players gritted their teeth, releasing disgruntled noises at the squalid smell that permeated across the arena. The flames rose, but a chill ran through their spines simultaneously, establishing a hot-cold atmosphere.

It was an unusual sensation.

Arthur narrowed his eyes, realizing it was a Devil unlike other Devils he'd faced in this lifetime.

A hint of dread arose.

It was a Gruelling Devil.

[A/N: Sorry about yesterday's late chapter. I had something important going on.]