[Special energy source detected!]
[Analyzing energy source…]
[Energy value: 2,500 Origin Points. Status: Extractable.]
…
[Energy value: 3,000 Origin Points. Status: Extractable.]
…
[Energy value: 10,000 Origin Points. Status: Extractable.]
…
One after another, the stream of crisp notifications echoed through Alex's mind—
a mechanical voice whispering like music in his ears.
Extractable. Extractable. Extractable.
The words felt like a sweet rhythm, and Alex couldn't help the grin that tugged at the corner of his lips. A spark of excitement gleamed in his eyes, sharp and alive.
> "Jackpot."
It was the kind of luck a man could wait a lifetime for.
He strolled leisurely through the treasure vault, the soles of his boots clicking softly against polished marble. Every surface shimmered under the glow of golden firelight. Ancient artifacts rested on pedestals, sealed in glass or displayed proudly atop stone platforms—each one a relic of Themyscira's divine legacy.
As he swept his gaze across the chamber, his system's scanning overlay came alive.
Every artifact shimmered with a faint aura only he could see, each radiating a unique signature—pure, concentrated energy, ripe for the taking.
Some glowed faintly, worth only a few thousand points. Others burned with dazzling intensity, overflowing with tens of thousands.
By the time the cascade of reports concluded, Alex's system had already tallied the results with merciless precision.
> 217,000 Origin Points.
Two hundred and seventeen thousand.
His low chuckle filled the chamber, echoing off the vaulted ceiling.
This trip to Themyscira had turned out better than he'd ever dared to imagine.
Since the day he'd obtained the system, Alex had completed mission after mission, drained planets and artifacts of their power, harvested countless sources of energy—but never had he stumbled upon a treasure trove this rich. The biggest haul before this? Barely ten thousand points.
This… was something else entirely.
> "Not bad,"
he murmured approvingly, nodding once.
"Not bad at all."
He reached for the nearest relic—a golden dagger inlaid with sapphires that shimmered like captured starlight. It was beautiful, impossibly sharp, humming faintly with divine power.
[Extraction successful!]
[Congratulations, Host! +2,500 Origin Points!]
The dagger dissolved between his fingers, turning to fine dust that drifted weightlessly to the floor. Alex's smile deepened, eyes glinting with satisfaction.
He reached for another relic. Then another.
[Extraction successful!]
[Extraction successful!]
[Extraction successful!]
The rhythmic chime of system prompts rolled through his mind in waves, and his Origin Point counter soared upward like a rocket. It was intoxicating—watching the numbers climb, feeling the pulse of raw energy rushing into him.
Then, just as he was reaching for the next treasure—
> "Stop! What do you think you're doing?!"
A furious roar split the air like thunder.
Queen Hippolyta had arrived.
She burst into the vault with her guards at her heels, golden armor gleaming in the torchlight. The moment her eyes fell on the scene before her, her fury ignited.
The once-pristine vault was now half-ruined—pedestals shattered, relics crumbling to dust, sacred artifacts reduced to nothing beneath this intruder's touch.
> "Ah, Queen Hippolyta,"
Alex greeted, voice calm and almost teasing.
He didn't even pause, still idly turning a relic in his hand.
"Apologies… but I'm afraid I can't stop right now."
SHING!
The queen's sword left its sheath with a bright, ringing note.
> "Then I'll make you stop!"
Her voice was cold as steel.
In the next instant, she was upon him—her divine blade cutting through the air in a brilliant arc. Years of battle had honed her instincts to perfection. Her movement was fluid, elegant, unstoppable.
But Alex didn't even flinch.
His left hand still cradled the artifact mid-extraction.
With his right, he lifted his palm lazily—almost bored.
CLANG!
The blade halted mid-swing.
He had caught it. Barehanded.
> "What?!"
Hippolyta's eyes widened, disbelief etched across her face.
She'd heard Antiope's report—heard how this man had toyed with her soldiers—but seeing it was something else entirely.
Catching a god-forged sword without even a scratch?
That was beyond absurd.
She snarled and dug in her heels, pouring divine strength through her arms, her muscles taut with effort. The sword blazed with radiant energy—but it didn't move. His hand was like iron, immovable and unyielding.
> You've got to be kidding me.
SWOOSH!
SWOOSH!
The sound of rushing footsteps filled the chamber as more Amazons charged in, spears gleaming, eyes blazing with fury. Seeing their queen locked in combat, they attacked from all directions, their war cries echoing through the vault.
Alex sighed softly. The relic in his hand disintegrated into dust.
Then, with a casual wave of his arm—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A shockwave tore through the vault like a hurricane.
Marble cracked. Pillars split. Warriors were hurled backward, slamming into walls with bone-rattling force before collapsing in heaps. Not one remained standing.
Silence fell. Only dust and the faint hum of collapsing energy remained.
> "Impossible…"
Hippolyta's voice trembled as she stared at him.
She had fought gods, monsters, titans—but this… this was beyond comprehension.
He hadn't even exerted himself.
He'd brought down a squad of her best warriors with nothing more than a flick of his wrist.
> What kind of monstrous power is this?
BOOM!
Alex moved again.
He threw a single punch—unhurried, almost gentle—but the air itself warped around it. The pressure alone hit Hippolyta like a wall, making her lungs seize.
She met his attack head-on, abandoning her sword and throwing her own fist forward, the blow charged with divine might.
THUD!
The impact thundered through the vault.
Hippolyta was blasted backward, crashing through the stone wall like a cannonball. Dust and rubble cascaded down as she vanished into the debris.
But she didn't stay down. With a roar, she emerged again, eyes fierce, armor cracked, determination burning bright.
Alex didn't even glance her way.
He was already focused on another relic, his tone calm and conversational.
> "Instead of wasting your time here," he said,
"you should be out there dealing with your real enemies."
His voice was casual—almost friendly.
It was infuriating.
> "So this is your goal then?" Hippolyta demanded,
her tone sharp as her blade.
"You came for Themyscira's treasures? Aren't you afraid you'll start a war between mankind and the Amazons?"
> "Let's get one thing clear," Alex replied smoothly, brushing dust from his gloves.
"I'm me. They're them. Whatever others are after, I couldn't care less.
As for me—yeah, I came for these treasures."
> "Why? What grudge do you have against Themyscira?
Why destroy our sacred artifacts?!"
> "Destroy?"
Alex blinked, then chuckled quietly, the corners of his lips curving in amusement.
Of course she'd think that. From her perspective, every relic he touched was turning to ash.
Let her misunderstand, he thought. Explaining would take too long—and he had better things to do.
> "I won't let you succeed!"
SWOOSH!
With a fierce battle cry, Hippolyta launched herself forward once more, fury driving her every step.
> "Stubborn woman,"
Alex muttered with a sigh, shaking his head.
> "If you insist—don't blame me for hitting harder this time."
He swung his fist again.
BOOM!
The impact resounded like thunder.
Hippolyta flew backward, smashing through another wall before crashing outside the vault, her body carving a crater into the ground. This time, she didn't rise again.
Dust settled. Silence reclaimed the chamber.
Alex stood amid piles of glittering ash—the remnants of Themyscira's most sacred relics. The air shimmered faintly with residual divine energy, slowly fading into nothing.
His expression remained composed, calm, almost serene, as the system continued its chiming in his head.
[Extraction successful!]
[+10,000 Origin Points!]
[Extraction complete!]
Alex exhaled softly, surveying the devastation with quiet satisfaction.
> "Now that's what I call a full-scale raid."
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