"Alright. Let's just use this spear," Edward said as he reached for Poseidon's Spear from its special rack.
"Wait, Master."
"What now, Fay?" Edward sighed.
The inventory window opened right in front of him, casting a soft blue glow.
"Please take these healing items, Master."
"Why now? Just give it to me later when we're inside the tower."
"No. You must take it now. Take two."
Edward frowned. Strange—but he couldn't be bothered to argue. He grabbed two healing potion bottles and placed them on the table.
"Satisfied?" he muttered.
"Now, Master, you must strike the tip of the spear against the floor three times. After that, you need to say: 'From this moment on, I am your master.'"
"Is all that really necessary?"
"Yes, absolutely. Without it, Poseidon's Spear will remain nothing more than an ordinary relic with no power."
Edward let out a long breath. "Okay."
Without wasting time, he followed the system's instructions. Three strikes echoed through the room, and then—
"From this day forth, I am your master."
The moment the words left his mouth, a white light flared from the core of Poseidon's Spear. The energy spiraled upward, coiling around Edward's arm before enveloping his entire body.
Edward froze, unable to speak. His eyes widened as the swirling energy crept toward his face, and then—
"Arghh!!" Edward screamed in agony. His body lifted off the ground, trembling violently as he clung to the spear with all his strength.
"A human…?"
"Yes!" Edward's eyes shot open—but the world around him appeared upside down, as though he were lying on the floor.
"Master! Master!"
Edward tried to get up but groaned. A sharp, crushing pain throbbed in his skull, as if someone had slammed a rock into his head.
"What was that just now, Fay?" he asked, struggling to rise, still gasping for air.
"That is normal, Master. Poseidon's Spear transfers its energy and grants you the understanding of how to use its skills."
Edward pressed a hand to his head. The pain was horrifyingly real, as if he were truly experiencing it in the real world.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"You only need to drink the healing potion, Master. The pain will fade shortly."
"Oh… so that's why you told me to take the potion."
"Yes, Master."
Edward clenched his jaw in irritation. Still kneeling and half-staggering, he reached for the two potion bottles on the table. The pain in his head felt like nails being hammered straight into his skull.
The moment he gulped down the potion, the pain slowly began to fade. Edward pushed himself up while gripping the spear, still unaware of the change in his body.
"If everything's settled, we should get going now." Edward took a step—then suddenly stopped.
His eyes narrowed. Reflected on the back of the Aegis shield—which he had purposely turned around because he absolutely refused to look at Medusa's face—was the silhouette of a man.
"Who the hell is that…?" Edward whispered as he slowly raised a hand to touch his own face.
"What the f—!" Edward fell back onto the floor. His chin was now covered with a thick beard, and not only that—his entire body had transformed, strong and muscular, like a warrior from ancient times.
"Hey, Fay! What happened to my body?! Why do I look like this?!"
"Do not worry, Master. This transformation only occurs when you are using Poseidon's Spear," Fay explained calmly.
Edward stood and stared at the system window. He leaned the spear against the wall—and instantly, his body returned to normal.
"Wow… that's incredible," Edward breathed, stunned by his own reflection. He grabbed the spear again—and once more, his body shifted into the same powerful, imposing form as before.
"Why does this happen?"
"Because you have synchronized with the spear. When you hold it, your body changes into that of its original owner."
"Meaning… this is Poseidon's real body?"
"Yes, Master."
Edward let out a small laugh—then burst into loud laughter.
"Hahaha! This is Poseidon! What are we waiting for? I am now Poseidon—the King of all the Seas!"
"Wait a moment, Master."
Edward's brow tightened, his mood dropping instantly.
"What is it now, Fay?"
"You need to form a strategy first, Master."
"For what? I just have to teleport into the tower, turn the entire place into an ocean—end of story."
"You must wait until all players have entered the tower first."
"Check it."
"One moment, Master."
Silence.
"There are still one million, two hundred twenty-four thousand, five hundred sixty-six players outside."
Edward let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Why are we waiting for them, Fay? Entering doesn't help them anyway. What are they going to do—swim?"
"You misunderstand the skill of Poseidon's Spear. Even though you can turn the area into an ocean, it only lasts for one hour. After that, everything returns to normal."
Edward froze.
"If I walk in looking like this… who would dare fight me?"
"True. You are Poseidon now."
Edward smirked.
"I can still use my oracle skill, right?"
"Yes, you can."
"Then what are we waiting for? With Poseidon's power and my oracle skill, who can stop me?"
"But before that, Master, you should check the player forum," Fay said.
"No need, Fay. I already know… I've become the biggest target for players."
"Correct, Master. On the forums, you are targeted by the top 180 guilds and hated by nearly one million active players. Many say you must be eliminated first."
Edward said nothing.
Ever since he changed class to The Oracle Wanderer, he had only one mission: to hunt relics across the world of Valdora. Whether he found them himself or stole opportunities born from other players' hard work—it wasn't because he was evil, but because he understood exactly how Valdora worked.
Valdora was full of players who would steal, kill, and betray their own teammates over a single legendary item.
At first, he played just for fun. But everything changed when he gained teammates. They formed a small guild. For years they explored together, fought together, struggled together. They shared rewards, and the money from selling items was split fairly—so much so that Edward eventually quit his job and relied on Valdora as his main source of income in the real world.
But all of that was destroyed.
Because of a single relic: Fangzun—a relic capable of giving a permanent 50% buff to the entire guild as long as it remained in their possession.
His guild wanted to sell it. Edward refused. To him, with Fangzun, their small guild could finally stand on equal ground with the giant guilds.
And that was what shattered everything.
His entire guild conspired to kill him. Only by killing him could they kick him out and seize Fangzun.
"Master?"
"Master…?"
With Poseidon's fearsome face, Edward jolted when the system called out to him. He hadn't realized how deep he had sunk into his memories.
"Yes, Fay?"
"Do you wish to depart now?"
"Check one more thing for me, Fay."
"You want me to locate the members of The Survivors Guild," the system replied, as if already reading his thoughts.
"Yes. Where are they?"
"All of them are inside the tower, Master."
Edward drew a slow breath. The deep blue aura of Poseidon rippled from his body like waves straining to contain a storm.
"Good…" a cold smile curved on his lips.
"Let them all witness the wrath of Poseidon."
His expression hardened; his eyes burned sharp—truly like a sea god preparing to unleash devastation upon every player inside that tower.