Machine God with EX-rank talent (Deus ex machina): Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Light Bringer (7)

In this battle, no one could deny that the Guardian Angel's performance was overwhelmingly the best. She had bestowed holy enchantments on all the players across the vast battlefield and used area-of-effect skills to take down tens of millions of skeletons.

‘Of course, most of them were revived.’

Despite the Guardian Angel’s impressive feats, Hyun Suho’s contribution was higher due to his efficiency. While his overall power couldn't compare to the Guardian Angel, Hyun Suho had taken down numerous Bone Wyverns with one-shot kills. His discovery of the Mana Cores' existence and their precise locations, which he shared with others, also played a significant role.

Most importantly, he had single-handedly defeated both named monsters that emerged during the Dungeon Break— the Lich and the Bone Dragon.

So, in a way, the result was only natural.

‘Though I did kind of just get the last hit on the Lich…’

In any case, if it weren't for Hyun Suho, a major disaster could have occurred. Surely, no one would have anything to say about that.

With the contribution rates calculated, it was time for the rewards to be distributed.

As expected, a massive bounty of rewards came pouring in.

《Emblem Acquired》

◆Emblem  

Wish of Death

(Rank SS)  

- All Stats +15%  

- Dark Resistance +50  

- Death Resistance +50  

- Improved Dark Vision by 50%  

- Damage against Undead +25%  

- Turn Undead effect always active when attacking

He had acquired an SS-rank emblem.

Considering the quest's difficulty and his contribution rate, it was a reasonable reward.

He gained increases to all stats, and there were also a few options that were especially effective against the undead.

This was almost on par with having the Holy Enchantment constantly active.

It might even be better in some ways.

While the options were somewhat specialized for anti-undead combat, Nova seemed to have a different perspective.

[It's far better than having mediocre abilities. Especially if you’re thinking about solo play, acquiring the ability to purify undead is a tremendous advantage.]

‘Is that so?’

The boost to all stats alone was enough to be satisfying.

However, it remained to be seen whether these stats would apply to his body, now composed of monster materials.

The next thing to check was the items.

Perhaps due to the dungeon's difficulty, he had acquired not just one, but two items.

《Artifact Acquired》

◆Artifact  

Eldritch’s Circlet 

(Epic)  

- Defense 5  

- Magic Amplification 45%  

- Mana Regeneration Rate +120%  

- Mana Consumption -8%  

- Mana Steal

◆Artifact  

Black Hole 

(Skill Book)  

Creates powerful gravitational force.

“Wow!”

The first thing that caught his eye was the circlet, a headpiece.

With its shining golden band studded with multicolored jewels, it looked like an incredibly ornate piece of jewelry.

Being of Epic grade, it was just one tier below Legendary.

Since it belonged to a wizard, its defense was low, but it had many options related to mana, particularly magic amplification.

These options were especially important to Hyun Suho, who had always struggled with mana.

Nova agreed as well.

[The options are perfect for you, Master.]

Next was the skill book, which would be worth a fortune even with the slightest effect.

While he hadn’t yet confirmed its power, it seemed incredibly potent.

‘Is there anything similar to this skill book in the auction house?’

[There is a Gravity Field magic book. It’s priced at 5.5 billion won.]

At a glance, the difference in power between Gravity Field and Black Hole seemed vast.

Since the skill book came from defeating a 9th-level Eldritch, it would likely fetch at least 10 billion won if sold.

‘For now, I’ll hold onto this.’

He could always sell it later if he ever ran low on money.

The final reward was what he had been eagerly waiting for: Level 4.

[Level up!]

《Skill Acquired》

"Finally!"

Although he said "finally," it was actually an incredibly fast progression to reach Level 4.

It had only been about a month since he transitioned to a professional Hunter.

Typically, it takes most Hunters around 6 to 7 years to reach Level 4.

So, he had drastically shortened that time.

While the tremendous experience points he earned from this Dungeon Break played a part, it was also the result of his relentless efforts and reckless approach to clearing dungeons.

‘It was worth risking my life in those crazy dungeon clearings.’

More important than leveling up was the skill he would acquire.

Depending on what skill he got, his entire plan moving forward could change drastically.

‘It’s about time I got an offensive skill, right?’

Although the Plasma Beam was more powerful than most skills, it wasn’t a catch-all solution, as proven in this battle.

He couldn’t help but hope for a good skill to supplement the Plasma Beam.

With a pounding heart, he checked the new skill.

◆Skill 

Magitek  

(Passive)  

Allows the use of Magitek.

Why did it feel like the skill descriptions were getting shorter and less detailed?

This was his follow-up skill to "Mechanical Engineering," which he obtained at Level 3.

Once again, the meaning of this skill didn’t immediately hit him.

But, as always, Nova was different.

[This is incredible! This is revolutionary! A fusion of technology and magic?!]

"Why? Is this skill that good?"

[It's not just good. It's beyond amazing! If you can acquire the necessary magical principles, your combat power will skyrocket.]

Nova’s reaction was unusually excited.

She continued, as if she couldn’t believe Hyun Suho wasn’t grasping the significance.

[Do you remember the video I showed you of the Mechanical Legion?]

When Hyun Suho first obtained the Mechanical Engineering skill, Nova had shown him a video of a massive fleet of airships and ground-based combat units, enough to cover the sky.

But Nova had made it clear that a simple mechanical army wouldn’t be much help.

It was easy to understand this, considering how modern military units, armed with advanced weapons, were utterly helpless against monsters during the Cataclysm.

However, the situation had completely changed now that he had acquired the Magitek skill.

[By embedding magical circuits into your android legion, it won’t be just a mechanical army but a magical army. We should call it a Magitek Legion from now on.]

“Is it really that powerful?”

[Even Bipo’s output and the abilities of your battle suit will be doubled. And you could even upgrade Genocide and the Chainsword.]

“Genocide?!”

Genocide was an artifact he had acquired by clearing a dimensional quest.

Although he had previously enhanced its circuits with mana stones to increase its output, that was merely a matter of syncing it with mana rather than improving its actual performance.

But now, he could genuinely enhance its capabilities.

“That’s pretty tempting.”

Hyun Suho’s combat style heavily relied on the Plasma Beam.

Although Genocide was powerful, he had always anticipated hitting a limit with it. Now, with Magitek, he could expand those limits.

“It’s like breaking through my own limits, huh?”

It was becoming more evident as he leveled up. Moreover, the skills he acquired were interrelated.

Even one is powerful, but the synergy effect makes the ability even stronger.

So what would happen if he reach level 5, or even level 10?

"Could he really stand up against the Death Star?"

Not even Nova could calculate that.

For now, he decided to think positively.

After all, he had acquired a much better skill than expected.

[As soon as I get the mana stones, I will upgrade all the equipment.]

"Good. Let's do that."

When the conversation with Nova ended, the world in front of them began to change.

Tsst tsst tsst!!

It was like rolling up a long carpet.

The land of death, which had replaced the Geumgang Mountains, began to shrink and disappear.

The erosion started to vanish as all the major monsters were dealt with in time.

Not only the land that had turned black but also the monsters inside, from skeletons to wyverns and even the fallen bone dragon, began to be sucked into a massive force.

"My precious dragon bone..."

[My dragon heart...]

Many hunters were still standing there, but they were unaffected by the force.

As if they had boarded an invisible bubble, they floated up and gently landed on the reappearing peaks of the Geumgang Mountains.

Thus, the dungeon break finally came to an end.

* * *

It was a dungeon break that had spread over a vast area.

Even after the quest was over, there were still many follow-up tasks to be done.

First, the injured were transported, and the surrounding damage was assessed.

Fortunately, there were no inhabited areas nearby, but some places were so severely damaged that the terrain had changed.

The government moved surprisingly quickly.

They took the lead in guiding the reporters around to announce that the dungeon break had ended safely and praised the hunters who had participated in the expedition.

The government also promised substantial rewards for this quest.

Applying the rewards was simple. They could apply the contribution rate judged by the system.

But this created a problem.

It was expected that the high rankers and rankers would take most of the rewards, but an unknown hunter without even a nickname had suddenly played a crucial role.

Now, Hyun Suho was with Jin Seo-yeon.

Civil servants approached with bowed heads and spoke.

"Uh... First of all, thank you, Hunter Jin Seo-yeon. And congratulations."

"Thank you."

Jin Seo-yeon was also in a daze over Hyun Suho's performance.

She had hired him for 300 million won to guard against any tricks from Jin Sa-geol.

But unexpectedly, Jin Sa-geol didn't show up, and Hyun Suho had performed brilliantly.

The reward and honor Jin Seo-yeon would receive couldn't even be compared to the 300 million won.

The civil servants approached Hyun Suho and asked.

"Congratulations, Light Bringer."

"Light Bringer? What's that?"

"It's the official nickname the government and the Hunter Association have given you."

Hyun Suho hadn't even heard about it yet, but the nickname was already official.

He frowned at the unexpected title, but it was too late.

"We needed a decent nickname to announce today's achievements to the reporters. Some outlets have probably already published articles."

[That's true. The Master's nickname has already appeared in online articles.]

‘Isn't it... a bit too grand? Light Bringer?’

As a child, he dreamed of becoming a hunter with a nickname, but now that it was a reality, it felt embarrassing.

It was a bit awkward, but it didn't feel bad either...

"The government will issue a reward for today's achievements. Is there any specific item you'd like?"

"An item?"

"Yes. Hunters usually prefer items over money. If you have a preferred type, we'll do our best to provide it."

Hyun Suho thought for a moment before requesting what he wanted.

Not long after the civil servants left, Silver Knight Eun Hwi-kwang and 'Nacheonryeo' Na Yeon-sil appeared.

Eun Hwi-kwang's face was flushed red from a distance.

As soon as he stood before Hyun Suho, he began to speak rapidly.

"I lost today because of the level difference! I'm still only level 6! Just wait! I'm an EX rank, so I'll catch up to you in no time!"

Eun Hwi-kwang seemed to think Hyun Suho was at least level 7 or 8.

Given the performance they had just seen, it was a reasonable assumption.

What kind of expression would he make if he found out Hyun Suho had just reached level 4?

‘I'm curious.’

But Hyun Suho had no intention of spreading his information just because he was curious.

He simply smirked and ignored Eun Hwi-kwang's words.

That smile made Eun Hwi-kwang even more frantic, but he was soon dragged away by other agents.

Watching him with a pathetic expression, Hyun Suho asked Na Yeon-sil, who also sighed.

"Does he have talent?"

"Yes... Definitely. Out of all the people I've trained so far, he's by far the most outstanding. But..."

"But?"

"He relies too much on his talent and doesn't participate well in training. I hope this will motivate him to train harder..."

The master was a training fanatic, but the disciple was lazy.

Yet, despite that, he was already level 6—was it the blessing of being EX rank?

Ironically, Hyun Suho was thinking the same thing as Eun Hwi-kwang.

‘I’ll catch up soon enough.’

Even reaching level 4 was an enormous growth.

Considering the Death Star, he needed to get stronger as quickly as possible.

Hyun Suho's growth was just a beginning.

* * *

A few days later, he met with the government agents again.

After clearing the dungeon break, they were there to give Hyun Suho the promised reward for his high contribution rate.

"Nice to see you, Light Bringer."

"Welcome."

At the time, Hyun Suho had asked them for a skill book.

Not just any skill book, but one related to superpowers.

He figured it would be better to get it from them than to buy it at an auction.

Sure enough, they brought a rare skill book.

◆Artifact

Teleportation

(Skill Book)

Leaps through space to move.

"Oh!"

They also brought telekinesis and electric discharge skill books, but this was the only one that caught Hyun Suho's eye.

It was so rare that it couldn't be bought with money.