Nightingale knew that shooting at the towering monstrosity before him was pointless. Bullets wouldn't achieve the result he wanted, they would at best just chip away at the creature's rocky body but ultimately leave it unharmed.
That was why he had resorted to his Mythic Ability: [Flatten], using it as a last-ditch effort. Even then, there was no certainty of success.
In reality, his ability was limited to flattening only small objects and reduce them into two-dimensional forms. There was no way it could work on something this massive or on a living creature, for that matter.
But what exactly qualified as a "small object"? Could the organs inside a living being count?
And if that were possible… what would happen if he aimed for the monstrosity's heart?
That form of attack was most certainly unavoidable and would kill it instantly but there was a possibility that it wouldn't work at all.
All things considered, there were countless variables he hadn't accounted for, and many things could go wrong.
Even so, he was willing to stake everything on this slim possibility. That was why he had deliberately taunted the creature and carefully shaped his expression to resemble that of a cornered, helpless rabbit so that the fiend would grow overconfident and let its guard down.
Stretching forth his hand, Nightingale activated his mythical power on command and declared:
"Get flattened!"
The moment Nightingale's command pierced the air, the space before his outstretched hand seemed to ripple unnaturally.
A tense, suffocating silence enveloped the swamp, broken only by the low, rumbling growl of the Crawling Terror King as it barreled forward, oblivious to the strange distortion forming before it.
Suddenly, an invisible force assaulted the monstrosity and penetrated into its body without delay.
"...!"
The Crawling Terror King froze mid-roll and its molten veins flared violently as if the energy pressing against it was burning from the inside out. Its massive claws scraped the mud uselessly, leaving deep furrows that shattered and warped under the invisible pressure.
A high-pitched screech echoed from the creature, reverberating through the swamp like a broken bell. For the first time, its eyes widened in panic.
Desperately, the creature tried to lunge forward and roll Its enormous body again, but the force of Nightingale's power held it in place, compressing it, twisting it, rendering its massive movements clumsy and awkward. Each attempt to fight back only made it flatten unevenly along the points of contact.
Mud, water, and shards of stone flew in every direction as the Crawling Terror King thrashed, but it was trapped in a surreal distortion. Its roar now sounded distorted and fractured like a voice coming through a warped mirror.
Despite that, somehow, it was resisting the invisible hand.
Nightingale gritted his teeth.
"Come on... Just die already!"
With a final, decisive push of intent, he increased the pressure and pressed into the creature's chest where the heart would be. For a moment, the monster remained defiant and resisting then it crumbed in the next second.
Its heart had been "Flattened."
The Crawling Terror King's roar choked off, replaced by a strangled, gurgling scream. Its massive body shuddered violently, swaying back and forth like a tree in a storm, before finally collapsing onto its side.
Silence fell over the swamp. The monstrous figure lay still, motionless.
Just like that, it was dead.
After its demise, the Mire's voice echoed through the swamp:
[You have slain a Great Fiend, King of Crawlers.]
Then, moments later:
[You have obtained the Mystery: Fallen Glory.]
† †
Nightingale stared at the void where the creature had stood, his expression a mix of shock and disbelief. To his surpise, his [Flatten] had actually worked as intended, taking down the monstrous fiend. But what left him even more stunned was the Voice's message.
"I… received a Mystery?"
Blinking, he summoned the system interface to confirm.
| Name: Nightingale
| Soul Slate: Black
| Mysteries: [Fallen Glory]
| Attributes: [Perception], [Tenacity], [Marksman]
Sure enough... it was there, clear as day.
"What kind of Mystery is Fallen Glory? An armor, maybe? Please let it be a piece of armor."
Fighting Chaos Creatures was always dangerous, and without proper preparation, the risk of injury was sky-high. He had so far remained unscathed, but even against a creature made of stone, he felt vulnerable, naked and exposed.
The name of the Mystery didn't inspire much confidence, and the Crawling Terror King he had faced was only a Greater Fiend, so his expectations had never been high. Still, he held onto a sliver of hope that the Mystery might be worthwhile.
Without further delay, Nightingale accessed the mystery's information:
Mystery: [Fallen Glory]
Mystery Rank: Awakened
Mystery Tier: II
Mystery Description: [Once wielded by a legendary hero to vanquish evil spirits, its divinity has faded over the ages, leaving only remnants of its former power.]
Enchantment: [Purification]
Enchantment Description: [The holy sword is capable of severing the corruption within a target. Once used by heroes to purge the taint of dæmons, it retains the power to cleanse, harm, or destroy the essence of its target.]
Nightingale patiently scanned the details of the nightmare. Finished, he muttered under his breath.
"So it's not armor."
A hint of disappointment crossed his face. Then his eyes lit up.
"... But this could be way better."
He summoned the Mystery.
In the next moment, a white sword materialized in his hand. The sword felt impossibly light, but there was an undeniable weight of authority in its presence.
Subtle, yet unmistakably there.
Nightingale swung the sword experimentally, feeling its weight and balance with each arc, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.
"Oh boy… my first Mystery, and it's a holy sword. What a boon!"
Fallen Glory was indeed a holy sword, long forgotten with its divine power diminished over the ages. But even a broken holy sword was still a holy sword.
If he were to strike a few Chaos Creatures with it… would they crumble to dust and vanish entirely? The thought made a thrill run down his spine.
Unfortunately, there was nothing to test the sword on.
Nightingale's gaze shifted to the remains of the Crawling King. Its heart had been flattened, ending its life instantly. Now, its massive body had crumbled and broke into countless stone fragments that scattered across the swamp.
Speaking of fragments…
"Ah, that's right. I shouldn't forget to harvest its spirit shards."
Inside every Chaos Creature resided what Espers called a Spirit Core, or Ether Core. Essentially, a Chaos Core acted as a storage unit for the creature's soul, accumulating spiritual energy over time. This differed from humans, who possessed a Soul Slate that advanced based on clarity and purity, whereas Chaos Creatures grew stronger the darker and more corrupted they became.
When a Chaos Creature died, its Chaos Core would shatter into fragments called "Shards."
And these shards could either be used to recharge an Awakened's Soul Slate or traded for money through the Awakened Association.
Whatever the case may be, Spirit Shards undoubtedly possessed a greater value than paper money.
Nightingale scratched his head and stepped toward the rocky remains and searched for the Spirit Shards.
A few minutes passed. He combed through the debris, but the shards, which he assured to be shiny and luminous, were nowhere to be found.
"What's going on? Aren't they supposed to be here?"
He frowned.
Was this one of those cases where the monster didn't drop its shards?
No, that couldn't be it.
All Chaos Creatures released shards upon death. Their Spirit Cores functioned much like a human heart, so there was no way it wouldn't be there.
…Wait. A heart?
"Don't tell me..." Nightingale's eyes widened as he came to an sudden realization.
Earlier, he had used his Mythic Ability to crush the Crawling Terror King's heart, leading to its demise. But the heart of the creature was its Core. By using [Flatten], he had fundamentally destroyed the Spirit Core, the source of its life and accumulated energy, before it had a chance to fragment into shards.
He muttered,
"...Of course. If the Core is destroyed, it won't survive. In other words, if there is no Core, then its shards would naturally be absent."
The realization brought a mix of awe and frustration.
It was simple and straightforward. His ability was that precise.
He bent down and examined the remaining debris, noting how the shattered stone fragments of the Crawling King were scattered loosely around him. The physical body was gone, the Core was gone, and the shards that normally would have been his reward were gone as well.
There was truly nothing.
A part of him felt a pang of regret. Shards were used by Espers to strengthen themselves and advance to higher levels. In fact, they were among the most important resources an Awakened could acquire. And now, thanks to [Flatten], he had no tangible reward for defeating the Greater Fiend.
But there was nothing he could do. The Core had already been obliterated.
He sighed.
"At the very least, I killed a Greater Fiend. If I'm lucky, those Crawling Terrors might have dropped something worthwhile."
Killing a Greater Fiend as a starting Squire without touching it was certainly an impressive feat, though most people would never know, and Nightingale didn't think much of it either.
In the end, he stood up and began to search the entire swamp where the fallen terrors had died, hoping to find their Spirit Shards.