[You have killed your first Catastrophe.]
[You have received a Weapon Gacha Ticket (Legendary Grade) x1]
[You have killed the Catastrophe, the Crimson Sky Wyrm.]
[You have received the Conqueror Trial Ticket x1]
The messages floated in front of Isaacâs vision.
For a moment, he just stared.
A slow breath left his lungs.
"...So itâs really dead," he murmured.
The weight that had been pressing down on his chest since the battle began eased slightly. Not fully. Not yet. But enough for him to realize how tense he had been the entire time.
A Legendary Weapon Gacha Ticket.
Isaacâs eyes lingered on that line longer than the others.
âA guaranteed Legendary weapon is good,â he thought.
That alone was absurd.
Even in the Lord Cities, Legendary-grade equipment was something Lords fought wars over. Families passed them down like sacred relics.
And this one wasnât even a normal one, it was from the System.
His plow flashed through his mind. It was Legendary grade.
The upgraded version of his old hoe. A farming tool that had somehow become one of the most terrifying items he owned. The land it touched changed fundamentally. Even the Water Elemental Spirit had sought him out because of it, claiming the soil had become comparable to a godâs domain.
That wasnât normal Legendary gear, of course.
That was Legendary gear from System so it was more powerful than normal Legendary gear.
âAnd now I can get a Legendary weapon from the System,â Isaac thought, a quiet thrill running through him.
He didnât know what it would be. A sword, a spear, something stranger. But whatever it was, it wouldnât be ordinary.
Then his gaze shifted to the next reward.
Conqueror Trial Ticket.
His expression grew more serious.
âOnly Conqueror Candidates can use it. And passing the trial makes you a true Conqueror,â he recalled.
Just being a Candidate had already doubled the effectiveness of his stats. Every point of strength, mana, constitution, it all counted for more. The difference was obvious every time he fought.
If that was the power of a Candidate...
"What kind of monster does a true Conqueror become?" Isaac muttered.
The thought made his pulse quicken.
He didnât have time to dwell on it.
A golden blur slammed into him from the side.
Isaac was sent flying, and he crashed. Dust scattered into the air, but he barely felt the impact. His constitution absorbed most of it.
Before he could even sit up, arms wrapped tightly around him.
"You idiot!" Alice shouted, her voice shaking. She buried her face against his chest, gripping his clothes as if afraid he might vanish. "Why do you keep doing things like that?!"
Isaac blinked, then laughed.
"What was dangerous about it? I beat it without any injuries," he said lightly.
That was a lie.
A clean one, but a lie nonetheless.
He had been seconds from being digested alive. His shields had shattered. His healing had been pushed to its limit. If anything had gone wrongâ
He didnât finish the thought.
Alice pulled back slightly and glared at him, eyes red. "Donât joke like that."
He smiled at her, softer this time. "Letâs talk about something else? Arenât you happy? We defeated a legendary monster like you always dreamt! Of course, this is just the first legendary monster you fought! We will defeat more in the future!"
Her grip loosened.
Alice stared at him for a long moment.
Then, slowly, a smile appeared on her face. It was small, restrained, but real. The usual coldness in her expression softened just a little.
Before she could say anythingâ
"Everyone, stay alert!" Altheaâs voice rang out across the battlefield. "The fight isnât over yet!"
Isaac frowned.
He had clearly received the System confirmation. The Crimson Sky Wyrm was dead. There was no ambiguity there. And unknown to him, Alice had received the same rewards as well.
Catherine, too, though she hadnât received the Weapon Gacha Ticket, had gained a Conqueror Trial Ticket.
The System wouldnât make that kind of mistake.
Then Isaac felt it.
A pressure descended on the city. Dreadful pressure.
His expression hardened.
He switched his vision to one of his clones instantly.
Through its eyes, he saw the corpse of the Crimson Sky Wyrm.
And above itâ
A final slit had opened.
The Sixth Eye.
"...What?" Isaac whispered.
Realization hit him almost immediately.
âIt opened it at the moment of death.â
The Sixth Eye could partially control Red Rain.
But why use it now?
The Crimson Sky Wyrm was already dead.
A chill ran down Isaacâs spine.
"No," he muttered. "That bastard..."
He switched perspectives again, this time to a clone stationed near the city walls.
The view changed.
And his breath caught.
Far beyond the cityâs perimeter, a massive chunk of flesh slammed into the ground. It was unmistakably a part of the Crimson Sky Wyrmâs body. Torn away during its death throes and hurled with terrifying force.
And above it, the sky darkened unnaturally.
Red Rain began to fall.
Too early.
It was supposed to arrive at least thirty minutes later.
"That thing threw part of itself outside the city," Isaac said grimly.
Understanding spread quickly among the command group.
Altheaâs voice sharpened. "Itâs trying to revive!"
Isaac remembered the Sinkhole Worms.
They had been dead, and fully decomposed by him. And yet, lingering spirits combined with Red Rain had twisted them into something worse.
The Crimson Sky Wyrm was on a completely different level.
If Red Rain touched its corpse, it would revive, and mutate, and become something far worse than Sinkhole Worms.
It would lose intelligence, yes, but it would gain raw power in exchange.
This move was its trump card.
Isaac opened his hand and began forming a spatial gate.
"Iâll retrieve it," he said.
But even as the dark spatial cloud began to form, he knew.
It was too slow.
Five seconds for the dark spatial cloud to stabilize. Two more to pass through and reach the corpse.
Red Rain would hit the ground before that.
And if he stepped into spatial cloud, he would mutate as well when rain fell.
Isaac ground his teeth, mind racing.
Thenâ
A dark spatial cloud appeared next to the fallen flesh.
"What?" Isaac gasped.
A figure burst out of it.
Celia.
She moved without hesitation, clutching the Soulbind Pendant in her hand. The subspace within it opened, and she stuffed the writhing chunk of flesh inside with practiced precision.
She turned backâ
And the first drops of Red Rain began to fall.
"Celia!" Isaac shouted.
He was already flying, wings flaring as he pushed himself to maximum speed.
Too far.
Too late.
The rain was seconds from fully descending.
Then Isaac felt it.
That familiar, chilling sensation.
His hair stood on end.
Blue lightning flashed across his vision.
The sky split open.
A clean, precise slash carved through the clouds, parting them completely. The Red Rain halted mid-fall, dispersing unnaturally as the pressure behind it was severed.
It was the same attack.
The same overwhelming sword intent.
Sword Empress.
Celia didnât waste the opening.
She dove back through the spatial cloud just as it closed behind her.
The sky slowly returned to normal.
The Red Rain was delayed for a few seconds before it began again.
Isaac finally let out a long breath.
Alice, who had already been told what had happened through Emilyâs telepathic link, glanced at him and spoke. "You were worried sick when Celia did that, right? Thatâs how we feel every time you pull those stupid stunts."
Isaac scratched the back of his head and gave a wry smile.
"...Yeah. I donât really have a comeback for that," he admitted.
Before Alice could say anything else, Celiaâs voice burst into their minds through the telepathic channel.
"Isaac! Alice! Emily! Did you see that? I was awesome, right? Hahaha!"
She sounded genuinely thrilled, her laughter bright and unrestrained, as if she had just finished a fun game rather than nearly being caught in Red Rain.
Isaac smiled helplessly while Alice let out a small sigh and shook her head.
"Praise me, Isaac!" Celia continued, clearly grinning on the other end. "I did a good job!"
Isaac opened his mouth to do exactly that.
Alice covered it with her hand.
Then she leaned slightly forward and spoke into the telepathic link instead. "Celia, where are you right now? Vale is looking for you. He said he saw you teleporting out of the city just as the Red Rain was about to fall."
There was a pause.
"...Eh?"
Celia froze.
Even through the link, Isaac could practically picture her stiffening.
"Celia? Vale is asking for your location. Where are you?" Alice called again, her tone perfectly calm.
"Hello?" Celia replied nervously. "I c-canât hear you very well, Alice. Alice? Seems like the mana from the Red Ra-Rain is causing interference. Soâ"
The connection cut off.
Just like that.
Isaac stared blankly ahead, still half-opening his mouth to speak.
"...She hung up," he said.
Alice lowered her hand and rubbed her temple. "She did."
For a few seconds, neither of them said anything.
Isaac was the first to break the silence. "She really did help though."
Alice turned and looked at him.
Her gaze wasnât angry. It was tired.
"Donât encourage that behavior. If you praise her this time, sheâll do something even more dangerous next time," she said quietly.
"But..." Isaac started.
He stopped when she didnât look away.
"...Alright," he said eventually, backing down. "I wonât."
Alice sighed softly.
She didnât want to be strict. She really didnât.
But her heart had already been stretched thin after watching Isaac gamble with his life again and again.
If Celia, a new part of her family, started following his example, acting first and thinking later, Alice wasnât sure she could handle it.
Isaac had already slipped out of her control long ago.
Celia didnât have to.
While they were talking, one of Isaacâs clones flew down to a different part of the battlefield.
Sword Empress stood there, her sword planted in the ground for support. Sweat clung to her hair, and her breathing was heavy and uneven. Her hands trembled slightly.
She had pushed herself far past her limits.
"Thank you," Isaac said as his clone approached her.
She looked up and gave a tired nod.
"Please rest now," Isaac continued. "Weâll handle things from here."
She shook her head. "The Red Rain has just started. This is everyoneâs first time experiencing it. I should stay and guide them."
Before Isaac could reply, Catherine appeared beside them.
"Master, I will guide them. Iâve seen Red Rains before. I know how cities defend against them," she said firmly.
Sword Empress hesitated. "Butâ"
"Rest," Catherine said, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Sword Empress opened her mouth, then closed it again. After a moment, she nodded.
"...Alright."
Isaac took that as his cue. "Please enter my Soulbind Pendant. You can rest in the mansion there. The maids will take care of you."
Sword Empress didnât argue this time. She accepted, her body clearly too exhausted to resist.
Since she was bonded to Isaac, she could enter the Cradle
As Isaac looked up, he noticed a familiar presence approaching quickly.
Celia.
She was flying toward Catherineâs location. Isaac didnât miss the calculation behind it. Celiaâs brother didnât like Catherine, which meant Vale probably wouldnât come looking here.
Clever.
Isaac let her pass without comment.
His gaze shifted upward.
Red Rain was finally falling.
The Sky Dome shimmered faintly as it intercepted the droplets, preventing them from reaching the city itself. Even so, watching it made Isaacâs chest tighten.
There was something deeply unsettling about it. It felt as though something vast and unknowable was watching him through the rain.
He looked away and exhaled slowly.
While the Red Rain had begun, the monsters wouldnât come immediately. That much he knew. The corrupted monsters near the city had already been cleared earlier by the guilds and Professor Catherine.
The ones that would respond to the Red Rain were farther away.
It would take time for them to come.
"One or two hours at least," Isaac murmured.
That was their rest window.
And it was crucial.
A Catastrophe-level battle had just ended. Their strongest fighters were exhausted. If they didnât recover now, they wouldnât last once the real horde began.