Chapter 25: Battle Aftermath
Zaphro's POV
The Hydra's massive corpse lay motionless on the scorched earth, a dark silhouette against the glowing sky. The battlefield was littered with craters, charred terrain, and exhausted players who were collapsing, gasping for air and cheering in disbelief.
Then—
A chime echoed across the server, clear and resounding.
[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]
> You have unlocked a Hidden Path.
Access to the Second Realm: [Helliopolis City] is now available.
Only those who participated in the raid may enter.
A golden doorway shimmered into existence above the Hydra's remains. Floating symbols rotated around it, ancient and unreadable. The gateway pulsed with energy—a literal path to another world.
Gasps rippled across the crowd.
"No way…" whispered Aryus, still nursing his wounds but wide-eyed.
"The Second Realm?" Andromeda muttered. "That wasn't even in the beta."
"Helliopolis City…" Accel breathed out, full of wonder. "We found it."
Just then, a system chime rang in my ears, followed by a rare pop-up message.
[CONGRATULATIONS]
> You have dealt the Final Strike to the Legendary Hydra of Dreadmarsh.
Reward: [Animus Box – Bound] has been added to your inventory.
Animus Box: A soul-locked treasure said to contain an unknown entity or power. Only those who have transcended a class or defeated an ancient guardian may open it.
My heart skipped.
An Animus Box? That was one of the rarest loot types in the entire game. Rumors from the old forums said they could contain anything—from unique pets, to legendary weapons, to sentient AI companions with evolving personalities.
"Yo," Slicer—Dan—walked up beside me, nudging me with an elbow. "System just tell you what I think it did?"
"Yeah," I muttered, still staring at the shimmering inventory icon. "I got... an Animus Box."
He whistled low. "Those things are like... myth. You opening it now?"
I shook my head. "No. Not yet. Something tells me it's tied to what's ahead."
And there was something else—something more important.
I was still in my demon form when I landed the final blow.
But... the madness didn't come.
No whispers. No rage. No bloodlust or urges to destroy.
For the first time since unlocking this form, the chaos had gone silent—and I was in control.
I clenched my fists and stared at my reflection in a cracked piece of scorched armor. Red eyes, faint dark aura... but my thoughts were clear. My will was intact.
The demon hadn't taken over.
I had mastered it.
"Yo, you good?" Slicer asked, eyeing me warily.
"I'm good," I said, finally letting out a breath. "The form didn't take me. I was... me the whole time."
"Damn." Andromeda chuckled. "So not only did you nuke the boss and unlock a second realm, but you also proved you're the first stable Dark Form user?"
Accel stepped up, smirking. "That's my mentor for you."
I smirked back.
The golden portal to Helliopolis City pulsed again. It was waiting.
[Would you like to enter the Hidden Realm: Helliopolis City?]
> Warning: This is a one-way path. The city is not listed on any official maps. Travel costs will apply to return.
Recommended Level: 80+
Dungeon Raiding Access Unlocked: Yes
Pet Evolution Available: Yes
Angel Class Faction Quests: Unlocked
"Guess we just made Enigma Online history," Jin muttered beside Aryus.
"Second realm... huh." I looked up at the portal. "Let's see what kind of hell we just unlocked."
Accel raised his sword. "We go together."
"Together," I echoed, my hand hovering near the Animus Box in my inventory.
A realm beyond the map.
A power sealed in a soulbound box.
And the whisper of something ancient waiting in the City of Sun and Shadows.
I smiled.
"Let's go raise some hell in Helliopolis."
Zaphro's POV
As the dust settled and cheers echoed across the field, my system screen pinged again.
You have received: Animus Box (Legendary – Soulbound)
Condition: Can only be opened by the player who landed the final blow.
I raised an eyebrow. The black cube hovered in front of me, pulsing ominously with red runes that danced along its surface. The energy it radiated was unlike anything I'd felt before—alive, almost… sentient.
"What's that?" Accel asked, floating beside me, still catching his breath.
"The animus box," I muttered, opening the item menu. "One hell of a reward."
"It just popped out of my inventory."
With a slow breath, I tapped the box. The cube rotated, shook violently, and with a crack, burst open midair in a swirl of black flame and arcane smoke.
Out flew a small figure no taller than a dagger—midnight hair, red eyes, jagged black wings, and a very, very grumpy face.
"Tch. Took you long enough, papa."
"…What?" I blinked.
The tiny being floated just inches from my face, arms crossed, eyes burning with annoyance.
"Yeah, you. You're my summoner now. My soul's bound to yours. So, congratulations, papa. I'm Gwydox—legendary elemental spirit, destroyer of weaklings, bringer of sass, and now your glorified backpack. Yay."
"…Did you just call me papa?"
"Don't get used to it. It's a default imprint. You can change it later—if I let you."
Slicer nearly choked laughing, while Accel stared like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"This fairy has issues," Slicer snorted.
Gwydox whipped around midair and flipped him off with an elegant swirl. "You have issues. Shut it, sword boy."
I couldn't help it. I actually laughed. "Alright, Gwydox. Welcome aboard."
The moody fairy rolled his eyes. "Just don't die, papa. I hate going back inside that stupid box."
System Notification: Gwydox (Legendary Elemental Spirit – Shadow-Flame Type) has been bound as your permanent AI Companion.
"Looks like you got yourself a foul-mouthed pet," Accel grinned.
"Correction," Gwydox snapped, perching on my shoulder with dark flair, "I'm not a pet. I'm your co-destroyer of worlds. Learn the difference."
With the excitement calming down, we turned our attention toward the now-glowing portal in the distance.
The path to the next realm—Helliopolis—was open.
But first, we had a black fairy to deal with.
Chapter 25: Gateway to Helliopolis
Zaphro's POV
A lot happened after the boss fight. Players from all over started flocking toward me. Most just wanted to be friends. I kept hitting accept just to avoid drama.
Some tried to recruit me into their guilds. I declined. It might look like I was playing favorites—and honestly, I didn't want to join any guilds anyway. It's just not my thing.
The gate to the next realm was scheduled to open tomorrow—and apparently, I was the one destined to unlock it. But before that could happen, the GMs announced a mandatory game update.
"We'll be shutting the servers down for 12 hours," one of the GMs said in a system-wide announcement. "Log out before 8PM or you'll be locked inside the game for half a day."
I didn't need to be told twice.
"Time to log out, papa," Gwydox snapped as he floated beside me, arms crossed, red eyes narrowed.
"Alright, alright."
"Go back to the main city and log out from there. It's safer."
"Got it. Hey guys, I'll head off first. Make sure to log out too, okay?" I waved to the others, who nodded in return.
I used a teleport scroll and warped back to the City of Light.
"Hey, Gwydox… what about you?" I asked as we arrived. "Where do you go when I'm offline?"
"I'm system-bound, genius. I stay here—in this realm. I don't get to hang out in the real world."
"You gonna be okay?"
The little black fairy shrugged, flicking his wings. "Yeah. There's an NPC facility built for spirits like me. I chill there, maybe roast a few noobs in my dreams. I'll live."
"Alright. See you tomorrow then." I opened the system menu and tapped the Logout button.
Do you wish to log out?
YES or NO
I pressed YES, and in a flash, I was back in the real world—specifically, in my pod. It was still early, so I had a quick meal, grabbed my stuff, and went out for a bit. Needed to stock up on a few things.
Riding my Magnus Hover—a sleek levitating board powered by magnetronic tech—I cruised toward the nearest market center. It's like a modern-day mall, fully automated. Even the cashiers are machines now.
Two hours later, I was back at the pad with bags in hand. After organizing my stuff, I went upstairs, stretched out on my bed, and called it a night.
"Good night," I muttered to myself before everything faded to black.
---
The next day, I woke up an hour before 7AM. I showered, ate, and then sat down to check the Enigma Online PH website. Just as I thought—news of the update was already up.
One major highlight caught my eye: The new Exchange System.
In-game currency can now be converted to real money.
₱1 = 1,000 Gold.
₱10 = 10,000 Gold.
₱1,000 = 1 million Gold.
With my current balance of 22 million Gold, that's a cool ₱22,000. Not bad.
Another addition was support for non-combat players—bakers, blacksmiths, merchants, and more. People can now earn real money by doing business inside the game. With that kind of appeal, I bet this game's about to blow up even more.
There were also new mobs—like level 0 monsters with ridiculous stats, and roaming programmed AI monsters like the Fallen Seraphine and Player Reaper. One-hit kill types that drop Cursed Items stronger than legendaries... if you can survive, that is.
But enough reading.
The servers were back up.
---
In Game...
I reappeared in our village. And to my surprise, other Angel Class players were already there—Andromeda, Flick, Gregory, Jinx, Kris_Hunter, and Accel.
"Good morning!" I greeted them.
"Morning, kuya!" Accel replied cheerfully.
Andromeda smiled at me and gave a nod. But I immediately noticed something strange…
"Where's Gwydox?"
I glanced around, but he was nowhere in sight.
"Looking for someone?" a player beside me asked. "I'm Gregory, by the way—Rank 2. Nice to meet you, Rank 20."
"Ah. Nice to meet you too," I said politely. "Yeah, my animus isn't here."
Just then, a swirl of shadow flames appeared in the air—and there he was.
"There you are, papa," Gwydox said, his tone somewhere between annoyed and bored. "You could've summoned me, you know. We're linked. One tap on the animus option and boom—I teleport to you."
"Right. Still getting used to everything. Sorry."
He perched on my left shoulder and crossed his arms again. "Whatever. Just don't forget next time."
"Portal's ready, by the way," he added with a yawn. "It's waiting at the Extinction Forest entrance. You have the key."
"Alright. Let's all go together," I told the others.
We each grabbed a TP scroll and chanted in sync.
"Extinction Forest!"
In an instant, we were transported to the new map. Players were everywhere, buzzing with excitement. All eyes turned to me as I stepped forward.
I was the one holding the key.
Floating toward the massive gate—formed from what looked like the bones of a giant beast—I opened my inventory and took out the blackened crystal key.
"Throw it, papa. Right in the center," Gwydox instructed, hovering beside me.
I did as he said.
The moment the key landed, a blinding black whirlpool of light formed in the air, swirling with immense force.
"The dimension is open, papa!" Gwydox announced, grinning for once.
> [Hidden Realm Unlocked…]
[Helliopolis Dimension is now open!]
The system broadcast echoed throughout the map. Cheers erupted.
"You go first, idol! We'll follow your lead!" one player shouted.
My party members arrived just in time—everyone decked out in amazing new armor. Slicer's was silver and sleek, clearly the reward from earlier.
"Let's go, bro!" Slicer grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the swirling gate.
"Easy there, man! You're way too excited," I laughed.
Here it was.
The second realm.
Helliopolis.
Even the name sounded ominous.
I took a deep breath and stepped into the dark portal.