High in the sky...
Sam Li spotted them from afar—three massive Ethereals:
A towering giant over twenty meters tall,
A vibrant, colossal Ethereal flower,
And a beast-faced, humanoid, one-armed creature.
Facing them was a lone, slender figure gripping a blade.
Sam Li immediately recognized her—Anby.
He frowned slightly.
Without hesitation, he gathered a vast amount of Geo energy, condensing it into three gleaming golden spears.
Then—he hurled them forward.
Boom!
The spears shattered the sound barrier, ripping through the air with thunderous sonic booms.
In the blink of an eye, they crossed the battlefield—
And pierced through all three Ethereals.
...
On the ground,
Anby froze in shock at the sight of the three spears tearing through the monsters.
Then quickly turned to look behind her.
Sure enough—
A massive stone slab soared toward them.
And standing on it—was Sam Li.
A faint joy broke through Anby's fatigue.
"So that golden light earlier really was you..."
In just a few heartbeats,
Sam Li leapt down and landed beside her.
Before either of them could speak—
A harsh roar echoed ahead.
Countless Ethereal spikes, sharp as bullets, shot toward them.
Sam Li raised a hand.
A golden Geo barrier flared up, shielding them from every strike.
Anby caught her breath, quickly warning,
"Sam Li, be careful! These Ethereals are even more terrifying than regular Notoriety-class ones!"
But Sam Li didn't even glance at the monsters.
He spoke calmly,
"No need. I'll handle them."
His eyes swept the battlefield.
Then he looked back to Anby.
"What about the others?"
Before arriving,
He had sensed several people here—Soldier 11, Anby, and other members of the Obol Squad.
Anby replied,
"11 was injured and passed out. I had someone take her out..."
She didn't even finish her sentence before the Ethereals attacked again.
She quickly gripped her blade.
"Watch out! They're coming!"
A massive fist crashed down toward them.
Anby knew she couldn't take a hit like that—
She instinctively prepared to dodge.
But Sam Li didn't move.
He stood firm—intending to meet the blow head-on.
So, Anby stayed too.
She tightened her grip on her sword and raised it high.
If she was going to die,
She wouldn't abandon him.
But the blow never landed.
Anby cautiously looked up—
Only to see Sam Li holding his spear single-handedly, the tip locked against the Ethereal's fist—
Holding it back.
He said evenly,
"Go find 11 and the others. I'll take care of the rest and meet you after."
But Anby shook her head.
"I want to stay. I want to help."
Even just a little—
She refused to let Sam Li fight alone.
Seeing her resolve,
Sam Li didn't argue.
"Then let's find them together."
Then—
He shifted slightly.
The Vortex Vanquisher gleamed with golden light,
And from its tip, Geo energy surged outward.
Boom!
The energy exploded, blasting apart the Ethereal's entire fist.
Clearly—
This Ethereal was tougher than any Sam Li had faced before.
Normally, he could crush an entire arm with one strike—
But this one only lost a fist.
He didn't mind.
He hadn't used full strength yet.
But he wasn't interested in dragging this out either.
The next instant—
Sam Li vaulted into the air, raising his spear toward the towering Ethereal flower.
Suddenly—
The earth below erupted.
Raw Geo energy flooded upward, gathering beside him—
And, under his command, took shape.
Hundreds of radiant golden spears formed around him.
All in just a second or two.
The Ethereal had no time to react.
"Go—" Sam Li commanded.
The spears shuddered—
Then launched at near-sonic speed toward the Ethereal flower.
The air screamed with the sound of them cutting through.
In a single volley,
They rained down—
Piercing the petals, the branches, the entire massive bloom.
Crippled by the assault,
The once-vibrant flower instantly withered, leaves and petals scattering.
But Sam Li knew—
The body wasn't the blossom or stalk above ground.
Its true core was beneath.
Left alone, it could regrow.
Without pause,
Sam Li swung his spear, knocking back two charging Ethereals—
Then dove toward the flower's roots.
With a single strike,
He drove his spear into the ground.
Geo energy surged deep below,
Annihilating the Ethereal flower's core completely.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Successfully killed High-Ranking Ethereal – Evil Bloom ×1. System Points +90,000.]
[Ding! Role-Playing Progress +3%.]
This reward—
Far exceeded any he'd earned from previous high-ranking kills.
No time to check the system panel.
As he withdrew the Vortex Vanquisher,
What had been a normal spear was now encased in a rock shell nearly ten meters long.
Still the same weapon—
Just transformed by the surging Geo energy.
The next moment—
Sam Li turned sharply, hurling the massive spear at the Ethereal giant hidden behind a crumbling building.
In a flash—
It struck the monster square in the face.
Boom!
Its head shattered completely.
Just like that—
Another superpowered Ethereal was down.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Successfully killed High-Ranking Ethereal – Giant Ether Thug ×1. System Points +90,000.]
[Ding! Role-Playing Progress +3%.]
Same reward again.
Just two kills—
And he had earned 180,000 system points.
With the 20,000+ he had left from earlier,
He now had 200,000.
...
On the sidelines,
Anby stood frozen, clutching her blade.
Her expression was pure disbelief.
It had happened so fast.
From Sam Li's first move to now—
Barely ten seconds had passed.
He had wiped out two Ethereals that surpassed Notoriety level—
In mere moments.
She had seen him fight Notoriety-class Ethereals before.
But every time, it took effort—time.
Never had it been like this.
This wasn't just power—
It redefined her understanding of Sam Li.
Not only could he kill Notoriety-class Ethereals...
Even those beyond them—
He could crush them both
Before anyone could even blink.