In the Tower of Truth, on the third level, as the Fight Song played, Mike swung his staff forward, causing a massive boulder to start crumbling. As the boulder disintegrated, a woman's voice echoed through the cavern.
"Young man, have you brought back my husband?"
"Sorry, I bring back some bad news about death."
The woman began to sob again, "You mean, he's dead?"
"Wrong guess, try again."
Out of the mist, a creature with nine snake heads gradually took shape. Mike didn't rush to act. According to the Eye of Truth, the creature was currently in an invincible state, much like a boss in an RPG game that's still in its cutscene.
As the mist cleared, the hideous face of Medusa appeared before Mike. Her nine snake heads glinted menacingly, staring intently at Mike from every angle.
[Get ready to act!]
[Countdown: 3, 2, 1!]
"Thunderclap Strike!"
"Petrifying Gaze!"
Mike and Medusa timed their attacks perfectly, each unleashing their most powerful abilities in a bid for a fatal blow. Medusa's nine snake heads lunged forward, and in her desperation, she sacrificed three of her heads, which withered forever.
"Why! Why haven't you turned to stone?!"
Watching Mike, unharmed, Medusa lost her sanity, thrashing wildly and causing numerous rocks to fall from the cavern walls.
Mike just smiled and remained silent, not indulging in explaining to his enemy. Caught off guard, huh? I have an Inhibition Orb!
Safety first, as always for Mike. Even if the Inhibition Orb failed, Mike still had the [Guardian Angel] buff.
Under the gaze of petrification, Mike did feel his movements slow down, but it hardly affected the outcome of his spellcasting.
The terrifying red lightning gathered slowly, its overwhelming power instilling fear at a mere glance.
Medusa, foreseeing a grim end, realized her strongest attack had no effect on her opponent, while Mike's impending spell could annihilate her.
0.1 seconds later, her eyes reddened with tears, she began to cry,
"Merciful mage, please spare me, I was..."
"Fall!"
Boom—
The Thunderclap Strike descended, engulfing Medusa and cutting off her pleas.
"Save your confessions for hell."
As Medusa turned to ash, Mike felt no pity. At the moment of Medusa's demise, the entire mine began to shake violently, and countless petrified beings came back to life!
Mike heard the familiar notification.
"Calculating clearance score..."
...
Earth.
Time : 5:57 AM.
As people were about to doze off, preparing for a brief rest before the new day's work, only a few remained awake, clinging to the hope of a nebulous miracle.
They believed that if anyone could do it, Thor would not disappoint.
"Next, witness a miracle!"
"That's what you promised, Thor!"
"If Thor creates a miracle, I swear I won't masturbate for a year!"
"If Thor creates a miracle, I'll fight in the Abyssal Plane for another three years!"
"....."
With just three minutes left, even those who believed in Thor felt their confidence waver.
Perhaps there really was no miracle.
Not every call is answered.
Just like not every lovemaking reaches climax.
But this time, it was different.
In America, Washington D.C., Eastern Time Zone, at 5:58:48 AM.
A message like a nuclear bomb dropped into the sleepy world, spreading rapidly and stirring up a storm!
"Congratulations to participant [Thor] for clearing the third level of the Tower of Truth with an SSSS rating!"
"Congratulations to participant [Thor] for clearing the fourth level of the Tower of Truth with an SSSS rating!"
"...."
Three! Four!
Five! Six!
Four levels, four SSSS clearances, Thor brought miracles to everyone in the final moments!
This news bombarded all social media, becoming the only topic discussed on Earth.
...
In the Wolf's Den.
Countless people cheered with their glasses raised, their tables laden with drinks.
"Tonight's expenses are on Thor, Mr. Jhon is paying!!!"
"Cheers!!"
Everyone raised their glasses and toasted loudly.
"To Thor!"
"To supreme power!"
"To the future of our race!!"
...
In a mystical castle in Washington D.C.
A black coffin bobbed up and down as if dancing.
Finally, Calderon Sunsworn dropped a line,
"Wake me up when Thor has torn the skies apart!"
"He performs miracles so swiftly, my life is nearly spent; please, no more disturbances!"
As the first light of dawn illuminated the land, people woke from their beds, turning on their phones or TVs.
With that, the black coffin sank deep down, and Calderon Sunsworn sealed himself with magic.
...
As the first light of dawn illuminated the land, people woke from their beds, turning on their phones or TVs.
Every media platform, in the most prominent place, displayed the same message:
[The Moment to Witness a Miracle!]
Because a miracle had indeed happened!
...
Tower of Truth, third level.
As the world celebrated Thor's achievements, Mike was also presented with a pile of rewards.
"SSSS rating for clearing the third level, reward [Mysterious Mine]!"
"SSSS rating for clearing the fourth level, reward [Mysterious Mine]!"
"SSSS rating for clearing the fifth level, reward [Storm Forge]!"
"SSSS rating for clearing the sixth level, reward [Graystone Diggers Crew]!"
These were personal rewards for Mike. If he had chosen to simply destroy the wall, he would never have achieved four SSSS ratings simultaneously!
Two Mysterious Mines, one Storm Forge, one Graystone Diggers Crew. With these rewards, Mike's surroundings began to transform, the battlefield where he had just fought morphed into a space uniquely his own.
This place would become akin to a Trade Secret Realm, but open only to Mike and those he allowed, including NPCs. It would be accessible 24 hours a day, even when the Tower of Truth was closed.
[Mysterious Mine]: Can dispatch miners or mine personally for raw ore, occasionally yielding mysterious chests and various special items.
Ore extraction probabilities:
65% for B-grade quality
30% for A-grade quality
4.5% for S-grade quality
0.4999% for SS-grade tier
0.0001% for SSS-grade quality!
Current reserves: 30 million tons.
Two Mysterious Mines, one with 30 million tons, the other with 45 million tons!
According to the tier, these two mines contain 75 tons of SSS-grade raw ore!
However, most of these ores are deep within the mines, making them difficult and time-consuming to extract.
Moreover, the raw ores need to be refined to remove impurities before they can be used for forging and other purposes.
Regardless, both mines represent a tremendous wealth waiting for Mike to explore.
Now, Mike had become a mining tycoon!