Just call me Thor - Chapter 277

Chapter 277: Sisyphus’s punishment
Having made up his mind, Mike turned his attention to the so-called [Void Fragment·Fire Element].

This item had been placed in the instance by Poseidon using certain means.

From the moment Mike entered this section of the maze, he had noticed the abnormal fire elements.

[Analyzing the method to collect the Void Fragment·Fire Element…]

In less than half a minute, the Eye of Truth provided the answer.

Following the prompt, Mike acted step by step, with utmost caution.

According to Poseidon’s introduction, this thing was neither native to Earth nor originally part of the Tower of Truth. It was a remnant left by the void fiends who attempted to invade the Tower of Truth.

Under Mike’s manipulation, water elements gathered into a petal, which descended. As soon as the petal touched the void fragment, it evaporated instantly, sending a cloud of steam into the air.

Mike didn’t rush. He gathered more water elements, forming ice and letting more snowflakes fall.

Logically, if Mike summoned Thor’s Sea, the efficiency of collecting the [Void Fragment] would at least double.

But the origin of the [Void Fragment] was too mysterious, and Mike didn’t know if it was toxic.

Recklessly summoning Thor’s Sea could backfire, causing Mike to lose more than he gained.

Poseidon, silently observing, couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

If Thor had directly summoned the Sea of Truth, the void fragment would have forcibly fused with it.

At that point, Thor wouldn’t have had a chance to back out!

Unfortunately, this Thor, despite being incredibly strong, was overly cautious.

Even when Poseidon’s projection descended, Mike forced him to suppress his strength to level 100, leaving no room for opportunity!

Because of the severe power suppression, several methods Poseidon had prepared were unusable.

He had no choice but to take the most humiliating route, trading with Thor and presenting the void fragment as a gift!

“It’s done!”

As snowflakes continued to fall, the previous mist transformed into a brilliant starry river, forming ribbons that wrapped around a petal, within which a flame quietly burned.

This was the void fragment Mike had painstakingly captured!

Mike didn’t place the void fragment in his inventory or private space.

His instincts told him this thing was a bit sinister.

The best approach was to hold it like this, maintaining distance and vigilance.

Thus, a strange scene unfolded in the maze: Cerberus walked through the passage with an ice petal on its head, a flame burning at its center, gathering terrifying energy.

Mike supervised from the side, making promises, “Tripod, do a good job, and I’ll buy you some dog food later.”

Mike’s promises had escalated from barbecue and chicken legs to premium dog food.

Cerberus’s treatment had improved significantly.

More work, more reward.

With the void fragment matter settled, Poseidon’s traces disappeared.

As Mike continued forward, he summoned the Chaos Claw Tiger.

“Roar—”

A nimble black cat left shadows in the passage, looking fierce.

Watching the Chaos Claw Tiger’s back, Mike felt that in the man-dog-cat trio, the cat seemed out of place.

You’re so brave, aren’t you making us look cowardly?!

Swish—

Mike passed through this section of the maze and arrived at another fork.

[Current Exploration Rate: 45%]

Strangely, this time Mike had no choice! The so-called fork had a clear path on the left, while the right was blocked by a giant boulder.

Mike had read about this situation in the strategy guides. Generally, choosing the left path and moving forward wouldn’t affect the conquest result.

The boulder on the right was part of the maze scenery and indestructible.

This round boulder could be pushed, but that was it.

The passage with the round boulder was an upward slope.

Pushing the boulder all the way up consumed a lot of energy, and the various traps and monsters along the way would be overwhelming.

The further one went, the harder it became to push the boulder.

And once you let go, all efforts would be in vain!

No matter how much you invested, it would be for nothing.

The key issue was that no one knew how far this passage extended.

The lack of visible hope was the easiest way to crush one’s spirit.

Under Mike’s gaze, the Eye of Truth provided the answer:

[Pushing the boulder infinitely far will conquer the maze]

Huh?

That prompt was as good as useless.

Pushing the boulder, endlessly.

“This story sounds a lot like Sisyphus’s punishment.”

From Mike’s experience, encountering such oddities meant they shouldn’t be missed!

Other paths might also lead to a 100% Exploration Rate conquest.

But!

Those paths would lack something crucial—the traces left by Morpheus and the others!

Mike had figured it out.

Morpheus, Ares, Apollo, the three of them would always go where things were strange. In fact, some of the oddities might have been created by them.

As a potential Supreme Being, Mike, following the principle of “since I’m here,” naturally had to check it out.

“Roar—”

The Chaos Claw Tiger tried but couldn’t push the boulder.

This stone could only be moved by Mike.

Placing his hands on the stone and exerting a bit of force, the stone began to roll forward.

The cat-dog-man trio started their uphill journey.

As they progressed, Mike kept an eye on the stone’s surface.

The stone was exceptionally smooth, with no marks left by any attacks.

However, Mike knew two people who loved carving words on stones.

The stone rolled and rolled.

Finally, it reached the part Mike wanted to see.

“Today is another day of pushing the stone! Keep going, future adventurer, follow my steps!”

This message wasn’t signed, only marked with an ugly heart.

“Click—”

Mike extended a third hand, taking a photo of Morpheus’s embarrassing past with a camera.

With Morpheus’s traces found, Ares wouldn’t be far behind.

As Mike pushed the stone, monsters continuously charged from both sides, only to be easily killed by the Chaos Claw Tiger.

As for the tricky traps, the Chaos Claw Tiger filled them with shadows, rendering them harmless to Mike.

“Stop!”

Mike held the stone, noticing sword energy emanating from a part of its surface.

Great, he found it!

Adjusting his force and direction, Mike turned the stone to face him.

On the stone was a line of text, in familiar handwriting, in Ares’s familiar tone.

“I found the way to conquer, but the space here is too small to write it down.”

Mike: ???

Was Ares the ‘Pierre de Fermat’?

Just as Mike imagined, both Morpheus and Ares had pushed the stone.

As for Apollo…

Mike guessed Apollo didn’t push it himself.

Maybe Apollo stood before the stone and said, “Fuck off,” and the stone rolled on its own.

As Mike thought this, he noticed another small line below, also left by Ares:

“I comprehended a skill here, named [Warp Strike].”