CHAPTER 157: CHAPTER157-CITY OF THE ARTISTS

Upon seeing the message from Ally, the corner of Daniel’s mouth twitched slightly.

As expected of a god’s devotee—she dared to openly curse even other gods!

After pondering for a moment, Daniel responded by contacting Ally directly through his communicator.

"Thanks for the warning, but don’t worry about me."

...

With a single step, Daniel entered the portal. In the next instant, his figure emerged in the midst of a vast desert.

The space was enormous. No matter which direction he looked, the horizon was filled with endless dunes.

It was obvious that this barren place was completely unfit for any kind of life.

However, at the far end of the desert, a massive statue loomed in the distance.

Based on the information Charles had provided, Daniel instantly recognized it—beneath the statue lay the hideout of the Artists.

And truth be told, these so-called Artists really lived up to their name.

They were serious about their art—so much so that they had built an entire sculpted city.

Within this sprawling sculptural city, all forms of artistry had been pushed to the extreme.

The scale of this city was so grand, it exceeded any city Daniel had seen before.

Apparently, the Artists weren’t just a handful of individuals.

They had already broken away from the gnome race and evolved into an entirely new species.

Within this monumental city lived countless beings who referred to themselves as Artists.

Daniel immediately activated his [Eye of Insight], and sure enough, hovering above the city was an invisible barrier.

[God Husk – Kalthor]

Effect: Scans every individual who enters the city, verifying whether they possess valid identification.

So... the cards Charles had given him—those black, white, and red ones—were actually proof of identity!

Daniel retrieved the cards from his backpack and tucked them into his pocket.

Then, without hesitation, he made his way toward the city at top speed.

Thanks to the presence of [Mist], even if he strolled openly through the streets, no one would pay him any mind.

But as soon as he entered the city proper, Daniel was left stunned by what he saw.

This was a vibrant and bustling metropolis, with fully functioning infrastructure.

Even various shops and trading markets were present!

At that moment, the massive city was in the middle of an unprecedented celebration.

"Success in the Primordial Core Weapon trial—this is a victory like no other!"

"Celebrate the breakthrough of the Primordial Core Weapon! From now on, we are invincible!!"

A swarm of gnome-like beings who called themselves Artists danced and sang in the city’s central plaza. They drank wheat juice and grape nectar with abandon, their faces brimming with joy.

They appeared utterly unbothered by the approaching calamity known as the Millennium Apocalypse.

But upon second thought, Daniel began to suspect something deeper.

Maybe—just maybe—this so-called Millennium Apocalypse was connected to these Artists!

In the plaza, the Artists sipped their drinks, hummed old ballads, and gossiped freely among themselves.

"I heard the human race has produced some powerful new guy."

"Yeah, I heard that too. Supposedly his name’s Daniel. Probably just some lucky fool—not worth paying attention to."

"Still, his power is increasing rapidly. Do you think he could interfere with our plans?"

"Interfere with our plans? Don’t make me laugh. Could his strength possibly withstand even one blast from a Primordial Core Weapon?"

"Exactly! Genius or not, everyone is equal beneath the Core Weapon!"

"..."

Listening to the Artists’ casual chatter, Daniel’s lips curled into a faint smirk.

So these lunatics were planning to kill him too?

If that’s the case, then don’t blame me for what’s coming.

He casually reached into his backpack and pulled out a small vial filled with a pale purple liquid.

[Mist Venom]

Effect: Deals 50 million poison damage per second, lasts for one hour.

Description: Extracted from the toxic gases of Mist Mountains. Allegedly connected to an experiment involving the Fallen Mountain Giant.

Are you ready, my dear Artists?

Daniel gave a soft smile, then gently uncorked the vial.

In an instant, the liquid evaporated into a shimmering purple mist that spread outward into the air.

Within the blink of an eye, the entire plaza was swallowed by a cloud of violet fog.

Without pausing, Daniel continued walking deeper into the heart of the city.

To him, these so-called Artists had long since lost their minds.

They had fallen under the influence of the Millennium Apocalypse. Their personalities were deteriorating into madness and destruction—an irreversible descent.

That’s when Daniel noticed something strange at the city center: a giant water tank.

The tank stood at least a hundred meters tall, filled with a glowing blue, semi-transparent liquid.

Suspended in the middle of the tank was... a colossal head.

At the base of the head, countless pipes—ranging in size and shape—snaked outward and connected the head to unknown machinery.

Daniel froze, a wave of instinctive fear surging through him.

A god. That’s a god!

With the aid of [Eye of Insight], Daniel finally learned the origin of the massive head.

It was the head of God Kalthor.

As for the pipes extending from it, who knew where they led?

At that moment, a glowing prompt box appeared before Daniel’s eyes—one edged in gold.

He had never seen this kind of system prompt before.

[Important!]

[The masterwork of the Artists, part of the Godmaking Project.]

[Included components: Head of Kalthor, Right Arm of McMington, Torso of Marchidona...]

Upon reading the analysis, Daniel’s face turned grim.

Until now, aside from [God’s Blood], he had never seen the physical form of an actual god.

But today, he not only witnessed the true appearance of one god—he saw the remains of several.

These Artists... these maniacs... what exactly were they trying to do?

Daniel involuntarily took a deep breath, a chill running down his spine. At the same time, he noticed another update on the prompt box.

[Godmaking Project — Rebirth]

Level: 300

Current Tier: Diamond-Rank (Incomplete)

Race: God

Status: Abnormal

HP: Unknown

Trait: Immune to all damage below demigod rank, including true, physical, and magical damage.

Skills: God’s Sigh, Divine Retribution, God’s Lament...

...

Daniel instinctively wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Yet his steps did not falter. He continued to weave his way through the city.

This was the first time he had ever seen a Diamond-Rank creature.

Up to now, even in legends, he had only heard of Gold-Rank beasts.

Above Gold came Platinum-Rank, and only after that—Diamond-Rank.

To put it simply, if a Diamond-Rank monster had ever existed in this world before now...

Then all intelligent races—humans included—wouldn’t have survived to see today.