Just call me Thor

Chapter 64  Waiting for a miracle

After Mike took a step forward, he entered a spacious and empty mine.

"Strange, shouldn't there be some trace of Morgana's husband here? Why is there nothing?" Mike scanned the area, finding the mine completely empty, with no unusual notifications popping up.

When something is off, there's usually a reason. Combining what he had seen and heard along the way, a rough outline of the story formed in Mike's mind: A monster capable of petrifying people suddenly appeared, immensely powerful and wreaking havoc. The miners, in their desperation to escape, fled into this long-abandoned mine, hoping to find another exit. This monster might be connected to Morgana. Morgana's husband, trying to rectify the damage caused by his wife, ventured alone into danger to scout ahead and left markers for those who followed. Despite their efforts, the miners still paid a heavy price. All clues, the source of all chaos, pointed to one person—Morgana!

Finding nothing, Mike turned his attention to the walls. Supreme being [Morpheus] had once sent a message suggesting that striking the walls could yield unexpected benefits. On the wall, Mike saw a familiar message board.

On the board, a message from Morpheus:

[Morpheus: I understand now, Morgana's husband has long been dead, and the woman behind the rocks is but a lonely spirit. This is a tragic tale of a loving couple. There are no traces or relics of Morgana's husband here, but the air still carries the essence of his love, a silent testament to great love! I'll reluctantly draw a heart for him.]

Next to the message, an ugly heart was drawn.

ღ

Mike's face darkened. What kind of comprehension is this, Morpheus?

The problem clearly lies with Morgana!

That woman is likely the creature that petrifies people.

Whether it's the giant lizard or the miners, every creature Mike encountered in the tunnel, all the chaos, it all leads back to Morgana!

"Wait... Morpheus told me to hit the wall as soon as I got here."

"This guy, isn't he trying to make me erase his dark history?!"

If Mike had followed Morpheus's instructions without thinking and demolished the wall, the message board would likely be destroyed, and Morpheus's dark history along with it.

"Click—"

Mike took out his phone and snapped several hundred photos.

After doing this, Mike smiled, put away his gear, and looked down.

Blackmailing a supreme being with their dark history? Nôv(el)B\\jnn

That doesn't seem like a wise choice.

But keeping a backup for himself, just in case, is never a bad idea!

[Ares: Are you stupid? That woman is a big problem, I'm going back to chop her down first.]

Impulsive brother, online chopping.

Mike didn't expect that Supreme Being Ares had this side too!

Mike's gaze moved down, and what?!

Besides [Morpheus] and [Ares], someone else had been here and left a message?!

[Apollo: A boring story]

A message from the third supreme being?!

Mike took out his phone again.

"Click—click—"

After taking the photos, Mike faced a dilemma: how to achieve a 100% Exploration Rate?

The previous three supreme beings had all visited this mine and stayed in this square. Without exception, all three ended their journey with a 99% Exploration Rate and couldn't go further.

The same problem now stood before Mike. If this was a puzzle, and the previous three had failed for various reasons, could Mike solve it?

Of course, he could see the answer directly.

Oh, then no problem.

[The method to obtain the last 1% Exploration Rate!]

[1. Break the wall in front of you, open up the miners' escape route, rescue some of the miners, and you can achieve a 100% Exploration Rate of level 3!]

Seeing the hint from the Eye of Truth, Mike's brow furrowed again.

If that's the case, then Supreme Being [Morpheus] indirectly told Mike how to clear the level.

"Supreme beings truly live up to their name!"

If Mike didn't have the Eye of Truth, he could still achieve 100% clearance with Morpheus's hint.

[2. Go back, confront the Medusa who deceived you, and after killing her, all petrified beings will be restored, and the mine will no longer be dangerous, allowing for a 100% Exploration Rate!]

Two choices lay before Mike.

One was within easy reach; just breaking this wall would immediately grant Mike a 100% Exploration Rate with an SSSS-grade clearance!

The other required going back.

Retracing the path he came, which could be even more troublesome!

[If you choose to go back, every mine must be cleared, and the monsters in the mines will enter a berserk state, becoming even more powerful!]

[If you choose to go back and clear every mine despite the increased power of the monsters, the difficulty will significantly increase. However, if successful, you will achieve SSSS grade clearance scores for levels 3 to 6.]

[Eye of Truth timing: 1:08 AM]

[Remaining time for this Tower of Truth: 4 hours 51 minutes 46 seconds]

Mike's two choices: to let go of past grievances, shed all burdens, and help the miners escape this nightmare.

They might find temporary safety and peace, but on some unknown night, they could still wake up from nightmares, shivering and silently crying.

Or... to go against the current, wield the sword, break the chains, and personally end everyone's nightmare?

For Mike, there was only one option.

"Go back!"

After making his choice, the Eye of Truth cooperated fully.

[Eye of Truth navigation activated, turn around in 5 meters....]

100 squares, each with 3 mines, each mine filled with berserk monsters!

300 mines, meaning 300 battles!

And Mike had less than 5 hours, needing to resolve each battle within a minute!

Even Mike could feel the heavy pressure, racing against time.

Like a whirlwind, he charged into the first mine, swinging his staffs, unleashing full firepower.

"Wind Fury!"

"Blessing of Lightning!"

"Thunderclap Strike!"

"Ignite!"

"...."

...

Earth.

Time: 1:20 AM.

It had been 19 minutes since the last story from Thor's message board!

Last time, Thor left a message at the 90th square [Next, witness a miracle!]

The whole world was watching him, waiting for a miracle.

That wait had been 20 minutes.

"What's going on, can anyone see the 100th square's message board?"

"What are you thinking? Only those who have reached it can view it in the Core City of Truth!"

In human history, quite a few had reached the 90th square, if not a hundred, then eighty.

Thor's message at the 90th square had leaked from a Battle Lord.

But only three people had truly reached the 100th square: Morpheus, Ares, Apollo.

Now, perhaps one more.

Thor!

No one was surprised that Thor could reach the 100th square.

What everyone anticipated was whether a real miracle would happen.

Could Thor achieve a 100% Exploration Rate?

20 minutes had passed, and no one knew the answer.

Only waiting remained.

Tonight, the world was sleepless, focused on Thor.

Waiting for a Tower of Truth announcement.

Waiting for a miracle!

...

Tower of Truth, third level.

[Eye of Truth continues to navigate...]

Thor, wielding his staff, cuts through the third level like a war machine, his firepower relentless, not pausing for a moment!

"Whew—" Mike lets out a breath, sitting on a rock, sweat dripping from his forehead, clearly exhausted.

"These monsters, once enraged, have their levels and attributes greatly enhanced. It's manageable in one-on-one fights, but in a mine, there could be dozens!"

To resolve the battles quickly, Mike must kill with high efficiency, or he won't complete his task within the time limit. In such intense combat, some might panic and slow down.

Not everyone can handle high-pressure environments. But some thrive under pressure, entering a state of hyper-focus. The more intense the external pressures, the more concentrated they become, performing spectacularly. You could call them 'Pressure Cooker Personalities.'

Mike is clearly one of them.

A savior of humanity, made for the big stage.

In the midst of frenzied slaughter and endless battles, Mike's combat skills improve at a terrifying rate! He utilizes every bit of mana to the fullest, perfectly linking his wind, fire, and lightning elemental skills. His Windstride Slash and basic attacks are timed just right, filling in damage while moving swiftly.

Every detail is honed to perfection, his combat skills refined and evolved, almost to the point of artistry!

Initially, it took Mike a minute and a half to two minutes to clear all the monsters in a mine. As his proficiency increased, his killing efficiency approached perfection, and the time required kept decreasing.

Now, Mike needs less than 40 seconds to easily clear a mine!

"Level up to 28, attributes increased, auto-allocate free attributes..."

"Level up to 31, attributes increased..."

"Level up to 42..."

As the slaughter continues, Mike's level also rises, significantly enhancing his attributes, yet the difficulty of the battles does not decrease!

Just when Mike feels puzzled, the Eye of Truth timely provides a hint.

[The monsters in the mines level up alongside the intruder!]

"That's exactly what I want. If the monsters' levels were too low, I wouldn't gain any experience, and that would be a waste of time!"

Mike hasn't forgotten his mission; everything he does is to become stronger!

During a brief lull, Mike tears open a recovery scroll, healing his injuries and restoring his mana to 80%.

[Uncleared mines: 135]

[Remaining time: 1 hour 59 minutes]

[Continue fighting!]

After continuous battle, the Force of Nature in his hands begins to feel heavy. Mike doesn't choose to rest. Instead, he takes a deep breath and heads to the next mine.

Such intense combat has been ongoing for three hours, and there are still over a hundred mines to clear. Under these circumstances, anyone would feel exhausted; it's just a matter of time.

That Mike has held on this long is already commendable.

...

Earth.

Time: 4:11 AM.

Tonight, people experienced what's called a dramatic turnaround.

In the first half of the night, media platforms celebrated a frenzy.

Thor broke one record after another at an incomprehensible speed!

But since 1 AM, there has been no news from Thor.

Good news: Thor hasn't cleared yet.

Bad news: Thor hasn't cleared yet.

As long as there's no news of clearing, it's acceptable news for humanity.

After all, it maintains a glimmer of hope.

However, more and more people are beginning to waver.

Everyone is still waiting, but as the waiting drags on, more and more people's confidence shakes, they become silent, and the light in their eyes slowly dims.

"Three supreme beings couldn't do it, can Thor... really do it?"

"When Supreme Being [Ares] rose, we also waited all night, only to end in failure."

"Let's pray for Thor, hoping he can feel our blessings, that's all we can do right now!"

"Yes, we need to let Thor know, he's not fighting alone!"

"....."

At this moment, all humans still on Earth, who haven't entered the Tower of Truth, are silently praying.

While praying, they also wait.

Waiting to witness a miracle.

This is Thor's promise, and so far, Thor has never disappointed.

...

Tower of Truth, third level.

Square, 1.

Time: 5:50 AM.

Back at the starting point.

"Just one last boss to go."

Mike looks towards the pile of stones ahead.

Only 10 minutes remain, but he is extremely tired now, leaning against the wall, barely able to lift his staff!

His condition is very poor, and he's out of recovery scrolls, unable to restore his condition quickly.

Does he have to use Guardian Angel or some other means now?

Just then, the Eye of Truth sends a prompt.

[From the blessings of humanity: Your condition has been restored, you are now at your optimal state.]

[Fight, do not let their expectations down!]

Mike stands up, filled with fighting spirit.

[Charge Up 30 layers, ready]

[BGM, ready]

[Fight Song, ready to play]

[Go Go Go]