Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory
Chapter 440: That’s not your concern anymore

Chapter 440: That’s not your concern anymore

Ding!

"Congratulations, player Valkarion. Level up successful. You’ve reached Level 58."

He had started at Level 56.

After slaughtering wave after wave of Kirin, Sacred Kirin, Naga Swordsmen, and Naga Swordmasters, he’d powered his way up to Level 57. And now, just like that, he’d hit 58. Saying he was leveling up like a rocket wouldn’t even be an exaggeration.

"You dare kill my men?! I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you!" Grand Duke Opriston completely lost it after Olyrant’s death. Rage and panic twisted his face.

Part of it was fear.

The other part? Pure fury.

Sure, units could be resurrected—but whether it was a Hero Unit or a regular troop, there was always a limit to how many times they could come back. Every resurrection used up one of those precious chances.

And more importantly, death wasn’t without consequences.

Hero or not, once a unit died, their soul’s core energy took a hit. That affected everything—stats, performance, even potential. The most immediate and brutal consequence?

You lost levels.

And your potential cap—the ceiling of your growth—took a hit too.

Take Olyrant, for example. A 13-Tier Legendary Ace Unit with 56% evolution progress. After dying once, he could easily drop to 50% or lower. Maybe way lower.

That kind of loss? Devastating.

No lord could stomach that.

"Opriston, calm down! He’s been fighting nonstop—he’s gotta be running on fumes by now. Just hang in there. In the end, I’ll be the one who—wait, what?!" Regnar XI had been trying to talk Opriston down, but suddenly his voice cracked mid-sentence. His pupils shrank, and his face went pale like he’d seen a ghost.

Then came the look of utter despair.

"Regnar? What is it?" Opriston immediately sensed something was wrong and turned to him, alarmed.

But Regnar XI was already frozen, his face drained of all color.

His voice trembled.

"M-My Castle Heart... it’s been destroyed!"

"W-What?!" Grand Duke Opriston’s eyes went wide, his expression twisting in shock.

"It was you, wasn’t it?! It had to be you!" Regnar XI’s voice cracked as he glared at Ethan like a madman, eyes bloodshot, practically foaming at the mouth.

Ethan just gave a casual shrug and said coolly, "So what if it was? Don’t forget—we’re enemies."

Regnar XI’s Castle Heart had been shattered?

Why?

Simple.

Ethan had sent Fiesto, along with the Blazeblade Kingdom’s forces, to launch a surprise attack on the Storm Kingdom. The Storm Kingdom was already weaker than Blazeblade to begin with, and now that all their elite troops were here on the frontlines, their homeland was basically defenseless.

If not now, then when?

Ethan wasn’t about to let a golden opportunity like that slip by.

Backdooring the enemy—hitting them where it hurts when they least expect it—was a legit strategy.

If Zurei, Fiesto, and Astharel hadn’t already switched sides and joined him, Regnar XI wouldn’t have been the only one getting his base wrecked right now.

Whoever came at him, he’d hit them right back.

Let’s see who could take the heat.

"I... I..." Regnar XI stood there, pale as a corpse, eyes hollow with despair.

With the Castle Heart destroyed, Regnar XI had officially lost his status as a Lord.

That meant one thing—he no longer had any control over his Hero Units or his massive army of regular troops. The contracts binding them to him were gone, severed the moment his Castle Heart shattered.

But even worse...

He’d also lost the ability to resurrect.

If he died now, that was it. Game over. His soul would unravel, dissolve into nothingness—erased from existence.

Shhk!

Just as he stood there, stunned and overwhelmed, a razor-sharp claw suddenly burst through his chest, piercing straight through his heart. Blood exploded from the wound, spraying everywhere.

Regnar XI’s entire body went rigid. He slowly turned his head, eyes wide with disbelief and horror.

"K-Kargasmor... why...?"

The one who’d stabbed him—the one who’d betrayed him—was none other than his strongest Hero Unit:

The Wyvern Monarch, Kargasmor.

"My Lord," Kargasmor said calmly, his voice low and steady, "I don’t want to die with you. I’m sorry. Forgive my selfishness. But since this battle is already lost... please, let me live. Let me go."

Shhk!

With that, he ripped his claw free, tearing Regnar XI’s body apart. Blood soaked his scales as he turned to face Ethan.

"Respected Lord," Kargasmor said, bowing his head slightly, "your strength has earned my respect. I admit defeat. I no longer wish to fight you. May I offer you the life of the Storm King in exchange for safe passage out of here?"

He paused, then added solemnly, "And you have my word—I swear by the Great Creator Himself—I will never appear before you again. I won’t seek revenge. I surrender."

Betraying his former master to save his own skin.

It wasn’t exactly noble—but it wasn’t hard to understand either. With the Castle Heart gone, Kargasmor, like Regnar XI, had lost his resurrection privileges. If he died here, he’d be gone for good.

And when death’s staring you in the face...

Right and wrong don’t matter so much anymore.

It’s just survival.

Cold, brutal survival.

Ethan looked at Kargasmor, eyes narrowing slightly.

To be honest, anyone else in his position would’ve jumped at the chance to recruit a powerhouse like this. An SSS-rank Legendary Hero with 89% evolution progress? That kind of strength was no joke. Even among the top factions, Kargasmor would be a force to reckon with.

But Ethan?

He wasn’t interested.

Because if Kargasmor could betray his old master—stab him through the heart without hesitation—then what was stopping him from doing the same to Ethan someday?

...

He wasn’t someone Ethan could trust.

And he had no intention of trying.

"You can go," Ethan said flatly, giving a small nod.

Kargasmor’s eyes lit up with relief. Without another word, he turned and flew off, vanishing into the distance without looking back.

Watching him disappear, Grand Duke Opriston’s last shred of hope crumbled.

He was the only one left.

"Opriston," Ethan said, his voice calm and cold, "looks like it’s just you now."

Opriston’s body stiffened. He let out a bitter laugh, then shook his head and said quietly, "Victory or defeat... I lost. But don’t think that means you’ve won. Those three of yours? They’ll never beat Sea King Maelthorak."

Ethan’s eyes flickered, but he just shook his head.

"That’s not your concern anymore."

Without another word, Ethan vanished in a flash of light—then reappeared right in front of Opriston. He drove his fist straight into the Grand Duke’s chest.

BOOM!

Blood sprayed into the air as Opriston crumpled to the ground.

Lifeless.

...