SSS-rank Legendary Draw: Every Drop Becomes a Legendary Item

Chapter 51: Gauntlets of Heracles

Their hesitation was entirely justified, because Varis was the strongest among them all when it came to brute strength and endurance.

His demonic yak transformation talent gave him high defense and power that outmatched everyone else in both the Rainy and Cross Block guilds.

Yet, despite that toughness, Leon had sent him flying through the air with a single, casual punch. If Varis couldn’t even take a single hit, the lower-ranked players knew they would be turned to dust.

They all subconsciously glanced back at Varis, who was still lying several meters away against the wrecked car.

The massive, four-meter beastly form had completely vanished, and he had already reverted back to his normal human form.

The thick red fur, the massive muscles, and the curved horns were entirely gone, leaving him looking incredibly small and vulnerable against the shattered metal of the vehicle.

His body was twitching slightly on the asphalt, his fingers jerking in small, involuntary spasms.

Dark blood kept pouring down his lips in a steady stream, staining his chin and clothes, but he wasn’t showing any signs of getting back up. His eyes were rolled back into his head, and his chest rose and fell in shallow, weak gasps.

Looking at his completely motionless, broken body only confirmed their worst thoughts. There was no more denying the reality of the situation, nor could they blame it on a fluke or a surprise attack.

Varis had indeed been knocked out in one punch by Leon. The strongest tank among them had been neutralized instantly, leaving the remaining players completely exposed to a monster of their own making.

Larry gnashed his teeth in fury. He refused to let the panic paralyze him like the rest of the players.

Stepping up with a dark glare, he forced himself to move forward as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Leon Allistar! For illegally entering into a dungeon, ignoring the ’peace’ offering to you, and assaulting innocent players, you’ve been branded a criminal and are hereby under arrest!"

His voice echoed loudly across the open road, trying to use the law as a shield to regain control of the situation. He wanted to frame their greedy ambush as a legitimate, righteous operation to break Leon’s confidence.

Leon simply scoffed at the grand announcement, not even taking the man’s words seriously.

Seeing that his words had absolutely no effect on the young player, Larry decided to launch his own attack. He stretched his hand out toward Leon, deciding to use his talent.

A huge, heavy truck parked near the side of the road behind him suddenly began to shake violently. The entire massive vehicle rose up into the air, its tires lifting completely off the asphalt.

With a violent thrust of his arm, Larry hurled the vehicle forward, sending the truck blasting towards Leon at rapid speed. The massive metal object tore through the air like a meteor, threatening to crush Leon into a bloody paste.

Leon didn’t flinch as the enormous vehicle rushed at his face. Instead, he calmly raised Excalibur, which was still in its hidden phantom mode.

Even though the blade remained almost invisible to the naked eyes of the onlookers, the air around his hand distorted heavily from its hidden power. With a swift, fluid motion, he casually slashed at the incoming vehicle.

A brilliant, sharp crescent slash shot out from the invisible blade, tearing through the air with immense power.

The glowing wave of energy met the massive vehicle mid-flight, slicing the truck into two clean, perfect pieces right down the middle. The cut was so sharp and precise that there was no explosion or scattering debris.

Both pieces of the bisected truck flew straight past Leon’s sides, their momentum carrying them harmlessly along his flanks.

They crashed heavily onto the ground behind him, metal scraping against the asphalt with a loud, deafening screech before coming to a complete stop. Leon remained standing perfectly in the center, completely untouched.

Larry however, wasn’t standing in front of him anymore. The moment he had thrown the massive vehicle to block Leon’s line of sight, he had used the distraction to vanish from his original position, trying to catch Leon off guard.

Leon didn’t panic at the sudden disappearance of his opponent, his senses remaining incredibly sharp. Anticipating the exact moment of the ambush, he didn’t even look around as he swung his other clenched fist heavily to the side.

His fist struck the chest of Larry, who was right in the middle of trying to attack him from the flank.

The raw, terrifying physical power from Leon’s fist connected directly with Larry’s torso, creating a loud, ear-splitting crack.

The heavy, full-body armor covering Larry’s torso completely shattered into tiny, useless pieces under the immense pressure of the single strike.

The force didn’t stop there, immediately lifting Larry off his feet and sending him flying backward through the air.

The player let out a painful, breathless grunt as his body was hurled away like a ragdoll.

A thick spray of dark blood erupted from his mouth, painting the air red as he flew.

As he drifted backward, more of his expensive armor kept falling apart piece by piece, the dark plates cracking and peeling off his body until nothing was left of his formidable defense.

Leon didn’t seem at all concerned with the man he had just blasted away. He didn’t even bother to watch where Larry landed or check if the B-rank hunter was still breathing after taking such a devastating blow to the torso.

Instead, he completely ignored the groaning bodies and the terrified stares of the remaining players, calmly lifting his hands to glance at his black and red gloves instead.

As his eyes focused on the worn-out fabric, a system tab suddenly flashed before him, floating neatly in his line of sight to reveal the details of the legendary treasure he had extracted.

[Name: Gauntlets of Heracles]

[Grade: Legendary]

[Description: The divine gauntlets once worn by the legendary hero Heracles during his Twelve Labours. Forged to withstand impossible burdens, they carry the blessings of Zeus, granting overwhelming physical might and unbreakable resolve. These gauntlets recognize only warriors who possess unwavering courage and the will to overcome any trial.]

[When equipped, STR: +3500, AGL: +600, VIT: +2500, END: +3000]

[Modes: Normal, ???(sealed)]

[Skills: Lion’s Dominion(A-rank), Hydra Breaker(S-rank), Atlas Burden(SS-rank), Twelvefold Triumph(SS-rank), Godslayer’s Resolve(SSS-rank: sealed)]

[Note: The gauntlets have yet to acknowledge you as their true bearer. Conquer the twelve labours and prove yourself worthy to unlock their complete power.]

Leon stared at the massive walls of text detailing the incredible stat boosts and mythological skills.

However, despite the grand "gauntlets" name and the epic description provided by the system, the actual item resting on his hands looked more like a pair of regular gloves than anything else.

There were no heavy iron plates, golden engravings, or bulky metal guards extending up his forearms as one would expect from a legendary artifact belonging to a mythical demi-god.

Instead, the material looked entirely plain and ordinary. The dark leather was heavily worn out, fraying slightly at the seams and looking as though it had been dragged through centuries of harsh abuse.

Furthermore, the surface was filled with dark red marks that looked exactly like old, dried blood stains that had permanently seeped into the fabric over time, alongside countless deep scratches and scuff marks that covered the knuckles and palms.

The appearance didn’t bother him, but the restrictive description annoyed him though.

His brow furrowed slightly as he read through the system’s conditions, his initial excitement dipping into mild irritation.

He hated being restricted, especially when he saw the glaring "sealed" status written in bold text directly in front of one of the combat modes and even its highest SSS-rank skill.

Knowing that a literal god-slaying ability was sitting right on his hands but remained completely locked away from him felt incredibly teasing.

He clicked his tongue softly in dissatisfaction, his eyes lingering on the final note.

’I’ve gotten three legendary items now... but none of them are at their full potential.’ he thought, feeling a bit frustrated.

It was starting to become a repeating pattern in his journey. Every single time he managed to acquire a legendary item that other players would gladly kill for, there was always a massive restriction on it, forcing him to work double to actually use its true strength.

First, there was the holy sword. With Excalibur, he had to earn the sword’s acknowledgment before he could unlock its full strength, and the worst part was that he had absolutely no idea how to do it.

The system hadn’t provided a manual or a checklist for earning a holy weapon’s respect, leaving him entirely in the dark about how to unlock its true power.

Then, there was his defensive accessory. With the Ring of Aegis, the restriction was a bit different, requiring him to increase his affinity with the ring over time through consistent use.

To him, this requirement seemed like the most straightforward out of the three. It was a simple matter of wearing it, surviving battles, and letting the bond naturally grow deeper, which was far better than guessing blindly.

But for these ’gauntlets’ resting tightly on his hands right now, their requirement to fully unlock their power was even greater than the previous two combined.

It wasn’t about a vague concept like acknowledgment, nor was it a passive process like affinity. It was demanding that he completed the twelve labours Heracles did before he could unlock its sealed SSS-rank skill!