92. I Believed in You (2)
“Hoo…!”
He maxed out the load on the hydraulic cylinder attached to his shoulder.
Just lifting his arm drained mana.
In return, it would deliver tremendous power and recoil.
Philip grimaced, gnashing his teeth as he endured the agony ripping through his body like it might explode, channeling every ounce of his mana into the hand gripping his mace.
If he could land Value Proof as a double strike, it would be enough to deal a fatal blow to this boss.
No matter how strong and tough the thing was, the Colossus had already shattered the walls, and Philip's attacks had caved in the floor.
It was more than possible.
With just one shot… I have to bring the whole dungeon crashing down!
Philip gathered his strength without cease.
And just as he had done before, Jeonghu was buying him that time.
“One Strike! One Strike! One Strike! One Strike!!”
Like some kind of mantra, Jeonghu leaped through the air with Leap, slamming One Strike into the chests of the Colossi where their mana stones glowed.
The moment his fist—empowered by his Epic Weapon—connected, the Colossi shattered all the way to their mana cores.
Destroy one, and another would detach from the wall as if to maintain their numbers.
But…
“One Strike!!”
Just smash another fist into the newcomer before it fully emerged.
Boom! Crash!
To let Philip build his power uninterrupted, Jeonghu swept away the Colossi before they could even spawn.
It was a speed too fast for the eye to follow—something even Philip, strong against area attacks, couldn't match.
While Jeonghu stalled, Philip drew in mana and strength to the absolute limit.
With the intent to burn through every drop of mana Jeonghyeon had sent him.
“Just once…!”
But the problem was fear.
What if he couldn't activate Value Proof here?
Until now, it had never triggered as he intended.
Only when his consciousness faded halfway, in his most desperate moments, or on Jeonghyeon's command.
Please… this time, I have to prove my worth…!
Could he do it without Jeonghyeon there?
Was Uldran watching?
If not, he could only hope the raw double strike of his gathered power would finish it—as Philip reared back to swing.
Your abilities as Uldran's awakener have blossomed.
Awakening Ability: Fanatic
Fanatic Effect: Generates a virtual voice of the ruler you serve.
Deceives yourself to manifest that power as reality.
—Prove your worth. You can do it. Never accept defeat.
Jeonghyeon's voice echoed in Philip's mind.
Not heard through his ears, but straight to his soul.
The ruler's command.
In that instant, the same crimson glow flared in Philip's eyes as in Jeonghyeon's.
“Die!!!!!”
An unintended shout erupted from him—one so intense it made even his ally Jeonghu's mana veins tingle and freeze.
He swung Soul of the Mountain.
Whoosh—!
The maximally gathered power absorbed the cylinder's recoil and slammed into the ground.
Boom—crack!
The impact was so overwhelming that even the double strike's sound was drowned out.
Rumble—!
The floor bracing him crumbled, and Philip and Jeonghu plunged straight down.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Walls collapsed in sequence, floors giving way one after another like bombs detonating in a building.
“Grooooaaarrr—!”
By the time the dungeon's endless fall began, a bizarre roar—like a golem's—echoed from far away.
“Philip~!! We did it! It's all collapsing now!!”
Even amid the chaos, Jeonghu used his senses amplified by Jeonghyeon's mana.
He kicked off falling debris with Leap, bounding toward Philip.
“Good… thing…!”
But Philip, who had expended all his power, lost the glow in his eyes and blacked out.
He had reached a trance-like state and felt none of the building's collapse vibrations.
But as he lost consciousness, a status window appeared before his eyes.
“Ugh…!”
Philip's eyes fluttered open, before he could even take in the unfamiliar ceiling.
“Huh?”
His body bolted upright on its own.
He hadn't moved it, nor had anyone helped.
“What?”
“What do you mean, what. It's the power of the high elves.”
Only then did Philip notice the golden-haired, beautiful elf with long ears and porcelain skin.
“A-an elf?!”
“Pleased to meet you. I was once the leader of the high elves, but now I'm reduced to a recovery shuttle for your ruler. Name's Romanell.”
“N-nice to meet you.”
Recovery shuttle…?
Did elves use terms like that?
Philip awkwardly shook the proffered hand.
“Uh… looks like you got dragged into Jeonghyeon-nim's orbit too.”
“Yeah. That guy's got a silver tongue.”
Romanell smiled with worldly benevolence.
“What the hell are you two saying? I went out of my way to save your asses.”
Jeonghyeon pushed aside the tent flap where Romanell and Philip were and strode in.
“Haha. Now my house is just a clinic. Haha.”
Romanell let out a dry laugh with empty eyes.
“Jeonghyeon-nim!!”
Philip reflexively launched himself like a bullet, shoulder-checking(?) Jeonghyeon.
“Damn… look at me…”
“Jeonghyeon-nim?! J-Jeonghyeon-nim!?”
Even Jeonghu, lying quietly nearby, jolted at Philip's shout and rushed Jeonghyeon. Romanell, now shouldered on both sides, slunk to a corner on his own.
“You're awake. Sorry. I had my own urgent business.”
“No, sir! Thanks to you, we cleared up to the 30th floor!”
“Right! That mana at the end… it was yours, Jeonghyeon-nim!”
“Yeah. Obviously.”
But did Jeonghu always talk like this?
His voice was different, but it felt like there were two Philips.
Philip's infinite positivity must have rubbed off on Jeonghu.
Whatever. It didn't matter.
His cherished comrades had returned alive.
“Anyway, that's how it went down.”
It hadn't been long, but a lot had happened.
Time in Afraksas flowed differently from Jeonghyeon's dimension, and the Tower's time was the same. They didn't know how many days had passed in the real world, but it hadn't felt like ages to them.
“An incredible amount happened.”
“High elves, beastkin, and Rock Dwarves…”
Jeonghyeon shot back at Jeonghu's reaction.
“Huh? You know Rock Dwarves?”
“No. First time hearing about any of them. First time in a world like this…”
As suspected.
This world was too vast for current hunters to know about.
If anything, Jeonghyeon knowing was the weird part in this era.
“Anyway, that high elf's paying his debt. So if you're hurt, go to him right away.”
Jeonghyeon jerked his chin at Romanell, who grit his teeth with wounded pride.
“Got it!”
“Yep!”
The two humans Jeonghyeon brought nodded.
“Damn. First a clinic, now a heal shuttle?!”
“Oh. Want the high elves extinct?”
“That would be most valuable!”
“This punk climbs whenever he gets a chance.”
Demon King was Demon King, huh.
Romanell seemed thoroughly caught by one Demon King.
As one major incident wrapped up and Jeonghyeon's tension eased with one less worry—
Vmmm—!
With the hum of Guide of Spirits activating, Horakti crossed space to appear.
“Sorry to interrupt your rest.”
“Good to see you! Horakti-nim!”
“Uh? Oh, yeah. We need to talk, Jeonghyeon.”
Horakti pulled Jeonghyeon aside with a serious face.
Outside Romanell's house, Horakti quietly spoke.
“I did as you asked, first off.”
“Thanks. Now I owe you.”
They spoke as if they'd planned it beforehand, discussing progress.
“The Wakin sisters, Hwang Dooman, and Jo Yoon? I sent word. They're smart; they got it.”
But Horakti continued, sounding uneasy.
“But… is this really okay…?”
“What?”
“Opening dimensional gates to your protected world… and steadily sending monsters through.”
What Jeonghyeon had asked Horakti for was a steady supply of monsters to the present world.
“It's fine. Don't worry. I've got a plan.”
“If it's mana stones, Afraksas has dungeons too.”
“I said it's fine.”
Horakti, now acknowledging Jeonghyeon as a fellow Demon King rather than a subordinate, worried his minions might suffer meaningless losses.
Jeonghyeon inwardly appreciated that leaderly concern.
But there was truly no issue.
“I told you. Monsters that won't kill or seriously hurt anyone. Plus…”
“Plus?”
“I'm painting the big picture. It's not just about gathering mana stones and strengthening my minions.”
“Then?”
“I'll explain when the time comes. This is humanity's business.”
Jeonghyeon was firm.
That unyielding resolve left no room for cracks—no desire to pry or question further.
It was the charisma that made others follow him.
Horakti nodded in the end.
“If I'm overworrying, sorry.”
“Nah. I'm grateful, actually.”
Jeonghyeon smirked and patted Horakti's shoulder.
“You know the feeling. Your kin, your followers dying from your bad calls. Getting done in because you're weak. That's why you're saying this.”
“…”
Horakti chuckled too.
“If you get that far, no need for me to worry more. You'll find a way.”
“Don't worry. Introduce some beastkin to my guys.”
“Why?”
“Why? We're allies.”
“S-so?”
“We might fight Ignirn's war together. Better if we get to know each other, right?”
“W-war…?”
“I believe in you! My comrade! Only my fellow Demon King worries like this~!”
With that, Jeonghyeon bolted off somewhere in Elaha's Garden like he was fleeing.
“Th-that punk…!”
Tricked again.
Sometimes resolute, sometimes suspiciously simple and foolish, sometimes slyly getting exactly what he wants.
But Horakti knew that was Jeonghyeon's greatest strength, so he didn't bother chasing with Guide of Spirits.
“Yeah. Demon King comrade…”
Allies now, and in his debt.
Time to repay.
“Fine. Let's dive into deep waters.”
He flung open Romanell's tent flap.