Chapter 176: 38th Floor. Fairy Village (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 176: 38th Floor. Fairy Village (4)
An intense power exploded. The density of the force was enough to literally erase matter from existence.
The illusion’s eyebrow twitched slightly.
Despite taking a direct hit from such overwhelming power, Kang Jun-hyeok was still alive. He landed on the ground, pushing through the remnants of the energy.
He had barely managed to defend himself using Anti-Field.
Even then, it had been a close call. Unable to block the strike perfectly, he had sustained significant damage. After recovering with Grace of Benevolence, he widened the distance between them.
Can it split into smaller boxes?
The enemy's weapon dispersed the force applied to it and surrounded the opponent. It was a remarkably versatile ability. Kang Jun-hyeok clicked his tongue.
Whirrrrr!
The seven boxes moved once more. Wielding light, they occupied the air like drones.
Kang Jun-hyeok coolly analyzed the situation. Seven boxes were roaming the sky, pressing down on him. Those weren't spirits or living creatures; they were a type of magic created with advanced technology, devoid of self-awareness.
In other words, the illusion was controlling the movement of each box individually.
Each box would require calculations comparable to a modern computer, and the illusion was wielding seven of them. It was an unbelievable processing capacity.
But it can’t be easy.
Ultimately, it was an ability that had to be controlled and managed by an individual. Handling seven at once had to be putting a significant strain on the illusion. It was highly likely at its breaking point.
If so, his response was simple: overload the illusion’s calculation capacity.
Step.
With his plan set, Kang Jun-hyeok lunged forward. The illusion flinched for a moment. Kang Jun-hyeok’s movements had completely changed; they were more meticulous, more razor-sharp.
The illusion flicked its finger. The boxes immediately began to respond to Kang Jun-hyeok’s altered movements.
Whirrrr!
Kang Jun-hyeok swiftly lowered his stance and charged like a beast.
[Stealth]
His body vanished perfectly.
After a brief hesitation, the illusion immediately gathered the boxes and fired bursts of power in all directions. The surrounding area was crushed and annihilated.
However, the attack did not reach Kang Jun-hyeok.
The reason was simple: he hadn't approached in the first place.
The moment he activated Stealth while pretending to charge, he had immediately retreated. The illusion had fired its power in anticipation of an approach, but that itself had been Kang Jun-hyeok’s aim.
Tap.
He approached again, targeting the moment the enemy's power was depleted.
The illusion quickly recalled the boxes, deploying them around its body to form an absolute defense. Just as Kang Jun-hyeok’s body reached point-blank range—
[Rift Movement]
His body shifted behind the illusion.
The illusion was momentarily flustered but responded quickly. It turned its body and began moving the boxes to launch a counterattack.
Kang Jun-hyeok smiled quietly at the reaction. Gems fell behind the illusion’s back.
BOOM!
The gems exploded, swallowing the illusion. Before activating Rift Movement, he had tossed several gems into the air. He had designed the play so that the moment the illusion tried to respond to him, the unnoticed gems would explode and sweep over it.
Rumble!
The explosion subsided. There were no wounds on the illusion’s body. It had successfully defended by reflexively moving the boxes.
“So you can handle that much, huh?”
Then he would make things even more chaotic. Even faster.
Kang Jun-hyeok tightened his grip on his fist.
Clang! Clang!
The battle continued. Like a beast, he swung his power in all directions, targeting the illusion. The illusion moved its fingers violently to manipulate the boxes.
The illusion’s primary strength was dominating space using the boxes. It pre-emptively occupied the space he would move into, controlling the environment and inducing his movements.
Control over the environment and the situation—that was the illusion’s main tactic.
Therefore, he had to make the situation chaotic. He had to strip away its ability to control and make the situation move faster than its calculation speed could follow.
It was by no means an easy task. Simply put, it meant he had to control the situation from a level above his opponent.
The crumbling earth. The trajectories of light. How could he lead the situation with the abilities he possessed?
Perceiving everything within the space, processing variables, and predicting the future—it was a feat that transcended the human realm.
His head throbbed. His brain, overheated from the overload, screamed at him to stop, but he ignored it.
[Repulsion]
Whirrr!
The pouring trajectories of light bent away. He charged forward, leaving the light that grazed past his body behind him.
[Charge]
Boom!
Kang Jun-hyeok sprinted at high speed. Simultaneously, his spear flew through the air. The illusion moved a box to protect its body.
[Immovable Stance]
• Spear Throw
• Spear Throw
At that moment, Kang Jun-hyeok’s body came to a dead stop.
The illusion momentarily lost control at the movement that defied the laws of physics. Taking advantage of that opening, the spears pierced in sharply.
Clang!
It managed to defend by moving a box somehow, but the movement was clearly slower than before.
In that instant, Kang Jun-hyeok approached one of the boxes. He pressed his fist against it and exerted force.
[High-Output Gauntlet from Somewhere]
CRACK!
Along with an intense force, a sound like the world tearing apart echoed. A crater the size of a lake appeared in the already ruined earth.
Rumble...
After the power subsided, Kang Jun-hyeok whistled.
“Finally broke one.”
The box that took the direct hit was hideously mangled. Normally, the illusion would have split the box to disperse the force, but because Kang Jun-hyeok had made the situation so chaotic, its reaction was delayed.
Step.
He immediately kicked off the ground, approaching another box at high speed. The illusion didn't just take it lying down; it immediately split the box to expand its range.
But that was exactly what Kang Jun-hyeok was aiming for.
A box could be split to disperse force, but conversely, that meant its individual strength was weaker than before it was split.
[Glory of the Lost God]
An intense light rose and swallowed the world. The fragments of the split box burned and fell away.
Glory of the Lost God was a wide-range release of power. Since the force wasn't concentrated, it couldn't normally destroy a box. However, when they were split like this, it had enough power to shatter them.
“Five left.”
Two boxes were destroyed, leaving five.
The illusion’s face grew urgent. It gathered the remaining boxes together and fired an intense beam of light.
Whirrrrrrr!
It was fast, strong, and massive. It was impossible to dodge without injury.
In that case, he would meet it head-on.
[Enhancement: Heaven-Defying Spear of Jealousy]
• Reset: Single Point Penetration
Along with the spear imbued with great Authority, he gathered all his internal energy and thrust.
Creeeeeak!
The massive light and the spear collided. His body was instantly damaged and threatened to be pushed back. However, he dug his feet in and endured. He channeled more internal energy into the spear.
First Form: Hot Wind Sky Slash.
KABOOM!
The powerful force exploded outward. The surrounding area was swept away, and the aftermath even reached the Fairy Village. The fairies shrieked in terror.
Kang Jun-hyeok was pushed back five steps, unable to withstand the force. However, the boxes also couldn't withstand the power and had split apart. To be precise, the illusion had intentionally split them to disperse the impact.
But that was a miscalculation. Kang Jun-hyeok’s eyes turned blood-red.
[True Ancestor Awakening]
He gained absolute dominance over blood. Blood surged and shook the surroundings, swallowing the space itself and seizing the split boxes.
Step.
He approached the now-unprotected illusion.
The illusion hurriedly retreated, trying to gather the boxes. Kang Jun-hyeok tried to block them using the blood, but it wasn't enough. The boxes creaked as they crushed through the blood.
By the time Kang Jun-hyeok reached the illusion’s immediate vicinity, the boxes were on the verge of gathering right in front of it.
“Phew.”
Kang Jun-hyeok caught his breath.
Second Form: World-Shaking Wind Descent.
BOOM!
Gathering his last remaining internal energy, he summoned a storm. The boxes were scattered in all directions. Kang Jun-hyeok grabbed the illusion’s shoulder.
Thwack.
A sword pierced through its chest.
The illusion froze. Trembling, it raised a hand and touched Kang Jun-hyeok’s face. A massive power began to gather in its palm.
But before it could crush Kang Jun-hyeok’s head, the hand went limp.
[Level Up]
• Stamina +50
• Strength +4
• Speed +5
• Internal Energy +3
• Mana +2
[Proficiency in Boundary of Death Awakening has increased significantly.]
• Proficiency in Glory of the Lost God has increased.
• Arcana Gem Magic’s...
• Passive Skill: Control has been acquired.
“...Phew!”
Kang Jun-hyeok let out the breath he had been holding. “I barely won.”
It really had been a close shave. If the illusion’s response had been just a bit faster, or if it had a little more strength left at the end, it would have been extremely dangerous. He hadn't expected to be pushed this far by a mere illusion of Pixie, who wasn't even a Victor.
However, contrary to his thoughts, the Master of All Weapons and Eldiria were quite surprised by his victory.
[Impressive. I didn't expect you to win so cleanly.]
[That is merely an illusion of Pixie. Its mana is pathetic and its calculation ability is inferior. It could only handle seven boxes, yet it is still surprising.]
“Are you congratulating me? Or are you saying my opponent was pathetic?”
[It is a congratulation in the purest sense. Even so, that was her illusion. To mortal beings, she is a high-dimensional existence. You are indeed remarkable.]
Eldiria spoke as if she were proud. Kang Jun-hyeok looked at the spot where the illusion had fallen. The mana had dispersed, leaving nothing behind.
“If it were the original her, how many of those boxes would she have handled?”
[From what I know, it was over a hundred. I do not know beyond that.]
“Is that so?”
Kang Jun-hyeok let out a hollow laugh. Wielding a hundred boxes simultaneously, when even one was terrifyingly powerful... Just imagining it gave him goosebumps.
But at the same time, a strange feeling arose. Floating around the master, eliminating enemies and attacking—on top of that, the defensive power was also excellent. As long as one could handle the burden, it was a near-omnipotent ability.
I want it.
Desire flickered in his eyes.
But there was nothing he could do about it right now. He would have to talk about it after returning to Earth. Kang Jun-hyeok stood up and headed toward the village.
“W-what happened?”
The fairies approached him in a fuss. Kang Jun-hyeok spoke calmly.
“I defeated her illusion. There is no longer a guardian protecting the tree.”
“...O-ohhh!”
“Waaaaah!”
“I knew we could count on you!”
“Actually, I was half-doubting! I thought it would be hard for even you to win against her illusion!”
“Well, aren't you honest.”
“But you won! Yay! We survived!”
The fairies cheered and praised Kang Jun-hyeok. It was the reaction signaling that the quest had been successfully completed.