Chapter 86
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 086
Chapter Title: The Battle of That Day
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I awoke from a long dream.
"......"
Woojin blinked in silence. Everything he'd just seen, heard, and experienced vanished like a mirage. By the time he came to his senses, he was already back in reality.
It had felt like an eternity in the dream, but not much time had passed in the real world. Proof of that lay in his left hand.
Squelch, squelch—
The Abomination's inner core was wrapped around his wrist, encroaching on his body. The erosion hadn't progressed much since he'd last checked.
'A variant Abomination carrying the scent of an Old One.'
That was how Queen Knartash had described them when she spoke of the Abominations.
At the time, he'd thought the explanation vague. But now, reflecting on it, it fit perfectly. After all, this Abomination stemmed from the breath of an Old One.
The Dark Cultists had strived to revive their dead Old One, only to end up in the same state as the Outer Gods they served.
'What a messy tangle.'
Woojin let out a faint sigh. The deranged zealots had created a massive headache. How was he supposed to deal with this?
Squelch—
......For now, the problem right in front of him took priority. Even at this moment, chunks of the Abomination's flesh were creeping up his wrist.
The pressure was intense. It felt like a massive snake swallowing his arm.
Woojin grabbed the inner core coiled around his arm and tore it off by hand, but the sticky mass clung tenaciously to his wrist.
'......What a pain.'
He'd deal with it roughly and be done.
Bzzt-crack!!
He summoned a bolt of lightning into his hand. The Abomination charred black under the red electric fire, then lost its vitality and slid to the floor.
The smell of burning squid stung his nose. Woojin swept it out of the room with his foot like he was brushing dirt.
With the immediate issue handled, Woojin returned to bed and rubbed his forehead.
'Must've overused Clairvoyance... My headache's worse than before.'
Honestly, he'd seen far more than expected—so much that it left him rattled. His Clairvoyance was still quite immature in many ways.
'Peeking into Vikram's memories proved effective.'
The memories of the Defier he'd inherited along with Clairvoyance. Before drawing his last breath, Vikram had tried to observe Woojin's essence using Clairvoyance.
Vikram had failed... but when peering into the inner core moments ago, Woojin had used those memories to attempt contact with the mental image. It succeeded, yielding far more information than anticipated.
'The Dragon of Heavenly Punishment.'
The Dark Cultists revered the colossal dragon as an Outer God. Not particularly strange. It was a monster of overwhelming power.
Woojin knew that better than anyone.
'......Because I killed it.'
The situation had twisted in bizarre ways. Woojin replayed an old memory.
Looking back...
Facing that dragon had been completely unplanned. His intended prey had been a different monster altogether.
'The Spider Queen.'
Also known as the Capricious Nine Roses. Woojin harbored a personal grudge against that beast.
'That damned spider killed me so many times...'
After surviving long in the Demonic Realm's depths and building his strength, he'd inevitably clashed with her spider forces. His respawn point after death was near her territory.
After dying to them repeatedly, his pride kicked in. Over long years of preparation, whenever he had the chance, he struck at her forces.
Woojin hit-and-ran like a guerrilla. Nibbling away at her minions on the territory's outskirts enraged the Spider Queen, who came personally to capture and kill him.
Thus began the battle.
She dominated in sheer size, but Woojin held the edge in information. He'd memorized her abilities through countless deaths.
'The plan was mostly successful.'
His body was badly damaged from fighting the Old One, but in exchange, he'd inflicted severe wounds on the Spider Queen.
A little more pressure, and she'd fall. As Woojin prepared to press the attack...
'......An uninvited guest showed up.'
The Dragon of Heavenly Punishment.
As Woojin and the Nine Roses dealt each other grievous injuries, it appeared as if waiting for the moment.
The dragon attacked the Spider Queen. Their powers were originally equal, but she was weakened by wounds. The clash between the two Old Ones turned one-sided.
Witnessing this, Woojin flew into a rage.
'This bastard... trying to swoop in for the kill?'
After all his efforts to wear her down, this damned lizard was interfering.
He couldn't let it steal his prey.
With that thought, Woojin charged the dragon. Sneaking behind, he swung his machete with full force at its ankle.
Clang—!
The blade bounced back. The dragon's scales were tougher than expected. Undeterred, Woojin swung relentlessly, like a patient woodcutter.
After repeating this several times...
Slash!
The blade carved through the scales, severing the tendon buried in muscle.
"Grraaarrgh!!"
The dragon roared in pain and fury. Its gaze turned this way, deeming the nuisance priority.
Rumble—
A red bolt of lightning struck down.
Woojin hurled himself aside, dodging the direct hit. But he couldn't evade the aftermath.
Craaaack!!
The lightning hit the ground with an explosion, unleashing shockwaves and currents that swept the surroundings. Struck by one, Woojin's body stiffened.
Normally, he'd tank it with his durability. But after brawling the Spider Queen, his body was wrecked.
The dragon's foreclaw swung. He tried to dodge, but his paralyzed legs wouldn't obey.
'Damn it, if only I were in better shape...'
The moment he sensed death.
Boom!!
A massive roar shook the dragon's bulk. The Spider Queen charged and rammed it, causing its claw to miss Woojin.
She wouldn't let it steal her hard-won prey either.
......The Nine Roses thought the same. Letting this irritating lizard reap all the benefits as a third party was unacceptable.
'Kill this one first.'
Woojin and the Nine Roses aligned in thought. Two wounded, imperfect beings teamed up against one intact foe.
Thus, the three plunged into an endless battle. It raged for nearly four days.
"Grrrh... grrr..."
The dragon heaved ragged breaths repeatedly. Exhausted from facing two enemies alone, its body was covered in wounds large and small.
It had to retreat.
As the dragon turned to flee, the Nine Roses hummed a tune.
"La, lalala—"
The Outer God's song wrought anomalies. Rose petals on the ground floated into the air. Countless petals swirled like a storm, enveloping the dragon.
The intense rose scent addled its mind. The dragon shook its head wildly, then spread its wings to take flight.
But before it could...
Woojin leaped skyward. The machete in his hand gleamed with sharp menace.
Swish, swish—
Twisting like an acrobat in midair descent. Each spin trailed the blade in unpredictable arcs. Accelerating, the tip gained deadly speed.
The blade struck the dragon's nape.
Spluuurt!!
A satisfying sound rang out as azure blood erupted like a fountain. Seized by agony, the dragon thrashed. The life in its eyes faded.
Soon, its massive body tilted.
Thud!!
A thunderous crash shook the forest like an earthquake. Then, silence fell as if by magic.
They'd slain the dragon.
......But there was no joy in it.
'I've reached my limit too.'
Woojin tried to stay upright but collapsed onto the dirt. His body was half-ragged from battling the dragon.
Death approached. He'd experienced it countless times, so he knew.
'......That one's still relatively fine.'
Lying on the ground, he turned his head to the Spider Queen. She'd taken heavy wounds too, but her life wasn't in danger.
The Spider Queen approached the dragon's corpse, piled with rose petals. She tore open its flank and extracted a massive inner core.
The dragon's inner core.
Then, to claim the rest of the spoils, she turned toward Woojin. The Nine Roses approached leisurely.
'In the end, only she profits.'
Woojin clicked his tongue inwardly.
He disliked her sole survival, but it didn't matter much. The moment his breath stopped, he'd return to his past starting point.
'I'll start over from the beginning.'
It was a shame to lose his progress, but next time he'd do better. Experience against the dragon and spider was valuable.
As he thought that...
Swish.
The Nine Roses picked up Woojin. A gentle grip, like handling fragile glass. Her nine heads gazed down.
Tap, tap.
A massive finger prodded his head, as if checking if he lived.
'......A pain to the end.'
Smack!
Woojin irritably swatted the finger away. Seeing his reaction, the Nine Roses smiled in satisfaction.
Then, she brought the dragon's inner core close. The boulder-sized core cast a heavy shadow over him.
'......What're you planning?'
As he puzzled...
Squiiiish—!
The Nine Roses crushed the inner core in her grip. Dragon blood poured like a waterfall onto Woojin.
Blood flooded his mouth and nose. No time to breathe amid the deluge. Like a drowning man, Woojin gasped and swallowed the dragon's blood.
......And changes began.
Crack, creak—
Joints throughout his body ground noisily. Gray scales spread over his skin. His eyes glowed red with lightning.
Uncontrollable power and vitality surged. The dragon's blood made him stronger.
After yielding most of the core's power and essence, the Spider Queen chewed the husk like jerky.
A baffling situation for Woojin.
"......Why yield this to me?"
No chance she'd understand, but he had to ask. As always, she responded with a meaningful smile.
The Spider Queen set Woojin down and walked away leisurely.
The Capricious Nine Roses departed.
Alone, Woojin stood blankly for a moment... then picked up his fallen machete and headed into the forest.
'Who'd have thought my revenge would end like this.'
Her spiders had killed him countless times. He'd strived for payback, yet it felt like unintended reconciliation with the Spider Queen.
With that in mind... there was no reason to linger in this barren land. Revenge complete, sufficient power gained.
What next?
After much deliberation, he glanced south. Toward the faint shadows. He'd always wondered what lay beyond that horizon.
'......Let's go see.'
He set off aimlessly southward. Thus did Kim Woojin arrive here.