Chapter 80
Chapter 80
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Dreamwalker Sect Leader
-----------------------------------------------------------------
He kicked off the ground hard.
Boom!
He shot forward. The speed was decent, but unfortunately, the distance was too great.
My strength was beyond monstrous, but that still made me a human who walked on the ground.
If he kicked off too hard, his body would float into the air, limiting the speed he could achieve.
"If only I could use internal energy, I could pair it with movement techniques."
It was at that moment of regret.
[The Silence status has been lifted!]
[19:59]
Boom!
A sudden idea hit him. He rolled across the floor to dodge the gunfire, then hid among the piled-up supplies and tried circulating his internal energy. He could feel the energy, which had been completely still until now, surging up powerfully.
"It moved... damn it."
The internal energy, briefly freed, hardened like stone again. It seemed the mana nullification effect was continuously applied.
But it wasn't a situation for pure disappointment.
"It lifts for about 5 seconds."
And that was enough.
"Login."
He returned to Ardenia. He checked the dropped items, sorted them, and assessed the damage.
There were 217 deaths and over 500 injuries.
The initial strike had invested tremendous power, causing massive casualties. It hurt even more knowing many of them were elite soldiers with classes.
"Now we need to properly watch the skies too. If it's mana turrets, aerial attacks are possible."
After roughly organizing the situation, he rested for 19 minutes and 50 seconds. The first lift was lucky because the skill was charged; he had nearly missed that status effect removal could lift mana nullification.
"Logout."
He returned to Earth. He immediately charged at the green bear.
Thud!
The turret fired again. He didn't dodge.
[Moonlight Defense!]
He pierced through the explosion ahead and stomped the ground.
Boom!
Feeling his right foot sink into the distinctive black floor of the Dream Realm, he swung his monstrous strength sword upward.
A power that could hit a home run even if an armored vehicle flew at him like a baseball!
[Th-that monster...!]
But the green bear's barrier blocked the sword tip.
Whoooong—!
The swung sword collided with the barrier, neutralizing the concentrated physical force at a single point, and his body bounced back.
Thud! Thud! Boom!
"Tch."
Feeling his organs rumble, he looked up. Fortunately, the outer wall of the filming set was at his back.
Boom!
He kicked off the filming set wall and shot forward like a missile. As the considerable distance shrank in an instant, the green bear wrapped its entire body in a barrier again.
"H-ha ha ha! You fool! No matter how monstrous your strength, you can't break the barrier!"
It was true. Physical force was a one-dimensional lower energy; unless overwhelming it on a scale that surpassed the threshold, breaking the barrier would be difficult.
'The grunts didn't use barriers, making it easy, but the supply does. Well, it used abilities too.'
Of course, in this situation, it didn't matter.
He simply measured the time while listening to the guy's ranting.
"One, two, three."
[The Silence status has been lifted!]
Feeling the mana restriction lift in an instant, he pulled his internal energy with full power.
The energy roughly drawn up from his dantian swirled through his body and then poured out.
Instantaneous Secret Art, First Form.
One Sword Momentum.
The thrust pierced the barrier in a flash, penetrating the armor and cockpit. Of course, the guy didn't just take it lying down.
Puk! Puk!
Waves of energy shot from both sides like scissors, slamming into his body.
The attack aimed at his neck was blocked by his shoulder, severing his right arm halfway, and the one stabbing his side tore through his organs and burst out the flank.
Since it was a counter simultaneous with the attack, he couldn't avoid it.
The login/logout ability was free from most restrictions, but it still required time to voice it.
He whispered without moving his lips, like ventriloquism.
"Login."
Splash!
"Kyaa! My lord!"
"Jaeyeon?"
As blood poured from his body, Flower and Hayes, who had been treating the soldiers, reacted first. Hayes supported his body, and Flower's heals poured over him.
It was a critical injury, but recovery was quick—not because Flower's heals were strong, but thanks to his troll-like enhanced regeneration from the legendary pine rice cake effect.
"Hoo...."
This time, he rested properly. He drank potions and chewed some jerky. Steelstone approached after somewhat rallying the troops.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Think of it as backlash from the authority."
It was an offhand excuse, but the subordinates' mood grew heavy.
'Oh, was that a weird excuse?'
But he couldn't explain login/logout, so no choice.
He entered the quarters the soldiers had prepared in a relatively intact house and checked the drop items.
Items were piled up in one corner of the room.
Among them, he grabbed the one with the biggest presence: [Ice Queen's Merit Chest (Legendary)].
Flash!
[Frozen Field (Heroic). Frozen Blade Crafting Recipe (Heroic). Necklace of Extreme Cold (Rare). You have acquired 4500 Honor Coins!]
His face hardened involuntarily.
"What? A legendary chest, and no legendary drops?"
He knew it was probability-based, but still—nearly solo raid, and heroics as the top? His contribution was over 50%!
Ridiculous, but not hopeless. There were other items besides the merit chest.
Ice Queen's Pride (Legendary).
Defense +16
Intelligence +30
Mana Recovery +30
Spell Hit +5
Cold Attribute Amplification +10%
Material: Snow Mithril (Heavenly).
"Wow. No enhancement slots, but look at those options...."
The only legendary was a magic-use top, coveted by cold mages for the attribute amp.
But of course, it was useless to him.
If it had been a crafting recipe, he could choose the type, but a complete product meant no.
Naturally, he couldn't wear it. Him, all-in on strength, in cloth armor now?
'Can't just give it to Smile either.'
After agonizing, he decided to store it for now. Next, Polar Night (Heroic). Skill books like Ice Spear (Heroic) were the same.
At least crafting recipes like Frozen Armor Recipe (Heroic), Necklace of Extreme Cold (Rare), Ring of Cold Protection (Rare) looked immediately useful.
"Well... for a special raid, the rewards are decent."
Unlike dungeon bosses he could farm dozens of times a day by spinning dungeons, raid monsters were limited resources.
Separate from field boss difficulty.
'To hunt field raid monsters, you have to war with other players who want them.'
Rewards had to be generous. Why else would guilds endure massive losses fighting others?
Revives and teleports to hunting grounds all cost diamonds.
In the end.
Ardenia, with no competitors... might be better for item farming than Revenge.
"But farming Ice Queen repeatedly for rewards is too risky."
This place's Ice Queen was nothing like game raid bosses that respawned dumbly to die again. As seen with the ice bombing this time, it was a being that tried new tactics and strategies.
He couldn't put soldiers—who couldn't respawn like game characters—at risk.
'How long is the special boss respawn time....'
He estimated but couldn't be sure. Ardenia's respawns differed completely from game systems.
Normal monsters respawned in six hours, advanced in a full day, rares in a week. Legendaries would take at least a month, he figured.
"Then... claim the flower point before Ice Queen respawns."
This battle was relatively easy. The Ice Queen lacked proper flight, making the sky the battlefield.
Thanks to Kasim and his midway internal energy awakening, victory was swift—otherwise, it would have been tough.
'I've gotten much stronger handling internal energy... but assassination's impossible. Need to wipe the flower's monsters completely and enter the dungeon with the army.'
With hell-difficulty dungeon clears gone, sieges twice.
Even shuttling between Earth and Ardenia to recover wounds and stamina, he couldn't solo it. Needed to lead a proper army.
He checked the time. Quite a bit had passed amid his deliberations.
"Well, that's a good rest."
He lightly checked his condition. Set up potions and bandages nearby. With Flower and healers on standby in the next building, prep was solid.
"Logout."
Boom!
The supply Giggas green bear collapsed, shaking the ground. The charging Giggas halted in confusion.
"W-what? The wounds... how?"
"What happened! Why can it use abilities?"
"More importantly, what kind of power is that? Monstrous strength and sword aura?!"
"Hey, quit yapping. Just comm each other."
As he grumbled and prepared to charge.
Boom!
One Giggas suddenly collapsed.
That was the start.
"Fire! Kill the bast—huh?"
"His Majesty's condition is off! Check status—gah?"
"Grab hostages! Even that guy... will...."
The terrorists' disciplined movements froze, then they collapsed almost simultaneously.
Not just them.
Whirr....
Boom!
The remaining Giggas fell. Even the terrorists he had downed but not killed stopped groaning.
He touched the neck of a nearby downed terrorist.
"...Dead?"
Startled, he crouched and sharpened his senses.
"W-what? Why are they all down?"
"What's the situation?"
"Try connecting external comms first!"
Unlike the dead terrorists, actors and staff were fine and chattering.
'What? Game master intervention? To save the nephew?'
But right after, he realized it wasn't.
Bram, whose upper body had been shattered, was rising.
"That thunderbolt bastard ruined everything...."
No trace of death or equivalent injury.
Looking around, the downed terrorists' bodies were mummified.
"Self-sacrifice spell? Auto-trigger? Using underlings as sacrifices—truly every trick."
"It was done with mutual consent. How dare you criticize? You, who killed my comrades in this great revolution!"
Rumble!
The Dream Realm shook. Nightmares gathered in response to Bram's shout.
Then he understood Bram's identity.
"Dreamwalker Sect...."
Come to think of it, none of the sect mages helping with filming were visible. They must have leaked info to terrorists and fled.
'Dreamwalker Sect Leader—8th class. Stronger than Ice Queen, not weak.'
No reason to hesitate.
Clang!
Thrown construction materials were blocked before Bram. Bram's face twisted viciously.
"You think I'd fall for this again!"
Rumble!
Nightmares converged. A scream from Seongjae behind.
As a 7th-class mage, he recognized the spell.
"8th-class archmagic! Don't meet its eyes, focus your mind—!"
"Too late—!"
[Moonlight Defense!]
[9:59]
Familiar text appeared.
But the nightmare wave pierced Moonlight Defense.
"Strange defense, but useless against me! Become my slave! Nightmare Festival!"
Flash!
No time to dodge—the nightmare wave slammed his body!
"No!"
"Th-this!?"
Screams erupted everywhere. He thought.
'8th class, huh.'
8th-class archmagic—naturally immense power.
From the "my slave" talk, probably dumping him in a massive nightmare to shatter his free will and control him.
Single-target, not AoE, so hard to resist even with high magic resistance and mental fortitude.
But as always said.
Ignorant ghosts don't recognize talismans.
Thwack!
"Guh!"
Slashed with sword, but a dull sound. Bram screamed.
"Wh-what!? Impossible! It hit for sure!"
Crack!
Slashed again. Neck didn't sever.
"But it didn't work."
"You bastard! Ridiculous—!"
Thwack!
"Argh! How dare you...!"
Thwack!
He struck. Intangible energy interfered, but he kept slamming down without pause.
First.
Chop off the neck, and some result would come.
"Login."
To Ardenia.
"Logout."
Rest and return.
[The Silence status has been lifted!]
[19:59]
Instantaneous Secret Art, First Form.
One Sword Momentum.
Clang!
Even the all-out killing strike pouring everything into one sword momentum—Bram survived. But not unscathed.
"Cough! Blech!"
He vomited blood.
'Tough bastard.'
He raised his sword again.
"Wait! Just wait! Stop. Hear me out!"
"Talk?"
He lifted the sword.
"Nope."
Thud!
Concentrating all internal energy and superhuman strength into one point and slamming down—the protective barrier rippled like it would tear any second with each strike.
Bram desperately maintained it while speaking.
"34th Earth is rotting! Ladders to higher strata are gone—only elder-serving families grip everything!"
Not wrong.
[Stagnant Paradise]
Best description for 34th Earth. Transparent social system, near-perfect institutions—then it froze.
Overly stable, photo-like fixed world.
No more sciences or discoveries to advance.
Naturally, little class mobility. Elder families dominated upper strata; immigrants breaking that wall was exceedingly hard.
Someone might ask.
With Justice God and Truth God, how?
Answer.
Possible.
Is passing wealth to children [evil]? Giving elixirs, imparting power, elite education from youth—truly evil?
Justice God deems it just, doesn't label evil.
And so... society solidifies.
Science hits 3rd civilization wall—no new tech likely, businesses capped—so individuals left with supernatural training.
Sure, train supernatural to become high-rank... but
Honestly, rare. In a world with safety nets ensuring no survival issues, what's desperate enough for enlightenment?
No wonder countless elders left for outer space. Extreme stability is utopia for some, suffocating model garden for the ambitious.
"34th Earth is filled not with those scant families, but us immigrants! But reality? We're blatantly discriminated against!"
His blood-spewing shout—he raised the sword.
Thud!
"Kk! You... traitor! You're an immigrant too...!"
Genuine rage made him chuckle in disbelief.
"If you had such high ideals, run for election."
"Those filthy family bastards...!"
"Got cut by Justice God and Truth God?"
"...."
Bram's face flushed beet red, speechless.
"Can't blend into society, no special treatment hurts pride. Treat followers' lives lightly, yet can't leave this safe, abundant planet."
Didn't like 34th Earth? Leave. Not a commoner—8th-class mage could.
But he didn't.
"Emperor... a world ruled by you is obvious."
Cold smile, raise sword.
"Medieval beggar land."
"N-no! Sto—!"
Crack!
Dull noise. Bram's body slumped.
[Justice God watches you.]
He smirked at the message. Used to care, not now.
And then.
"Cut! Perfect!"
He turned. Director Alan Gray filmed him with a huge camera.
"...."
Too absurd for even a hollow laugh.
'Cut my ass, you madman.'
Maybe cut his neck for real.