Chapter 19
Sybel shot into the sky and roared in the language of dragons.
"Power Word Kill!"
"Meteor Swarm!"
"Destruction Wind!"
"Hell of Ground!"
⟨ Ninth Circle Magic ⟩
The ninth-circle spells unfolded in rapid succession, turning the entire mountain fortress into a vision of hell.
The ground itself buckled and spewed forth searing crimson flames.
Dozens of small meteors plummeted from the sky.
Winds of annihilation whipped around the whole stronghold, dragging every living creature toward death.
“Kuaaaak!”
“Keuuuugh!”
The bandits shrieked as they were cut down.
“D-Dragon, sir! Please, show mercy!”
“At least spare our lives, we beg you!”
“W-We were only taken hostage!”
Gannon the mage and Barkan the mercenary were desperately pleading for their lives.
Sybel gave a derisive snort.
The mage and mercenary were instantly swallowed by the winds of destruction.
Sybel gazed down at the hellscape he had created with cold eyes, then slowly turned his head.
There, one man remained—Jin Chen, down on one knee with his head bowed.
“Krrrrrrrrgh.”
The groan came from Jin Chen as he fought through the pain.
“Shut the hell up, you bastard!”
He unleashed another barrage of ninth-circle magic.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The earth itself howled.
“Kuaaaaaaaaagh!”
The inhuman man’s knees finally slammed into the ground.
Moments later, the human who had once handed him his first defeat collapsed like a broken doll.
Gannon slowly opened his eyes.
An overwhelming fullness he had never felt before surged through every fiber of his being.
“Aaaaaaaaah!”
This intense, electric sense of power made him feel capable of anything.
Its source was his heart.
Eight rings encircled it, and tears welled up in his eyes.
Eight-circle. I’ve finally reached eight-circle!
His more successful peers had hit six-circle years ago, getting scouted by dukes and marquises to live comfortable lives.
Most of those stuck at five-circle, like him, had long since chosen different paths and now lived without envy.
Only he had clung stubbornly to the fifth circle for a full decade.
Ten years of swallowing his pride and enduring inside the tower.
He had practically been chased out of the mage tower.
After that came five more years of wandering as a mercenary mage.
Yet Gannon had refused to give up.
And now his persistence had borne fruit.
It wasn’t luck. It wasn’t coincidence.
The moment he witnessed the festival of mana blanketing the fortress, the knowledge and enlightenment that had piled up for fifteen years without an outlet exploded like a bursting dam.
All the contempt, dismissal, humiliation, and disgrace he had suffered flashed before his eyes.
As if telling him not to forget—to repay every slight.
Motheeeeer!
Gannon clenched his fist, thinking of the mother who had worn herself out raising him before passing away.
Watch over me! See how grandly your son will live from now on!
He wiped the streaming tears, looked around, and frowned.
Where is the fortress master?
Everything was thanks to him.
It was the festival of mana Jin Chen had unleashed that allowed Gannon to ascend to the eighth circle.
As he searched for Jin Chen, Gannon’s face suddenly twisted in confusion.
Huh? What are they staring at?
The bandits around him wore dumbfounded expressions, gazing straight ahead.
Following their eyes, Gannon gasped.
“Huuuuurk!”
A colossal gold dragon now occupied the spot where the fortress master’s quarters had stood.
What in the world happened?
Gannon quickly collected himself and turned to Jeombaki beside him.
“H-How long was I unconscious?”
“Roughly an hour.”
“Only an hour…”
He had awakened far sooner than expected.
Filling the immense mana reserves of the eighth circle should have taken at least two days.
But that was secondary.
Gannon looked at the gold dragon and asked, “Why did Lord Sybel suddenly revert to his true form?”
“I’m not sure. He suddenly smashed the fortress master’s quarters and that enormous body burst out. I’d only heard descriptions before, so I couldn’t imagine the size, but seeing it in person… it really is massive.”
“It’s because Lord Sybel is an ancient dragon.”
“I see. So their bodies grow larger with age.”
“Not only the body—their power grows in proportion. But…”
Gannon trailed off, his expression turning awkward.
“Why is Lord Sybel acting like that?”
What was he doing, staring into empty air and muttering to himself?
Just as Gannon wondered, Sybel continued speaking to the sky.
Jeombaki watched with a mysterious smile.
“It seems he’s fighting.”
“Fighting? What do you mean?”
“Remember when I explained the types of formations and mentioned illusory arrays?”
“I remember. They make you see illusions… Wait, are you saying Lord Sybel is trapped in a hallucination right now?”
“Otherwise he wouldn’t be talking to himself like that.”
“That’s impossible! Ah, I’m not doubting you. But a dragon is the strongest creature on the continent. Among them, an ancient dragon—and the wisest of all, the Gold Dragon Lord—fallen into an illusory array? It’s simply hard to believe.”
“Dragons aren’t the only ones who grow stronger in proportion.”
The same applied to formations.
“Incredible. So that’s how powerful formations can be.”
“Well, the effect varies wildly depending on who sets it up. Oh, this is a secret, but I’ll tell only you, Gannon. I secretly strengthened those formations behind the fortress master’s back. Hahaha.”
I’ve told him it’s Gannon, not Gaenom, how many times?
As Gannon sighed inwardly, someone appeared behind Jeombaki.
SMACK!
“Keuuugh!”
“Bragging again, you little shit.”
“F-Fortress Master!”
“You bastard. I told you to stay tied up for three days. Why are you out here?”
“W-Well, while I was tied up, that thing suddenly popped out…”
“Your hands are always in too many damn pots.”
“I-Isn’t that part of my charm?”
Jin Chen grinned at Jeombaki’s words.
“Go ahead and show off that charm all you want. From the top of a tree for a week.”
“F-Fortress Master, that’s not what I—”
“Geunyuk-i! This bastard’s trying to run.”
The moment the words left Jin Chen’s mouth, Geunyuk-i dropped down beside Jeombaki.
THUD.
The way he was huffing through his nose made it clear he was furious.
“You really tried to run?”
“N-No, I was just curious what was happening…”
“Get over here. This time I’ll tie you so tight your blood stops flowing.”
“If my blood stops flowing I’ll die! Fortress Master! Fortress Master!”
Jeombaki was dragged away by the scruff of his neck.
After neatly disposing of him, Jin Chen scanned the surroundings.
All his subordinates stood with weapons in hand, staring at Sybel.
“Stop gawking and go find something we can tie that big bastard up with.”
“Yes!”
As the bandits scattered, Gannon asked cautiously, “Are you tying him up because you’re worried he’ll get even more agitated?”
“Nope.”
“Then why…?”
“I was feeling bored, and the idiot’s rampaging all by himself. Can’t pass up an opportunity like this.”
Jin Chen flashed a chilling smile and lifted an axe that seemed to have appeared from nowhere.
SHIIIIIIING!
It was saturated with such dense, blood-red energy that just looking at it made one’s skin crawl.
Gannon glanced back and forth between the crimson aura and Sybel, then started hiccupping.
“Hic!”
“Why are you suddenly doing that?”
“R-Right now, hic! You can’t possibly be thinking of, hic—”
“If you don’t speak clearly I’ll rip your heart out too. Looks like it’s gotten a lot bigger than before.”
“M-My mana circles are different from a dragon heart! You wouldn’t be able to use it even if you took it out!”
“Really? Too bad.”
Jin Chen licked his lips with genuine regret, prompting Gannon to hurriedly clutch his robes shut.
“B-But are you really planning to extract a dragon heart?”
“He’s throwing a tantrum begging me to take it. I should oblige.”
A smile more horrifying than any demon’s spread across Jin Chen’s face.
Gannon shuddered as he looked at Sybel.
Please come to your senses. You’re really going to die at this rate!
But his desperate wish seemed unable to reach the dragon.
“Fortress Master! We brought them!”
The bandits returned with steel chains, vines, and thick ropes.
Where on earth did they find vines that long?
While Gannon stared in disbelief, Jin Chen smiled with satisfaction.
“Start from the legs and tie him up tight.”
“Yes, Fortress Master!”
The bandits moved at incredible speed, binding Sybel’s massive feet, wings, and torso.
In the blink of an eye the dragon was wrapped in vines and ropes.
Jin Chen nodded firmly.
“Right. Then let’s get to work.”
He was about to kick off the ground when he suddenly glanced at Gannon.
“Oh, by the way.”
“Yes?”
“Are dragons considered monsters?”
“W-Well, I’m not entirely sure…”
“When I hit him last time, his blood wasn’t green. So maybe he’s edible?”
Gannon’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly.
Eating dragon meat?
It was a question he had never once considered—not in this life, nor in any previous one if such a thing existed.
No one would ever think of eating a dragon.
“Well, let’s catch him first. If he’s edible, it’s basically securing a year’s worth of food.”
With that absurd statement, Jin Chen launched himself forward.
In a single leap he soared all the way to the dragon’s head.
Sybel’s voice filled the air with bewilderment.
At the same time, his gaze locked onto Jin Chen right in front of him.
Their eyes met.
Jin Chen grinned.
“Looks like you can’t stay trapped for long.”
“You’re the one who went on a rampage. Why are you yelling at me?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll cleanly take only your dragon heart.”
“Looked to me like you killed me inside that illusion. So I’ll return the favor in kind!”
“It won’t hurt at all! By my standards, anyway.”
Jin Chen dropped straight down, swinging the axe in his hand.
The blood-red energy that erupted from the axe sliced straight across Sybel’s chest.