#44 Never Land
#44 Never Land
The chattering fairies, bearing the hatching egg, finally faded into the distance and peace returned. I handed over about thirty kilograms of Bicheonmang meat as extra provisions, wanting to gauge how much a single fairy dragon birth could lower the destruction probability.
'If the number of fairy dragons keeps growing.'
Someday they'd be able to help me. I'd toppled the skyscraper, but no phantom beasts or spiritual creatures were caught in it, and the structure was due for repairs soon anyway—so I probably hadn't gotten on their bad side.
"...Thank you."
Baekrok, who had been scolding me for a while, suddenly bowed their head.
"You labor so hard for the Illusion Realm, yet I am ashamed to say I can find no way to help you."
I'd noticed this before: the Illusion Realm always occupied the center of Baekrok's thoughts. Maybe it was because they were a phantom beast, but I found it a little hard to grasp. Still, their devotion to the realm was clearly extraordinary.
'Same thing this time.'
The way they spoke, as if they and the realm were one and the same, conveyed a deep attachment. There was certainly a reason for it, but I set that thought aside and decided to check the revealed routes first.
[Evolution Route]
[Path of Biran (Flying Storm)] - Evolution available
[Path of Geophwa (Fearful Flame)] - Conditions unmet
[Path of Gongheo (Void)] - Conditions unmet
'Three choices.'
Ever since I'd evolved from a Lesser Slime, I'd only ever had two options, but this time there were three. And one route was available right now.
'Path of Biran...?'
[Path of Biran: Evolve into a Demon Wolf that wreathes itself in storms and strides through the sky.]
I confirmed the description with Insight. A Demon Wolf that wraps itself in storms and strides the sky—"flying" naturally brought Bicheonmang to mind. Devouring that creature must have opened up this path.
'However...'
Human psychology is a funny thing; honestly, I was a little reluctant to take the path that was immediately available. Besides, I didn't see any special advantage in being able to fly.
'It doesn't synergize with my shadow.'
Flight was appealing, but in the air my options for using shadows would shrink. Was it worth walking the Path of Biran with that in mind? The storm aspect was almost certainly tied to my Gust skill, but...
'It doesn't grab me.'
Gust was versatile and played a big role in combat, but it was already that useful as it was, and it would eventually evolve into the next skill.
'I'll take it under advisement, but...'
I decided to check out the other evolutions first.
[Path of Geophwa: Evolve into a Demon Wolf of conquering flame.]
'Subjugation and flame...'
That almost certainly referred to my Overwhelm and Ghost Flame (C). Only then did I understand what the branches of this evolution signified.
'The very first evolution route...'
Wolf-human and Demon Wolf. I'd had to decide which direction to go, and I'd wound up a Demon Wolf. The difference between them, if any, was species. A path is something you continue to walk. Having chosen the Demon Wolf's path, I suspected I would never deviate from it.
'The second route...'
The route Queen had personally shown me. A Shadow Wolf that handles formless shadows, and an Amorphous Defiler made of mountains and poison. The difference was their shape—or perhaps their essence.
'And this evolution is...'
Specialization. It's about highlighting my existing strengths even further. Species, form, specialization—in that order. I briefly pondered the evolution paths that would open up later before remembering there was one more route left.
[Path of Gongheo: Evolve into a Demon Wolf that devours everything.]
"Void" means a state empty of anything—so it likely signifies creating a void by devouring everything. The last path, Gongheo, felt like an evolution almost certainly tied to Snatch Devour.
'Biran. Geophwa. Gongheo.'
I'd think about evolution later. As much as I was dying to meet Queen right away and get a hint on which to choose—
[Level 30 Achievement Condition: Prevent the annihilation of the Neverland Raid Force.]
—I no longer had the time.
***
"Fuck. Seriously..."
The door banged open and Hong Yuri suddenly walked in. Baek So-yul, who had been borrowing her training room, brightened and greeted her.
"Teacher! Are you okay now?"
"Who? ...Oh."
Hong Yuri pushed her sunglasses down and frowned. They looked like ordinary sunglasses, but on closer inspection they were unnaturally dark, as if someone had blacked them out with a permanent marker. Judging by her reaction, she couldn't see a thing in front of her...
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Now get lost. Ask me that one more time and I swear I'll develop a complex."
It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the concern, but after hearing the same question from every single person at the hospital, she'd had it up to her ears. Hong Yuri sighed.
"Are you alone? What about the others?"
"Most of the others have gone to Neverland..."
Ah. That figured. Wait. Who was left in the clan, then?
'Just a bunch of dead weight.'
They'd have taken almost everyone B-class and above. Hong Yuri frowned. Nobody would be crazy enough to attack Dawn, but still...
'It's a good thing I came.'
"What were you working on by yourself?"
"The 3rd Verse incantation formulas, and the physical training you mentioned..."
Baek So-yul was progressing at a decent pace, but it would still be some time before the Academy returned to normal. Since Hong Yuri had decided to teach her, she intended to do it properly. Her pride wouldn't allow her students to turn out completely useless.
'Let's see here...'
Just as she was about to land a light thwack on her out of habit, Hong Yuri let out a short gasp. She'd forgotten. That hand was gone. Seeing Hong Yuri's missing wrist, Baek So-yul covered her mouth in shock. She'd heard she was injured, but she hadn't heard her wrist was severed.
"Teacher! Your hand...?!"
"Quiet. Don't mind it."
Biting her lip reflexively, Hong Yuri frowned. —Because seeing the missing wrist had made it all flood back.
"...Never mind. Wait here a sec."
Watching Hong Yuri leave the room for a moment, Baek So-yul hesitated, her lips twitching. Had she said something wrong? Then she tilted her head.
"......?"
She wasn't sure if she'd imagined it, but Hong Yuri had definitely seemed to be trembling.
—Outside, Hong Yuri pressed a hand to her chest. She took a deep breath, trying to quell the trembling, but it wasn't as easy as she'd hoped.
"......."
By the time she clenched her jaw and leaned her back against the wall, she was already drenched in a cold sweat.
"Fucking hell."
Even if her eyes reddened and her knees shook, her last scrap of pride meant she wouldn't cry and wouldn't bend.
"Shit..."
...Still, there was nothing she could do to stop her voice from trembling.
***
With Baekrok's help, getting from Loteworld Tower to Neverland in Yongin City was a breeze.
"Be careful."
With their usual admonishment, I prepared to return to the Reality Realm from a spot some distance away. The world began to warp, and the moment I returned I immediately spread out my detection.
'The problem is this.'
I sighed at the flood of presences I detected. Three alone felt like A-class. Beyond them, hunters of B-class and above were stationed everywhere. And these were just the blockade squad, a unit meant to seal the dungeon shut—not even the assault team.
'Of course, that makes sense, but...'
Neverland. The worst of dungeons, and one that had yet to be cleared. To prepare for any contingency, they needed A-class hunters to remain as a blockade.
'How do I get in...'
The blockade squad's presence meant the assault team had almost certainly already entered the dungeon. To stop them from being annihilated, I also had to enter the dungeon, which meant breaking through these people. I'd grown considerably, but charging head-on at a squad containing three A-class hunters would be insane.
'Using Stealth... isn't an option.'
With that many hunters guarding the perimeter, walking in plainly was impossible. With Perry here too, I'd get caught for sure.
'I need to divert their attention.'
I didn't have time to wait beyond the perimeter hoping monsters would pop out. The one silver lining was that everyone in the area had been evacuated.
'I'm a little reluctant, but...'
I had to cause a commotion. To minimize damage as much as possible, the flame I'd lit on the main road slowly grew. The moment I layered my Overwhelm on top of it, I felt the hunters stir restlessly.
'Even just one would be good...'
[Detection (D) Lv.9 proficiency at maximum. Detection (D) Lv.9 → Detection (D) Lv.10]
[Detection (D) Lv.10 has reached maximum level. Detection (D) Lv.10 → Probe (C) Lv.1]
When Detection leveled up and turned into Probe, I used Stealth first. The problem wasn't the B-class and below—it was the A-class hunters. The key was how many of them would move—
'Now...!'
The instant two A-class hunters moved, I nodded. With two out of three gone, only one A-class was left guarding the perimeter. An unparalleled golden opportunity. I immediately sprinted, hurtling straight toward the A-class hunters still heading for the main road—
"......!"
—The moment they sensed my approach and whipped their heads around, I ran at full speed.
'Just how many of them are there?'
Most were B-class and above, and their numbers seemed to far exceed twenty. On top of that, there was an A-class hunter, so I couldn't let my guard down. I poured mana into my legs and ran at maximum speed, and the large blockade squad began rushing in to meet me.
Fending them off wouldn't be hard if I used Ghost Flame (C) and Gust together, but that would defeat the purpose. I'd come to prevent the assault team from being wiped out; harming these people was out of the question. So I unleashed Gust to its maximum and had my shadow grab the hunters' ankles. Before they could summon their mana to resist, I had already slipped past them in an instant.
'So far so good, but...!'
The real problem started here. I'd outrun the others, but I still had to break through the A-class hunter standing right in front of me. His fist was already condensed with a formidable concentration of mana.
'If I get hit by that...'
A one-hit-kill iron fist. I wouldn't be able to guarantee my life. The hunter channeled mana to the soles of his feet and detonated forward, rushing at me in one go—
"Kyuuu!"
—As Perry's cry rang out, I slipped past the oddly familiar A-class hunter. Reaching the dungeon's perimeter, I leaped over the boundary without hesitation.
***
A shadow flickered. A chill ran down their spines, warning them that they dared not oppose it. The Wolf was without a doubt the cause of this commotion. They knew—there was no way they couldn't. It was the Wolf that had brought down the Crimson plaguing the public. No one who met that eerie red glare could keep from freezing up.
"We have to stop it!"
—And the shout of the only hunter there capable of resisting the Wolf roused them. They tried to block the Wolf's path as it spread its shadow, but the fierce gusts stopped them from closing in easily. Having shrugged off the hunters in an instant, the Wolf didn't stop—it kicked off and sprinted even faster.
'It's trying to get into the dungeon.'
There was no room for doubt. The Wolf was running in a single, straight line toward the dungeon perimeter. Thinking he had to stop it, the hunter clenched his fist with everything he had. Coiling his iron fist, he gathered mana beneath his feet and detonated it all at once.
If that thing got into Neverland, there was no telling what catastrophe might occur. The instant he threw his punch at maximum power, the Wolf vanished from his sight.
"......!"
In disbelief, the hunter's eyes shot wide open. He knew Alpha—the Jirisan Warg—had defeated the Vice Team Leader. But to this extent? A speed invisible to the eye, one he couldn't even feel—how the hell...! By the time he belatedly spun around, the Wolf was already gone from view.
"...Damn it."
Biting his lip, the hunter, Woo-taek, clutched his head in frustration.