Chapter 98
Chapter 98
Birth ***
⚙ System Notification ⚙
My insides burned. Had Lexa’s attack pierced my abdomen? From my lower abdomen to my upper abdomen, to my chest. The heat rising in my body felt like it was melting my organs.
⚙ System Notification ⚙
[The energy is slowly being absorbed.] [Your body temperature is rising rapidly.] It wasn’t water I had fallen into, but lava. A raging inferno engulfed my upper body and spread throughout my entire being. It felt like I was being burned alive. But strangely, I didn’t scream or struggle Instead, I felt increasingly weak. Like I had a terrible flu.
⚙ System Notification ⚙
[Your body temperature continues to rise.] [The absorbed energy is being converted into strength and magic power.] [Your body and mind are beginning to assimilate the converted energy.] It was hot. No, it felt like a bomb was exploding inside me. A powerful mana bomb detonating, rupturing my internal organs. Perhaps I had surpassed the threshold of pain, because I couldn’t feel anything. The only thing I could sense was… …my consciousness fading I was afraid that if it faded completely, it would never return. But the assimilation process, already underway, was beyond my control.
⚙ System Notification ⚙
[The absorption rate is increasing.] [The physical and mental reactions are intensifying.] Violent convulsions wracked my body like an earthquake. My vision had long since gone dark, and now, as if my nerves had been severed, I couldn’t feel anything at all. The convulsions intensified, and my mind grew clouded. Was this death? The inescapable terror brought a sense of helplessness that made me want to give up on everything Then, The violent tremors stopped, and all sensation ceased. My consciousness drifted away. It drifted further and further, to a place I couldn’t even comprehend. A hazy, dreamlike state, like a single-celled organism, devoid of thought. Trapped in this alien state, unable to struggle, devoid of the will to fight, I simply surrendered to the fading consciousness. Then,
⚙ System Notification ⚙
[Assimilation complete.] I didn’t know what was complete, but I heard the system voice, distant at first, drawing closer My drifting consciousness seemed to be returning.
⚙ System Notification ⚙
[The ‘Melissa’s Rune’ you are wearing is protecting your mind.] [Your mental fortitude is temporarily strengthened.] [You have gained an unyielding mental strength, impervious to external and internal influences.] The voice grew clearer. Sensation slowly returned. My mind began to clear.
⚙ System Notification ⚙
[Due to the successful assimilation, all your base stats have permanently increased.] [Strength +235] [Agility +222] [Magic Power +262] [Stamina +198] [Endurance +167] A moment later,
⚙ System Notification ⚙
[Trait: Overheat Max activated
Temporarily entering a berserk state.] [Melissa’s Rune is protecting your mind, maintaining your sanity.] I opened my eyes. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ “Gasp!” The geyser subsided, and Lexa recoiled in horror as Tae-jin emerged from the water, perched on the back of the black dragon. His eyes glowed with a crimson light. A crazed grin stretched across his lips. An overwhelming aura emanated from him. It was a level of power she had never encountered before, a terrifying aura that threatened to incinerate everything in its path
She couldn't even comprehend its magnitude. And that unsettling smile was directed at her. Her knees trembled, and her body froze. She couldn’t process what was happening. Was this a dream? A hallucination? Or perhaps… a post-mortem hallucination? A wave of terror, fear, and regret, emotions she wouldn't have felt even in the face of death, choked her. “Ugh!” A moment later, Four arrows pierced her hands and feet, pinning her to the cave wall like a grotesque parody of a crucifixion. She looked down in despair as dozens of arrows, as if imbued with their own will, flew through the air, decimating the remaining monsters
Crack! Crunch! Thud! The monsters were annihilated in an instant. Lexa stared at Tae-jin, her eyes wide with shock. She didn’t know how things had come to this, but her instincts screamed at her to surrender. To accept that she had walked into a trap of her own making. His mana, rivaling, no, surpassing that of her master, was so overwhelming it made her want to vomit. “Ha… haha.” Despite the arrows pinning her to the wall, Lexa laughed. She couldn’t feel any pain. Her will to fight had long since vanished
Overwhelmed by this power, a power that could only be described as divine, she couldn't stop the hollow laughter that escaped her lips. She had become a villain out of envy for the Awakened, out of a thirst for power. She had thrived in this world of survival of the fittest. She had never been defeated, never disappointed her master. But now, she understood. As she watched Tae-jin summon dozens, perhaps hundreds, of arrows with his overflowing mana, she finally understood how the defeated must have felt when they looked at her
She understood the hollowness of helplessness, the strange reverence one felt for the overwhelming power of their conqueror. And she understood just how vast the world truly was. As she stared at the countless arrows aimed at her, Lexa gained enlightenment. But, She wouldn't have time to reflect on it. Bam! Thwack! Thud! The end of the Azure Witch, Lexa, had begun. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ “Is… is that… Oppa?” The monsters had been decimated, and the group, finally able to catch their breath, looked up at Tae-jin
His mana was ferocious and menacing. It felt otherworldly, so powerful that it evoked a sense of reverence, not just awe. Yu-ra felt a sense of awe, bordering on fear, as she looked at him. He was a little scary. Their reunion, after ten long years, had been far from ideal, overshadowed by the urgency and danger of the situation, but her brother had become a transcendent being. ‘But Mom said Oppa was frail and mentally weak, that he needed to be looked after…?’ It was something her mother had always emphasized whenever Yu-ra asked about her brother
But the man before her didn't need looking after; he was someone who could provide care and protection. “Yu-ra!” Baek Mi-hwa called out to her daughter. Yu-ra, still gazing at her brother in awe, quickly opened her mana pocket and retrieved a small device. It was a modified [Mana Measurement Device], the kind only available to certified institutions. Beep! Yu-ra activated the device, a small monitor with a trumpet-shaped antenna, and aimed it at Tae-jin. A moment later, numbers appeared on the monitor
[99999] “Huh?” Yu-ra tapped the monitor. “What’s wrong?” “I think it’s broken.” “What?” “Look. 99,999. It’s exceeded the measurable range. This is the maximum value. Tsk, it had to break at such a crucial moment.” Na-yeon murmured, her voice laced with tension. “It… might not be broken.” “What?” Only Yu-ra looked puzzled by Na-yeon’s words. Su-ah and Hye-seo, who had witnessed Tae-jin’s berserk state at the gym and felt the bestial nature of his mana, and Renia, who had been by his side throughout, considered the possibility that Na-yeon was right
And, “…Perhaps.” Baek Mi-hwa, a veteran of countless battles, agreed. The mana emanating from Tae-jin was undeniably powerful, impossible to ignore. And she had absolute faith in her daughter’s skills. Yu-ra, whose Awakening ability manifested as a mechanical aptitude, had been exceptionally talented with machines since childhood. She could take discarded magic devices and not only replicate them but improve their performance. Her defect rate had recently approached zero. And knowing what Han Chang-ho had left behind, Mi-hwa couldn’t dismiss Na-yeon’s words
According to Yu-ra’s device, Mi-hwa’s mana level was [30,105]. She looked at her son, his mana level far exceeding her own, even in her prime, with a mixture of pride and awe. But, “…Get ready.” Na-yeon’s cryptic words made Mi-hwa uneasy. Hye-seo and Su-ah, who had witnessed Tae-jin’s previous berserk episode, were even more tense than they had been during the fight against the monsters. “Get ready for what? The Azure Witch is defeated. There’s no more danger…?” Everyone assumed combat stances, their eyes fixed on Tae-jin
Mi-hwa followed their gaze, and her words trailed off. “Don’t tell me…” She murmured, her eyes wide with shock. “What? Mom, what’s wrong?” Yu-ra asked urgently. “He… he’s lost control, hasn’t he?” “Yes. It happened once before, but we were able to stop him then… I honestly don’t know if we can stop him now.” Na-yeon’s voice trembled slightly. His mana was several times stronger than it had been before. She honestly didn't think they could stop him if he attacked. It felt like the lesser evil, the Azure Witch, had been replaced by a greater one
The group prepared for battle once more. But, “Hey there~” Tae-jin poked his head out from behind Roque’s back and waved, with a cheerful smile on his face. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. He even flashed them an innocent grin. “What the…?” “He was definitely in a berserk state…?” “Kyaa~ Tae-jin, you were so cool~!” Only Renia, seemingly oblivious to the others’ confusion, gave him a thumbs-up and a cheerful greeting. “What the… It really wasn’t broken…?” Yu-ra stared at the numbers on the monitor in disbelief
[78309] <w:pgmar w:bottom="1440" w:top="1440" w:left="1440" w:right="1440" w:header="720" w:footer="720"><w:pgnumtype w:start="1"><w:r w:rsiddel="00000000" w:rsidr="00000000" w:rsidrpr="00000000"><w:rpr><w:rtl w:val="0"><w:t xml:space="preserve">It was an unprecedented, unheard-of number.