Illusion Demon (4)
“Th-this is……”
The illusion demon Kim Su-han felt despair for the first time in his life.
It was the sensation of facing an impossibly distant wall, one he could never hope to overcome no matter what he tried. Like how a human could flail all they wanted but never become the universe itself.
He sensed an insurmountable gap in power from the two golden suns reflected in his eyes.
‘M-move!’
He strained with all his might to control his legs, which had slipped from his command. Instinct told him that lingering here any longer might mean death.
‘What the hell is this? Some kind of bloody mage brat……’
As he steadied his uncontrollably trembling body, that thought crossed his mind. This commission had been a mistake. Entrusting him with taking down a monster like this.
He tried to escape Kim Je-hyun’s mental world before his own mind could be crushed.
―Where do you think you’re going?
The moment he lifted his foot, a colossal voice echoed in his head. In that instant, Kim Su-han felt his soul freeze solid.
At the same time, he sensed an irresistible magical force dragging him down.
“Ugh, ugh……”
His only resistance was a groan escaping his lips.
Shwoooong.
Kim Su-han’s body was pulled by the magic and plummeted straight off the cliff.
Kwachik!
Something crunched with a sickening sound that reverberated everywhere.
* * *
“Hah!”
Kim Je-hyun snapped back to awareness with the message floating before his eyes.
‘What happened?’
He remembered the illusion demon’s magic settling over him. He’d braced his mind as best he could, but everything after that was a blank.
―That illusion demon’s spell pierced your mental defenses.
‘……!’
Kim Je-hyun’s eyes widened at Alkasha’s words. He hadn’t expected to fall so easily to the illusion demon’s attack.
‘I even had Mirror Still Mind (S).’
His mental defenses were extraordinarily strong. Though still nascent, he had a dragon’s mental fortitude combined with the S-grade skill Mirror Still Mind.
―That bastard’s mental attack magic was formidable. It had the power to breach your barriers.
If even Alkasha described it that way, it must have been extraordinary.
While conversing with Alkasha, Kim Je-hyun checked his body’s condition and glanced at the illusion demon before him. Fortunately, he detected no anomalies in himself.
‘The illusion demon?’
A sense of wrongness hit him as he looked. The vitality he’d felt moments ago was completely gone.
Psssh.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the illusion demon’s body began crumbling rapidly.
It dissolved into sand-like grains that piled up on the ground.
Flutter.
The robe the illusion demon had worn draped over the heap.
Caught off guard by the sudden turn, Kim Je-hyun recalled the recent level-up.
‘No way…….’
As he muttered in realization—
Mental Destruction (SSS)
‘……!’
The abrupt acquisition of an SSS-grade skill made Kim Je-hyun’s eyes go wide.
―Hah! I suspected as much when it breached your mental barriers—not an ordinary power.
Alkasha muttered as if piecing it together.
‘What do you mean?’
―The illusion demon didn’t just wield magic; it seems he possessed an SSS-grade skill as well.
Indeed. The illusion demon Kim Su-han had been an exceedingly rare dual-class superhuman-mage.
―He fused hallucination magic with the SSS-grade skill Mental Destruction.
Kim Je-hyun now understood why his barriers had shattered before he could react. An SSS-grade skill combined with 7th Circle magic was more than enough.
‘But why did I get the illusion demon’s skill?’
―Who knows…… Perhaps he tried accessing your mental world and got devoured instead.
Though Kim Je-hyun didn’t fully grasp it, the outcome was positive, so he counted it as a win. And he had no time for further reflection.
Tatata.
Superhumans from the Superhuman Association were rushing in from afar.
‘Gotta grab this first.’
He picked up the Staff of Sagal the illusion demon had dropped. It looked extraordinary at a glance, so he wasn’t leaving it behind. Spoils went to the victor.
“Je-hyun, where’s the illusion demon?”
Kang Byung-woo approached, scanning warily, and asked.
Kim Je-hyun silently pointed to where the illusion demon had been.
“Huh? This is just a robe?”
Kang Byung-woo tilted his head and picked it up, then noticed the piled grains beneath.
“What’s…… this? Dust?”
“That’s the illusion demon.”
“What? This is the illusion demon?”
“Yes.”
After hearing the full story from Kim Je-hyun, an exclamation slipped from Kang Byung-woo’s lips.
“Hah…… So the illusion demon tried a mental attack on you and got reversed instead.”
Shock filled Kang Byung-woo’s eyes. The illusion demon was a 7th Circle mage. By normal logic, no 6th Circle mage should stand a chance. Yet Kim Je-hyun had triumphed.
Thus, the illusion demon pursuit mission ended more smoothly than expected.
* * *
“Whoa.”
An exclamation escaped Kim Je-hyun’s lips.
Back from the Superhuman Association with the illusion demon stone, he finally checked the details of his new Mental Destruction (SSS) skill.
― Mental attack power +200%
― If a target afflicted by mental magic is in an irresistible state, you can access their mental world.
― Upon accessing the mental world, you can destroy or absorb it.
― Absorbing the mental core allows acquisition of the target’s innate ability. (Currently locked. Unlock condition: Skill LV. 7+)
With this skill, his mental attack power was amplified nearly threefold. And absorbing the core of a destroyed mental world? That explained the illusion demon’s rapid growth at such a young age.
“You can even take their abilities?”
Though it required skill level 7 or higher, if possible, it was an overpowered cheat.
‘Insane…… So I could keep stacking superhumans’ abilities inside me?’
Kim Je-hyun suddenly recalled the black faction members he’d encountered: the masked figure with shadow powers and the one who crushed mana.
Those abilities were at least S-grade, with the mana-crushing one likely SSS or higher.
‘I could absorb those too.’
His eyes sparkled. Both were highly desirable. Of course, acquiring them wouldn’t be easy—he’d need to raise the skill to level 7 first, and pulling off Mental Destruction wouldn’t be simple.
‘Still, if the chance comes……’
He was determined to seize it.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked from outside.
“Great One, may I enter?”
“Come in.”
At Kim Je-hyun’s permission, Albad entered carrying a fist-sized golem core on a pristine white cloth.
“The illusion demon stone was of the absolute highest quality. The result is top-tier as well.”
Albad respectfully presented the finished golem core. A violet sheen emanated from it, radiating mystical energy just from a glance.
“Good work, Albad. I’ll call on you again next time.”
“Summon me anytime.”
Albad handed over the core. Kim Je-hyun examined it from all angles, eyes gleaming.
“Your craftsmanship is unreal.”
The Golem Faction leader was a master artisan, but Albad was on another level. And he’d achieved this perfection from blueprints alone, despite limited experience crafting cores.
Incredible was an understatement.
“You flatter me.”
Albad’s lips twitched upward at the praise. As the saying went, praise could make even a whale dance.
Kim Je-hyun chuckled at his reaction.
“Alright. Time to bestow Princess Siyo’s soul.”
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Want to watch the summoning?”
“Is…… that alright?”
“Of course.”
If Albad witnessed the core’s transformation firsthand, he might refine future upgrades with more precise details.
Kim Je-hyun and Albad stepped outside. The dwarves’ temporary camp had evolved into a proper village.
A few passing dwarves spotted Kim Je-hyun and bowed respectfully. He nodded back and headed to a clearing behind, activating Soul Collect on the golem core.
Paaat.
With a clear violet light, the core drew in surrounding mana.
Kwaduk. Kwaddddduk.
Amid a clamor, the core’s volume swelled explosively.
“Oh……”
Albad, seeing it for the first time, murmured in awe.
The core’s transformation via Soul Collect was always a spectacle. In moments, it sculpted Princess Siyo’s form—close to her living size of about 5 meters.
Flash.
Her closed eyes opened, gleaming with sharp light.
―Thank…… you.
Princess Siyo’s will transmitted clearly.
“Huh, you can communicate?”
―Yes. I retain all my memories from life. Being reborn…… it’s a wondrous feeling.
Kim Je-hyun’s eyes lit up. Verbal coordination would make joint combat far smoother.
“Great. A rebirth gift.”
He handed her the Staff of Sagal from his inventory—a legendary staff boosting mental magic amplification by nearly +80%.
―Oho, just holding it boosts my power immensely. I’ll use it gratefully.
Princess Siyo, clearly delighted, twirled the staff, inspecting it eagerly.
“In-incredible.”
Albad, watching beside him, muttered in shock. He’d never dreamed the princess’s soul could be summoned so perfectly.
‘As expected of the Great One……’
Albad’s eyes sparkled with admiration for Kim Je-hyun’s prowess.
“Albad, you’re cool with upgrading golem cores next time too?”
“Absolutely! Call on me anytime. And seeing the transformation firsthand sparked some ideas. I’ll improve it even more next round.”
Albad’s voice boomed louder than before.
“Perfect. I’ll have plenty more requests for you. Speak up if you need anything.”
Kim Je-hyun grinned at him. He might end up favoring the dwarves even more than the elves.
“Now then…… Time to enter the Chamber of Trials.”
Everything was ready.
Storm-level power-up.
The moment had arrived.