Level Up (3)
“Do you know me?”
Kang Sihu of the Black Snake Clan. Kang Sihu eyed Kim Jehyun with keen interest as he asked.
It had been quite some time since he last showed himself in public, so he was intrigued that Jehyun recognized him.
“……”
Jehyun didn’t answer the question.
The faint hostility emanating from Kang Sihu’s body made it clear this wasn’t a friendly visit.
How the hell is Kang Sihu here?
Before his regression, Kang Sihu should have been deep in secluded training by now.
It didn’t make sense that he’d broken his seclusion early, and even less that he’d run into Jehyun here of all places.
There’s no way he just happened to stumble across me while searching for the Millennium Fruit…
Jehyun was certain Kang Sihu had tracked him down.
Which meant he’d attacked Jehyun’s Princess Siyo without provocation.
“Hmm. Not in the mood to talk, eh? No matter.”
Kang Sihu muttered softly, eyeing the silent Jehyun.
“Since you know who I am, you can probably guess why I’m here for you.”
He continued in a languid tone.
“The damage you’ve caused isn’t trivial. I couldn’t wrap my head around how a mere 6th Circle mage could wreak such havoc. But seeing you in person… I get it now.”
Kang Sihu bared his teeth in a grin as he added his final words.
“Either way, I’ll make you pay for your crimes right here.”
With that, an explosive aura erupted from Kang Sihu’s body.
……Damn.
Cold sweat trickled down Jehyun’s back as he sensed the sheer power.
This was a force far beyond the 7th Circle realm.
8th Circle!
He’d suspected as much, but Kang Sihu had truly crossed the third wall into the 8th Circle.
Before regression, he didn’t reach that level until much later.
What the hell had happened to Kang Sihu in the meantime?
Jehyun’s mind raced, but that could wait. Surviving this encounter came first.
“How… did you find me?”
Jehyun racked his brain for an escape route, buying time with the first question that came to mind.
“Simple. Just look down from the sky.”
Kang Sihu saw through Jehyun’s ploy and smirked as he replied.
That answer confirmed it for Jehyun—Kang Sihu had indeed reached the 8th Circle.
Interfering with space was a hallmark of that realm.
“Scheming already? Think you can slip away from here?”
Kang Sihu snapped his fingers.
Pa-aa-ah!
Mana spread from him, enveloping the area from this spot all the way to the mountainside.
A barrier none could escape without his permission.
Jehyun’s expression hardened further.
Does this mean… I can’t even use the escape scroll?
He’d planned to use a teleport scroll if things went south, but this barrier might block it.
—No, it should work. The scroll you have is infused with a higher-dimensional power than his. You can use it.
Good. That’s a relief.
But even with Alkasha’s reassurance, the situation remained dire.
The teleport scroll was single-use. If Jehyun used it, Sharze would be left behind alone.
That left her safety unguaranteed.
For now…
Jehyun organized his thoughts and sent a telepathic message to Sharze.
—Sharze. That guy’s an 8th Circle. Too much for us right now. While I keep him busy, grab the Millennium Fruit from the tree and flee to the barrier’s edge. I’ll punch a hole in it when I can.
Sharze nodded solemnly, her face tense. She’d reached the 6th Circle herself and wielded mid-level spirits—she could sense Kang Sihu’s overwhelming strength.
“Hey, baldy. Who said anything about running?”
Jehyun taunted Kang Sihu to draw his focus, slowly channeling his full power.
“You little…”
Kang Sihu frowned at the bald insult but soon looked shocked.
Pa-aa-ah!
Horns sprouted from Jehyun’s head, a mana barrier enveloped his body, and a tremendous presence radiated outward.
This is…
Even Kang Sihu recoiled in surprise.
At the 8th Circle, he could gauge just how far beyond norms Jehyun’s power lay.
Divine beast possession?
He knew of “divine beast possession,” a rare power for the chosen few.
Jehyun emanated an aura transcending humanity. Kang Sihu assumed it was a divine beast’s might.
“Ha, you’re full of surprises.”
Kang Sihu swung his hand, unleashing a barrage at Jehyun.
Black mana churned everywhere, forming sharp thorns that rained down—sharp enough to pierce mithril.
Tzuka-a-a-ang!
Kui, summoned before Jehyun, deployed an absolute barrier to block the black thorns.
“Kukuku.”
Kang Sihu chuckled in disbelief.
The snake-like summon he’d swatted earlier surpassed S-rank, and now another of equal caliber. Plus, the spirits around him—mid-level, but visibly stronger than average.
No wonder Hyunwoo lost.
Kang Sihu acknowledged Jehyun.
Not quite 6th Circle, but his overall combat prowess could rival a 7th Circle.
Absurd. The second wall separated those realms, yet Jehyun bridged the gap without crossing it.
Lee Hyunwoo had underestimated him as slightly above 6th Circle—that was his downfall.
“I’d love to capture you alive and dissect you.”
Kang Sihu’s killing intent surged.
Jehyun was too dangerous to leave alone. If he crossed the second wall, how monstrous would he become? The third? No one could stop him then—not even the Tower Master.
“Lucky for me I ended my seclusion early.”
Kang Sihu channeled his mana in earnest.
Vast power gathered in his hands, far beyond before. The heavens and earth trembled.
Kwar-rung!
He swung, and black lightning poured toward Kui.
“Grraaah!”
Kui’s agonized scream echoed.
Even the absolute barrier shattered like glass, shocking him.
Yet Kui endured once—a feat given the gap.
Pajijijiz!
Jehyun counterattacked with prepared magic.
Spirit Magic: Judgment of Thunderbolts (A+).
The Thunder Bird resonated with Jehyun’s will, soaring skyward and crashing down as a bolt of azure lightning on Kang Sihu.
Kwar-rung!
Power far beyond 6th Circle. His honed azure mana and thunder spirit synergized powerfully.
Against anyone but Kang Sihu, few peers could withstand it.
“Kuhuhu. Fusion of spirits and magic.”
A chilling smile emerged from the scattering blue lightning.
A hazy black shield had protected Kang Sihu perfectly.
But Jehyun’s assault continued.
While preparing Judgment of Thunderbolts, he unleashed follow-ups.
Spirit Magic: Sword of Inferno (A)
Spirit Magic: Spear of Thunderbolts (A+)
Spirit Magic: Light Hammer (A+)
Amplifying Dragon Blood, Jehyun fired three spirit magics simultaneously.
Impossible normally, but Dragon Bone, Dragon Blood, and Dragon Horn resonated, expanding his limits momentarily.
Hwaruruk!
Pajijiz. Pa-aa-ah!
Gigantic flames scorched the air, a mana-charged thunder spear pierced the sky, and a radiant light hammer plummeted toward Kang Sihu.
Kwa-a-ang!
Three attributes converged in a massive mana explosion.
This should…
Jehyun dared to hope.
But his face soon hardened.
Swa-aa-ah.
From the swirling mana fragments, Kang Sihu emerged relatively unscathed.
As expected… too much.
Jehyun muttered bitterly inside.
The gap to an 8th Circle who’d crossed the third wall was vast.
The 8th Circle ranked among the world’s strongest.
Even at 7th Circle, could he match evenly? Jehyun shook his head—pointless speculation.
Plan B it is, then.
He glanced at Sharze, who’d safely plucked the Millennium Fruit.
Now, just breach the mana barrier and buy her escape time.
A few more stacks on Dragon Scale and…
Kang Sihu’s attacks hit hard, it seemed. No direct hits, yet energy for Dragon’s Wrath was over 80%.
“Impressive. Truly. That’s why it pains me to kill a once-in-a-century genius like you myself.”
Kang Sihu looked genuinely surprised.
He’d sensed Jehyun surpassed norms, but not to this degree.
His hands still tingled from blocking.
Without breaking through in seclusion, he might’ve struggled—absurd, eliciting a hollow laugh.
“Then just let me pass.”
Jehyun snarked back.
“You know that’s impossible. How about this? Form a subordination contract with me.”
Like mana oaths—elves and dwarves bound to dragons, etching into the soul.
But Jehyun’s aura matched dragons. Could Kang Sihu handle it?
Even if bound now, growth might break it later.
But… no way.
Death before serving that baldy.
“Eat shit. Not working under a baldy.”
Kang Sihu grinned savagely, as expected.
“Fine. Then die.”
The air vibrated again.
Mana coalesced into a long black spear—brimming with extraordinary power.
Direct hit from that… dangerous.
Even with Dragon Scale, Jehyun sensed the threat.
“Hold.”
Before hurling the spear, Kang Sihu incanted.
Black mana ropes poured from all sides, binding Jehyun’s limbs.
“……!”
Jehyun grimaced.
Too focused on the spear, he’d missed the mana flow.
Even prepared, Kang Sihu’s Hold was meticulously potent.
“Been fun after so long.”
With that, Kang Sihu swung his hand.
The mana-laden spear tore through the air toward Jehyun.
Kwajijijiz!
‘Shield, Shield, Shield.’
Jehyun stacked shields desperately, activating robe’s Wind Barrier and Ladder Tunic’s Reflect.
Not enough—he poured all remaining Dragon Scale mana as a last bastion.
This should endure at least once.
Good thing. Enough for Dragon’s Wrath…
Jehyun saw opportunity in crisis.
“No! Lord Jehyun!”
An emerald-haired figure leaped before him.
Kwajik!
A piercing sound rang out, crimson blood spraying everywhere.