Level Up (4)
Long ago, the vivid sight of crimson autumn leaves drifting down had been etched into his memory. The scarlet trails of blood now streaking through the air evoked that exact recollection.
"Ugh...... guh......"
A frail moan escaped Sharze's lips. Her once delicate, rose-pink lips were now stained a deep red from the blood gushing from her mouth.
"Je, Jehyun-nim......"
Sharze called out to him in a dying whisper. A pitch-black spear of dark magic pierced her abdomen from back to front. Blood poured from the wound in quantities far exceeding what any body could endure, soaking the ground beneath her.
"Th, this......"
Even in her final moments, Sharze extended the Millennium Fruit she still clutched in her hand toward Jehyun. Seeing this, something surged hot and fierce in his chest.
"Please......"
"Don't...... talk."
As Sharze struggled to open her bloodied lips, Jehyun clenched his teeth, unable to bear the sight.
"I, I'm fine...... Don't...... be sad......"
Sharze forced a weak smile with her eyes, her voice barely audible. She had sensed the grief pouring from Jehyun's gaze.
Whoosh.
Jehyun suppressed the emotions threatening to burst forth and poured healing magic into Sharze. It halted the wound's worsening, but the dark magic from the spear interfered, blocking any true recovery.
At this rate, Sharze would...... die.
"No one's sad. You're absolutely not allowed to die. That's an order."
Jehyun gripped her hand and spoke. He wanted to say more, but the situation was dire—his skin prickled with the sensation of Kang Sihu gathering mana once again.
"What a touching scene. An elf throwing herself in front of a human...... Were you two lovers, by any chance?"
Kang Sihu chuckled as if amused. The brief respite Jehyun had to speak with Sharze stemmed from the man's curiosity about their relationship.
"Looking at your pretty face, I get why she'd fall for you. This is exactly why I hate good-looking bastards."
Kang Sihu snickered at Jehyun. He toyed with them leisurely, a privilege reserved for the truly strong.
"I'll send you both to the afterlife together. At least you won't be lonely. Consider it my final gift."
With a gesture from Kang Sihu, ripples spread through the air like waves on water. From them emerged two black thorns, radiating an even more ominous aura than the previous dark magic spears. It was utterly horrifying.
This was Kang Sihu's unique magic.
Kang Sihu. Poison Gate Magic. Infinite Thorns.
The black thorns multiplied exponentially with each summon—two, four, eight—until they could blot out the sky. No one had ever withstood their barrage.
The initial pair shot toward Jehyun and Sharze like arrows.
Tzwaaaa.
As the thorns screamed through the air toward them, a figure blocked their path.
Thud!
With a sound like stone shattering, a scream-like groan erupted from the blocker—Gwi.
"Grraaaah."
Crackle.
Cracks spiderwebbed across his body, and he crumbled to dust.
Gwi has suffered a fatal wound and is being reverse-summoned.
Already half-destroyed from the prior attack, Gwi had expended his last strength to fulfill his duty before vanishing.
In the precious time Gwi bought, Jehyun pulled a Teleport Scroll from his inventory and used it on Sharze.
"You can survive. No—you will survive. That's an order."
Jehyun commanded her in a low, sinking voice as life rapidly faded from her.
Sharze's lips moved as if to speak, but she lacked even the strength for words.
Whoosh.
The scroll activated, enveloping her in brilliant light. The coordinates were set to the Elf Forest, where Haidel waited. If the teleport succeeded, Haidel's healing would save her. Elven healing arts were renowned for a reason—he trusted they could pull her through.
"Hah, a Teleport Scroll, no less."
Kang Sihu remarked on the activation before his eyes, caught off guard. He hadn't anticipated it, and the fact that it pierced his mana barrier was a shock.
"From the Tower Master, I presume."
His tone carried displeasure. It was an obvious question—the only mage capable of teleportation was the Matapju. But his irritation ran deeper.
'Not even the Tower Master himself, but a mere scroll he crafted breaks my mana barrier......'
He'd thought reaching 8th Circle put him on equal footing, yet the gap felt insurmountable. Of course, this was a misunderstanding—Jehyun's scroll source was unknown to him.
"You didn't use it yourself, so it must be single-use. Tsk. Fool. You should've saved yourself instead of some dying elf......"
As Kang Sihu clicked his tongue at Jehyun, a deep hum filled the air.
Ziiing.
Immense mana began concentrating around Jehyun's body—enough to make even Kang Sihu flinch.
"......!"
Instinctively, Kang Sihu deployed a defensive spell. Jehyun's mana was anything but ordinary.
Kwaaaaang!
Ultra-high-temperature mana erupted from Jehyun, engulfing Kang Sihu. It was the power of Dragon Scale: Dragon's Wrath.
Not at 100% gauge, but near 90%. He regretted not filling it fully, but instinct told him now was the moment—Kang Sihu was off-guard.
'He couldn't deploy a perfect defense.'
At Kang Sihu's level, even hasty defenses were near-flawless. But "near" wasn't "perfect," and Dragon's Wrath exploited that sliver.
Kukwakwakwa!
A massive shockwave boomed, shaking the mountaintop.
"......Ugh!"
A low groan escaped Kang Sihu amid the explosion. He hadn't expected such destructive power from Jehyun.
'Surpassing 7th Circle......'
Glancing at his right hand, which had blocked it, he saw it trembling faintly. Absurd. A 6th Circle mage doing this to him proved Jehyun's freakish strength beyond his rank.
"......"
But Jehyun fell silent, stunned that Kang Sihu had blocked Dragon's Wrath so easily despite the opening.
In that instant, he fully realized: head-on, he couldn't win against this monster. The gap to someone beyond the third wall was vast.
'What now?'
Jehyun racked his brain desperately for an escape.
"I got too complacent."
Kang Sihu's expression hardened as he spoke. Years in secluded training had dulled his edge, and he'd underestimated Jehyun. For one at the pinnacle, this was embarrassing.
"No more games."
Thoom.
The air's mana grew oppressively heavy. Transcendent power beyond perception poured from him.
Finally, Kang Sihu bared all his claws.
Gulp.
Jehyun's throat bobbed. The mana prickling his skin was beyond imagination.
—This is dangerous.
Alkasha's voice held uncharacteristic gravity—the situation was dire.
No escape in sight. Yet heaven hadn't abandoned him.
Groooar.
As Kang Sihu's heavy mana settled, the ground beneath him trembled violently.
"......!"
He leaped back, glancing down.
Kwaaaang!
The spot he'd stood shattered, dirt exploding outward. Something enormous burst from the earth, soaring skyward.
"That thing......!"
Jehyun stared in shock at the intruder: a colossal serpent rivaling the Millennium Tree's girth and surpassing its height. The Earth Dragon that had made its lair here alongside the tree.
Hiss.
It flicked its tongue like a snake.
"I sensed something lurking below, but I never imagined this."
Kang Sihu's voice dripped irritation. Even he couldn't take this foe lightly.
Jehyun checked its info and reeled. Level unreadable. SS-rank. On par with Kang Sihu.
'I don't know what's happening, but...... it's my chance.'
Jehyun's eyes gleamed as the Earth Dragon faced off against Kang Sihu. It clearly viewed him as an enemy. If they fought, escape would be easier.
—I see. That's why you got the Millennium Fruit so easily.
Alkasha spoke up.
'What?'
—Ancient spirit trees like the Millennium Tree are guarded by spirit beasts of equal power. This Earth Dragon was its protector.
'What does that have to do with me getting the fruit easily?'
Jehyun recalled the fruit Sharze had passed to him, now in his inventory.
—Normally, anyone coveting the fruit would face the beast's wrath. But it's dragonkin. Dragonkin don't aggress against dragons at the pinnacle. That's why you took it without issue.
Jehyun understood. Dragonkin followed dragons, so it hadn't attacked when he claimed the fruit. But now, sensing him under assault, it emerged from below—to aid him.
Kyaaaaah!
The Earth Dragon roared, mana cloaking its form as it lunged at Kang Sihu in a storm of fury.
Jehyun muttered inwardly: 'Less "protecting me" and more like it's venting rage.'
'Did it get pissed thinking I stole its fruit?'
His half-joking thought was spot-on. The fruit was nearly ripe—meant for the dragon. It had yielded it tearfully due to Jehyun's draconic aura.
Kuwoong. Kwaaaang!
The clash shook heaven and earth. The air warped; the ground flipped. Nearby craters bubbled with lava from the energy fallout.
'Insane......'
Jehyun realized how thoroughly Kang Sihu had toyed with him.
'This won't work. Alkasha.'
—What is it?
'Even if I break the barrier now, if he pursues, he'll catch me before the Tower.'
—......You're right.
Alkasha grasped the gravity. Escaping the barrier wasn't enough.
'Then......'
Jehyun eyed a crater. Scarlet lava bubbled fiercely.
'Dragon Scale should withstand lava, right?'
—Probably...... You don't mean?
Alkasha sounded shocked. Jehyun steeled himself inwardly.
'No other way.'
As he moved toward the crater, he thought: If Kang Sihu won, obvious doom. Even if he lost and left, no escape without being cornered later.
Staying near the dragon offered temporary safety, but not forever—and it might turn on him. No external contact in the Forbidden Zone meant no aid.
Only one path.
'Swim through the lava to escape. Then consume the Millennium Fruit and break through.'
Even Kang Sihu, post-battle with the dragon, couldn't pursue into lava without dragon scales.
'Alright then......'
Reaching the crater's edge, Jehyun glanced at Kang Sihu battling the dragon—who met his gaze.
Jehyun smirked, flipping him off and mouthing:
'Bald bastard. This isn't over.'
Kang Sihu's face twisted— he'd read the lips. And with that, Jehyun dove into the crater.
Splash!
The boiling lava swallowed him whole.