Haidel (8)
“Guh... guuuh.”
Black blood gushed from the mouth of Kang Sihu, who had transformed into something demonic. He lowered his head to look at his chest. A massive hole had been punched through it. Moments ago, more than half of his upper body had been obliterated by Jehyun's arrow.
“Th-this...”
A groan escaped Kang Sihu's lips. Astonishingly, even in this state, he hadn't lost consciousness. His body was even beginning to regenerate bit by bit. Kang Sihu was no longer human—he had become something else entirely.
“You think... I'm going to die... just like this...”
“You've certainly turned into a monster.”
Kang Sihu jolted in shock. Jehyun had clearly been down below just moments ago. How had he circled behind him so quickly?
As Kang Sihu whipped around to say something, he felt Jehyun's hand touch the back of his head.
“Despair's Abyss.”
From Jehyun's hand erupted the 7th-circle spell Despair's Abyss—an ancient magic lost to modern humans, known only in Alkasha's records.
“G-guuuuhhh.”
Separate from his regenerating body, Kang Sihu let out a death-rattle scream. The spell trapped its target in their mental world, forcing them to relive every failure and sorrow of their life.
After a few seconds, the message Jehyun had been waiting for appeared.
Target has entered an irresistible state.
Conditions for Mental Destruction (SSS) fulfilled.
‘Got it.’
Jehyun coveted Kang Sihu's origin ability. If Kang Sihu got a chance to use mental magic, followed by an opening for Mental Destruction, he'd seize it. The odds had been slim, but Jehyun had finally met the activation conditions for Mental Destruction (SSS).
―Huh... What the hell are you?
Alkasha muttered in a tone laced with astonishment after witnessing the process. In that life-or-death frenzy, to spot such a gap and unleash mental magic... It took extraordinary nerve. This was the poise of dragons who knew their power inside out, brimming with unshakable confidence.
“Mental Destruction.”
Ignoring Alkasha's surprise, Jehyun spoke flatly. A cheat skill that pitted mental worlds against each other, letting the higher being shatter the lower one's psyche. The unique trait skill once held by the illusion demon Kim Suhwan activated.
Whoosh.
The world shifted, pulling Jehyun into Kang Sihu's mental realm. It brimmed with an indescribably turbid energy.
‘...!’
Jehyun frowned at the unidentified wraiths floating in the air. His instincts recoiled from them fiercely.
Kyaaaah.
They seemed to feel the same revulsion. Spotting Jehyun, they scattered in panic.
Jehyun looked ahead. A massive eye hovered in the void, half-closed, with a man leaning against a rock beneath it.
‘Kang Sihu.’
That was Kang Sihu's ego. Jehyun focused, examining it closely. He trusted his inherited draconic stature outranked it, but he stayed vigilant, preparing for any clash.
‘...!’
But Kang Sihu's state was nothing like he'd imagined.
“What... the hell is that?”
Jehyun blurted in shock. Kang Sihu's body was covered in purple frog-egg-like sacs. Each translucent purple membrane encased a dense purple core. Dozens, hundreds swarmed his form, multiplying and devouring him even now.
Jehyun swallowed hard and approached cautiously, senses sharp for any attack.
“Gruuuh...”
Kang Sihu's mental self could no longer think rationally, mirroring his outward ruin. Destroying the core of this world would end it, but Jehyun wanted to probe those purple cores. His gut screamed they tied to the purple energy.
Splat.
Suddenly, some cores leaped at him, tongues lashing like a frog's toward prey.
‘...!’
Jehyun, prepared, focused his will to cast instantly. He'd practiced magic in mental spaces during meditation, so even caught off-guard, he reacted fast.
‘Shield.’
A shield formed. It should've blocked the cores, but on contact, the mana dispersed and vanished—like the masked man's mana-decomposing power from before.
‘...!’
As Jehyun dodged, a buzz rang in his head. Overwhelming power surged from within, his senses sharpening to extremes. Euphoria flooded him—he could do anything. Ecstasy like walking on clouds, infinite confidence welled up.
Flash.
Prismatic energy poured from Jehyun's eyes. The charging cores crumbled to dust upon exposure, melting like ice before fire—annihilated by a perfect counterforce.
“G-guh.”
Kang Sihu writhed, stumbling back. Jehyun swung his hand calmly; prismatic energy erupted, erasing his upper body.
Thud.
The remaining lower half twitched, then stilled.
“Huuu.”
The omnipotent power drained from Jehyun like a deflating balloon.
‘Ah...’
Regret shook him, like a bird cast from the clouds. But it wasn't just loss—instinct told him this force was etched into his being. One day, he'd claim it fully.
“Huu.”
Composing himself, Jehyun eyed the now-closed giant eye overhead. No more delays—he cast, shattering the core.
Crack.
Mana waves raged as the mental world collapsed. Jehyun glanced at the necklace around his neck.
Legendary Grade
Necklace crafted from a transcendent dragon's fang fragment.
Imbued with immense mana.
Magic Attack +1,000
Magic Resistance +1,000
Mana +100
Mental Strength +50
Special: Use any level-restricted skill once without limits. (Cooldown: 100 days)
Equip requirement: Level 60+ (7th Circle+)
The Dragon Fang Necklace had unsealed during his 7th-circle breakthrough. Its mana and mental boosts let him maintain the Phoenix summon while casting 7th-circle magic. And that cheat option: bypassing skill restrictions.
Jehyun had pushed into Kang Sihu's mind for this very skill.
‘Will it work?’
As he eyed the necklace warily, the awaited message appeared.
Activating Dragon Fang Necklace special option to enable level-restricted skill Mental Destruction (SSS).
Acquired target's origin ability Infinite Thorns (SS).
With the message, a fragment of the shattering core's energy seeped into Jehyun's chest.
Flash.
His vision flipped.
* * *
“G-guuuh.”
The first sound upon returning to reality was Kang Sihu's groan. Eyes unfocused, he hunched, moaning. The levitation spell had vanished; Jehyun gripped his head to keep him airborne.
‘Fire.’
Roar.
Golden flames engulfed Kang Sihu, his body burning. Even with his mind shattered, his flesh lived on, writhing tenaciously.
‘Is Kang Sihu's transformation linked to those purple cores in his mental world?’
Jehyun's intuition pinged a connection.
‘Need to investigate more... Huh?’
As he pondered, purple energy leaked from the half-burned corpse, condensing into a fist-sized orb.
Jehyun reached eagerly—
Whoosh.
Something snatched it at light speed: a head-sized black bat.
‘...!’
Jehyun cursed inwardly, about to cast—
Roar.
Crimson flames wrapped the bat. Jehyun caught the dropped orb and thumbs-upped the Phoenix.
“Nice! Phoenix. Good job.”
―......
The Phoenix sulked, ignoring the praise. The twin dragons' fight had ended unresolved with Kang Sihu's death, bruising its pride.
‘Touchy pride.’
Jehyun chuckled. Then—
Rumble.
The purple energy in his hand quivered, sucked into Alkasha.
Alkasha has absorbed a massive amount of Overmind energy.
Overmind comprehension greatly increased.
‘...!’
Jehyun's eyes gleamed. Absorption jumped from mid-20s to mid-30s percent. He glimpsed the purple energy's true nature, once so vague.
―Huh, can't neglect raising absorption anymore.
Alkasha sounded surprised too. Jehyun nodded agreement, surveying the half-destroyed arena. Shields had spared the audience major harm, though mana drain aftereffects lingered.
Then, vast mana gathered in the air—deeper, grander than Kang Sihu's, and familiar.
Flash.
A magic circle formed, birthing light. There floated Matapju, having teleported repeatedly upon hearing of the chaos.
‘Matapju!’
“Hah...”
Matapju gasped, scanning the ruins and deducing events from mana traces. Kim Jehyun had truly defeated Kang Sihu.
“Incredible.”
Landing before Jehyun, Matapju's face showed genuine awe. A frontal victory over Kang Sihu? Impossible by any logic.
“You're a bit late, Matapju.”
Jehyun grinned back. With Matapju's arrival came the message confirming the fight's end.
Mission Accomplished
🎁 Rewards:
1,000,000 Points acquired.
Progress Map Treasure Chest +10 acquired.
S-Grade Rare Construction Materials acquired.
Level Up!
S-Grade Rare Core and S-Grade Rare Construction Materials gathered. Lair construction possible.