Missing (5)
“This…… can’t be.”
Song Jiseok’s mouth fell open. The sight unfolding before his eyes was utterly shocking.
Shaaaa—
The Light Hammer was being pulverized in real time.
Crushing magic itself was astonishing enough, but to think it could even dismantle the Tower Master’s spell—the surprise doubled.
‘That’s……’
Kim Jehyun stared at the scene, suddenly realizing he’d seen this ability somewhere before.
—Isn’t that the ability of the guy who ran away back then?
Kim Jehyun nodded at Alkasha’s words.
The man who had ambushed him, only to flee under the combined assault of the Tower Master and himself, had used this very power. Even then, he’d crushed the Tower Master’s manifested Light Hammer.
He never imagined witnessing the same spectacle again.
‘Is it the same guy?’
But the build and voice didn’t match. And unlike last time, the Tower Master’s spell wasn’t disintegrating powerlessly. The light particles swirled as the Light Hammer broke apart, but at a markedly slower pace than before.
“I suspected as much, but you wield that ability too.”
The Tower Master’s eyes darkened further. He interfered once more with the Light Hammer he had manifested.
The hammer blazed with even brighter light, its disintegration slowing dramatically.
‘Interfering with a spell after it’s already been cast?’
Kim Jehyun was stunned by the sight. This was a true miracle.
It meant tampering with the mana structure of a fully manifested and completed Light Hammer. Interfering with a spell post-casting? He’d never heard of such a feat.
‘As expected of the Tower Master.’
Awe flickered in Kim Jehyun’s eyes. The more he observed, the more impressive the man became.
‘But what is that guy, who’s withstanding the Tower Master’s power?’
Kim Jehyun’s gaze shifted to the masked man. Purple energy poured from his entire body, blocking the Tower Master’s spell.
The Light Hammer was still crumbling, but at this rate, it might engulf the masked figure before fully disintegrating.
“Uwaaaah!”
The man suddenly roared, unleashing an even fiercer surge of purple energy.
Zzzzzzt. Ziiing!
Before the Light Hammer could fully consume him, it shattered into scattering light particles in the air.
The Tower Master’s brow twitched at the sight. He had reinforced the mana array even further, yet the man had crushed his spell.
“What a bizarre ability!”
The Tower Master waved his hand again. Three Light Hammers materialized in the air.
“Ha, ha…… As expected of a monstrous old freak.”
The masked man spoke with hollow exhaustion. Blocking even one Light Hammer had been grueling enough.
Now three at once? And these pulsed with even more intense mana than before.
‘I thought I’d closed the gap quite a bit.’
Grind.
The masked man gnashed his teeth. It seemed the Tower Master had held back earlier, not to kill but to subdue him. The realization infuriated him.
‘Daring to hold back against me?’
Grrrrrr.
An ominous aura emanated from the man. The whites of his eyes turned red, his black irises shifting to purple.
Just as the final restraint on his heart loosened—
A voice echoed in the man—Oh Kyungjun’s—mind. The swelling aura rapidly subsided.
“I was about to give the old man a taste of hell, but no dice. We’ll settle this another time.”
“You think you can escape from here?!”
The Tower Master scoffed at Oh Kyungjun’s words. Without his permission, no one was leaving this place.
It was then.
“If you want to save their lives, you won’t have the focus for me.”
Oh Kyungjun snapped his fingers. The kidnapped hostages, hidden within the purple barrier, floated into the air.
Spheres of mana enveloped each one—like giant soap bubbles trapping them.
“……!”
Everyone sensed the ominous portent. A chilling energy emanated from the mana spheres encasing the captives.
“Now, try saving them if you can.”
With Oh Kyungjun’s words, the spheres scattered in all directions. They began absorbing ambient mana.
The Tower Master and Kim Jehyun’s group realized the implication: reaching critical mass would trigger explosions.
“N-No! Yeonho!”
Jo Inhu spat blood, channeling mana through his body. One sphere encased Jo Yeonho.
“Faction Leader!”
Song Jiseok startled, stepping forward to stop the overexerting Jo Inhu.
In the chaos, the Tower Master canceled his airborne Light Hammers, pouring mana into corralling the scattering spheres.
There were eleven in total: Jo Yeonho, three Jupiter Faction members, and several Isu Clan personnel.
The Tower Master spread his arms wide, then drew them to his chest. The spheres, like iron filings to a magnet, gathered before him.
“What a real monster of an old man.”
Oh Kyungjun clicked his tongue at the sight. His purple energy infused those spheres—interfering with it using ordinary mana should be nearly impossible. Yet the Tower Master handled all eleven effortlessly.
“Well…… see you next time.”
With that, Oh Kyungjun hoisted the unconscious Seo Cheolhee over one shoulder. His other hand rested on Jin Boram, purple energy flowing to envelop her.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, Lord.”
Jin Boram nodded. Oh Kyungjun had temporarily infused her with purple energy, amplifying her abilities beyond limits.
Shoooo—
A massive black aura surged from beneath their feet, swallowing them whole. They melted into the shadows.
“Those bastards!”
Kim Jehyun belatedly unleashed spirits and spells, but they sliced through empty air.
He hadn’t anticipated such an escape.
“What the hell was…….”
Even Song Jiseok gaped in bewilderment. He’d heard of wielders of strange powers, but experiencing it firsthand was disorienting.
Paaaaah!
Meanwhile, a brilliant white light rippled outward in concentric circles. The Tower Master’s immense mana had dismantled Oh Kyungjun’s constructs.
The floating Tower Master descended with the eleven captives.
“In the end, they slipped away. We took a big hit.”
Even the Tower Master hadn’t foreseen that mobility. Disrupting the regional mana flow while saving the captives should have prevented easy escape—yet they’d exploited the opening.
“Yeonho!”
As the Tower Master and Kim Jehyun’s group expressed regret—
Jo Inhu steadied himself and rushed to Jo Yeonho. He gently lifted the fallen boy, checking for injuries.
“No major physical issues. I examined them thoroughly amid the chaos. But this child needs rest—severe mental shock.”
Jo Inhu nodded gratefully to the Tower Master.
“Thank you, Tower Master. Truly.”
He turned, thanking Kim Jehyun and Song Jiseok too.
“Despite my pathetic showing, we saved Yeonho thanks to you all. I’m grateful. Deeply.”
No empty words. Without Kim Jehyun locating Jin Boram, stalling her, rescue would’ve been uncertain.
Realizing this, Jo Inhu repeatedly thanked Kim Jehyun.
“I’m sorry for doubting you at first.”
“No need. It was understandable—I get it.”
“Without you……”
Trailing off, Jo Inhu pulled a lightning-shaped badge from his robes and handed it to Kim Jehyun.
“This symbolizes the Jupiter Faction. Whatever you request, we’ll aid wholeheartedly.”
“Thank you.”
Kim Jehyun accepted it. Song Jiseok’s changing expression suggested it was no ordinary item, so he pocketed it without protest.
Then—
Sudden Quest completed successfully.
300,000 Points acquired.
Progress Treasure Chest+7 acquired.
The special quest rewards appeared before Kim Jehyun’s eyes.
‘Progress Treasure Chest!’
Kim Jehyun’s eyes sparkled.
* * *
The Isu Clan annihilation incident sent massive ripples through the superhuman society, which had been quiet lately.
Title: Isu Clan Annihilated—Shocking
Whoa……. The rising Isu Clan wiped out in less than half a day…… And they still haven’t found the culprits. Scary as hell, fr.
The superhumans were reeling from the Isu Clan annihilation. Though a rising force, Isu had mid-tier strength. Weaker clans now feared the same fate, sowing chaos.
But not all news was grim.
Opinions on Kim Jehyun soared again. His role in rediscovering the near-lost traces was highlighted. Some even argued for elevating him to the pinnacle of promising talents in Shinseongz.
His fame was spreading beyond the Tower.
“Hmm.”
Amid the Isu Clan uproar, Kim Jehyun had returned to his quarters.
Fortunately, Jo Yeonho had regained consciousness safely. The boy’s tearful search for Kim Hee-yeon had been heartbreaking. Exhausted from crying, he’d fallen asleep in Jo Inhu’s arms.
‘The Tower’s gonna be even noisier for a while.’
The Tower Master wouldn’t let this slide. Beyond the clan wipeout, casualties among Tower mages infuriated him. Though Oh Kyungjun and Jin Boram escaped, remnants from the Isu raid were captured. He was interrogating them to uncover the masterminds.
“That guy…… was seriously strong.”
Recalling Oh Kyungjun gave Kim Jehyun chills on his forearms. Without the Tower Master’s timely arrival, could he have held him off? Doubtful.
“Gotta get stronger ASAP, even one day sooner.”
Without the Dragon Scale this time, that single attack might’ve left him combat-ineffective. And their purple energy’s extent remained unclear—tied to Grandrsha’s Overmind. Clashing with them seemed inevitable.
‘To do that…… at least Mana Core Stage 7.’
Unknown how many like Oh Kyungjun lurked, but instinct said Stage 7 to match him properly.
“Whew.”
The road was long. But with a bit more effort, Kim Jehyun believed he could reach it. His growth already defied imagination—faster than he worried.
“First……”
Kim Jehyun pulled a silver-glowing chest from his inventory. The Progress Treasure Chest+7, quest reward.
‘Progress Chests always gave entry tickets.’
[Primitive Goblin Dungeon Entry Ticket (E)] and [Polluted Spirit Forest Entry Ticket (A)] had accelerated his growth immensely.
So this +7 one promised good things.
Without hesitation, he opened the Progress Treasure Chest+7.
Paaah.
Silver light swirled through the room. Fireworks boomed in his ears.
Congratulations! Acquired Dragon God Temple Entry Ticket (SSS) x1.
“Dragon God Temple?”
Kim Jehyun’s eyes widened. A golden ticket emblazoned with a light-scattering dragon settled in his hand.
—Whoa, a Dragon God Temple ticket already!?
Alkasha sounded shocked, clearly knowing what it was.
“What is it?”
—It’s…… a place to accelerate your growth via various powers. Better to see for yourself than hear.
“I see.”
Kim Jehyun’s eyes gleamed. If Alkasha said that, it was exceptional.
Perfect timing for rapid growth.
“Alright. First……”
Before using the Dragon God Temple Entry Ticket, priority mattered.
“Status window.”
Dragon Scale authority can be strengthened.
The status window appeared. His eyes lit up at the Dragon Scale proficiency.
‘Strengthen authority first.’
Kim Jehyun’s next destination was set.