The Power of the Ignus
The Fossil Dragon seized the opening and unleashed its black flame breath at Shanette.
Whoosh—!
Black, superheated flames engulfed Shanette’s entire body.
Yet she did not burn.
A crimson radiance swirled around her.
A vivid, brilliant scarlet light.
It was exactly the same glow that had flowed from the Fragment of Power.
The chosen one has satisfied all conditions.
The Fragment of Power is undergoing primary release.
The existing Soldier class has been converted to the Ignus Warrior class.
All traits and skills of the Soldier class have been erased.
You have acquired unique skills exclusive to the Ignus Warrior class.
New traits have been granted due to the class change.
Fire resistance has increased by one stage.
Equipment worn will no longer burn from flames.
Strength and stamina have risen significantly.
Total mana capacity has increased.
Fire elemental affinity has risen.
Ice elemental affinity has decreased.
All weapon techniques have advanced by one stage.
You can now hear the whispers of the Ignus Dragon.
You have learned the unique skill Flame Manipulation.
You have learned the unique skill Fire Strike.
Class conversion.
While changing from one class to another was common, having a class forcibly overwritten was extremely rare.
The advantages of the Soldier class had vanished, but the trade was overwhelmingly favorable.
The Ignus Warrior class surpassed the Soldier class in every aspect, not just physical ability.
It tired far less when wielding weapons, possessed strong immunity to fire, and offered a much wider range of usable weapons compared to ordinary combat classes.
“Haa… haa…”
Shanette took several deep breaths.
The way her body moved now was noticeably different from before.
Her desire not to be a burden to Kang Yoonsoo, her longing to become stronger, had transformed her.
She no longer feared the Fossil Dragon’s black flame breath.
To Shanette, who had newly steeled her resolve, Kang Yoonsoo spoke.
“Shanette.”
“Yes! I feel so full of power!”
“Give me a shield.”
“…Yes.”
Every time the Fossil Dragon spat its black flame breath, Shanette stepped forward to block it.
The pitch-black flames could no longer harm her in the slightest.
Cornered, the Fossil Dragon was mercilessly bombarded with attacks.
“Lightning Discharge. Lightning Discharge. Lightning Discharge.”
Mad bursts of electricity erupted from the Lightning Storm Staff, inflicting devastating damage on the Fossil Dragon.
The intense magical assault struck the Fossil Dragon, which lacked any magical barrier, with overwhelming force.
Even its incredibly tough bones cracked deeply.
“Kiiiirgriiiyaaaaak—!”
The Fossil Dragon spread both wings wide in an attempt to flee.
At that moment, Shanette and White struck both wings simultaneously, forcing the boss monster back to the ground.
Kang Yoonsoo aimed for the center of its skull and thrust his longsword with ferocious strength.
The Fossil Dragon’s cranial bone shattered, and its life core burst apart.
You have defeated the Fossil Dragon Skeletrodon (Boss, Level 174).
Your level has risen by 12.
Kang Yoonsoo’s level became 86.
He calmly dismantled the Fossil Dragon’s corpse and stored it inside his dimensional bag.
◈ The bones that formed the Fossil Dragon’s body. They hold immense academic value and can be used as blacksmithing materials. Despite their age, they have not weathered and possess remarkable durability.
◈ Eye of an ancient dragon. It has crystallized due to extreme age. It contains the magical power of an ancient dragon.
A dragon’s eye possessed different magical properties depending on its color.
In the case of red eyes like Skeletrodon’s, it contained the power of flame.
With special magic or crafting tools, it could be processed into a Dragon Eye Gem.
‘I have no immediate use for Skeletrodon’s Eye, but I should keep it in the bag just in case.’
Beneath the Fossil Dragon’s corpse lay several glittering objects.
A stone tablet inscribed with unusual characters and a chunk of rock emitting a brilliant glow.
◈ A tablet that records a blank stretch of history. It is heavily damaged, making the text impossible to read. Someone well-versed in archaeology might be able to restore it.
◈ An extremely rare ore. It is solid yet contains a brilliant light. It holds a power that has since disappeared from the world. Its purpose cannot be determined without proper crafting. It is considered one of the finest crafting materials.
Kang Yoonsoo placed both items into his dimensional bag.
Once outside the excavation site, he informed the group that the Fossil Dragon had been slain.
Lamax was overjoyed. He grabbed Kang Yoonsoo and Shanette’s hands and shook them vigorously.
“Thank you! If not for you, our entire excavation team would have been wiped out!”
Kang Yoonsoo took the Tablet of Records out of his dimensional bag and held it out.
Lamax and the excavation team members stared in shock.
“This… this is an ancient tablet?”
“W-we thought artifacts like this had vanished from the world!”
“He really isn’t an ordinary man.”
After examining the tablet, Lamax shook his head with a regretful expression.
“Hoo… It’s unfortunate, but the tablet’s condition is quite poor. We can’t decipher any of the text recording the lost history. Restoring it would take at least a month. Come back later. By then, I will have definitely restored this ancient tablet.”
“Then I’ll do it.”
“Hm? What did you say?”
Kang Yoonsoo took the tablet from Lamax.
He then carried it into the excavation team’s tent.
When he picked up the repair tools, every member of the team looked horrified.
“W-what exactly are you doing?”
“Restoring the artifact.”
“Are you insane? Restoring artifacts is never easy! One wrong move and the tablet could be permanently damaged!”
When Lamax rushed forward in panic, Shanette stepped in to stop the old man.
She gave a kind, reassuring smile and said,
“It’s fine. If it’s him, he’ll definitely succeed.”
“B-but a complete novice trying to restore such a relic is ridiculous!”
By now, Shanette had grown rather shameless, much like Kang Yoonsoo.
“It’s something we found, so it belongs to us, doesn’t it? How we use it is entirely up to us.”
“E-even so, that tablet holds tremendous historical value…!”
In the end, the Red Rock Excavation Team could only watch him with anxious hearts.
Kang Yoonsoo struck the tablet hard with a chisel hammer.
Crack—!
The Tablet of Records split cleanly into two pieces.
When the priceless relic shattered, the faces of the excavation leader and his team turned deathly pale.
A terrifying silence fell.
Just as they stood speechless in utter disbelief, a blue light flowed from the broken fragments.
A vision sealed within the ancient tablet has been released. This is a record preserved by a mage who sacrificed his own soul. Though only a fragment, you may now witness a portion of the blank history.
“Ooh!”
Only then did the excavation team breathe sighs of relief.
The text written on the ancient tablet had been nothing but a trap.
The characters were indecipherable, written in an extremely difficult ancient script.
Many had tried to decipher the tablet, but the actual method to view the blank history was surprisingly simple.
All you had to do was break it.
‘It’s such a simple and outrageous method that most people never even consider it.’
In truth, discovering the tablet’s true purpose required countless years of research.
Of course, that didn’t apply to Kang Yoonsoo.
The light flowing from the tablet transformed the surroundings.
The dusty tent became a desolate battlefield.
The blank stretch of history was now playing as a vision.
Everyone held their breath as they witnessed the miraculous scene unfolding before their eyes.
Fierce demons filled the world.
Some had the black wings that people commonly imagined, while others possessed grotesque forms covered in thousands of eyeballs.
The various demons all shared one trait: they were attacking and devouring the surrounding monsters.
Gigantic monsters that hundreds of people would fail to hunt were brutally slaughtered, and the stench of blood permeated the air.
The strangest thing was the sky.
The gloomy heavens had split in two as if a gate had opened, with clouds parted down the middle.
The demons were descending from that split in the sky.
Five figures standing at the edge of a cliff calmly faced the horrific sight.
Their shapes and attire felt strangely familiar.
They were the ancient heroes who had once stopped the invasion of Pandemonium.
They looked exactly like the ancient heroes known to later generations.
‘In a few hours, the gate to Pandemonium will open completely.’
An elf holding a massive ancient bow muttered.
He would later be known as the Noble Archer Nahilen.
‘It’s already hell right now. I don’t even want to imagine what happens after the gate opens.’
The Dimension Mage Sepia swept back her golden hair and frowned.
‘Once the gate opens, war with the demons will begin. And the strongest being in Pandemonium will cross over to this side. We must stop it. But… something feels off.’
The Great Alchemist Minerva spoke in a cold, composed tone.
‘I approve of the world being dyed in blood and darkness, but it must be done by my own hand. I cannot allow those things to steal the first move.’
The Last Necromancer Nacron toyed with a bone-crafted sword and growled.
The black-haired man standing at the very front lightly tapped the back of his neck with the butt of his spear.
‘You all talk too much. Let me summarize it kindly for you. Just like our parents always said, reality is at its worst. The kingdom’s grand army has been annihilated, and the demons of Pandemonium are about to swarm our continent. All our plans have been overturned and ruined, which puts me in an excellent mood. At this point, I might even be willing to eat that tasteless meal Nacron served us for the first time.’
Nahilen and Sepia burst into laughter at the same time.
Nacron swung his bone sword furiously with an angry expression.
The man lightly dodged the sword as if it were a joke and grinned.
‘It was a light joke.’
The man’s expression turned serious.
In a grave voice, he said,
‘There is only one thing we need to remember.’
All the heroes nodded.
The man gripped the long spear tightly and shouted.
‘Today, we will protect our families, our friends, and our continent.’
The moment the ancient heroes stepped down from the cliff, the demons charged.
Only five people stood against thousands of demons.
Yet they were ferocious, crushing and destroying the demons before them.
Kang Yoonsoo stared at the man in the lead.
Every time he swung his spear, the ground split open and seven demons were torn apart.
‘Your past always looks so unfamiliar no matter how many times I see it. Sirian.’
The supreme authority above all beings.
The King of All Things.
The only hero still alive.
Sirian Lanchekasta.