Chapter 433
Chapter 433
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 434
Chapter Title: Rifts in the Sky
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5 p.m. The top floor of the building owned by Haryeong.
I stood in front of the wide window with a clear view of the Seoul skyline, staring at my smartphone.
［Pico: Bbam—! Mana disaster reports are coming in from various parts of the country starting this evening. Mana currents are unstable in the capital region and coastal areas right now. Especially in the Seoul area, mana anomalies are expected to peak until tomorrow night, so please stay safe in your activities〜］
I turned off the smartphone and shifted my gaze outside.
It should have been time for the sun to still be up, but it was as dark as night, and an ominous flow of mana hung in the air.
“……Tomorrow, huh.”
The decisive battle with Cruas.
Tension welled up inside me, but at the same time, I felt an inner calm.
No matter the outcome, once tomorrow passed, one major incident would be over.
I wouldn’t need to stress or worry about this anymore.
Of course, I’d have to be careful not to end up with the prophesied result of my own death.
“……I’ll just have to do my best.”
I checked my status for the first time in a while.
［Status］
Stamina: 93.2
Strength: 89.92
Mana: 90.21
Speed: 57.21
Reflexes: 107.3
Dexterity: 33
“……Wow. It’s gone up a ton.”
I was amazed at the higher-than-expected numbers.
Compared to my first day after regression, I’d achieved nearly triple the growth across the board.
If we were talking pure stats, I’d be mid-to-upper tier even among all the S-rank wizards in the world gathered together.
“Reflexes have broken past 100.”
It was nearing 110. Considering how growth speed drops sharply as stats increase, this was an insane figure.
“Guess it’s from going through all those close calls.”
Either way, I was satisfied.
It made me think that my efforts over the past two years hadn’t been in vain.
I really worked my ass off.
“……My king.”
At that moment, darkness rose behind me, and Haryeong revealed himself.
I turned around and met his gaze.
“Reports say a horde of black demonic beasts has been spotted near Mount Paektu.”
“Black demonic beasts?”
“Yes. And…… a dragon was sighted there as well.”
I furrowed my brow at his words.
“You mean the dragon is Cruas?”
“It seems to be Cruas’s subordinate—the one who came looking for you before.”
Cruas’s subordinate would be Kasis, then.
“Any damage?”
“The dragon appeared briefly and vanished, so no major damage. But the black demonic beasts are causing casualties and chaos.”
Hearing that Kasis had shown up brought a flood of thoughts to my mind.
It felt completely different from Cruas’s appearance in the original story.
Haryeong glanced at me cautiously before speaking again.
“What are your plans if Cruas descends on Seoul tomorrow?”
“I’ll watch the situation first.”
If Cruas shows up in Seoul, the association—including Kim Jin-cheol—will move first.
If we’re lucky, he’ll be subjugated or sealed by them before I even run into him, and I won’t have to step in.
Of course, there’s a high chance Cruas, empowered by accumulated chaos, will prove too much for them in the worst-case scenario.
If that happens, I’ll have no choice but to intervene.
“Got it. I’m heading out for a bit.”
“My king. As you know, outside is……”
“It’s fine. The mana currents are unstable, so I just want to check things out briefly.”
Haryeong closed his mouth and nodded.
As I finished preparing to head out,
“Oh, right.”
Something I meant to tell Haryeong suddenly came to mind.
“There’s this thing called a mana conduction stone.”
It might’ve come out of nowhere. A question flickered in Haryeong’s eyes.
I continued regardless.
“As the name suggests, it’s a stone that transfers mana. Oh, and it’s a relic, by the way.”
“I know that. But why bring up mana conduction stones all of a sudden……?”
“You can use a mana conduction stone to infuse mana into the blood we get from blood crystals.”
Haryeong’s eyes widened.
Probably because he’d been dealing with complaints from the demons about the mana-less blood lately.
Seeing that, I gave a small smile.
“Once this is all over, let’s go look for some mana conduction stones together. Turns out they’re occasionally found in the Mediterranean.”
“……Ah. Yes. Understood. But how did you know about that?”
Obviously, I asked Pico.
Cost me a whopping 5,000 points, though.
“Just popped into my head while thinking of solutions here and there.”
Haryeong looked like he wanted to ask more but nodded instead.
“Anyway, I’m heading out.”
With that, I took the elevator and stepped outside.
A chilly wind swept over me, carrying the mana permeating the air across my skin.
Sure enough, just as the weather service predicted, the natural mana currents felt off from usual.
……Almost like someone was artificially manipulating the flow?
“Not a good sign.”
I closed my eyes to sense the mana, then started walking.
In the three days I’d spent training,
Seoul’s streets had changed.
It was hard to spot ordinary citizens, making the term “capital city” feel hollow. Instead, heavily armed wizards patrolled the roads.
“Mom—!”
“Come here! Let’s head back!”
Of course, glimpses of normal daily life still appeared here and there.
Not everyone had evacuated despite my terrorism warning.
In a place this densely populated, even if more than half left, the remaining numbers would rival a decent-sized city.
“Mom, Ji-woo’s staying at Grandma’s for a while too.”
“……Really? Hmm. Should we leave as well?”
The child’s mother looked worried.
She wanted to leave for safety, but family circumstances probably held her back.
Feeling a pang of bitterness, I kept walking. That’s when—
Swoooosh.
I stopped in my tracks at the sudden aura I sensed.
It was a distinct energy amid the mana flowing through the air.
……Like the breathing of a living creature?
And I wasn’t the only one who felt it.
The armed wizards around me were scanning their surroundings too, as if sensing it.
—……What was that just now?
—The weather service warned about possible mana disasters today. Wasn’t that it?
……No.
This isn’t just a mana disaster phenomenon.
The aura I’m feeling now is far from natural.
And then—
Woooiiing! Woooiiing!
Sirens blared loudly from all around.
［An abnormal mana flow has been detected. Citizens, please evacuate immediately.］
［Repeating: An abnormal mana flow has been detected. Citizens, please evacuate immediately.］
“……Wh-what?!”
“What’s going on?!”
Craaaack—
Rifts began tearing open in the sky.
The nature of those rifts: spatial rifts, a ability exclusive to the dragonkin.
I’d seen something similar during the subjugation of the two great demon kings.
But why?
……Cruas’s descent was supposed to be tomorrow.
And then—
Kuuuung!
“Kyaaak!”
A massive roar echoed, followed by screams.
“……What the hell.”
Lee Seo-jun, on special task force duty guarding the sector perimeter, stared at the Seoul skyline with trembling eyes.
Rifts had suddenly torn open in the sky, and countless demonic beasts poured onto the ground.
That wasn’t all.
Gargoyles and dragons of unknown origin flew through the air, attacking the streets below.
Kwaaang—!
“Lee Seo-jun!”
Snapping out of his daze at the voice, Lee Seo-jun refocused on the horrific scene.
It was Yoo A-ra, who’d been on guard duty with him, calling out.
He nodded and instantly drew Sobae-cheon from its sheath.
Woooong!
White mana surged along the blade, and Lee Seo-jun’s form vanished in a flash.
A burst of white light sliced the black demonic beast about to devour a citizen clean in half.
The rescued citizen stared at him with earthquake-like tremors in their eyes.
“Get out of here now!”
“……Yes!”
As the citizen fled in panic, Lee Seo-jun scanned the surroundings again.
“……What the hell is this?”
“I don’t know either!”
Yoo A-ra unleashed dozens of fire orbs to assault the nearby demonic beasts.
But it looked tough holding back the endlessly spawning black demonic beasts.
[This is Sector 6! Requesting backup!]
[Northern Team 5! Giant yeti sighted! Backup requested!]
“……Tch.”
Lee Seo-jun’s expression grew grave.
He’d expected a day like this after Kim Sun-woo’s warning, but……
Not that it would be today.
Kaaaak!
A small dragon from the sky dove at Lee Seo-jun, spewing flames.
He kicked off the ground and soared into the air in one leap, severing the dragon’s head.
As if seizing the opening, a gargoyle beat its massive wings and targeted his back.
But with his sharp senses, he blocked the attack effortlessly.
Then, like lightning, he swung the sword in his hand.
Slash!
The gargoyle’s torso was cleaved, and it crashed to the ground.
Landing back on solid earth, Lee Seo-jun took in the briefly quietened surroundings before gripping his smartphone.
［[Breaking News] Mysterious rifts spotted in skies nationwide……］
［[Breaking News] Demonic beast invasion across all of Seoul］
［[Breaking News] Catastrophic demonic beast, Kraken, descends on Busan area］
“……What the hell.”
A message popped up.
［Shin Young-jun: Hey, Lee Seo-jun. Where are you? You okay?］
［Yoon Ha-young: Guys, everyone alright? What’s going on?］
Messages from the group chat. Lee Seo-jun stared at them before typing a reply.
［Lee Seo-jun: We’re fine. You guys?］
［Shin Young-jun: Safe zone here, so okay. But what’s happening?］
［Yoon Ha-young: Isn’t today the day Sun-woo said Cruas would descend?］
“……Cruas’s descent.”
Cruas descending could mean the long-foretold “death of Kim Sun-woo” was drawing near.
[Choi Seo-yoon: Sunbae-nim. Have you checked the compass???]
[Yoon Ha-young: Where are you now? Don’t move alone, let’s stick together.]
Lee Seo-jun immediately pulled out the compass.
If today really was Cruas’s descent, Kim Sun-woo could be in danger.
He needed to find Kim Sun-woo right away……
“Found Kim Sun-woo’s position?”
Yoo A-ra, having cleared the black demonic beasts, approached holding her smartphone in one hand.
Lee Seo-jun nodded, eyes fixed on the compass.
“West side.”
“……West.”
Yoo A-ra turned her gaze in the direction the needle pointed.
All that was visible at the end of her line of sight was a forest of towering buildings.
Staring at the scene, Yoo A-ra spoke up.
“I’ll let the others know our position—”
Craaaack!
At that moment, another massive rift tore open in the sky.
It was far larger than the previous ones.
Lee Seo-jun blankly looked up. From within the rift, a colossal lifeform emerged as if hatching from an egg.
Kieeeek—!
A ear-shattering screech rang out as something with a pitch-black, enormous body revealed itself.
Fwoosh!
It spread vast wings, whipping up gusts around it.
Yoo A-ra felt instinctive dread gazing at it.
“……Cruas?”
“That’s not Cruas.”
Lee Seo-jun recalled the Cruas he’d seen inside Kim Sun-woo’s mind.
The Cruas from that day was far larger and more powerful than this dragon.
“……A subordinate of Cruas, like the Plague Beast.”
And then.
Craaaack!
Another rift split the sky. But this time, it wasn’t just one.
……Two.
Two enormous lifeforms soon emerged from the rifts.
[Emergency backup request! Three catastrophic demonic beasts have appeared in central Seoul!]
Lee Seo-jun looked up at the sky with trembling eyes. An unbelievable scene unfolded before him.
“Three catastrophic demonic beasts?”