Summon Absorption Unleashed
The distance closed in an instant.
Whoosh.
James drew his longsword and swung it down. Mu-hyuk, who had halted Wind Step and switched to White Tiger Swordsmanship, barely dodged the strike.
"Hoo."
James's voice carried surprise.
"Then how about this...!"
Before he could move, Mu-hyuk had already become a streak of light.
White Tiger Swordsmanship, Second Form: White Tiger Wave.
White Tiger Swordsmanship, Second Form: White Tiger Wave
It began pummeling James from head to toe.
Thud, thwack-thwack-thwack.
-16 HP
-2 HP
-17 HP
Despite the endless chain of attacks, James's expression didn't change.
His depleting HP refilled almost instantly.
It was that negligible.
Mu-hyuk knew it, but he had his reasons for engaging the man anyway.
To lure him into complacency.
Not for victory now, but for the one a little later.
"That all?"
Mu-hyuk returned to his stance as the chain ended.
"Itches."
And then his counterattack began.
With James superior in every way, dodging or fleeing was no easy feat. In the end, Mu-hyuk pulled out his shield to block the incoming sword strike.
-920 HP
Not even a skill.
A mere swing had shaved off 920 HP.
Even through the shield.
Insane.
Without it, he'd have lost nearly 10,000 HP.
"How's that?"
Mu-hyuk ignored James's question.
He had no room for chit-chat.
Limited Revival. Option two.
The soul transfers.
The recipient summon's stats greatly increase.
Assessing the battlefield and timing skills was overwhelming enough.
He issued commands sporadically too.
That left no breath for replies.
No margin for error.
-1,200 HP
This wasn't acting—it was real.
Sensing the mood, James grew smug with assured victory.
Just a bit more.
Mu-hyuk gritted his teeth and endured.
Dodge, roll, block.
He'd equipped every title he owned, chugged countless potions bought with achievement points to boost his stats.
Wearing top-tier gear, fully enhanced.
Even the black mage's experiments—which he hated recalling—had bolstered his survivability.
Yet here he was, being overwhelmed.
"Tough bastard!"
James, tiring of it, unleashed skills savagely.
Boom, kablooey!
HP drained faster.
HP Exchange.
He hurriedly converted MP to HP.
"Hup...!"
His breathing grew ragged.
Loud. This'll hurt even blocking.
Mu-hyuk lowered his shield and hurled himself sideways. The massive energy crashed down right after, ripping up the ground.
"Ha, seriously..."
The exaggerated motion had let him evade.
James's irritation mounted.
How much HP does this guy even have?
Over 10,000 damage, and Mu-hyuk still stood.
"Let's end this."
Couldn't drag it out.
Had to finish before the skill expired.
Dangerous.
Mu-hyuk sensed the crisis.
Can't hold out longer.
He urgently summoned the Armor Cavalry.
Rumble-rumble-roar.
They pinned James down, minimizing damage without escape.
"Damn it!"
James collided with the cavalry and got shoved back.
As over ten tangled with him, Mu-hyuk Wind Stepped away.
But James burst through the gap instantly, pursuing once more.
"Stop!"
Mu-hyuk glanced back.
Mighty energy closed in.
He rolled aside, then loosed an arrow.
James didn't dodge.
Clang!
Ignoring the impact, he closed in.
"Die!"
Facing the swinging blade, Mu-hyuk smirked.
-------!
The Dullahan with the zombie golem's soul transferred charged in, blasting Ki Wave.
"Guh...!"
James staggered.
Storm God's Bow, Third Form: Storm Arrow.
White Tiger Swordsmanship, Third Form: White Tiger Slash.
Storm God's Bow, Third Form: Storm Arrow
White Tiger Swordsmanship, Third Form: White Tiger Slash
Kablooey!
Not much damage, but the force couldn't be nullified. The shock hurled James far away, and Mu-hyuk Wind Stepped again.
"Whew."
He vaulted the walls, rejoining the main force.
Close call.
But too soon to relax.
He'd come soon.
As expected, James scaled the walls.
"Ha..."
His expression soured with frustration.
Didn't matter—he was the enemy.
Mu-hyuk chuckled and fired another arrow.
Clang.
James deflected it with a swing.
"Really pissing me off."
He muttered, scanning around.
His brows furrowed naturally.
Every zombie golem that vanished strengthened a skeleton. What should've ended ages ago dragged on.
About ten golems left.
James decided to prioritize them.
Boom!
But before he could kill one, it faded.
"Ha...!"
Another skeleton powered up.
Tyrant's Barrier had 12 minutes left.
End it within that.
He advanced straight, slashing.
Shield blocked it, but he didn't care.
Bang, boom!
Pounded relentlessly.
Incoming attacks? No dodge, no block.
When HP dipped low, healing magic topped it off.
Then the barrage resumed.
*
The last zombie golem.
"Hraaah!"
One of James's minions smashed down with a shield—right before it flickered away.
The soul transfers.
The recipient summon's stats greatly increase.
Transferred to a skeleton.
A few golems had died pointlessly, but most transfers succeeded. The skeletons' total power far exceeded normal.
"Charge!"
James bellowed, and the assault intensified.
"Nngh, damn it!"
The line began to buckle.
Just a bit more.
Mu-hyuk calmly waited, recovering MP to max. Confirmed full.
All Armor Cavalry: Charge, Accelerated Thrust.
All Armor Knights: Powerful Strike, Shock Return.
All Mounted Archers: Power Shot, Multi-Shot.
All Armor Mages: Tier 1 Magic, Tier 2 Magic.
Orders to all summons.
Summon Absorption.
Now his trump card.
Absorbing part of the summons' abilities.
Please select summons to absorb.
All summons selected.
Various energies erupted from the skeletons, flowing into Mu-hyuk and absorbing.
All stats greatly increase for 10 minutes.
Energy overflowed.
Even in a game, it felt palpable.
Like he'd evolved.
Shff.
Kicking off the ground hard, the world seemed to slow.
Mu-hyuk moved so fast he was suddenly in James's face, sword arcing down.
James's shocked face raised his shield in panic—but too slow. By the time it was halfway up, Mu-hyuk's blade had already cleaved his skull.
*
Couldn't get his bearings.
-498 HP
-61 HP
-Additional -896 HP
-109 HP
His relentless attacks were impossible to dodge or block.
Too fast, too stealthy, too destructive.
-249 HP
Healing spells interspersed, but depletion outpaced recovery.
This... makes sense?
Mu-hyuk had grown absurdly stronger out of nowhere.
No!
James rallied his mind.
Shff.
Pulled Black Soul from inventory. Crushed it—power absorbed into him.
"Dual Barrier activate!"
The barrier around James and his crew strengthened.
-124 HP
Damage noticeably reduced.
Now...!
The moment he felt breathing room—
Thud, thwack-thwack-thwack.
Mu-hyuk's attacks intensified impossibly.
*
Chat exploded furiously.
Even as they chattered—
Thwack-thwack-thwack.
Mu-hyuk's onslaught never ceased.
But it didn't last.
"Crazy bastard...!"
Finally, the pretty boy user—James—faded with those words.
Forced logout.
As the Illusion TV audience cheered, it came true.
James's death released the skill, making short work of the rest.
Mu-hyuk shone brightest, dagger in hand, having already slain two of James's crew.
The dagger, naturally, was the Red Cavalry's crimson dagger.
Gripping it, he slipped behind an archer user.
The archer twisted late, noticing—but couldn't match Mu-hyuk boosted by summon absorption.
White Tiger Swordsmanship, Second Form: White Tiger Wave.
Becoming light, chaining attacks. The archer's HP plummeted relentlessly.
6,321 damage x3
Attribute strike (842) triggered x3
No more skills or strikes needed. The archer crumpled after just three chains.
Stat, Vitality (+0.0218) increases.
Checking rising stats, he pivoted.
Wind Step.
Plenty of hostile Kaion users left—but dwindling fast. Forma allies pressed with momentum.
"Damage is landing properly now!"
"Take out these bastards first! The others are all trash anyway!"
Mu-hyuk pushed to kill one more.
His movements overwhelmingly dominated, outpacing others.
Average Forma user killed one Kaion; Mu-hyuk got at least three.
Stat, Strength (+0.0218) increases.
Stat, Wisdom (+0.0218) increases.
Still felt insufficient.
More, more...!
Yielding to hunger.
Enemy force eliminated.
Melee skill to kill one, then shift to slay another.
One step, one kill.
One skill, one kill.
The impossible was happening.
In simple terms, Mu-hyuk alone had turned the battlefield from start to finish.
The moment he truly grasped Summon Absorption's worth—body and soul.