Chapter 96
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Flames of Defiance
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The viewers shuddered at Karen's majesty.
[I've completely lost my mind....]
[Your cheers... You'll all get addicted to sponsoring.]
Words like "terrifying" fell short of describing the power of Karen's Sunset Drawing.
Sizzle...
The force neither exploded nor destroyed—it simply evaporated half the altar with pure heat alone.
"Cough... Khek..."
Magra's coughing echoed.
'He's alive?'
Despite taking the full brunt of that power, Magra still lived.
'No, this isn't living.'
What met their eyes was Magra's body, charred completely black.
Even his immense regenerative power couldn't save him—lips, hair, clothes, all gone. It was unbelievable that his guts and flesh had burned away, yet he still breathed.
"...Hey. Jamad."
How he made a sound in that state was a mystery, but Magra addressed Jamad.
"You're driving me crazy, old timer. When the hell are you gonna die?"
"Kuhuhu... My body is as good as dead already. Don't worry too much. Before I go, there's something I want to ask you."
"What?"
"Do you... still think the same?"
"People often say I'm steadfast, but that's too vague—I have no idea what you mean."
Magra's voice faltered yet persisted.
"That nonsense about becoming the king of all things... Have you forgotten?"
"Oh, that? Yeah, I died once due to a little mishap along the way, but..."
Jamad bared his teeth in a grin.
"I still plan to."
"...You're one strange bastard."
"I hear that a lot too."
"Good. Has Zando... left?"
"Yeah."
"That's a relief... A relief, but regrettable too. I shouldn't have told you to remember..."
Magra could no longer form expressions.
His vacant eyes groped toward where Kang Seol had stood.
"I should have told you to forget the shadows."
Kang Seol and Jamad slowly approached Magra. Even as his breath faded, he forced out his final words.
"Human, I won't serve you. This Magra has never... served anyone."
Thud.
Superheated Magra departed like that.
[Defeated Superheated Magra.]
[Defeated Elder of the Troll Tribe Federation.]
[Achieved special feat 'Era Accelerated'.]
[Obtained special title 「Opener of a New Era」.]
[Magnificent victory! Karen awakens a new ability.]
[Karen awakens passive ability: Flame Tuning.]
[Karen achieves feat 'Devoured Flames'.]
[Karen obtains title 「Flame of Purification」.]
Jamad strode toward Magra's corpse.
He sneered at the man's words.
"No, you will serve. Magra."
Jamad flashed a meaningful smile.
"A new master, with this body."
Sizzle...
He reached for Magra's shadow.
[Jamad uses Sorcery Absorption on Magra's sorcery.]
[Target is of higher rank than caster. Sorcery Absorption may fail.]
"Haha! Persistent old fart, huh? Resistance is futile. Cough up everything you've got before you go!"
That instant.
Crunch...
Cracklecunch...
Jamad's muscles churned violently, as if struck by a truck.
[Failed to absorb Magra's sorcery.]
[Backlash strikes Jamad.]
"Gaaaaaah!"
His appearance was visibly dire, far from normal.
Whoosh—!
Crimson flames rode his shadow.
Like oil poured on his muscles and ignited, Jamad blazed like a bonfire.
"Grgh... Grr... Hot! My whole body... It's too hot!"
The stench of burning flesh filled the air.
The flames raged on, gnawing at Jamad's mind.
[Failed to absorb Magra's sorcery.]
[Backlash strikes Jamad.]
"Gaaaaaah!"
The inferno engulfed Jamad entirely.
They say burning is the greatest physical agony one can endure.
Pain blurred his vision.
"Fuhehehe... Me... Me, Jamad! You think I'll give up?! Jamad is a mountain. Unshakable, old man! Grraaah, let's see you endure to the end! It'll be this body's victory in the end."
Time dragged on, and even Kang Seol grew anxious.
'This is dangerous!'
Forcing even a minor thing often backfires spectacularly.
Especially devouring the power of a great sorcerer like Magra—no way it came without consequences.
Whoosh...
"Jamad..."
Thud...
Jamad dropped to one knee.
Crackle... Drip...
Aside from his hazy eyes, the original Jamad was gone.
"...Don't...
"...look down on me."
[Failed to absorb Magra's sorcery.]
[Backlash strikes Jamad.]
Whoosh—!
Who was he talking to?
On one knee, devoured by flames, who were these hard-won words for?
Kang Seol figured it was Jamad himself, his ancestors, or Magra, now one with the fire.
"I said don't look down on this Jamad. Jamad didn't become a mountain overnight. Stones and sand piled up to make a mountain..."
Sizzle...
The flames surged again, denying his claim.
[Failed to absorb Magra's sorcery.]
[Backlash strikes Jamad.]
Kang Seol waited silently for Jamad's words.
"My ancestors were all idiots. Enslaved by primal gods' power, they sold their intellect... and faith."
Jamad spoke to Magra, who resisted as flames, questioning his worthiness.
Do you deserve it? Are you fit to inherit my power?
"I'm different. This Jamad is different from those fools! I'll become king... with my own power!"
Thud.
Jamad knelt, enduring agony.
Eyes closed, he seemed at peace.
Like a pilgrim in penance, an ascetic monk. Kneeling, he murmured quietly.
"Thus... Jamad will reach the truth... The reason stars were born, and I was born."
Suddenly, clarity returned to his hazy eyes.
Crack...
He rose.
"For that, I need the power you left, Magra."
Roar—!
Vast flames enveloped him completely.
"Jamad!"
But unlike before, no screams of pain came. The fire now cradled Jamad.
"Heh... Old man... You'll accept it in the end..."
In that moment, messages flooded Kang Seol's vision.
[Absorbing Magra's sorcery.]
[Tyrant Jamad evolves into Volcanic Jamad.]
[Summon's rank upgrades to Legend.]
[Summon now exerts original power.]
[Rock Armor upgrades to Volcano Armor.]
[Earthquake Stance upgrades to Volcano Stance.]
[Awakens passive: Clinging Flames.]
[Awakens passive: Heat and Warmth.]
'No way...'
Kang Seol had assumed Magra couldn't be turned into a summon.
No matter his wisdom, without dish buffs, shadowing Magra was impossible.
Plus, rejecting it even in death— even if Karen's dish remained, reviving him would've been tricky.
But Jamad resolved it all at once.
By swallowing Magra's power whole.
The backlash brought immense suffering, but he succeeded as desired.
The results were shocking.
'Summon penalties lifted...'
Shadow Summon, core to Shadow Summoner, guzzled ability points.
2 for first upgrade, then 4, then 8—getting harder.
Restoring original stats was tough.
Yet Jamad broke free by absorbing Magra.
Rank up boosted stats further.
'Gotta check everything later.'
Not just Karen and Karuna—all summons upgraded.
This place wasn't ideal for review.
'Whew... Anyway, mountains of work ahead.'
As Jamad savored the afterglow alone, someone approached Kang Seol.
"Snowman... It's over."
Yumira sidled up casually.
Kang Seol glanced at Kibo on the cart and approached.
"We'll head straight to Gulia. Trolls seem fully retreated—no pursuit expected."
"I'll follow soon."
"This wouldn't have been possible without you... All survivors agree."
Kang Seol nodded at their Gulia plans, then realized something and spoke hastily.
"One request for Kibo—er, the survivors."
"Anything. Whatever it is, we'll do it. Speak."
"Leave me out of this incident."
"Wh-what? That doesn't make sense—without you, the story falls apart!"
"Didn't you say you'd grant my request?"
"Urgh... Worried about Nebania's attention?"
Kang Seol just smiled at the guess.
Kibo hit the mark.
Spreading Snowman's fame in Gulia was fine, but Nebania's royal or military scrutiny would poison future adventures.
'Dragged into the army or forced missions... Game over.'
Defying kingdom orders was impossible now.
Better avoid entanglements early.
"...Everyone hear that?"
"But how..."
"Th-that... Doesn't make sense! No one in Gulia would buy it."
"And Snowman's feats do?"
"Uh..."
"See? Both implausible, so let's honor his wish. Huddle up, fabricate a tale. Doesn't need truth—just plausible enough. Nebania hates escalations too; toss 'em a believable yarn."
The group nodded, approached Kang Seol with thanks.
"Th-thank you so much. Coming all this way for us, abandoned by Nebania..."
"Watch your words! Hamin, we came for that young man. Haha!"
"Still, I was saved—fact is fact."
"True enough."
"I'll be grateful forever. My family too."
Such scenes felt awkward for Kang Seol.
Yumira approached.
"Thanks..."
"No need. You earned your share too, Yumira. Sorry about Kibo though."
"He's alive and smiling—no reason to grieve. But... what's your name?"
"Kang Seol."
"Kang Seol... I'll remember. Hard to forget anyway. See you in Gulia."
"Me?"
"Don't want to? It's important."
"...Got it."
Kang Seol parted ways with the survivors.
Hamin was safe and chose to go with them.
Kang Seol planned to enter Gulia from inside Nebania via Sulfur Skeleton's border tunnel.
Collapse it after, avoid suspicion entering from Nebania side.
Match their arrival timing too—time to move.
"Master, how was it?"
Karen approached grinning.
Reunited with Karuna, she'd clung to him chatting—now finally to Kang Seol.
"Nice view."
"Yeah, monstrosities like this don't fit pretty places."
"Let's head back."
Karen smiled.
"Sure, master."
[Horrific plot at Yognatun Volcano thwarted.]
[Secret dungeon 'Ruined Altar of Fire' unlocked.]
[Secret dungeon 'Yognatun Sulfur Zone' unlocked.]
[Snowman sparks massive change with great feat.]
[Pandea of the Eternal World undergoes great and small changes.]
[Kongori Free City residents hear news, sleep soundly relieved.]
[Gulia Fortress residents hear news, sleep soundly relieved.]
[Pandea power balance shifts.]
[Faction: Sulfur Skeletons cower.]
[Faction: Troll Tribe Federation cowers.]
[All players may now select 'Incident Report' adventure at bases.]
[All players may now select 'Border Defense' adventure at bases.]
[Gained Adventurer Score.]
[Altar of Fire fully collapsed.]
[Gained additional rewards.]
[Discovered treasure Zando fled without.]
[Gained additional rewards.]
[Rumors of Sulfur Skeletons' defeat spread to nearby kingdoms.]
[Nebania Kingdom takes interest in incident.]
[Setena Kingdom shows no reaction to incident.]
[Defeated Sulfur Skeletons' leader.]
[Sulfur Skeletons spoils generated.]
[Adventure ends upon time expiration or reward selection.]
As Karen reached for the generated loot like always, Kang Seol shouted.
"No!"