Chapter 263
Chapter 263
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 263
Chapter Title: ACT. 53 Crow and Dragon (1)
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Mana surged explosively.
It was a skill that temporarily reversed the flow of mana circulating within the body, granting an explosive burst of power for a fleeting moment.
The drawback was that after using it, I'd be powerless for a full day.
However, my future self would have to deal with that.
Right now, stopping that thing was the priority.
“Burn, Fragarach.”
A flash of light erupted from the sword.
A pure white light blazed wherever it touched.
The ancient demonic beast, struck head-on, couldn't even scream as its tentacles trembled violently.
My eyes gleamed.
It was a fire that wouldn't extinguish until its target was dead, just like the Encroachment of the Black Flame.
As long as it wasn't killed in one hit, this created the perfect environment for me to land the final blow.
I had one strike left.
But to do that, I needed a single moment to block it.
“Go, Kim Se-hyeon!!”
A massive wall of ice materialized.
It obscured my vision, taking the brunt of the light radiating from Fragarach.
It could only block the intense light for a moment before melting, but in that brief instant, my sword extended further.
[Black Flame is condensing.]
Lee Min-hwa is an S-rank player who wields flames destructively.
She rarely showed it, but her specialty was the dispersion and condensation of power.
Normally, she only used dispersion for wide-range bombardments, but when she needed to focus on a single target, she would switch to 'condensation', which carried risks but drastically increased her destructive power.
[Grrrrrr......!!]
The ancient demonic beast roared.
Its goal was to detonate its stored mana and obliterate the area.
Normally, I should have defended, but I chose to break through.
*Kwagagagaga......!!*
A storm of mana spread out, sweeping through the area.
Everything was torn apart and sent flying.
The building's walls, concrete, and frame were ripped away in sequence, and it collapsed in an instant.
If this was the power of a blast it released while still gathering mana, what would it be like when it was fully charged?
I didn't even want to imagine it.
‘I have to end this in one blow.’
I shot out the condensed Black Flame.
A small hole opened in the spherical storm of mana, and I threw myself into it.
Even then, tentacles hardened and sharpened by mana flew at me.
[Using skill, 'Void Step'.]
Don't think, just entrust my body to the sword.
Move as the sword guides.
I swing the sword a second before I even think it, thus penetrating the gap a second faster.
Screams erupted from all around as they saw me getting closer to the storm of mana.
“Kim Se-hyeon!!”
“No!”
I was certain it would work.
Thanks to none other than Hwang Chan-jin's ice and the flames that thing emitted.
[The first effect of 'Disaster Eater' activates.]
[Through the effect of 'Supernatural Regeneration', you rapidly recover by absorbing surrounding water.]
As soon as my body was torn apart by the vortex of mana, it recovered as if nothing had happened.
Just enough defense to avoid dying in one hit, allowing me to pour everything else into offense.
Finally, the moment I reached the ancient demonic beast.
I put all my strength into cleaving the disaster.
*KWAAAAANG!*
[You have defeated the 'Ancient Demonic Beast'.]
[You have achieved an unbelievable feat, and a bonus will be added to the result reward.]
[You have achieved the feat, 'One Who Cleft the Abyss'.]
[As a reward, 'Eyes of the Abyss' has been granted.]
[The main quest has been cleared.]
[You can use the special shop for 24 hours.]
[As a reward......]
I didn't have time to check all the system messages.
The backlash from pouring out all my strength left me without even the energy to lift a finger.
This settles it.
The Dragon of the End is still out there, but somehow...
“Hmm.”
The soft murmur made the hair on my body stand on end.
Damn. This guy was still here!
The moment I struggled to turn my head, I saw the gleaming Fragarach.
A spear of blazing flames shot toward my forehead.
It's over. Even if I drew on the darkness right now, I couldn't block that.
After coming this far, it ends like this?
*KWAAANG!*
The moment I squeezed my eyes shut, two lines were suddenly drawn in the air.
“Why are you giving up so easily!?”
Two Flashes.
Had she already built up enough proficiency to evolve from One Flash?
Cha Eun-ha and Jo Min-woo were standing in front of me.
Their faces were contorted, suggesting it wasn't an easy block, but they had rushed in immediately when I was in danger.
For some reason, my body suddenly started recovering quickly, so I pushed myself up.
“Oppa, drink this!”
“Thanks.”
Just then, Jo Min-ah brought me a potion, and I downed it in one gulp.
It would take more time for my twisted mana to fully recover, but as long as I didn't overexert myself, I'd be fine.
“Who are you?”
Hwang Chan-jin aimed his sword at the man still floating in the sky and asked.
“What a shame.”
He cleanly abandoned any lingering attachment.
As if landing the final blow on the ancient demonic beast wasn't that important to him from the start.
“Not bad. Though less than I expected.”
“I asked who you are.”
“I'd appreciate it if the bystanders would leave. It's a hassle to pay attention to every single person around.”
Hwang Chan-jin's eyebrows arched sharply.
“Did you call me a bystander?”
“Hold on. I'll handle this. He's here for me.”
“...Understood.”
I stepped forward.
Only then did he seem willing to talk, speaking before I could even ask a question.
“I am the Nameless One.”
He smiled faintly.
“The one you've been so desperately searching for, and the second regressor.”
“What...?”
That's impossible.
Regression is an EX-rank unique ability that 'he' alone should possess.
It makes no sense for someone else to have it too.
If he had simply revealed himself as a regressor, I might have believed him.
The idea that the original regressor lost the ability and this guy gained it would have been more plausible.
“Are you trying to deceive me? You think I'd believe that?”
“There are no lies in my words. Whether you believe it or not, it is an undeniable fact that I have regressed.”
Lightning struck my mind.
I remembered that there had been incidents before that hinted at the existence of a second regressor.
‘We've already been betrayed by a regressor, so we can't be friendly.’
The words of Seong Woo-hyeon and Lee Min-hwa.
The reasons they were so cautious about my actions and wary of me.
‘He never revealed his name. He said he didn't have one.’
The Nameless One.
‘Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find any trace of him since that day. Besides his voice, we know nothing of his appearance or name. He wore a peculiar mask. That's the only thing I remember clearly.’
And someone who always wears a peculiar mask.
All the clues were pointing to one person.
As I stood there, too shocked to speak, he spoke first.
“I'll let you go today. If you're this disappointing next time, there won't be a next time.”
The members of Salvatio gathered around him.
About thirty people, just as the ones I captured had said.
All of them have progressed past chapter 15, people who have a great impact on the story's progression.
“Well then, I look forward to seeing you again. Oh, and I'll leave the warp gate as a gift, so feel free to use it.”
With those words, Salvatio vanished all at once.
“What the hell.”
Jun Bo-ra let out a hollow laugh.
“Every single member is a handful, but their leader is on another level, isn't he?”
“That's why he's the leader.”
“Don't be a downer. More importantly, what was that he said earlier? That he's a regressor?”
“So he claims.”
“That makes no sense. There's supposed to be another regressor.”
“Right. But it seems to be true. The circumstances fit.”
“...Could you have misunderstood? Regression is a unique ability. Someone else shouldn't be able to have it.”
“That's what I'm wondering too.”
I stroked my chin.
Someone else can't have regression.
That's the immutable law of unique abilities.
However, it's also a fact that he has regressed.
Even Jun Bo-ra and Hwang Chan-jin, who knew of the original regressor, furrowed their brows, unable to easily accept it.
“Hyung. Regression... isn't that the thing where you go back to the past with memories of the future? And sometimes you even keep your powers?”
“That's right.”
“Wow, all sorts of crazy stuff is popping up. At this rate, we'll have reincarnation, transmigration, possession, and all kinds of other broken things.”
At Jo Min-woo's words, the three of us, including me, flinched.
I cleared my throat with a *ahem*.
“There's a high chance he's Korean.”
“Korean? Why?”
“Because the regression started in Korea. He said he worked with the five great guild masters. That's what they told me. They said he betrayed them one day and vanished without a trace.”
“So he betrays them and creates Salvatio? No, wait. Since Salvatio's goal is to seize world power after preventing the apocalypse, it makes sense that a guy like that would do something like that.”
Jun Bo-ra snorted.
Even as I said this, I had more than a few lingering doubts.
Should I say none of it felt genuine?
I felt something alien from him.
“By the way, I don't think it's over yet.”
Hwang Chan-jin muttered, looking at one spot.
The countless fragments from the ancient demonic beast were each wriggling, transforming into some kind of shape.
That thing really doesn't die gracefully.
“Let's just hang in there a little longer. It won't divide any further from there...”
The moment I finished speaking.
*Chwaak!*
Everything was sliced.
As if the fragments scattered all over were sliced at the exact same moment.
Without the slightest error, they were split in two at the same instant and met their end.
“Oh my, it seems I'm a bit late.”
A deep, resonant voice that stirred the chest.
*Thump, thump.* My heartbeat quickened.
There's no doubt.
This power. This voice. And the timing of his appearance.
Cha Eun-ha, who was closest, asked warily.
“You are...?”
“Hm. I am called Crow. I would appreciate it if you'd just call me that.”
He said with a gentle smile.
The self-proclaimed Crow.
His true identity was one of the three legends known as the Sword God.
At this moment, the strongest man in humanity stood before me.
“By the way, I sensed two immense sources of mana. Where did the other one disappear to?”
Crow's appearance was brief, but his words instantly reminded me of the Dragon of the End.
I have to chase it.
If I let it escape and recover its strength, it could lead to a crisis even greater than the awakening of the ancient demonic beast.
[Incredible!]
The high-ranking devil, who had been a mere spectator, expressed his excitement.
[Not only did you defeat the ancient demonic beast, but now a meeting between the strongest man in humanity and the man who's drawing so much attention! This is why so many beings are watching this place!]
Just as he said, even though I had my notifications off, sponsorships were still pouring in.
Thanks to Besial messing with the permissions, I could tell how many sponsorships were coming from the gods, even if they weren't displayed directly.
The level of interest in me was considerable.
Even more so than when I defeated the Disaster that Defied Heaven.
But, not yet.
The god whose divine power I wanted was still silent.
[Indeed, even I think so. For a human without a unique ability to accomplish this much. How much stronger would you get if you obtained one? I can understand why the gods are fighting to make you their avatar.]
...What?
“Besial. What did you just say?”
[What do you mean? It's the truth, isn't it?]
“...You, tell me how my information looks to you. Leave out the stats.”
[Uh... No unique ability. Four traits: Accustomed to Battle, Wind and Moon, Lord of Darkness, and Diamond Body. Skills are Extreme Eye and Void Step. Now that I see it, there's no way you should be this strong? Just how much are you pushing your abilities to the limit?]
I looked at my own information window and compared it to what Besial had said.
Unique Ability 'Main Player'. Trait 'One Who Started from the End'.
The information Besial recited was missing precisely the 'Clear Rewards'.
Before I could figure out what was going on, Choi Yeon-soo came running from a distance, calling my name.
“Don't tell me you ran away and came back?”
“Ah... well. There wasn't really anything I could do there. I'm not strong like you guys.”
Choi Yeon-soo smiled wryly as Cha Eun-ha glared at him.
“But I did find out one thing for sure.”
“What's that?”
“Where that dragon fled to.”