The Tyrant's Reflection

The stage for the promotion match was the Ancient Canyon.

This place was a space modeled after a battlefield from another dimension connected to the Tower of Babel.

It was a location where three opposing nations clashed periodically.

The monster nests and minion buff crystals were all setups arranged by the Old Gods.

But the canyon's true master, Archduke Naeshan, was something else entirely.

A monster that genuinely existed in another dimension.

The Void Mirror was a skill that let a replica created by the tower project the original body and transform.

“Krrriiiiiik!!!”

Naeshan continued to grow stronger by the second.

The aura reflected in my Thousand Eyes swelled several times over.

“M-Master, how are we supposed to fight that?”

“What do you mean, how? We run.”

“Aren’t you being a little too calm about this!?”

It was a transcendent-grade monster from another dimension.

Since it had manifested a significant portion of its true power, taking a direct hit from one of those legs would put even me in danger.

“What a splendid strategy indeed.”

“Why are you like this all of a sudden!”

“Oh dear. So that is how it appears to the eyes of a mere mortal.”

Nyx shook her head with a soft huff.

“Behold that hideous body. Can you not see it is collapsing because it cannot contain its own power?”

The second phase of Archduke Naeshan was something no Iron-rank player could possibly overcome.

Yet because it could not leave the lake, the standard strategy was to stay outside its attack range.

Even the goddess’s powers of observation are useful. She had noticed it right away.

“Then let’s hurry and—”

The moment Jiyoung took a frantic step backward, a flash of light erupted.

Naeshan’s pupils swung toward us.

The instant it registered our presence once more—

Its elongated leg shot forward like a bolt of lightning.

Jiyoung stood a short distance from the lake, a spot that should have been safely beyond the reach of the canyon’s special boss.

But this was no tower-made imitation. This was the original body projected through the Void Mirror, and the distance was well within its range.

I activated every defensive skill I had and thrust my hand forward.

Internal energy from the Asura Demon Spirit Heart Method dyed my palm pitch black.

Like the wing of a great peng riding the storm, the technique redirected the incoming force instead of meeting it head-on.

Clang!

Even though I had deflected Naeshan’s leg, the armor’s durability dropped by a third.

My arm trembled violently.

Had I tried to block it directly, the armor wouldn’t have simply cracked—it would have shattered into pieces.

“Get behind me.”

At least out here by the lake I could still deflect the attacks.

If we had been closer to the center, I wouldn’t have been able to protect the others, let alone myself.

Every time the oversized legs came flying, I used the Flying Wing Great Peng Palm to redirect them.

Crack!

My right arm had been wrenched out of its socket.

While fending off the relentless assault, every defensive skill I had was neutralized one after another.

The shattered bones regenerated, and the dislocated arm snapped back into its shoulder socket.

The mutation skill, now fused with molting, had gained tremendous stability.

The downside was the crushing wave of exhaustion that hit me for a brief moment.

I should only use this in true life-or-death moments. It wasn’t a skill I could afford to rely on frequently.

“Master, my power is meager, but let me help too!”

“This one shall assist as well.”

The swirling Polar Night and the Vibration Barrier that Jiyoung had layered several times over were both torn apart by Naeshan’s legs.

But after three minutes of the Void Mirror being active, Naeshan’s movements began to slow.

“Krrrik… insolent…”

“You’ve already used up all your strength and you’re still putting on airs.”

The swollen body had shrunk back down, and the purple carapace looked dull and brittle, as if it would crumble into powder at the slightest touch.

The replica created by the Tower of Babel had been utterly insufficient to contain the true power of the real Archduke Naeshan from beyond the dimension.

I charged straight at the weakened Naeshan.

“Krrrik! Die!”

I knocked aside the barrage of legs and leaped toward its head using Agile Hind Legs.

“The one who’s going to die is you.”

I wrapped my extended claws in metal and reinforced them with the Protection of Greed.

My claws, shrouded in dark internal energy, raked across Naeshan’s throat.

Spluuuurt!

An enormous spray of blood erupted, far larger than before, and the monster’s body toppled into the lake.

“W-We did it, Master!!!”

“Well done.”

Jiyoung cheered while Kim Youngsoo’s face lit up with relief beside her.

“As the contractor of this one, such a feat is only to be expected.”

Nyx snorted, but she couldn’t hide the twitch at the corner of her mouth.

In moments like this, she could just be honest instead of acting all haughty. It was secretly cute.

“Team Leader, may I ask one question?”

“Go ahead.”

“That adamantium you fed it… why did you do that?”

“It was information I obtained while clearing a mission.”

The connection between adamantium and Naeshan was hidden on the eighth floor of the tower, inside the underground labyrinth.

I hadn’t discovered it myself. In the original timeline, explorer Laurent had found the document four years from now during an eighth-floor mission.

After wandering through a labyrinth filled with various patterns, ancient characters were recorded everywhere.

When all the words were combined, they pointed to the twentieth floor.

To draw out the true power of the Ancient Canyon’s master, Naeshan, offer adamantium.

To the one who faces and overcomes true fear, a fitting reward shall be given.

It might have sounded like I was reading off an answer key, but so what? I wasn’t lying.

“I-I see.”

“I thought it was worth trying, but it was more dangerous than expected.”

“Next time you plan to do something reckless, please give me a heads-up. It’s bad for my heart.”

Kim Youngsoo placed a hand over his chest and sighed.

This man really was something.

If he kept following me, he would see far worse things than this.

I should probably prepare some calming pills for him next time.

Now then, time to collect the payment.

* * *

Naeshan lay collapsed, tongue bitten clean through.

Inside the curled tongue rested a jewel ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠radiating a violet hue.

Both of them stared with wide eyes and open mouths.

“What has you so astonished?”

“Transcendence rank is just below Myth-grade. Plus it’s a holy relic.”

A transcendence-grade holy relic.

Both in the present era and in the future before my regression, it was an item whose value was nearly impossible to measure.

This was exactly why I hadn’t processed the adamantium immediately.

Since it was a holy relic, a sweet fragrance flowed from the violet-glowing jewel.

“Please use that jewel however you see fit, Team Leader.”

“We cleared it as a team, didn’t we?”

“With my ability, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat even a normal Naeshan.”

Kim Youngsoo shook his head.

“Besides, you were the one who invested the adamantium, Team Leader. I merely received the benefits.”

“I agree. You set everything up, Master. It would be greedy of me to ask for a share.”

Both team members cleanly gave up their claims to the Void Jewel.

I had prepared some light persuasion, but things had resolved far more easily than expected.

“You won’t see a transcendence-grade holy relic very often.”

I held out the Void Jewel with an exaggerated gesture.

“Consider it repayment for the investment you made in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me, Team Leader.”

“I wouldn’t have made it this far without you, Master.”

Neither of them showed the slightest flicker in their eyes.

Haha, I really do have an eye for team members.

“If you insist, I won’t refuse.”

I stored the Void Jewel inside the Pocket of Desire.

“You are not devouring it immediately?”

“I’d get indigestion.”

I shook my head.

The Void Jewel contained a Myth-grade essence.

Since I had already devoured the essences of Gaia and Nyx, consuming it rashly could cause a collision.

I could handle it, but it was wiser to prepare digestive aids before eating.

I already knew what kind of essence the Void Jewel held.

“Right, now for the main course.”

I placed my hand on Naeshan’s corpse sprawled in the lake.

It was an essence I had never obtained before my regression.

I never imagined I would gain the exact skill Naeshan had used in its second phase.

The power to project the soul, huh.

I couldn’t even begin to guess how it worked.

“It’s definitely worth testing.”

After regressing, I had lost every bit of my soul’s dignity.

Though the core was the same, the karma I had built through countless battles and devourings followed the timeline after my regression.

However, even after returning, I had once again piled up karma through Devour.

What would happen if the Void Mirror reflected the essences I had swallowed so far?

“Oh ho.”

The Void Mirror recognized the essences I had accumulated until now as powers inherent to my soul.

This essence is far more useful than I thought.

I reflected the core of my physical transformation—the Tyrannosaurus Essence.

The form reflected by the Void Mirror was a Tyrannosaurus I had seen in documentaries and films.

Crunch! Craaaack!

My body began transforming into the shape projected by the mirror.

“Contractor, what is happening?”

“I’m… fine…”

My voice had grown much thicker.

I couldn’t speak properly.

I waved my hand to brush off Nyx’s worry.

My body expanded rapidly. The clothes that were already half rags tore apart completely.

My eye level rose dramatically.

My legs became thicker than tree trunks, and a tail sprouted from my back.

A protruding snout and short forelimbs.

The Void Mirror had perfectly reproduced the primordial species I had absorbed—the Tyrannosaurus.

“Kaooooooooo!!!!”

Overflowing power.

It truly lived up to its name as the tyrant among the ancient beasts.

In this transformed state, all my stats except for special ones like internal energy and Polar Night were multiplied several times over.

If I used Rage of the Evil Spirit in this form…

“Hehehe. This is amazing.”

I chuckled.

But it wasn’t all advantages.

The changed body structure made it difficult to use martial arts, and certain skills like magic were now sealed.

With these hands, even using the Ars Goetia would be impossible.

“Um… Master, is that really you?”

“It is.”

“Whoa, a dinosaur!”

“There is no need to be afraid.”

“Why would I be afraid? It’s so cool!”

Jiyoung’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“To this one, it looks like the incarnation of barbarism.”

“How pitiful that you cannot appreciate the magnificence of dinosaurs.”

“Are you pitying Yeo right now!”

Watching the two bicker, I snorted loudly.

“No time to fight. Get on.”

“On your back, Master?”

“I’m going to go cause some serious chaos.”

Crossing the lake would let me reach either of the two camps.

The duration was five minutes.

It wasn’t enough to annihilate both, but I could completely devastate at least one.

“In that case, this one shall not refuse and climb aboard.”

Nyx turned into spiritual form and promptly sat atop my head.