The Tyrannosaurus That Swept the Battlefield
The ground shook with every step.
Thud. Thud.
Each time I lifted a foot, the scenery blurred past in a rush.
“M-Master, you’re going too fast!”
Jiyoung’s scream echoed in my ears.
Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Toughness increased by 500%.
Due to structural transformation of the body, some skills are now unavailable.
Transforming into a primal species had lengthened my stride. On top of that, I was running Cloud Flow Steps and Full Sprint at the same time. It was impressive that she hadn’t fallen off my back.
“……”
Youngsoo hyung seemed to have no strength left to speak. He’d tied himself to my back using his puppets.
-Run faster!
The only one enjoying this was Nyx.
“Hey! If you go any faster than this… ugh.”
Jiyoung dry-heaved.
She wouldn’t actually throw up on my back, right?
I sprinted straight to the canyon that served as the main battlefield.
“T-Tyrannosaurus?”
“It’s a monster!”
“I never heard anything about dinosaurs appearing in the promotion match!?”
The Japanese players looked up at me, their faces drained of color.
A few of the sharper ones swung their weapons and charged, but—
Clang!
The primal species’ hide was so thick that even without armor, their attacks didn’t leave a single scratch.
“This body is surprisingly inconvenient,” I muttered, frowning.
My arms had shortened. The changed leg structure made it awkward to use martial arts or hand-to-hand techniques like palm strikes, kicks, or fist forms.
Still, that didn’t mean I had no options.
White Marsh Sovereign Kick
It was a stomping technique. By slamming the ground hard with my foot, I could shake the earth and destroy an opponent’s balance. Normally it used internal energy to strike the ground and rattle the surroundings, but when performed with a Tyrannosaurus body, its purpose changed.
Rumble—!
I stomped with all my might. The ground screamed and shook violently.
The destructive power was on par with an earthquake. The Japanese players who had rushed in to attack were caught in the shockwave and turned to dust. Even those quite far away staggered, unable to keep their footing. The mages with weaker physical stats tumbled across the ground.
“……Wow.”
Jiyoung’s awed voice drifted into my ear.
“Not bad.”
I gave a short evaluation and advanced.
The Japanese players nearby swung their weapons desperately, but I simply lifted my foot and slammed it down. They were all crushed into powder.
“It’s a kaiju! A kaiju!”
“How do we even stop that thing?”
“Run!”
After a third of their force of over a hundred was wiped out, they lost the will to fight and began to retreat.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Thud. Thud.
I charged at full speed toward the clustered Japanese players and stomped the earth once more with the White Marsh Sovereign Kick.
“Gaaah!”
“It’s divine punishment!”
“I-I’m so scared!”
The Japanese players had completely lost their fighting spirit.
How boring.
By the time the Void Mirror duration was about to end, not a single Japanese player was left standing on two legs. Well, catching the ones who tried to flee took a little extra time.
Five minutes later, a warning message appeared.
Continuing to reflect your soul in the Void Mirror will endanger your life.
Hmm. So even after the duration ends, I can extend it with my own will—at the cost of my life.
I’d already wiped out the Japanese players. No need to keep it going.
That was useful information.
I canceled Void Mirror.
My vision dropped instantly. My body shrank and returned to normal.
“Urgh!”
The moment my expanded body reverted, I felt a massive shock, as if I’d been punched hard in the gut. A metallic liquid surged up my throat. The second I opened my mouth, a mouthful of blood poured out.
“Contractor! Are you alright?!”
“Master!!”
“This is no time to stand around. We need to give him a potion immediately.”
My teammates panicked.
At least Youngsoo hyung kept his cool. Seeing me cough up blood and still making rational decisions—impressive.
“I’m fine,” I said, waving my hand.
“You just vomited blood and you’re saying you’re fine?”
“It’s the aftereffect of handling a power I couldn’t fully control, like with Naeshan.”
If I tried to maintain Void Mirror past its duration, I’d have to risk my life. Even with the skill’s correction, it still caused internal injuries.
Thanks to Regeneration and the Blessing of the Earth Mother Goddess, the internal damage healed quickly. I looked at the primary fortress with a much more relaxed expression.
I’d gotten everything I could from the canyon. The Void Jewel, the essences of various monsters, and even the essence of the awakened Naeshan that I had never tasted in my previous life.
“Let’s go finish the promotion match.”
Two hours later.
The Philippine side’s control crystal has been destroyed.
The Korean faction has been selected as the final victor.
Korea — 100% Promotion
Philippines — 66% Promotion
Japan — 33% Promotion
The promotion match ended with Korea’s victory.
* * *
Korea achieves overwhelming victory in the Bronze promotion match.
Right after clearing the 20th floor, the Korean media exploded with coverage of the promotion match results. Even though it hadn’t drawn the same attention as the Iron promotion match, the reporting frenzy was intense.
“Look at this. Your appearance is all over NewTube.”
Nyx shoved a tablet toward me.
Since real-time broadcasting became possible after the first Great Erosion, footage of my performance could be uploaded to the internet.
I pushed the tablet back.
“Too annoying.”
“Hehe, they’re all words of praise for you.”
“Sure, for now. The moment I slip up, it’ll all turn into curses.”
Media attention was like walking a tightrope over a cliff. One mistake and it was over. To the public, one failure always felt bigger than multiple successes.
Nyx snorted. “How truly dull.”
“I’m just saying there’s no need to get so excited.”
“But didn’t you deliberately create situations to get exposed to the media?”
After the first Great Erosion, we had cleared multiple Gates. From the Night of Paradise to Gates where entire player teams had been wiped out. Although our team’s ranks were all Iron so we couldn’t enter high-difficulty Gates, the fact that we challenged dangerous ones regardless had drawn coverage from various outlets.
“Because it’s useful.”
The media could turn on you at any moment. But if you never gave them the chance?
They would stay on your side and act as your mouthpiece. That was the importance of image-making.
While I was chatting with Nyx, Kim Youngsoo stepped forward, his eyes red.
Had this hyung been crying somewhere? What’s with him?
I swallowed nervously.
“Yes. Go ahead.”
“I’m… I’m truly grateful.”
Kim Youngsoo bowed deeply. His exposed shoulders and back trembled intermittently.
“Thanks to you, Team Leader, I was able to awaken my talent and resolve a lifelong wish.”
“A lifelong wish is a bit much.”
“No, it’s not. The fact that I was able to escape being stuck in Iron forever is all thanks to your efforts, Team Leader.”
Drip. Drip.
Tears fell to the floor.
“It’s all because of your own ability, hyung. Please don’t do this.”
I pretended not to notice and gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
A player who had been stuck in Iron for years. Someone who had worried endlessly about whether his talent was lacking, yet never stopped moving forward.
That was why, even if the place had been different, he would have achieved greatness in my previous life.
“Take the rest of the day off and go see your family.”
“Since when did we have half-days?”
“Since the team leader said so.”
A short chuckle escaped Kim Youngsoo’s lips. The trembling in his shoulders eased.
It looked like he had finally let go of some of the knot in his heart.
He straightened his back.
“By the way, the road home might be a little noisy.”
“Is something going on?”
“Your command ability became quite the issue too, Youngsoo hyung.”
My own performance had overshadowed it a bit, but Kim Youngsoo’s ability usage had also drawn significant media attention. The command ability that had been looked down on until now. The more people he commanded, the more powerful the reinforcement options became. He also had the shared vision skill.
“Haha, I didn’t do anything special.”
“People who watched the broadcast would have seen your command ability clearly.”
The players who participated in the promotion match might not have realized that Youngsoo hyung was the one directing everything, but those watching the broadcast were different.
“Just don’t get hit on by weird people on your way home.”
“After you became my savior, where else would I go?”
Kim Youngsoo laughed heartily, his eyes still moist.
Crying and then laughing…
Ahem. Let’s stop here.
“Master, then I’ll go visit my hometown too!”
“Sure. You worked hard. Go get some rest.”
After forming the team, I finally had some time to myself for the first time in a while.
“Alone? Am I just decoration?”
“Then how about you take your hands off that tablet before saying something like that?”
This knitting goddess. Getting too used to modern civilization this quickly was something to worry about.
While walking through the now-empty training ground—
The cooldown for Void Mirror has ended.
The moment I had been waiting for arrived.
“Are you planning to use that Void Mirror skill again?”
“I didn’t even say anything. How did you know?”
“I can tell just by looking at your face.”
I gave an awkward smile.
Void Mirror. It was a new power I had never obtained in my previous life. I had changed shape using the essence of a Doppelganger before, but this was the first time I had encountered a skill that changed not just the exterior, but the interior itself.
It was worth researching.
Nyx let out a short sigh.
“I don’t want to see your face twisted in pain, but…”
She muttered and turned her head away.
Void Mirror
Since the goal was to understand the skill’s operational range, there was no need to reflect something as powerful as the primal species essence.
I reflected the essence of the Horned Rabbit I had obtained during the tutorial in the Void Mirror.
The trace of the Horned Rabbit is reflected in the mirror.
Converting to the form recorded in the soul.
This is a level the user can fully handle. Duration has been set to 3 hours.
My thighs swelled rapidly. The transformation stopped after they had expanded by about fifty percent.
I lightly leaped and instantly reached the ceiling of the training ground.
“Whoa.”
The height wasn’t surprising. With my stats, a full-powered jump could clear a three-story building, not just the training hall ceiling.
What interested me was the body transformed by the skill’s effect.
“So this is what it’s like.”
A smile formed on my lips.
Void Mirror didn’t react the same way to every essence. The duration and the form of transformation varied depending on the strength or weakness of the reflected essence.
The potential applications were endless.
I canceled Void Mirror. The swollen muscles returned to normal, but unlike when I had reflected the primal species essence, I didn’t suffer any internal injuries. Since the amplification level was low and I hadn’t maintained it long, the penalty was minor.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. As you can see.”
I smiled at a much brighter-looking Nyx.
Void Mirror, huh.
It seemed worth continuing to research ways to utilize it.