The Moon Priestess
“Whoa, Master. Look at the size of that tree.”
“It’s as big as an apartment building.”
Jiyoung and Yunsu-hyung exclaimed in awe.
The Tree of Heaven and Earth rose roughly fifty meters from the ground—a massive tree impossible to miss.
It stood atop a gentle hill, with rolling slopes stretching below.
“Heh heh, come at me all you want. I’ll beat you senseless with this staff!”
Ping Lei spun his staff with a confident flourish.
The moment he finished speaking, the three-guild alliance advanced toward the tree.
Thud! Thud!
They marched in perfect formation like trained soldiers, their footsteps echoing through the mountains.
Ping Lei instinctively took a step back.
“The Destroyer’s lackeys haven’t changed a bit.”
“Hmph. I’m not scared, Master!”
“Call me either Guild Leader or Master. Pick one.”
“Understood, Master!”
The enemy players numbered around seventy.
[Power Weapon]
[Haste]
[Lesser Strength]
…
Colorful auras enveloped the group.
They were preparing for battle.
“I’ll take twenty. You two handle ten each.”
“Got it.”
Karla raised her scythe and stepped forward.
“Karla, wait!”
Jiyoung reached out to stop her, then looked at me with questioning eyes.
“Are you serious?”
“No. I’ll reduce their numbers to fifty. You guys clean up the rest.”
Demonic Power
All stats converted to Magic Power.
I gripped Ars Goetia. The pages fluttered.
The page bearing Barbatos’s name drank in my mana and turned black.
A massive iron mace materialized in the air.
“Just like the reports said.”
“The magic from the 20th floor!”
“That spell can’t be used consecutively.”
“Deploy a light-attribute barrier!”
A barrier woven from white mana spread across the sky.
Too bad for them.
If they based it on the 20th floor’s firepower, they’d made a mistake.
“You should’ve given me no time to rearrange my mana.”
The mace fell from the heavens.
The moment it struck the layered barrier, a thunderous BOOM rang out, sending a gale howling through the air.
Light mana clashed against dark mana.
Where the opposing forces met, heat shimmer rippled outward.
“First line, Formation C!”
“Second line, Formation E!”
The close-range dealers broke formation and charged.
Some of the mages began rearranging their mana.
They thought they could block my attack and counterattack?
“Master, leave the front to us.”
“I’ll handle the magic. Master, focus only on attacking.”
Ping Lei multiplied into ten clones and blocked the melee players.
Every ranged attack was intercepted by Jiyoung’s barriers.
They were both doing well.
Despite being outnumbered, they weren’t being pushed back.
Maybe they didn’t even need my help on the front line.
“Still, I can’t just stand around.”
Lightning Web
Solar Explosion
A blazing sphere of flame and a net of lightning formed almost simultaneously.
“Guild Leader, have you learned Double Cast or Multi Cast?”
“The casting methods are different, so it’s possible.”
Seon magic and regular magic.
Because their origins differed, I could prepare both at once.
It just gave me a headache from guiding the energies.
Though all my stats had been converted to magic power, the Dragon Pearl let me convert mana into internal energy and then into Seon energy, allowing me to use Seon techniques as well.
Crackle!
I hurled the lightning net woven from Seon energy straight ahead.
Lightning spread above the charging alliance players.
“Aaaagh!”
“Magic resistance skills…!”
“It’s no use. Even with resistance, we can’t shake it off!”
Some of the players rushing in tight formation were caught in the Lightning Web.
Seon magic, unusable in the Tower’s underground.
Lightning was the hardest of the Five Elements to control.
Lightning God was manageable, but freely casting Lightning Web required Zeus’s blessing.
“I told you to leave this to me.”
Ping Lei clicked his tongue.
Greedy bastard.
Even when I helped, he complained.
I rearranged my mana again.
Demonic Power still had thirty seconds left.
I corroded the blazing sphere with the Blessing of Greed, anchored it in place, and prepared a second Solar Explosion.
Whoa. I could maintain ten Ice Spears, but keeping two Solar Explosions active was draining my mental strength fast.
“You didn’t expect this, did you?”
The sphere detonated above the alliance guild members.
The barrier that had barely held against Barbatos’s mace crumpled instantly.
The players tried to recast defensive magic.
Even those pressuring my party joined the defense.
Crash!
The barrier shattered.
It collapsed far faster than they could restore it.
“N-no…!”
One mage screamed in horror, but the explosion swallowed his voice.
The raging flames didn’t stop at the mages—they engulfed the charging melee players as well.
[Ordan’s Will]
[Iron Will]
[Enhanced Counter]
The tanks activated defensive skills all at once.
Even Solar Explosion’s flames couldn’t break through them.
But—
“The second line was wiped out?”
“The third line took catastrophic damage too.”
“Half of the first line is dead.”
“At this rate, we can’t maintain command structure.”
The alliance players stood in stunned disbelief.
“Ah, twenty-three left. I said I’d take care of fifty.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“I’m serious.”
What’s with that look like you’re staring at trash, Jiyoung?
The alliance must’ve done their homework analyzing me.
They survived a wide-area skill after I used Demonic Power—that said enough.
“This works out better.”
“Master, what’s suddenly so good?”
“The survivors can all be captured and offered as tribute.”
“Wow, your personality.”
“The mission literally says to do that. Why blame my personality?”
Karla pointed her scythe forward.
“Shall I subdue them?”
“As long as they’re breathing.”
“Understood.”
Space compressed behind her. In an instant, Karla shot across the battlefield.
What the— She’s terrifying.
* * *
Offered tribute to the Moon God.
The tribute consists of Sun Tribe members.
The Moon God is pleased with the offering.
A crescent moon hanging over the mountain peak emitted a soft glow.
Ten players had been offered as tribute.
A few were lost because they stubbornly resisted Solar Explosion.
—Had you not been watching, would the result not have been different?
“I can’t do everything myself.”
I left subduing the remaining alliance players to my guild members.
Subduing was harder than killing, after all.
This was already a good result.
As the moonlight intensified, the once-clear sky began to cloud over.
Yin energy enveloping the Kosku Mountain Range is intensifying.
The Moon Priestess has appeared on the hill. The Priestess aids the Moon Tribe.
Offerings could even influence the mission environment.
Offering to the Sun God granted extra buffs under sunlight.
The Moon God summoned a priestess on the hill where the Tree of Heaven and Earth stood to assist in battle.
—You reduced their numbers significantly from the very first clash.
“It won’t be easy from here.”
—Why do you think so?
“They’ve realized that even grouping up won’t work.”
This mission didn’t require a head-on confrontation.
There were other tributes besides the Sun and Moon fruits from the Tree of Heaven and Earth.
The valley where the mountain slopes met.
Hunting the Urkan that lived there would yield tributes.
—Earlier you said the ownership of the fruits was important.
“That’s true. But to summon the Moon Priestess, the Sun’s energy must be suppressed.”
—Will leaving it alone hinder the mission?
“No, not really.”
—I see your aim now.
“Hm?”
—The Priestess’s essence.
Sharp as always.
Only when the mountain slopes were filled with yin energy would the Moon Priestess reveal her full form.
She was an ally, but there was no reason not to defeat her.
This mission had many conditions, so if the chance arose, I planned to devour the Priestess’s essence.
—You are truly greedy.
“I know.”
I smiled lightly and headed for the valley.
I left the Tree of Heaven and Earth to my guild members.
In one hour, everyone except those offered as tribute would revive.
But after being so thoroughly crushed in the opening clash, they wouldn’t be able to launch a full-scale attack right away.
The valley stretched below the hill.
Goats with wings on their backs climbed the steep cliffs.
“Hunt the Urkan!”
“Don’t let them escape!”
Alliance players’ voices echoed through the valley.
I knew it.
Not all of them had come to the hill.
“I’ll just sweep them up as a bonus.”
Without hesitation, I stepped down into the valley.
At that moment—
I kicked off the wind blowing between the cliffs and leapt lightly.
Using the [Wind Path] skill, I moved my legs as if running on flat ground, closing the distance to the alliance players.
“Y-Yu Jinho!”
“Weren’t you supposed to be at the hill?”
“Damn it. Execute the plan!”
The players turned their backs.
They must’ve been ordered to avoid me when encountering me alone.
“A little disappointing.”
No matter what, turning your back the moment you see someone isn’t polite.
Shhhhhh!
Polar Night surged from behind me, targeting the fleeing players’ backs.
Body of Darkness
The amount of Polar Night I could manifest increased fivefold.
I twisted it into a spiral, shaping it into a spear, and hurled it at the players showing their backs.
“Guh!”
“Reiv—ugh!”
I subdued the fleeing players without lifting a finger.
If conditions had been right, I would’ve offered them to the Moon God, but right now I needed to hunt Urkan, so I had no time.
“See you in an hour, friends.”
Dark spears pierced their hearts.
The alliance players died without any meaningful resistance.
—You’ve become quite skilled.
“Still a long way to go.”
To maximize Polar Night’s power, I had to use Body of Darkness.
But when I activated Body of Darkness, I became intangible and couldn’t use martial arts.
Every advantage had its drawback. I needed to research further or gain enlightenment while handling Polar Night.
I swept through the valley, eliminating the alliance players.
As a bonus, I took the Urkan hearts they had collected.
—As expected, you always have a plan.
“I wasn’t planning to steal them.”
—There’s no need to act humble before me.
I was being sincere.
I’d told Nyx several times, but it never got through.
Since I was already here and had secured tributes, I might as well collect Urkan essences.
I activated [Thousand Eyes] and located the Urkan.
A moment later—
“There you are.”
The winged goats—Urkan—leaping between the cliffs came into view.
Their essence would be quite useful too.
“Well then, thanks for the meal.”
Smiling, I charged at the Urkan.