Wings of the Devoured
Devouring Urkan's Essence.
Essence Absorption: 100%
Essence Grade: Rare
You have perfectly absorbed one type of essence.
Flight
Grade: ★★
Type: Active
Using mana, you slowly soar through the sky.
Consumes a small amount of mana.
I finally got my hands on it.
How curious.
“Why?”
Do you not already possess the ability to walk upon the winds?
“You clearly have no idea how many conditions that skill needs to work.”
I gave her a light jab. The Wind Path could only be used in places where strong gusts blew through, like valleys. In a breeze, or with no wind at all, the moment you tried to step on it you’d plummet straight to the ground.
“Flight, on the other hand, works anytime.”
Then it must be more useful than the Wind Path.
“Its speed is terrible.”
The movement speed from the Flight skill was about the same as an ordinary person walking. Using it in the middle of a frantic battle would just turn me into a slow-moving target. The Wind Path and Flight skill had completely different uses.
“Securing line of sight, or raining magic down from high altitude. That’s what it’s for.”
Hoo, so your strategic options have increased.
“You catch on quick.”
I have been following you for half a year now. Is that not basic knowledge at this point?
Nyx lifted her chin proudly. Ugh, seeing her do that in spirit form is way too cute.
“Perfect timing. I’ve got something I want to test.”
Activating Void Mirror.
The mirror reflects the user’s soul.
Urkan’s trace appears in the mirror.
A beast with wings on its back. What would happen if I projected Urkan’s essence onto my body?
Crack. Crunch.
My shoulder blades swelled, tearing through skin as they burst outward. The elongated bones were wrapped in stretching muscle and flesh, and pure white feathers sprouted across them, covering everything.
They resemble the wings of Icarus.
“Don’t say ominous things like that. He fell, remember?”
The tale of Icarus, who made wings from wax to escape the labyrinth only for the sun to melt them, sending him plummeting. Why bring that up here?
You remember events from so long ago quite well.
I shot Nyx a sharp glare, then slowly tested moving the wings. It felt like having an extra pair of fingers. Thanks to my experience handling a tail before, I had no trouble making them flap up and down.
“Oh… ohhh.”
When I put more strength into them, my body lifted off the ground. The sensation was completely different from the Flight skill. Even before my regression, I had plenty of experience flying through the air by kicking off empty space or pushing myself with mana. But this was my first time with actual wings on my back.
I gave them a powerful flap as a test. A strange sense of liberation washed over me as I shot into the air. The power in these wings was no joke.
Moving both wings and flying around, I found them more useful than I expected. Their stability was on par with the Flight skill, and their speed was only a little slower than the Wind Path. Since Urkan’s essence wasn’t particularly strong, I could maintain them for a full hour.
“I’ll have to practice whenever I get the chance.”
They’d be plenty useful until I could free myself from gravity entirely.
“Goddess, head over to the hill.”
Why?
“By the time I finish offering the tribute, the ones over there should have revived.”
Hehe, I shall faithfully fill your absence. In return…
“Yes. One cake.”
Deal.
The materialized Nyx wrapped herself in Polar Night and lightly bounded up the mountain slope.
Then shall I practice flying on the way back?
The Sun Tribe’s base, like the Moon Tribe’s, was located right below the summit.
Flash! Flash!
Light flickered across the clearing as the dead players returned to the battlefield one by one.
“This is insane. Are these guys really Silver rank?”
“The intel was completely wrong!”
“What the hell were the analysts even doing?”
The group of players who had died after getting caught in the chain of Solar Explosions that followed Barbatos’s iron mace. Nearly fifty people had died because they couldn’t block a single spell.
“The promotion match footage clearly showed him as a close-combat class! How is this possible?!”
“Damn it. Are we even facing the same Silver rank?”
Their morale had been shattered in a single battle. The performance Jinho displayed in the first clash had completely overwhelmed the allied guild players.
At that moment.
“You idiots, get a grip!”
A man’s voice rang out loudly. Park Jongwon. The Hwarang Guild’s promising rookie who had his potions stolen by Jinho back in the tutorial stage.
“According to the data, there were several instances where Yu Jinho’s magic became abnormally powerful.”
Park Jongwon tapped the documents in his hand. The allied guild members’ eyes slowly followed his gesture.
“We have Plans B and C! How can you start whining already?”
“He’s right. We endured twenty days of brutal training.”
“We didn’t spend all that time just to lose like this.”
“We have countermeasures.”
Life began returning to the allied guild members’ eyes. Park Jongwon stepped forward.
“Even if Yu Jinho’s power exceeds our analysis, we can win if we follow our training!”
Waaaah—!
The heavy, sunken atmosphere blazed up once more.
I will crush you here without fail, Yu Jinho!
Park Jongwon clenched his fist. His eyes burned with rage. After suffering a crushing defeat in the tutorial, he had endured endless humiliation within Hwarang. Although he avoided taking direct responsibility once Jinho’s feats became known, he couldn’t stop his evaluation from dropping from promising rookie to average guild member.
He was furious. A bright future had been guaranteed, yet one wrong reef had run his ship aground. He ground his teeth and threw himself into Hwarang’s training, achieving excellent results in the Tower missions as well. It was only because Jinho accomplished such outrageous things that his own achievements were relatively overlooked. Among players who awakened around the same time, Park Jongwon’s performance ranked near the top. That was why he had been chosen as overall commander when the three guilds’ Silver-rank players trained together.
Yet I still can’t catch up to Yu Jinho.
The humiliating defeat from the tutorial. Having five intermediate potions stolen from him was a wound in his heart he still couldn’t forget. But no matter how hard he tried to chase Jinho, the gap between them only widened instead of narrowing.
If that’s how it is, I’ll crush him here!
Park Jongwon pressed his upper lip between his teeth. The only way to restore his brutally trampled pride was this.
Excluding the ten offered as tribute, the remaining ninety-one players began a new operation.
“Focus on fast-moving close-combat strikers and launch a surprise attack on the hill.”
Park Jongwon issued the new orders. With Jinho’s firepower far exceeding expectations, the analysts had already prepared Plans B and C.
Plan B: While Jinho was acting separately, take out the remaining guild members first.
“The only one you need to worry about is Yu Jinho. Fourth squad, do not lower your guard.”
“Understood.”
The allied guild members reorganized into small teams of ten and spread out widely. Among them, three teams totaling thirty players including Park Jongwon advanced toward the hill once more.
“Yu Jinho is not here.”
“Just as the information said.”
Park Jongwon raised the shield in his left hand and pressed forward. At that instant—
Ratatatat!
Blue magic bullets condensed with mana poured down from above.
Iron Wall
He planted both feet on the ground and raised his shield. The barrage of magic bullets slammed into it by a hair’s breadth.
I didn’t sense any killing intent?
Park Jongwon glanced toward where the bullets had come from. A magic weapon resembling a submachine gun.
“Wow, you actually blocked that.”
A boy was sitting atop the weapon.
“Who are you?”
“Me? Enrique Deltoro.”
“I wasn’t asking for your name.”
“You’re an enemy, old man. Isn’t that enough?”
Park Jongwon’s brow furrowed. Not only had he failed to notice the snot-nosed brat’s attack, but the kid was even provoking him without fear.
Step. Step.
“I knew you’d try to strike while Master was away.”
“We’ll teach you the price of underestimating us.”
Crack.
Ping Lei and Jiyoung cracked their necks left and right.
Hehe, I shall take you all on.
Nyx wore a mysterious smile.
Kim Youngsoo’s puppet soldiers clattered as they assumed combat stances, and Karla answered by simply leveling her scythe.
“Hah.”
A chuckle escaped Park Jongwon’s lips.
“Big sis, that guy’s laughing at us.”
“Leave him be.”
Nyx waved her hand dismissively.
Yu Jinho isn’t even here, yet these six think they can stop us?
Park Jongwon let out a hollow laugh, then burned with fighting spirit. He might not stand a chance against an irregular like Jinho, but he was confident he wouldn’t lose to anyone of the same rank.
Yeokcheon. I’ll trample you this time.
He thrust his right hand forward.
“Teams 2, 3, and 4. Formation C.”
Charging formation. The guild members, reorganized around close-combat strikers, kicked off the ground and charged at full speed.
The Yeokcheon Guild lacks proper long-range magic classes.
The analysts’ judgment had been correct. Thirty close-combat players were charging all at once, yet the only response was to block with a barrier. The weapon that fired magic bullets like a gun was concerning, but this was the moment to exploit the variable of Jinho’s absence to the fullest.
Then—
“Numbers aren’t the answer, you idiot!”
Clone
Ping Lei’s body blurred, then split into ten figures. Clones possessing thirty percent of the main body’s stats. After contracting with Sun Wukong, the effect of his unique ability had risen to sixty percent. In pure numbers that was double, and since he could now maintain more clones without losing focus, Ping Lei’s combat power was incomparable to his data from his Guryong-bang days.
Clang! Clang!
Weapons clashed all across the hillside. Ping Lei’s clones didn’t yield an inch against the allied guild players.
Vibration Barrier x5
The relatively slow-footed tanks were caught by the vibration barriers. The moment the barriers overlapped—
Vrrrrrr—!
The amplified vibrations pierced into the tanks’ armor and shook their insides violently.
“Guh… ughk.”
A tank crushed without even managing to resist. Even their solid defense was powerless before Jiyoung’s barriers.
Spatial Compression
Accelerate
Karla closed the distance in the blink of an eye and swung her scythe. One player per strike. The allied guild players couldn’t even react to her speed.
The formation crumbled rapidly. Park Jongwon’s eyes burned with rage.
“I cannot lose here again!”
Fervent Charge
Park Jongwon charged with his wide tower shield raised before him.
“Hey, old man. You’re supposed to play with me.”
Enrique stepped in his way.
“Out of my way, brat. I don’t have time to waste on the likes of you!”
“You just called me a brat?”
“That’s right. If you don’t move immediately, I’ll take you down first.”
Enrique, who was always sensitive about his short height. Park Jongwon’s careless remark had struck his complex.
“Old man, just die once for starters.”
Mechanic Control
Mecha Manifestation
Ziiiing!
A steel arm burst from the magic circle that appeared beside Enrique and slammed into Park Jongwon.
“Guhk!”
The breath-stealing pain. Park Jongwon couldn’t even react to the incoming fist before he was sent flying dozens of meters back.
“Acting all cocky.”
Enrique grinned. What he had manifested was the right arm of the War Golem he had piloted on the 30th floor of the Tower.