The Eldritch Dragon Awakens
The dark clouds coiling around the altar split apart like writhing tentacles.
Sinister light flickered between the pitch-black vapors.
The elongated clouds lashed out and seized the Tagarion’s Branches.
“Kraaaagh!”
“P-please, spare us!”
Screams that sounded as if they were being wrung from crushed throats echoed across the battlefield.
Another signature ability of the Tagarion sect: summoning.
Yet that summoning was merely an extension of their curses.
Curses grow stronger when they have a proper medium.
Instead of conventional summoning rites, the Tagarion sect offered living sacrifices to call forth mighty entities.
The clouds that had pulverized the “branches” now squirmed, wrapping around the corpses of the high orcs and trolls.
A sickening crunch of flesh being ground to paste filled the air.
The cloud that had devoured every force except the Tagarion’s Sapling coalesced into a single point.
Thump. Thump.
The cloud pulsed like a beating heart. In time with its rhythm the ground around the altar shook as though struck by an earthquake.
The Black Egg
📍 Medium: Countless sacrificed souls
📍 Result: Incubation of an otherworldly entity
“Branches, upon the altar of your sacrifice a new order shall be inscribed.”
The Tagarion’s Sapling thrust both arms skyward and cackled madly.
“What a load of crap.”
New order? Spare me. When the tide turned against them they simply rationalized using their own allies as disposable batteries.
Sensing the abnormal power contained within the black egg, Hong Yunsu released the wind coiled around his right leg.
Dragon Fang
Wind compressed into a lethal blade surges forward.
Winds like a roaring tidal wave sharpened their edges and hurtled toward the black egg.
The gale was powerful enough to shear off mountain peaks.
Yet sinister light erupted from the egg’s surface.
The gloomy radiance unraveled the storm Hong Yunsu had woven with his will.
The midsummer typhoon scattered in every direction, reduced to nothing more than a gentle spring breeze.
An astonishing feat requiring supreme magical calculation and interference ability.
“My wind cannot be dispelled by ordinary magic!”
It was only natural he would be shocked. Hong Yunsu’s power operated on a completely different principle from conventional spells; it could not be forcibly unraveled.
Vibration Barrier (10-layer compression) — No damage inflicted.
“Then how about raw physical force?”
Ellen kicked off the ground and charged, but the high orcs and trolls formed a living wall with their bodies, blocking her advance.
“Tch.”
A situation in which no attack could land.
“Master, this looks like serious trouble.”
Jiyoung let out a worried groan.
The egg created by absorbing multiple Tagarion’s Branches radiated an unknown power that even the rankers could not ignore.
A force standing on the opposite side of the dimension. As the monster dwelling in imaginary space stirred toward awakening, they felt an instinctive revulsion.
I shrugged.
“Why? It conveniently removed a bunch of annoying enemies in one go.”
The Tagarion’s Branches were originally extremely troublesome foes. Without Nyx blocking their curses, mental attacks would have been a nightmare to defend against.
I had raised my resistance by devouring various essences, but my companions had not.
“You’re awfully calm about this.”
Nyx chuckled at Jiyoung’s pouty expression.
—Was this not a situation you had already foreseen? Or did you deliberately induce the current circumstances?
I gave a slight nod of affirmation.
The vibration grew faster.
Like a countdown signaling the end, the pulses from inside the black egg intensified.
About time.
“Brother Yunsu, can you draw the high orcs’ and trolls’ attention elsewhere?”
“If we mobilize the entire party, it should be possible.”
“Then lure the monsters far away from the altar.”
“If you mean to pull the battlefield back—”
“That’s not it. I intend to handle that monster myself.”
The casual bombshell drew every eye in the party.
“Kuruk! Kuruk!”
“Guaaaah!”
The battlefield was filled with the monsters’ breathing like background music.
Ellen answered in a voice loud enough to drown it out.
“Mr. Yu, I know your capabilities well, but this is too reckless.”
“If it looks like I’m in danger, help me.”
Ellen exhaled a long sigh.
Shin Junseok seemed to share her thoughts; he spoke with clear unease.
“Hmm… I know Junior possesses great resolve, but…”
“So please trust me.”
The number of high orcs and trolls had been reduced to one-third, yet they remained a force that could not be underestimated.
Once the being inside the black egg began to rampage, there was no telling what would happen.
I glanced at Jiyoung. She understood my intent, didn’t she?
Even without prior discussion, she read the meaning in my eyes.
“I’ll wipe out every last orc before Master is endangered!”
Taking her declaration as the signal, the rest of the guild members voiced their agreement.
“Uncle, I’ll help before you die.”
“Master, don’t meet such a pointless end.”
With the guild stepping forward, even Ellen and the two rankers reluctantly nodded.
That’s what you call perfect coordination.
I smiled and subtly slipped to the side of the formation.
⊳ Formation effect: Draws enemy attention
⊳ Allows safe approach to the altar
As the party slowly withdrew, the high orcs and trolls charged through the wide opening.
The formation’s ability to attract attention made approaching the altar far easier.
“Must you truly face it alone?”
“I doubt I could control the firepower otherwise.”
Demonic Power
All user stats converted into magic power. Other stats reduced to 1.
My mind grew crystal clear, as though I had taken a powerful stimulant.
Rather than savoring the now-familiar sensation, I immediately began rearranging my mana.
With the high orcs and trolls drawn away from the altar, I was left alone with the old man.
“Kuhahaha! How foolish! Choosing death for the sake of your comrades!”
You’re sorely mistaken.
Do I look like the type to make noble sacrifices?
Whatever nonsense the old man spouted, I let it go in one ear and out the other while continuing to rearrange my magic power.
Solar Explosion + Avalanche
Opposing forces held in check, awaiting release.
A blazing orb and a blue sphere floated in the air, forming a stark contrast.
I kept the spells—perfected through the Blessing of Greed—from detonating.
Releasing them here would deal a massive blow to the black egg.
Its defense was high, but any impact beyond its limit would shatter it instantly.
Yet what I desired was for the summoned entity inside the egg to awaken in its complete form.
The monster that had turned Gangbuk into a wasteland in my previous life and even defeated Association President Kim Woosung.
I was curious what its essence would taste like.
After some time had passed—
“Awaken, demonic dragon!”
Crack… crack… crack… crack…!
The black egg shattered. A colossal shape began to writhe within.
Eclipse
Opposing forces collide at maximum repulsion.
At that instant, the two spells I had prepared collided in midair.
Wiiiiiiing—!
A piercing ring deafened both ears.
Eclipse. A skill that either suppresses or maximizes the repulsive force between opposing powers.
Solar Explosion, which manifested the power of the sun.
Avalanche, which contained the freezing cold of Niflheim.
When two perfectly symmetrical spells collided they should have annihilated one another.
Instead, I used Eclipse to push the repulsive force to its absolute limit.
The resulting destructive power was on another level from the explosion that had collided with Barbatos’s Iron Mace.
The blast engulfed the altar.
“Warn me next time!”
The moment the two spells collided via Eclipse, Nyx stepped forward and unfurled Polar Night.
The monster that had burst from the black egg.
Even though the altar had absorbed most of the energy amplified by Eclipse, the residual force still devastated the surrounding area.
Polar Night trembled like winter reeds.
Had Nyx not absorbed additional orichalcum, she might have been swept away by the amplified wave of destruction.
“I did it all because I believed in you, Goddess.”
“Truly, you cannot accomplish anything without Us.”
As the roar subsided, the trembling Polar Night regained its stability.
The blast had carried enough force to annihilate an entire city.
It was fortunate that both the Tagarion sect’s altar and the newly awakened monster had absorbed the majority of the impact.
Otherwise the entire DMZ would have been reduced to rubble.
“Everything went according to plan.”
“Had that plan deviated even slightly, we would have been in dire straits.”
In that case I would have become the most pathetic regressor in history—dying a completely pointless death.
I smiled lightly and turned my gaze back to the altar.
I had poured every ounce of power into magic through Demonic Power and maximized the repulsion with Eclipse.
Even so, I had failed to destroy the monster that emerged from the black egg.
A protruding snout.
Large wings resembling bat membranes stretched across its back.
A long tail cast a deep shadow across the ground.
A creature straight out of legend.
“KWAAAAAAA!!!”
The Eldritch Dragon opened its maw wide and unleashed a tremendous roar.
All stats decreased by 50%
Spell casting speed decreased by 80%
Mental resistance decreased by 40%
An irresistible fear floods the mind.
Cold Blood
Mental contamination resisted. Calmness maintained.
Thanks to the Cold Blood skill and the many essences I had devoured until now, I barely avoided having my mind corrupted.
“Accept Yeo’s blessing.”
All stats increased by 40%.
All mental contamination nullified.
Polar Night recovery speed maximized.
Duration: Permanent until dispelled
As Nyx’s blessing permeated my body, the wicked energy clouding my mind vanished completely.
It was an additional effect gained from absorbing more orichalcum.
“Even this doesn’t kill it.”
Tsk.
As expected of the monster that had turned the Gangbuk region into a land of death.
“Is that creature truly a dragon?”
“About half of one.”
The Eldritch Dragon was an artificial monster created by weaving countless souls around a Dragon Stone—the birthstone of a true dragon.
An entity from the imaginary realm standing at the dimensional antipode.
It did not reach the level of the masters of the Ten Great Demonic Realms, yet it was a formidable foe that even a group of Diamond-rank players would struggle to defeat.
However—
“Kwawoooo…”
It was not in perfect condition.
For the Eldritch Dragon to display its full power, far more sacrifices were required.
The summoning medium, the Tagarion’s Sapling, had likely planned to defeat us in order to supply the missing strength.
That was why I had pulled the party back.
The Eldritch Dragon grew stronger by devouring souls.
It would have been disastrous if even one companion fell.
Moreover, because I had struck first with Eclipse, its combat strength was roughly one-tenth of what it had displayed when it appeared in Gangbuk during my previous life.
“Still, it’s hardly an easy opponent.”
The Eldritch Dragon’s killing intent felt heavy enough to crush the soul.
Even with multiple layers of safety measures, it remained a difficult adversary.
“I wonder what kind of essence you’ll yield.”
Standing before the essence of a monster I had been unable to devour in my previous life, a smile rose to my lips unbidden.