Lightning Inferno and a Leisurely Stroll

The system message flashed before my eyes the instant the King Thunder Bird collapsed.

Heh heh heh.

A four-star lightning spell, Lightning Inferno. It had been one of my most useful tools in my previous life as well. If Seon Magic’s Thunder Net specialized in binding an opponent’s movements, then Lightning Inferno was a wide-area annihilation spell that turned the entire battlefield in front of me into scorched earth.

If I fused it with compatible skills through Fusion Qigong, I could probably produce something on the level of great magic. Since Solar Explosion had also been created by burning a Fusion Qigong slot, combining even stronger skills should yield truly terrifying destructive power.

And if I layered Demonic Power on top of that… I might be able to sink an entire country in a single strike.

Heh heh ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠heh.

Just imagining the possible combinations filled me with joy.

“Traveling with you really does leave us broke every single time, Master.”

“How about some performance pay?”

“Hmm. I’m actually house-hunting right now. The children are growing up, so…”

Ugh.

My bad.

My ability to turn gold into garbage had, without fail, reduced even the Thunder Birds’ corpses to powder. The King itself hadn’t dropped any particularly valuable items, and the most precious corpse of all had simply become dust.

It didn’t sting much when the others pointed it out, but hearing it from Elder Youngsu actually pricked my conscience.

“It was a joke, Guild Master.”

“When a father says it, it doesn’t sound like a joke at all.”

“The fact that you feel guilty means you still have a conscience left, Master.”

“What are you talking about, Jiyoung?”

“Your conscience has spun so many times it’s become perfectly round… Ack!”

She always ends up getting smacked.

After we finished clearing the gate and stepped outside, a darkening sky greeted us.

“Since we’ve come all the way here, let’s do some sightseeing before we leave.”

“Really?”

“Have you only ever been fooled in your life?”

“It’s not like this is the first or second time Master has lied to us.”

Tsk.

It wasn’t a lie. I had simply omitted part of the truth. I have never lied.

The group climbed to the top of the Statue of Liberty. The view stretching beyond Liberty Island wasn’t dark by even a single gram, yet after growing so used to calling Seoul a city of eternal night, the sight felt almost familiar.

It still couldn’t compare to the night view of the world’s largest city.

“Don’t you dislike the light that has driven away the night?”

Even toward the lights of civilization that had narrowed the domain of night, Nyx showed not a single trace of displeasure as she drank in the scenery. The rest of the party was the same.

“Waaaah.”

“Hmm, hmm. The heartland of capitalism is rather impressive.”

“It would have been nicer if I’d come with my family.”

“I’ve seen it plenty of times.”

“Hmph. Uncle, I’m hungry.”

Everyone’s impressions overlapped in a lively jumble.

The chaotic meeting, the gate raid, and now sightseeing. That was how our first day in New York passed.

The next day.

The news I received the moment I opened my eyes hit me like a bolt from a clear sky.

“Heh heh heh heh.”

“Aigoo. Tsk. If they rode one even once, they wouldn’t say such things.”

Instead, the Rockefeller Foundation would send a helicopter. If I took one, I would have to give something in return. As expected, he was someone I could communicate with.

“You could have just given me the helicopter from the start.”

Jiyoung’s sharp observation. She had a point… she really did!

“Well, Master is a bit strange.”

When I glanced sideways, she quickly averted her eyes.

“Argh, I’m so tired.”

“Don’t even mention jet lag.”

It had been a long time since I transcended the limits of ordinary humans after awakening.

“My close-combat stats aren’t that high, you know?”

“Still, you have far more stamina and endurance than a normal person.”

“I couldn’t sleep at all because of the time difference. Wahhh.”

“Wasn’t it because you were excited about sightseeing in New York?”

“You caught me.”

She had already posted a mountain of photos and messages on her SNS. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Pretending not to notice would have been impossible.

“Right now.”

“That doesn’t sound like pure praise.”

Nyx’s honest reaction pricked my conscience again.

See? My conscience is still alive and well.

“I was planning to go alone anyway.”

“Really? You don’t have to.”

Oh boy. Just look at that expression. It was practically screaming hurry up and leave already.

“We haven’t had a single break since the Great Collapse in France all the way to the promotion match.”

“Still, it feels wrong for only Master to keep suffering.”

“Ah! That’s not allowed!”

I felt the urge to take back what I had just said, but held it in.

The guild members were different from me. Before the regression, I had watched the world fall to ruin until my heart had been worn down to nothing. Their hearts, on the other hand, had only just begun to taste the sweet fruit of success and were now full of ambition. They could not be the same.

Therefore, when it was time to let them rest, I should let them rest.

If we failed to stop the future of destruction this time as well, these might be sights we would never see again.

“Master, you’re being unusually serious.”

“You sometimes put on unnecessary weight for no reason, Karla. Just ignore it.”

This wouldn’t do. Maybe I should just take Jiyoung.

“Have a good time!”

Her senses were frighteningly sharp.

“Goddess, you go sightseeing with Jiyoung.”

Nyx moved away from my shoulder and manifested a short distance away.

“You’re coming with me?”

“You really don’t have to.”

The sudden directness left me speechless. Umm. If someone overheard, they might misunderstand. It was fortunate Jiyoung had already disappeared into the distance.

A helicopter from the Goldmoon side waited on the hotel rooftop.

“It is an honor to meet the hero of France.”

“Please take good care of me today.”

“Hahaha. Where shall I take you?”

“Brooklyn, please.”

“But an S-rank gate has opened there.”

“It will be enough for me alone.”

It hadn’t even been a month since I declared myself the world’s strongest. Clearing a gate of that level by myself was the least I could do to live up to the title, wasn’t it? If it were William, he would have blown his trumpet even more.

I entered the S-rank gate that had opened in a quiet Brooklyn alley. I finished clearing it in less than half a day and came back out.

The Winter Wraith’s essence was one I had never obtained in this life. Being able to devour even undead was one of the privileges of the Predator class.

Of course, the essence by itself was useless.

“Just to use a curse once?”

Please don’t say that.

Perhaps because I had obtained an essence with a similar mechanism before, a useful application immediately came to mind.

“Did you not say you failed to obtain Fusion Qigong in your previous life?”

“I created a similar skill by treating other essences as subordinate concepts under Multi Spell.”

It was slightly different from true essence fusion. Fusion Qigong drew out the highest possible potential by combining skills, while body modification wove essences together to create greater power. It was like having seen the final product and then cheating to recreate it.

Wild Release was useful on its own and could create decent synergy when combined with other essences. I would have to use it as support during my next body modification.

“You already finished clearing the gate?”

“It wasn’t difficult. The terrain was fairly simple.”

“Unbelievable! You cleared an S-rank gate in less than a day, solo?!”

Why was he so shocked over something this minor?

I had sliced through five adult dragons in a row. Even an S-rank gate was merely Earth’s classification. Anything above Platinum rank was easier than drinking cold porridge. Flying low with Dragon’s Wings while using Brain Wing had taken care of nearly everything.

“Then where shall I take you next?”

“Back to the hotel.”

“Understood.”

The propeller spun violently, whipping up a fierce wind. As the helicopter rose into the sky, Nyx, seated beside me, spoke in a relaxed tone.

“I’d rather not see the Rockefeller Guild Master again.”

Seeing that man too often was bad for my mental health. Perhaps it was the memory of our clashes in my previous life. The more we talked, the more exhausting it became.

“Please don’t say such creepy things.”

If we ever became enemies, he would be an incredibly troublesome opponent. I had even considered eliminating him the way I had Zhang Wufei, leader of China’s Nine Dragons Syndicate. It was fortunate that persuasion had been possible at the alliance stage.

“You mean Amelia?”

The representative of Raiden Corporation and pioneer of spatial movement technology. It had been her achievement to make dimension-crossing warp practical before the regression. Once warp became active, we would be able to travel the entire world without wasting time on movement, allowing us to respond instantly when a Break event occurred.

Not investing in a company guaranteed to skyrocket would be foolish. I had taught them the mechanism behind Shrink and poured every bit of money I had at the time into Raiden Corporation.

“She’s not going anywhere. I can take my time.”

“Not urgent, exactly. But I do have something to take care of.”

The helicopter landed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on the hotel rooftop. After telling the pilot he could go home, I headed down to the first floor.

“Is there anything you want to eat?”

“Then shall we wander around nearby and have some snacks?”

Nyx’s eyes widened.

“Since the goddess has come to a new place, you must want to look around too.”

I naturally understood that she had chosen not to go with Jiyoung in order to look after me. After waking once more in the modern era from an sleep that had lasted eons, I knew how much interest Nyx held for the world, yet I had still failed to pay her much attention after asking Jiyoung to accompany her.

Days like this should happen once in a while.

“Of course. Accompanying you is a rare opportunity, after all.”

Nyx let out a small laugh and held out her right hand.

I bowed lightly at the waist and took it.