One-Sided Massacre on Karan Mountain

Lesser Drakes are formidable opponents.

It wasn't for nothing that Shin Junseok, one of Korea's top rankers, broke into a cold sweat during the Paris recapture battle.

"Half of that is true."

There aren't many players comfortable with aerial combat. Body-technique or magic users have it somewhat easier. Once you're accustomed to aura blades, you can create footholds and kick off them repeatedly, and magic naturally includes flight spells.

However, martial arts require a high degree of concentration and consume vast amounts of internal energy when executing void steps.

"The Lesser Drakes' specs aren't low, either."

"I'm simply that much stronger."

Even when my three subordinates, each possessing combat ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strength equivalent to the seventieth floor, attacked me together, they couldn't defeat me. They couldn't win, but neither could I claim a decisive advantage. Conversely, it meant that even on a floor one level higher, it would be difficult to find an existence that surpassed my specs.

As long as I didn't run into an ecosystem disruptor like Ariel.

Shh. When I do it, it's romance. When others do it, it's adultery.

After clashing with a pack of Lesser Drakes on the mountainside, I became certain. The sixty-seventh floor could be brute-forced without much trouble. No—how many could possibly stop me if I smashed through the entire sixtieth-floor range like that?

Today, too, the constellations were making a ruckus. Ares offered his sponsorship contract as usual, while the high-god-rank constellations either sneered or pretended not to notice and ignored him. It was rather amusing that an S-rank constellation was groveling, but given the opponent, it couldn't be helped.

Hm? Why did this guy attach himself?

"Belial. He's the third-in-command of the dark faction."

Hard to believe, but it's true. The demon god second only to Baal and Agares in power. That title of "Worthless" was attached because his powerful desires prevented him from being satisfied with anything he obtained.

"Mm. I'll explain later."

Once inside the tower, the constellations watch my every move. I could use telepathy or sound transmission, but since it wasn't urgent, it was better to keep my mouth shut for now.

I devoured every last corpse of the freshly slaughtered Lesser Drakes.

As my dragon factor grew, the additional benefits were quite satisfying. At this rate, I might soon be able to maintain Dragon Form permanently. I could feel the value of increasing sustainability by reducing the stat-boost effect through localized transformation.

This was unexpected. He must have been furious after seeing the Fragment of Keraunos. This is what happens when you make bets with trash contractors. This is exactly why bets must be made with caution.

Ah. If you're so upset, why don't you regress yourself?

Uhehehehehe!

I no longer ran. Instead, I flew steadily a short distance away from the mountain ridge.

"Krara ra!"

I had wiped out one pack of Lesser Drakes on the mountainside, yet monsters still swarmed everywhere. Flying above the forest made me naturally conspicuous. Players who had been secretly harvesting gems panicked.

"What the hell is that guy?"

"The Lesser Drakes are looking this way!"

"Damn it! Why is he dragging others into his mess!"

The original mission is every man for himself, you know. Survive on your own.

The trial location manifested by the Tower of Babel.

Karan Mountain boasted a height comparable to Earth's tallest peak, Everest—an altitude of roughly eight thousand meters. Such a high summit meant the mountainside itself was enormously vast.

"Krara ra!"

The Lesser Drakes roaming the mountainside offered their greetings.

At long range I restrained them with thorns charged with explosive demon qi. To those that endured the Thorns Missile barrage and closed in, I delivered an electric massage. Even with dragon-scale protection, they couldn't avoid momentary paralysis. I finished them with dark spears, martial arts, and Shining Hand in a single strike. No matter their numbers, they were no match.

"Lesser Drakes don't know how to cooperate."

Even during the Paris recapture, we could resolve battles easily despite their individual strength and numbers. Reviving each one that died as a bone drake had helped, but ultimately they weren't accustomed to coordinated attacks, and their breath attacks couldn't pierce my True Dragon Armor.

"I like this sort of thing too much."

I could feel the worth of all the hard work I had poured into raising my specs. The former archangel candidate Ariel. Even the Outer Knight that had appeared as a variable. It simply made no sense to encounter enemies equal to or greater than my specs on the sixtieth-floor range. The Outer Knight had been manageable at least. Without the trial's special circumstances, I wouldn't have beaten Ariel no matter the rewards.

"It's not an ability that turns the impossible into possible, you know?"

Slash!

I answered while severing a Lesser Drake's neck with the fifteenth form of the Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts—Yellow Dragon Fang. You think regression is omnipotent.

As I advanced while drawing the aggro of the Lesser Drakes, some of the players participating in the trial began following behind me.

"Don't fall behind!"

"It's that infamous Earth Devourer."

"Leave the Lesser Drakes to that human. We'll just gather the fruits."

A bundle of yellow lightning swept across the mountain ridge.

"I won't tolerate freeloaders."

Who do they think they are, trying to hitch a free ride?

"Damn it. He's attacking us?"

"We won't just take it lying down!"

"If we fight here, even more Lesser Drakes will swarm in."

Yes. That's exactly my plan. Wouldn't a noisy group draw more attention than me rampaging alone? Absolutely. It has nothing to do with being annoyed that they're enjoying sweet fruits while leaving all the work to me.

See? Even the goddess believes me. Therefore, this is legitimate self-defense.

"Krara ra!"

The effect was outstanding.

After lightly exchanging blows with the players following me, the noise drew even more ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lesser Drakes.

Goddess, why are you joining those constellations in their nonsense? My scalp is burning hot. The area synchronized with Nyx's divinity is my head—the upper dantian in murim terms. Since it is the part of the body closest to the heavens, opening the upper dantian is said to allow ascension to immortality.

In my previous life, only Ping Lei, Shin Junseok, and the now-deceased Zhang Wufei had reached such a realm. With several high-god-rank constellations chattering away, the scalp that had accepted Nyx's divinity couldn't help but burn as my senses grew sharper.

By making appropriate use of the gathering players and literally grinding through the Lesser Drakes roaming the mountainside as I advanced...

"Krara ra ra!"

I encountered a Lesser Drake roughly twice as large. It was the boss monster, a true Drake. A dragon without the "Lesser" modifier. It moved purely on instinct, so its intelligence was animal-level. However, its physical ability and magical power were powerful enough to rival an adult dragon. No wonder its nickname was the Grim Reaper of the sixty-seventh floor. Its combat strength was classified as seventieth-floor level, so encountering it meant death.

Ah. You remembered.

"I was only speaking in general terms."

Honestly, even if the Drake's grandfather showed up, I could handle it. The creature repeatedly contracted and relaxed its bright red pupils while staring at me, then...

"Krara ra ra!"

It turned and fled.

Huh? This wasn't part of the plan...?

"Ah. That makes sense."

Damn it. I hadn't considered that angle. Don't run! Fight me!

I infused my Dragon's Wings with aura blades, released them for propulsion, and chased after it.

"Krara ra ra!"

"What is it saying?"

While Nyx interpreted, the monsters that had heard the Drake's cry first came swarming.

With a full hundred gathering, a deep shadow fell over the mountain ridge.

"It's better to handle them all at once."

No need to wander around when I can finish them in one go, right?

"I'm collecting side income."

Sigh. Where on earth did she learn such expressions?

The pack of nearly a hundred Drakes circled widely through the sky before descending in formation.

The Drakes and Lesser Drakes in formation flew straight at me.

They released their mana forward, concentrating it. Fire-attribute energy rotated and focused on the lead position.

"Now this is how fighting should feel."

The mana emitted by the Lesser Drake pack concentrated into a single point, forming a vortex of flames. The immense energy focused on the lead Drake. A direct hit would have the power to blow away half of Karan Mountain!

As the distance closed, the heat surpassing even breath attacks caused a bead of sweat to form atop my True Dragon Armor.

Don't worry. I concentrated power into the wings on my back.

Right before impact, I flapped forward powerfully, slamming the energy enveloping my wings into the flame vortex.

Kagagak!

It felt like catching an eel with bare hands. Excluding skills with long cooldowns like Giant Dragon Transformation or Void Mirror, Reverse Scale possessed the greatest destructive power among the techniques I could deploy.

"There's one more."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

A lower skill that instantly manifested shapes engraved in my Polar Night. The Dark Shield received the Drake formation's charge head-on. One second. That was how long it endured the flame vortex concentrated with the mana of the Drakes and Lesser Drakes. The Polar Night power was completely exhausted in a single attack. Rather, that was good.

Once the released Polar Night power was exhausted, I could simply deploy it again without recovering it. Suppressing the charge with Reverse Scale, defending the front with Dark Shield, I poured Aura Blade into the tail stretched behind me.

Crash! Crunch!

Lesser Drakes fell to the ground one by one.

I know. Thank you for pointing it out.

The Drake's mana caught between my Dragon's Wings gradually advanced, pushing me backward. Tsk. Even if the technique lacked refinement, it intended to overwhelm me with raw output? A decent judgment. But I still had one move left. I hadn't planned to use this, yet...