One Minute of Dominance
The colorful magic bullets rained down onto the barrier Lee Jiyoung had deployed. The shield trembled under the relentless barrage of impacts.
- It seems this one must step forward.
“No. Hold on a little.”
Nyx’s technique—the one that fused with my Polar Night—could only be used once every two weeks. Besides, the goddess suffered considerable pain whenever she invoked it. I had no intention of resorting to that power unless the situation turned truly desperate.
“Jiyoung should be able to hold the line just fine.”
- If you say so… However, should the situation grow dire, this one will act on her own judgment.
“Got it. Thanks.”
- Gratitude cannot be expressed through words alone.
“Cotton candy is off the table.”
- W-who said anything about wanting more cotton candy…!
“Let’s focus.”
I cut off the goddess and rearranged my magic power. After laying Mud Traps along the straight path, I reinforced the swamp’s viscosity with the Blessing of Greed.
“It’s just a swamp. Ignore it and charge through.”
“Turning back would waste too much time.”
“If our formation breaks, the enemy might launch a surprise attack.”
The Chinese players were still wary of what lay behind us. This was exactly why information mattered.
The close-range dealers charging head-on plunged into the swamp.
“Ugh?”
“This isn’t an ordinary swamp.”
“It’s worse than the ninth floor!”
They staggered, caught by the far greater depth created by the Blessing of Greed.
“They’re clustered perfectly.”
I thrust out my right hand. Condensed flames streaked forward. Acrid black smoke billowed upward once more. The Chinese players could not withstand the fireballs amplified by Demonic Power.
Fireball, Earth Spike, Energy Bolt—the only attack spells I could use were between one-star and two-star. Yet when Demonic Power poured every single stat into magic power, the spells displayed might that completely surpassed their grades.
The Chinese side refused to simply endure the beating. Magic bullets flew back in sporadic bursts, and the close-range dealers fought desperately to close the distance despite my magical barrage.
“You will not approach Master!”
The wide-spread Vibration Barrier was not being used for offense this time. Lee Jiyoung thoroughly blocked every Chinese advance. The moment one barrier shattered, she erected another in its place, anchoring the enemy in place.
Nyx glanced at Jiyoung with worried eyes.
- Do not overdo it.
“Watch Master instead. I’m fine!”
Jiyoung wiped the sweat from her brow. Maintaining the Vibration Barrier did not consume much magic power. What it truly demanded was mental strength—how long she could sustain her focus. As expected, the future Wall of Lament was on another level.
“Damn it. Break!”
“The barrier appeared again.”
“Then we have to circle around.”
“If we stretch the frontline any further, we won’t be able to respond when more enemies appear.”
Unable to advance or retreat, the Chinese players continued to bleed. Only after nearly half their number had fallen did they finally change tactics.
“This isn’t working.”
“Take out that bread bastard first.”
The remaining players widened their formation.
“I still can’t cover an area that large!”
“Well done. This is more than enough.”
I clenched my fist. My strength stat had returned to normal. Exactly one minute had passed—the duration of Demonic Power.
“Die, bread bastard!”
A Chinese player closed in using a lightning-fast movement technique. My arm twisted at an unnatural angle and seized the man’s throat.
“T-that movement—is it martial arts?!”
“Third-rate martial arts.”
“Liar!”
With a sickening crunch, the captured player’s head lolled limply.
“Same as before.”
“Yes!”
The Chinese force had been cut in half. Without even a standout like Ping Lei among them, could they possibly endure against our strength?
Sixty deaths.
That was the damage the Chinese side had suffered in a single hour since the promotion match began. And that wasn’t all—the first fortress’s durability had also dropped by thirteen percent. The canyon path leading to the Korean team had been completely wiped out.
The result of just two people infiltrating their lines was almost impossible to believe.
- But why did you withdraw without destroying the fortress completely?
“I told you. Only minions can damage the fortress.”
The minions in the early stages of the promotion match were weak. Only after accumulating buffs by repeatedly raiding monster camps could they break through those defenses. It was a form of balance adjustment so the match wouldn’t be decided too quickly by differences in player skill.
We struck the rear of the Chinese players who had been fighting inside the canyon, annihilated them, and returned leisurely to the Korean base.
The attack power of Korean team–affiliated minions has increased by 10%.
The defense power of Korean team–affiliated minions has increased by 10%.
“We did it, Master!”
“It’s only the beginning.”
I answered indifferently. There were three native creatures living in the Ancient Canyon. Well, excluding the Grand Mole, the word “creature” wasn’t entirely accurate. Regardless, two more essences remained to be devoured. There was no time to rest.
“Who is currently in overall command of our forces?”
“That would be me.”
A player stepped forward with a tense expression. He wore an emblem from some guild on his chest.
“That’s the Barang Guild’s mark.”
“I didn’t ask.”
“I thought you might be curious.”
Huh. Pretty sharp. The moment I took a single step forward, the Barang Guild player flinched. Anyone watching would think I was about to devour him alive.
“It’s nothing special. I just have one request.”
“Please speak, Player Yu Jinho. I will coordinate with the others.”
“No need to make it so formal.”
I waved my hand dismissively. Even so, the Korean players refused to lower their guard. Had I caused too much of a scene on the other side? They were supposed to be allies, yet they looked at me like that.
“That actually hurts my feelings.”
- As if.
Even the goddess was throwing in a jab. I must have lived my life in vain. I let out a short sigh and continued.
“I’ll be clearing the monster camps on the Korean side as well.”
“Ah, yes! We haven’t touched ours yet. Go right ahead!”
The look of pure relief on his face. Were they really that nervous I might cause trouble?
“Master, I’ll come with you.”
“No. Head to the canyon.”
Jiyoung’s abilities had already surpassed the Unranked tier. Unless it was Ping Lei, who had been showered with elixirs, skill books, and equipment, anyone would be overwhelmed by her. She possessed more than enough strength to cover my absence.
“Jiyoung, I’m counting on you.”
“Yes! I will absolutely live up to Master’s expectations!”
Her spirit was fully ignited. With her this motivated, things should be fine for a while.
I swept through the monster camps located in the Korean territory. The creature stationed at the seven o’clock position was a skeleton—the first undead monster we had encountered inside the tower.
“Gegel. A living being.”
“Geggel. Join us.”
Hundreds of skeletons swarmed forward. They didn’t hide underground like the Grand Mole, but their numbers were several times greater.
“This is actually better.”
Thick darkness surged from beneath my feet. The power of Polar Night. The authority of Nyx, goddess who ruled the night, shattered the skeletons into pieces.
I placed my hand atop the scattered bones.
Skeleton Essence consumed.
2.7% → 5.3% → 7.1%…
Essence absorbed: 100%
Essence Grade: Common
Strength +1
Agility +3
Magic Power +1
Skull Hand
Grade: ★
Type: Active
Raises a bony hand from the ground.
Consumes a small amount of mana.
This time I had obtained a debuff-type skill. Well, I had already experienced it before the regression, so I knew what it could do.
- Summoning bones? This one finds it rather useless.
“Everything has its use, so don’t worry.”
Skull Hand didn’t activate instantly like the Mark of Weakness, but because it possessed physical force, its utility was high. In a pinch, I could combine it with Mud Trap—laying Skull Hands across a swamp would restrain close-range enemies even more effectively. There were plenty of other applications as well.
- Still, quite a few remain.
“Perfect.”
- Even though you have already taken all the essences?
“I have the Dragon’s Heart, remember?”
The essence I obtained by defeating the Dragon Soldier during the tutorial stage. Although it had been weakened by the original penalty, its grade had not fallen. The five-star skill Dragon’s Heart created a powerful synergy with my unique ability, Devour. Every time I used Devour, my magic power stat rose along with it. That was why magic power remained my highest stat even though I had never invested bonus points into it.
“Time to raise my magic power after so long.”
- So that is why you left the child behind?
“This is why I dislike people with quick wits.”
I chuckled softly.
Ping Lei, having returned to the front lines, made no attempt to hide his rage.
“Fuck!!”
He kicked the ground repeatedly, carving deep craters. The players who had just revived could only watch him nervously. None dared to intervene.
While Ping Lei vented his fury on the earth, another Chinese player approached.
“Young hero, what exactly happened?”
“I was defeated by that Yu Jinho.”
“Those bread bastards. They poured their full strength into our territory right from the start.”
“Full strength?”
Ping Lei let out a hollow laugh. A moment later, flames of pure rage ignited in his eyes.
“There were only two bread bastards. Just two!!”
After hearing the full report of the battle at the Grand Mole camp, the Chinese players turned deathly pale. Twenty players—including Ping Lei—had been completely wiped out. Most of the forces sent to the canyon leading toward the Korean team had also been killed.
They had naturally assumed the Korean side had committed everything. They were wrong.
“What do you plan to do, young hero?”
“I will crush those bread bastards.”
“Didn’t you say even ten of us couldn’t defeat him?”
“His ability is bizarre, that’s all. Now that I understand it, I won’t be defeated so easily.”
The now-calm Ping Lei coldly reviewed his battle with Jinho. Jinho’s abilities had been incredible—martial arts, physical techniques, magic, and even sorcery that manipulated darkness. He wielded multiple powers at once, each with frightening proficiency.
“But that doesn’t mean he has no weaknesses.”
“Do you see a path to victory?”
“Thirty. If we press him with thirty people, we can definitely hunt Yu Jinho.”
Ping Lei spoke with absolute confidence.
“Understood. However, strengthening the minions must come first.”
“I will head to the Laos front line.”
“You intend to clear the monster camp there?”
“It will take half a day before we can obtain the buff from our own monster camp again.”
Ping Lei ground his teeth. The minion reinforcement buff stolen by Jinho could only be replenished by plundering it from another faction.
The Trickster clicks their tongue at your disgrace.
The Master of the Oasis attempts to look away.
The Evil of the Heavens departs.
The Little Thief of Uruk offers you encouragement.
The interest of the constellations drifted away. The powerful S-rank constellations turned their backs with cold indifference. A few lesser constellations that had previously been ignored sent friendly overtures, but it was far from satisfying.
This was the aftermath of being utterly overwhelmed by Jinho.
Ping Lei ground his teeth once more.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Leave everything to me.”
To regain the constellations’ attention.
To lead the Chinese team to victory.
He had to crush Jinho no matter what.
‘There is no longer any room to be picky about methods.’
Ping Lei’s eyes sank into cold, dark resolve.