Chapter 14. Silver Demon Mountain (4) - The Long-lived Species

The Long-lived Species. They are strong. Their innate physical prowess as a race is incomparable to human Awakeners, surpassing even the dragons, who reign supreme in the worlds beyond the Rifts. The only beings comparable to them might be the demons, at best.

If the Long-lived Species had all desired to dominate Earth upon their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠first arrival... before the demons could even open a Rift, every lifeform on the planet would have fallen under their rule.

Adult individuals average over 70 in physical stats. Their aptitude points are 7 or higher across the board. This means they inherently possess talent and strength on par with S-rank Awakeners. And... that's merely their baseline.

Among them, the exceptional ones boast physical stats in the late 70s, with some even exceeding 80—reaching levels equal to or surpassing the 36 Heroes.

So... what about the ones we're facing now?

Yoo Hae-bin spoke to me in a voice tinged with dismay.

"Professor... there are three ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of them. The one in the center looks way stronger than the others... Am I seeing things?"

"...You're not."

I replied curtly.

Three awakened Long-lived Species in total. The ones on the left and right look plenty strong too. From their auras, they're at least S-rank Hunter level. They can't exert their full pre-death power, but they're still formidable foes far beyond A-rank.

Even so, compared to the central one, they fell noticeably short.

Kuhuhu...Uh... Uahaha—!

The Long-lived being standing a bit back, flanked by the other two like bodyguards, was still laughing maniacally. That one... is seriously powerful. Intuitively, before it corrupted itself by preying on humans, it must have held a high position among its kind.

Of course, since it's a reanimated corpse, it doesn't have its full abilities—but something seems to offset that to a degree.

Swoooo... The power emanating from beyond this cavern wall. The relic's core energy source, resisting the Black Heart's mana theft, continues supplying them with mana.

Having assessed the situation, I gave Yoo Hae-bin her orders.

"Take the left and right ones. You can handle that, right?"

"Huh? Oh, I can hold them off no problem... but then you'll take the big one?"

"What choice do we have?"

It was less a complaint than resolve. I stepped forward, gathering my power.

Though fundamentally different from the Long-lived Species' power, pitch-black mana that looked similar on the surface began swirling around my body.

And one more thing remained.

I claimed all the pending point rewards. Strength, Durability, and Will for this fight. Charm—the raw force that draws others in, beyond mere appearance... I'd handle that after the school trip, back in Seoul, to smooth things over.

And as I finished my preparations...

Ugyaahaha—!

The Long-lived Species charged with roars.

"Be careful."

With those final words to Yoo Hae-bin, I advanced on the leader.

Slash, shnick!

Its right hand swung, claws extending razor-sharp. Blades that could slice steel like paper, brimming with black mana, aimed to shred me entirely.

Boom!

An explosion rang out, a vacuum forming where we clashed.

Grrr...

The Long-lived Species staggered back a couple steps. Its chest was caved in where my strike had landed dead-on.

I wasn't unscathed either. Pain throbbed from the gash on my right arm torn by its claws, blood trickling down.

Still, the points weren't wasted. This should've been a worse injury. Thanks to boosted Durability, it was relatively minor.

It would've been harder to land that much damage otherwise. Boosted Strength made the single blow count.

And one more key factor: Will from aptitude points.

Will is often seen as mental fortitude. But my conception goes beyond that. In a word, it's tied to "efficiency."

When you have a goal and the abilities to achieve it, Will optimizes their use toward that end. It influences mind and body holistically.

That's why I could now summon power that once required full focus more easily, and endure pain that once felt excruciating more readily.

That's why I edged ahead in that exchange.

Grh...

The creature clutched its sunken chest in agony, then regrouped. Mana from beyond the wall surged stronger into it.

Yoo Hae-bin was holding her own well—seeming even advantaged at a glance. If I finished this one quickly, we'd be good. No exit meant finding another way forward, but the battle wasn't unfavorable.

Kyaak—!

The leader bellowed ferociously. The dark red moon emblem behind it sharpened, but sensing my edge, I charged without hesitation.

The clash continued.

Thwack!

I blocked its attack with one arm, seizing its throat with the other. Twisting hard, it resisted wildly, jaws gaping wide.

Black mana swirled madly before its maw, bolstered by incoming mana from the wall. Less than a second before it fired.

Then the message appeared.

A vivid flash in my mind at that split second. I decided.

Push harder. Delay its attack; snapping its neck finishes first.

I maxed my strength instantly. Its mana vortex faltered. I gripped tighter; mana from the wall exploded in response.

And then.

I stared past the cascading holographic messages at the Long-lived Species. Its mana and presence faded rapidly, starkly.

Kuhk... Uh...

The fiend that had cackled so wickedly moments ago could barely groan now. No point calling it "dying" since it was already dead. It was losing all its mana and existence to me entirely.

Even the relic's power source aiding it couldn't fully escape the Black Heart's greedy grasp.

Rumble—

A heavy groan shook the entire relic.

Rumble...

Sounds kept echoing. Jin Yu-ri and Lee Sea pressed their ears to the wall whence they came, holding their breath.

"Sense anything?"

"Just the noise."

Lee Sea answered Jin Yu-ri calmly, steadying her mind.

'Something's happening beyond this wall... for sure.'

The noises had started when they first tried leaving the cavern. They weren't this intense then, but they'd grown louder.

Backtracking their straight path wouldn't reach it, so their plan was simple: smash the wall.

Of course... easier said than done.

Boom! Thud!

Knowing it futile, Jin Yu-ri punched a few more times before muttering dejectedly.

"No way we can dent it with our strength. But... it's still doing that."

She pointed at the wall. Lee Sea kept tapping, asking,

"Still fading?"

"Yeah, bit by bit. Seems faster than before, to me."

"......"

They hadn't noticed at first noise. But as it persisted and intensified, they spotted the change.

The intricate murals on the wall... were blurring, then erasing entirely.

The mana stones in the ceiling hummed, glowing steadily. Everything was inexplicable.

Thud! Thump!

Lee Sea silently hammered the wall with her fists. She knew blood would burst forth but didn't stop. Dire imaginings swirled in her head; she couldn't cease.

'If... Oppa is beyond this wall...'

That meant Lee Dojin was enduring whatever cataclysm caused these sounds to reach here.

An event tied to the murals fading and mana stones channeling power beyond—deeply suspicious.

Thinking he might be in such peril, she couldn't stop her hands.

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

Thud! Thump! Boom!

"Hey, stop—you're bleeding..."

Jin Yu-ri's worried interjection. Lee Sea shot back curtly,

"Doesn't matter."

But Jin Yu-ri gnashed her teeth and pounded too. Even mana-enhanced bodies took damage from impacts exceeding limits. Their fists swelled red, sweat beading on brows.

Lee Sea poured max mana into her strongest blows, eyes unblinking.

Booom!

Yet the wall remained unscratched...

"Ah..."

Dizziness overwhelmed Lee Sea; she crumpled.

"Rest. I'll try."

Jin Yu-ri's firm words. As she gathered her remaining strength to shatter it...

Rooooom—

Another rumble, qualitatively different from before.

"Huh? Wha...?"

Jin Yu-ri whipped her head around in shock. The solid floor shook like in an earthquake. The murals faded even faster.

Mountains and fields. Rivers and skies. Valiant Awakeners, wicked assailants, peaceful folk... all vanishing.

Then the sight unfolded.

Crack—

Ceiling mana stones finally fractured. The floor groaned, splitting in fissures.

"Hey, snap out of it!"

Jin Yu-ri rushed to dazed Lee Sea, scooping her up. She scanned ceiling, walls, floor frantically.

'Do we run?'

But their passage had collapsed first. No escape, and staying meant doom.

Right then.

Boom!

The indomitable wall they'd battered shattered spectacularly.

"You two, hurry over here!"

Yoo Hae-bin—in Lee Dojin's outer coat for some reason—shouted from beyond.

Lee Dojin dashed to Jin Yu-ri and Lee Sea.

"This way!"

"Ah... yeah!"

No time for thought; Jin Yu-ri bolted through the breach. Lee Dojin took Lee Sea from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her, hugging his sister as they ran side by side.

And as Lee Sea regained her wits a bit...

'She looks similar...'

The mysterious silver-haired woman enduring till the end amid the nearly erased murals. Only now, strength spent, did she realize: she'd met someone like her before.

At Daemyeong Group's auction last month, Phantom—the terrorists who stole the demon's hand. One member she'd glimpsed, the Rabbit Mask criminal, had beautiful silver hair too.

Just like the woman in the mural.