Chapter 169
Chapter 169
Chapter 169: One Strike, Two Kills (2)
Translation: godtl
Pale blue streaks of light.
To be precise, what could be called lightning bolts.
Kwa-jajajak!
With a deafening roar, they poured down upon the sandy shore.
One of the strengths of the lightning attribute: speed.
True to its name, the lightning bolts flew like a tempest.
"Kuaaak!"
"Krrrruk!"
The players leading the charge were instantly reduced to charred black lumps.
And then—
"Kang Wi-hang!"
The Diamond-rank players who had barely managed to dodge the calamitous barrage of lightning shouted.
"I know already!"
Kang Wi-hang barked back, immediately spreading both arms wide.
Oooong.
A deep blue energy flowed from his fingertips.
In an instant, the deep blue energy took the form of intricate magic circles.
Kang Wi-hang pressed his palms together, merging the two magic circles.
"Aqua Cube!"
Swoooosh!
With the incantation, torrents of water surged violently from the shoreline.
The streams of water that flew to his allies' front swiftly formed into massive boxes.
Splash!
They swallowed the merciless onslaught of lightning bolts whole.
"Ooooh!"
"That's Kang Wi-hang for you!"
The Continent Guild players, who had just been staring death in the face, erupted in admiration.
"Use this opening to form a perimeter!"
"Keep up the long-range suppression!"
While encircling Si-mun, they continuously launched long-range attacks.
But regardless of the magic's success—
"Kuh!"
Kang Wi-hang, the caster, clenched his teeth so hard that veins bulged on his forehead.
The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth from how hard he was biting down, but that was the least of his concerns.
He didn't even register it.
Of course not.
'I knew that lightning attribute magic was formidable, but... to think it would be this strong!'
His palms pressed together.
The deep blue magic circle between them felt like it would burst at any moment.
Oooong...
It emitted an unstable, ominous hum.
Kang Wi-hang stared at the Aqua Cube with wide, horrified eyes.
More precisely, at the lightning bolts raging inside it.
'Even with the high conductivity of seawater... It feels like they'll break free any second now!'
The water-attribute magic Aqua Cube, designed to block lightning-attribute attacks.
He had even maximized its effectiveness by utilizing the highly conductive seawater.
Combined with his S-rank trait, Water Shaping, he had the capacity to easily contain two or three 7-star lightning spells.
Yes.
That should have been enough.
Crackle.
"Grrk!"
But the reality was far from it.
The lightning bolts trapped inside the Aqua Cube thrashed like a whale that had swallowed bait.
Kang Wi-hang's face grew increasingly pale.
It wasn't just because of the rampaging bolts.
'For this kind of power to exist in reality!'
Normally, players faced restrictions on their overall abilities in the real world.
Their stats, skills, and traits were all downscaled in potency.
And yet, this absurd level of power...!
'If I had met Kim Si-mun in the Arena instead of reality...'
Would he have been able to contain those lightning bolts as he was doing now?
No, would he even have been able to block them at all?
Technically, Kim Si-mun was Platinum, while he was Diamond, and yet—
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
Was that why?
Tremble.
The shaking in his clasped hands had already spread throughout his entire body.
Eventually—
Screech.
With the sound of rusted metal grinding, the merged magic circles began to separate.
In sync—
Grrrrrr.
The Aqua Cube, which had been containing the Lightning Qi, looked ready to burst at any moment.
It seethed violently.
Blood trickled steadily from Kang Wi-hang's tightly clenched lips.
'I-I can't hold on...!'
The trapped lightning bolts would soon lash out in all directions, tearing his allies apart.
Unlike before.
The formation surrounding Kim Si-mun would double the casualties.
Then—
'Ah!'
A flush of excitement crossed Kang Wi-hang's face.
'Hwa U-eon, you bastard! I knew I could count on you!'
Hwa U-eon, the Diamond-rank assassin who had come with him.
Emerging from stealth behind Si-mun, he—
"Die!"
—thrust a dagger imbued with Sword Qi at Si-mun's nape.
Seeing this, Kang Wi-hang mustered all his strength and shouted.
"Everyone, fall back!!"
At the same time, he canceled the Aqua Cube.
Like a dam bursting after holding back a flood—
Kwa-gagak!
The lightning bolts surged outward in all directions.
"Die!"
"Aaah!"
Several guild members were struck by the lightning that arced outward, yet Kang Wi-hang didn't so much as blink.
If they couldn't dodge despite his warning, they were nothing more than Gold-ranks anyway.
Far more important than those worthless fools was seeing that monstrous little bastard's throat pierced by a blade.
But.
"T-this can't be...!"
Reality defied his expectations.
Hwa U-eon, who had been driving his blade—no, a blade infused with Sword Qi—into Kim Si-mun's neck, was instead—
Flutter.
His black leather armor, likely S-rank defensive gear, fluttered in the air as his upper torso was sent flying.
Then.
Thud.
The sound of a sodden rag—or rather, a blood-drenched lump of flesh—hitting the ground.
"......"
"......"
The sandy battleground, which had been boiling with the heat of battle just moments ago, was now blanketed in a chilling silence.
"Quite the surprise."
Contrary to the words themselves, only Si-mun's eerily calm voice echoed through the air.
Kiiing.
Along with the sharp, ringing tinnitus emanating from his left eye.
Si-mun glanced at the corpse of the Assassin-class player, whose upper body had been obliterated by the Tyrant Emperor Break.
'A high-grade stealth trait, huh? Didn't notice him at all until the ambush.'
How should he put it?
About the same level of stealth as the Night Hunter, Park Jin-uk, whom he'd sparred with not long ago?
Admittedly, the ambush itself was pitiful compared to Jin-uk's, but the stealth alone was nearly on par with Jin-uk in his serious mode.
'Without Future Sight, that would've been a fatal wound at minimum.'
Of course, even without Future Sight, he would've reacted to the killing intent in time—but since the attack was enhanced with Sword Qi, the damage would've been severe.
'Sargas, you damn lifesaver.'
The Dragonkin who had left him with Future Sight.
Just as Si-mun was silently expressing his gratitude toward Sargas—
"H-Hwa U-eon!!"
A near-screaming shout reached his ears.
Si-mun's gaze shifted toward the man who had cried out Hwa U-eon's name.
'Ah, the guy who briefly blocked Astrapē's Lightning Qi.'
The man who had sealed Astrapē's lightning using a water-attribute spell, exploiting the high conductivity of water.
'Judging by the mana density in his magic, he's a Diamond-rank Magic Class. Seems like he's also got a high-grade trait mixed in there...'
Si-mun's eyes lifted skyward.
More accurately, toward the vast, transparent barrier stretched above.
'Considering it's blocking even the island's rain, he must possess an S-rank or higher trait related to water.'
But that wasn't all.
"You bastard!!"
"You fucking killed Hwa U-eon!"
With furious roars, more players charged at him.
The aura they radiated was no different from the late Hwa U-eon, the Assassin-class.
'They're all Diamond-ranks too. Just how many Diamonds did they bring?'
Thud.
Si-mun conjured massive fists and weapons from sand, blocking their advance before swiftly scanning the enemy forces.
'Four Diamonds, ten Platinums, and nearly a hundred Golds—including the casualties.'
A force no small guild could ever dream of fielding.
Si-mun let out a hollow laugh.
'They've really gone all out.'
To mobilize such strength just to retrieve a single non-Awakened?
Judging by the magic circle he'd destroyed earlier, they'd even brought along a Magic Class capable of teleportation.
'Our esteemed King of Creation must hold Dr. Choi Woo-seok in very high regard.'
Otherwise, there's no way they'd deploy this much firepower just to escort one unremarkable non-Awakened.
And if that's the case—
'Then I can't let them leave peacefully.'
His grip tightened around Astrapē.
As if responding to his will—
Crackle.
The spear crackled with eager sparks.
Si-mun cast a sidelong glance at the silent, robed figures before murmuring,
"Sing for me, Astrapē."
And unleashed another torrent of lightning.
At that—
"F-fuck!"
"Everyone, retreat!!"
The Continent Guild players paled in terror.
Especially—
"Not this again!"
Kang Wi-hang, who had earlier blocked Si-mun's lightning with his Aqua Cube, turned deathly pale.
He no longer had the leeway to withstand Astrapē's fury.
Then.
Thud.
One of the robed figures, who had been silently observing the situation until now, finally moved.
As if drawing in a deep breath—
The robed figure's body swelled even larger.
Whoooosh!!
A torrent of deep blue water surged forth, crashing headlong into Astrapē's lightning.
Tzzzzzzz.
Thick steam billowed up incessantly.
Then.
Thud.
The robed figure, who had stomped down hard enough to create minor tremors, had already positioned himself in front of the Continent Guild members in the blink of an eye.
Strangely, he turned his back—
Crackle-zzzt!
—and took the full brunt of Astrapē's lightning barrage head-on.
The bedsheet-like robe burned away in an instant.
And what was revealed beneath—
'A shell?'
—was what appeared to be a turtle's carapace.
Though if there was one difference from the turtle shells he was familiar with—
'Must be at least three meters.'
It was so massive that even a fully grown sea turtle would pale in comparison.
Zzap!
That enormous shell flickered with a bluish-white glow.
It had absorbed Astrapē's lightning.
And judging by the pained—
"Ugh...."
—groan the giant turtle let out, it must have been excruciating.
Shaking off the moisture as if flicking away water, the massive turtle tensed its entire body and slammed its shell down onto the barren sand.
Zzzt—!
The lightning stored within the shell erupted outward once more.
But unlike before, the bolts were noticeably thinner and fewer in number.
Watching this, Si-mun tilted his head slightly.
'I sensed a dense Dragon Power, so I assumed it was a high-ranking Dragonkin, but to think it'd be a Turtle Dragon...'
Turtle Dragon.
One of the highest-tier Dragonkin, rivaling even Drake in defensive capabilities.
In fact, when it came purely to defensive attributes—
They were far sturdier than Drakes.
The fact that it had single-handedly blocked Astrapē's lightning barrage was proof enough.
-Hehe! I guessed it the moment I saw that Breath earlier~.
'Breath? Ah. Right.'
At the Philosopher's Stone's remark, Si-mun gave a small nod.
Breath—both a hallmark of high-tier Dragonkin and one of their most formidable techniques.
But unless the user was a true Dragon—
The potency of Breath varied drastically depending on the Dragon Species.
And the Breath the Turtle Dragon had just unleashed against Astrapē was no exception.
'A Turtle Dragon's Breath inherently carries weakening properties.'
-Exactly. You think they call it the most lackluster Breath among Dragonkin for nothing?
Despite being hailed as one of the Dragonkin's supreme techniques—
The Turtle Dragon's Breath had virtually no offensive power beyond the hydraulic force generated by its Dragon Power.
'Still, I'd rather deal with that kind of Breath than one purely focused on destruction.'
-True. Breaths with specific effects like that are way more annoying to handle than ones that just hit hard.
Instead, its ability to weaken anything it touched—
Made it infuriatingly troublesome depending on the situation.
And right now—
"The intel was true. Astrapē, of all things..."
"And this isn't even a formal Arena yet, so its power must be heavily suppressed. Impressive."
—was precisely one of those situations.
Flap.
More Dragonkin discarded their bedsheet-like robes.
One had a broad, elongated head resembling an alligator's, attached to a heavily muscled, burly frame.
The other had the distinctly reptilian skull of a Drake, paired with a powerfully built physique.
Si-mun recognized their identities at a glance.
"Dracodile and Drake..."
They seemed mildly intrigued that he'd identified them.
"Hoh? Heard you were Platinum, but you recognize us?"
"Must've caught some Diamond-rank broadcasts, eh?"
Drake and Dracodile's large eyes gleamed briefly.
Si-mun smirked faintly as he observed them.
'I wondered why they were posturing like this even after combat started. Makes sense now.'
Both of them, like the Turtle Dragon earlier, were Dragonkin of the highest tier.
Naturally, their innate Dragonkin arrogance would be through the roof.
Even if they were technically allies—
They wouldn't bat an eye at humans dropping dead left and right.
'Yet they stepped in like this...'
After briefly scanning the three elite Dragonkin, Si-mun spoke.
"You came here targeting me from the start, didn't you?"
"Heh. Quite the sharp human, aren't you?"
"You stayed quiet all this time to verify whether I was the real deal?"
"Kehah! Exactly. Would've been a waste of our grand appearance if you'd just bolted at the sight of us, no?"
Dracodile burst into laughter.
His gaze, however, remained lethally sharp as it locked onto Si-mun.
"We'd already heard rumors of a certain someone wielding a weapon suspected to be Astrapē. So we simply took a moment to confirm."
"T-that's right!"
A groan escaped from the Continent Guild's players.
Because those words essentially meant they had been used as bait.
Si-mun glanced at them and said,
"Aren't you all from the Continent Guild? Shouldn't you be on the same side?"
"That's why we stepped in, didn't we? Before those weaklings drop dead one after another."
Just earlier.
Nearly twenty of them had been swept away by Astrapē alone.
Dracodile spoke as if they were nothing more than bugs being crushed.
Naturally, the Continent Guild's players trembled, but that was all.
"Grrk...!"
"......"
Perhaps they were used to such situations.
None of them uttered a word, only biting their lips or clenching their fists.
Si-mun let out a hollow laugh and rested the crackling Astrapē on his shoulder.
"So, you think the three of you can take me down?"
Did that sight amuse them?
Drake gave a small nod and said,
"You're a bold human, I'll give you that. But reckless boldness is just foolishness."
"Foolishness? Didn't expect that kind of word from a dragonkin."
"Don't get cocky, human."
Turtle Dragon, who had been silent until now, moved.
Like a tank in an Arena party,
he positioned himself in front of Dracodile and Drake, staring down Si-mun.
"This place hasn't yet entered the official Arena phase. Your abilities are still restricted."
"And?"
"We know you have some strange power that affects us dragonkin."
A vicious smirk curled at the corner of his mouth.
"We might not know exactly what it is, but in this weakened state, you can't possibly influence us."
"You sure about that? I'm confident I can still affect you right now."
"Oh? Then..."
Turtle Dragon rummaged inside his shell.
Soon,
he pulled out a fragment of dark crimson scales.
"How about this?"
He tossed it into the air.
Whoosh—!
The glowing crimson fragment.
Si-mun silently watched the radiant scale.
'High-tier Dragon Power. On par with what purified the World Tree.'
A high-grade Dragon Power.
The scale split into three, merging into each of the dragonkin.
"This is the Dragon Emperor's Relic. As long as it lasts, our minds are protected under the Dragon Emperor's Authority."
Turtle Dragon curled his scaly lips smugly.
"And."
But it didn't end there.
Crack—!
Snap—!
The three upper-level dragonkin's bodies twisted, rapidly swelling in size.
In moments,
"If we Manifest here, do you really think your strange power will work on us?"
The three monstrosities, restored to their true forms, gazed down at Si-mun with leisurely smiles.
Watching them, Si-mun nodded with utter composure.
"If this were inside the Arena, maybe. But as things stand, it's impossible."
With the Dragon Emperor's blessing and their Manifestation active, even if his Dragon Power stat exceeded 100,
the constraints of reality would make it difficult for the Death Eye to exert its full power.
Perhaps mistaking his frank admission for bravado,
"You know we don't suffer the same restrictions as you, yet you remain so calm."
"I'll give you credit for your nerve. As a reward, we'll offer you a choice."
"Will you cut off all your fingers and come quietly? Or be carried out as a corpse?"
The three upper-level dragonkin pretended to be merciful as they laid out their terms.
Si-mun responded with a faint smile.
"You're right. As things stand, I'd lose."
If it were the Continent Guild's players—who shared his restrictions—it might be different.
But facing upper-level dragonkin, opponents even Diamond-tier players rarely encountered in the Arena,
in the real world was a tough situation even for Si-mun.
And with their synergistic combination, it went without saying.
But.
"Have you ever stopped to wonder one thing?"
Not a trace of the emotions expected from someone at a disadvantage showed on Si-mun's face.
"Why I came here alone."
Instead, it was brimming with nothing but amusement and ease—expressions the three dragonkin should've been wearing.
As if displeased by that,
"Hah! You must be counting on the Association. But they can't reach this place."
"This Barrier is reinforced with our power as well."
The dragonkin's eyes grew fiercer, but that was all.
"You're right that I'm counting on something. But you've got the wrong target. It's not the Association I trust..."
What followed wasn't just shock—it was sheer terror.
And rightly so.
"...but something far beyond reason."
The violet threads unraveling from Si-mun's grinning arm—
Sssssssss—!
"That's—!"
"H-how is the Void here?!"
—contained an energy that should not exist.
And before anyone could even react—
[Kekeke! To think we'd encounter each other so soon. Truly, as the Great Mother foretold—you are exceptional. My honored guest.]
A voice so monstrous it could drive one mad just by hearing it pressed down upon the entire island.