#30 Total Annihilation?
A figure in a yellow tracksuit stood before Kang-ho. It blinked its eyes a couple times before looking at him.
“......”
“......”
A brief silence fell.
Suddenly, it spotted Furball and hastily drew up its mana, only to blink at Kang-ho again. Then it bowed its head politely.
“Hello.”
“......”
The politeness felt oddly polished.
“What brings you here?”
Kang-ho raised his right hand.
The figure flinched visibly. In truth, Kang-ho's forehead had just itched a bit.
“I've got some business around here.”
It was King. A headband was wrapped around his forehead, with lettering visible on it.
[Training]
“Training?”
“Yep.”
King nodded.
“I'm in the middle of training.”
“Here?”
“Yep.”
“Quite the unique character,” Kang-ho said, blinking before glancing at Theo. “We're here investigating something. Seen anything unusual around?”
“Yes.”
King added, “There are tons of new breeds.”
He pointed off to the side.
“The deeper you go that way, the more there are. I was just about to head in.”
“Hmm... I see.”
Kang-ho eyed King, then curiosity struck. “If it's training... how exactly are you doing it?”
“Well, first off.”
King's eyes sparkled.
“You beat down every one you see.”
“Just beat 'em down?”
“Yep. Beat 'em all down first. Burn through all your mana, gather it back up, burn it again—researching new ultimate moves along the way.”
Kang-ho gave a wry smile. What King described was the basic mana training method for Awakeners. Straight out of the textbook you'd learn in school.
Mana was like muscle. Exhaust it to its limit, and it toughens up. The core mechanism was dead simple.
The key was efficiency. That was why Sword God Park Jun-woo churned out top rankers like clockwork. A bit more efficient, a bit faster.
In a way, passing on that know-how was a master's role.
This kid had grown up alone, he'd said. There were types like that now and then. Innate talent off the charts, but circumstances forced them to raise themselves. Naturally, they wouldn't know better methods than the ones they'd figured out solo.
Whatever. Kang-ho didn't mind guys like that.
“Look,” he said.
“Yes.”
“Training mana is great, but balance matters too.”
“Pardon?”
Kang-ho placed a hand on King's chest.
“Mana only shines when a complete body backs it up. Yours is imbalanced—the mana level's too high for your physical state.”
Theo, who'd been watching, chimed in.
King's eyes went wide as he looked back and forth between Kang-ho and Theo.
“I'm plenty tough already, though?”
“Awakener basics make you tough, sure. But drop the mana, and you go limp fast, right?”
King nodded.
“That's 'cause the foundation's shaky. Mana training comes after.”
“I... I see...”
This was basic too. Textbook stuff. But not easy to stick to.
Using mana made you strong fast, boosted physical stats quick. Why bother tempering the body the hard way when mana was so convenient? It wasn't instantly visible like mana.
But that foundation had to build before the next stage. Eternal truth.
Now, time to head deeper into the urban heart.
As Kang-ho stepped forward, King sneaked after, gauging his mood.
* * *
Deeper in the city center, a strange mana began to register. Faint demonic energy. It blanketed the area in a dome-like shroud.
King hadn't noticed. Only at Kang-ho's level could you pick up such a cunning veil.
It's around here, then.
If the Mercenary Guild's rankers vanished, high chance it was nearby.
Nyang—
Seol-a, huddled in his arms, lifted her head and peered that way.
Suddenly, Theo glanced around wildly and started hiccuping.
Hic!
“......”
Kang-ho stared at him, then shifted his gaze to where Seol-a looked.
A mountain loomed far off. Massive. But it was blanketed in bizarre spores. From afar, it looked like white flowers blooming, but the vibe was off.
“Huh?”
King, who'd been tailing them cautiously, piped up.
“No phone signal?”
His smartphone read: Outside coverage area.
Demonic energy's doing.
This dome-like field acted like a barrier.
Theo muttered low.
“What's that?”
Theo replied with a sour face to Kang-ho's question.
“Crypto?”
“And?”
Pffft—
A deflating sound came from the distant mountain, white spore-like things rocketing into the sky. They scattered everywhere fast.
Shraaak—!
One drifted near Kang-ho's group. Nearby monsters caught it.
Crack—crack—
The instant they did, the monsters froze. Then their sizes swelled unnaturally.
Theo flinched at a spore landing on Kang-ho's palm.
Kang-ho silently examined it. Dandelion-seed shaped, but up close, it was a tiny larva wriggling to burrow into his skin.
Squish!
It crushed and vanished.
“That's the problem, huh.”
Kang-ho nodded lightly and looked at Furball.
Krreung—!
Sensory linkage kicked in. White light flooded Kang-ho's body. At the same time, he invoked one of Furball's skills.
Superior Leg Strength (Acquired) – This beast massively boosts leg strength temporarily, outputting five times normal power.
Boom—
One stomp on the ground.
“Whoa......”
King's jaw dropped unwittingly. Furball and Kang-ho, who'd stood beside him moments ago, were now distant specks after a single leap.
Leap—leap—leap—
Kang-ho raced like he was flying. Landed once.
Thud—
Kicked off a high rooftop.
Thud-thud-thud—
Bound across ruined building tops. The impossibly distant mountain rushed close in moments.
Impressive.
The peak, once surely lush with greenery, was moldy white with spores. And all around, monsters' gazes prickled his skin.
. . . . . .
The Mother Crypto was the progenitor of the Crypto clan. Tree-like in form. Upper body humanoid-ish, but green eyes, bald. Lower body rooted into the mountaintop, tendrils webbing the whole slope.
Everything on the mountain was her host now. Bugs, trees, grass—extensions of her will.
Unlike the Demon Realm she'd known, this world lacked powerhouses. Peaceful. She'd expanded freely, swelling her hosts.
—Outsiders approaching.
Far off, a host relayed will.
—Three humans. Two monsters.
Soon.
—One human approaching.
Mother Crypto smiled. Humans popped up occasionally nearby. She'd recently hosted two strong ones.
Humans were pathetically weak vs. demons, but packed high potential. She dreamed of their world. Host and empower them, rival Demon Lords.
—Approaching. Very fast.
But this human's speed exceeded expectations. Mother Crypto sensed wrongness. Few in Demon Realm matched it.
—Alert Level 1 activated.
She mobilized half her local hosts to eliminate the intruder.
Shssh—
Hosts surged via will. Hundreds to slaughter the invader.
But.
—Total annihilation.
Unbelievable report. Hundreds' wills crumbled to dust. True death.
—Alert Level 2 activated.
Mother Crypto panicked but held reason. Sent remaining hosts, fortified the mountain.
So...
—Total annihilation.
What?
Again. Eyes bulged.
—Alert Level 3 activated.
This was no joke. Flashed to Demon Realm nightmare: Rank 4 lord, Theo Itilurg Gamigin. War with him a bitter failure. His freakishly strong minions defied belief. She'd fled, a timely dungeon drop tossing her to this dimension.
Fortune. A strange object here let her build a mightier horde in under a month than her prime.
The object. She touched the black magic stone embedded in her core unwittingly.
With this, even Theo was no threat. Level 3 mobilized elite guards with advanced combat prowess...
—Total annihilation.
Total...?
—Intruder location unknown.
......Unknown?
“Never thought I'd live to see this, Furball.”
Sudden otherworldly tongue in her ears. Mother Crypto whipped around.
There: twin ruby eyes massive as houses.
Huff-huff-huff—
“Don't eat it. It's not food.”
And beside, a human.
How?
The human's eyes gleamed.
“Got something rare on you, huh?”
Chill!
Mother Crypto's whole body prickled with gooseflesh.