32
032 ― In Front of Me
Although lower spirits are colonies with almost no self-awareness, they had their own instincts, roles, and abilities.
All information collected by the group is gathered to the leader-like individual, and that leader individual transmits it to the master.
However, this time the leader spirit transmitted information not to the master, nor to the black mage who oppressed the master, but to Jin-woo.
"This is......"
The green cluster of light that descended onto Jin-woo's fingertips.
From there, all kinds of information flowed in. Johan's situation and the Ego Sword he possessed. And even the barrier spread around the surroundings.
'No wonder the wind felt unsettled, so this was a barrier.'
The barrier that the wind spirits had spread with Johan's Magi had now completely transferred ownership to Jin-woo.
The terrain and features within the barrier were clearly drawn in Jin-woo's mind. Like a map made from satellite photos, Jin-woo could grasp everything within the barrier.
That wasn't all.
'I can also create wind.'
He could create wind anywhere within the barrier.
Originally, the power possessed by lower wind spirits could only create wind about as strong as a somewhat powerful fan, but now it was different.
The Magi that Johan had given amplified the lower spirits' power hundreds of times, making it possible to create strong winds close to typhoon level.
It was truly amazing. The power of lower spirits is very weak, so in fact, their presence or absence doesn't make much difference.
But Johan's Magi amplified that power, transforming it to a level comparable to higher or supreme grade. As expected of S-rank, one might say.
'Well, now it's become Magi that I can use.'
Somehow, the situation had turned out this way. Johan would be very angry or dumbfounded by now. After all, the barrier he had worked hard to spread was completely stolen.
'Now is the timing. I need to fight while the barrier is fully operational.'
This barrier was a great weapon. It was advantageous for him to fight immediately, before time passed and the barrier dissipated.
However, he couldn't just rush out recklessly, relying only on the barrier. Jin-woo completed the necessary preparations beforehand.
'First, I'll hide Cheon Ju-hyeok inside.'
Since he might get caught up in the fight, he hid himself in the furthest corner possible. This wouldn't really hide him, but it would still be better than being out in the open.
Next, he checked the condition of his sword. Since he had just maintained it before sleeping, the blade was well-sharpened and well-oiled, making it gleaming. After maintenance, all he had done was cut the soul chain that bound Cheon Ju-hyeok, so there was no way the blade could be damaged.
And lastly.
Jin-woo looked at the Ice Valley God's altar.
'This is the most important.'
The greatest advantage Jin-woo currently had.
According to the information obtained from the wind spirits, Johan hadn't found the altar. It seemed that the Ice Valley God's altar here was all there was in this area.
To raise his chances of victory even a little, he had no choice but to utilize this advantage.
'Take out everything, everything.'
From the Hunter Net Blind's favorability strategy guide, he had obtained considerable amounts of offerings that each of the 13 gods liked.
He planned to offer all of it to the Ice Valley God. He didn't know how much the god would like it, but if even one more blessing came down, it would be a success.
Jin-woo placed all the offerings he had brought on the altar and prayed for blessings.
[ The Ice Valley God is somewhat satisfied. Strength is somewhat....... ]
[ The Ice Valley God refuses....... ]
[ The Ice Valley God is so-so....... ]
Since the number of offerings was considerable, the messages were correspondingly long.
About half of them had no reaction, but half brought down blessings, even if small ones.
Vitality flowed through his body, and his mind became sharp. His concentration strengthened, and his intuition for overcoming this situation increased. Besides that, there were various other effects, resulting in power overflow.
If it wasn't just his imagination, it seemed the Ice Valley God was also showing him considerable favor. The performance of the blessings was considerable compared to the content of the messages.
'But this alone makes me uneasy.'
However, he couldn't feel at ease. His opponent was S-rank. The same level as Shartia.
When Jin-woo saw Shartia's power in the first Erosion, he felt vastness. He had thought about how long he would have to walk to reach such a level.
What was now targeting him was an S-rank Hunter of the same level as that Shartia. No matter how much he prepared, being at a disadvantage hadn't changed.
'Just one more.'
Couldn't he receive just one more blessing?
He had already offered everything worth offering. There were no more offerings left.
So Jin-woo asked.
"Can't I get an advance?"
Couldn't you lend me some first, and I'll pay it back later?
[ The Ice Valley God is speechless. What do you think divine blessings are? ]
Naturally, the god dismissed it as absurd. But perhaps curiosity had arisen? This time the god asked.
[ The Ice Valley God asks. What will you repay with? ]
That was already decided. Just as when buying a house, you take out a loan with that house as collateral, in the current situation, there was only one thing Jin-woo could promise.
"How about an S-rank black mage's corpse?"
A quiet silence flows. There was no further reaction from the Ice Valley God, and Jin-woo thought his proposal had been rejected.
It was unfortunate, but couldn't be helped. Just as he was thinking that.
Water droplets gathered in the air. The gathered droplets froze solid from the center, becoming a cold mirror surface the size of a hand mirror.
From that mirror, a blindingly bright light burst forth.
[ Do you know what you're proposing, mortal? That one who has lost part of their soul will be removed from normal reincarnation until that soul is filled again. ]
At the voice ringing in his head, Jin-woo made a bewildered expression. How could he know such a thing?
[ I could serve you for at least 10,000 years. ]
With a giggling voice, a sword embedded with blue gems was summoned and fell.
***
Suddenly, Johan found himself in the position of having to break through the barrier he himself had spread.
If it had been a barrier he had constructed from beginning to end, it would have been easier, but entrusting it to the Ego Sword had been a mistake.
The barrier spread by the wind spirits was of a completely different system from his magical knowledge, so he couldn't simply unravel it.
Still, if he had just a little time to study, he was confident he could interpret it all, but now he didn't have such leisure.
'I'll break through with force.'
A barrier that contained 30% of his Magi. He knew best how powerful that would be.
But the opponent who took the barrier was E-rank. And not even a mage, but a swordsman.
Even with such a barrier, there was no way he could handle it perfectly.
"Go. Go and make my enemy tremble with fear."
With Johan's command, pale things floated in the eerie darkness.
The souls he had collected so far. Usually, they were his test subjects and research objects, but in battle, they transformed into loyal soldiers that could be commanded with a single order.
Among the souls were beast spirits, and there were also green-skin races like Goblins and Orcs. There were Elves and Dwarves, and naturally, humans as well.
'Even with the barrier, the terrain is advantageous to me.'
Johan clearly understood his own advantages.
The greatest was the geographical advantage of this place, which was composed of underground labyrinths.
In underground labyrinths where narrow passages were complexly intertwined, everyone's range of action was greatly reduced. But the souls Johan commanded could pass through walls to intercept enemies.
'In less than 5 minutes, he'll be screaming and surrendering!'
Johan precisely estimated 5 minutes.
The time for the massive number of souls he had poured into completely tearing apart the spirit barrier and driving the hiding Kang Jin-woo into panic.
Just because Kang Jin-woo had obtained the spirit barrier didn't mean he himself had become a spirit. He would have to run around the passages in confusion, and the thousands of souls would easily conquer that like picking at a cake.
But changes appeared after just 1 minute.
Kuwoong―
Kuwoong― Kuwoong―
The labyrinth shook. As if an earthquake had occurred somewhere far away, vibrations were transmitted to the place where Johan was.
'What's happening?'
A certain amount of Magi was injected into the souls, so they could exert physical force.
But that wouldn't cause vibrations strong enough to shake the entire labyrinth......?
Johan hurriedly designated one of his familiars and deployed shared vision. And he saw.
Kugugugugugu-woong!
Kwagwagwang―!
The spirit barrier was running wild, pouring out wind everywhere. Typhoon-like winds shook the interior of the barrier, destroying the labyrinth haphazardly.
At the center was also Kang Jin-woo, wielding a sword embedded with blue gems and rampaging.
He was cutting down all approaching souls while simultaneously slashing everywhere throughout the passages.
Where he had slashed, ice flowers and crystals rapidly grew, covering the solid passages, and the typhoon from the wind barrier covered over that, completely smashing the labyrinth.
'Crazy! Do you know how much Magi that took to gather!'
Reckless rampage that didn't consider Magi's efficiency or delicate operation at all.
If one knew how bone-breakingly hard Johan had to work to gather the 30% of his Magi that went into that barrier, it was an atrocity he could never commit.
However, no matter how much Johan stamped his feet, saying it was a waste, from Jin-woo's perspective, it was no different from the tremendous power that came for free. It would be a loss not to use it all up.
Jin-woo planned to completely grind up the labyrinth within the barrier to create a great cavity.
***
In the end, the labyrinth's collapse couldn't be prevented. It would be fortunate if they didn't get buried alive.
The labyrinth within the barrier completely collapsed, creating a great cavity equivalent to several combined soccer fields.
In that great cavity, Johan, covered in dirt and dust, and Jin-woo holding a blue gem sword, faced off.
"You crazy bastard! Do you know how much I had to suffer to gather the Magi you just squandered in 3 minutes?"
"......"
"To gather that much Magi would require 3 months of meditation alone! Of course, there are other ways to gather it faster, but anyway, that's how vast an amount it was. You poured out 3 months' worth of Magi in 3 minutes?"
"......"
"Damn it. I can't believe it! Anyway, all swordsmen are like this. Guys who don't know the value of Magi and only stupidly charge with their bodies!"
Jin-woo didn't answer. Although Johan was passionately arguing with veins bulging in his neck, he neither provoked nor pressed him.
"I don't speak English."
Jin-woo spoke in a completely mispronounced tone.
He didn't know English. He could only pick up a few words, and when spoken that fast, he couldn't understand anything.
Johan, who had been in the middle of his passionate argument, shut his mouth tight. Jin-woo's pronunciation was so terrible that it was hard to understand, but Johan could somehow make it out.
His face became distorted with shame, turning red and blue.
"I'll kill you!"
Unable to endure any longer, he pulled out his wand and swung it. It was a wand about 15 inches long made of oak.
When he swung that conductor-like object, countless souls circled the great cavity and let out terrible screams.
Kyaaaaaak―!
Kieeeeeek―!
That sound, like scraping iron plates, was not only unpleasant to hear but was actually a sound imbued with curses.
Curses emitted by souls that had suffered for countless years in the hands of the black mage Johan. Even a decent A-rank Hunter would find it difficult to be free from these screams, but.
[ The Ice Valley God blesses you. Your mind shall be solid like ice. ]
Jin-woo had received blessings from the god.
The blessing that made his mind solid to protect himself from evil techniques and curses was a blessing he had obtained by offering shaved ice.
A blessing obtained with shaved ice worth merely 150,000 won was completely blocking an S-rank black mage's curse.
"Ieek―!"
Johan ground his teeth. If curses didn't work, it was a direct attack.
His Magi, soaked in darkness, covered the entire great cavity and spread like thorns.
Originally, this place had Jin-woo's wind barrier spread over it, but most of the barrier's Magi had been consumed destroying the labyrinth.
Therefore, there was nothing that could block Johan's Magi seeping into the darkness.
From that darkness, arrows and spears were generated and poured down on Jin-woo indiscriminately.
Kwagwagwagwang―!
Magic that could push down a fortress wall with physical force alone fell endlessly.
No matter how many divine blessings he had received, there weren't enough blessings to block such magic.
Imagining his opponent turned to pulp, Johan slightly lowered his wand.
Huuk―
An ominous wind was felt from the side.
When had he approached? Jin-woo was running toward Johan with his sword raised.
"Damn swordsman!"
Johan hurriedly moved his soul to block Jin-woo's path, but it was useless. The sword Jin-woo wielded cut through all the souls and absorbed their spirits.
'Don't tell me that's!'
Only then did Johan realize why the soul that had bound Cheon Ju-hyeok hadn't returned. Jin-woo had the ability to cut and absorb souls.
Despite being a swordsman and not a black mage, he had such black magic-like abilities!
In the end, Johan allowed Jin-woo's approach. There was only one outcome when a mage gave distance to a swordsman.
Jin-woo's sword rose up and cut off one of Johan's arms.
"Keuk!"
Johan's expression contorted. Clearly he was S-rank, and his opponent was E-rank.
But what was this? Rather, his opponent was overwhelming him, wasn't he?
Of course, his opponent had various advantages. He had taken part of his soul, had taken the wind barrier that contained 30% of his Magi, and was holding a blue gem sword with power embedded in it that even an S-rank like himself couldn't take lightly.
But what did all that amount to? No matter what advantages he had, the fact that he was E-rank didn't change.
Hunter rankings were nothing more than arbitrarily designated grades for convenient classification, but when it came to S-rank, it was a different story.
S-rank meant that one person could be used as a nation's tactical weapon. Simply put, if there were no other S-ranks in a city, that one person alone could devastate it close to destruction.
But look at the current reality despite all that. Being overwhelmed by an E-rank.
"......I didn't want to use even this."
Johan's face, which had been boiling with anger, suddenly turned cold.
He no longer thought of his opponent as E-rank. He resolved to consider him at least A-rank, no, assume he was the same S-rank, and not spare any strength.
Johan's true trump card that even his few close friends like David didn't know about.
"Don't tell anyone. Of course, I'm planning to make it so you can't speak anyway."
"I don't speak......"
"Shut up! I know already!"
Cutting off Jin-woo's words irritably, Johan deployed a magic circle. A large-scale magic circle spreading throughout the entire great cavity.
Since he had already taken control of all the darkness here, the magic circle's deployment was fast, and it was summoned in an instant.
The most powerful existence among the souls he possessed.
The absolute soul he had barely obtained on the 5th floor through all kinds of hardship, trickery, betrayal, and submission.
Kraaaaa―!
The soul of a dragon dyed a black rose from the ground, carried Johan, and soared high.
At the same time, the surrounding scenery began to change. The black energy flows down like a waterfall from the black dragon's soul. It settled in the great cavity like Erosion and took control of the surroundings.
No, it really was Erosion.
"......You're deploying Erosion?"
Even Jin-woo couldn't help but be surprised at this.
Erosion was a phenomenon of unknown identity that devoured the essence of stars.
Not a single person had ever completely elucidated it, and there wasn't even a prospect of solving it. Among experts, there were even assessments that it was a mystery humanity would never solve.
That Erosion was unfolding from the souls Johan had summoned.
"Kukuku, indeed, you seem surprised. Take this opportunity to know. When black mages who handle souls pursue the end, they inevitably end up touching Erosion."
Black mages handle souls. Those who extract, absorb, process, and manipulate souls according to their own tastes.
When black mages endlessly elevated their level, what they eventually became absorbed in was research into Erosion.
Because in this universe, there was no existence that more certainly stole the lives and souls of stars than Erosion.
"I'd like to take your power too for research......"
To Johan's eyes, Jin-woo's power didn't seem much different from that of Erosion or black mages.
The principles might be somewhat different, but the roots were similar. Perhaps his past life was also connected to black mages who researched Erosion to that degree, or perhaps connected to Erosion itself.
Normally, he would have salivated and kidnapped him to his laboratory, but.
'I don't have that leisure, so it can't be helped. He doesn't seem like someone who would easily become research material.'
Capturing Jin-woo alive seemed somewhat impossible. He was an opponent who had been pushed back to the point of having to show even his trump card.
No matter what happened, he had to kill him and shut his mouth.
Meanwhile, Jin-woo was surprised for his own reasons.
The fact that Johan had deployed Erosion was itself surprising, but he was also surprised by something else.
'Black flames.'
The dragon's soul was burning very black. Even to Johan's eyes it was a soul full of black energy, but to Jin-woo's eyes it burned even more black and dark.
That meant it was the core of Erosion and.
'You're bringing out an Erosion core in front of me?'
Jin-woo's eyes were gleaming at the fact that it had been brought out in front of him.