Chapter 80

Episode 80

– Oh

– They finally met ㄷㄷ

– Are they going to fight?

– They’re approaching each other, looks like a fight!

– Wow, this is the battle of the century ㄷㄷ

– ㄷㄱㄷㄱ

– Big things are coming ㄷㄷ

The official internet broadcast chat room exploded with activity as Kim Jinsung walked towards Seol Daun. The commentators also raised their voices.

[Finally, Kim Jinsung and Seol Daun have met! Kim Jinsung is approaching Seol Daun with a serious expression, seemingly ready for a fight!]

[The atmosphere suggests a fight. It means one of them will die.]

[All viewers, please stay tuned! This is the biggest match since the start of Colosseum Survival Season 12!]

The monitoring room suddenly became busy.

“Alright, everyone, focus on the battle between Kim Jinsung and Seol Daun. You all know what to do by now, right?”

“Yes, we do. Cameras, drones, and sound are all focused on them.”

“Editing team, internet team, and CG team are all on standby.”

Watching the staff work efficiently, Baek Jun asked Jang Seungwook.

“What do you think will happen?”

“Well… I’ll have to say the same thing again.”

“Are you wrong again?”

“No, not that. It’s just…”

Jang Seungwook shook his head.

“I’m not sure. With the current Kim Jinsung, anything is possible. If it were the Kim Jinsung before the training room, he would have lost 100%.”

“Ah.”

Baek Jun nodded, finally understanding Jang Seungwook’s words. He had made the same statement right after the second preliminary round started, when Kim Jinsung was facing the Quagmires in the sewer.

‘He won back then. I wonder what will happen now…’

Baek Jun looked at Kim Jinsung and Seol Daun on the TV screen, facing each other, with anticipation.

* * *

“Where were you hiding? I’ve been searching for you!”

Seol Daun shouted, looking genuinely happy to see Kim Jinsung approaching.

“I was going to search the entire island to kill the rest of the Thieves and find you!”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t know where you were. The others were leaking mana everywhere, so it was easy to find them, but I couldn’t sense your mana at all.”

“Why did you want to meet me?”

Kim Jinsung asked again. Seol Daun smirked and answered.

“Why? Because it’ll be fun to play with you. Honestly, I thought he’d be decent, but he was too boring.”

Seol Daun kicked Pung Bitgaram’s body, which lay at his feet.

“But you’ll definitely satisfy me! And now you’ve absorbed Pung Bitgaram’s abilities, so you must be even stronger.”

“…”

“So, it’s true about the absorption? You can’t deny it, can you?”

Seol Daun grinned at Kim Jinsung.

Kim Jinsung stopped walking, facing Seol Daun. He spoke, about 10 meters away.

“You’re full of crap.”

“…Huh?”

“You just want to kill me, but you’re giving me all these ridiculous reasons.”

Kim Jinsung assumed a fighting stance.

“Well, whatever. It’s not a bad choice. If you can’t kill me today, I’ll be so strong you won’t even be able to touch me in the third preliminary round.”

At Kim Jinsung’s words, Seol Daun’s eyes widened, and then he burst into laughter.

“Ha, hahaha… I knew you’d be fun.”

He immediately swung his hand towards Kim Jinsung.

**Poof! Bang!**

A powerful explosion erupted around Kim Jinsung.

The smoke cleared, and Seol Daun’s eyes widened.

‘He’s unharmed?’

Kim Jinsung stood there, in his initial stance, as if nothing had happened. The only difference was that his entire body was covered in a pulsating black mana. It seemed like the black mana had blocked the explosion.

“How about this?”

He extended his hand towards Kim Jinsung. A massive firestorm erupted around Kim Jinsung, engulfing even the area where Seol Daun stood.

Kim Jinsung immediately summoned a thick dark energy shield to block the firestorm. At the same time, he raised the dagger in his right hand and swung it downwards. A black crescent formed and sliced through the firestorm vertically, heading towards Seol Daun.

“……!”

Seol Daun’s eyes widened even more. Not only had he easily split the giant firestorm, but the crescent was powerful enough to pierce through it.

Seol Daun tried to wave his other hand to dispel the black crescent. But nothing happened. That surprised Seol Daun even more.

‘I can’t control his mana?’

Seol Daun quickly raised his other hand, creating a thick mana shield. With a loud bang, the mana shield shattered, and the black crescent vanished.

“…This… This is impressive.”

Seol Daun spoke, looking impressed.

“This is the first time I’ve encountered someone whose mana is so uncontrollable by my power…”

“…”

“This is only possible if your mana has a different nature than normal mana.”

A smile spread across Seol Daun’s face.

“I like you, Kim Jinsung! This is so much fun! Hahaha!”

* * *

– Wow ㄷㄷ

– He easily blocked it and counterattacked!

– Seol Daun’s attacks are being blocked so easily?

– I told you! Kim Jinsung is on a different level!

– I wonder what will happen now…?

[Did you see that?! Kim Jinsung blocked all of Seol Daun’s attacks and even counterattacked! For the record, Kim Jinsung is the first participant in Season 12 to successfully defend against Seol Daun!]

[Kim Jinsung is truly different. Seol Daun will have to be more careful now.]

At that moment, Jang Seungwook approached the main PD and asked a question.

“Did Seol Daun just say that Kim Jinsung’s mana is different from normal mana?”

“Yes, I heard that too.”

“Oh, ho…”

Jang Seungwook’s eyes lit up, and he turned to Baek Jun. Baek Jun was staring at the monitor, lost in thought. Although Baek Jun was not someone who readily shared his thoughts, Jang Seungwook, who had known him for a long time, could tell that he was surprised.

‘If Seol Daun is telling the truth, then Kim Jinsung’s mana is a rare type, one of the few found on Earth…’

Human beings can only possess mana with similar properties. They all use mana mixed in the air. But occasionally, humans are born with mana that is completely different from the mana in the air.

Examples include demonic energy possessed by monsters or celestial energy possessed by beings from the celestial realm.

‘…No matter what kind of mana it is, it’s not good news for Seol Daun.’

The greatest strength of Seol Daun’s ‘Mana Control’ ability is that he can control the mana used by his opponents. But that’s impossible in this situation.

‘This means Seol Daun will have no choice but to fight Kim Jinsung head-on…’

* * *

**Whirr~!**

**Boom!**

At that moment, the scene where Kim Jinsung and Seol Daun were battling resembled the end of the world.

The ground was ablaze with flames, a giant ice storm was raging in the sky, and massive lightning bolts struck continuously. Occasionally, lava erupted from the ground, making it seem like Kim Jinsung was enduring every possible calamity.

“Hahaha. How are you doing? Getting tired of holding on?”

Seol Daun laughed loudly, teasing Kim Jinsung, who was holding his ground with a dark energy shield covering his entire body.

“You’re trying to create a personal space, protected by dark energy, to hold your ground…”

Seol Daun’s gaze shifted to Kim Jinsung’s feet. He saw the black area around Kim Jinsung, pulsating with dark energy waves, as he created a ‘Dark Energy Dominated Space.’

“Do you think you can withstand these elemental attacks forever? Hahaha…!”

**Fwoosh!**

**Bang!**

Another dark energy arrow flew towards Seol Daun, who was laughing, but it exploded against the giant shield already in place.

Seol Daun didn’t seem bothered by the arrow exploding right in front of him. Kim Jinsung bit his lip, thinking.

‘My attacks aren’t working. This is dangerous.’

Kim Jinsung was still holding his ground against Seol Daun’s elemental range attacks. But the amount of dark energy he was consuming was immense. He could see his Beast Karma points rapidly decreasing.

If this continued, he would eventually run out of points, leaving him helpless. He had to make his attacks land and turn the situation around.

‘Let’s try a focused attack.’

Kim Jinsung decided to take a chance and dispelled the dark energy shield protecting him. At the same time,

—

▶ You have used the skill ‘Indestructible Body.’

—

He activated the ‘Indestructible Body’ skill, replacing the dark energy shield.

“…What? What’s this?”

Seol Daun’s eyes widened. He was surprised to see Kim Jinsung standing there, unharmed, without the dark energy shield.

Ignoring him, Kim Jinsung gathered mana and slammed his palm onto the ground.

—

▶ You have used the skill ‘Subspace Magic Circle Creation.’

—

A translucent gray barrier enveloped Kim Jinsung and Seol Daun.

Kim Jinsung charged forward. His speed was almost like light, enhanced by the ‘Dark Energy Dominated Space’ and the buff from the ‘Subspace Magic Circle.’

But Seol Daun sneered.

“Mana-created magic circles are useless against me.”

He waved his hand, and the gray barrier around them disappeared instantly. At the same time, Seol Daun extended his other hand towards Kim Jinsung, summoning a giant shield.

Just then, Kim Jinsung used a series of skills.

—

▶ You have used the skill ‘Nullify.’

▶ You have used the skill ‘Confusion.’

▶ You have used the skill ‘Petrification Powder.’

—

“What…?”

Seol Daun was taken aback when the thick shield separating them vanished. Kim Jinsung didn’t know if his status effect skills had worked. But this was a golden opportunity to strike while Seol Daun was confused.

—

▶ You have used the skill ‘Neck Cutter.’

—

Kim Jinsung swung his dagger with all his might.

But…

‘……?!’

His movements suddenly slowed down, making Kim Jinsung’s eyes widen. His speed had become slower than a snail, causing his attack to miss. This gave Seol Daun time to recover.

“Whew, that was close. I almost got hit for real.”

Seol Daun sighed in relief and then swung his fist downwards, aiming at Kim Jinsung’s slowed body.

Simultaneously, the ground beneath him split in half, creating a deep ravine. Kim Jinsung fell into the chasm.

‘……!!’

Horrified, Kim Jinsung instinctively used the ‘Nullify’ skill and then activated the ‘Disguise Shadow Clone Technique’ and ‘Shadow Concealment’ skills in quick succession.

Returning to his normal speed, Kim Jinsung managed to escape the crisis by moving into the ‘Dark Energy Dominated Space,’ which was filled with shadows.

“Hee hee hee, you were scared, weren’t you?”

Seol Daun chuckled, looking at Kim Jinsung, who had returned to the ground.

“Did it feel like you were suddenly playing in slow motion? Look forward to it! Next time, I’ll turn you into a statue so you can’t move at all.”

“……!”

“That’s my ability! In a space where mana is always abundant, I can act like a god!”

Seol Daun, brimming with confidence, seemed to have already secured victory against Kim Jinsung.

“Come on, keep attacking! I’ll fight you in your own space. But remember this. Earth is a blessed planet filled with mana!”

“…”

“What are you waiting for? Attack me! Entertain me!”

Kim Jinsung stood silently, watching Seol Daun, who was more excited than ever. After a moment, Kim Jinsung started walking towards Seol Daun.

Seol Daun smirked, pleased.

“Yes! I knew you wouldn’t give up so easily… Huh?”

Seol Daun was confused when Kim Jinsung slammed his palm onto the ground again.

“Another subspace magic circle? How many times do I have to tell you it’s useless?”

Ignoring him, Kim Jinsung trapped Seol Daun in a gray barrier and charged towards him again.

Seol Daun shook his head, clicked his tongue, and waved his hand to dispel the magic circle again. But…

‘…What?’

Unlike before, the subspace magic circle remained intact. It didn’t disappear.

Seol Daun frantically tried to move the mana towards the magic circle again. But there was no response.

‘What the hell?!’

As Seol Daun panicked, Kim Jinsung, who had already reached him, swung his fist with all his might.

**Crack!**

With a shattering sound, Seol Daun’s jaw was dislocated, and his body flew backward.

—