episode_0081

Something had changed.

It wasn’t just the collapse of spatial perception.

My body had changed. Strength surged into legs that felt like they would give out and die at any moment. It was as if something was supporting me from behind, gently stroking me…

‘What is this?’

Is it a hallucination? Am I really on the brink of death?

– Grrrrr…!

…There was no time to think.

I thought the barely breathing mountain lion had gained a bit of respite.

Aeruth’s howl always carried a sense of threat. It was a sound that intimidated and immobilized prey as a predator.

But now, confusion and wariness mixed together. Perhaps my instinctual intuition sensed my own transformation.

I felt it.

The fur brushing against the wind, divided by green lines.

‘Ah.’

A world painted with green lines on a black background.

It was familiar information. A time of endless frustration when I first started living in this world.

Back then, I thought my spatial perception was malfunctioning.

Now I understand.

This is simply reading the space as a whole. It was useless because my level and status were too low to read it properly.

Perhaps I felt that eerie sensation because I saw the gate through this.

I shook my head. A subtle sensation passed through me.

Something I hadn’t felt before was now present.

This space itself was advantageous to Aeruth. It had transformed into such an environment. The dungeon’s backup. A benefit the dungeon provided to the alpha entity.

It also exerted pressure on external beings in return.

It gave vitality to internal monsters and imposed suppression on external entities.

Just pushing away the pressure I received from the spatial perception was overwhelming.

Now? There was no reason to just let it be.

I waved my hand.

The air rippled along with my hand. The slight vibration soon turned into a massive wave.

‘Ability Manifestation.’

｢Space｣

The space rippled roughly.

The waves of space that rose around me spread in all directions. It tore through the dungeon’s control in an instant, and my dominance spread to the surroundings.

– …!?

Aeruth’s eyes widened. Blatant confusion was evident.

The power that had been boosting him was now gone.

Aeruth, who had just raised his head, looked up at the sky. The sense of the dungeon that had always supported him while looking at Aeruth would now be gone.

Until a moment ago, this place was the dungeon’s territory. It was a space swallowed by the rampaging dungeon, a favorable battlefield for monsters belonging to the dungeon.

Not anymore.

Now this space was under my control. It was not just a crude level like spatial perception. It wasn’t fully utilizing the ability, but at least it wasn’t something a Grade 4 dungeon could easily contend with.

I felt it. The green lines on a black and white background…

Even in the midst of everything dying, vibrations reached my skin. My hearing picked up the sound of wailing in detail.

It didn’t hinder the battle, but there was no reason to stubbornly choose a less effective method over a better one.

I waved my hand again. There was no ripple or wave in the space.

‘Ability Manifestation.’

｢Observation｣

Unlike the ability of space, there was no special phenomenon.

It was just receiving information once again.

There might be other ways to use it, but there was no time to research and experiment with different methods.

So I operated it in the most familiar way.

Like spatial perception, I gathered the information of the area unfolding around me.

Unlike the waves of space rising around me, the waves of information rushed towards me.

The dark map regained its colors. Crimson fur and mist, scattered crimson puddles of blood on the ground, and the wings of the sky fluttering with magic.

Clear.

The information flooding into my mind was embarrassingly clear and detailed compared to before.

Thud! The ground cracked. A crimson surge approached. The front paw, tinged with blood, slashed through the air and charged. The sharp wind cutting through the claws mercilessly approached.

The same attack as before.

But it felt different this time.

I reached out my hand. A blue aura covered me.

Clash.

The blue aura and the blood aura mixed. The blue and red colors pushed against each other.

The blue color receded.

It was better than before, but still, the pushback was the same.

The reason was clear. The blood aura was thicker and stronger than my aura.

If I collide head-on, my aura will shatter.

– Grrrk…!

I didn’t budge. I deflected the incoming attack, subtly shifting its trajectory. The attack shattered the hardened ground.

I dodged the sweeping front paw like a whip. The wall that had long served as a barrier was torn apart.

“Jack of all trades.”

A unique ability with minimal potential in all areas.

Also, a skill-based ability that enhances tactics.

I was aware of my uniqueness and rapidly growing.

I could dodge and deflect more smoothly than before. My tactics had improved.

Furthermore, the quality of information collected through observation had increased. There was no reason to avoid it.

If I had started at this level from the beginning, I could have continued to endure.

But my condition is at its worst to just keep stalling.

The unknown force did not support me; otherwise, I would have been a corpse long ago.

Moreover, intuition had already conveyed that this help would not last long.

I can’t stall. I have to finish quickly. If I fall here, the people in the shelter will die.

It was the same a while ago. But it was just a matter of not being able to achieve it due to output issues.

Now? Can I really do it? I have to try.

I reached out my hand with a fearless smile. The torn and crumpled things forcibly held by the sky’s wing-like arm.

Also, the gruesome burn marks on my right arm exerted a force.

The approaching Aelurus flinched. I sensed its intention to retreat. Maybe it’s because it’s a beast that has good instincts.

Fwoosh!

But it was already too late. The distance was enough.

Sparks flew from my right arm. In an instant, a huge flame erupted.

A flame that burns itself and the world, leaving nothing but hatred.

Karmic fire.

Why is there a flame coming from my arm? I still don’t know exactly, but I understood the mechanism.

“Magic affinity.”

An innate ability I already had. But I didn’t realize it was an innate ability.

The original description that I have an affinity beyond the standard in magic. It’s not wrong.

But the ability I defined at this moment was different.

Thanks to magic affinity, I felt magic from the beginning. It was easy to get into magic. It was easy to handle, and using magic, physical strength, and aura was easy.

Magic affinity is not that kind of ability. That part may be included, but it was just a byproduct.

It’s not an ability to make things that others find difficult easy and end up with a mediocre ability.

It’s an ability to do what others can’t do.

When was it? Was it also the fire at that time?

I encountered “Karmic Fire.” The flames engulfing my right arm and whole body were Karmic Fire. It burned me, but for some reason, I survived.

Especially, my right arm, which was stubbornly gnawed by Karmic Fire, understood and remembered Karmic Fire.

“Expansion ability.”

The expansion of uniqueness.

Moving forward without stagnation.

Whether it’s regression or progression, it’s definitely changing without stopping.

“Assimilation, Karmic Fire.”

A storm of flames surged through the wide passage. Waves of fiery flames that consumed the thick blood flooded forward.

– Raaargh!

From Aelus’s throat, the first agonizing scream poured out. The passage echoed with pain. The scattered debris spread in all directions.

The bloodied claws evaporated all the blood essence and clung to the crimson fur.

Aelus writhed on the ground. But the agony did not subside.

“Damn, it hurts like hell. You bastard.”

I’ve experienced it, and it really hurts.

It feels refreshing. No matter what, seeing the one who tried to torment and kill me suffer like this, it’s satisfying.

But I’m also dying along with it. I laughed grimly as I pounded the ground.

– Krrrrr!

Foam dripped from Aelus’s mouth as he rose to his feet, kicking the ground with his foreleg.

Even on the verge of losing consciousness from the pain, the survival instinct moved his body.

His gaze landed on his right arm. He seemed wary of the lingering ember-like claw marks.

The sound of the wind splitting.

The claws, still enveloped in blood essence, flew towards his face.

There was a difference in physique. Even if our hands reached out at the same time, my head would be the first to go.

There was a difference in physical ability. If we stood side by side and ran, I could never beat Aelus.

But it’s not something I can’t avoid. I twisted my body. Now, even my ears, barely recognizable, were torn off. Strands of hair were cut off.

Instead, I regained the distance. I delved into his embrace.

Meanwhile, Aelus’s focus was still on his right arm, as if trying to avoid the claw marks at all costs.

He reached out his left arm.

Wrapped in the wings of the sky, his defenseless left arm was exposed. It was an arm less guarded.

As someone engulfed in agony and not in his right mind, it was difficult to pay attention to his left arm.

– Kheong!

The gaping maw lunged forward. The distance closed. It meant there was an opportunity for an attack.

If bitten, my upper body would easily fit into the gaping maw. Its sharp, thick teeth could easily chew me up.

I reached out my left arm towards that spot.

The gaping maw began to close. The teeth flew.

– Kwa!

The wings of the sky tore apart. They pierced the flesh, cut through the muscles, and the teeth sank into the bone.

– Jijijik!

At that moment, I ignited my mana.

“Expansion ability.”

The circuits buzzed. I drew out mana, even scraping the ground. It was not enough.

– Uuuung!

I drew in the surrounding mana. A mix of various energies. Ignoring any repercussions, I struck with all my might using my left arm.

“Homogenization.”

I had felt the pain and understood it. I had experienced what affected me and felt what others used.

It was a unique ability with a strong impression that wouldn’t fall behind the claw marks.

“Canghae (滄海).”

Crack! Coldness exploded from my torn left arm, freezing Aelus’s head solid.

His jaws clamped down on my left arm. There was a difference in physique. It meant he was lowering his head.

It was a perfect position for a strike, with no chance to escape.

Realizing this, Aelus desperately tried to pull his head back.

Squelch! The shattered arm bone, long frozen, was torn off. Perhaps due to being frozen, I felt a searing pain as if my veins were boiling.

“Aaargh…!” I pulled back the clenched fist, unprecedentedly tight.

There was no next move. I had to finish it with one blow.

“Claw marks?”

If I use them, I can inflict a fatal wound. I can even turn him into a cripple. But it’s uncertain. Even after being hit by my immature claw marks, there’s a possibility he could still be active.

The guy who just took a direct hit from Geophwa is still active.

I know Geophwa is powerful. I’ve felt the power of Hong Yeonhwa’s Geophwa.

But.

“Something stronger.”

There are too many strong people in this world. And there are many monsters that defy common sense.

Entire lands in China have been left in ruins due to a single monster’s rampage.

There are cases where an entire continent is destroyed because of a single monster running wild.

Even in the Tower that may one day be invaded, there are many powerful monsters. There are even true monsters sitting at the top of that Tower.

All of this is knowledge from the original. I have never actually experienced it.

The strongest power I have felt in this world as I live. The strongest person.

The fierce and wild golden magic.

“Expansion ability.”

I contain it. Specimen? Data? Information? It’s more than enough, overflowing to the point of excess. I collected information almost daily.

The person I have had the most contact with. The person who has continued to lead me and teach me.

The person who embodies the calm image of an adult that I imagined.

It can be reproduced.

“Homogenization.”

Have I used it too much in succession? My head is dizzy. I grabbed onto the thread of sanity that seemed like it would break at any moment.

This is the last. I instinctively realized.

Crack! My fingernails dug into my palm. The strong energy surged violently like a raging fire, then compressed and subsided.

The color changes. Unexpected sunlight appeared in the crumbling passage.

Atra Clyde’s unique ability.

Acquired postnatally, it is a unique ability that boasts an output comparable to Geophwa and the nature of magic.

“White Night.”

The golden energy-infused fist struck the head of Aerus.

Light exploded.

* * *

– Kwaah!

Thud- The fist struck the outer wall of the space, which seemed to collapse at any moment.

The golden energy followed. Kwaah! A shockwave spread, urging the world to disappear.

– Kwajak!

How many times did the fist strike? Five? Six? Cracks in the outer wall began to fall apart.

It wasn’t completely broken. There was no intention to do so.

The ashen outer wall crumbling before my eyes. Atra quickly retrieved his fist and stepped into the hole in the ground.

“Where are you? Where are you…!”

His bloodshot eyes scanned the surroundings. His magic-enhanced vision swept through the city.

The city was in chaos. Buildings collapsed everywhere, and flames were rising.

The scene was growing more ominous.

He cut through it with a growl.

There were bodies that showed no signs of survival. Pieces of flesh were being used as monsters’ prey.

The ominous feeling grew. He swept away the damn monsters with his strong energy.

“……!”

A familiar energy. A very faint one that intensified the ominous feeling.

Crack! The rooftop he was standing on suddenly collapsed. Atra’s gaze found the source of the energy.

Right next to that energy, there was the energy of a sinister monster.

And.

– Kwaah!

A loud noise echoed in his ears. It was a familiar type of magic and a loud noise.

“Damn it.”

Damn it, damn it, damn it…!

Ominous.

The world changed rapidly. Atra’s form expanded.

Thud! As he landed, the ground shattered. He looked around without hesitation.

The entrance to the shelter turned into a mess. The door near the passage was crushed and scattered on the ground.

Ominous.

“It can’t be.”

This time is different. It can’t be like that. I will definitely be safe. I can feel the magic. It’s different from last time. This time.

This time…

Thoughts filled his mind. He tore through all the ominous feelings and hurried into the shelter.

And then.

An arm appeared.

“……”

Where did it go? A arm with missing fingers and the remaining fingers all broken.

An arm with skin torn apart as if ripped by something huge, with no smooth spot left.

An arm covered in chunks of ice.

An arm that should be attached to the body, yet somehow detached.

A familiar arm.

The world was dyed black. For some reason, my gaze involuntarily turned.

Nearby.

There lies the body of a monster with its head smashed on a puddle of blood. A monster with a sturdy body and red fur. It appears to be an alpha specimen.

Dead. Who killed it?

I didn’t want to see. I have to see. My gaze involuntarily turned back.

Next to it… a body with ‘a missing arm’ was visible.

A body.

A figure that doesn’t seem human at all.

A familiar physique. A familiar scar engraved on the right arm that could be called a chunk of meat.

Sprawled on the pool of blood…

“Ah.”

My lips parted. No sound came out.

The light disappeared from Atra’s eyes.

* * *

[Savior Correction System]

[Auxiliary support for the preservation of the savior’s life]

[The curse of “Beauty Park Myung” is activated]

[Consumed vitality restores the flesh]

[Consumes vitality due to the curse of “Beauty Park Myung”]