The moment the hunt for the Devouring Creeper was completed.
Busan was in complete chaos.
Hundreds of babies spawned by the great beast ‘Deskrull’ swarmed the city, causing numerous casualties, and the hunters who arrived late tried their best to stop it, but…
They couldn’t achieve their goal as human-type monsters, with eyes seemingly burned by fire, took positions everywhere and obstructed the hunters.
And there was one man quietly watching the scene.
“Well… Maybe I shouldn’t have come.”
It was Jo Gi-man’s Clone that sensed something unusual and rushed over.
The clone sat perched on a distant railing, watching another man who was drawing the great beast’s attention to the city.
“Dnarr Panijial… even I can’t defeat him.”
A monster-like paladin who had conquered another dimension and had the potential to become even stronger after darkening into the sinister paladin. Even the main body was borrowing the power of the Seven-headed Dragon to overcome him, so there was no need to mention how the clone felt.
“I just summoned Debsorpia, and now I’m already annoyed.”
He immediately tried to send a signal to the main body, but after days of silence, he had little hope.
It would be quite embarrassing to retreat in this situation, but just then, news came from the ‘enemy,’ who had been tailing Lee Yeon-hee.
A piece of paper from the office was quickly handed over to the clone’s hand, and after reading the contents and emotions he was sent, the clone frowned slightly.
“Dealing with the Devouring Creeper was indeed expected, but Ma Gwang-jin and Yoo Min-jeong finished it? Then what happened to Kang Yeon-su and Choi Gang-han? Hyeon Il-hwan must have participated too…?”
Something had clearly gone seriously out of order.
Moreover, for some reason, the information about Lee Yeon-hee had noticeably decreased in the content sent by the ‘enemy.’
There was nothing unusual. The three teams had performed decently, and there wasn’t much difference from the levels of the summoned creatures shown during the tournament.
Since Lee Yeon-hee was a B-rank hunter, one could let it go, but the fact that the ‘enemy’ sent plain ’emotions’ made the clone feel uneasy.
“A big variable has occurred, and yet they only sent refined emotions… This bastard must be going crazy again.”
It had been before Jo Gi-man gained his clone ability.
In fact, he had heard a story about how the ‘enemy’ had tried to stab him in the back before the clone was born.
“I should deal with this bastard first before Lee Yeon-hee.”
The clone recalled the advice given by Jo Gi-man regarding the ‘enemy.’
“If you sense that the ‘enemy’ is trying to betray you when I’m away, erase any thoughts of wanting to kill him from your mind. You’ll need to tightly lock away your emotions and call him, as if facing a stranger; that would give you the slightest chance of capturing him.”
The ‘enemy’ was a troublesome guy who, thanks to his acute instincts, somehow managed to evade when summoned with the intent to kill.
“Is it really easy to lock away emotions? It’s such an unreasonable demand for a half-baked like me.”
The clone briefly gazed at Dnarr and ‘Deskrull’ while pondering but eventually turned away.
“I don’t want the chaos to increase at this point, but I can’t risk annihilation.”
The clone had inherited some of Jo Gi-man’s power.
If the clone died, that power would vanish, so alongside various missions, surviving remained the top priority.
Of course, Jo Gi-man had taken out insurance to prevent losing his power, but that too could lead to considerable losses, so it had to be handled cautiously.
After the clone left without regrets, shortly after.
“He’s gone… A shell with Jo Gi-man’s aura.”
Dnarr had noticed the existence of the clone but had no intention of subduing it.
“I’d love to rip him apart, but the risks are too great.”
Although he could easily overcome a clone, if he disturbed it and the main body appeared, everything would be in vain.
“Move as carefully as possible.”
Approximately 30 minutes prior, Dnarr sensed the rift that was taking place shrinking again.
“There must be a great being protecting this world… It’s already repairing the damaged rift… something even Lubuya couldn’t accomplish.”
He didn’t think a being greater than the deity he served would be linked to Jo Gi-man, but it was wise to be cautious, just in case.
“I should slowly withdraw.”
As he watched ‘Deskrull,’ taking care of the humans by destructively rampaging through the city, Dnarr was preparing to retreat.
“Hmm?!”
Kwah—!
Something huge fell from the sky and instantly obliterated the spot where he stood.
Dnarr had already jumped to safety, but the power was so great that he felt a little blood boil.
“Ugh! Quick little bastard.”
“……”
He was facing a tiger beastman resembling an animal commonly referred to as a tiger in this world.
With a massive build reminiscent of an ogre, it was a stark contrast to the agility it had just displayed moments ago.
The aura it radiated was robust, and its physical abilities were beyond anything.
A transcendent being, something beyond the realm of humans.
Curious, Dnarr asked since he hadn’t updated his information on this individual.
“And who are you?”
“Ha ha ha! What kind of bullshit is this? Isn’t that supposed to be my question? Who are you to draw a great beast back into the city just when it’s trying to return to the ocean?”
‘Deskrull’ was a being closely tied to water.
There was no reason for it to head to the filthy center of the city.
Yet, Dnarr was provoking it to continue into the city, and the tiger beastman’s ability to grasp this so quickly was commendable.
“Tch- The bugs in this world sure do have a lot to say.”
“What?”
In an instant, light flashed, and the exchange of blows between the tiger beastman ‘Sang-gun’ and Dnarr ensued hundreds of times.
“Kuhak—!”
Despite the exchange, it didn’t take long for a winner to emerge.
While ‘Sang-gun’ was preoccupied defending against Dnarr’s lightning-fast attacks, he was left battered and eventually knelt before Dnarr, who then crushed Sang-gun’s head underfoot dismissively.
“How dare you, a half-assed slave who’s neither human nor beast… Really annoying little shit.”
“Ughhh!!”
‘Sang-gun’ was experiencing a humiliating moment unlike any he had faced in his life.
But the strength of the mysterious man far exceeded his initial expectations, so it wasn’t particularly Sang-gun’s fault.
Just then.
Pwiwng—
“Hmph!”
Dnarr lightly deflected something that came flying right for his face, changing its course.
Kwah—!
The small stone he swatted hit the top of a building, generating a loud crack.
“Impressive weight… Is that a slingshot? To think you’d try to attack me with a stone infused with magic. How naive. It doesn’t even make me want to laugh.”
It was truly remarkable that such a powerful projectile could be shot from over a kilometer away.
This individual must be of the same caliber as the beastman beneath him.
And he sensed that there were more of them who weren’t to be underestimated moving towards this location.
“If that guy joins, things might get troublesome. Well, I’m satisfied enough with this, so I think I’ll take my leave.”
The previous tiger beastman was no pushover either.
If four of these guys teamed up, he wouldn’t be able to handle them properly.
With Jo Gi-man’s clone already here, Dnarr decided that staying put was not an option and soon used mystical powers to vanish in the blink of an eye.
“Huh…! Damn it… Heh heh heh…”
Having suffered the humiliation of having his head crushed, ‘Sang-gun’ pounded the ground with his fist, and shortly after, a man wielding a pristine white sword descended from the sky like the first snow.
“Hyeon Joong-gil…!”
“Sang-gun…”
Sword Master Hyeon Joong-gil.
Due to restrictions, he often arrived slower than his companions, and it almost cost them a precious ally today.
“He was a monstrous being. Fast beyond comprehension…”
“I felt it vaguely too. To think there’s a powerhouse we can’t overcome even if we all attack together. It’s truly been a long life full of surprises.”
“No, no?! If we all combined our strengths, we would have…!”
Sang-gun couldn’t accept his words, but Hyeon Joong-gil shook his head slowly while helping him up.
“That’s enough. Let’s deal with that guy first. ‘Sim,’ how many shots do we have left?”
In response to his words, a woman emerged from the shadows and raised three fingers.
“Thirty shots, though it’s going to be tight. This is an unscheduled hunt, so we may have to push a little.”
“Your body is weakening, Joong-gil…”
“Then heal me quickly! There’s no time.”
“It won’t happen just by rushing. Sang-gun.”
A small man who had swiftly flown over to heal beside Sang-gun.
Sang-gun rapidly recovered from his injuries, and alongside ‘Sim’ the archer and Hyeon Joong-gil, the four were ready without hesitation and threw themselves at the great beast ‘Deskrull.’
* * *
“It’s been a while.”
Entering the dark space after being annihilated, I took a moment to cool my head while gazing at the messages showing ‘Trace’s’ activities.
– Skull 2 pulls out the spear seen in the spatial realm!
– Skull 2, infused with Il-wol’s energy, charges toward the enemy!
“Is it a weapon made from my bones? I felt something slipping away when I was annihilated; so that’s what it was.”
While looking proudly at Skull 2, who was energetically active with the spear made from my bones, I checked the reward I received from the fragments of a great being.
– You can summon the trace of existence into the spatial realm.
– One Flame Mark required for [Flame Explosion] has decreased.
“Haha… This is really amazing!”
The second reward, in particular, was more significant than the first.
Now, the number of Flame Marks needed to summon a great being decreased to 20.
Reflecting on this recent battle, accumulating 20 wouldn’t be easy, but still, it was a solid win.
“Shall I go meet Rainy soon?”
I quickly moved and soon arrived at the place where Rainy was.
(Il-wol!! Huh huh—)
Rainy had grown her green energy significantly stronger during the time I hadn’t seen her.
Having not seen me for several days, she rushed to hug me, and somewhat subtly, started absorbing my magic.
[It’s been a while.]
Moreover, how did she know? Even Master was waiting for me.
We spent time together sharing experiences I had gone through during our long separation.
[To think the ancient Ent has been corrupted. I can hardly believe it.]
(Right! All trees are good kids!)
Both were in disbelief.
It wouldn’t matter since they probably wouldn’t encounter Escalon.
[But first, let’s see the results of your training after a long time.]
‘Yes!’
I unleashed all my power toward the ground, achieving a 2-meter strike.
[Oh… It’s significant growth, even without stepping into the realm of secret arts.]
Master remarked that facing the formidable opponent Escalon had greatly influenced my progress.
[Escalon is someone who had accomplished immense feats in other ways, so that makes sense. By the way, I saw the remains of that great beast while coming this way.]
‘Ah! That’s right. I did bring back its shell.’
[Shell… I don’t know if I should call something that massive just a shell.]
‘??’
I, along with Master, headed to the place where the root of the Devouring Creeper was located.
‘Uh… huh?’
However, upon arrival, the roots sprawled out before me, far larger than I had imagined.
With the recent growth, my sense had exceeded 20 km, and this root was of such size it couldn’t even be sensed beyond that range.
Including the smaller branches, it was beyond imagination.
‘… The spatial ability really was insane.’
I finally felt the reality of utilizing this vast space in its entirety.
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