Hoo… Hah…
Jo Gi-man’s Clone took a deep breath, keeping a particularly close watch on Bae Joo-ah as he continued to speak.
“Honestly, I was considering hiring a premium mercenary group, but I’m glad I came myself. I’ve wanted to see you all alone for a while now. Hehehe… Is there anyone among you who likes to be choked? Maybe you with the glasses?”
“······.”
Bae Joo-ah, pointed out by the clone, bit down on her lip, trying to keep her composure.
‘This crazy bastard…’
“No one? That’s a shame. It’s only a matter of time before I choke you all anyway. By the way… why do you have all this random stuff laid out?”
‘Shit… He caught on right away.’
Whoooosh—
Thud thud thud—
The traps hastily made from the Great Beast’s leftovers that Il-wol had set up were completely disabled and scattered on the ground with just a gesture from the clone.
“Wait a second. Could it be… you all were waiting for me to show up—”
But the hunters took that as a signal to spring into action.
Yeon-hee and Il-wol called forth summoned creatures and minions with [Provocation] to momentarily distract him, while the party members, including Noh Ha-yoon, unleashed their skills one by one before scattering in all directions.
At the same time, Ma Gwang-jin, who had been hiding among the branches, leaped forward, and Yoo Min-jeong and Shin Young-ah’s binding skills followed in a staggered succession.
The clone’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected turn of events.
“Wha- what?! These filthy things!”
The clone noticed the traps laid by the ‘enemy’ but seemed oblivious to the hidden backup planned by Il-wol’s companions.
“Ugh! Why can’t I break free?!”
Surprisingly, the coordinated attack had an effect, and he was stuck firmly to the ground.
But.
“Did you really think it would go like that? Baek Yeong-eung-cheon──!”
The clone erupted shadows writhing like snakes from its body, bursting forth and transforming into smoke, only to reveal itself high up in the sky again.
“Ha ha ha ha! You pathetic fools! Trying to sneak up on me!”
Despite the bravado in Jo Gi-man’s clone’s words, beads of sweat were forming on his back. He really was stuck in place.
‘That damn Yoo Min-jeong… I should’ve cleared that out beforehand.’
“Ah… insane!”
“Shadow skills, huh!!”
“Keep pushing!”
“Clap, Clap, Clap!”
But Il-wol had already anticipated that the clone would have some sort of escape technique, so he wasn’t too flustered.
Just as the clone landed to evade, Il-wol’s [Chain of Flame] and [Altered Green Bind] he had prepared in advance activated at just the right moment.
“Whoa?! What?!”
With the two opposing attributes activating in perfect timing, the clone displayed genuine surprise for the first time.
But the binding time was fleeting, and just when they thought they might let it slip away…
Swoosh—
A massive net that had covered the clone from above suddenly fell down.
“Ugh?!”
The clone tried to cut through it with its lightning-infused swordplay, but the initial net was just an illusion. Following it, the net re-materialized and enveloped him.
The net had been prepared by the ‘enemy’ and their summoned allies. The idea of adding an illusionary effect to the first net was simply brilliant.
Surely, this was a net that had taken years of effort to develop, to deceive the clone’s eyes by controlling the flow of magic.
“Il-wol──!!”
They fiercely yanked on the net that ensnared the clone, and in response, Il-wol threw himself toward the clone.
Even amidst this chaos, the clone struggled to wriggle out and escape.
Boom boom boom boom bang───!!
Great blocks of stone, cut squarely, began stacking up around the clone, encasing him tightly.
These were the stone floors Il-wol had discreetly cut through in Dark Space, which perfectly interlocked at the moment of piling up, preventing Jo Gi-man from escaping as he transformed into a shadow to evade.
The only path out was right in front of the clone, but Ma Gwang-jin blocked the way, thwarting any escape.
“Ma Gwang-jin?! Why are you with Lee Yeon-hee?!”
He was someone who had never been connected to Lee Yeon-hee even once in previous rounds.
Moreover, Ma Gwang-jin had somehow attained combat power that matched Kang Yeon-su’s.
While he couldn’t make a direct comparison, Jo Gi-man’s clone was a monster on par with the First Escalon.
Yet, with the special effects of the net and the draining binding, he couldn’t break through Ma Gwang-jin.
And Il-wol rushed past Ma Gwang-jin without giving him a moment to breathe, closing in on the clone.
“Damn it!!”
The clone felt something unsettling and retreated, but stuck amidst a pile of stones whose origins were a mystery, he couldn’t evade properly.
At that moment, the core in Il-wol’s chest stirred, and just as it was about to act.
BOOM──
Fwoosh──
Suddenly, a boundless malice erupted from the clone’s body, exploding the net and stone cage that surrounded him.
[Kyahooo───!!]
A huge monster with two heads burst out through the cramped human body and roared.
In an instant, the self-destruct mechanism that Il-wol was about to activate was aborted, reminding him of when he had met the “Master” of ‘Do’, Inessa.
It was the second time his self-detonation had been canceled since that instance.
“Ughhhh….”
For some reason, everyone, including the summoned creatures, froze in horror at the sight of the monster, which bared its massive jaws wide towards them.
And precisely that direction was where Yeon-hee and Shin Young-ah stood.
‘Oh no…!!’
The clone could even transform into the Seven-headed Dragon?! No, was it a Two-headed Dragon?
But before Il-wol could be surprised, he changed into battle-type with Lightning Armor and activated his powers.
[Blink]
Il-wol transcended space, hurling himself to the side with Yeon-hee and Shin Young-ah in his arms.
Boom boom boom boom boom────!!
The breath that swept through the space Yeon-hee occupied shot far into the sky, passing through the hidden dungeon managed by the Ilseom Guild.
“What, what is…?”
“Ugh…”
“Unbelievable…”
Everyone was at a loss for words at the overwhelming force of destruction.
It was fortunate that the point hadn’t been properly zeroed in, or else just a brush would have obliterated everything.
Steam was still rising from the two-headed dragon’s mouth, forming a cloud, and it soon soared skyward as if it were ascending.
Flap—
‘No, not again?’
The two-headed dragon’s throat quivered again, causing the hair of everyone present to stand on end.
But.
Crack—Krrraaack—
Suddenly, one of its wings snapped, and the two-headed dragon plummeted to the ground.
The dragon-shaped appearance had vanished, and Jo Gi-man’s clone, now no longer in that form, was bleeding profusely and in agony.
“Kugh—! Cough—”
‘So it was an incomplete ability!’
This was evidently the moment when the clone should have escaped.
Yet, he fixated on Yeon-hee, glaring at her as if he were going to kill her. It felt as if he had never even considered retreating.
Even though today’s events were not her fault, there was a palpable malice aimed solely at her.
Feeling the chilling energy, Il-wol attempted to follow up with an attack but the clone was just a hair quicker.
“Grahhh… You bugs!! I’ll crush you all──!!”
With the clone’s roar, dark clouds swirled in the formerly clear sky, and an immense power emerged.
Il-wol and the other hunters reacted, throwing the fastest skills they could muster at the clone.
[Two-headed Dragon’s Blessing]
‘Damage negation?!’
The clone activated a defensive skill at just the right moment, and soon, crimson bolts of lightning began to tear through space, screaming down from the heavens.
“Ugh… Is that [Sky Thunderbolt]?!”
Ma Gwang-jin shouted the skill name without realizing it, causing the hunters around him to clutch their heads in shock.
The Sky Thunderbolt was well-known as Jo Gi-man’s unique skill, renowned for its sheer destructive power.
And to use [Sky Thunderbolt] meant that the person was indeed Jo Gi-man, leaving everyone to horror and despair.
‘Damn it, I have to stop him!’
In less than a second, shattering time, Il-wol transformed into battle-type with Flame Armor, staring at Jo Gi-man’s face in the sky.
– When switching to battle type, inflict strong flame damage on the first enemy that comes into sight.
This was a power acquired from his job change.
A ridiculously powerful ability to inflict flame damage simply by looking at someone.
While there hadn’t been many opportunities to use the skill, he drew it out again in a desperate attempt to buy time.
‘First, I’ll buy time with this, and when I can use Yoo Min-jeong’s binding again, I’ll launch an attack—’
But the moment Il-wol triggered the flames with his gaze.
BOOM──!!
‘…Huh? Huh?!’
As soon as Il-wol’s gaze touched the clone’s face, a massive explosion erupted, and pitch-black flames soared high into the sky.
“Guuaahhh!! It’s too hot!!”
Jo Gi-man’s clone was trapped in the explosion of flames, screaming horrifically as he struggled.
“What?! What just happened?”
“That was incredible… Is that also the ability of Il-wol’s summoned creature?”
“No way, if the master is B-rank, how could the summoned creature have a skill like that? What’s the balance in that?!”
It seemed everyone else thought Il-wol’s unleashed power was impressive too.
‘Is this… really my ability? The destructive power must be several dozen times that of [Flame Explosion]?!’
Il-wol was left dumbfounded, his mind blank, but the seasoned hunters didn’t slacken their assault.
“Keep pushing! If we don’t kill him now, we’re done for!!”
Possibly having experienced being thoroughly toyed with by the First Escalon, the hunters showed no signs of relaxing.
At that moment, Jo Gi-man’s clone was still rolling on the ground, having barely escaped Il-wol’s flames, but he was more flustered than ever, unable to think straight.
A message flickered in his mind.
It was something entirely incomprehensible.
– Achievement [Master of Senses] is activated!
‘Why is this activating? What the hell is going on?! Whose skill was that?’
[Master of Senses]
– The power of the Evil God Seven-headed Dragon significantly warps the achievement.
– It detects the location of all ‘Sense’ ability users with lower potential than the devoured Shayna.
– Deals 1,000% additional damage to all ‘Sense’ ability users with lower potential than the devoured Shayna.
– Receives 1,000% additional damage from all ‘Sense’ ability users with higher potential than the devoured Shayna.
The clone shares most of the achievements his main body has obtained.
The achievement [Master of Senses], earned by devouring the transcendent ‘Shayna Laine’ from Australia, was one of them.
This was the world in which the strongest being, Yoon Han-gyeol, had died.
The likelihood that Jo Gi-man and his clone would inflict additional damage to ‘Sense’ ability users was undeniable, but under no circumstances should the reverse effect be triggered, so what the hell was going on?
‘The system can’t be malfunctioning?! Then does that mean there’s a ‘Sense’ ability user here with potential surpassing Shayna Laine? That can’t be true! Yoon Han-gyeol is definitely dead!!’
Fwoosh──!
“Kugh…!”
As he denied reality, Ma Gwang-jin’s dagger pierced through the clone’s abdomen, twisting fiercely.
“Wow- your defense is impressive, Jo Gi-man. How have you been? Why were you trying to kill Yeon-hee while wearing a mask? Huh? Can’t talk because a knife is lodged in you?”
“Uurgh…!”
Jo Gi-man’s clone, who usually dealt only with manageable tasks, was momentarily at a loss for words from the unfamiliar sensation of a blade buried deep in his abdomen.
The skill that nullified damage had long been released.
As Il-wol’s summoned minions, called forth earlier, enveloped the clone.
Puff puff puff! Pwoo!
“Kugh! Cylk! Damn these little bastards!!”
Jo Gi-man flailed his arms in the air, trying to shake off the minions, but it was futile.
“Clap, Clap, Clap!!”
Two skeletons, Ainz and Zweihander, had already jumped on the clone’s back, mercilessly stabbing away with weapons nearly double their size.
Sure enough, he was being tormented by the pain they inflicted.
[Binding of the Verdant]
[Decline of the Retinue]
“Gotcha for sure!!”
“Finish him off!”
With powerful bindings once again restraining him, the clone felt his magic shield completely undone, and a sensation of vertigo hit him.
‘Ahh…’
And the last thing that flashed in his sight was a skeleton soldier, resembling the demons of a burning hell.
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