I floated in the sky, backing up only where a critical crisis was unfolding.
Whoooo—!
The little guardian, now fully in motion, brought down a gigantic great sword.
Kugugugung!
A deafening roar twisted the very temple itself.
Sweat started to bead on my companions’ faces as they glanced at the several-meter-deep gouge in the temple floor.
“Touching it even slightly means death. Everyone, be careful.”
Noh Ha-yoon warned as she activated an ice field.
Chjeojjeojjeojjeok—
In an instant, Noh Ha-yoon bound the legs of the two guardians.
The intensity of the cold had apparently grown even stronger while I wasn’t looking.
‘Wow, she must have snagged another artifact from somewhere.’
A mysterious charm, imbued with an enchanting aura, was wrapped around Ha-yoon’s ankle.
Of course, it was an expensive piece. At that level, it was likely a gift from a ‘witch’ rather than stolen.
‘Did she get it as a reward for ranking up to B grade?’
I had been a bit careless about Ha-yoon lately, so I was out of the loop regarding her current situation.
Kwaaaaaaah—
“Whoa!”
“Hey, that’s cheating!! Spitting out lasers is against the rules!!”
Maybe taken aback by our explosive initial offensive, the two guardians suddenly switched to a defensive strategy, using their swords and shields for protection while shooting beams of magical energy from their mouths.
‘This is a mess. Something feels off in the balance.’
Generally speaking, when something gets bigger, its speed slows down, but in the magical realm, that concept is irrelevant.
However, those guys might be powerful for their size, but they were comparatively slow, and their attack patterns were simple.
Just as I was beginning to think this might actually go smoothly…
Clang—!
“Huh?”
At Ah-rin’s reaction, bugs resembling ‘Frizkana’ began pouring down from the sky like rain.
This was no pre-meditated strategy; the little guardian had activated a skill to summon them, a tactic I hadn’t picked up on at all.
Woosh—
Without a second thought, I shot up into the sky.
Abyssal Stance
– Fortifies muscular tissue taking the shape of blades, filled with potent neurotoxins.
– The number of blades corresponds to the maximum amount of magical power.
Slipping Blades
– Speed increases by 30% while in the ‘Abyssal Stance.’
As soon as the ability activated, countless blades burst forth from my body in all directions, and I activated all my movement techniques, slicing through the sky in a straight line.
Puffaahhh!!
Wherever I passed, the sky was painted with the severed fluids of the Frizkana.
– ‘Frizkana’ has been defeated!
– ‘Frizkana’ has been defeated!
– ‘Frizkana’ has been defeated!
– [Gem’s Smile] has activated!
– It has been delivered to the summoner ‘Lee Yeon-hee’ with whom I share a true bond.
“Huh? A gem?”
Yeon-hee frowned at the unexpected gem appearing before her.
She was right in the midst of a battle, so this was honestly just a distraction.
‘Hmm… I really want to get rid of this skill.’
However, the moment the gem appeared, a rush of energy surged through my body.
‘Does Yeon-hee gain an increase in her summoned creatures’ attack power? That changes things.’
As I absentmindedly rubbed my chin, the hundreds of fallen Frizkana began activating their skills all at once.
[Sanctuary of Vigilance]
As the sanctuary activated, my companions hurriedly gathered in one spot.
The specters and minions were dismissed, and aside from the ‘Red-haired Dire Wolf’ used for mobility, Yeon-hee released all her summons to evade.
Kwachachachachachachachang────!
A few seconds after the party members had all gathered in the sanctuary, an unbearable cold enveloped the entirety of the temple.
‘Ugh— this is powerful. But the durability of the sanctuary is still sufficient.’
No messages appeared in numerical form, but I knew we still had around 60% left.
Durability heals over time, so there was no need to worry too much.
‘Still, letting it slide once more will be dangerous.’
“Wow— this is serious. That could have been a real disaster. Isn’t this about your mom’s skill level?”
“Our mom? Pfft— you must be joking!”
Noh Ha-yoon chuckled at Joo-ah’s remark.
No matter how strong the cold of Frizkana was, comparing it to the ‘witch’ who had forced even ‘Kang Yeon-su’ to kneel was absurd.
“Looks like the two guardians were just bait, and this is the real deal.”
“If Il-wol hadn’t been here, we would’ve definitely been in trouble.”
“You’re right. We should take down the little guardians first. Il-wol, it’s time for you to join us.”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
I gathered Flame Energy in my fingertips and aimed for the little one’s left shoulder.
‘When summoning Frizkana, the reaction initiated from whatever was inside its left shoulder.’
Over five thousand in magical power.
There was more than enough fuel.
As I released the sanctuary, my companions scattered in all directions to create chaos.
And amidst the confusion, I snuck in a Flame Shot.
Nailing the distracted guardian didn’t even require Ran’s help.
K럼KABOOOM───!!
The Flame Shot struck its target without any deviation.
In one blow, the little guardian’s left shoulder exploded.
For the first time, the guardian’s face twisted grotesquely.
‘So that was the weak spot.’
I could feel the precious gem inside its shoulder shatter.
The ability that had summoned the Frizkana was definitely tied to its power.
“Frizkana is gathering power again!!”
“Flip it and attack its belly!”
“Whoa— so many shards are falling. Hehehe—”
The rewards from the freshly fallen creatures far outweighed those wandering outside. While the runes didn’t drop, the mana stones were all top-tier, and each yielded 3-4 shards.
After that, there weren’t any major crises.
My specters and minions, along with two beasts, handled the big one.
While variables like summoning Frizkana could have posed danger, luckily, none appeared.
Kuwuwung──!!
Taking down the larger guardian concluded nearly 30 minutes of the boss battle.
Noh Ha-yoon froze the fallen ones’ legs while I bound their upper bodies securely.
Two massive divine bodies lay side by side, glaring at us.
“Is it possible, sis?”
“I’ll… give it a shot.”
Soon, a beautiful voice echoed throughout the dungeon.
[The mysterious touch quells magical power and all activities lose their light—
Silence wraps the world and the whispers of magic fade away—
The flow of time retreats, and all life begins to stagnate—]
Eun-young, perched on top of the beast ‘Grrrng,’ was singing a song of silence.
An incredible ability that interfered with health and magical recovery while silencing all spells.
‘Ham Eun-young’s skill is still amazing. In terms of acquiring abilities in the direction she pursues, she’s above me.’
True to the heritage of the ‘Transcendent of Reflux,’ she was a true hunter.
“Oh.”
Eun-young let out a short gasp, and a faint magical energy began to bloom on her body.
Her level increased as she silenced the guardians.
“I have subdued them, but how do we purify it?”
“We can’t exactly drag this gigantic thing anywhere. And we can’t summon a purifier either.”
The expressions of my companions turned to confusion, but soon they looked to me with expectant eyes.
Acknowledging their gazes, I placed my hand on the guardian’s body.
‘I was just about to do that.’
– A being with remaining life force.
The system’s message indicated it could not be placed in the void.
‘Life force? For a rock?
Once more, I probed their insides with my senses.
‘Nothing significant… Wait?’
Upon careful inspection, what registered with my senses was annoyingly smaller than their bodies.
It felt like a space just the size of a person wasn’t detected.
‘… Ran, loosen the potential of the void. And tell them to summon me back as soon as the guardian is stored.’
(You always want so much. You bonehead.)
As Ran whirled around the vicinity, releasing her ethereal spirit’s mysterious energy, I sensed an infinitely expanding thought in my head.
After a moment, when I placed my hand on the guardian again, that massive body was quickly tucked into the void.
“Huh?!”
“Whoa, as expected! Il-wol made it possible.”
“No limit to the void… I’m so envious.”
The chatter of my companions soon dwindled.
It was thanks to Yeon-hee’s dismissal of her summons.
Tap—
Stepping into the Dark Space, I fortuitously stumbled upon the two guardians.
‘Ugh— these are just incredibly heavy!’
Ultimately, I had to mobilize all my subordinates to haul the guardians out before I could pick up the pace.
Ran’s opportunity to loosen the void was only for 30 minutes.
‘Time’s running out.’
(Huh? Il-wol… what’s this? What are you dragging in again?)
Seeing the giant, ominous energy-filled guardian, Rainy recoiled in fear and took a step back.
Kuwuwung!!
‘Rainy, can you purify these beasts?’
It took a considerable amount of time for Rainy to purify even a single crystal.
Purifying such massive creatures would obviously take an eternity.
But if Ran’s acceleration skills wore off, the guardians I just pulled would vanish back outside the void.
Now that I had come this far, I felt a rush of discomfort.
‘It’ll be tough.’
Just in case, I had asked her.
(Huh? This doesn’t seem like it’ll take long?)
‘…Really? It’s that big?’
(I just want to clean the dirty stuff on the outside! That’s out of my league! But I think I can handle the small black parts inside.)
‘… The small black part inside. Is Rainy more sensitive to dirt than I am?’
I climbed onto the center of the guardian and split the space a few times.
Whhaaaa—
An intolerably dark, moist aura began to seep through the fissures.
(Woah! What are you doing?! Il-wol’s trying to kill me!)
Rainy fussed as if the world were ending, but aside from stepping back slightly, she remained intrigued by my actions.
As the dark aura gradually escaped through the crack, I resumed my work.
Papapook—pukpuk—
As I reached the center, something finally solid and identifiable caught my senses.
‘This is… a person?’
In fact, they were girls who didn’t seem older than ten years old.
With golden hair and eyes.
They were true beauties with skin as white as snow.
Their attire was very quaint, and looking at the abundant golden trimmings, they seemed like children who had been treated exceptionally well.
(So we just have to purify these two, right?)
‘Correct.’
(I’ll get right on it. Wait!)
The reason Rainy insisted it wouldn’t take long became clear when she swiftly pulled out the two girls.
‘There’s a thick accumulation of corrupted aura around their hearts… Someone has done something to them?’
Yet, compared to the immensely condensed, tainted crystal, this energy seemed trivial.
This should be an easy task for Rainy, who had been accustomed to extreme missions.
And mere minutes later…
(Huhuhu— Done!)
‘Already?!’
To my surprise, Rainy managed to purify both girls in less than five minutes.
The already divine energy of the girls intensified to an extent that I couldn’t even bear to look at.
“Ugh…”
“Haah…”
Both seemed on the brink of regaining consciousness.
Just then, the possibility of the void, which Ran had opened, vanished, and the two girls disappeared in an instant.
‘Phew— somehow got it done. But why isn’t this going away?’
The bodies of the guardians from which the two girls had emerged.
Even my left arm, which had been obliterated, began to gradually mend.
‘These aren’t just simple guardians. Oh, thank you, Rainy. You really saved me.’
(But I wish I could just get rid of that filthy thing!)
Following Rainy’s request, I hurled the guardian’s body far away.
It was too much to ask to purify that. I couldn’t load more burdens on Rainy, who had already been pushed hard lately.
Simultaneously, I felt Yeon-hee’s call, and I returned to the dungeon where my companions awaited.
– You have completed ‘Areina’s’ small quest!
– Magical power has increased by 500, and you have obtained ‘Areina’s Noble Shield!’
Areina’s Noble Shield
– A remarkable attribute that can block damage leading to death once.
– After use, traces of Areina will remain connected.
– Wow—!!
– Hahaha—!!
My companions were already hugging and celebrating joyfully.
To gain 500 magical power from just one boss battle?
That was equivalent to at least two decent artifacts!
Moreover, an amazing attribute that could effectively save a life was now at our disposal.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we were as happy as if we had saved the world.
‘The quest reward from the divine being might not be determined by the difficulty we perceive.’
Areina probably deemed the task sufficiently challenging to warrant this level of reward.
‘But where did the purified girls go?’
“Oh, the two girls vanished the moment they came out.”
Seemingly reading my thoughts, Yeon-hee answered my curiosity.
“To go through all that trouble to save them, just to have them disappear immediately!!”
‘They disappeared right after… Speaking of which, even Areina’s gaze has faded. They must have taken them away right after rescuing them? Is it possible to take away a living person like that?’
It could very well be a miracle possible only within the Light Temple.
There was regret, but what was already taken couldn’t be helped.
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