Something had changed.
It wasn’t just that my spatial perception had collapsed.
My body had changed. The legs that felt like they could give out at any moment suddenly found strength. It was as if something was supporting and stroking me from behind…
‘What the hell?’
Is this the “Reversal of Fortune”? Am I really on the brink of death?
– Grrrrrr…!
…I didn’t have the luxury to think.
I thought I had gained a little breathing space from being a mountain of rotting flesh that was about to die.
The roar of Aelus always carried intentions of threat. It was a sound meant to intimidate and freeze its prey as a predator.
Now, it was mixed with confusion and vigilance. Maybe it had sensed my change through instinctive intuition.
I felt it.
Fur brushed against the wind, marked in green lines.
‘Huh.’
A world painted in black with green lines.
It was familiar information. It was the incredibly frustrating perspective I felt when I first lived in this world.
Back then, I thought my spatial perception was broken.
Now, I understood.
This was just reading the entirety of the space. My rank and level were so low that I couldn’t read it properly, making it practically useless.
I felt that chilling sensation because I had seen the Gate through this.
I nodded. A subtle sensation coursed through me.
I felt something I hadn’t sensed before.
This very space favored Aelus. It had transformed into such an environment. A backup of the dungeon. The benefits given to the alpha entity of the dungeon.
Conversely, it pressured external beings.
It invigorated the monsters inside while oppressing outsiders.
In the midst of this spatial perception, shaking off the pressure being applied to me was already overwhelming.
But now? I had no reason to just leave it be.
I waved my hand.
The air rippled along with my touch. The slight resonance quickly transformed into a massive wave.
‘Power manifestation.’
“Space.”
The space wobbled violently.
A vortex of space erupted around me, spreading in all directions. It ripped apart the dungeon’s domination in an instant, and my influence spread through the vicinity.
– …!?
Aelus widened its eyes. Its clear confusion was apparent.
The power that had boosted it was no more.
Aelus, lifting its head, looked up to the sky. The sense of the dungeon that always watched over Aelus and lent its strength was gone now.
Just a moment ago, this place was a territory of the dungeon. It was a space swallowed by a rampaging dungeon and a battlefield advantageous to the monsters belonging to it.
No longer.
Now, this space was under my control. It was beyond casual spatial perception. Though I hadn’t fully unleashed my power, there was no way a measly fourth-grade dungeon could compete with my authority.
I felt it. The black-and-white backdrop with green lines…
Even as I was on the verge of death, the vibrations touched my skin. My hearing caught the crying sound sharply.
It didn’t interfere with the battle, but there was no reason to stubbornly stick to less effective methods when better options were available.
I waved my hand again. There were no ripples or vortices in the space.
‘Power manifestation.’
“Observation.”
Unlike the power of space, there were no special phenomena this time.
It was just information being received once again.
There might be other operational methods, but I didn’t have time to study and experiment with them.
Thus, I operated in the way I was most familiar with.
Like spatial perception, I gathered information from the area spread out around me.
The waves of space erupted around me, and inversely, waves of information flooded towards me.
The black map regained its colors. The blood-red fur and mist, the puddles of bright red blood scattered on the ground, and the feathers of the sky fluttering with magical energy.
Clear.
The information flooding into my mind was embarrassingly vivid and detailed compared to before.
Bam! The ground cracked. Blood surged. A paw cloaked in blood energy charged with a scraping motion through the air. The wind from its claws approached menacingly.
The attack was the same as before.
But it felt different this time.
I reached out. Cool energy enveloped me.
Attack and Defense.
The cool energy mixed with the blood energy. The blue and red pushed against each other.
The blue was pushed back.
Better than before, yet still, I was being pushed back.
The reason was clear. The blood energy was thicker and stronger than my cool energy.
If I faced it head-on, my strong energy would break apart.
– Grrrrr…!
I wasn’t pushed back. I subtly adjusted the trajectory of the incoming attack. It smashed into the innocent ground below.
I deflected the claw that swung like a whip. The wall, long since turned into tatters, was ripped apart.
“Jack of All Trades.”
The unique ability of an all-rounder with at least some potential in all aspects.
Also, a unique ability that enhances technique.
Having realized this uniqueness, I rapidly grew.
I could now easily deflect and evade compared to before. My techniques had grown.
Moreover, the quality of the information gathered through the power of observation had increased. There was no reason to avoid it.
If I had been at this level from the start, I could have held out forever.
But dragging things on was unwise given my condition was at its worst.
If it weren’t for the unknown energy supporting my back, I would have been a corpse by now.
And my intuition warned me that this help wouldn’t last long.
I couldn’t afford to waste time. I had to finish things quickly. If I collapsed here, the people in the shelter would die.
That was true earlier as well. But I hadn’t been able to accomplish it due to output issues.
Now? Would it truly be possible? I had to give it a try.
With a wry smile, I reached out with my hand, my tattered, broken arm forced to hold onto the wings of the sky.
Also, my right arm bore hideous burn scars.
The foreleg of Aelus, which had been reaching out, shuddered. It seemed to sense that it wanted to retreat. Perhaps because it was a beast, its intuition might be sharper.
Whoosh!
But it was too late. The distance was enough.
A spark ignited on my right arm. In an instant, it blossomed into a massive flame.
A flame that burned myself and the world, a fire that left nothing but ashes for what it hated.
“Gop-hwa.”
Why was the flame erupting from my arm? I still didn’t know precisely, but I understood the mechanism.
‘Magical affinity.’
The unique ability I originally possessed but had been unaware of.
The original explanation of its beyond standard affinity for magic wasn’t off the mark.
But in this moment, the ability I defined was different.
Thanks to magical affinity, I had felt magic from the start. It was easy to enter into magic. It was easy to handle, and using magic, energy, and spells was easy too.
Magical affinity isn’t just that. While it includes that aspect, it’s merely a byproduct.
It’s the ability to do what others can’t.
When was it? Was it the fire back then?
I encountered “Gop-hwa.” The flames that splashed onto my right arm and my body were Gop-hwa. It burned me, but for some reason, I survived.
Especially, my right arm, which had been relentlessly bitten by Gop-hwa, understood and remembered Gop-hwa.
‘Expansion of abilities.’
The extension of uniqueness.
A step forward without stagnation.
Whether it’s regression or progress is uncertain, but one thing is clear – it wouldn’t stop or remain unchanged.
‘Homogenization, Gop-hwa.’
The firestorm surged through the broad corridor. The flames that purified the thick blood rushed ahead.
– Kaaaaah─!
Aelus let out a tortured growl from its throat for the first time. The corridor trembled. Debris rolled around in all directions.
The Gop-hwa that adhered to it evaporated all the blood energy enveloping its body.
Aelus rolled on the ground. But Gop-hwa did not extinguish.
‘Does it hurt, you bastard?’
I knew it hurt like hell.
It felt so refreshing. Seeing it suffer in agony after trying to make me suffer and kill me was a relief.
But I was dying too. I grinned as I hit the ground.
– Grgrgrgr──!
Bubbles drooled from Aelus’s mouth as it slammed its paw down, trying to rise from the ground.
Even if its eyes were about to roll back in pain, its survival instinct seemed to drive its body to move.
Its gaze fell upon my right arm. It seemed cautious of the remaining flicker of Gop-hwa.
The sound of the wind slicing through the air.
Its claws, slightly wrapped in blood energy, came flying towards my face.
There was a difference in size. Even if I stretched out my hand, it meant my head would fly off first.
There was a difference in physical capabilities. If we raced side by side, I could never outrun Aelus.
It wasn’t impossible to dodge. I twisted my body. My ear, barely recognizable as a circle, flew off. The tips of my hair were severed.
In return, I regained some distance. I burrowed into its embrace.
Even amidst this, Aelus’s focus remained fixated on my right arm. It seemed intent on avoiding Gop-hwa at all costs.
I extended my left arm.
Though it was wrapped in the wings of the sky, my cool energy had dissipated, leaving it defenseless. It was a left arm that couldn’t draw much attention.
It was a left arm that Aelus, in its Gop-hwa frenzy, likely wouldn’t pay attention to.
– Rrrrgh!
Its jaw opened wide; the distance closed. It meant there was an opportunity for it to attack me too.
If it bit me, my upper body could easily fit into its jaws. Its sharp, thick teeth could easily chew me up in an instant.
I extended my left arm towards it.
Its open jaw began to close. The teeth were coming for me.
– Crack─!
The wings of the sky ripped apart. Flesh broke. Muscles were parted, and its teeth finally sank deep into the bone.
– Crunch!
In that instant, I activated my magic.
‘Expansion of abilities.’
The circuits creaked. I scraped the ground for magic. It wasn’t enough.
– Wooooooong!
I siphoned nearby magic. Mixed with assorted debris, I didn’t pay attention to the aftereffects as I poured it all into my left arm.
‘Homogenization.’
I had directly experienced Gop-hwa. I had suffered through its pain and understood it.
However, I had never experienced anything comparable to that.
But I certainly felt it. I felt the effect of it on me, and I felt the magic used by others up close.
Moreover, it was a unique capacity that would not fall behind Gop-hwa in intensity.
‘Seas of Change.’
Bang! From my shredded left arm, coldness erupted. Aelus’s head froze entirely.
It was biting down on my left arm. Because of the difference in size, its head was thankfully lowered.
I found it in a perfect position to strike, and there was no room to escape.
Realizing this, Aelus frantically tried to pull its head back.
Crack! Its already shattered arm bones crumbled further. Perhaps due to being frozen alive, I felt a pain as if my blood vessels were boiling.
Grrrrah…! I pulled back my clenched, unprecedentedly tight fist.
There was no next time. I had to finish it in a single strike.
‘Gop-hwa?’
If used, it could inflict serious damage. I could make it a complete idiot. But there was a level of uncertainty. It could survive my immature Gop-hwa and remain active.
Just a moment ago, it had been hit by Gop-hwa directly, yet it still remained functional.
I knew Gop-hwa was potent. I had felt the power of Gop-hwa when Hong Yeon-hwa manifested it.
But.
‘Something stronger.’
There are so many strong individuals in this world. And many monsters that defy common sense as well.
One monster can turn a vast land like China into a toxic wasteland.
One monster’s rampage can bring down an entire continent.
There are powerful monsters within the tower, which may invade at any moment. There are also the real monsters sitting at the top of that tower.
All of this is knowledge from the original story. I have never actually felt it.
The strongest power I have felt in my life, the strongest person.
The fierce and wild golden magic.
‘Expansion of abilities.’
I absorbed it. Samples? Materials? Information? It was more than I needed, overflowing even. I practically collected information every single day.
That person was the one I had the most contact with. The one who always guided and taught me.
The person I had imagined as a calm adult.
I could reproduce it.
‘Homogenization.’
Had I used it too many times in succession? My head felt light. I held onto my fraying consciousness.
This was it; I instinctively realized it.
Crack! My fingernails dug into my palm. My strong energy surged, raging fiercely before compressing and settling.
The color changed. In the utterly crumbling corridor, an unexpected ray of sunlight emerged.
Atra Clyde’s unique ability.
‘White Night.’
A golden aura-laden fist struck Aelus’s head.
The light exploded.
*
– Bang!
The moment my fist hit the trembling, seemingly about to collapse outer wall of the space, a wave of golden energy followed.
– Crash!
How many times did I punch? Five? Six? The cracks in the outer wall finally began to cascade down like a waterfall.
I couldn’t completely destroy it. That wasn’t my intent either.
Before my eyes, the crumbling ashen outer wall. Atra quickly withdrew her fist and dashed into the opening.
‘Where? Where are you…?!’
My bloodshot eyes scanned around. My magic-enhanced vision swept through the city.
Destruction lay before me. Buildings were in ruins, flames rising from various places.
A sinister sight loomed larger.
I gritted my teeth and maneuvered through it.
I saw corpses that showed no signs of survival. I saw chunks of meat becoming meals for monsters.
The dreadful feeling amplified. I blasted through the pesky monsters with a wave of cool energy.
“……!”
A familiar aura. A faint presence that sent chills down my spine.
Boom! The rooftop I was standing on suddenly collapsed. Atra’s gaze raced to find the source of the aura.
Next to that energy, there was a gruesome monster’s presence.
And then.
– Bang!
A loud explosion rang in my ears. It was a familiar quality of magic and explosion.
‘Shit.’
Shit, shit, shit…!
A sense of foreboding.
The world changed rapidly. Atra’s instincts flared.
Boom! As I landed, the ground broke beneath me. Ignoring that, I immediately surveyed the situation.
The entrance of the shelter lay in disarray. The door panels scattered helter-skelter and crumpled against the ground.
A sense of foreboding.
‘No way.’
This time it was different. It couldn’t be; it had to be safe. I could feel the magic. This wasn’t the same as before. This time…
This time…
Thoughts flooded my mind. I tore apart all the anxiety and rushed toward the shelter.
And then.
I saw an arm.
‘……’
The pinky was missing, and the remaining fingers had all been broken, a detached arm.
The skin was entirely torn apart, as if it had been shredded by some enormous beast.
An arm covered in chunks of ice.
It should have been attached to a body. But for some reason, it was lying separately.
An arm I recognized.
The world turned pitch black. For some reason, my gaze was drawn back.
Nearby.
A monster’s corpse lay amidst a puddle of blood, its head crushed. A giant monster with red fur. It looked like an alpha entity.
It was dead. Who could have killed it?
I didn’t want to see. I had to look. My gaze instinctively turned back.
Next to it… was a corpse with ‘one arm missing.’
A corpse.
There was no way it could be a living person.
The familiar outline. The familiar scars etched into the right arm, now reduced to a meat chunk.
Lying splattered in a pool of blood…
“A.”
My lips parted. No sound escaped.
The light vanished from Atra’s eyes.
*
[ Savior Correction System ]
[ Supports the maintenance of the Savior’s life ]
[ “Curse of the Beautiful Idol” is activated. ]
[ Consumed vitality restores the body. ]
[ Consumed vitality from the “Curse of the Beautiful Idol.” ]
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
