Chapter 81

Park Chan-woo quickly came to a conclusion.

‘He’s connected to the Black Witch.’

This figure demanded both the [Star of Arrogance] and [Wish] the moment he appeared.

Among them, the [Star of Arrogance] was a gem so obscure it hadn’t even been registered in the [Mystery Codex].

Knowing its name could only mean one thing—he was deeply connected to its owner.

Even more, he knew about the [Wish] Adora had awakened.

Only one individual fit these criteria: the Black Witch.

However, it was impossible for the Black Witch herself to appear from the edge of the Abyss. That meant the man was a subordinate acting in her stead.

‘He used the Black Witch’s body to cover himself with the qualifications of a human—so that the Lords of the Abyss, including Ahheta, wouldn’t notice.’

With just the Black Witch’s pinky finger, Adora had seized the qualifications of a [Lord of the Abyss].

Of course, it was a false qualification.

Adora was a witch, and witches could never become Lords of the Abyss.

But the Black Witch possessed the power to turn [falsehoods] into [truth].

That same power would also allow her to disguise a completely different species as a human.

That was how this intruder had been able to walk around the [Second Night] so brazenly.

The problem was his identity.

‘He’s sealing his power to human levels while using magic. The flow of mana is unbelievably precise—something only a dragon could manage.’

Watching the magic manifest, Park Chan-woo couldn’t help but admire it inwardly.

Even the simple spell of shaping wind into blades and firing them off was being controlled with extreme precision.

It was as though he was wielding a thousand spells at once, completely dominating the area wrapped in wind.

Mana density, control, and spatial dominance.

Every aspect was art.

The finely interwoven blades of wind pressured Lee Hyuk-soo.

There was no space to dodge, no route of escape.

Despite the wide area of effect, not a trace of mana was wasted.

Mana efficiency at least ten times that of an average mage.

This was only possible for dragons.

Only dragons, blessed with mana, could cast such transcendent magic as effortlessly as breathing.

‘Why would a dragon become the Black Witch’s underling?’

Park Chan-woo was convinced.

The man was a dragon.

He was the intruder sought by the Moon’s Master Ahheta—and also the Black Witch’s subordinate, who had traveled a great distance to find him.

He had even gone so far as to transform into a human in order to retrieve the [Star of Arrogance] and [Wish].

That only made it all the more puzzling.

‘A prideful dragon turned into a human to obey the Black Witch’s orders… lowering his pride willingly…’

The arrogance of dragons was beyond imagination.

They followed no one but Dragon God Sephiro.

They fanatically worshiped Sephiro as their absolute master and god, treating everything else as lesser than insects.

And yet, the dragon before him was different.

He followed the Black Witch and had taken on a human form to come here.

Why?

‘…At least, entering under human qualifications means he can’t exert power beyond human limits. That’s the one silver lining.’

There was a restriction.

The dragon had imposed a limitation on himself.

Thanks to that, a sliver of hope remained.

The Lords of the Abyss despised anyone who intruded into their created [Abysses].

Especially if monsters of other species entered, it could lead to war.

The Abyss and the Twelve Species maintained a delicate balance by quietly avoiding infringing upon each other’s domains.

He had to know that. Meaning the dragon was doing everything he could to avoid being discovered by Ahheta.

He wouldn’t be able to display power beyond human limits.

Slash!

At that moment—

Lee Hyuk-soo’s sword pierced the dragon’s chest.

‘……Lee Hyuk-soo is something else.’

Park Chan-woo’s eyes gleamed.

To think he would already apply that brief moment of realization in battle.

His adaptability and ability to improvise were astounding—beyond what words like ‘genius’ could express.

‘He hid within the shadow. It seems he’s truly mastered the Immortal King’s authority.’

Shadow movement was the Immortal King’s exclusive ability.

Yet it was even harder to use than casting spells.

Lee Hyuk-soo had only pretended to use [Shadow Asphyxiation]. The moment the dragon created a wall to block his vision, he had swiftly slipped into the shadows.

He had anticipated from the start that [Shadow Asphyxiation] would be blocked by the dragon’s magic and prepared accordingly.

…It was hard to believe, even seeing it.

Could such a move really be executed in such a brief instant?

It was hard to believe it was merely the result of ‘realization.’

Rather—

‘Don’t tell me… he copied me after watching my actions?’

……Could he have come up with the idea of hiding in the shadow after seeing Park Chan-woo apply [Heaven’s Wrath] to his hand axe?

The back of his neck tingled.

He broke out in goosebumps.

Even if he were the Immortal King’s prized pupil, there was no way they had already taught him [Shadow Movement].

If Lee Hyuk-soo had awakened and used it on his own…

And even anticipated that his spell would be blocked and prepared beforehand?

‘Hah.’

He let out a disbelieving laugh.

What kind of monstrous talent was that?

Sword King Lee Hyuk-soo was a monster.

Not just a monster—an insane one.

The only reason he had died merely as the “Sword King” was because he hadn’t learned properly.

Had he grown while receiving proper guidance, the title of humanity’s strongest might have belonged to him.

In fact, Lee Hyuk-soo was a late bloomer.

After his bedridden mother passed away, he wandered for a while before finally picking up the sword again.

But now—

Nothing stood in Lee Hyuk-soo’s way.

Rather, Park Chan-woo had given him wings.

If this world had a protagonist, it was Lee Hyuk-soo.

Only Lee Hyuk-soo.

He was the one destined to save the world in the end.

“Blackened thunder, rage forth like despair.”

At that moment—

Another incantation spilled from the dragon’s mouth.

But for some reason, the words sounded familiar.

‘He’s from the Clan of Despair!’

Dragons had lineages.

They would invoke those names when using [Dragon Tongue].

The “despair” the man just spoke of was the name of his bloodline.

The Clan of Despair.

The vilest of the dragon clans.

Now it made sense.

Why a dragon had become the Black Witch’s lackey.

In the past, the Clan of Despair had one goal only:

War.

To ignite war between the Abyss and the Twelve Species—and reign over them all.

To declare dragons the greatest species and rule everything—that was the sole aim of the Clan of Despair.

It was only natural that Park Chan-woo knew about them.

Because of them, Earth’s future had become a living hell.

Granted, Earth by then had already become a playground for the Twelve Species… but the Clan of Despair had tormented humanity with particular cruelty.

So their motives were obvious.

They sought to incite chaos using the Black Witch.

What other reason could there be for a dragon to swallow his pride and serve the Black Witch?

‘The magic is enhanced. I can’t dodge it.’

Magic enhanced by [Dragon Tongue].

Despair magic utterly obliterated its target.

Lee Hyuk-soo, unfamiliar with fighting dragons, would never be able to avoid it.

If it hit directly, he’d be vaporized without even a speck of dust left.

Park Chan-woo hesitated.

If he didn’t act, Lee Hyuk-soo would die.

But even if he did step in, could he possibly win against the Clan of Despair?

Judging by the magic, this one wasn’t an ordinary member.

To wield [Dragon Tongue] even in human form—he had to be high-ranking.

If by some chance he was an [Ancient Dragon], then Park Chan-woo stood no chance in his current state.

Ancient Dragons were on an entirely different level.

Revealing himself and forfeiting the benefits of [Nonexistent] could prove fatal.

Even the Clan of Despair hadn’t noticed his presence yet.

Would he really throw away such an overwhelming advantage… to save Lee Hyuk-soo?

Rumble.

KWAHHHHHH—!

Black lightning whipped across the sky.

It was fast.

The mana concentration was on another level.

There was no more time to hesitate.

Unless he disrupted the spell, Lee Hyuk-soo would die.

‘[Heaven’s Wrath].’

At that instant—

RUMBLE!

KR-CRACKOOOOM!

[Heaven’s Wrath descends from the sky.]

[Magic Crit (32%) has activated.]

[Magic Double Casting (25%)! The spell is cast twice.]

[Despair’s Heaven’s Wrath has been perfectly nullified.]

[The fundamental spell Dragon Tongue (Despair) has been destroyed by Eternal Magic.]

…It was nullified.

Thanks to the simultaneous activation of [Crit] and [Double Casting].

On top of that, the hidden trait [Eternal Magic] completely shattered even the [Dragon Tongue].

Because [Dragon Tongue] was a fundamental magic exclusive to dragons, it was possible.

“…Hm?”

The dragon from the Clan of Despair tilted his head.

Because of Park Chan-woo’s sudden appearance.

But the reaction was unexpected.

At first puzzled, the dragon’s eyes soon widened in shock.

As though he had just witnessed a miracle.

As if something impossible had occurred.

At last, he spoke.

“…Sephiro… sir?”

……?

Wait.

Did he just say Sephiro?

Why would the name of Dragon God Sephiro suddenly come up?

And from the mouth of a dragon of all things?

Park Chan-woo quickly realized the reason.

The dragon mistook him for Sephiro.

“Could it be… are you indulging in a game? Have you taken an interest in humans…?”

A game?

Interest?

Did he seriously believe Sephiro had descended to the human world to play?

“You’ve hidden yourself under countless restrictions, but… if my senses aren’t mistaken… this mana, these ‘absolute spells’—they undoubtedly originate from Lord Sephiro’s heart…! Ahh, the [Final Magic]!”

…[Final Magic].

It was a name he’d never heard before.

But judging by the shock in the dragon’s voice, it seemed to be one of the ‘absolute spells’ wielded by Sephiro.

Magic was generally categorized into three tiers.

The first tier was ordinary magic used by mages.

The second tier surpassed magic, manifesting miracles—[Wish].

And the final tier was the incomprehensible [Absolute Magic].

Only a rare few could wield [Absolute Magic].

Only the Great Nine Lords and Sephiro were said to possess it.

At least, as far as he knew.

But [Final Magic] was a term he had never heard.

And to say it originated from Sephiro’s heart?

Could it be a magic that surpassed even [Absolute Magic]?

‘Could such a thing even exist?’

…It could.

If it were Sephiro—the transcendent dragon god—then maybe.

“I-I’m sorry. I’ve made a terrible mistake…!”

When Park Chan-woo gave no reaction, the dragon from the Clan of Despair panicked and shouted in distress.

One thing was clear—the dragon had misunderstood.

And it was a monumental misunderstanding.

‘This… is an opportunity.’

A single misstep could mean death, but if he could use this misunderstanding properly, it might yield tremendous gain.

Perhaps this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

And Park Chan-woo had no intention of letting it slip away.