Chapter 84
The typhoon engulfed the area in an instant.
There hadn’t even been time to react.
The moment the chant ended, the magic had already reached them in the blink of an eye.
Han Shin’s expression stiffened.
‘He’s no ordinary mage.’
He had identified the opponent as a mage.
One of a caliber he had never experienced before.
The so-called “mages” he’d encountered up to now could barely conjure flames to hurl.
But this one—
He had never seen a mage who could conjure a typhoon and dominate space itself.
*RUMBLE!*
*RRRRUMBLE!*
And it wasn’t just one typhoon.
They kept splitting apart, expanding forward.
Eventually, the ten typhoons shook the earth and swallowed the doppelgangers.
“GAAAHHH!”
“H-Help me!”
The doppelgangers screamed in agony like humans.
Their bodies were shredded like paper within the storm of wind and magical chains.
*SSSSSSS—*
Unable to endure, many of them turned to smoke and vanished.
That was how death worked in the Abyss.
And as their numbers passed the tens and reached the hundreds, disappearing one by one within the typhoons—
“……”
Han Shin silently observed.
No emotional reaction.
No sadness, no fear, no anger, no resentment.
He was simply watching—observing the process as his doppelgangers were annihilated.
When he finished observing, Han Shin gave a nod.
‘The mana is guiding the wind. He’s altered the very nature of his mana.’
He had seen through the source of the magic being used.
Something the average person could never comprehend—the change in mana’s essence.
Han Shin slowly raised his right hand.
He felt a portion of the rushing wind.
And in that moment, he was certain.
‘He’s converted his mana to the [wind] attribute. There’s a strange viscosity too. The mana is woven like spider silk, sticking to the wind to let him control it…’
Han Shin had read the mana.
He instantly understood its property, nature, and output.
He even recognized that the total mana used wasn’t that great, and that it was simply enhanced through the mage’s unique traits.
‘This isn’t within the realm of magic humans can wield.’
The viscous mana was intricately woven like a spider’s web to guide the wind.
The issue was that this web was so thin that maintaining its shape required unimaginable focus and control.
No human could possibly achieve this.
Not a single current human could manipulate mana at this level.
And Han Shin was no exception.
Though it made sense—Han Shin wasn’t a mage who controlled phenomena with mana.
*SLING—*
As he gripped his sword, the [Blade of the Pursuer] let out a fierce cry.
He had finished evaluating the typhoons through the deaths of a hundred doppelgangers—now it was time to subdue them.
Han Shin readied his stance.
Then, with swift movement, he swung his sword at the incoming typhoon.
*SLASH!*
Mana sparked like static as the blade clashed against the storm wall.
Instantly, the densely woven threads of mana snapped apart.
*WHHHSSHHH!*
The bound winds unraveled and dispersed in all directions.
The typhoons vanished in an instant, and the magic of Despair failed to inflict any damage.
“…Oh?”
Ataraxia’s eyes lit up.
A mere human had neatly dismantled his spell.
And it wasn’t just any spell—it was one amplified with the [Dragon Tongue of Despair].
Even if his power was restricted to human levels, how could a human possibly dismantle dragon magic?
“You possess the [Magic Eye], don’t you?”
The [Magic Eye].
The ability to perceive mana itself.
Ataraxia had watched Han Shin observe the typhoons.
He had read the mana’s path, flow, nature—everything—and severed the core flow with precision.
A feat impossible without the Magic Eye.
But those born with the Magic Eye were exceedingly rare.
‘There are virtually no naturally gifted cases, and even those who awaken it later are extremely rare. But this one… seems born with it.’
Even among dragons, those born with the Magic Eye could be counted on one hand.
Yet this human had it.
Naturally—since birth.
It was talent that exceeded the standard of any human he had known.
No, it was rare even among all species.
And that wasn’t all.
‘He instinctively stood one step outside the path of the mana.’
Han Shin had remained just beyond the mana’s flow.
Exactly one step away.
He had stood in the eye of the storm—the one place where the spell wouldn’t touch him—and watched the doppelgangers die.
But that wasn’t something one could do just by having the Magic Eye.
The Magic Eye let one read manifested mana.
It shouldn’t be able to detect unmanifested mana or its future flow.
And yet, this human had predicted even that.
It was instinct.
His ability to sense danger was beyond imagination.
‘He’s exceptional. Truly exceptional.’
He was incomparable to any other human Ataraxia had encountered.
Even the doppelgangers, which replicated countless talents, paled in comparison.
If a human like this existed, then perhaps among humans, he would be called a [Martial God].
*SLASH!*
*WHHHHHHSSHHH!*
Han Shin eliminated all the typhoons.
By cutting off the flow of mana, he had caused them to dissipate completely.
But something was off.
It was odd.
Even with talent and skill, his equipment should’ve failed to withstand such precision.
‘Is that exclusive gear?’
Ataraxia fixed his eyes on Han Shin’s sword.
It was clearly of a different caliber than standard Abyss equipment.
Exclusive gear was crafted for a specific individual.
Even at the same grade, the performance could be worlds apart.
But there was no way a human at this stage could’ve obtained such gear on their own.
‘Did his contracted Creator make it for him? That would’ve cost a ton of [Coins]. Most Creators wouldn’t even consider it.’
And it wasn’t just about Coins.
There were only a handful of blacksmiths in the Abyss who could even craft such equipment.
And to hand such a thing to an unproven human this early?
……Who?
Which Creator had already bestowed exclusive gear?
Ataraxia looked to the sky.
The sky was now tinged red.
And at its center—hung a massive moon.
‘Ahheta. Was it you?’
The Moon’s Master, Ahheta.
A Creator capable of making exclusive equipment.
And one who could bestow it upon a still-developing human in the [Second Night].
If it was Ahheta, he could forge several such weapons on a whim.
He was strong enough to contend with even the most famous Creators.
Many dragons had lost their lives within Ahheta’s created Abysses.
He was one of the few Creators whose true nature the dragons had yet to uncover.
‘So humans really do have some hidden potential, then.’
Even Dragon God Sephiro had taken the form of a human.
And he had protected and saved one.
Breaking even [Nonexistent], that [Absolute Magic].
At first, he’d dismissed it as just one of Sephiro’s usual eccentricities.
But for the Moon’s Master Ahheta to give a human exclusive gear this early—
It was clear they had recognized a potential in humanity that Ataraxia had yet to understand.
‘In that case…’
Ataraxia smiled.
Han Shin, having dismantled the magic, was approaching him.
His seal still couldn’t be released, but…
‘Unfortunate opponent, human.’
Han Shin hadn’t reached his peak either.
He had not yet grasped the [True Form] of magic.
He had only dismantled one spell.
“Flame, bloom like spring.”
“Earth, weep.”
“Lightning, roar.”
“Wind, converge.”
“O bow of despairing water—release it all.”
Ataraxia had already reached the pinnacle.
A [Great Dragon] hailed even within his clan.
Even if sealed and restricted to human levels, he could never be equated to an actual human.
He had encountered talent. He had overcome instinct.
Experience was a gap that could never be bridged.
And Han Shin…
He lacked experience.
He had never truly faced someone overwhelmingly stronger than himself.
‘He’s probably lived his whole life thinking he was the best.’
You could tell by his demeanor.
Even the doppelgangers treated him like a king.
And yet, he hadn’t even blinked at their deaths.
He took that deference for granted.
A sign that he had always lived that way.
And so—he wasn’t desperate.
A genius without desperation, even with equal stats, couldn’t beat Ataraxia.
They were weak to variables, poor at improvisation.
But magic was a miracle that created infinite variables.
What would he do now, faced with a magic woven from five attributes?
Could he still read and dismantle it?
“……”
Han Shin stopped in place, his expression hardened.
The magic approaching him was unlike the previous typhoon.
He understood now.
This couldn’t be dismantled just by observing.
‘What is that magic…?’
A form of magic he had never encountered.
The amount of mana wasn’t overwhelming.
The mage’s level might even be lower than his.
But the way he used magic defied level restrictions.
‘Just what… are mages…’
Why did they all block his path?
……If he waited to analyze, it would be too late.
The attack was aimed precisely at Han Shin—there was no space to dodge.
His instincts screamed.
It was too late.
He wouldn’t be able to avoid it.
Only death awaited beyond this.
And then—
*KWAAAAAANG!*
A massive explosion erupted, and the magic swallowed Han Shin whole.