Chapter 749

Leviathan was both a calamity and a king of the sea.

This was an unchanging fact, whether in the demon realm or on Earth.

The sea was Leviathan’s birthplace, its home, and an undefeated battlefield. Within this vast territory bestowed upon it at birth, nothing could escape the king’s surveillance.

Yes, that should have been the case.

Whoooosh!

In an instant.

The monster, tainted by greed before its prey, halted. At the same time, Leviathan’s senses—dulled by prolonged starvation—snapped awake.

‘This…’

Since when had it been there?

In the world slowed by realization, Leviathan could clearly see and feel it.

An immense energy, swift as lightning, carrying heat like the sun.

The flame plunging down and swallowing the blue water surface was aimed directly at it.

Swoosh!

There was no time to hesitate.

The massive maw, opened wide to swallow its prey, snapped sideways underwater.

Immediately after, Leviathan bit down on the flame that had already reached its snout, crushing it with hundreds of teeth imbued with magical power.

No, it believed without a doubt that it could.

Crunch!

The moment flame met teeth—an impact violent enough to rattle its skull surged through it.

Crack!

‘What?’

Leviathan’s enormous pupils widened in pain and shock.

Its teeth—sharp, destructive fangs that had sunk dozens of aircraft carriers during the Great Cataclysm—shattered, unable to endure a single blow.

‘How… how in the world?’

As Leviathan froze, its questions unanswered, countless bubbles from the collision scattered, revealing the source of it all.

A spear.

It was a single spear.

Huuuuum.

The silver spear, wreathed in flames that refused to go out even in water and waves, trembled faintly.

As if it were alive. As if it enjoyed the feel of its wielder’s hand.

And in the one holding that spear flowed the blood of the race Leviathan had slaughtered countless times.

How could a mere human…!

At the mythical monster’s cry, thick with naked astonishment, the small, insignificant human moved his lips.

“One Annihilation.”

A distant flash dyed the sea.

People often say that life is all about one shot.

I agree. Especially in the sense that while aiming for that one shot, you can blow your life away with it.

GROOOOOAN!

A deafening roar, as if the heavens—no, the sea itself—were splitting apart.

At the same time, a massive shockwave erupted, hurling my body—spent of all strength—away.

Tossed into the swirling current, I heard incessant warning sounds as my vision dimmed.

Beep. Beep-beep!

[- You have exhausted all your Internal Energy and stamina!]

[- Your body cannot withstand the recoil of [One Annihilation]!]

[- Status ailment, [Internal Energy Depletion] has been inflicted!]

[- Status ailment, [Exhaustion] has been inflicted!]

[- Status ailment, [Anemia] has been inflicted!]

[- Status ailment, [Muscle Rupture] has been inflicted!]

[- Status ailment, [Internal Injury] has been inflicted!]

[- Warning! Warning! Remember, all actions come with a price!]

[- Excessive abuse of power can turn the blade back on yourself.]

[- Special debuff, [Ravaged Body] has been inflicted!]

[- All combat-related stats are reduced by 50 until recovery! Depending on the recovery process and result, some stats may be permanently lost!]

[- [Strength] is temporarily reduced by 50!]

[- [Agility] is…]

High Risk, High Return.

Exactly as the saying goes.

In proportion to how much stronger I’d become, the power of One Annihilation had grown exponentially.

To the point where even this body—near-perfect enough to be mistaken for a Heavenly Martial Body in the martial world—could no longer endure it.

‘Damn it.’

‘I’m dizzy. I can’t breathe.’

My body, already beyond tired and now broken, screamed, and my lower Dantian—parched like a desert—begged me to just stop.

Side effects so severe I couldn’t even move a finger.

But if I hadn’t anticipated even this, I never would’ve attempted the madness of unleashing One Annihilation in the first place.

[Inventory Open. Summon.]

The moment the command took hold, the system responded.

A silhouette snapped into my blurred vision, and a curt voice echoed in my head.

– What a sorry sight. It suits you perfectly.

Who would’ve thought that rude tone would feel so welcome?

The Skeleton King clicked his tongue at my pained grin and shoved a small crystal vial into my mouth.

A solution that could only exist in this world.

That treasure called the Supreme-grade Potion.

Gulp.

Ding.

[- You have used [Supreme-grade Potion]!]

[- All status ailments have been removed!]

My emptied lower Dantian filled. Torn muscles knit back together. My blurred vision sharpened and cleared.

A healing effect that rivaled a level up.

But the warning that followed was something even I hadn’t expected.

Beep!

[- Special debuff, [Ravaged Body] resists the effect!]

[- This debuff cannot be removed by artificial means!]

[- The debuff effect of [Ravaged Body] persists!]

‘…What is this?’

For a split second, I was thrown off by the unprecedented situation, but I didn’t have the luxury of thinking about it.

Because this fight wasn’t over.

GROOOOOOWL!

A roar that carried even underwater.

Leviathan’s massive body, not even hidden by the countless wrecks and corpses sunk deep in the sea, writhed in agony.

Even from this distance, its condition was horrific at a glance.

The maw that had once bitten an aircraft carrier in half was torn away along with one eye, and the green blood gushing from its flank—where skin and bone had been gouged out—corroded the sea for hundreds of meters.

But even that was luck for it.

If it hadn’t instinctively turned its head at the last moment, and if this had been on land instead of underwater, it would’ve died long ago.

‘I should have finished it in one blow.’

It was frustrating, but there was no helping it.

The opponent was Leviathan, the calamity of the sea.

They say even a stray dog is formidable in its own yard. Against a creature born in the sea and ruling it, fighting underwater was several times more troublesome than facing the Arch Lich.

But…

‘I’ll kill it. No matter what.’

Swoooosh!

The Skeleton King and I shot forward at the same time. The fierce current blocked our path, but it wasn’t an obstacle.

I tightened my grip on the spear shaft, my hand now sheathed in transparent webbing.

The title effect of [Aquatic Rescue Team Member], earned months ago after clearing a quest at Dongting Lake.

It could only be maintained for twenty-four hours per activation, and it carried a massive penalty—reducing all effectiveness by 20% due to the conflicting nature of the [Scorching Yang Energy] I cultivated—but the effect was certain enough to endure it.

Swoooosh!

A speed like using lightness techniques on land.

Leviathan, howling in pain, spotted us closing in and roared.

Graaaaah!

The moment it opened its half-torn maw—

Gurgle, gurgle-gurgle!

The flow of the current shifted. With no wind at all underwater, everything around us was dragged toward its maw as if caught in a tornado.

A scene worthy of the word disaster.

But I didn’t stop. I kicked off nearby wreckage as a foothold, forcing my speed even higher.

Toward the mythical monster.

Toward the immense magical power writhing within it.

And the next moment—

Huuuuum.

The current and wreckage sucked toward Leviathan erupted in a massive shockwave.

KOOOOOOAAAH!

Was this what the Breath of the ancient dragons was said to feel like?

A water shockwave, infused with tremendous magical power, blasted forward, erasing everything in its path.

– Treacherous human!

The Skeleton King’s urgent shout rang out behind me.

But I didn’t answer.

Instead, I drew on the Internal Energy brimming in my lower Dantian and planted an unquenchable flame on White Flame’s spearhead.

Sssssss!

Scorching heat radiated in all directions.

The raging current and crushing pressure melted away and vanished. In place of the sea’s cold, an energy like lava dominated the surroundings.

At least for this moment, this space was mine alone.

Nothing else could break in.

‘Cut.’

With that single thought filling my mind, I swung the spear down.

The bluish-white flame lashed out like a serpent and met the shockwave rushing toward my face.

No—it cut it.

Swish!

The moment the shockwave split cleanly in half and slid past on either side, I saw it.

Leviathan’s eyes, wide with astonishment.

And its massive body, surging at unbelievable speed toward something in the distance that was bleeding an eerie aura.

‘Magic Crystal Stone!’

Now I understood.

Why the monster that had hidden for decades suddenly revealed itself.

What had drawn it to these islands.

– Stop it!

The Skeleton King thrust out his hand with a scream-like cry.

Bone joints surged up like growing trees, bracing under my feet.

Whoosh!

My body tore through the water with a dull rip, and as I cut through the violent current and closed the distance—

Graaah. Crack!

The crocodile-like maw swallowed a huge wreck.

The steel skeleton of what had once been a cargo ship, heaps of collapsed concrete—and along with them, something infinitely smaller, yet more dangerous than anything else.

Crunch.

After chewing and swallowing everything in a single bite, Leviathan turned its head.

Its eyes—fear and mockery mixed together—locked onto me as I charged in.

Then it fled, moving faster than I’d seen it move yet.

Not toward me or the Skeleton King, but toward the vast sea it had come from.

– It will take time to absorb the energy! Kill it before then!

At the Skeleton King’s cry, I flipped White Flame into a reverse grip.

The gap between it and me was barely a hundred meters.

But no matter how powerful the [Aquatic Rescue Team Member] title effect was, it couldn’t match Leviathan’s speed.

‘One shot. Just one.’

I gathered every last shred of Internal Energy and packed it into the spearhead.

‘This time… I’ll end it.’

I focused my entire spirit. Felt the flow of the water. Calmed my breathing.

It was as if every nerve and muscle came alive, converging into my fingertips and shoulders.

Thump-thump-thump.

And the moment the veins across my body bulged—

Like loosing a bowstring drawn to its limit, I hurled a single spear with all my might.

KWAAAAAAAH!

A single streak of flame cut across the deep sea.

But at its end, there was no scream from the monster.