Chapter 268: Basics of Barrierology (2)

The Twelve Constellations of the Zodiac (黃道十二宮).

A secret technique that reproduces the twelve constellations, the essence of a barrier master.

Although he hadn’t yet mastered the ‘Forgotten Language,’ merely mimicking its form was enough…

The grandeur of Scorpio, which painted the sky blue, was enough to overshadow its imperfection.

Bzzzz!

Countless lights flickered beyond the hexagrams.

Like a divine punishment, a blue meteor shower rained down on the area where the Wailing Witch stood, turning it into a wasteland.

BOOM!

The terrain changed.

BOOM! CRACK!

“Kieeek!”

“Kwaaa!”

The power was so immense that even the nearby monster statues were caught in it.

And the Wailing Witch, standing in the center of the storm, had to endure the full brunt of the attack with her body.

How many minutes did the attack continue?

When the meteor shower finally ceased, the state of the ruins had drastically changed.

＊＊＊

“Keu… Aaaah! My… my body. My body…”

Smoke billowed from the tattered remains of her body.

To maintain her form after taking such a hit.

She looked like she should have osteoporosis but was surprisingly durable.

Just then.

“What’s that?”

Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes.

He saw black liquid welling up around the witch’s body.

…Black Tears.

“So you finally decided to use it to survive?”

At the moment the last constellation exploded, she had mitigated the damage through Black Tears.

[The Wailing Witch activates the unique ability ‘Black Tears’!]

Rumble!

The ability that had instilled fear in the attack team reappeared.

“Tsk. To think I’d have to use my full power against the likes of you. This is beyond humiliating.”

An ability that, if touched, could cause untold consequences.

Indeed, even for a seasoned player like Jinhyuk, directly coming into contact with Black Tears was dangerous.

‘I remember losing my mind after getting covered in that stuff and charging into a dragon’s lair bare-handed.’

There was a record of him taking a hatchling hostage… no, ‘dragon hostage,’ and then getting killed during a demonstration.

There was also a record of him getting burned at the stake after kidnapping a saintess and dressing her up as a witch.

He had gone through all sorts of trials to counter Black Tears.

‘But the conclusion was always the same.’

While he had used other methods back when he played the Tower of Trials, the fundamental solution was always the same.

At that moment.

[The first act of the Magic Barrier: ‘Black Wave’ begins.]

Rumble!

A giant wave began to surge.

In an instant, the constellations of the Zodiac were dyed black.

“Kaaaaah!”

“Kek!”

Red mouths and white teeth sprouted from the surface of the barrier, screaming horribly.

They were mutating due to Black Tears.

But it was only for a moment.

“Hehehe!”

“Hihihi! Let’s eat. Let’s devour.”

The screams turned into laughter and then into a desire to consume prey.

Eyes formed between the teeth, adding to the creepy spectacle.

Damn, that’s unsettling.

There were only a few beings in the Tower of Trials who used such disgusting abilities.

The eyes all turned towards him.

…They’re coming.

The ‘Mark of the Moon’ on Jinhyuk’s shoulder glowed brightly.

Ancient runes swirled, reinforcing the barrier.

“Foolish! Didn’t you see a moment ago? That won’t work!”

BOOM!

The black mist shattered the barrier Jinhyuk created.

The blue barriers turned black. New eyes and mouths screamed madly.

But.

The Wailing Witch, who had been smiling triumphantly, bit her lip slightly.

“…What is this?”

Some of the barriers remained untainted.

Although almost all the defensive barriers were corrupted, a few still shone with a blue light, fiercely resisting.

This shouldn’t be possible.

There was no known way to block Black Tears.

‘Could it be that controlling so many at once caused a few to slip out of control?’

It didn’t matter anyway.

The opponent was already struggling to fend off her full power.

Even the meager resistance would end in a few moments.

…Or so she thought.

The Wailing Witch glanced at Jinhyuk.

‘That’s not the face of someone who’s given up. In fact, it looks like he has a plan.’

Small variables can lead to big outcomes.

Especially when the opponent had mocked and crushed her apostles so far.

With Black Tears deployed, she shouldn’t be careless.

This might all be part of his plan.

‘Maybe he’s planning to steal my barrier, like he did earlier.’

Black Tears were three times more complex and faster than ordinary magic. There was no way he could do that, but the Wailing Witch prepared for even the slightest possibility.

In that case…

‘I’ll crush him with my full power. I’ll strike him down with one blow.’

The Wailing Witch gathered her mana, ensuring Jinhyuk wouldn’t notice.

BOOM!

BOOM!

“Hehehehe!”

“Let’s eat…! Let’s devour. Devour!”

Purple eyes and white teeth continued to gnaw at Jinhyuk’s barriers.

The blue barriers still precariously protected their master.

Though they barely kept him alive by a thread, they still shone.

Moreover.

The number of untainted barriers seemed to be increasing.

Her prediction was right.

Something was happening.

She had to finish him off before it was too late…

…Now.

“Now!”

[The second act of the Magic Barrier: ‘Dream’s Flower’ begins!]

Underneath Jinhyuk’s feet…

Whoosh!

The mana he had been subtly gathering bloomed all at once.

Six black petals and teeth emerged from the flower. They were large and sharp enough to swallow even a large being.

“No matter what you planned, I was superior. This ends now!”

The Dream’s Flower was a mental ability that hypnotized its target.

It was the fastest and most powerful skill she could deploy with Black Tears.

‘This is what it means to be on a different level.’

But just then.

A cold shiver ran down her spine.

Jinhyuk, who should have been hypnotized, was still smiling.

However, the real reason for the chill wasn’t just that he hadn’t fallen into the trance.

Her gaze fell downward.

Beneath her feet… another giant eye and white teeth were visible.

“Impossible.”

Another Dream’s Flower had just bloomed.

“How could this… No way. This is supposed to be untraceable. And to steal…”

The Wailing Witch realized something.

If he had stolen her barrier…

Why were there two Dream’s Flowers here?

The flower beneath him was still pouring out mana to induce hypnosis.

He was enduring it effortlessly. And creating another flower.

This wasn’t mere theft.

“Did you comprehend the magic flowing through Black Tears itself?”

He had seen through the core of her power.

Jinhyuk shrugged.

“I never learned high-level barriers and curses like you. I’m not nearly as skilled. Honestly, it’s embarrassing to even compare.”

He had just taken advantage of weaknesses and situations to tilt the battle in his favor. He could never surpass the knowledge the Wailing Witch had accumulated.

Still. If there was one reason he was confident of victory…

It was because he had no fear of learning new things.

Instead of resting on his laurels for eleven years, he chose to experiment.

Walking paths others hadn’t taken, enjoying the process led to natural understanding.

The destination at the end of each path and the shortest route to get there.

“You speak like you’re a genius.”

“Oh no. You completely misunderstood me. If I were a genius, I would have succeeded at everything on the first try. Geniuses achieve tenfold results with a single effort. I struggled to get even one result from one effort.”

He had just made countless efforts.

Creating countless results from countless efforts.

“By chance… I happened to become a barrier master. If your profession had been different, this wouldn’t have happened.”

The Wailing Witch’s face turned red with anger.

“Well…”

He couldn’t agree with that either.

“If I had chosen my main profession, you wouldn’t even be able to look me in the eye.”

Although he chose to be a barrier master for the fun of it, if he had re-challenged the tower with the profession he had ascended with in the past? Correcting all past mistakes and weaknesses?

There was no need to talk further.

Without these lengthy discussions, the witch’s head would have rolled on the ground long ago.

“You had another profession? What do you mean?”

The Wailing Witch asked, but Jinhyuk didn’t answer.

Instead, he quietly gathered his mana, signaling the end of the battle.

“Thank you for giving me a new perspective on fighting. I feel more attached to being a barrier master now.”

The petals slowly converged on a single point.

Her vision darkened.

“W-Wait! Don’t! Don’t you want to know the truth about barriers? If you spare me, I can take you to the Grand Witch’s Council. I can tell you truths about this world beyond your imagination!”

The Wailing Witch reached out through the closing petals.

Her dry arm flailed desperately.

“Sorry, I’ve been there. It’s nothing special.”

The petals closed completely.

Crack! Crack!

“Argh!”

Blood sprayed out like a waterfall from the gaps.

One arm, the only part reaching out, remained.

＊＊＊

“As expected…”

Step.

Footsteps echoed just then.

“The Wailing Witch couldn’t defeat you. I had hoped, but it’s really disappointing.”

Tristan, who should have been dealing with the Dangun Guild, had approached.

“If you leave your position, the remaining statues will crumble in an instant. Well, now that the witch is dead, it’s just a matter of time anyway.”

“Dead, you say?”

Tristan chuckled.

Then she approached the severed arm.

“Witches have quite tenacious life forces. Watch this. Even with just one arm left…”

Crush.

Tristan stepped on the arm.

Then.

“Aaaah!”

A sharp scream echoed.

“They can still live. Though it will take time to regenerate their body, they can survive.”

“Y-You damned demon! Why did you expose me when I was hiding so well?”

The Wailing Witch screamed in a frenzy.

It was natural to be furious at the incomprehensible actions of an ally.

But Jinhyuk was just as puzzled by Tristan’s behavior.

“Why… did you betray the witch? You need her to survive.”

“Hmm. To answer that, I need to ask you something first. What do you think this place is?”

“I don’t like riddles… Why don’t you answer my question?”

“Just think about it for a moment.”

Tristan smiled sweetly.

That unsettling smile. For a moment, it was so bright it was frightening.

The reason this woman suddenly betrayed the Wailing Witch… the true nature of the Antichrist’s Tomb, and its conditions.

Clues and clues came together.

“….”

Jinhyuk’s expression changed.

It was a light question, but the answer was anything but.

“…Soma.”

This place.

The Antichrist’s Tomb.

It was a place where demons could manifest.

“You got it right.”

Magic exploded.