Chapter 538
Pazzt!
The heat seeping in from beyond the window.
The black flames lighting up the daytime sky looked just like an eclipse.
Jinhyuk instinctively began chanting magic.
[Triple Magic – ‘Ice Shield’ activates!]
[Glacial Sculpting – ‘Absolute Freeze’ activates!]
Crack crack crack!
In an instant, the entire window froze over.
At the same time—
Kwakwakwakwakwa!
A massive blaze slammed into the building.
A shock beyond imagination.
Every window on the outer wall was shattered.
The shards of broken glass couldn’t withstand the heat and evaporated instantly.
“Aaahhh!”
“L-look at the sky…!”
“What’s going on, all of a sudden…?”
“Run!”
Magic engineers in the workshop screamed at the sudden attack.
This wasn’t even a monster-infested area. Of course they were stunned—the heart of Replor was under attack.
Especially the third floor, which took a direct hit. Except for where Jinhyuk was, it had been reduced to ashes.
A hellscape of screams and fire unfolded.
Pendragon hovered in the air, looking into the workshop.
“Ho…”
A short sigh of admiration left his lips.
Everything was ruined, but the ice wall stood firm.
Just seeing that level of ice magic cast in that brief moment was enough to arouse his interest.
“So you’re the one causing all that commotion in the Tower lately.”
“Yeah, I guess I’ve gotten a bit famous these days? Didn’t really feel it, but I guess I’m popular enough that a random lizard says hi to me.”
“Lizard… huh. Hahaha. When’s the last time someone dared call me that? It’s been so long I can’t even remember.”
Pendragon brushed back his hair.
Truly, an eternity.
Always ruling as the apex of his kind, regarding all other life as mere insects.
And yet, an insect had just dared to say something like that to him.
[Pendragon activates Lv??? ‘Black Flame Orb’!]
“My real goal is the ancient dragon you have… But before we talk, I think you need a little lesson.”
The black fireball gathering at his fingertips swelled in the blink of an eye.
Even from a distance, the suffocating heat was intense.
Whoosh!
The fireball targeted Jinhyuk directly.
Fighting fire with fire wouldn’t work.
Not even with [Primordial Flame] or [Cascadia Slav] could he surpass the Black Flame Orb.
In that case—
[Glacial Sculpting ‘Ice Age’ activates!]
He had to neutralize it as much as possible with an opposing ability.
Layer after layer of ice barriers formed, blocking the fireball again.
Kwaaaang!
…Chiiiiik!
A tremendous plume of steam billowed up.
But there was no time to check his surroundings.
Pop pop pop pop!
A barrage of Black Flame Orbs followed, relentless.
“Aaah! P-Player Kang Jinhyuk!”
Isaac screamed, clutching his head in both hands.
“Hahaha… damn it. I should’ve just died quietly drinking in my workshop. Tried to escape that demon and came all the way here, now I’m about to burn to death.”
Orun, resigned to his fate, took out a cigar and bit down.
Watching the whole building collapse, he’d already given up on life.
‘As expected of an Ancient Species, I guess.’
He’d known he’d face one soon, but he didn’t expect it to be when ‘Napoleon’s Crown’ was still unfinished.
If only they’d arrived a day later.
But it was too late to regret the timing now.
Jinhyuk’s mind raced.
How could he face this lizard without putting the residents and city at risk…?
…No matter how he thought, there was only one answer.
“Sir.”
Jinhyuk called to Orun, who was gulping down alcohol.
“Glug glug… ahh, what is it?”
“When I give the signal, run as fast as you can. Isaac, you too.”
“Run? To where…?”
“If it’s a dragon, running anywhere is pointless.”
Orun and Isaac both looked baffled.
The opponent was a dragon.
Running would be like trying to escape from Buddha’s palm.
As they said, nowhere in Replor was safe from Pendragon.
Except one place.
“We’re heading to the entrance of the ruins.”
Except for the ruins with Nanoleaf inside.
“You’re not saying we should run from a tiger straight into a wolf’s den, are you?”
“This is insane…”
“That’s the most efficient option.”
During the truce, Nanoleaf would be heavily reinforcing the ruins.
No doubt, he’d set up traps and cards even stronger than when Creed was there.
Jinhyuk’s lips curled upward.
He could already picture the two boss monsters getting flustered.
⁕⁕⁕
Kwakwakwakwakwa!
Once more, black flames rained down, melting the ice wall completely.
“Finished with your petty tricks? So… what now?”
Pendragon sneered in amusement.
But then—
[‘Daylight’ activates!]
A flash of light whitened his vision.
He’d expected a counterattack or another barrier, but was completely caught off guard.
“Run!”
At Jinhyuk’s shout, everyone fled.
Squinting in the strong light, Pendragon looked at the empty third floor.
They’d all vanished from the building long ago.
“…A guy who’s supposed to be stronger than the residents picks the most boring route. Does he really think he can run from me?”
Jinhyuk and his group’s locations were already pinpointed by mana detection.
Chasing them down and killing them wouldn’t be hard.
‘Coordinate Lock’, ‘Teleport’.
High-circle magic activated in less than a second.
The scenery shifted—a new place, not the workshop.
“…W-what is this place?”
Even Pendragon was taken aback.
He’d wondered where they’d escape to, but never thought it would be the ‘ruins,’ the most complicated and dangerous place on the 33rd floor.
And Jinhyuk was standing at the gate Nanoleaf had opened before.
Going inside would be a direct declaration of war against the ruins’ boss monster.
“Welcome. First time in the ruins?”
Jinhyuk bowed deeply in greeting.
“You damned rat… You think I can’t follow you if you go in there?”
“Well, it’s not my job to predict that. We’ll see in a moment whether you follow or not.”
A clear provocation.
With a snap of his fingers, Jinhyuk stepped inside the gate, and Pendragon erupted in fury.
At first, his goal was just to get rid of a bothersome enemy…
…but now, all he wanted was to tear that infuriating human apart.
Bang!
Pendragon dove into the gate without hesitation.
⁕⁕⁕
Tat!
Inside the ruins, Jinhyuk moved as fast as possible.
He could feel a terrifying killing intent at his back.
Hesitate even for a moment, and he’d experience an ancient dragon’s wrath firsthand.
‘At least I managed to lure him alone, thanks to all that taunting.’
Orun and Isaac had been sent in the opposite direction, so they’d be safe for now.
It was time to focus on this one-on-one game of tag.
Just then—
[Nanoleaf protests that this goes against the contract!]
A red status window flashed.
The agreement was for three days.
But Jinhyuk had returned to the ruins ahead of schedule.
“I’m all for keeping promises when I can, but this time I had no choice. You see what’s coming behind me?”
Jinhyuk pointed to the black flames blazing behind him.
Pendragon’s presence was impossible to ignore.
[Nanoleaf asks why a dragon is here.]
Another indirect message flashed.
The status window glowed even more red—Nanoleaf was clearly on high alert because of Pendragon’s appearance.
‘Well, anyone would assume he’s here to seize the ruins.’
This misunderstanding was actually a huge advantage.
Jinhyuk composed his expression.
Ahem!
“It’s just… dragons are greedy by nature. My real goal here was to uncover the secrets of magic engineering and the elementals. So I was gathering information here and there, and Pendragon got it into his head to swallow up the entire ruin. He said he wanted the Fire Spirit King’s legacy. But I just couldn’t stand by and watch, so I came to warn you.” (T/N: By now I dont know who is the greater scammer between Lloyd (Greastest Estate Developer) , Raon (Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman) and Jinhyuk. LOL)
There was no need to moisten his lips.
Spouting smooth lies was second nature to him by now.
[…]
Nanoleaf hesitated.
He’d only thought of Jinhyuk as an enemy, but now he seemed like someone who truly understood the 33rd floor.
All his prejudice melted away.
As if to prove it—
Clang! Thud!
The traps lining the walls stopped.
The red light turned green, and Jinhyuk was recognized as an ally.
In exchange, all the turrets targeted Pendragon at once.
The resulting explosions were deafening.
Boom!
Kwaang!
“Kh!”
A shield formed around Pendragon.
With [Dragon Tongue], the casting was instantaneous, but even so, the storm of bombardment was annoying.
More than anything, he couldn’t understand why Nanoleaf was only attacking him.
‘Did that human sow discord again?’
Seeing Jinhyuk’s sly grin, his doubts turned to certainty.
“Nanoleaf! Don’t be fooled! He’s my target, not you!”
“Oh, is that so? And yet you wiped out all the sages in the Crystal Tower? Surely you know about the nonaggression pact between Replor and the ruins?”
[Nanoleaf is shocked by the new information.]
[He asks if the other two sages are dead as well.]
“That’s right, he’s the culprit. He only cares about his own gain, regardless of what happens to the 33rd floor.”
Truthfully, Jinhyuk didn’t know if the other sages were dead or alive.
But given Pendragon’s personality, if things hadn’t gone as planned, there was a good chance he’d killed them.
[Nanoleaf’s hostility has reached its maximum!]
A red exclamation mark appeared above Pendragon’s head.
He was now recognized as a complete enemy.
Cracks opened in the ground as golems with massive crystals rose up.
Golems wielding long spears completely surrounded Pendragon.
But—
“Annoying gnats.”
No matter how many turrets fired and how tight the encirclement—
The opponent was an Ancient Dragon.
Even an ordinary dragon was extraordinary, and an Ancient Dragon was like a force of nature that individuals could not resist.
A casual gesture.
Muttering lips.
That alone reduced the golems blocking his way to dust.
As expected, a monster was a monster.
Jinhyuk frowned at the majesty of a fully awakened Ancient Dragon.
‘I need to link up with Nanoleaf as soon as possible… but it won’t be easy to shake him off like this.’
The traps were being neutralized faster than expected.
They were supposed to at least slow him down, but they couldn’t even touch him.
With things like this, he had no choice.
He’d have to use bait—give him what he wanted to stall for time.
Jinhyuk activated his subspace inventory.
Through the shimmering surface came the fire spirit ‘Salamander,’ with flames dancing around its mouth.
“Master!”
Salamander wagged its tail fiercely at the sight of Jinhyuk.
Clearly overjoyed to see its master again.
But the reunion was brief.
“Sorry, Salamander.”
“Huh?”
“Go stall for time for me, just for a bit.”
Jinhyuk quickly put a black scale coat on Salamander, then fitted yellow circle lenses.
As a bonus, he attached a tape recorder with a recording of ‘Mogiii Mogii.’
“Master, what is—”
“Bye.”
Before Salamander could finish its question, Jinhyuk grabbed its body and hurled it straight toward the direction Pendragon was flying from.
(T/N: Jinhyuk : Go Salamander, use Taunt! Taunt is super effective!)