Chapter 543
KWA KWA KWA KWA KWA KWA KWA!
Another sword surged toward Pendragon’s heart.
“UAAAAAAGH!”
Pendragon screamed as he drew in every last ounce of his mana.
One was bad enough—but two was impossible.
Even if it meant giving up his attack, he had to throw everything into defense.
[Pendragon activates Lv??? ‘Black Veil’!]
Black flames gathered to form a long curtain.
The plan was to absorb the flames from the [Sword of Judgment].
However—
Fwoooosh!
Instead, the [Sword of Judgment] absorbed the black flames from the veil and grew even fiercer.
The blazing fire incinerated the shield completely.
“GRAAAAAAH!”
The sword pierced through dragon scales and sank deep into flesh.
Blood sprayed like a fountain as Pendragon shrieked at the top of his lungs.
It was like every nerve in his body was on edge.
A pain he had never experienced in his entire life.
Without a doubt, this was the worst injury he’d ever received.
And even now, while he screamed, the burning blade continued to dig toward his still-flaming dragon heart.
Crunch! Crack!
His ribs began to shatter.
“No… wait… graaagh… wait! I said wait!”
Even an ancient dragon couldn’t survive if their dragon heart was destroyed.
He had to stop this at all costs, even if it meant giving up everything.
The black flames surged once more.
And that became Pendragon’s worst mistake.
Sssshhhk!
Instead of bursting outward, the black flames followed the wound and seeped inside.
The unquenchable inferno began devouring his organs from within.
“…!!???”
Pendragon’s desperate plea shifted again.
From begging to be spared—
To begging for death.
“Stop… hurry! Destroy my dragon heart… let me… urgh… escape this hell. Please!”
Watching the massive dragon writhe on the ground wasn’t particularly enjoyable.
Even if he had put Jinhyuk through hell, this was just pitiful.
Jinhyuk deactivated his mana and approached right up to Pendragon’s snout.
“Why… did you stop… the breath…”
Pendragon mumbled, unable to comprehend.
He was just moments away from having the sword pierce his heart.
“Well, I did want to finish the job cleanly too, but I ran out of mana… sorry, but I don’t think I can end your life right now.”
Jinhyuk rested his chin on his hand and made an exaggeratedly regretful face.
“Grrgh… use Balmung, that cursed sword…”
“No.”
“Why not?!”
“It’s heavy.”
Swinging that massive greatsword took way more effort than it looked.
And Jinhyuk’s limbs were already shaking from squeezing out the last of his mana to use [Shared All Things].
He used [Grasp of Subjugation] to bring over a distant chunk of ice.
Then poured a fizzy cola into a cup from his subspace and sipped it slowly.
“GRAAAAGH! So you have the mana for telekinesis… but not the strength to swing a sword?!”
“Yup. Sorry.”
Jinhyuk gave a bright smile.
Eventually, Pendragon couldn’t take it anymore and shouted desperately.
“If you just end this pain… I’ll do anything. Anything you want…!”
[Pendragon activates ‘Dragon’s Oath’.]
[Due to the restriction of Dragon Tongue, once spoken, the promise must be upheld.]
Jinhyuk hadn’t left him writhing in pain out of some sadistic hobby.
To copy Pendragon’s ability and gain a wish granted by a dragon, this process was absolutely necessary.
[Copy condition: Dragons are among the most binding species when it comes to grudges and loyalty. If you obtain a Dragon’s Oath from Pendragon, you may copy one of his Unique Holy Spears, Unique Abilities, or Skills.]
It was the perfect chance to wring him dry to the bone.
A true two birds with one stone.
Jinhyuk stood up.
“If you’re a proper dragon, you’ve got at least one rare item, right?”
“…A rare item? You don’t mean—”
“I do. The one you’re thinking of. Hand it over, and I’ll send you off cleanly.”
“B-but…”
Even in agony, Pendragon hesitated.
Greed for treasure was a dragon’s instinct.
To give away everything he had hoarded for tens of thousands of years was unthinkable.
“Then just keep burning here and die slowly. If you’re dead, the treasure’s useless anyway. Right, Guma?”
“Mogiiiii!”
Back in his usual form, Goguma nodded intensely.
He was overjoyed that Jinhyuk was safe, above all else.
“…Fine. Damn it. Take it all…”
Pendragon gave up everything.
Slice!
A rune-inscribed parchment floated to Jinhyuk’s chest.
Sealed with a black dragon emblem.
It likely contained the location of Pendragon’s hoard and the code to enter safely.
‘I’ll finish this up and head there right away.’
Jinhyuk carefully stored the parchment in a corner of his subspace.
“Now it’s time for you to keep your promise.”
“I know.”
Clack!
Jinhyuk gripped the massive greatsword with both hands.
Black mana surged along Balmung’s blade.
Vwoooom!
One stroke.
With a single clean vertical slash, Pendragon’s head was severed completely.
The life of the ancient dragon tormented by black flames came to an end. (T/N: Awwww. I thought he will have another pokemon to bully.)
At the same time—
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has increased!]
[Your level has… increased!]
[You have acquired ‘Dragon Bone’!]
[You have acquired ‘Dragon Scale’ – 250kg!]
[You have acquired 28 ‘Top-Grade Magic Crystals’!]
[You have acquired a damaged ‘Dragon Heart’!]
Level-ups and countless items poured in.
[Ability copy successful!]
[You have copied the Unique Holy Spear ‘Plague’!]
[Plague]
Acquisition Difficulty: Unmeasurable
The Unique Holy Spear of the Black Flame Dragon ‘Pendragon.’ Summons black flames that burn all they touch. Depending on mastery, the flames can take various forms. Unless countered by an equal-level Breath or Unique Holy Spear, defense is impossible.
[The copied ability has been stored in the ‘Memory of the World.’]
Perfect.
That about wrapped it up.
Next up…
Jinhyuk’s gaze turned to Nanoleaf.
He flinched.
“W-why? Why me again…?”
Nanoleaf trembled.
It was absurd enough that a human used breath, but now he’d just made a deal over Pendragon’s life.
After seeing him completely control life and death and toy with an ancient dragon, how could anyone dare resist?
“I need access to the next floor. You’ll take care of that, right? Unless you’re still clinging to your position as the boss—I can always play with you again.”
This was no request.
It was an ultimatum.
Refusal meant following in Pendragon’s footsteps.
“O-of course. I never really liked this ruin anyway. I was just thinking about heading home. Here’s the access pass. Haha…”
Nanoleaf relinquished his role as boss monster.
The taste of power was sweet—but not worth dying for.
[You have successfully cleared Floor 33 for the first time.]
[The first clear belongs to Player ‘Kang Jinhyuk’ and the raid team of ‘Team Stagnant Water.’]
Thus—
Another achievement was added.
‘Now finally…’
Jinhyuk activated his personal status window.
——————————————————
Name: Kang Jinhyuk
Gender: Male
Level: 250
Strength: 109 → 119
Agility: 121 → 131
Stamina: 130 → 148
Mana: 549 → 589
Gap: 100
Luck: 10
Adaptive: 78
Essence: 190.55
Available Stat Points: 78
Coins: 18,136,442
Class: Ruler of Runes
Unique Holy Spears:
‘Wheel of Heaven’s Reversal’, ‘Phase 2’, ‘Eight Swamps’, ‘White Night’, ‘Final Genesis’, ‘Down Fall’, ‘Flare Eclipse’, ‘Last Meister’, ‘Iron Lotus Blossom’, ‘Plague’
Unique Abilities:
‘Fusion’, ‘Grave of Swords’, ‘Blessing of the Stars’, ‘Judgment of Anubis’, ‘Blood Demon Energy’, ‘Mandala’, ‘One Second Invincibility’, ‘Thousand Poisons’, ‘White Beast’, ‘Shared All Things’, ‘Sanctuary of the Sun’, ‘Black Sky Demon Emperor Art’, ‘Triple Magic’, ‘Colossal Strike’, ‘Breath of the Fire Dragon’, ‘High-Speed Sword’, ‘Right Arm of Tumgrave’, ‘Berserker’, ‘Domain of Wind’, ‘Shadowstep: Mortal Slash’, ‘Primordial Flame’, ‘Blood Burst’, ‘Black Tear’, ‘Leg of Tumgrave’, ‘Superhuman Might’, ‘Core of the Legion’, ‘Ancient Barrier’, ‘Heavenly Divine Art’, ‘Mentra Taming’, ‘Nihilism’, ‘Heaven-Smiting Ten Thousand Poisons’, ‘Red Hare Riding’, ‘Machine Sovereign’, ‘Kyokushin Taekwondo’, ‘Nightmare’s Vow’, ‘Will of the Ocean’, ‘Golden Apple of the Heretic’, ‘Devouring Growth’, ‘Grasp of Subjugation’, ‘Earth Quake’, ‘Acid Tentacles’, ‘Poison Lord’, ‘Cascadia Slav’
Skills: Collapsed due to excessive quantity
——————————————————
Level 250.
A result of slaying both the named guardian ‘Creed’ from the Bridge of Illusions and the ancient dragon ‘Pendragon.’
‘78 stat points is insane.’
There were so many that he didn’t even know where to allocate them.
That’s how massive the rewards were.
[Strength has increased from 109 → 119.]
[Agility has increased from 121 → 131.]
[Stamina has increased from 130 → 148.]
[Mana has increased from 549 → 589.]
Strength and agility were distributed evenly.
More weight was given to stamina and mana.
Vwooom!
A warm light permeated his body, filling him with power.
⁕⁕⁕
Three days had passed since the 33rd floor was cleared.
But more people remained on the 33rd floor than moved on to the 34th.
Because the Crystal Tower had been half-destroyed by Pendragon, Replor was now flooded with quests.
Most players scrambled around to seize these unexpected jackpot quests.
“Bro! If you clear this repair quest over here, they’ll count it as two linked quests!”
“Recruiting three more for the magic crystal mine run!”
“Anyone going to hunt crystal golems in the eastern swamp? Drops include magi-tech accessories!”
All kinds of guilds, mercenaries, and players flooded the area.
Most planned to spend at least a week maximizing their rewards and growth here.
Meanwhile—
While everyone was crowded on the 33rd floor, Jinhyuk had arrived at a completely different location.
[Entering the Black Flame Dragon ‘Pendragon’s Lair’.]
Floor 46 of the Tower of Trials.
A place no player had ever reached.
And now, unfamiliar intruders had arrived.
“Oho… so this is that greedy dragon’s den?”
Alice stared at the massive volcano entrance.
Jinhyuk had hoped to come alone, but once Alice learned this was a treasure-filled dragon’s lair, there was no stopping her.
She never lost when it came to collecting.
Well, they’d find out just how amazing it was once they entered.
“Let’s go.”
Jinhyuk led the way.