◈ Episode 342. In My World (1)
The Colosseum.
The tectonic shifts of the Zero Mountains had created tens of thousands of battlefields.
Nam Cheolmin, an analyst for the Great Alliance, staggered to his feet.
“Ugh…….”
The Elder Dragon Eunaxus swallowed the evil fruit.
As soon as the message appeared, the Great Alliance’s base camp was shattered. At this point, the only people left in the base camp were non-combatants and ordinary people, so the damage was bound to be severe.
I don’t know what’s going on, but…….
It’s a mess now.
The safety of the lowlands was no longer a comfort.
‘We need to take up arms.
cheolkeog─
Nam opened his inventory and equipped his shield, then picked up a tablet PC lying on the ground. Luckily, it works. With a tectonic shift of this magnitude, debris would surely be flying everywhere.
“Please, please…….”
Nam begged desperately.
He hoped that at least one of the drones flying in the mountain range was still alive.
After biting his lip, his face lit up.
“…… is alive!”
One out of 127.
The surviving drone was sending back footage of the dusty Zero Mountains. Nam quickly connected to the drone and operated it. The first thing he did…….
“Is Taemin safe?”
A hoarse voice in his throat.
He couldn’t see where the headset he was wearing had fallen from the shock that had shaken his body. He had lost all contact with Taemin and the entire Alliance.
Sussss─
The dust settled.
The Zero Mountains began to reveal itself.
Nam Cheolmin had only just realized it now.
Didn’t they tell him before?
It’s because of tectonic fluctuations.
The landscape of the Zero Mountains was no different from the Colosseum.
“What is this……?”
It was purely because of the lesson that Nam Cheolmin equipped himself.
The backwaters of the Zero Mountains.
Not long ago, monsters from the highlands had washed up in the lowlands, almost turning the Zero Mountains into a no-go area for new players.
As an analyst, Nam didn’t overlook the uncertainty of the Zero Mountains.
He wore the equipment just in case.
But it was more than he could have imagined.
“This is why all our plans are useless…….”
The rising Zero Mountains became a massive wall.
Not only had the Holy War Alliance scattered, but even the players who weren’t part of the alliance were scattered as well. That alone was enough to cause an extreme loss of power.
“Damn!”
The monsters of the Zero Mountains mingled.
Highland and lowland habitats alike!
Players, monsters, and each other were too close for comfort. The monsters were even excited by the aftermath of the Dragon Cry.
Nam Cheolmin’s head gives a hopeless estimate.
‘We can hold out.’
Compared to the past, the level of players has risen significantly.
With their group, they might be able to go beyond holding out and help the other groups.
But.
“Aren’t our targets just the Zero Mountains mobs……?”
Yes, they are.
The enemies of the Holy War Alliance were not the monsters of the Zero Mountains.
It was the Elder Dragon that swallowed the evil fruit, Eunaxus.
Shhhhhh.
The drone gains altitude. This was to get a better look at Eunaxus. This was why I had to hope that Eunaxus was safe.
‘Don’t assume breath.’
If Eunaxus began to run amok in this hellish mess, the damage to the Holy War Alliance and its allies would begin to pile up.
“Please…….”
But it can’t be repeated, so it’s a miracle?
“Damn it.”
Eunaxus was still standing.
Its white outer wings were torn from the crash that had left it glowing a sickly orange color.
But its dragon skin, which was said to be stronger than any mineral, showed no scars from the fall. Even the wounds from the magical bombardment are only superficial.
On the contrary.
Boom!
The golem of the elder mage, Yugweed, who had grabbed the dragon’s ankle, had its magic heart crushed and shattered, returning to a nondescript pile of rock.
“!”
Nam urgently turned on his messenger.
Who would be conscious of checking their smartphone right now?
He had to get in touch somehow.
He had to tell someone, anyone, the news.
-Eunaxus is alive and well, so I’m just going to keep it up as long as I can and play the long game…….
But then, his fingers stopped.
The reason was simple.
It was on the tablet’s screen, captured by the drone’s camera.
“……?”
A cat was running through the air as if it were in its own room.
Of course, I’m not the most informed person in the world. There was no way to know about the cat, whose true identity was unknown to many in the Magic Tower.
“Is it a named mob in the mountain range?”
Or a boss mob?
At first, I thought it was a monster from the Zero Mountains.
But no.
Community reactions updated on one side of the tablet’s LCD.
Nam Cheolmin glanced at it, then gasped.
“That cat stopped Breath?!”
He hadn’t seen it because he was focused on the Holy War Alliance.
That’s why I couldn’t believe it.
What the hell was that cat?
It’s bad enough that it withstood the dragon Breath.
How could it walk to the dragon on its own?
Luckily, my doubts didn’t last long.
-“Hey, dragon, your opponent is me.”
“!”
I heard the confidence in his voice.
“……What about that light?”
It was the light that enveloped the cat’s body.
At this moment, the presence of the absent General Manager!
Nam Cheolmin was not alone.
The community reacted again and again.
-Hoyeol’s pet? That’s plausible……?
-Isn’t it worth doing at Akshan Wolf level?
-It’s enough that it got the Dragon Breath!
-Cats save the world!!!
Nam Cheolmin made a decision.
seuseuseug─
A message being erased.
And a message to be rewritten.
-If anyone sees this, run to where Eunaxus fell! Cat……. So now is our only chance when the Commander-in-Chief’s pet attracts attention!
*
Mages don’t believe in fate or miracles. If they did, it would make no sense for them to be alive today.
Magic Tower.
In their quest for truth.
There are countless others who have been trampled underfoot. But even the Goddess of Fate, let alone miracles, has never smiled upon those who have been trampled.
Thankfully, Tower Master knew.
‘It is not like a candle burning brightly just before it goes out.’
In this moment, he realized that there was a reason for the power welling up within him.
But he didn’t have the energy to dig down to the source.
Most of all, it was good.
keulwalalala─!
His pupils turned black.
To deal with that ferocious old dragon.
I should be grateful for the strength that someone gave me.
A cat’s five senses are sharper than a human’s.
The dragon cry was clearly visible to the naked eye.
Light─
Tower Master dodged the sound waves and immediately drew a magic circle with his tail.
Normally, in the middle of a battle.
He wouldn’t have drawn a magic circle.
The power of a formal manifestation that included a magic circle would be many times greater than a mere incantation, but the urgency of battle did not allow for such leeway.
However.
‘Mutual trust is important.’
Didn’t I witness Chief Lee’s potential as an adventurer?
-“It’s a pattern! He unleashed two large attacks in succession. We were also given dealing time, I don’t know how long that will take.”
Tower Master hadn’t forgotten Skal’s words. He’d called it a pattern, that a big attack would always be followed by a gap, and Tower Master’s faith was not betrayed.
“Meteor Strike”
Meteors began to form from the magic circle drawn by the tail.
Even Tower Master could only manifest such a high-level magic by pouring out his magic power. Even if he could manifest three or four meteors at most, he would be exhausted.
‘Is it because of the mysterious light that envelops my body?’
There was no harshness in Tower Master’s expression.
Krrrrr─
Still, the King of All was not amused. Eons of formality thrown aside. A dragon that fought with nothing but its natural strength was a different kind of disaster.
jjeoeog─!
Eunaxus’s snout opened as the Meteor Strike flew into the ground.
Kwaddup!
With its vicious snout, it chews up the bright red meteor.
Tower Master’s tail flicked.
“It’s a raggedy body, but it doesn’t seem to have lost any teeth.”
My praise for the cat’s body is wasted.
Dragon, what kind of body do you have? Not only have you chewed up magic, but you’ve dismantled it and converted it into energy. It’s ready to shoot Dragon Breath right now.
seug─
Tower Master scans the Zero Mountains with a cat’s eye.
The adventurers and apprentice mages have scattered to deal with the monsters of the Zero Mountains. One more spill of Breath and their safety will not be guaranteed.
Another blow would be the only way to go.
“How shallow.”
Tower Master was no longer objectively assessing his situation.
The bottom had long since fallen out. From now on, it was only a matter of how long his mental strength would hold out, and how long the mysterious light that enveloped his body would remain.
Kraaaaaaaa-!
Tower Master twisted the trajectory of another barrage of Breath and focused it on himself. This time, it didn’t end with a few scorched strands of fur and beard. His fur melted, and his delicate flesh began to peel away from the burns.
It was then.
Tadadat—!
The sound of stomping and bouncing was heard.
The king of all things, the Dragon, climbing the citadel.
As if that weren’t enough, there were others rushing toward the dragon.
Or, more accurately, they were.
The leader of the charge was a man even a Tower Master would recognize.
Knights of the Lionheart of the Empire, Captain Harkon.
Swordsmanship is sharpened in life and death situations. Harkon’s sword, sharp and intense, slashed at Eunaxus’ back, and three shadows rose up around him.
A greatsword.
A twin sword.
A spear.
Three men with swords as sharp as Harkon’s.
Nam Taemin and Hisagi.
And Leonie, covered in blood.
They were charging toward Eunaxus.
Tower Master laughed.
“How reckless.”
A monster out of proportion, devouring even the highest magic and replacing it with its own.
But what could they do with that tiny sword?
If I were my old self.
I would have laughed at you for being a mass of muscle with a brain.
I might have laughed at them.
But Tower Master did not overlook it.
The King of All.
How they’d fought their way through the dragon’s citadel.
They’d fought their way to this point.
So Tower Master charged at Eunaxus, too.
It was an act of conviction.
His body had reached its limit.
That he would never have another chance.
Tower Master raised his magic power.
Flinch!
His body wouldn’t listen.
Perhaps it was because he had received the full force of the Dragon Breath.
Even if he borrowed power from an unknown source, he would not be able to manifest it. What could he do, but fight with his gums if he had no teeth? Tower Master condensed his magic into his body.
He gave up on interference and manifestation.
“!”
The momentum emitted by Tower Master, who was determined to turn himself into a magic bomb, was too much for even Eunaxus to ignore. Of course, Tower Master had no expectations.
‘At most, I’ll knock off a few scales.’
But my role is to draw attention.
Tower Master wasn’t counting on himself.
It was Harkon and the trio of adventurers who leapt from behind Eunaxus.
Oh, and one more.
Let’s not forget the Dragon Knight waiting his turn atop the wyvern.
“Hey. Don’t make me tell you again, dragon.”
So Tower Master raised his tail.
His fur stood up straight.
For the first time, he snarled ferociously.
Have you forgotten that this is the Dragon Magic War? I am your opponent.”
That Tower Master looked insignificant and troublesome.
seug─
Eunaxus lifted his front paw and slammed it right into Tower Master.
kwakwakwakwang─!
The title of King of All Things was not limited to magic. Even if magic didn’t exist, even if he couldn’t fly. It means that dragons are still the most powerful creatures based on their physical abilities alone.
ssaeaeaeaeg─!
Tower Master falls out at the speed of light. Even as he spits up blood, he doesn’t close his eyes. He wants to make sure their sword is in Eunaxus’s back.
But, damn it.
‘This is why……. I can’t see anything.’
Instead, he saw a reflection of himself a few seconds later.
At this rate, even an ordinary rock would explode his flesh.
I wonder if I’ll be able to salvage even a single bone, considering the mountain range that’s been reduced to rubble.
Tower Master laughed again.
‘Compared to me, you who froze to death were a nobleman, Senios.’
I felt a twinge of regret.
But I didn’t think about it.
In my final moments, I would not dwell on it.
I thought I might as well say a prayer.
May my death not be a dog’s death.
‘……No, not a dog death, but a cat death.’
A fleeting thought.
Tower Master’s eyes closed.
It was only a matter of seconds before Tower Master’s body hit something.
It hit ‘something’.
But.
“……?”
Tower Master’s body didn’t explode.
The thing he hit was too cozy to be a rock, but too slippery to be the afterlife or mother’s embrace……. It felt too slippery against his skin.
Yes, it felt like his entire body was wrapped in fine silk…….
Soon, Tower Master slowly opened his eyes.
Then he said.
“……Hey, Chief Lee. Aren’t you sick of cats?”
A cat that was more than hairless, it was covered in blood.
That kind of cat, Tower Master.
He held it in his arms without a care in the world.
Hoyeol replied.
“You’re right. I still hate cats.”
The voice was not cold.
“But you are a proud tiger.”