◈ Episode 345. Some Things Never Change (1)

My vision flickers.

[Skill, “Celestial Infant Solitude” is activated].

Let’s ignore the name of the skill. Actually, I’m not in the mood for that. Because, as you can see, it’s a name that pierces through the arrogant Grandfell and hits me to the bone.

Gently.

But there’s a reason I said let’s move on.

Thanks to my experience with the curse, I recognized it immediately.

This is the one.

It’s the shaggy long hair…… of Grandfell!

The cause of this situation must be something from Grandfell’s past.

[Dark Understanding (Curse): Greatly increases your affinity with suitable magic. However, you must confront the past that is the source of this power. – Current Suitable Magic Affinity: 10%]

Thanks to my understanding of Grandfell’s past, I learned a skill with a grotesque name, [Celestial Infant Solitude], and the effects of that skill made my hair grow long, just like Grandfell’s in the past……!

‘This is crazy.’

Was this supposed to be a good thing?

Perhaps because he only understood a fraction of Grandfell’s past, his hair hadn’t grown past his waist, but it was still barely past his shoulders, enough for anyone to notice the change in his hairstyle.

‘If I were on the Arcana continent, I wouldn’t say anything.’

But this is the real world, isn’t it?

There are too many eyes watching me.

And some of those eyes are the eyes of fools.

‘They made fun of me for weeks because I asked if I dyed my hair like an idol.’

This is an angle I’m going to suffer from for at least three months.

But the water has already been spilled.

Accept the situation, Hoyeol.

An ideal revealed to everyone.

It’s better to be more brazen than less.

You know that from experience, don’t you?

‘And…….’

This is no time for shame.

Slowly, I raise my head.

A fireball greets me.

It’s a Polar Flame Dragon.

It was Eunaxus, doing his best to burn off the remaining life.

“Is that your best, Eunaxus?”

Suddenly, I remembered.

I was surfing the internet one day, exploring anomalies.

There was a site that ranked the human pains it had witnessed.

Burning pain was definitely at the top of the list.

I steeled my resolve.

‘Shame is better than burning to death.’

But there was a sound that made my decision seem meaningless.

After completing the settlement of the Zero Mountain.

It was the Holy War Alliance come to support me.

” …… Chief Lee?”

Marcelo, to be exact.

And several of the senior mages of the tower, including Bellier.

They had witnessed my descent.

“Chief Lee Hoyeol……. Is that you?”

I can tell by the trembling in their voices.

You might look at the flowing hair and wonder what it looks like. If he had cut off his naturally long hair, we could at least guess that he had a change of heart. Because this is the opposite.

‘No excuses.’

Of course, his personality is far from excusable.

I opened my mouth as usual.

But…….

“Back off. This is my fight.”

Why do I feel like the tone has gotten a little more cocky……?

More accurately, I’m holding the weight. It’s a tone worthy of the name of the skill, [Celestial Infant Solitude]. I immediately felt a cold sweat run down my spine.

‘……Wait, there’s no need for your temper to go to its prime, right?’

I, Lee Hoyeol, was the temper of Grandfell that I was desperately trying to suppress out of shame. Perhaps because Grandfell’s influence has grown stronger, a subtle change has occurred in his tone.

“Unless you dare doubt me.”

He’s a cranky little hedgehog.

Luckily, Marcelo was quick on his feet.

Huffing, Marcelo bowed his head and replied.

“I’m with you, sir.”

Thank you, Marcelo……!

Once Marcelo and the senior mages were gone, I was able to collect myself. Now that I’ve experienced the skill, I need to remind myself of its exact effects and limitations.

[Celestial Infant Solitude (10%): A rare genius who insults even the Goddesses, unleashing the talents of Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo].

Insulting a goddess?

The real explanation goes one step further, this one.

Or rather.

‘Grandfell’s talent.’

I thought I’d seen enough of that talent in my life.

He can recognize magic in anyone as soon as he sees it, and his physical potential is no less impressive than his magical talent, allowing him to manifest sword aura in an instant.

Thanks to a talent that makes me blush.

I’ve come this far without sinking into pride.

But the moment he unleashed his magic.

I realized.

That wasn’t Grandfell’s full strength.

Brilliant silver light scattering in the field of vision.

It wasn’t like flying hair.

It was me, the humble me, in the body of Lee Hoyeol.

In the limits of an insignificant player.

The repressed patriach of the great family, Claudi.

It was Grandfell’s power.

『Grandfell’s talent was not limited to one thing.』

Jiiiing─

Gwicheol in his hand resonated strongly.

-My master. You truly impress me.

The sword force enveloping the ego sword shines even more clearly.

No, it goes beyond shining and flows uncontrollably.

I am reminded of an unchangeable fact.

Sword Aura grows stronger at the crossroads of life and death.

It’s endless, really.

I’ve barely scratched the surface of the past.

I can’t believe you’re already this good.

90% of the past I don’t know yet.

How…….

What kind of life have you lived, Grandfell?

.

.

.

“Huh.”

The plate armor rattled loudly.

The lion sigil of the Lionheart emblazoned on the shoulderplate.

The sigil was bubbling under the heat of the Polar Flame Dragon.

“huehg.”

From the trachea to the lungs.

He was severely burned.

I wondered if this was what it felt like to breathe in fire.

“Kugh…….”

Harkon desperately lifted his upper body and looked around.

The adventurers who had risked their lives with him.

No, he saw his proud disciples.

All of them in a state not unlike his own.

“This……!”

Among them, Nam Taemin appeared to be in critical condition.

The barbarian’s wild nature helps one forget the pain, not cancel it out.

The price of tearing off a dragon’s scales one by one must be high.

Wriggle……!

Harkon moved his hand and searched his chest.

He was searching for an elixir to use in case of emergency.

There was only one bottle of elixir.

But with the elixir in hand, Harkon crawled over to Nam Taemin.

Jiljil─

He dragged his unresponsive lower half toward Nam Tae-min.

He felt a stirring.

He forced his eyelids open and there was Marcelo, the chief of the Magic Tower.

He said.

“…… More than me, Taemin.”

“You have nothing to worry about, Lord Harkon.”

Marcelo swallowed a sigh that came out.

In addition to being miserably crushed, the seething plate gaiter stands out. He must have been crushed from his knees to his toes. It’s amazing that you haven’t lost your mind, but to worry about others in this state.

“Senior Bellier will heal him.”

It must have been truly a life-threatening struggle.

Marcelo unleashed healing magic.

Except for the two shattered legs, Harkon’s condition quickly improved.

“……!”

Somehow, Harkon was able to see.

Hoyeol facing Eunaxus.

Harkon opened his mouth.

“……Chief Marcelo, may I ask you a question?”

“By all means.”

“Unless I’m seeing things…….”

His voice was trembling.

“……That must be the Sir I know, right?”

The voice said.

The long silver hair was such a shock.

But Marcelo had guessed.

There was a more fundamental reason for Harkon’s question.

This was a man who had devoted his life to the sword.

It was a recognizable change.

“Sword Force……? No, that’s not a sword aura, that’s not a sword force.”

Sword Force, the higher level of Sword Aura.

But that was something that seemed to transcend even Sword Force.

For the past six days, he had been missing.

Even if one assumed that Hoyeol had trained to the extreme.

There was clearly an unreachable realm.

The sword force glowed brightly.

As if shining wasn’t enough.

Flowing uncontrollably.

The difference between the two realms would be tens or hundreds of times greater.

So Hakon couldn’t help but ask.

Is that really it.

Is that what he knew?

Marcelo answered.

The answer was, for some reason, subtle.

“I would like to believe so, too.”

.

.

.

When did you first notice the discomfort?

As far back as the Arcana continent.

More precisely, since Claudi took an interest in twilight magic.

A great family, Claudi.

Even in the Claudi family, it was Mr. Grandfell who was called Claudi, himself. Why would Mr. Grandfell be interested in twilight magic?

Of course, she was impressed that he understood twilight magic so quickly. But the question remained. In the face of Claudi’s greatness, twilight magic seemed insignificant.

But up close.

Longer, she realized.

Even if she couldn’t understand why.

Claudi’s abilities back then. It’s clear that he’s not performing to his full potential. It was Mary who dared to be concerned about Claudi and flew in on a broomstick to support him.

Mary’s face lit up.

“You finally got it back.”

The power he once had.

“…….”

Jesse was looking at the same view from behind Mary.

His hair had grown long in the week they hadn’t seen each other.

She glanced at Mary, then at Hoyeol, and spoke.

“You don’t look familiar.”

Each person’s impression will inevitably be different depending on their point of view, but certain facts do not change despite the different perspectives.

Such was the case on the current battlefield.

jiiing─

What woke Nam Cheolmin up was the analyst’s occupational disease.

Another emergency update.

──────

[Emergency Update].

New boss monsters will be added.

‘Polar Flame Dragon Eunaxus’ : Lv.3,500

──────

“……!”

Elder Dragon Eunaxus, who swallowed the evil fruit, was leveled at 2,500.

But the phase progressed.

He gained an additional 1,000 levels.

‘Data remains and is helpful in some way. but.’

…… Do you think we’ll ever use this?

I thought, will there ever be a day when I can use this data even though I’m recording it with a drone? Thousands of levels. That’s thousands of levels.

So it was even more unbelievable. I couldn’t believe it, even though I was watching it with a drone, even though I was recording it, even though I was hearing his voice clearly.

“What am I looking at……?”

Such a monster was being overwhelmed by Hoyeol, the commander-in-chief.

At first, I thought.

It’s the Dark Dragon, lord over all dragons.

I wondered if Eunaxus wasn’t giving it his all.

But Eunaxus was not at full strength.

The current Eunaxus was rampaging like a tyrant, not the king of all.

And Hoyeol was overwhelming him.

Moreover, it was no ordinary hunt.

It was like…….

-“I’ll play with you until the very end, Eunaxus.”

-“Lukewarm, is that true power?”

-“It means to burn everything you have to white.”

It seemed to accept my complaints. He seemed to be tolerant of Eunaxus, who was rampaging like a young animal. Nam Cheolmin swallowed the hiccup without realizing it.

“Hic.”

It was because he realized something new.

He was teasing a level 3,500 monster in the palm of his hand……. Even if I were to be conservative, I’d estimate his level to be at least 4,000.

“Is that a physically possible number?”

Before and after the Cataclysm, the leveling system in Arcana Continental Biography didn’t change much. Every 100 levels, there’s a wailing zone, aka a large increase in the amount of experience required to level up.

A lot of information to digest.

The average level of monsters in the world before the Cataclysm.

After the Cataclysm, the updated real-world level of the Rift.

And the average level of the monsters that appeared in the rift.

No matter how you slice and dice those numbers,…….

“……impossible.”

Hoyeol’s estimated level, 4,000, could not be reached.

So what the hell is this?

Is this what I’m seeing now……?

Between the different perspectives.

Once again, a single fact emerges.

The heat is slowly dying down.

Hoyeol opens his mouth.

“You’ve worked hard for eons, Eunaxus.”

The king of all things has fallen.