◈ Episode 518. Natural Enemy and Natural Job (2)
The momentum changed suddenly.
“Kichi.”
“I’m listening, fatty.”
“You know what, why don’t we put this bet on hold?”
Enough to make the mighty Rockid stumble a step.
“Well, why not.”
seug.
Her hair, which she’d cut short, had grown and reached her shoulders.
The hair brushing against the nape of her neck was starting to get annoying.
Her senses, which had crossed the death line many times before, were telling her.
‘This is not someone to be messed with.’
Tight.
Kichi tied up the loose hair.
Sreung.
She held her dagger backward to keep it from slipping out of her hand.
sparkle.
The tip of the blade still shone.
Akshan’s Artifact, [Oil of Valor].
Greatly increased damage when slashing demons.
The dagger was still soaked in oil.
“I wonder if I can reach it.”
Instinctively, there was now a rider to control the rampaging beast.
The good news is that he’s also a demon.
Kichi signaled.
“Wolf, Herciora, Alkari!”
The elite few.
A small group of Shadow Mercenaries, working alone at best, in pairs at worst, on countless missions, but their pincer attack was perfect in every way.
cheolkeog.
The moment Wolf’s silver bolts were fired at the evil dragon. Herciora, the only mage, added to the destructive force with her magic, and Alkari threw down a vial of potion to hide the blow.
Boom.
The bolt pierced through the vial and disappeared in an instant. But that wasn’t all, as Isabella’s hair crackled with magic.
“Open the way.”
Necromancer.
At Isabella’s command, the burned and extinguished life of Jeju Island came back to life.
As if taking out its vengeance on the demon that had claimed its life, it charged at the evil dragon and Legion Commander Copper, who rode it.
Attacks flew from all directions.
If you counted the physical attacks from Kichi, Rockid, and Henderson, there seemed to be no way out of the way, even for the Evil Dragon, which had only just begun to glide. But everyone was overlooking something.
“……!!!”
Dragons are dimension-tearing beings.
“Oh no! The combination was not wrong……?”
Alkari stopped and looked inside his cloak.
Empty potion bottles.
There was no mistake.
He hadn’t forgotten the Obsidian extract, which suppresses the manifestation of magic.
So, is that……?
“……It’s Dragon Word, Kichi!”
“Dragon Word? What’s that, old man?!”
Rockid snapped back, but there was no time for a reply.
He dismissed it as the ramblings of a mere old man.
His ominous imagination seemed to be coming true.
“A language only the King of All can speak…….”
Alkari quickly warned.
“He didn’t just ride up and put on a leash.”
“Then what is it?”
“That demon has full control of the dragon’s powers!”
“……!!!”
Wolf snapped to judgment.
“This is an emergency. We, The reason we were confident of victory on our own was because the evil dragon showed no reason and we’re used to dealing with enemies who have nothing left but their nature.”
The Shadow Mercenaries have eliminated countless targets.
Targets facing death are driven solely by instinct.
Wolfe explains it in the language of the player, a language he’s learned through his explorations of anomaly.
“The patterns we’ve learned have changed.”
Of course, the others didn’t understand.
“……What the hell are you talking about?”
But it didn’t matter.
The threat was palpable.
Kichi clenched her fists.
“It means we’re fucked, what do you think?”
The prediction was accurate.
【All Will Be Burned】
The words came out of thin air.
“……Dodge!!!”
The former Shadow Mercenaries reflexively dropped to the ground at Kichi’s words.
The current Akshan members.
A blast of intense heat swept over their heads.
“AHHHH!”
Herciora hurriedly manifested a mid-level freezing magic, ‘Winter’s Veil’, but it wasn’t enough. It was Dragon Breath, which couldn’t be blocked by mere mid-level magic.
Zzzzzz.
“!”
But the crumbling ice was covered with even colder ice crystals. Herciora had a hunch. This must be it. If she could manifest magic like this, she must be quite skilled, even in a Magic Tower.
“My power is not infinite, gentlemen Akshan.”
“……?”
“If you understand that, get out of my way!”
Kotein Revel, Senior in Ice Magic.
“Whoa.”
jjeojeojeog.
A manifestation of Ice Magic that pushed him to the limit.
He spat out a cold breath.
Maia stood beside him, her eyes piercing.
Maia told the new demon hunters of their past.
“The Shadow Mercenaries.”
“What, you don’t recognize me with a cape on?”
“Shut up, Rockid.”
“What, DeSheve, you little rat bubble tells me to shut up……!”
Maia tried her patience again.
“I still can’t trust you guys.”
But, Chief Lee.
I will trust you and watch.
To see if they have truly changed.
‘As you say.’
Have they proven themselves worthy of Akshan pride?
‘To do that, of course.’
I’ll have to put my life on the line, too.
Maia steeled her resolve.
She drew on her magic, her emotions forgotten for the moment.
“Do you remember?”
“Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t remember the faces of the living very well.”
“That’s not it, Rockid-gun.”
DeSheve swallowed hard.
“This big guy calls me Rockid-gun.”
“Hey, won’t you shut up, you rat, and you snot-nosed son of a bitch.”
But Rockid was being patient, too.
From the moment he stepped foot on Jeju Island, he felt a strange hostility.
He knew it was Maia right in front of him.
It was just the sins of the past that had gotten the best of them.
“Magic Tower, you should know that I’m putting up with you because of all the help I’ve gotten from you. Especially who was that……? The green-haired one, yes, the senior mage named Bellier?”
Kotein blurted out.
“What, what?! You, how could you know Bellier……?”
Kotein, Maia held up a hand to silence the unnecessary chatter.
“No, it’s not who I’m asking.”
“What?”
“Nor what happened in the City of Dawn, Rynas.”
Rynas, City of Dawn.
“……!”
The only ones who reacted to the words were the leaders of the Shadow Mercenaries, Kichi and Wolfe, who had been perusing the request list. They could guess why Maia had reacted so hostilely.
‘Is she related to Rynas, and if so, …….’
There were no excuses.
Even if the Shadow Mercenaries had disbanded.
The stain would not be washed away.
‘Any insult must be returned in kind.’
Her next words were a surprise.
“I mean, do you remember the teachings of Chief Lee?”
“If this is Chief Lee……. Lee Hoyeol?”
“Yes.”
The moment they resolved their misunderstanding.
【Descend, King of All】
The dimension was torn apart once again, and the Evil Dragon Knight Copper appeared.
There was no time to spare.
Furthermore, there was no desire to exchange words anymore.
Instead of words, and actions.
Quadruple.
Maia summoned her earth magic.
” ……that?”
Yes.
It’s a staircase of rock that leads to the sky.
In the words of ‘someone’, architectural magic is the foundation of foundations.
Kichi raised a brow.
“I understand your teachings, Chief Lee.”
“Is that so, then please prove it to me.”
“Of course. Since you laid the groundwork.”
tadadas.
Kichi remembered the past when she and Hoyeol had been in sync.
Kichi sprinted up the stairs and leaped into the air.
She was followed by Rockid and Henderson.
‘……Shit. What do you think you’re doing, Maia?’
You’re taking it upon yourself to be a stepping stone for the Shadow Mercenaries.
Where’s all that bitterness you felt at the sight of them?
Now that they’ve trusted me and climbed the rocky staircase.
No grandiose manifestation was necessary.
The rock staircase stretched dizzyingly, almost touching the sky.
Not even the most sturdy of Shadow Mercenaries would be able to survive a fall from that height. I had plenty of excuses.
……shaking.
It must be the after-effects of the high-level magic ‘Reverse Earthquake’.
My manifestation power and magic efficiency are already at a low point, aren’t they? If that’s why I failed to manifest, I’m the one to blame. I don’t think you can hold me responsible.
However.
“……You’re not strong enough, Maia.”
Chief Lee.
You’ve changed me, but you’ve changed me too much.
Maia gritted her teeth and maintained her manifestation.
So much so that Kotein watching beside her twitched.
” ……Are you all right, Maia?”
“Does it look okay to you?”
“From the way you’re talking to me, it looks like you’re still okay.”
“Yeah. Good to see you, Senior Kotein.”
Maia smirked.
“I hope you’ll protect them when you have time for me.”
“Of course.”
Kotein nodded.
The residual heat of Dragon Breath still lingered in the air.
Higher freezing magic on them to keep it at bay.
The ‘Blessing of the Sherpas’ was manifested.
“Hah…….”
More white breath spewed from Kotein’s mouth.
The two senior mages had reached the point of exhaustion.
Even with all their magic, the two seniors didn’t expect much.
Maia thought.
‘The winner of the Dragon Magic War, you’re not afraid of dragons?’
You really risked your lives, Shadow Mercenaries.
But then, an unbelievable scene unfolded.
I thought I could never, ever reach it.
Pook.
“I’ve got you, asshole!”
“!!”
Their swords had sliced through the dragon’s skin and embedded themselves in its flesh.
At that moment, the two seniors exchanged glances.
Yes, now that they had proven themselves.
Maia opened her mouth.
“…… At this point, shouldn’t we have done our job?”
“Yes. We’re just the vanguard. It doesn’t have to be just Maia and I. There’s plenty of talent in the Magic Tower, isn’t there, Seniors Vangrit, Bensch, and Matisse. And finally…….”
“And him, Chief Lee.”
Even if another demon crawled out.
I wasn’t worried about the aftermath.
Even if they collapsed from exhaustion here.
They had allies who would gladly take care of them.
Thump, thump, thump……!!!
A heart that beats as if it will explode.
It was a magic that forced the unformed circle to manifest itself, and I would probably spend months in the Healer’s Lodge in the aftermath.
Still, I didn’t hesitate.
“So please, do me a favor.”
Maia whispered.
“This is the best we can do, Shadow Mercenaries.”
kwadeudeudeug.
The rocky staircase the Shadow Mercenaries were walking on began to expand rapidly. It changed the level, and their nemesis seized the opportunity.
Boom.
A view from above.
The rider was hidden by the flesh of the evil dragon.
The nape of Fourth Legion Commander Copper’s neck was revealed.
Without anyone saying who was first, Akshan, the entire army rushed forward.
“!”
Dengengeng.
At the same time, Copper’s head was taken away.
.
.
.
Nam Cheolmin muttered.
“……something’s wrong.”
It was a blow that should have killed.
Everyone, the cameras, the world was watching.
The ever-renewing community was proof of that.
-Wow, I remember that combo!
-Déjà vu all over again.
-Is that the same combo that Lee Hoyeol taught to the Magic Tower?
-Who are those creepy people???
-I don’t know about anything else, but they look like they’ve gotten away with it.
By the way.
“…… didn’t come up with a kill message.”
I’m not surprised.
It was a Curse I hadn’t quite figured out yet.
What monsters would show what phases and gimmicks.
No one could be sure.
“It’s not weird if it has a severed head.”
Players who had experienced the Arcana continent biography would have gotten the hint. However, the Shadow Mercenaries and the senior mages of the Magic Tower had neither the players’ knowledge nor their sight.
“That’s why it’s dangerous, we need to keep our distance now!”
Even through Taemin-yi……!
Nam Cheolmin hastily fixed his headphones.
The Evil Dragon Knight, Copper.
His hand on the reins twitched.
At the same time, the evil dragon spoke.
【Remember the lessons of the Dragon Magic War, human beings】
Nam Cheolmin’s vision suddenly flickered.
[Status Abnormality, ‘Magic Exhaustion’].
He hastily repaired his glasses.
“Extensive Mana Burn, you say……?”
Wait, and that rock staircase?
……Quadruple duck.
The ominous prediction has come true once again.
The aftermath of the Mana Burn.
Maia’s earth magic was dispelled.
The Shadow Mercenaries began to fall to their deaths.
Nam Cheolmin cried out.
“Isn’t this so unfair……?”
All of his worst fears were coming true.
It was gnawing away at his mental strength.
It was like a curse.
But I refused to be discouraged.
Even if it is a curse that breaks down even the strongest of minds.
There was no way I was going to give in to a madman in the first place.
“……What is that, Analyst? Someone is approaching!”
At the pilot’s words, Nam cleared his throat and looked up.
And he saw it.
Hanging on something small and yellow.
The figure of a man approaching the Evil Dragon Knight Copper.
His name came out of his mouth.
“……Skal?”
*
Something small and yellow.
Frostnax, who had changed form into a chick, spoke.
“It’s up to you from here. Prove it.”
Skal’s eyes shone brightly.
“Of course, Frostnax-nim.”
And Sir Hoyeol.
No, no, Commander in Chief Lee Hoyeol.
You will see.
Even a curse cannot be prevented.
A high-ranking demon king of a different rank.
Emotions that even the Ten Thrones were wary of.
“The moment when I will be reborn as a true Dragon Knight.”
Yes, it was a flap of wings toward ‘pride’.