Sang-hyeok kept his right hand against the core and poured even more mana into <Extinction Devouring>.
HISSSS!
The black energy drove deeper into the blue crystal.
The palm-sized hole rapidly widened, spilling black sand.
[<Eternal Freeze Core> Damage: 7%]
[<Eternal Freeze Core> Damage: 14%]
VMMMMMM!
As the damage rose, the core began vibrating violently.
Blue light burst from the cracks and wrapped around Sang-hyeok’s right arm.
CRACK!
Ice spread from the back of his hand to his elbow in an instant.
His Freeze percentage also shot upward.
[Current Freeze: 91%]
The newly opened <Demon Dragon’s Bloodstream> responded.
THUD!
Dark-red energy erupted from his heart and spread throughout the blood vessels of his entire body.
His Freeze continued rising, but the speed at which his body stiffened slowed noticeably.
More power concentrated in his right arm where it touched the core.
Strength returned to the fingers that had been freezing solid.
Now it was simply a race of speed.
He had to raise the core’s damage to one hundred percent before his own Freeze reached one hundred percent.
‘I’ll erase you first.’
The <Extinction Devouring> around his right hand deepened.
Everywhere the black energy touched, blue crystal vanished without even having a chance to regenerate.
[<Eternal Freeze Core> Damage: 23%]
[<Eternal Freeze Core> Damage: 38%]
The same values appeared before his three party members.
Red Lotus swung her staff without taking her eyes off the damage percentage.
FWOOOOSH!
The magical beasts crowding toward the <Warmth Core> were engulfed in red flames.
“He really is breaking the core!”
Baren did not answer.
He braced his shield and caught the charge of an approaching boar.
BOOM!
The impact drove his feet a long distance through the snow.
Even so, the beast did not reach the <Warmth Core>.
“Hold out until Private destroys the core!”
Blessings Cost Money layered another barrier over Baren’s back.
Red Lotus widened her flames and forced back the wolves digging around the sides of the shield.
The three no longer looked toward Sang-hyeok.
They stopped the assault from their positions so that he would have enough time to destroy the core.
Sang-hyeok endured the cold growing more violent as the damage rose.
[Current Freeze: 95%]
The ice covering his arm and shoulder grew heavier.
Even his exhaled breath froze in the air, yet his body did not completely stiffen while <Demon Dragon’s Bloodstream> continued circulating.
Vmmmm!
The <Spirit Vein Ring: Sprout> around his left wrist drew in the mana scattered throughout the gorge.
Every time the gathered mana reached the Heart of the Apocalyptic Demon Dragon, <Demon Dragon’s Bloodstream> circulated even more powerfully.
Even while enduring cold intense enough to freeze his body, the <Extinction Devouring> in his right hand did not weaken at all.
[<Eternal Freeze Core> Damage: 57%]
CRAAAAACK!
A fissure beginning beneath Sang-hyeok’s palm stretched all the way toward the center of the enormous core.
Beyond the cracked surface, nearly half of the crystal’s interior was already empty.
The moment the fissure reached the core’s center, the damage began rising even faster.
[<Eternal Freeze Core> Damage: 74%]
[<Eternal Freeze Core> Damage: 89%]
As the damage approached ninety percent, the core erupted with fierce blue light.
KRAAAASH!
Cold exploded outward and swept through the entire gorge.
White frost even settled over the three people protecting the <Warmth Core>.
Sang-hyeok, standing closest to the core, took the full force head-on.
[Current Freeze: 98%]
Ice spread from his right arm toward his chest.
Eleven percent remained until the core reached one hundred.
Only two percent remained until his Freeze reached one hundred.
Even so, Sang-hyeok had no intention of removing his hand.
He poured every bit of remaining mana into his right arm.
‘Disappear.’
FWOOOOSH!
Black energy exploded outward from his palm.
<Extinction Devouring>, which had already penetrated deep into the core, swallowed the remaining blue crystal all at once.
CRACK!
At last, even the very center of the core turned black.
[<Eternal Freeze Core> Damage: 100%]
That instant.
The blue crystal several times taller than Sang-hyeok collapsed from the inside.
FSSSSSS!
Even the base buried deep beneath the ground turned into black sand and poured across the snow.
「<Eternal Freeze Core> has been destroyed.」
「Freeze generation within the gorge stops.」
Whoooooosh.
The blizzard covering the gorge lost its strength.
The vicious wind died down, and the ice covering Sang-hyeok’s body rapidly melted away.
The Frozen Magical Beasts charging toward the <Warmth Core> also stopped.
The ice covering them cracked, and the bodies inside scattered into blue light.
Rumble.
When even the last magical beast disappeared, silence settled over the battlefield.
[<Warmth Core> Durability: 100%]
[<Eternal Freeze Core> Status: Destroyed]
[Party Members Eliminated: 0]
[Time Remaining: 06:21]
「Lv.10 Limited Cooperative Battlefield <Frozen Gorge> completed.」
「Complete Clear Condition fulfilled.」
「<Frozen Gorge> has been completely cleared for the first time.」
[Clear Evaluation: SSS]
FLASH!
White light wrapped around the four people scattered across the battlefield.
When it faded, Sang-hyeok stood in front of the <Warmth Core> together with his three party members.
Red Lotus looked back and forth between the perfectly fine Sang-hyeok and the enormous pile of black sand at the end of the gorge.
Her lips moved several times before a voice finally came out.
“You really… really broke it.”
Her widened eyes fixed on Sang-hyeok in disbelief.
There was already unmistakable admiration in them.
She and another fire mage had poured flames into the core together without raising its damage by even one percent.
Sang-hyeok had erased that same core alone.
Barehanded.
Baren finally relaxed his stiff expression and lowered his shield into the snow.
A faint smile spread over his face.
“I completely misjudged you.”
His gaze turned toward Sang-hyeok’s empty right hand.
“I never imagined the Impossible One really would fight barehanded.”
He continued in a voice filled with admiration.
“Impressive. Now I finally understand how you defeated the Unbreakable Guardian in the tutorial.”
Blessings Cost Money also lowered his staff and clasped both hands in front of his chest.
His eyes sparkled as he looked at Sang-hyeok.
“To destroy alone a core that no one had ever broken… truly incredible.”
His excited voice trembled slightly.
“Thanks to you, even we were able to participate in a complete clear. Thank you, Impossible One.”
He smiled brightly.
“Now I understand why everyone calls you that.”
All three gazes gathered on Sang-hyeok again.
None of them doubted his identity anymore.
Soon, the battlefield contribution records appeared before the four of them.
[Battlefield Contribution Rank 1]
[Public Name: Private]
[Affiliated Nation: Republic of Korea]
[Key Contributions]
- First damage inflicted on <Eternal Freeze Core>
- Solo destruction of <Eternal Freeze Core>
- Complete Clear Condition achieved
Without surprise, Sang-hyeok ranked first.
Everyone nodded as though it were only natural.
The complete-clear reward settlement followed.
「Additional rewards are granted to all party members who participated in the Complete Clear.」
Red Lotus’s eyes widened when she saw the new reward added to her settlement window.
“We got complete-clear rewards too.”
Blessings Cost Money checked the unfamiliar reward list several times.
“A reward we kept aiming for and could never obtain….”
Sang-hyeok looked at the still-intact <Warmth Core>.
“You earned it because you protected that.”
If the three of them had failed to stop the assault, the basic objective would have failed before Sang-hyeok could destroy the core.
Because all three had fulfilled their roles, Sang-hyeok had been able to concentrate on the core until the end.
Baren bowed deeply toward Sang-hyeok.
“It would be an honor if we could be matched together again.”
“Me too.”
Red Lotus smiled brightly.
“If we end up in the same party again, let’s go for another complete clear.”
Sang-hyeok looked at the three in turn.
They had only just met, but they had trusted his judgment and protected the <Warmth Core> to the end.
A faint smile appeared on Sang-hyeok’s lips beneath the black mask.
“If we get the chance.”
He gave a small nod.
At that moment, a new notification appeared before Sang-hyeok.
「Core-contribution reward for the Complete Clear is granted.」
[1 Authority Factor acquired.]
[Authority Factors Owned: 1]
[Acquire 2 additional Authority Factors to search for a new Authority candidate.]
Sang-hyeok’s gaze stopped on the final sentence.
<Authority Factor>.
It was a growth resource countless players desperately sought.
In the end, the greatest factor determining a player’s strength was their <Authority>.
Even with similar levels and equipment, combat power could differ enormously depending on what Authorities a player possessed.
An <Authority Factor> was a resource that opened the possibility of gaining one more.
And they were not easy to obtain.
The higher a player’s level rose, the fewer opportunities there were to acquire them, so the standard approach was to collect as many as possible whenever one had the chance.
Such a valuable resource had appeared as a complete-clear reward.
‘Very good.’
Its value was even greater to Sang-hyeok, who possessed the <Heart of the Apocalyptic Demon Dragon>.
<Extinction Devouring> had erased entities declared indestructible and had just erased the <Eternal Freeze Core>, which no one had ever managed to damage.
The newly opened <Demon Dragon’s Bloodstream> was the same.
From Stage 1 alone, it reduced all status-effect effects by thirty percent.
Thanks to that, Sang-hyeok had continued moving and destroyed the core even after his Freeze reached ninety-eight percent.
It had even opened a path to learning Demon Dragon-class black arts.
Every Authority he had opened so far broke common sense in one way or another.
What kind of power would appear next?
He only needed two more Authority Factors to find out.
‘I’ll collect them anywhere I can from now on.’
Just then, the Authority Factor notification slid upward and a new achievement notice appeared.
「World Achievement <One Who Ended Eternal Frost> accomplished.」
「This achievement will be announced on all Eastern and Western channels.」
[Achiever Public Name: Private]
[Affiliated Nation: Republic of Korea]
[Republic of Korea Achievement Points +30,000]
[Republic of Korea Estimated Deficit Points This Quarter: 0]
[Current Estimate: Outside Rift Occurrence Zone]
At last, the Republic of Korea’s estimated deficit for the quarter had reached zero.
The quarterly settlement had not happened yet, so it was not final.
But if the current estimate held, not even a Small Rift would open in Korea this quarter.
Sang-hyeok stared at the final value for a moment.
A Republic of Korea without a single Rift was no longer a vague goal.
It was now a number displayed directly before him.
While Sang-hyeok watched the screen, Red Lotus drew in a small breath.
The World Achievement announcement had appeared before the other three as well.
“You earned another World Achievement?”
Baren looked back and forth between the +30,000 and the zero beneath it.
“Thirty thousand points from one clear… and you reduced Korea’s deficit to zero.”
Blessings Cost Money asked in disbelief.
“Then no Rift at all will open in Korea this quarter?”
“It isn’t final until settlement.”
“But right now, you’re outside the Rift occurrence zone.”
Red Lotus looked at Sang-hyeok with unabated admiration.
“Seriously… how far are you planning to go, Impossible One?”
Sang-hyeok looked at her for a moment, then faintly raised the corner of his mouth.
“I still have a long way to go.”
At that moment, the return notice appeared.
「Returning to the Cooperative Battlefield waiting area in 30 seconds.」
After checking the remaining time, Baren asked carefully.
“Would you prefer that we not talk outside about what we saw here today?”
The clear result would be made public anyway.
But Sang-hyeok had no intention of revealing exactly what kind of power he had used to destroy the core.
He nodded.
“I’d appreciate that.”
“Understood. I won’t say anything beyond what appears on the public record board.”
Red Lotus and Blessings Cost Money also nodded seriously.
White light rose beneath the four of them.
Until the moment they vanished into it, the other three could not take their eyes off Sang-hyeok.
* * *
A short while later.
A new entry appeared on the public record board for the Lv.10 Limited Cooperative Battlefield.
[Battlefield: <Frozen Gorge>]
[Achieved Record: First Complete Clear]
[<Warmth Core> Durability: 100%]
[<Eternal Freeze Core> Status: Destroyed]
[Clear Evaluation: SSS]
[Battlefield Contribution Rank 1]
[Public Name: Private]
[Affiliated Nation: Republic of Korea]
At the same time the public record appeared, the World Achievement announcement spread across all Eastern and Western channels.
First Complete Clear.
Another World Achievement.
Republic of Korea’s estimated deficit points for the quarter: 0.
The moment all three pieces of news became public at once.
PlayerNet erupted.