Nests caused distortions in space, making their internal scale enormous.
They were easily dozens of times larger than Yeouido, and the environment varied depending on which Opening Stage one entered.
Some were dense jungles. Others were barren deserts. As for Opening Stage No. 9, which we had entered…….
“Of all places, it had to be a cave. Our field of vision is restricted, so we’ll tighten the formation.”
“Damn, our luck is terrible. These conditions favor them far too much.”
Just as Joo Arin and Kang Cheolmin said, it was the worst possible environment.
It was like jumping into a river to hunt a crocodile.
The only fortunate thing was that, for a cave, the ceiling was high and the passage was wide.
If even that had not been the case, it would have been extremely difficult for a team with three ranged combatants.
Whether it was magic or Sorcery Arts, we would not have been able to fire freely.
SNIFF SNIFF—
Min Youngji, who had taken the lead, advanced while alternating her attention between the floor and the walls.
It was merely overshadowed by her abysmal combat ability, but her search Trait was actually quite rare.
I had not expected her method of searching to be so unusual, though.
For a moment, I doubted my own eyes.
SNIFF SNIFF—
Despite her demure appearance, she kept sniffing as she tracked the scents of the terrain and the Magical Beasts like a dog……. No, like someone suffering from rhinitis.
Tsk.
Still, her accuracy seemed beyond question.
“I-I think it’s that way.”
Despite her timid manner of speaking, Min Youngji guided us without hesitation.
Occupying an Opening Stage ultimately meant reaching the core at its end.
Our task was to destroy that central power source, so at the very least, it seemed we could save time on the search.
How much farther had we walked?
“Wait. …The Demonic Energy has become much denser.”
Min Youngji, who had been progressing smoothly, abruptly stopped.
“Be precise. Where are they?”
As agreed, Kang Cheolmin moved to the front.
I also kept my guard up and stared ahead.
Then, along with a musty and sinister sensation, I felt a sharp, stinging pain as though my skin were being sliced.
Demonic Energy.
It had been a while since I last felt the distinctive presence of a Magical Beast.
When I focused my mind, a suspicious sound followed.
KRRRK-KRRRK—
A very faint, harsh noise, almost like metal being scraped.
There was no harm in warning the others, so I spoke.
“Do you hear something?”
“What sound?”
“Even I can’t hear anything, and I’m in the Superhuman System. What are you……?”
Their reactions were less than encouraging.
Joo Arin frowned and strained her ears, while Kang Cheolmin gave a derisive laugh and shrugged.
“Then your senses must be dull.”
“……Was that directed at me?”
Obviously.
When I shrugged in exactly the same way, Kang Cheolmin took his irritation out on someone else for no reason.
“Min Youngji, are you sure?”
“……Yes. I can definitely smell them. I-I’m just not sure about the direction.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Smell again. That’s your job.”
What a pathetic bastard.
[Trait ‘Acute Senses’ activated.]
Of my five senses, I heightened my hearing in particular and followed the sound lingering around my ears.
……And at that moment.
KRRRK-KRRRK—
KRRRK-KRRRK—
The volume suddenly slammed against my eardrums as though someone had placed a loudspeaker directly beside them.
Immediately afterward, I sensed the approximate direction.
Could it be……?
A sudden chill ran through me.
They were lurking right beside us like predators stalking their prey.
The instant I realized it, I shouted.
“The ground!”
BOOOOM.
At the same moment as my warning, the surface of the ground erupted.
Stone fragments and dust filled the air, obscuring our vision.
KRRRK-KRRRK—
KRRRK-KRRRK—
The harsh cries rang out from every direction like a chorus of frogs during the rainy season.
Taking advantage of the confusion, dozens of figures revealed themselves.
They rose through the broken ground as though simply passing through it.
“Th-they’re here!”
“It’s an ambush.”
“Eek!”
Their entire bodies were black, and they stood roughly as tall as elementary-school children, with forms resembling those of humans.
At first, I thought there was nothing particularly unnatural about their appearance.
Then I saw their eyes and realized I had been wrong.
They were filled entirely with white, without a single black pupil…….
KRRRK-KRRRK—
Their already luminous white eyes gleamed as they charged.
“F*ck! Since when do Grade 10 Magical Beasts launch ambushes?”
“Aah! They’re too close!”
Nearly twenty of them rushed us simultaneously from the front, rear, left, and right, throwing my teammates into confusion.
Kang Cheolmin swung his fists wildly, while Lee Minha, disrupted by the creatures, failed her casting.
Min Youngji screamed and collapsed to the ground.
“Move against the right wall! There are a lot of them, but we can handle them once we establish a formation.”
Joo Arin’s command came at exactly the right moment, along with the Divine Beast of water she summoned.
SHWAAAAA—
If not for the stream of purifying water it unleashed, we would have suffered serious damage from the very beginning.
“Haerin, save the team members first!”
At her master’s command, Haerin, the lion-like Divine Beast, responded.
As befitted a Divine Beast that formed a lifelong contract with a single person and matured alongside them, Haerin still looked unmistakably young.
But her innate lineage was formidable.
GRRRRR—
Haerin let out a low roar and rampaged through the surrounding enemies.
Thanks to her, we gained enough time to reorganize.
“Bastards like these are barely worth a single punch.”
Kang Cheolmin belatedly flew into a rage, while Lee Minha finally succeeded in casting and raised a pillar of fire.
The scales seemed to be tipping back in our favor.
KRRRRRRRRRK—
Until an even louder cry shook the cave.
……That was it.
I knew the instant I heard it.
Ten Opening Stages leading toward a single Final Stage.
The master of Opening Stage No. 9, the most difficult of them all.
The leader of the Kkeomeoksari had appeared at the decisive moment.
***
The creature smoothly emerged from the ground.
Its body was lean, its height roughly equal to that of an adult, and brilliant white light radiated from its eyes.
As that eerie glow spread across the surroundings, the ordinary Kkeomeoksari went berserk as though they had suddenly been revitalized.
KRRRK-KRRRK—
KRRRK-KRRRK—
KRRRK-KRRRK—
Joo Arin, who had been directing Haerin, quickly recognized the shift in the battle.
“There is no need to panic. Stay calm and follow the plan.”
“O-okay.”
“I’ll support you.”
Kang Cheolmin pulled himself together and charged toward the leader, with Lee Minha following behind him.
Meanwhile, Joo Arin and her Divine Beast, Haerin, swept through the enemies around us.
“Got it.”
She remembered to tell me, but she did not seem to be expecting much.
Perhaps because she intended to handle the ordinary creatures almost entirely by herself, an icy chill suddenly spread throughout the cave.
CRACK—
Ice.
The higher-order Attribute that served almost as a symbol of the Guardian Joo Family.
An extreme Attribute said to be capable of freezing even blazing flames had manifested.
CRRRRACK—
Joo Arin did not retreat even while facing more than ten creatures alone.
Sky-blue mana poured from her smooth hands, freezing even the bodies of the creatures that had blurred through their incorporeal state.
“She really is impressive.”
Her ability was certainly great enough to justify her confidence.
But I still could not afford to relax completely.
“If she burns through that much strength this early, what is she planning to do about the leader?”
The faster something heated up, the faster it cooled.
She apparently believed Kang Cheolmin and Lee Minha could hold the leader securely…….
I was not so certain.
A lingering sense of unease remained, but I soon shook it off.
Well, she probably knew how to judge this better than I did.
She was the expert here, after all.
More importantly, that was not what mattered right now.
[Trait ‘Manifestation’ activated.]
I quietly stepped back and activated my Trait.
After envisioning a new Armament, I quickly stated the conditions.
“The condition is ten percent of its performance. The time limit is five minutes.”
[Conditions established.]
[Materializing.]
A moment later, a crude, rugged dagger appeared in my hand.
[Yeon Gaesomun’s First Sword]
[Grade: Special] [Performance Limit: 10%]
[Description: One of the five swords said to have belonged to Yeon Gaesomun, the Dae Magniji of Goguryeo. It possesses excellent cutting power and durability while remaining lightweight.]
[Effect: Agility increased by 8%]
It was the only set-type Armament among the Hero-Grade Armaments I possessed.
The complete set consisted of five swords and ranked as ‘Hero’ when assembled, but each individual sword was only ‘Special’ grade, meaning it consumed little mana and attracted little attention.
It was the perfect Armament to use moderately without drawing attention.
With that, my preparations were complete.
TAP TAP.
I kicked forcefully off the ground and shot forward at a speed fast enough to make me stagger for a moment…….
Or not.
I simply moved forward at an entirely ordinary speed.
Either way, my target was straight ahead!
One of the Kkeomeoksari had been caught in the Ice and frozen solid.
Since it could no longer move, driving the First Sword into it was easy.
STAB—
[Grade 10 Magical Beast, Kkeomeoksari, has been slain.]
[The special properties of the nest have been applied.]
[Time acquired has been reduced by half.]
[You have acquired 4 hours.]
“Half?”
I frowned for an instant, but there was no time to hesitate.
CRAAACK—
Even at this very moment, more than one Kkeomeoksari was dying uselessly at Joo Arin’s hands.
“Damn it.”
If they were going to die anyway, surely it would be better for them to sacrifice themselves for my benefit.
As I selected my next prey, I made a suggestion to Joo Arin.
“You’re already getting tired. Just freeze them. I’ll finish them off.”
I dashed over and drove my sword into another creature’s head.
Joo Arin stared at me in bewilderment.
“……Aren’t you in the Sorcery Arts System?”
“Me? I am. Why?”
“I was wondering whether running around stabbing things with a sword was also a form of Sorcery Arts.”
What would she rather I stab them with, a fan or a bell?
“Anyway. I’ll trust you.”
She said that, but suspicion still lingered in her eyes.
The important part was that she had agreed.
Because that was where it began.
She froze one.
I stabbed it in the head.
[You have acquired 4 hours.]
She froze another.
I stabbed it in the head.
[You have acquired 4 hours.]
[You have acquired 4 hours.]
.
.
[Remaining Time: 3 days, 22 hours, 13 minutes]
Things could not possibly have been going more smoothly, and a thought suddenly occurred to me.
Was this an orchard?
It felt as though I were merely plucking ripe apples hanging from branches one after another.
“Yes. I deserve days like this once in a while.”
The corners of my mouth rose at this rare stroke of good fortune.
If not for the sudden scream that rang out, I might even have forgotten that Lee Daeho’s team had struggled here in the original story.
BOOOOOM.
“Ghk! F*ck, I lost it.”
“Aaaah! B-be careful!”
Kang Cheolmin had suddenly been smashed into the wall like a crushed tin can, while the deathly pale Lee Minha screamed.
Beyond the two of them, I saw the leader rushing forward like a projectile.
That bastard Kang Cheolmin.
He had bragged as though he could handle it alone…….
WHOOSH—
The leader charged without hesitation, as though it had already chosen its target.
At the end of its path stood Joo Arin, who was clearly exhausted.
……We were screwed.
I started running to help her, then abruptly stopped.
…….
What exactly could I accomplish by approaching it with the First Sword restricted to ten percent of its power and possessing no restraining effect?
Once I thought about it that way, there was no answer.
“Then I need to retreat first.”
There was no point trying to force the impossible.
Once I reached that conclusion, I immediately sprinted in the opposite direction.
“Y-you…….”
“What are you doing, you bastard?!”
What did it look like I was doing?
One step backward for ten steps forward.
Joo Arin, who had been desperately preparing her Ice, stared at me in disbelief, while Kang Cheolmin, barely managing to rise, shouted after me.
I ignored them and continued widening the distance.
Once I reached an appropriate range, I stopped and activated my Trait.
[Trait ‘Manifestation’ activated.]
My original plan had been to wait until Joo Arin and Kang Cheolmin joined forces against the leader, then seize the finishing blow.
But things had gone wrong.
Joo Arin was exhausted, and Kang Cheolmin and Lee Minha were obviously in no condition to continue fighting properly.
That left only one option.
“I’ll kill that bastard myself.”
Fortunately, I still had enough mana for roughly two Sorcery Arts attacks.
I quickly inscribed Flame Bullet.
CRACKLE—
At that moment, Joo Arin’s Ice collided with the leader’s incorporeal form.
A terrifying chill surged through the cave, but it was clearly weaker than before.
The leader remained unharmed, while Joo Arin was barely holding on with Haerin’s assistance.
I was just about to pour mana into the completed formula.
But then—
……Would this really be enough?
The question suddenly occurred to me.
Of course, Attribute compatibility was not absolute.
A sufficiently powerful flame could burn through shallow darkness.
But this was uncertain.
My Flame Bullet was only one-star.
Even with high accuracy in its Manifestation, what if two Flame Bullets were not enough to kill it?
Forget third place.
I would have no mana left after that, and things would truly fall apart.
Not only would I have to consume my precious time, but my objective would change as well.
From completing the quest……
To survival.
Just as it had for Lee Daeho’s team in the original story.
I therefore stopped the materialization and thought for a moment.
There were too many eyes watching for me to Manifest the Seven-Branched Sword…….
“There is one method that would not look particularly unnatural…….”
When everyone had revealed their Attributes earlier, an idea had flashed through my mind.
Just as Joo Arin possessed Ice, sorcerers also had a special ability unique to them.
The ability known as the ‘Heaven-Defying Art.’
There probably would not be any problem using it.
I had Manifestation, after all.
The only problem was that this would be my first time invoking it.
Was there really any reason to take such an unnecessary risk……?
“You cowardly bastard…….”
At that moment, Joo Arin’s sharp voice reached me.
“No, I have a reason. Just give me a moment.”
“And you call yourself a teammate.”
I told you, I am thinking about how to help right now.
“You disgrace to a prestigious family. Damn you…….”
“…….”
I was reminded once again that people changed when driven into a corner.
That was how desperate she must have been.
Thanks to her, my hesitation did not last long.
ZZZT, ZZZT.
I overlaid another Sorcery Formula atop the Flame Bullet.
As blue spread like paint across the red formula, every last trace of my remaining mana drained away in an instant.
The difference between inscribing the formulas one after another and inscribing them simultaneously was greater than I had expected.
“……If this fails, I am seriously screwed.”
My legs trembled violently and the world around me swayed, but I managed to endure.
A moment later, a tiny ball of flame wrapped in bands of blue shot from the completed formula.
FWOOOOSH—