He didn't know what to say first.
So many thoughts, memories, and words swirled through Kang Hyeon-woo's mind that he could only stare blankly at Park Seong-jun for a moment.
“Eat this. We'll talk later.”
Park Seong-jun pulled an Energy Core from inside his clothes and tossed it to Kang Hyeon-woo.
It looked identical to the homemade Core of Park Seong-jun's that Kang Hyeon-woo had obtained before.
‘Identify.’
[Skill use restricted by Administrator.]
Kang Hyeon-woo looked at Park Seong-jun for a moment, then poured the Core into his mouth.
[Core Stream Network connection lost]
[……Waiting]
[Recovery impossible. Operating in Local Network Mode.]
[All commands and services requiring an external Core Stream Network connection unavailable.]
[Local Network Service Mode]
HUM-.
A hologram appeared before Kang Hyeon-woo's eyes, and his body felt lighter.
[Name : Kang Hyeon-woo]
[Codename : SIN]
[Class : Mage]
[Grade : ???]
[Affiliation : Shinhwa Company]
[Life Force : -1 / ???]
[Mana : 18,500 / ???????]
[A total of ?? passive magic skills are active.]
[S-Grade Magic Skill (Mana:Life Force Exchange) active.]
[Death occurs when all Mana is depleted.]
[Critical Error : Network connection is faulty.]
[Critical Error : Information not found.]
[Critical Error : Status accuracy cannot be guaranteed.]
[Magic Skills restored]
[Local Network target confirmed for S-Grade Magic Skill Mana:Life Force Exchange]
[Shared Magic Skills restored]
With Park Seong-jun nearby, all of Kang Hyeon-woo's buffs began functioning.
Avoiding Kang Hyeon-woo's gaze, Park Seong-jun looked toward Asimov, who had been embedded in a distant building.
“We can settle things between us later. First, let's clean this up. How about it?”
Kang Hyeon-woo looked at Park Seong-jun and nodded.
“Agreed.”
Park Seong-jun raised his hand axe and twisted the handle. A Core, charred completely black, popped out from inside and fell to the ground.
Kang Hyeon-woo picked up the Core.
‘Identify.’
[Old-Model Magic Skill Energy Core]
[Manufacturer : ????]
[Magic Skill (Strength) applied]
“You've done well surviving with old-model trash like this.”
“Trash by your standards. For an honest, muscular man like me, it's a huge help.”
“Even after all these years, it seems your brain is still made of muscle.”
“That's rich coming from the delicate fellow who used to take a taxi if he had to go more than three steps.”
Park Seong-jun rummaged around in his bag before suddenly pulling something out.
“Liquor?”
What Park Seong-jun had produced was a dark brown bottle of liquor.
“The real thing. I made the oak barrel myself and aged it for thirty years.”
“Making liquor requires a fairly high level of intelligence.”
“It takes devotion.”
“If you made it, it must taste absolutely terrible.”
“Actually, I robbed a distillery.”
“Then I'll have a glass. After we settle everything.”
“Yeah. After we settle everything.”
They knew each other far too well.
They had been friends since childhood.
And so, avoiding the important things, they eased into their reunion in their own way.
KABOOM—!
“I was wondering where that sound of a pig being slaughtered was coming from.”
Building debris flew aside as Asimov emerged, grinding his teeth with bloodshot eyes.
***
The flesh had once again been blown from Asimov's legs, exposing his titanium-colored framework.
“Beast. And SIN. Hehehe. I've hit the jackpot today.”
“Slaughterer. You still look like an idiot.”
“Oho. The traitor to humanity still has quite a mouth on him. Hehehe.”
Park Seong-jun glanced at Kang Hyeon-woo and pointed at Asimov.
“I'm not that much of an idiot, am I?”
“You're not an idiot. You're just ignorant.”
“Right. Ignorant is better than an idiot.”
“You bastards. Shut up!”
WHOOSH-!
Asimov violently swung his two-handed axe from a distance.
A violet energy wave flew toward Park Seong-jun and Kang Hyeon-woo.
KABOOM—!
Park Seong-jun raised his shield and blocked the energy wave without budging from the spot.
“You're pretty weak for someone who modified his body. Instead of playing around with tricks like that, you should've built some muscle like me.”
“Shut up!”
“Oh, come to think of it, you couldn't even kill as many monsters as me in the Dungeon, could you? And I was the tank.”
“I'll kill you……!”
Asimov's face twisted hideously as he focused his strength, his eyes completely red as if every capillary in them had burst.
RRRRRUMBLE—!
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE.
An enormous amount of Mana churned through the skies above Busan.
“You're still excellent at drawing aggro.”
Kang Hyeon-woo clicked his tongue.
“It's a tank's basic skill. Doesn't that mean I'm pretty smart?”
“I'd say you already lost the moment you started questioning your own intelligence.”
“Tch. Rude bastard. Just buff me.”
Kang Hyeon-woo cast his spells.
‘Greater Haste.’
‘Greater Strength.’
‘Limit Magic, Free Will.’
‘Chain Casting, Blade Turn.’
WHOOOOOM—!
Bright masses of light seeped into Park Seong-jun's body.
“Ah, that's the stuff. Hyeon-woo. Don't you have some steroid magic that makes my muscles bigger?”
“I do have magic that makes you more intelligent.”
“Useless. I'm going in.”
‘Phase Intervention.’
THOOM-!
A phase once again overlaid the surrounding area.
A massive shield in his left hand.
A hand axe in his right.
Park Seong-jun slightly bent his knees.
KABOOM—!
The ground beneath where Park Seong-jun had been standing caved in.
SWISH-!
With Haste assisting him, Park Seong-jun flew in front of Asimov in the blink of an eye at a speed completely at odds with his enormous build.
Park Seong-jun swung his hand axe toward Asimov's head.
KABOOM—!
Asimov raised his two-handed axe and blocked Park Seong-jun's attack.
SWISH—!
Park Seong-jun's body blurred again, and he appeared behind Asimov.
Asimov bent at the waist at a bizarre angle and swung his axe toward Park Seong-jun.
‘Telekinesis.’
Kang Hyeon-woo used Telekinesis to shift Asimov's heel slightly.
Thrown off balance, Asimov's axe sliced through empty air.
Park Seong-jun's axe came down on Asimov's head.
CLANG—!
Sparks flew from Asimov's skull.
“What, you modified your damn head too?”
“Hehehe. Did you think my head was a weak point? How unintelligent.”
“So you don't have a brain, then? A robot? Hello? Can you understand me?”
“……You bastard!”
Asimov's body blurred and vanished into thin air.
SWISH-SWISH-SWISH—!
Violet Mana seized Park Seong-jun's body as though gripping him.
Asimov appeared behind Park Seong-jun and swung his two-handed axe.
SHRIEEEEK!
It moved too fast to see. The sound of the air being torn apart rang out.
KABOOM—!
A mass of light appeared around Park Seong-jun's body and knocked Asimov's two-handed axe away.
“Did you think my back was my weak point? Bl…… Blade-something! Fucking pisses you off when you're on the receiving end, doesn't it?”
“……You bastard! Even Chain Casting has a Mana limit. Die!”
KABOOM-!
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-KABOOM—!
The close-quarters battle between Park Seong-jun and Asimov began in earnest.
KRAAAAAASH—!
Every time their weapons collided, an enormous Mana explosion erupted.
Whenever one of them was sent flying, another building collapsed beneath the impact.
‘Magic Amplification.’
‘Limit Magic, Reality Manipulation.’
‘Disintegrate.’
‘Mana Control.’
CRASH—!
Reality fragmented, splitting Park Seong-jun and Asimov into dozens of pieces across the fractured view.
KABOOM—!
BANG!
Neither of them cared, blindly charging at each other and continuing to fight.
RRRRRUMBLE—!
Clouds gathered above the separated phase.
Kang Hyeon-woo controlled the Mana of Disintegrate, his strongest anti-personnel magic, and waited for the right moment.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-KABOOM—!
Park Seong-jun smashed the charging Asimov with his shield.
‘Now.’
SHWOOOOOSH—!
A spear of light plunged from the air toward Asimov at dazzling speed.
FLASH-!
KABOOM—!
The spear of light pierced straight through Asimov's body.
‘Dispel.’
Kang Hyeon-woo released Reality Manipulation and the phase.
Asimov was down on one knee in an awkward half-crouch, the spear of light piercing his thigh.
“You bastards! All of you, get out here!”
Asimov shouted toward the sky.
WHOOOOOM—!
The energy field covering the sky above Busan opened slightly.
Five people dropped from the sky toward the ground.
They were Shinhwa Company soldiers in Special Operations Unit uniforms, their faces devoid of emotion.
The soldier at the front looked familiar to Kang Hyeon-woo.
“Port Mine. Captain Kim Hyeon-seok.”
The leading soldier looked at Kang Hyeon-woo and tilted his head.
“Do you know me?”
“Weren't you the commander of the 3rd Company of the Port Mine Defense Force?”
“I am…….”
Port Mine's City Lord was dead.
So was the Resistance.
Yet a captain who had served under that City Lord had now appeared as a soldier belonging to headquarters.
Kim Hyeon-seok shook his head from side to side with a confused expression.
“I am, I am, I am.”
“You pieces of trash! Take those two down! The Mage first!”
“Command. Acknowledged.”
Kim Hyeon-seok and the soldiers turned toward Kang Hyeon-woo with expressionless faces.
SWISH—!
Their bodies blurred, and they instantly moved around Kang Hyeon-woo.
The soldiers' arms melted strangely before transforming into swords in an instant.
‘Blink.’
FLASH!
Kang Hyeon-woo moved into the air.
SWISH-SWISH—!
Kim Hyeon-seok and the soldiers immediately followed him.
“You bastards! I'm your opponent!”
Park Seong-jun appeared out of nowhere and swung his shield.
KABOOM—!
“Threat identified. Priority over command.”
At Kim Hyeon-seok's emotionless words, all the soldiers charged Park Seong-jun at once.
“Damn it. Hey, how much Mana do you have?”
“14,000.”
“There's no end to this. Want to run?”
“Where?”
“Ha. Damn it. Ah, what a life!”
BANG! BANG!
Park Seong-jun swung his shield and axe, smashing the soldiers down one after another.
Then it happened.
WHOOOOOM—!
Countless crimson fireballs came flying from the distance and exploded as they reached the soldiers.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-KABOOM—!
“Mister Bear!”
“Oh, it's the little lady!”
“I'm Lena!”
Lena appeared beside Kang Hyeon-woo and waved at Park Seong-jun.
“You can use magic too?”
“Yes!”
“Ha, well……. So that's how it is? Give me a hand!”
“I came here to do that anyway! Mister, help Big Sis.”
“What do you mean?”
“Big Sis says it's too much for her alone.”
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAR—!
A fierce battle between the red and silver Dragons was raging along the distant shoreline.
“Hyeon-woo. Deal with that Dragon first! We need to suppress the Core Stream runaway quickly!”
“Runaway?”
“I'll explain later. These bastards are stalling for time right now!”
“You should've told me that sooner.”
“How was I supposed to know these bastards would be this hard to kill?!”
BANG! BANG!
After tearing off one soldier's robotic head with his shield, Park Seong-jun flew high into the sky.
“Wow! Mister Bear, you can fly? Is that magic?”
“That bastard cast it on me! I don't like this kind of magic!”
After flying high into the air, Park Seong-jun quickly pulled something from his bag and threw it to Kang Hyeon-woo.
THUD!
What landed in Kang Hyeon-woo's hand was an Old-Model Energy Core made by Park Seong-jun.
“Use that! That one! That pig of a Dragon looks about like an S-Grade boss!”
“I'll think about it. Lena, help that bear-like bastard.”
“Yes! But…… they're packed so closely together. What should I do?”
Park Seong-jun was surrounded by the soldiers and Asimov, fighting a bloody battle.
“Don't bother controlling your attacks. Just hit him too.”
“What?”
“He's tough. He'll be fine.”
Kang Hyeon-woo tucked the Core into his clothes and cast a spell.
‘Blink.’
***
ROOOOOOOOOOOAR—!
The shoreline looked like a battlefield.
The collapsing city burned beneath the fire magic Meras had fired indiscriminately.
The two Dragons attacked each other by casting magic through Dragon Tongue while directly biting and tearing at one another.
Unlike Meras, Eorin's body was covered with deep wounds.
“You look terrible.”
“Urgh……. Meras is an Ancient Dragon. I can't do this alone.”
“What are a Dragon's weaknesses?”
“……What?”
“You're making me say it twice. I'm asking how we kill that bastard.”
Meras looked at Eorin and Kang Hyeon-woo and laughed wildly.
“Hehehehe. Young child of the Silver Clan. For the sin of daring to challenge our clan, you deserve death.”
“Meras……! How did you become this mad?!”
“I am not mad. I have discovered the true nature of Mana……! Hehehehe!”
Kang Hyeon-woo pulled the Core from inside his clothes and poured it into his mouth.
“Do we attack the head?”
Eorin moved a wing and pointed beneath her neck, between her chest.
“A Dragon's Mana Heart is here. Strike this place with enough force and it will work. But the important thing is not giving the Mana time to gather again.”
Dragons were living creatures made of Mana.
If the Heart was pierced in a single blow and the Mana scattered, the Dragon would dissipate.
“Not giving the Mana time to gather again……. So in the end, it's a contest of mass.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The source of magic is ultimately the modulation of Stream Energy. If that Stream is converted into mass and concentrated at an extreme point, it can exceed the total amount of Stream that bastard possesses.”
“What?”
“As it happens, I have a skill for exactly that.”
‘Phase Intervention.’
‘Limit Magic, Reality Manipulation.’
‘Mana Control.’
‘Magic Amplification.’
RRRUMBLE—!
CRASH-!
A phase overlaid the area around Meras, and reality shattered.
Kang Hyeon-woo invoked a spell in his mind.
‘Magic Skill Photonic Cannon.’
[Minimum Mana requirement check…… OK.]
[Warning : All sustained-effect Magic Skills will be removed when all Mana is depleted.]
[Magic to be removed : Mana:Life Force Exchange, Passive Magic Skill Magic Resistance, Passive Magic Skill Stamina, Passive Magic Skill Danger Detection, Passive…….]
[Warning : Removal of Mana:Life Force Exchange may result in target death due to reduced maximum health.]
[Warning : Grade assignment for this skill failed.]
[Warning : Effect cannot be guaranteed.]
It was a skill he had not used in a hundred years.
A spell that consumed all of his Mana to unleash one immensely powerful attack.
Because of Mana:Life Force Exchange, exhausting all of his Mana would have killed him before he could find Park Seong-jun, so he had never used it.
But now he had found Park Seong-jun.
Even if all his Mana was depleted, only the buff would be removed.
“They call me an Archmage around here.”
“What?”
“I'll show you why. When I give the signal, fire your Breath.”
RRRRRRRUMBLE—!
Mana swirled around Eorin's mouth.
Meras sneered at the sight.
“Hehehehe…… A final struggle? I wonder what the Mana Heart of the Silver Clan tastes like!”
A red shield formed around Meras.
Kang Hyeon-woo quietly raised his right arm and aimed at Meras's Mana Heart.
Then he casually raised his left hand and snapped his fingers.
“Now.”
SNAP-!
FWOOOOOOOOOSH—!
A silver beam as thick as a bus fired from Eorin's mouth.
“Photonic Cannon.”
FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH—!
An even larger and thicker white beam than Eorin's erupted from Kang Hyeon-woo's arm.