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[Destruction Probability 91.53% → 86.29%]

[Gained 5.24% of Merit]

[Merit (業) 12.61%]

As I devoured the Silent Mouth, the destruction probability dropped by over 5%. An impressive increase in merit, nearly three times that compared to Broken Finger. Well, not all executives are created equal. You can’t really compare the Chimera known as Broken Finger to the Square Master, Silent Mouth. It was almost expected.

‘And then…’

The anticipated backlash began to take hold. Despite the massive consumption of magic power, an overwhelmingly large amount swirled within me compared to what the Wolf possessed.

“……!”

Suddenly witnessing the Wolf collapse, Euna’s eyes widened in shock as she recalled what the Wolf had consumed and grimaced. No way could someone absorb such an immense essence of magic without facing terrible pain… As I placed my hand on the Wolf’s brow in an attempt to soothe, Euna nearly shouted in alarm.

‘You’ve been holding that in this whole time?!’

No way was it a good idea to touch. Reckless… If I hadn’t, the explosive release of magic would have annihilated everything. It was the right choice, but Euna bit her lip. The Wolf looked at her intently, then seized the edge of her sleeve and tossed her onto its back.

“W-What are you doing?!”

It had a chaotic interior—thanks to its pain resistance, there wasn’t much discomfort. Moving felt a bit awkward, but with regeneration in play, recovery wouldn’t be long. Most importantly, I needed to get out of there, fast. Though Transformation and Black Magic slowed down the regeneration, I was still inside Juggernaut. I had no clue when I’d be covered in flesh.

“You can’t move like that…!”

Ignoring the worried voice, I created a foothold and stepped into the air. Except for the narrow ground where Juggernaut stood, the Black Sun had obliterated everything, creating a deep pit. Once I reached a slightly safer spot, I could finally touch ground again. By the time I landed, Regen had almost healed all my wounds.

‘And then…’

[Consumed Life Vessel. Magic power significantly increased.]

Successfully bottling up and digesting the swirling magic, the same message from when I ingested the Thousand-Year Dragon appeared. Checking my stats revealed a nearly insane rise, close to 50. While I chuckled at my magic power reaching nearly 400, I heard a howl of anguish, making me turn.

“――――――!”

—Juggernaut. No need to worry about that thing. The pit created by the Black Sun had, in fact, become a prison for it. There was no need to fight against an endlessly regenerating flesh monster.

‘That settles it for now.’

But everything was not yet finished. The system’s achievement conditions weren’t met. The raid team was at risk of annihilation… Drawing in a breath while observing the storm brewing in the distance, the Wolf prepared itself. This was really the last chance.

—Euna, watching Alpha gaze into the distance, let out a long breath. Her head throbbed with the symptoms of mental exhaustion, but there was still something that needed asking. No way could she sit here and give up…

“…Answer me.”

Meeting Alpha’s red gaze as it turned to her made her freeze momentarily, but Euna clenched her jaw and held her ground. Losing this chance felt like it would never come again. Alpha’s actions had so many inexplicable layers for a monster. If it was just chasing off the strays, would it have told people to save the ones on the West Coast?

—Having dealt with the traitors, it acted for humanity.

If it weren’t a monster, everyone would have hailed Alpha for its actions. Even if a few questions remained, everything it had done was noble beyond compare.

“I get that you don’t harbor evil intentions.”

But why?

Why would a monster help humanity? Fifty years after the Gates opened, humanity found itself at the brink of extinction. What appeared peaceful was anything but; Euna knew this deep down.

“Then…”

‘Who can guarantee what’s going to happen next?’

Remembering the Team Leader’s words from long ago, she bit her lip. Humanity struggled to escape, but destruction was creeping closer. This latest raid was part of that pattern.

‘But.’

Here, Euna saw hope. The fact that she fought alongside a monster, Alpha, felt unbelievable upon reflection, bordering on surreal. Was she seeing things? Was she dreaming? Couldn’t be, yet she felt no courage. What if the answer returned was something entirely different…

“Kyuwoo~!”

—With a sound as if urging her on, Euna closed her eyes. Alpha was certainly not suppressing its aura. All was a mere illusion. There was no reason to harbor such dread. Once more, she quietly steadied her breath, recalling all that the Wolf had done.

When she reopened her eyes, the still-glowing red orbs weren’t terrifying anymore. So, she asked, following the calling of her heart.

“You and I… can we stand together?”

***

After being frozen in fear for a while, Kim Joo-seop shook off the terror and rushed to join the raid team, spotting Euna sitting to gather herself and beaming.

“Oh, Leader…?”

But he raised an eyebrow, sensing something was off. Her expression, hand pressed to her chest, looked a bit dazed. As he placed a hand on her shoulder as if she were hallucinating,

“……!”

Euna jumped in surprise, turning to see Kim Joo-seop now wide-eyed in shock.

“Why, why are you acting like this?”

“……Nothing.”

With a delayed response, she hurried along. However, the words she had heard before replayed in her mind.

‘…It’s not over yet.’

‘Wait for me. Until I come find you.’

Euna grasped her spear tightly. Soon, when the Wolf came, all her questions would be answered…

“Let’s hurry. We need to join the raid team.”

Despite her words, her gaze remained fixed on the place where Alpha had vanished.

***

“Damn…”

With a shattered shoulder blade and a body full of aches, Kang Tae-ho let out a deep sigh. Glancing to the side, he saw Baek Gun-tae laid out on the ground. The Bishop sprawled nearby, and he realized he might soon join them.

“That old fart…”

The blue flames on his sword flickered, and the armor that had said nothing remained silent. As his stamina started draining, Kang Tae-ho frowned.

“Can’t you at least say something?!”

As he swung his massive sword with all his might, the armor blocked with its own blade. Kang Tae-ho had lost the strength he once possessed. With just a light swing, the balance of power tipped, and he was flung far away.

“…Shit.”

Spitting out the dirt that had entered his mouth, Kang Tae-ho realized he’d missed several opportunities to end this. The armor, or rather, Gang-hoon, remained unchanged.

“Did you finally think of your brother after all this time? If so…”

The gigantic Fate Sword began to charge with immense magic power. Kang Tae-ho finally showed his true strength, one that wouldn’t even falter against the Seven Heroes. Drawing in all remaining power, he swung his sword—

“You should have never signed on with those trash from the start!”

—The air began to warp. The waves of magic radiated out, toppling the already ruined battlefield once more. The ground trembled and a storm brewed, but the armor effortlessly deflected Kang Tae-ho’s attack. Then, the green flames visible through the visor flared ominously.

“…Right.”

For the first time in this battle, the armor—now Gang-hoon—spoke. Nodding calmly as if having shaken off something.

“You’ve gotten stronger.”

Kang Tae-ho tilted his head. Maybe it was just a glimmer of hope. What if he really was brainwashed or controlled? He held onto that sliver of hope.

“Stronger…?”

That foolish glimmer of hope shattered into pieces. It was without a doubt Gang-hoon, swinging that sword with his own volition. Then Kang Tae-ho gripped the hilt tighter, feeling like it might splinter.

“Ha. So you’ve finally found your tongue?”

With a look of disdain, Kang Tae-ho twisted his lips into a smirk.

“Why? Was it uncomfortable to harm your own flesh and blood? You didn’t think you could kill your son, did you?”

Mentioning Mun-ho’s demise caused Gang-hoon to halt, pondering momentarily before slowly raising his sword.

“…That’s right.”

As soon as those admitting words fell, Gang-hoon charged. Kang Tae-ho’s expression twisted in shock. As Gang-hoon closed the distance rapidly and swung the colossal sword down, Kang Tae-ho barely managed to grab the hilt of the Fate Sword and brace it with his forearm, barely holding on as it sunk deep into his foot.

“Y-You bastard…”

Just as he shook it off, another strike came flying his way. Kang Tae-ho was sent sliding backward, feet stuck to the ground, but he managed to roll away just in time. Yet, Gang-hoon’s kick sent him flying once again.

“……Gah!”

Overcoming the final hesitation tied to his bloodline, Gang-hoon charged at Kang Tae-ho. Swinging the blue flames roaring from his sword, Kang Tae-ho rolled away.

“Damn…”

The ground split beneath them. It was no contest. While he was completely spent, Gang-hoon still stood strong. Kang Tae-ho’s hands trembled, making it difficult to grip his sword. As he watched Gang-hoon slowly approach, he asked.

“…Why did you do it?”

In response to his question, Gang-hoon raised his sword once more. There was no way to overturn the overwhelming strength difference. No one from the raid team would have managed to stand against Gang-hoon. …In the distance, the dark clouds began to clear, so it seemed that battle had concluded.

‘Please don’t come back.’

Kang Tae-ho prayed silently as he resigned himself to the sword falling above him, when suddenly Gang-hoon turned away.

“……!”

As he swung the sword for a clean strike, the black mist that had been trying to ambush him dissipated without a trace, but Kang Tae-ho did not let the opportunity slip. With a fierce attack from behind, Gang-hoon’s armor ripped apart, and during the brief moment that Kang Tae-ho kept his distance, he tossed the Fate Sword into the void, quickly hoisting up the Bishop and Baek Gun-tae before gritting his teeth.

“Shit…”

With the Bishop’s breath having ceased, Kang Tae-ho carried the corpse without hesitation and dashed off. Gang-hoon, initially chasing, halted with a sigh and lifted his sword.

No matter what, black magic was not something easily seen. Aiming the sword at the Wolf standing nearby, Gang-hoon noticed the Wolf swallow hard.

‘…….’

Even after expelling all the black magic forcibly seized from it, it was only a matter of buying time. When the Wolf met Gang-hoon’s gaze again, it sensed death closing in. Was it prediction? Intuition? Insight? Adapting to the title of the previous sword master, it was impossible to read Gang-hoon’s next move. As if he possessed instinct and perception that exceeded its own.

‘This is just impossible.’

It was only thanks to Kang Tae-ho that it had managed to hold on, as this opponent was not one it could face now….

‘I’ve known that all along.’

The current Gang-hoon was a monster, of that there was no doubt. No matter how hard it struggled, it could not measure up. Nobody in the raid team stood even a 1% chance of survival against him—certain death awaited anyone who approached.

‘Right. In the raid team.’

Thud— thud— thud—!

“――――――!”

The earth trembled underfoot. With a roar that shook heaven and earth, a presence revealed itself.

[Snowell]

[Length 67.9m] [Height 28.7m] [Weight 794t]

[Strength 682] [Agility 563] [Stamina 659] [Magic 637]

[Skills]

[Divine Power (B)] [Great Magic (B)] [Rock Skin (B)] [Mitigation (C)] [Rapid Recovery (C)] [Outstanding Intuition (D)] [Pain Immunity (D)] [Swimming (F)]

A colossal White Lion. Boss of Area 2, Snowell. A boss that typically doesn’t move unless a frenzy erupts. Upon the appearance of the White Lion following it, the Wolf quickly concealed itself through Stealth, triggering the anomaly. As the sky above Area 2 turned crimson, the Wolf gritted its teeth.

‘A closing frenzy…!’

It had to escape Neverland as quickly as possible before the dungeon shut down. A desperate flight—just as the Wolf had turned to flee, its eyes sparkled at the rising message.

[Experience has reached its maximum. Lv.29 → Lv.30]

[Evolution conditions fulfilled]

—Finally, the awaited moment had arrived.

 

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