---

“Tsk, what a shame.”

The next realm was just a step away. If only the momentum had lasted a bit longer, Conra would have undoubtedly reached the Ascending Sword Realm. Realizing this anew, Conra couldn’t help but feel a bitter taste in his mouth.

Well, the reason the momentum broke wasn’t anything major. It was likely due to the natural supply of oxygen to his limbs and brain as his breathing resumed.

Up until just before, Conra had been able to move and fight his enemies by forcibly moving his ethereal muscles through energy manipulation. But the fact that his ethereal muscles moved meant that corresponding stimuli were also applied to his actual muscles… and those stimuli could feedback through the meridians to his internal organs.

Coincidentally, the flow of energy through the twelve main meridians helped his internal organs effectively utilize that feedback. It was akin to massaging the stiffened muscles of his organs, allowing them to recover from lingering damage and restore their original functions.

As his breathing resumed, oxygen began to properly supply his brain and muscles through his blood, leading to the recovery of his full physical capabilities.

For Conra, who had been half in a trance, transcending the limits of his physical senses and consciousness, aiming for the Ascending Realm, it felt like falling from the sky to the ground…

“It’s disappointing, but looking at it another way, it might be a stroke of luck.”

Conra consoled himself and swallowed his regret. In reality, if he had continued fighting without regaining his breath, immersed in the momentum, he would have likely fallen into a dangerous situation sooner rather than later.

Conra’s state was such that his energy was substituting for his breath and life force, but even that energy wasn’t infinite. If his internal energy were to be completely depleted, it could very well be the moment his life would end. Thinking about it, surviving this ordeal was something to be relieved about.

“But the problem is the current situation.”

Regardless, Conra still had unresolved issues ahead of him. Thinking about that, he didn’t have the luxury to dwell on the fleeting realization he had just experienced.

Straightening his posture and gripping his spear, Conra once again advanced towards the giant soldiers, or more precisely, towards the path that faintly appeared and disappeared amidst the crowd of giants. However…

[It seems like we’re slowly reaching our limit.]

Rugus-Artaeus, who had been assisting Conra’s movements, checked Conra’s condition and showed signs of anxiety.

Conra was still holding his ground against the giant soldiers, steadily carving out a path, but his movements no longer carried the same effortless grace as they had during the momentum. Of course, Rugus-Artaeus knew the reason for this as well.

It was undeniable that Conra had taken a step forward during the momentum. But enlightenment is fleeting. To ensure that the step taken wasn’t in vain and held real meaning, it was essential to spend sufficient time honing and consolidating that realization.

In such a situation, while frantically trying to kill the giant soldiers and find a way forward, it was impossible for Conra to fully manifest the vague remnants of his enlightenment, not even knowing exactly what he had realized.

There was one more factor holding Conra back.

‘Ugh, my internal energy is running low.’

That was the fact that Conra’s lower dantian was gradually emptying. Despite having built a deep internal energy reserve under Sophia’s guidance, it was inevitable that the consumption would be hard to bear after performing such a feat as substituting breathing with energy manipulation.

Aware of his increasingly empty dantian, Conra glanced at the spear in his hand. The once relatively clean and somewhat antique spear shaft was now covered in scratches and dents, the accumulated marks of fierce battles during the forced march.

The spear shaft was a masterpiece crafted from high-quality oak from Ogma’s Forest, Conra’s hometown, processed through his mother Kaliastra’s alchemy. Combined with the druidic techniques his father Setanta had imbued and the blessing of the spearhead, an artifact of Ogmios, it wasn’t likely to break anytime soon…

But given the relentless battles Conra had been through, it was hard not to be concerned about the wear and tear.

“Tch.”

Conra clicked his tongue unconsciously. While the spear didn’t seem on the verge of breaking, its worn state seemed to mirror the stagnant current situation. If time continued to slip away like this, it was clear that things would only get worse.

So, he couldn’t just stand still. In a split second, Conra made a new decision, grabbed hold of the ‘path’ to approach the tower, and swiftly moved forward to make it happen.

From the spell socket in Conra’s ethereal brain, which had discovered a ‘path’ leading to a distance that simple leaps or dashes couldn’t cover, a pre-memorized acceleration spell was released. In an instant, Conra’s figure left only an afterimage as he moved forward.

Following the secret technique of the Salmon Leap combined with the Lightfoot Technique, the sturdy leg muscles of the young spearman pulsed, and in the next moment, a thrust imbued with the momentum of Divine Spear Unity struck in three directions simultaneously.

Coincidentally, five giant soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder, raising their shields and thrusting their sarissas forward.

{It seems they’re typical pikemen.}

Nodding in agreement with Rugus-Artaeus’s words, Conra, unfazed by the giants’ response, altered his spear technique.

Whoosh, crack!

With the addition of the subtlety of the Lunge, Snap, and Chain techniques, the spear’s shadow dazzlingly split, deflecting the sarissas and penetrating the gaps in the shields. When it was difficult to find an opening,

Thud!

With a heavy impact, one of the central giant soldiers staggered back as if struck by a battering ram. The intense footwork, grounded and explosive, was fully concentrated into a single thrust.

Conra wasn’t one to miss such an opening. As the flashing spear shadow passed by the giant soldiers, four of the five sarissa-wielding giants collapsed helplessly. Without even glancing at the remaining giant, Conra fluidly moved his body to the next section.

As he moved, Conra took a deep breath, recovering some of the energy he had just expended. Yet, a heavy, leaden feeling still lingered in his chest.

‘The consumption is still severe.’

{Hmm. At this rate, you’ll run out of strength before reaching the tower.}

{The stock of spells is also running low. If you use them all up before reaching the tower…}

‘This is bad. Without spells, it’ll be hard to create variables when needed.’

Everything from start to finish was lacking, insufficient, and tight, leaving Conra with a strangely refreshing yet hollow feeling. But there was no clear solution, and he couldn’t stop the seemingly meaningless struggle.

Feeling like he was racing down a one-way road towards a cliff on a brakeless cart, Conra forced a strained smile.

It was then that something unexpected happened.

‘Hmm, what’s this…?’

Conra’s ears twitched. A faint sound wave, out of place in this location, mixed with the breeze. Unconsciously focusing his attention, Conra soon realized it was the war cries of some people.

At the same time, Conra sensed a very familiar presence as a spellcaster—the presence of a spell. For a moment, he thought the relentless dragon had caught up and flinched, but soon realized the nature of the spell was different and relaxed his shoulders.

{Oh, were you tense?}

The Spirit Esras-Hermes teased Conra in a joking tone. He had already discerned the spell’s presence before Conra.

‘No way. The spell from that dragon had an ancient, majestic presence. This one doesn’t feel like that.’

Instead, what Conra felt was a familiar sensation, as a modern-day druid, of the refined touch of wisdom gathered by many and honed over a lifetime.

Not just relaxing his shoulders, Conra immediately acted upon identifying the spell’s nature.

In one of the sockets of his ethereal brain, there was a single spell left unused until the very end. A spell that might have been forgotten in a corner of the socket was now released.

“Spearad Yoursel Na Spear, Bind Un Namade Cosanta Bind!” (Noble spirit of the sky, strip away the false defenses of the enemy!)

{A Guard Cancel spell? You actually remembered this. Modern magic has its unique and profound aspects, doesn’t it?}

Esras-Hermes, assisting with the spell, clicked his tongue. Guard Cancel was a spell that forced the target to cancel all defensive actions. Warriors couldn’t perform guarding actions, and spellcasters couldn’t activate protective spells.

Most spellcasters didn’t bother remembering this spell. Against spellcasters, the much simpler ‘Defense Break’ spell was more effective, and against warriors, the idea of needing to strip away their defenses didn’t even occur to them. That was the warriors’ job, not the spellcasters’.

Only Conra, being both a druid and a master spearman, found value in this spell. Even then, it was a spell that required shortening or silent casting due to its lengthy incantation in the heat of battle.

But in this situation, it was the perfect choice.

Zap!

Right on cue, a streak of lightning flew in from afar. The lightning bolt, burning the air and releasing the smell of nitrogen oxides and ozone, appeared. Simultaneously, a strange light shimmered and rose from the hexagonal decorations on the belts of the giant soldiers.

The light from the giant soldiers’ belt decorations seemed to form a barrier around them. But it was soon rendered futile.

With Conra’s voice imbued with his main strength, the Guard Cancel spell hit its mark, and the barrier dissipated as if it had never existed.

Naturally, the giant soldiers, expecting the barrier to activate, were momentarily stunned. The incoming lightning split into dozens of streaks and struck the defenseless giants.

Crackle, sizzle, zap!

In an instant, the battlefield was filled with a deafening noise, like thousands of birds flapping their wings or hundreds of silk sheets being torn apart. The lightning, split into dozens of streaks, struck the giant soldiers and indiscriminately spread its remaining force to others nearby.

Soon, the battlefield was covered in a massive lightning web. Within the web, the giant soldiers collapsed to the ground, convulsing like squid on a grill.

“Huff, huff, I thought it was going to fail…”

Alexander Dean, who had cast the lightning spell, relaxed his posture, kneeling and gasping for breath. He recalled the light that had risen from the giants’ belts and broke into a cold sweat.

‘That was definitely an Anti-Spell Barrier, right?’

Among ancient artifacts, there were occasionally those that could block spells. Whether by blocking, deflecting, redirecting, or outright nullifying, there were various ways, but spell-blocking artifacts that weren’t bound by the form of spells were sometimes found.

So, Alexander Dean’s surprise wasn’t due to the existence of such an artifact.

‘For each soldier to have one… I’ve heard a few things about the Bronze Age giant civilization, but this is ridiculous.’

A hexagonal belt decoration that created a barrier resistant to spells. The fact that such artifacts were issued to individual soldiers like standard equipment in the Bronze Age giant civilization made Alexander Dean swallow a sigh of admiration.

‘But then, were the giant soldiers that appeared on the surface of a much lower level?’

Recalling that the giant soldiers on the surface didn’t have such barriers, Alexander Dean sighed in relief again. If those guys had been unleashed on the surface, it could have been an irreversible disaster.

In the end, the conclusion was clear: the dungeon had to be conquered.

 

---