It was like a downpour of wyverns. Hundreds of them, without exception, lost their strength and plummeted from the sky. Kwaaang! Kwang! Kwaaang! The sound of their falls was violent, a continuous series of collisions that echoed through the air. Jaehee, who had watched the entire spectacle through narrowed eyes, finally exhaled.
His mouth, which had been hanging open, was too paralyzed by shock to form any words; all he could do was suck in air.
<To clear, you must achieve all of the following conditions:> [Slay Red Wyverns 198/300] [Slay Blue Wyverns 201/300] [Slay Black Wyverns 91/100] [Slay the Chieftain 0/1]
The count was rising rapidly. Even as he watched, it continued to climb without pause. 199, 200, 201… At the wondrous sight of the numbers shooting towards their limit, Jaehee stared out at the shower of monsters. Wyverns rained down everywhere except for the space directly around Sa-yoon, Geon-joo, and himself, so much so that he wondered if the Gate’s name was ‘Wyvern Deluge.’ It wasn’t just the wyverns; even the small-fry monsters were dying without exception.
Where else could one see such a sight? Who else could create such a phenomenon?
“…”
Not even in the fiercest Gate Break had he ever witnessed a situation like this. Perhaps this was why he had stayed by Sa-yoon’s side. To see this spectacle. To see this kind of power. To witness the miracle before his very eyes, and to know what kind of power it took to stand against the gods.
Feeling a slight twitch at the corner of his eye, Jaehee used his Heavenly Energy¹ skill on Sa-yoon.
<Heavenly Energy pierces the truth of ‘Kwon Sa-yoon.’>
Perhaps due to the influence of the Demigod Body, a pain far more severe than the last time he’d used the skill shot through his eyes. A trickle of blood flowed down his face, and he wiped it away as he opened the status window.
Kwon Sa-yoon. Temporary L-Rank (S-Rank), True Evil of Humanity (Inactive), The Resistor (Active), Regressor (Active) Error Progression: 42.2%
Another window appeared immediately after.
Mantra of Balance: You shall be great.
The words were an exact match for the phrase that had escaped Sa-yoon’s lips moments earlier. Just as he naturally realized that the current phenomenon was related to that mantra, the space around them began to shake. Jaehee reflexively checked the clear condition window.
[Slay Red Wyverns 300/300] [Slay Blue Wyverns 300/300] [Slay Black Wyverns 100/100]
In an instant, all the wyverns had been taken care of. Which meant it was time for the chieftain to appear.
—Krararararak!
A roar that vibrated through the entire Gate erupted as a wyvern as massive as the Bone Dragon descended from the sky. Covered in scales that looked formidable at a glance, it was clear this one would not be easy to defeat.
Well, the Wyvern Gate is known for being one of the more difficult S-Rank Gates.
Baring its teeth, the creature identified its enemies and unleashed its Fear aura. A cutting wind, the signature effect of a chieftain’s appearance, rushed towards them. The wind was so sharp that it left bleeding scratches on Shiro, the griffin, and Jaehee himself. It was a clear warning, but none of the three were fazed.
After all, there was still one more person who had yet to use their Demigod Body.
As if by silent agreement, three pairs of eyes turned toward Geon-joo. The man was in freefall, his tamed blue wyvern having died in the blast of light. Shiro whimpered and made a move to save him, but Jaehee held her back.
He had a strong feeling that no one should help him right now.
“Sa-yoon-ssi is…”
It seemed Sa-yoon might be able to help, but he was staring off into space with a dazed expression, likely due to the side effects of using his Demigod Body for the first time. He also felt that Sa-yoon shouldn’t be disturbed. Lee Jaehee trusted his premonitions completely, so he did not reach out.
In the end, they both have to wake up on their own. Until then, my job is to buy time.
The summoner and his summons looked at one another.
—Kiiiiik!
The griffin’s cry tore through the air as a newly summoned Rai ran across the sky.
***
“Ugh…”
Meanwhile, Geon-joo, who was suffering from a headache similar to Sa-yoon’s, had yet to regain his senses. He clutched his head. The formless hand that had been gently stroking his hair, as if to relieve the pain, had, without him realizing, slid down his cheek and was now pressing down on his shoulder, as if trying to slam him into the ground below. His body shook as he tried to resist the unseen force.
Who the hell is this!
Annoyed by the relentless pressure, he was about to curse out loud when he heard a voice.
Child with the destiny of the serpent, one day corruption will drag you down. I give you this mantra. When the heavens fall—
Defy them.
The phrase struck his mind like a thunderbolt. Han Geon-joo’s eyes snapped open with a sharp gasp. It was then that the shadows he commanded began to run wild.
The dark energy, which had never once caused him trouble since he had unlocked his Shadow Domination, churned within him as if caught in a vortex. He hadn’t even used a skill, but shadows shot out from his hands of their own accord. He tried to restrain them, grabbing his wrist with his other hand, but it was no use.
Even his restraining hand began to tremble, and after a desperate struggle, Geon-joo finally let go. That was the beginning. The unleashed shadow expanded to a colossal size, then began to take on the familiar shape of an animal.
A serpent.
The largest serpent he had ever seen, its triangular head the very picture of malice. The shadow, now with clearly defined eyes, turned to look at him and flickered its tongue.
Ssssssst.
As the serpent’s face stared directly at him, a chill ran down his spine. The voice he had heard moments ago echoed in his mind once more. The mantra, repeating like a round, tormented him. He could feel it vibrating in his very veins, and unable to bear it, he spat out the words as if vomiting them up.
“Defy them.”
Ssssssst!
The serpent hissed as if in reply. It uncoiled its body and shot into the air, spiraling upwards like a waterspout, so fast it was hard to follow with the naked eye. The sky turned black. Jaehee and his companions, sensing the change, retreated. Then, with a great rumble, the sky began to crackle with black lightning.
Flash! In the momentary burst of light, the two beasts—the chieftain and the serpent—charged at each other.
—Kraaaaaak!
The wyvern shrieked. Unfazed by the crushing Fear aura, the serpent moved with incredible speed and bit down on the chieftain’s neck. It then dragged the beast down, wrapping its massive body around the wyvern and constricting it. The chieftain choked and gagged, and soon its face turned black as it was suffocated and poisoned. As the serpent slowly released its grip, a dark energy rose from the chieftain’s body as it plummeted to the ground.
Ssssss.
Its job done, the serpent turned to look at Geon-joo one last time, then ascended toward the heavens. Beginning as a serpent but ending as a dragon, the being vanished without a trace. The sky returned to its normal color, and a Gate clear notification appeared before them all.
“…”
Though the headache was gone, a faint vibration remained. Geon-joo clutched his head, staring blankly into the void, not even properly registering that he was falling. The ground was rushing up to meet his back.
“Han Geon-joo!”
Snapping back to his senses a beat too late, Sa-yoon leaped down, catching Geon-joo in his arms and pulling up just in time. Only then did Geon-joo’s gaze land on Sa-yoon. Seeing the unfocused eyes, Sa-yoon clicked his tongue.
What a fucking troublesome skill to use.
It was undeniably powerful, but it felt like he was losing control of his body, moment by moment. Not to the System, or to anyone else, but to himself. It felt as if another ego was taking over his body. That seemed to be the side effect of the Demigod Body.
<You will be moved to the Reward Room.>
A system notification transported the remaining humans to a pure white room. Whether from the release of tension or the end of the Demigod Body’s duration, a wave of exhaustion he couldn’t ignore washed over him. He set Geon-joo down in the Reward Room and collapsed, catching his ragged breath. Jaehee, having retrieved the reward box for them, placed it beside the two.
“It seems you’ll have to use it often to get used to it.”
Sa-yoon ignored the unwelcome advice and instead called out to the System.
“Hey, it feels like my body keeps getting taken over.”
The side effect hadn’t been mentioned in the skill description, so he asked accusingly. A moment later, a blue window popped up.
<The Demigod Body is a privilege that connects you to your ‘true self.’ Your body isn’t being taken over; your true self is inhabiting it!>
The answer was clear, but Sa-yoon’s reaction was cold.
“The hell does that mean?”
So what, my past-life self is possessing me?
Sa-yoon narrowed his eyes at the incomprehensible explanation and checked on Geon-joo.
“Han Geon-joo.”
At the sound of his name, the man flinched. A moment later, his round eyes, filled with bewilderment, turned to him. It seemed he still couldn’t make sense of what had happened. Sa-yoon sighed.
“We’ll have to go into Gates periodically to practice with this, pretty boy.”
Geon-joo slowly pushed himself up.
“…I don’t think we have that much Holy Water to spare.”
“My money is overflowing, so what’s the problem?”
At the simple rebuttal, Geon-joo made a face that said, ‘I guess that’s true,’ and nodded reluctantly.
Once they had collected their rewards, a notification informed them they would be exiting the Reward Room.
Finally, we’re going home.
Thinking it had been a truly eventful ordeal, Sa-yoon and his party readily accepted the light that poured down to send them on their way. They exited the Gate—or rather, it was closer to say they were vomited out.
The moment they returned to reality, their bodies were thrown to the ground.
“Fucking hell, really.”
Wondering what kind of shitty Gate this was, he turned around to look.
“Guild Master?”
A voice came from in front of him. Was it unfamiliar? No, maybe not. No, it was unfamiliar. At least, he didn’t remember it. Sa-yoon turned his head. Wondering who was calling him, he saw a fairly familiar face.
Who was that guy again?
Sa-yoon frowned, looking at the man who was as well-built as Jongsik. The man, who had been staring at Sa-yoon with a tightly controlled expression, finally couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“Where have you been for the past year!”
“…?”
Sa-yoon’s eyes widened at the sudden shout. Amid the baffling cry, one word in particular caught his ear.
A year?
Sa-yoon swallowed his question and looked at Geon-joo and Jaehee. Their eyes met. They looked just as confused as he did. But something was strange.
Jaehee didn’t seem to have changed at all, but Han Geon-joo…
Why does he look taller?
The man’s words echoed in his head.
A year, a year, a year…
Hey, don’t tell me.
The moment a horrifying premonition struck him, the blue System, never one to disappoint, appeared.
<I’m sorry, Sa-yoon!>
“…”
A dead silence fell. The system window had apparently appeared before everyone. Sa-yoon clutched his forehead and let out a groan.
You crazy bastards.
Stop being fucking sorry.