Chapter 71: Jeong Pan-soo and Jeong Pan-ho
The Death Knight before them had transcended the limits allocated to monsters born without natural Epic status. It was beyond A-class and extraordinarily strong. They didn’t have the power of command over large forces like an Epic monster, but both Epic and transcendental monsters had limitless potential. The monsters that exceeded the limits of class A generated real fear.
“Insignificant humans,” uttered the transcendental Death Knight as he broke through the darkness. Then, with the skills of a highly trained warrior, his dark sword flashed and split the space.
Crack.
Jeong Pan-ho hit the ground. The attack of the Transcendental Death Knight was perfectly aimed at the disciples of the Guardian Gate. The attack was impossible to counter. The guardian gate’s elite troops could defeat A-class monsters, but the ethereal effect was two or three levels above that. Powerful mana swung inside Jeong Pan-ho.
Kwaang!
“Wow.”
The clash created wasn’t between a sword and a sword. There was a huge explosion, and Jeong Pan-ho’s body was pushed back in tremendous shock. Jeong Pan-ho’s expression was distorted by the disgusting energy coming from inside, but he had no time to control his internal reaction. The moment Jeong Pan-ho hurriedly looked up and looked ahead, the transcendental Death Knight had already reached him.
“Humans must be punished.”
Darkness fell in. Jeong Pan-ho protected himself with mana and used the secret of the guardian door.
‘Iron wall.’
He strengthened his body using mana, and his body exceeded human limits.
Quaang-!
His body shook, but the shock wasn’t as great as it had been. Jeong Pan-ho watched the transcendent death knight’s attack until the end, simultaneously blocking the opponent’s sword and aiming it at his neck. Then, the sword of the transcendental Death Knight was quickly recovered. Unlike the characteristics of undead monsters that usually neglect defense, his swordsmanship was uncommon.
Caen-!
The sword was blocked. As the Death Knight’s arm bounced, Jeong Pan-ho charged into its body.
Puck!
It created a small gap. Jeong Pan-ho’s sword shone once again. The roaring aura split the space, but the transcendental Death Knight’s counterattack was also powerful. In an instant, they exchanged dozens of blows.
Kang-Kang-
a tremendous mana wave struck with the sound of a ringing iron; the observation of the scene alone was enough to make the disciples sway. The battle was brief, but the impact was great.
The disciples dared to intervene in the fight between the two, and the Death Knights rushed in before fear had time to take hold.
“Kill….annihilate!”
“Damn.”
Caen!
Kakacan!
Jeong Pan-ho was pushed back.
Some of the Death Knights who attacked the disciples turned on Jeong Pan-ho. Dealing with a single transcendental Death Knight was a dangerous situation; however, as others’ attacks flooded in from every angle, his face contorted in the effort. They quickly unfolded a defensive strategy, but ultimately, there was an attack from a transcendent Death Knight.
Boom!
Bang!
Jeong Pan-ho was buried beneath a ruined building.
Without even a groan, Pan-ho spat out the blood that filled his mouth and grabbed his sword. Retreating was an unthinkable option. Jeong Pan-ho knew that for his team to survive, the destruction of the Death Knight was the only answer.
Caang!
The clash between two beings echoed around the dungeon. Jeong Pan-ho shouted with his blood-stained mouth,
“Kang Min-hyuk! I can only fight two of the evolved Death Knights at once!”
In his moment of crisis, the person who came to his mind was not Jeong Pan-soo but Kang Min-hyuk.
“Hurry!”
Jeong Pan-ho, who spoke his last words, turned off his nerves and rushed to the super-powered Death Knight.
Kwaang!
* * *
Kang Min-hyuk’s situation was also challenging. When the Death Knights and the Latecomers clashed, Kang Min-hyuk’s mana also emitted incredible firepower.
“Explosion.”
Kwaang!
Kwa Kwa Kwa Kwang!
The ungraded magic sent Death Knights sprawling in all directions. However, that alone could not solve the problem. There were so many death knights, and explosions were a skill that was highly effective against A-class monsters, but that didn’t mean that they had the destructive power of crushing. When Kang Min-hyuk was preparing for a follow-up, he heard Jeong Pan-ho’s voice requesting help.
Kang Min-hyuk’s mind flashed. When I checked where Jeong Pan-ho was, he saw him being pushed backward by his head. The fight had become extremely dangerous. For Kang Min-hyuk and the other Latecomers to survive, Pan-ho Jeong had to defeat the super-powered Death Knight. There wasn’t much that magic could accomplish; even dozens of non-class magic with sixth-circle power would have very little impact on a transcendental Death Knight. He needed the power of Jeong Pan-ho. Only he was equipped with the power to defeat the enemy.
Min-hyuk’s head turned tight. The state of the battlefield was sucked into his eyes, and he quickly came up with an answer.
“Jeong Pan-soo!”
Jeong Pan-soo’s voice squeezed its way out of his mouth in response as he threw a regular Death Knight to the ground.
“You have to fight by your father’s side! Right now!”
“Fuck.”
Jeong Pan-soo clenched his teeth. He really hated Kang Min-hyuk. However, that didn’t change the danger his father was in. Jeong Pan-ho’s life was at risk, and ironically, Pan-soo trusted the perspective of Kang Min-hyuk. He was an adequate successor, regardless of the jealousy Pan-soo felt.
“Okay.”
Jeong Pan-soo flew toward his father with an aura burning bright from his sword. Jeong Pan-soo struck his sword toward the Death Knights who were attacking Jeong Pan-ho.
“Die, you bitch!”
Caen!
Kakacan!
The Death Knights weren’t greatly injured, but all of the enemies attacking Jeong Pan-ho turned on Pan-soo, who fought bravely – one against many. A thirst for blood drove Jeong Pan-soo, and he drove them away. He knew that to save his father, he had to follow Kang Min-hyuk’s command.
Kang Min-hyuk focused on one spell, empowered by rage, and used magic the moment Jeong Pan-ho and Jeong Pan-soo fell.
“Taesan.”
Kuung.
Rumble.
The ground shook. The floor soared, and the surrounding terrain changed. The spell was different from an earthquake; Taesan transforms the surrounding terrain into whichever shape the wizard wants.
“I’ll create a stage for them.”
Kukukukung.
The land that Jeong Pan-ho and the Transcendental Death Knight stood upon rose high above ground-level so that Jeong Pan-ho was safe from the attacks of other enemies and could focus on one transcendental Death Knight at a time.
The stage was made, but the problem wasn’t over. As the monster rushed in, Kang Min-hyuk immediately cast the following magic.
“Meteor shower.”
Huiing.
Kwa Kwa Kwa Kwa Kwang!
Meteorites fell from the sky, and a powerful shock swept through the Death Knights.
Kang Min-hyuk opened the circle wide. The spinning circle constantly spewed out magic, but the situation did not show any signs of improvement.
“It isn’t enough…”
Jeong Pan-ho’s absence from the ground was noticeable – he fared excellently against dozens of A-class monsters, but that didn’t mean he could take on the ethereal Death Knights as effectively. Time wasn’t on their side. If a super-powered Death Knight defeated Jeong Pan-ho, the Latecomers would be annihilated. So, he had to help Jeong Pan-soo, who struggled to clean up the Death Knights on the ground as quickly as possible.
Kang Min-hyuk squeezed his head. To solve the current situation, the power of magic was vital. There was a limit to his mana – as soon as the bottom was exposed, it would be over. He had to use his energy wisely. His mind rotated rapidly, seeking a solution. He gave up casting, and both brains sought feverishly for an answer. Then, a strange feeling of disparity bloomed in his mind. It was a kind of heterogeneity that he’d never felt before. The moment that Kang Min-hyuk honed in on it…
Hwaak-!
His mind expanded! Kang Min-hyuk opened his eyes. The world turned white, and the surrounding noise disappeared at once.
“If you touch the ‘fragment of memory,’ you’d have to be in a desperate situation.”
Klinssman’s words swirled around his thoughts, and all of a sudden, he appeared right in front of him…
* * *
When Kang Min-hyuk’s spirit possessed Klinss’s body, where was his spirit? Was it in Min-hyuk’s body? A body without a soul was bound to die. If Kang Min-hyuk’s body had existed without a soul, the after-effects should have remained somehow.
“When you were in my body, I inhabited yours.”
It was a bizarre experience for Kang Min-hyuk to face Klinssman, who he had previously only seen in the mirror. It was like coming face-to-face with a version of himself.
“In your skin, I didn’t do anything. I don’t have time to explain why. There was only one thing I could do for you as far as the law of causality permits. It was not to generate growth directly but to leave a special pattern in your DNA. I succeeded in it.”
Min-hyuk couldn’t understand. What did he mean by the law of causality? If so, how did Kang Min-hyuk’s work fit into that?
Unlike Klinssman, who was silent as Kang Min-hyuk, Kang Min-hyuk had worked a lot as Klinssman. That wasn’t Kang Min-hyuk’s fault. If Klinssman had warned Kang Min-hyuk, he would never have gone into that shabby dorm. However, there was no warning. He spent a lot of time as Klinssman, and naturally, an accident followed. There was no censure for him. So, of course, Min-hyuk didn’t consider the law of causality.
The dimensional travel of Instinct was more complex than he thought. However, Klinssman had neither reason nor the will to clarify.
“You must have a lot of questions. Don’t worry; my body is already free from causality.”
There were many things he wanted to ask, but time was short.
Klinssman’s manifestation was brought about by memory. In essence, he was pure memory, plucked from Kang Min-hyuk’s psyche, as though a video was being projected from his mind. Klinssman’s body was blurred. Just before disappearing, he left a final word.
“I have decided to call the technique I have succeeded in transcendence.”
Hwaak-!
Space was sucked back into Min-hyuk’s head.
Tremendous dizziness altered his vision, and Kang Min-hyuk opened his eyes to face the reality of blood and death.
“Heo-eok, heo-eok.”
His breath ran short. Jung Min-cheol, who was next to him, looked up with anxious eyes, “Are you okay?”
There was no time to answer. A thrill poked from the back of his hand. When Kang Min-hyuk checked, he found a magic circle there that he had never seen before. Kang Min-hyuk knew what it was.
His own memory, or Klinssman’s memory, told him. ‘The seventh Circle Magic, Fire Storm.’
It was a transcendence imprint. Klinssman made the knowledge from imagination a reality.
