<Chapter 160: A Strange Combination (2)>
The imaginary world tree charges to tear apart the Unknown,
Streams of water from all directions lash out to purify the Unknown.
“Hahahaha!”
Meanwhile,
The Unknown was laughing hysterically.
“[Poem for the World Tree] and [Source of Life and Mother]… So utilizing ancient relics is a part of your ‘Unknown’ abilities.”
It seemed like he had a deep understanding of the two relics I was holding.
Both are relics whose information has been disclosed to the public. It’s not strange for an Unknown to know about them.
“Then what about the orb that distorted time a while ago… Is that also a relic?”
The Unknown, who escaped the encirclement of attacks in an instant, twisted its mouth corner as he looked at me.
“So it is the Heart of the Time Dragon.”
Although the appearance of the Heart of the Time Dragon hasn’t been disclosed, the Korean government released information about its effects. he must have deduced the relic based on its effects alone.
“…”
I did not respond.
I was bewildered, but there was no room for a response. Just analyzing the current situation was giving me a headache.
‘He has too many abilities that I don’t know about.’
I only know about around 20 abilities of the Unknown.
However, during the battle that lasted less than 40 seconds, the Unknown demonstrated a whopping 30 abilities, 18 of which were new to me.
‘Given its use of such a diverse set of abilities, immediate analysis won’t be of much use.’
All I can know is possibly the effects of usage.
I can’t know his weaknesses, usage conditions, or cooldown time.
‘The remaining time for the relic use is about 10 seconds.’
Soon, the usage restriction time will be lifted.
‘A total of 16 relics remain.’
Only 16 shots are left in the bullets.
I have to kill the Unknown 5 times before all of these shots are consumed.
‘…It’s going to be close.’
Can I make it?
“Is this the end?”
The Unknown laughed with eyes brimming with exhilaration.
A smile that suggested he couldn’t be happier. I had never seen the Unknown smile like that, even in the original novel.
‘He is being careless.’
Being so excited, this is rather an opportunity.
‘It is an opportunity.’
I completely withdrew the mana poured into [Poem for the World Tree],
And poured it all into [Source of Life and Mother].
The water overflowed to the point of flooding.
Blocking all around the Unknown as it filled the passage with the intention to engulf everything, the Unknown exclaimed at the rapidly approaching water barrier.
“Oh ho.”
There was no physical space to avoid it.
It was absolutely unavoidable.
Despite this, the Unknown’s expression was very relaxed.
Of course.
It might be unavoidable, but not unblockable.
‘He will use spatial isolation.’
I was right.
A semi-transparent barrier formed around the Unknown, completely blocking the tidal wave of water.
A top-rank defensive trait of the Unknown that isolates space to defend itself, a trait I am well aware of.
Within that, the Unknown smirked.
I smirked too.
‘Bingo!’
My goal from the start was not to knock down the Unknown but to make him use spatial isolation.
“Susan! Tay!”
With my shout,
“I got it!”
Tay’s magical power spread out widely.
“Crystal Field!”
Along with the chant of the Ice Knight.
Squeak!
The waters spewed by the relic began to freeze instantly.
Centering on the Unknown, which was using spatial isolation, all the water froze solid.
“This is…”
For the first time, the expression on the Unknown’s face hardened. Probably because he saw how Susan’s magic works.
“It’s too late.”
But he realized it too late.
“Spatial Combustion.”
Susan’s magic ‘directly’ causes explosions in the designated space, ignoring the space itself.
Kwa-A-Ang!
That magic exploded within the ‘spatial isolation’ of the Unknown.
‘Bingo!’
The strategy worked perfectly.
Making him use spatial isolation while hindering his movement with frozen water.
And then using Susan’s [Spatial Combustion], which is capable of causing explosions in the internal space while ignoring the spatial isolation.
It was a perfect strategy,
and a perfect combination.
Kwaang! Kwa-A-Ang!
Listening to the successive explosion sounds bursting beyond the spatial isolation, I admired it.
“Wow.”
Should I call it an impressive firepower worthy of a single-digit rank?
Due to the complete isolation, the repercussions of the explosion are not transmitted, but the perceived amount of magical power is extraordinary.
Moreover, the damage is circulating inside due to spatial isolation.
It is clear that we have taken away the Unknown’s second life.
“Don’t let your guard down yet. The bastard has four lives left.”
The Unknown now has four remaining lives.
“…Four?”
Everyone nodded with puzzled expressions at my words.
It seems they have many questions about the current situation. They must be wondering how I know the exact number of times the Master (Unknown) can resurrect.
“I’ll explain after this is over. Please focus now.”
As I said, now is not the time to explain. The three of them seem to understand that, nodding their heads with tightly closed mouths.
Fzzt!
[Error!]
At that moment, sparks burst out from the two ancient relics simultaneously.
‘Exactly one minute.’
The use restriction of ancient relics is completely over. I promptly stored the ancient relics in the sub-space.
At that moment,
Crack-!
A crack appeared in Tay’s crystal field.
As if the earth was splitting due to an earthquake, the ice chunks started to crack with a cracking sound, and they began to collapse rapidly.
“These pesky insects are bothersome.”
From within the breaking chunks of ice,
The unharmed Unknown revealed itself.
“…There’s no injury?”
An impeccably unscathed appearance.
Anyone would think that he blocked the attack without a single injury, but no.
“No, he resurrected. The fact that all the wounds disappeared is proof.”
Even the clothes have returned to their original state. It is clear that save & load has been activated.
“Kang Seo-yul.”
Thud.
The Unknown that landed on the ground called out to me.
“I will say this one last time. I have no intention of fighting you.”
He smiles with eyes still full of goodwill. He is fixated solely on me as if the other three people around me don’t exist.
“In this world, the only ones who can understand each other are you and me.”
Even though I have killed him twice, he seems to harbor no anger. He approaches with a smile that has brightened even more.
“Judging by your expression, you don’t know yet. But you will learn soon.”
Unknown extended his hand towards me.
“This world is a hell doomed to destruction. So, take my hand. I will help you….”
“No. This world will not perish.”
I cut off Unknown’s words.
“I know more about this world than you do.”
A world doomed to destruction?
Nonsense.
If the future of this world is predetermined, it is not destruction.
The end of this world is a ‘happy ending’.
I, who was the ‘reader’ and ‘advisor’ of this world, attest to this fact.
“On the contrary, joining hands with you would lead the world to destruction.”
The legendary villain, Unknown.
As long as he is alive, peace will not come to this world.
“…If that’s the case, there is no choice.”
Unknown’s eyes shone sharply.
It seemed that the peaceful approach had come to an end here.
“To exterminate all the evils of that world….”
The goodwill was long gone.
All that could be felt from Unknown’s eyes was a deep-seated desire to kill.
“I have no choice but to take you with me, by force.”
Power burst forth explosively from his body.
Oh so familiar.
A sensation I experienced at some point.
The goosebumps covered my entire skin, the chilling fear creeping up my spine.
It seemed like Unknown had decided to fight seriously.
“… Everyone, be careful. It seems like he intends to fight for real this time.”
Until a moment ago, Unknown had been focusing only on defense.
Probably restricting his power because he couldn’t kill me. It might have been a consideration in Unknown’s own way.
But now that the negotiations have broken down, that too has ended. He is bound to actively go on the offensive.
“No need to say, boy, we know.”
“He’s surpassed his original Caribmar momentum, hasn’t he?”
“… What on earth is happening right now?”
Susan, Tay, and Luke responded in turn. All three wore expressions unable to hide their bewilderment.
Silently, I took out the ancient relic.
An relic in the form of a long sword.
‘… Only 15 relics left.’
Screech.
I gripped the relic and lowered my stance. Unknown also lowered his stance.
And the next moment,
Kwaaaaaang!
A fierce booming sound reverberated as my sword collided with Unknown’s fist.
* * *
About 10 minutes have passed since the initiation of the first clash.
“Kuk!”
Buzz-sizzle-!
[Error! Error!]
Given that this is the tenth time an ancient relic has become unusable, exactly 10 minutes have passed.
Now there are only 5 ancient relics left.
Kang Seo-yul took out another ancient relic.
“Is it a bow this time?”
“You’ll see!”
Clang! Ching!
The sound of weapons clashing echoed from all directions.
Due to the fierce battle, the interior of the cave had long been turned into a mess.
It had collapsed so much that its original form was unrecognizable.
“…Kuhluk.”
At the outskirts of the half-collapsed cave, three single numbers lay side by side, breathing heavily.
Exactly 5 minutes ago, they ended up in this state due to Unknown.
They didn’t know how they were attacked, or what kind of effects they were under. One moment they noticed they were flying through the air, and the next, they found themselves embedded in the wall.
“…Damn it.”
Luke spat out a mouthful of blood as he cursed bitterly.
“The battle style, it’s not the boss I knew, no matter how I look at it…”
It was completely a different person.
“Could it be that the author killed the boss and disguised himself as the boss or something like that?”
Tay’s expression also sharply sank.
“He might have originally been like that, just hiding his true nature until now.”
Susan murmured coldly.
“Whatever the case, the fact that, the Caribma we knew is gone, hasn’t changed.”
“…”
Luke bit his lip.
“More importantly, what the hell is that boy?”
With eyes that could hardly focus, Susan tracked the two men engaged in high-speed combat, which was difficult to follow properly.
“Is that boy really a 20-year-old cadet?”
“…”
“…”
Luke and Tay couldn’t answer Susan’s question.
While his record clearly stated that he was a 20-year-old cadet, look at that skill level.
How could one say that is the skill level of a superhuman hopeful rookie?
Kang Seo-yul’s battle was shocking in itself. It was strange to change weapons at intervals of 1 minute, but each time he changed weapons, his battle style transformed completely as if he were a different person.
“Moreover, the sword he used a while ago… [Divine Judgment], isn’t it? A relic of the Angel race.”
“The one he used before that was a relic of the beast race.”
“…I recognized a few of the relics.”
Moreover, all those weapons are presumed to be ancient relics.
It was shocking enough just by that, but as time went by, Kang Seo-yul’s appearance was changing as well.
“Moreover, the wings on his back, the horn on his head, and the oddly transformed lower body…”
“There are also scales sprouting unknowingly on his enlarged fists.”
The wings were the ‘Heavenly Wings’ of the Angel race.
The horn on the head was the ‘Wide Angle’ of the beast race.
The oddly transformed lower body was the ‘Explosive Lower Body’ of the beast race.
The enlarged fist was the ‘Giant Fist’ of the giant race.
The scales covering his body were the ‘Dragon Scales’ of the dragon race.
“Has he become a manifestation of mixed races?”
They were all ‘traits’ acquired from ancient relics. There were traits acquired before departure, and traits acquired immediately after use.
“The mysterious ability is still an ability. That boy, he is getting stronger and stronger…”
What was even more shocking was that Kang Seo-yul was getting stronger each time his body changed.
He was quickly becoming stronger with the acquisition of traits.
“…At least stronger than the original Caribma I knew.”
It was not about the ‘Unknown’ who is using various abilities now, but compared to when he was disguised as a ‘Master’, the world’s strongest superhuman.
“How many lives are left now?”
“Two.”
“…There are still two left?”
The problem was that the powerful Kang Seo-yul was only able to take away two of Unknown’s lives during the 10-minute battle. To add salt to injury, only Kang Seo-yul was noticeably worn out.
If it continues like this, it won’t be long before Kang Seo-yul definitely loses.
“Huhuk, Huhuk.”
And Kang Seo-yul himself felt that fact.
‘Much stronger than I anticipated.’
Having experienced it firsthand, I understand well.
Unknown is strong. Much stronger than what I ‘predicted’ from the information in the novel.
‘The remaining lives of Unknown are two, and the remaining ancient relics are…’
Sizzle-!
Sparks flew from the relic he was holding at the moment.
Kang Seo-yul swapped out the ancient relic.
‘This makes four.’
To bring down Unknown, he has to take away one life per two relics.
Is it possible?
‘It’s impossible.’
I can assert that.
It’s impossible.
For starters, the remaining four ancient relics are not of good performance.
‘Even if I am really lucky, once is the limit.’
In addition to the inferior performance compared to previous relics, both stamina and magic power are gradually nearing the bottom.
Even if the heavens turn upside down, it’s impossible to take away two lives of Unknown in this situation.
‘What if I use the Stone of Creation aggressively?’
The Joker card left as the last fortress, the Stone of Creation.
If I create and use an S+ rank ancient relic with it…
‘Still, I can’t win.’
The answer came out immediately.
No matter what relic he creates, there is no relic that can guarantee a sure victory in a fight against Unknown.
‘Considering the abilities Unknown hasn’t used yet, there’s no chance.’
The possibility of winning would barely be 5%, if that.
‘I really need to regroup.’
A strange light flowed from Kang Seo-yul’s eyes.
‘I have no choice. I am a bit worried about the side effects though…’
There is only one way.
“You’re persistent.”
Unknown clicked their tongue.
It seems they were slowly getting irritated.
“How about giving up? You can’t beat me.”
“…”
“From the start, there is no way you don’t know that I am sparing you.”
It’s not easy to capture someone alive when the gap in skill is not that big.
“I know. That you’ve sealed most of the main traits you use and entered the battle.”
After widening the distance, Kang Seo-yul landed on the ground.
“Thanks. Thanks to you, it was a good simulation.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“Thanks to you sealing your main traits, it was easy to gather information.”
“Information gathering?”
Unknown frowned.
Originally, gathering information was necessary to plan for the future.
“Don’t tell me you think you can escape here?”
“Yes.”
Unknown smirked.
“Nonsense. In this isolated, defenseless place called the Dragon’s Lair, there is no way to escape…”
“Who said anything about escaping outside the Dragon’s Lair?”
Kang Seo-yul activated the ‘Artisan’s Portable Forge.’
“What are you planning to do?”
“This.”
Kang Seo-yul pulled out the Stone of Creation and shouted at the same time.
“Create! Essence of the Time Dragon!”
The Stone of Creation transformed into a gem that resembled a living heart.
It was a strange-shaped gem with a clock hand attached in the middle.
“Let’s meet again.”
“What the hell are you talking about…”
With a scowling face, Unknown rushed towards me in an instant.
KWAHANG!
A loud noise rang as the sword I was holding collided with Unknown’s magic power.
Tick.
The clock hand rotated.
Tick.
…
Tick.
…
…
* * *
And then
“Kang Seo-yul.”
Right after opening my eyes again.
The first thing I saw was
“I do not have a system.”
“…”
Wearing a face that seemed to be testing me.
“Can you understand what this means?”
It was the Unknown from 20 minutes ago.
<Chapter 160: A Strange Combination (2)> End
