NOVEL NEXT Chapter 69
Chapter 69
‘I didn’t see this coming.’
Perhaps he had underestimated the intelligence of the drake. For it to break the barrier like this…
Whether it was intentional or planned, this shift significantly favored Darakan.
“What should we do now?”
Clench.
Se-woon gripped the halberd tightly.
If the monsters joined the battle now, even unleashing all his treasures might not guarantee victory.
Abandoning the fight at this point would make the treasures he had already used a waste. Besides, his pride wouldn’t allow it.
Amidst this desperate situation, a shadow loomed over Se-woon’s head.
Was it a sudden gathering of storm clouds?
Looking up, Se-woon witnessed a giant descending from the sky.
– Player Kang Han-cheol uses ‘Commence Battle.’
Boom!!
The monsters surrounding and advancing on Se-woon and Riel collapsed instantly.
The ground heaved as if an earthquake had struck.
The impact and range of the Commence Battle were nearly twice as powerful as usual due to the great height from which it was executed.
“Kang Han-cheol?”
“My mount was too feeble, so I was a bit late.”
“Mount?”
Was he referring to Jeokrang?
But if he had ridden Jeokrang, it wouldn’t explain Kang Han-cheol falling from the sky.
It didn’t take long for Se-woon, who was momentarily confused, to realize the identity of the “mount.”
Fwump.
“Grrroooar-!”
“A Manticore?”
A manticore, descending straight down like an eagle, plunged its tail’s stinger into Drakan. Right between the scales that had been dislodged when Se-woon clashed with the halberd.
A manticore appearing in the tutorial zone.
Its owner was someone Se-woon knew well.
“Baek Hyun?”
“It wasn’t feeble! In fact, carrying Kang Han-cheol while flying is impressive!”
Baek Hyun had successfully raised a manticore.
Not as the skeleton Se-woon had imagined, but in the form of a ghoul, which was two stages higher.
– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven,’ is deeply impressed while watching the manticore’s corpse move as if it had been resurrected.
– The Constellation, ‘Steed That Tramples Death,’ deeply bows to the Demon God, praising the masterpiece created with utmost effort.
– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven,’ acknowledges the skill of the Demon Lord who polished his treasure to perfection.
‘So that means?’
With Kang Han-cheol and Baek Hyun’s appearance, it was natural to think of another person.
As if to prove this, a red-boned wolf leapt high through the monster horde.
“Hyuuung!”
Park Jung-pil, riding on Jeokrang, arrived on the scene.
And just before Jeokrang landed, Yoo Seo-ah, who was riding behind him, surveyed the battlefield and jumped off, drawing her dual swords.
– Player Yoo Seo-ah uses ‘Third Leg of the Tarantula.’
Slash, slash!
As soon as she landed, ten surrounding monsters fell, spraying fountains of blood.
Kang Han-cheol, Baek Hyun, Park Jung-pil, and Yoo Seo-ah.
The four of them, as if prearranged, positioned themselves in four directions around Se-woon, confronting the monsters.
“Just holding off the monsters, right?”
“Can you manage?”
“Certainly.”
“Even if I can’t, I have to. Haven’t we always done so?”
“I haven’t even used the Golden Light yet.”
“Impressive.”
In contrast to their natural cohesion, Riel looked bewildered, the only one caught off guard by their synchronization.
‘All four of them are ranked within the top 100. And they all follow that man?’
The ranking in the tutorial was not easy to climb.
Even though Riel had struggled to reach first place, she was now in second thanks to this man, Se-woon.
The appearance of so many high-ranking individuals was astonishing. What could be this man’s true identity?
As she pondered this, she finally heard the name of the man.
“We won’t last much longer, Se-woon.”
“Just hold for ten seconds. That’s enough.”
“…Wait, did you say Se-woon?”
“Let’s go.”
“Wait!”
Leap!
Se-woon didn’t wait for Riel’s question.
Se-woon? The player who’d taken the first ranking, surpassing her?
Her mind was a whirlwind of confusion, but there was no time for questions.
Realizing the moment was critical, she squeezed out all her mana to activate the spirits.
“Let’s go!”
“Burn him!”
“We’ll help!”
“Bad dragon!”
“Grraaaah-!”
Despite the broken barrier, Drakan roared even louder at Se-woon, who boldly charged at him.
Though the roar didn’t instill fear, its sheer force could push a body back with wind pressure alone.
However, with the Wind Spirit diverting the currents, Se-woon advanced without any resistance.
Drakan swiped his claws at Se-woon.
Thunk.
Se-woon didn’t swing his weapon.
He simply stared directly into Drakan’s eyes, focusing his strength for the next strike.
[I trust you.]
“Yeah!”
Boom!
Se-woon trusted the equipment made by Go Chang-seok and the power of the spirits.
As the claws made contact with his body, he felt a powerful shock, but he used that momentum to move his legs even faster.
His stamina was nearly depleted, but this would be enough.
– Through internal energy, the second form of Grad Empire’s Halberd Technique,
Pounding Halberd (搏擊斧) is enhanced.
Thunk!
The halberd struck Drakan’s lower jaw once again.
However, this time Drakan gritted his teeth, determined not to be struck down by the same attack twice. He knew as well as Se-woon that as long as he protected his reverse scale, Se-woon couldn’t defeat him.
In that moment, Se-woon changed his grip on the axe and shifted his stance.
– Through internal energy, the fourth form of Grad Empire’s Halberd Technique, Chaotic Halberd (亂擊斧) is enhanced.
Roooar!!
“Ugh, argh!”
The halberd swung rapidly.
Despite being a halberd—a long weapon with an axe blade, typically known for its slower speed—this time it moved quickly.
The weapon, now more like the Fangtian Huaji, was swung wildly and relentlessly, and the ferocious onslaught made Drakan lift his chin in submission.
Thud.
‘This is it.’
As if he had been waiting for this very moment, Se-woon shifted his stance.
Gripping the handle so tightly it nearly shattered, he delivered an upward strike to Drakan’s exposed jaw.
– Through internal energy, the fifth form of Grad Empire’s Halberd Techniqu, Striking Halberd (打擊斧), is enhanced through inner strength.
Boom!!
The force was so powerful that Drakan’s head and even his forelegs lifted off the ground momentarily.
Having fulfilled its purpose, the Golden Halberd spent its energy and dissipated into gold dust.
Though it was unfortunate, the fact that it lasted this long and performed so effectively with the power of the Fangtian Huaji was more than expected.
Realizing his reverse scale was exposed, Drakan hurriedly tried to regain his stance, but Se-woon shouted the Golden Castle’s unique ability.
“Golden Light.”
From the distant, unseen Golden Fortress, a golden light shot forth.
Golden Light.
Once a day, this unique ability of the Golden Castle could freeze the movements of enemies. As the lord of the Golden Castle, Se-woon could use this ability regardless of his location.
Swish!
As soon as the golden light touched Drakan, its body froze mid-action, with its forelegs still lifted.
Only its eyes moved, trembling furiously as they stared at Se-woon.
“Is the tutorial finally over now?”
Step, step.
Se-woon leisurely approached Drakan’s reverse scale, drawing a new weapon.
For the final strike, to ensure there was no chance of survival, he brought out the most effective treasure against the beast.
– Opened the Treasury of Greed.
[ Dragon-slaying Sword, Ascalon. ]
– The legendary sword wielded by Saint George to slay a dragon. A weapon of victory against evil.
Thrust.
Se-woon’s sword pierced through the gap between Drakan’s reverse scale.
Compared to the hard scales and flesh, it felt as soft as slicing through tofu.
Feeling assured, Se-woon applied more force and severed the reverse scale.
Slash—
The Enraged Tyrant of the Sea, Sea Drake Drakan’s head was cut off effortlessly…
– You have defeated the final boss monster of the tutorial, ‘Enraged Tyrant of the Sea, Drakan.’
– Your level has increased.
– Your level has increased.
…
– Individual merit points have increased by 300,000 points.
– Acquired ‘Sea Drake’s Scale.’
– Acquired ‘Sea Drake’s Fang.’
…
– Acquired ‘Fury of the Sea.’
The tutorial has come to an end.
* * *
[Tutorial Chapter Five – Defense]
– Perfectly completed the task!
– Additional 150,000 points will be awarded to the players surrounding the boss monster for achieving an astonishingly great feat.
– All participants who survived the defense battle will receive 50,000 points.
– Congratulations! You have excellently completed Tutorial Chapter Five!
– Please proceed to the entrance of the tower for the final tally.
Finally, all five chapters of the tutorial were complete.
Only the players who survived this entire process could enter the tower and begin the true ascent.
“It’s… over.”
“You did great. Se-woon.”
“Hyuuung! I knew you could do it!”
“Are you feeling alright?”
As the tutorial concluded, the monsters surrounding Se-woon began to flee.
After all, their king had fallen.
It was natural for them to lose the will to fight.
“Besides feeling a bit tired, I’m fine.”
In truth, it was more than just a bit.
Though the light had now faded, during the activation of the stigma, it felt like his energy was being drained continuously from his body.
Not just mana or internal energy, but lifeforce itself seemed to be sapped away.
Not that he had any mana or internal energy to spare. He had exhausted all his remaining mana and inner strength for that final strike.
After opening the treasury, Se-woon drank a potion, feeling the tremor in his hand gradually subside.
“Who are you?”
“Step aside.”
“What? Do you know who I am? I’m the right-hand man of—ugh!”
Riel Refrain. She effortlessly pushed Park Jung-pil aside and approached Se-woon.
‘Knowing Riel’s personality, she must be fuming inside.’
Before his regression, Riel’s journey was well-known, even to Se-woon.
She had worked tirelessly, repeating every effort and training to climb the tower, ensuring she never lost her position as number one.
In reality, she had claimed the first spot on quite a few floors. But at some point, news of her feats had completely dried up.
Standing in front of Se-woon, she seemed to finish her thoughts and posed her first question.
“Why did you hide your identity?”
In other words, she was asking why he had deceived her.
Just looking into her eyes, it was clear she was far from pleased.
It was understandable, given that Se-woon had ultimately defeated the boss monster, her last resort to reclaim first place.
Although she would receive a considerable share of merit points for participating in the battle, the tutorial’s top ranking would go to Se-woon.
“Is there anything to answer? I wanted to be first too. That’s all.”
There was no need for lies nor any intention of doing so.
Even though Riel was obsessed with being first, she wouldn’t act vindictively over something that resulted from a skill gap.
“But—!”
As she started to retort to Se-woon’s answer.
Rumble—
The cliff began to collapse.
With the conclusion of the tutorial, even the remaining land began to vanish into the sea.
“I don’t know who you are, but let’s move for now. Se-woon, hop on here.”
“You! I won’t forgive you! Hehe, Hyung! This way!”
“…You better explain everything properly when we get back.”
As everyone prepared to leave, an adequately recovered Se-woon stood up.
He then walked directly toward the cliff.
“Se-woon? Where are you going…?”
“I’m entrusting the clan to you.”
“Pardon?”
“Head up to the first floor. It’s safer than waiting at the entrance.”
“What are you talking about? Of course, you have to go with us!”
“I…”
Se-woon gazed out at the horizon of the vast sea.
Though his pondering was long, the time to make his decision was brief.
Despite possessing the powers of the Demon God of Gluttony and the Demon God of Greed, the tower was teeming with players and monsters far stronger than these.
To overcome such challenges, even more tremendous strength was essential.
“I still have something to do here.”
“What are you talking about…!”
Leap!
Without giving anyone a chance to stop him, Se-woon threw himself off the cliff.
To meet the Demon God of Jealousy, Leviathan, lying dormant in the collapsed sea of the tutorial.