In A Fantasy World I Can Absorbs Abilities

Losing all reason, Gwang-hwi screamed wildly. His pupils shook violently, his face contorting further with every passing moment. His lips trembled as if convulsing, the sound of grinding teeth echoing loudly.

"This can't be…! It's impossible!"

His voice grew increasingly shrill, saturated with madness and rage. His breathing became ragged, shoulders heaving dramatically.

"You…! How dare a mere human wield the same power as me!"

Gwang-hwi's face alternated between shades of crimson and ghostly pale. A shaky, derisive laughter escaped him, and he staggered unsteadily. Then, with eyes wide open, he glared fiercely at Michael, his brow furrowed deeply as he clenched his fists and ground his teeth.

"Answer me! How do you possess my power?!"

Mad flames blazed in his eyes, but Michael faced him without a flicker of emotion. Michael's red eyes, momentarily blazing like fire, abruptly cooled, turning frigid.

Even as Gwang-hwi trembled in a fury-induced spasm, Michael remained utterly motionless, observing the unfolding drama as if it were a play with a predetermined ending. A faint energy gathered at Michael's fingertips, shimmering gently.

Michael raised his hand casually, as though wielding such power was a trivial matter, something he could summon whenever he wished.

Provoked by Michael's nonchalance, Gwang-hwi's face twisted further. Now, Arabella's face was nowhere to be found; the soul of Gwang-hwi trapped within had completely overtaken the body.

"How could you possibly…!"

Michael, smirking softly, intensified the provocation.

"Did you think you were the only one who came from Earth?"

Shock overtook Gwang-hwi's expression. Gone was his previous ferocity, replaced by bewilderment.

"Wha… What did you just say? How could you know—no, more importantly, you're from Earth as well?"

But after a brief pause, Gwang-hwi steeled himself.

"No, this is nonsense. I see now—that's why you possess the same power. Ha, I suppose it's not entirely impossible. Throughout history, there have been plenty like you, after all."

Though he spoke confidently, inwardly he was rattled. His eyes now resembled those of an ordinary human more than a deity—perhaps even less.

Gwang-hwi's eyes shifted anxiously, struggling to appear composed.

He continued rambling nervously.

"Of course, it's plausible. It's not like our cases are unique. This world is famous for attracting foreign gods, outsiders, and all sorts of beings, which is precisely why so many great seals were necessary. Outsiders always carried peculiar powers."

His voice became increasingly agitated as he considered his own words. Yes, such individuals indeed existed.

But relief was fleeting. Once again, his heart tightened with anger and pain.

'But… no one else ever possessed a power identical to mine. Absorbing abilities? That was supposed to be exclusively mine.'

Gwang-hwi recalled an ancient goddess who had cursed him as she died. A giantess whose height seemed to reach the heavens.

'She said someday someone with powers like mine would appear and lead me to ruin.'

Remembering the goddess whose head he himself had severed, Gwang-hwi gritted his teeth. Perhaps, deep down, he had known the truth from the moment he encountered Michael—but had refused to acknowledge it. Hadn't he always defied and overcome fate?

"Hmph! I'm far more special than you could ever be. For instance, I was reborn as a prince. How about you? I was revered by all as the greatest genius on the continent. What about you, huh?"

Michael found himself inwardly baffled by the sudden childish comparison. It was a ludicrously juvenile attempt at superiority—akin to the squabbles of schoolchildren.

Gwang-hwi rambled on relentlessly.

"You think someone like you could catch up to me? I'm the chosen one. Don't fool yourself."

Michael quietly observed Gwang-hwi's empty boasts and warped sense of self-importance. No matter how he looked at it, the man resembled a middle-schooler deep in the throes of delusion more than a genuine deity.

How could someone like him become a god?

'Shouldn't divinity require personal refinement? How can someone this shallow and frivolous become a god?'

Sensing Michael's confusion, Alfred quietly whispered beside him.

"Gwang-hwi… was never qualified to become a god in the first place. He's never once truly looked within himself, nor used pain to refine his spirit. He's never endured despair to strengthen his soul."

Alfred's gaze turned to Gwang-hwi, who still trembled and desperately denied the truth.

"Every bit of his power was stolen—from remnants of ancient gods, from mana stones, from outsiders, and even from humans. He absorbed and stole indiscriminately. Yet, he never truly made any of it his own."

A cold smirk formed on Alfred's lips—a scornful gesture toward the self-proclaimed 'god' who was nothing more than a counterfeit.

"That's why, despite possessing tremendous power, he was defeated by me, who abandoned godhood long ago. Divinity built solely upon power is nothing but an illusion. He's never once faced his limitations, never truly overcome anything."

Alfred released a deep sigh, shaking off the dust of the past.

"To become a true god… you must first attain depth as a human. Without that, no matter how much power you amass, you're just a hollow puppet."

Listening to his grandfather's explanation, Michael nodded in understanding. That made things easier.

He turned back to Gwang-hwi, amplifying the mockery. The more enraged that man became, the better.

"Hey! Why are you muttering like some wet dog in the rain? Did you pawn off your dignity as a deity?"

Gwang-hwi, who'd been desperately rationalizing, flinched and glared at Michael with hate-filled eyes.

"How dare you! I'm a god among gods. Show respect!"

Michael openly sneered at him.

"A god among gods? Didn't you become a self-proclaimed sole deity only because all the other gods rejected and shunned you? There's a better name for gods like you… Moron-god? Idiot-god? Which one suits you best?"

Stung deeply, Gwang-hwi began to tremble uncontrollably. Even more humiliating was the sound of Alfred quietly laughing behind them.

"Shut up! Shut your mouth! If you don't, I'll destroy this body!"

Michael burst into laughter.

"Haha! If you could, you'd have already done it. Watching your stupidity has its limits. Let's finish this now."

The forced smile slowly faded from Gwang-hwi's lips.

That man wasn't afraid—at all.

Upon realizing this, a cold sweat began forming on Gwang-hwi's back.

He instinctively started to step backward, only to feel an ominous presence surrounding him from all sides.

'Damn it...!'

He didn't even need to look behind him. Instinctively, he understood that Alfred stood there, his chilling aura enveloping his back. Alfred's shadow would undoubtedly fill the space behind him entirely.

'What now? How do I escape from this?'

Like a frightened child caught in a game of hide-and-seek, Gwang-hwi tried to move sideways, but his feet felt heavy as if restrained.

'The shadow...'

It gripped his ankles like a living creature, exuding a terrifying presence, like an ancient beast lurking in the darkness. Panicking, Gwang-hwi frantically scanned his surroundings, desperate to find any gap to escape through—but there were none.

Michael stood directly in front, Alfred behind, and the shadow bound his feet.

As the encirclement closed in, his breathing grew erratic. Finally, out of desperation, he played his last bargaining card.

"Let me go! I'll vanish forever! If you harm me, Arabella will also be in danger. Alfred, you don't want that, do you?"

Gwang-hwi's voice grew increasingly desperate. But before he could finish, Alfred's eyebrow twitched upward. After a brief silence, Alfred laughed bitterly.

"...If you're making threats like that, it seems you still haven't come to your senses."

Alfred slowly stepped forward. His shadow ominously encircled Gwang-hwi.

"That's not negotiation—it's blackmail. And a rather pathetic one at that."

He tilted his head slightly to glance at Michael. His grandson stood smiling calmly, yet he hadn't let down his guard even slightly.

'That's right—worthy of my and Arabella's grandson.'

Gwang-hwi screamed again, frantic now.

"What is it you want? Do you think the world will return to normal just by killing me? I've hidden myself for a long time. I'll never deliver another oracle. You'll need my power to stabilize the Holy Kingdom!"

Michael answered coldly.

"Of course, killing you won't fix everything instantly. The atrocities you've committed, your poison, the remnants of the Holy Kingdom, the fanatics, war, famine, and all the injustices you've caused—they won't vanish overnight. But…"

He took another step closer.

"Removing you will be the first step toward putting this world back in order."

Realizing there was no escape, terror gripped Gwang-hwi fully. Michael's cold eyes, Alfred's overwhelming presence, and the shadow encircling him left no room to flee.

But what frightened him most was…

His gaze shifted toward the faint glow accumulating at Michael's fingertips. Despite knowing what might happen next, he couldn't help but ask.

"What… What are you planning to do?"

Michael did not answer. Instead, he continued silently approaching.

Cornered at the brink of despair, Gwang-hwi desperately made his last stand.

"Stay away!"

His eyes twisted with madness and fear. Simultaneously, the consciousness trapped within Arabella's body began to violently thrash about. While babbling outwardly, he seemed to have been quietly preparing internally.

Michael scoffed at the sight.

'Hmph, I suppose he does have some experience surviving this long.'

Like a creature desperately tearing through a cocoon, Gwang-hwi struggled furiously to free himself from Arabella's body. Alfred's seal, encasing Arabella's body, trembled violently as her hair whipped wildly around. Two pairs of eyes overlapped, flickering between Gwang-hwi's and Arabella's faces.

"Don't underestimate this body—or me! I will never give up!"

Arabella's body convulsed uncontrollably. A dark mist seeped out from within her eyes. It was Gwang-hwi's soul—utterly devoid of any light or sanctity, composed solely of greed, envy, and arrogance.

"Aaaaargh!"

Screaming in agony, he desperately tried to escape from Arabella's body. He looked like something that should never have existed, violently forcing its way into the world. Her delicate limbs twisted unnaturally, joints crackling ominously. Her eyes, now divided into two separate sets, flickered continuously, revealing a strange darkness beneath skin and bone.

From there emerged the distorted remnant of Gwang-hwi's soul—already severely damaged, amorphous, shadowy, and fluctuating constantly. It resembled a worm in the shape of a human more than a deity—too grotesque to even be called divine.

"I… am not finished yet! I'm a god! A god!"

'Got you now.'

Michael's lips curled into a triumphant smile. Gwang-hwi panicked upon seeing that smile—but it was already too late. Michael swiftly closed the distance and grasped the fragment of Gwang-hwi's exposed soul.

At that moment, the very air in the cave began to tremble.