Lord Of The Lost

The wyvern's pupils constricted.

> It understood now.

This human was dangerous and that spear was even worse.

The only solution?

> Kill him now.

It spread its wings wide—

> A predator moving in for the final blow.

Victory was within its grasp.

But then—

The ground began to shake.

Loose rubble trembled.

The air itself felt heavy.

> [Mana Expansion]!

[Mana Expansion]!

[Pyroblast]!

A power far beyond standard fire magic was brewing in the ruins.

> Sophia hadn't vanished.

> She had been preparing.

She had channeled all of her mana, expanding it twice over, increasing its power to terrifying levels.

It wasn't just a spell.

> It was a volcanic eruption.

> BOOM!

The ground exploded beneath them, sending gravel and debris flying.

A roar of fire burst into the sky, turning the entire battlefield crimson with heat and flame.

> A pillar of fire erupted like a wrathful god.

The wyvern had no time to escape.

It was swallowed whole.

The magic unleashed by Black Swan was on a completely different level.

> It was stronger than the wyvern's Dragon Breath.

Far stronger.

The Magician Path had always been considered weak in the early stages.

Why?

Because compared to other extraordinary paths, magicians had a slow start.

A magician needed time to learn, time to master dozens of spells, before they could handle the unpredictable nature of battle.

> A Sequence 9 warrior only needed to master a single technique—

And they were already battle-ready.

They could fight, endure damage, and handle close combat with no major weaknesses.

But a magician?

> If all you knew was fireballs, how were you supposed to fight a swordsman charging at full speed?

That's why, for most players, the Magician Path felt underwhelming.

Even now, on the player forums, there were over a dozen players who had learned magic skills—

> But none had experienced a "breakthrough."

To them, magic was just another ranged attack option; useful, but not revolutionary.

Their disappointment discouraged other players from even trying magic.

But everything changed once a magician surpassed Sequence 9.

That was when true magic began.

> A Sequence 8 magician could seamlessly cast multiple spells at will.

They could manipulate elements, reshape battlefields, and overpower brute force with pure strategy.

And right now, Black Swan was proving it.

With Sophia's body as a vessel, Black Swan pulled off a flawless counterattack:

1. She used earth magic to burrow underground, dodging the wyvern's attack.

2. **She then cast Pyroblast from beneath the ground—**a move that no Sequence 9 magician could ever attempt.

Even Sophia herself wouldn't have been able to pull it off.

> Only Black Swan could.

The Witch Path was known for its unique trait—

> [Witch Night].

But witches weren't just spellcasters.

They were masters of ancient magic.

This meant they could grow stronger by studying magic itself, advancing both as witches and as magicians.

However—

> The power of magic wasn't just in raw destruction.

Most magicians weren't built for close combat.

That's why they excelled in strategic positioning, using allies to protect themselves while unleashing devastating attacks.

A true magician didn't just cast spells—they controlled the battlefield itself.

> And Pyroblast was no ordinary fire magic.

It wasn't just fireballs.

It wasn't just blazes.

It wasn't even the spell flames that burned over time.

This—

> This was a catastrophic explosion.

For a moment, William thought he was watching a volcanic eruption.

The magma-like flames had built up to an overwhelming intensity, and then—

> BOOM!

A pillar of fire erupted skyward, tens of meters tall, cutting through the darkness like a second sun.

The sheer heat from the spell rushed toward William, and in that instant—

He realized something.

> If he had been caught in that blast, he would have died instantly.

This wasn't just another spell.

It was pure destruction.

But whether or not the attack landed was another matter.

> The flames roared, illuminating the sky.

The divine ring above flickered from the heat.

Then—

> It began to fade.

Like a dying firework, the flames started to settle, leaving behind only embers in the air.

And then—

> "Aooooo!!"

A shrill, guttural dragon roar shattered the silence.

Through the glowing cinders, a charred figure emerged.

> The wyvern.

Its body was cracked and blackened, its once-pristine scales reduced to ash.

It had been burned alive—

And yet, it still stood.

The wound on its left wing—where William had struck earlier—

> The surrounding flesh had been completely incinerated, carbonized into dead matter.

This should have been the end.

This level of damage—

A Sequence 8 creature should have been reduced to ashes.

And yet—

> It still moved.

> It still breathed.

William felt a chill run down his spine.

> "So this… is the power of dragons."

It didn't matter how much destruction was thrown at them.

It didn't matter if the fire burned through their very flesh.

> Dragons didn't die easily.

And now—

> The battle wasn't over.

William sprang into action, his body launching high into the air with explosive power.

> This was the perfect moment to strike.

> Hit the fallen beast while it's down!

> [Slash]!

With a mighty swing of the Whirlwind Axe, a seven-meter-long arc of energy sliced through the air—

> Blood splattered.

> BOOM!

The wyvern, already staggering, was slammed into the ground like a falling meteor, its impact shaking the battlefield.

But William's expression didn't relax.

> Even now, this monster refused to die.

His attack had been brutal, enhanced with all his energy, yet the axe blade had only buried itself a third of the way in.

> The wyvern's defense was absurd.

Back when he had cleaved through a Sequence 8 Nightmare, his axe had sliced cleanly, like cutting through butter.

But this?

> This was like trying to chop down a mountain.

---

The wyvern let out a guttural, vicious growl.

Its vertical pupils gleamed with raw fury, and even in agony, its aura intensified.

This was no longer a battle for survival—

> It was personal.

No creature had ever humiliated it like this.

> It unleashed its full draconic power.

A violent pressure rippled outward, shaking the rubble, sending cracks splintering across the ground.

Then, ignoring William entirely—

The wyvern tilted its head back, inhaled sharply, and—

> Unleashed a second Dragon Breath.

> WHOOSH!

Unlike before, this wasn't just a focused attack—

> It was devastation.

> A hurricane of wind blades tore across the battlefield, obliterating everything in sight.

The ground crumbled into dust.

The ruins were reduced to rubble.

The entire atrium was ripped apart.

> It was a storm of pure destruction.

A storm so powerful that even Sophia's burrowing magic failed—

> She was forced out of hiding.

Sophia Takes the Hit

She barely had time to react before the wind blades tore toward her.

Her face paled—not from fear, but from exhaustion.

> She had overdrawn her mana.

The Pyroblast had been too powerful, draining everything she had.

Now—

> She had nothing left.

Desperately, she crossed her arms, forming a thin mana shield around herself—

> CRACK!

> Shattered in an instant.

The wind blades cut deep, slashing through her flesh and clothes, leaving behind a trail of blood.

> In mere moments, she was covered in wounds—deep, brutal, and merciless.

> Some even cut to the bone.

And the wyvern wasn't stopping.

William's mind raced.

There was no time—

If he didn't act now, Sophia would be ripped apart.

Without hesitation, he thrust his spear forward—

> Aiming for the wyvern's mouth.

> [Piercing Attack]—again!

He rushed forward, his body aligning perfectly with the spear—

Like a bullet fired from a gun.

Like an arrow from a bow.

> He flew straight into the wyvern's mouth.

> And out the back of its head.

The wyvern's entire body spasmed.

Its long neck arched upward, its jaw quivering, as a gargled roar escaped its throat.

> The taste of blood filled its mouth.

Its massive wings beat weakly.

It tried to stay standing—

But its strength was gone.

> It began to fall.

William landed on the shattered ruins, but his legs almost gave out.

> He had pushed himself too far.

> Four full-power Piercing Attacks.

He felt hollow inside, his body screaming in exhaustion, his breath ragged.

> No breathing room. No breaks. No hesitation.

He had thrown everything into this fight.

Because a prolonged battle was not an option.

The wyvern's stamina and endurance far exceeded his and Sophia's combined.

> If they didn't finish it fast—

They wouldn't win at all.

William turned instinctively—

And his eyes widened in horror.

Even now—even in its dying moments—

The wyvern ignored him completely.

Instead—

> It turned toward Sophia.

Her small body lay limp among the rubble, her pale skin stained with blood, her breathing shallow.

And the wyvern pressed forward—

> Determined to kill her.

Sophia gritted her teeth, her bloodied hands trembling as she dragged herself backward.

Each movement left a long trail of crimson beneath her, her body weakened but her spirit unyielding.

Yet—

> The wyvern was closing in.

Its massive form loomed over her, its vertical pupils gleaming coldly, its serrated fangs bared in a cruel, merciless grin.

It wasn't just a beast—

> It was thinking.

Most creatures in the maze fought purely by instinct.

But this wyvern?

It was intelligent.

> It should have chased William, the true threat.

It should have ignored the injured spellcaster.

And yet, the moment it had been attacked, it had immediately taken to the skies, a tactical retreat.

When it was hit by Pyroblast, it prioritized Sophia over William.

> This wasn't just combat instinct.

This was strategy.

The wyvern knew the truth:

> Two enemies could kill it.

But one of them was vulnerable.