Chapter 36

Chapter 36.

 

CRUNCH!

Ha-kyung drove the karambit into the Obsidian Titan’s chest.

It felt as though he would never manage otherwise.

The shaking was too violent, and the gap was far too narrow.

He had somehow managed to force his body inside.

But as expected, the situation he had feared began to unfold.

“Grrrrrr―!”

A heavy roar rang out, and a powerful shock was transmitted through him.

The Obsidian Titan had begun pounding its chest.

THUD! THUD-BOOM! DOOOOM!

Ha-kyung first pushed himself as deep as he could.

He was trying to avoid a direct hit at all costs.

But that did not mean he escaped unharmed.

Blood burst from Ha-kyung’s nose.

“Guh!”

His vision swam.

He felt as though he was going to vomit.

After all, the Obsidian Titan’s body was a solid mass of stone.

Perhaps because the impact was transmitted directly through it,

it felt as though his organs were being torn apart.

Even so, Ha-kyung moved.

‘This much is nothing.’

[Cloak of Command activated]

[Tyrant’s Bracelet activated]

FSSSSSS!

His internal injuries rapidly healed.

Even his nosebleed stopped in an instant.

Soon, several more impacts followed.

It was because the Obsidian Titan was beating its chest like a gorilla.

However, Ha-kyung paid it no mind and crawled even deeper.

Then something faintly glowing entered his sight.

Ha-kyung realized it instinctively.

‘That’s it!’

A dark crystal with a strange luster.

It was the Ultimate Abyss Fragment.

He stretched as far as he could, but his hand did not reach it.

The space was too narrow, and he could not go any farther inside.

But Ha-kyung was not shaken in the slightest.

‘I can pull it out with the Refinement Rope.’

A gray-white cord shot out from his fingertips.

It was the Refinement Rope, spread as thinly as possible.

Ha-kyung’s will extended inward like an endoscope.

At last, the tip wound around the black crystal.

If he pulled it out like this, he would be able to obtain the Ultimate Abyss Fragment.

But right then—

DOOOOOOM―!

“Ugh!”

An impact on an entirely different level shook his entire body.

He almost lost the fragment he had finally caught.

Of course, Ha-kyung did not lose focus.

The effects of the artifacts still remained.

He violently reeled in the Refinement Rope.

Then the dark crystal was caught firmly in his grasp.

Ha-kyung cried out in triumph without realizing it.

“That’s it!”

He had no time to consider when to open it.

He immediately crushed the Ultimate Abyss Fragment.

Purely with his grip strength.

CRACK!

[You have opened the Ultimate Abyss Fragment]

[You have obtained an artifact lost in this dungeon]

[‘Heaven-Shattering Fist’ is embodied as a skill]

[A massive amount of abyss energy is being transferred]

SSSSSSS!

In that instant, pain as though his entire body were being torn apart swept over him.

At that same moment, the effects of the artifacts ended.

Ultra-high-purity abyss energy flowed into him.

However, Ha-kyung merely wore a dazed expression.

He could not feel the pain at all.

It was because he had seen words that pierced deep into his heart.

Ha-kyung murmured with bewitched eyes.

“Heaven-Shattering... Fist?”

The situation was urgent, but he could not help looking stunned.

Heaven-Shattering Fist was Ha-kyung’s father’s main skill.

The main skill of Pioneer Lee Tae-heon.

Despair and grief that had crossed the span of five years.

Those arrow-like emotions buried themselves in Ha-kyung’s heart.

Before he knew it, the tragedy of that day was unfolding before his eyes.

‘To be honest, when I obtained Kin-Eater, I knew a day like this would come someday.’

Just like Uncle Seo Kang-min’s skill,

his father’s keepsake must also have been sleeping within an Ultimate Abyss Fragment.

Ha-kyung, who had risen by enduring the pain, quietly closed his eyes.

It was a scene he had tried so hard not to take out and look at.

But now, there was nothing he could do.

It felt as though a wound hidden deep inside his heart had burst open again.

However, he could not remain in pain forever.

Ha-kyung braced himself against the wall and prepared for the impact.

‘I can feel it. The Obsidian Titan’s movements.’

KWAAAAANG―!

The creature beat its chest again, trying to finish Ha-kyung off.

It seemed that the man who had entered its body bothered it quite a bit.

Ha-kyung stared into the deepest part of the fissure.

“Stop pestering me. I will finish this as quickly as I can.”

SSSSSS!

Soon, gray-white energy gathered in his left hand.

A sphere that gradually grew in size.

An enormous amount of abyss energy and mana was being poured into it.

Then, when it trembled madly as though it would burst at any moment,

Ha-kyung released the demon within him into the world.

“Haaaaah!”

The instant he thrust out his fist with a shout—

KABOOOM―!

A roar erupted, and Ha-kyung’s body was shoved straight backward.

More precisely, he was dragged along by his left arm, where a tremendous recoil had occurred.

Soon, his field of vision opened wide.

He had escaped the Obsidian Titan’s body in a single burst.

But in that fleeting instant,

Ha-kyung’s gaze met the Obsidian Titan’s.

A crimson blaze burned in its eyes.

Anyone who faced that creature would have no choice but to feel fear.

But the emotion Ha-kyung felt was different.

‘This bastard... is scared?’

If monsters had emotions, then it could only be so.

After all, it must have felt as though a cannon had been pressed against its chest and fired point-blank.

However, Ha-kyung could not immediately continue his attack.

He was floating in midair.

For a moment, the flow of energy had been blocked.

After swiftly observing his inner self, he realized the reason.

‘The abyss energy I gained from the fragment has not settled yet. I used Heaven-Shattering Fist in that state, so it has become completely tangled.’

Heaven-Shattering Fist was a technique that consumed an enormous amount of power.

Its energy efficiency was far worse than Soul-Sever.

Even so, its destructive power was outstanding.

With a single skill, he had left the Obsidian Titan half dead.

TAP!

“Whew...”

After landing on the ground, Ha-kyung steadied his breathing.

He needed to control the disrupted flow of energy

and make himself able to fight again.

However, it was not easy.

The power he had newly accepted was simply too strong.

Ha-kyung frowned.

‘What I need now is not abyss energy, but mana.’

The power that formed the foundation of an Awakened.

The fact that he had accepted abyss energy did not change that.

In the end, mana still played the core role.

But where was he supposed to obtain it right now?

Then, a smile suddenly appeared at the corners of Ha-kyung’s mouth.

“There is still a way.”

He strode toward the fallen Obsidian Titan.

Completely defenseless.

As Ha-kyung advanced, the air around them changed.

The Obsidian Titan flinched and backed away while still lying on the ground.

A gigantic monster was trying to flee from a small human.

It was truly an astonishing sight.

Soon, bewildered voices burst out from all around.

“Is... is he overwhelming a Field Boss with sheer presence right now?”

“I have spent fifteen years rolling through the Abyss, but I have truly never seen anything like that.”

“Is that really something a mere human can do?”

The team members gathered by the Great Sage were all veterans.

Even though they were carefully selected elite Awakened, every one of them could not close their gaping mouths.

That was how astonishing the result was.

Then, while silence continued,

the Obsidian Titan swung its arm from a seated position.

WHOOOOOSH―!

It had failed to overcome its fear

and launched a hasty strike.

Ordinarily, that resistance should have been futile.

But Ha-kyung had not the slightest intention of dodging.

No, he instead threw himself in the direction of the Obsidian Titan’s attack.

THOOOOM!

Ha-kyung’s body was flung away like a baseball.

Then sorrowful cries rose from the rear line.

“Oh no!”

“Hurry, heal him first!”

Contrary to the team members’ worries, Ha-kyung was wearing a satisfied smile.

From the very beginning, he had intended to get hit on purpose.

[Reactive Magic Armor activated]

[The impact is converted into mana]

If he lacked mana, he could simply draw it from an artifact.

SCREEEECH!

Ha-kyung, who had been hurled far away, scraped across the ground before coming to a stop.

Perhaps because the Cloak of Command was on cooldown,

a heavy pain covered his entire body.

But his expression looked much more relaxed.

‘The mana has returned. Now I should be able to control it well enough.’

Soon, Ha-kyung was engulfed in gray-white flames.

WHOOSH!

It was a phenomenon caused by the unruly abyss energy aligning itself.

Ha-kyung slowly began to walk.

His figure, approaching the Obsidian Titan one step at a time,

felt like the Grim Reaper carrying a scythe.

“Gwoooooo!”

A fierce roar erupted from the Obsidian Titan.

Powerful sound waves vibrated through the air,

and its materialized killing intent pierced deep into the lungs.

But Ha-kyung did not stop.

He merely concentrated Abyss Refinement into the karambit.

[The Abyss Challenger’s ‘Compression’ Authority increases the density of the abyss energy]

TSHK―! WHOOSH!

The gray-white blade blazed fiercely.

Originally, Compressed Abyss Refinement had taken a form similar to the second stage.

After all, the Authority sharpened the energy that erupted like flames one step further.

But now, it blazed even more intensely than the third stage.

Ha-kyung realized it.

‘Have I entered a new realm?’

However, he had no time to confirm it right now.

Nor did it matter even if he did not.

Ha-kyung sharply increased his speed.

His body was like a gust of wind.

THUMP―! THUMP―! THUMP―!

Each time he kicked off the ground, he seemed to become twice as fast.

The Obsidian Titan’s red blaze flashed.

Then the creature began swinging both arms in alternation.

BOOM! CRAAASH!

Merciless attacks struck the earth.

However, they could not hit Ha-kyung.

His ability to change direction was unmatched.

After avoiding every attack,

Ha-kyung appeared right before the Obsidian Titan’s face.

“I will cut even your soul.”

Ha-kyung’s eyes had turned gray-white.

The blade that extended in an instant pierced the Obsidian Titan’s neck.

PSHHH―!

Then it passed straight through its head and soared high into the sky.

It was like a wave spray violently shattering

after a tidal wave had swept over everything.

KWAAAAAAH! THUD!

[You have defeated the Field Boss, Obsidian Titan]

[You have received ‘Titan Flail’ as a reward]

The Obsidian Titan fell silent with its head split in two.

Even without the System message, its death was certain.

Ha-kyung let out a long breath.

“Whewww...”

His white breath spread like mist.

His heart was pounding fiercely.

In contrast, his inner self settled coldly.

‘It is not enough, but I still have strength left.’

From the start, the Obsidian Titan had been a newly appeared enemy.

His original target,

the Frost Bishop, had not even properly begun fighting yet.

No, the Raid Team was actually in danger.

Because of the curse of Mana Freeze.

Because of Frozen Repentance.

The moment the Obsidian Titan fell,

a brief cheer rose from behind him.

However, the mood soon sank again.

Everyone knew.

Ha-kyung stared at the Frost Bishop.

‘Only now are we back to square one. I have to focus.’

The Obsidian Titan was Unknown Grade.

The Frost Bishop was Unfathomable Grade.

An incomprehensible monster.

To bring down a creature like that, he would need an ultimate killing blow.

Ha-kyung slowly moved his feet.

‘With Restoration Veil, I can reset the cooldown of one artifact.’

If possible, he intended to save that for the Tyrant’s Bracelet.

Even in a situation just before death, it should let him survive once.

Then, suddenly, Ha-kyung’s gaze turned to his left hand.

His father’s main skill.

The sensation of having used Heaven-Shattering Fist still lingered faintly.

Ha-kyung clenched his fist tightly.

‘What would happen if I pushed in all the abyss energy I drew through Kin-Eater?’

Perhaps the ultimate killing blow might burst from his left hand.

Soon, Ha-kyung began running toward the Frost Bishop.

His target was its left shoulder.

It was the spot where he had carved off its hide earlier.

Just then, the Raid Team’s front line was recovering.

The Healers’ care and the Ranged Damage Dealers’ support had resumed.

Ha-kyung called out to someone while running swiftly.

“John!”

Their gazes met for an instant.

John immediately realized what he wanted.

“Boost? Leave it to me. You saw it last time, did you not? I am damn good at it.”

Of course, if he used Wall-Walking Steps, he would not need John’s help.

However, Ha-kyung intended to use every last bit of his capability.

He stomped down on John’s shield, which was glowing bright blue.

KABOOM!

Immediately afterward, a thrilling System message appeared before Ha-kyung’s eyes.

[Kin-Eater skill target set]

[Target: Frost Bishop]

RIIIIING―!

It was the most pleasant ringing in his ears he had ever heard.