Chapter 136: Malexia Must Fall

The Kingdom of Malexia.

It was surrounded by enemy nations to the east, west, and south.

Although smaller than the Empire, Malexia was powerful. It was simply that they could not stretch their wings due to the many enemies surrounding them.

In fact, aren’t they currently holding their ground while maintaining their borders against three different kingdoms?

The eleven noble families, including the royal family, were too powerful to be called mere noble houses. Their strength was exceptional, thanks to each possessing unique characteristics.

Perhaps because of this, Malexia had more Aura Masters, who were usually few and far between, compared to other kingdoms.

It was only at its current level because the kingdom’s territory could not expand further. The Kingdom of Malexia was a place that could have grown to the level of the Empire if it only had the opportunity.

If there was an Empire in the north, it was safe to say that there was a Malexia in the south.

Therefore, for the Black Mages to spread their influence:

“Malexia’s momentum must be firmly broken. Everyone knows that.”

“……Of course.”

Malexia was important.

When one thought about it, it was obvious.

Let’s assume the Black Mages worked hard to diminish the power of the kingdoms around the Kingdom of Malexia, but failed in Malexia.

The shrewd Malexia would see that as their chance and start moving.

Even though the strongest royal family existed, to the Black Mages, the nobles beneath them were predators rather than prey. They were strong enough to form the largest power if they were in any other kingdom.

Because of this, the royal family would actually welcome the nobles devouring each other.

But what if they spread out not to consume each other, but to consume their surroundings? The Black Mages would end up doing all the hard work only to give it to Malexia. That could not happen.

“If we cannot do it from within, we must move from the outside.”

“Is the grand plan being executed?”

“……Halfway. Only Malexia is blocked.”

However, that Malexia was sturdier than expected.

Not only did they consume every force sent at them, but there were even those who tried to use them.

They tried to dig in from the inside, but there was no way.

Therefore, they tried to find a way from the outside.

“Let us start the otherworldly realm in the south.”

“Good, we will take that.”

They were looking for a way to consume Malexia’s power from the outside. In addition to that.

“The rest will focus on Malexia.”

“Wouldn’t we just get devoured again?”

“No, no. There isn’t just a way like war, is there?”

“In that case…….”

“Using nature is also a method.”

Nature. If that was the way they, who destroyed everything, used nature, it could only be something destructive.

Perhaps realizing something from those words, several of the gathered Black Mages were nodding their heads.

“That sounds fun.”

“Heh, finally there is a way to land a blow!”

There were even those who laughed with satisfaction.

“Let’s execute the grand plan properly. Prepare yourselves.”

“Good. I will buy time in the meantime!”

They, who had been quiet for a while, began to move.

***

“Die!”

The body wearing iron armor was heavy. Every time it moved, the ground had to rumble. But that was not the case for the person in front.

There was no shaking of the ground, nor was there any slow speed.

It rushed at high speed and collided toward Rayrn.

“……Is it again?”

CRASH!

Rayrn gathered his strength and sliced through the iron armor in one strike.

“ARGH!”

WHOOSH!

Light flickered, and the body of the iron armor disappeared. Like smoke.

‘High-level illusion…… Is this level achieved so easily?’

There was no time to think further. The iron armor was merely a vanguard.

-Die!

-Repel them!

Those wearing armor in the same shape as the iron armor appeared. Carrying different weapons, they moved in different ways too.

‘This would be impossible without an understanding of weapons.’

WHOOSH! CRASH!

The flail swung at the spot Rayrn had dodged gouged deep into the ground.

It was clearly an illusion. But it was an illusion that exerted a physical impact. An illusion with physical power!

‘It has substance, yet it does not. You are implementing dozens, hundreds of these?’

Tap.

Rayrn lunged forward and killed the iron armors in front of him.

He crushed their chests with single blows and swung his sword to cut two of them. Using the rotational force of his feet, he stepped on them and crushed them.

He smashed them in groups of two or three in an instant.

Even though they were illusions.

‘They disappear when they take damage, just like humans. Are there restrictions? Or is it intentional?’

At the same time, they didn’t seem like just illusions.

-ACK!

-KH…….

Rayrn had no knowledge of an illusion that screamed and felt pain.

They were illusions, but one could not say they were not. It was a strange matter.

If only it ended here.

“The power blocking the entrance is different from the power of the illusions.”

At least two, perhaps three or more powers were intertwined under this cave.

‘At this level, it is more a dungeon than a cave. And not an ordinary dungeon at that.’

It was a curious case.

A new power had been layered onto a dungeon that was already there.

A place where only illusions should have existed. It was as if another power acted upon the illusions there, imbuing them with physical force.

GRIND!

Smashing through all those illusions, Rayrn continued to press forward.

“Just how was this made?”

The question in his mind was.

CRASH!

-URGH.

“One more down. Just how much can you endure?”

CRIND! GRIND!

He solved it by smashing through the illusions that kept appearing.

“The mana around rings every time I catch one? Then is it here?”

While he was endlessly destroying the illusions. There was a flow that rang through Rayrn’s senses.

‘There!’

Rayrn lunged in an instant. The place he arrived at was one of the blocked walls. Without hesitation, Rayrn reached that spot.

CRASH!

He drove his hand into it. His hand, wrapped in Aura, smashed everything that blocked it.

‘I touched it!’

His hand, which had been smashing its way inside, finally found what it wanted. Rayrn pulled it out without hesitation.

CRIND!

Something that had been connected to the wall was pulled out, drawn by Rayrn’s hand.

WHOOSH!

What Rayrn had grabbed and pulled out was a Magic Stone. The Magic Stone, which glowed on its own, had all sorts of magic circles inscribed on it.

‘It is not a difficult method.’

That would be if the magic circles weren’t visible. But he could already see them. Rayrn learned and memorized the method.

“Shall I check if it is as I thought?”

CRIND!

Rayrn crushed the Magic Stone without hesitation. That moment.

-A, AGH…….

…….

WHOOSH!

All the iron armor illusions that were following Rayrn vanished in an instant.

A space so empty it felt hollow. Within that space, there was only Rayrn.

“The core is this. The problem is…… this energy.”

The place where the illusions had vanished. He did not miss the energy piled upon it.

It was divine power mixed into the illusions. The divine power began to move in one direction as if called.

“If I couldn’t read the energy, I wouldn’t have been able to chase it. I suppose I should examine the rest later.”

Rayrn followed that energy.

In this stage, magic traps poured out.

SWISH! Tap!

“Oh? Everything is enchanted with magic?”

Intense attacks that would be impossible to dodge without sharp senses flew at him.

Each arrow was imbued with magic.

Simple explosions. Hallucinations. Poison. Loss of balance. Curses.

They were things that were hard to see as traps in a place containing divine power, yet they poured out endlessly.

“UGH……. This one is strong?”

The types of traps themselves were varied.

Just when he thought the ground was sinking, the ground suddenly popped up and slammed into the walls.

Space twisted and then suddenly flipped over.

The ground, which had been undulating like waves, suddenly sprayed poison gas.

‘This is insane.’

Other traps were layered over the traps that should have originally been there. It was certain that the power of the divine was at work here too.

“……It feels like my Gyeong-gong level is rising.”

It was a baptism of traps that would be difficult to experience in a lifetime.

Rayrn dodged the traps, dismantled them, and assumed postures he never had before. Sometimes he even took poses that would look ridiculous to others.

-Oh……. Are you getting stronger with that strange training method?

“Don’t tease me!”

Unfortunately, there was a Fire Spirit, like a stalker(?), always watching. Every time the spirit saw a weird posture, it teased him as if to take revenge for not being able to make a contract all this time.

-That is also funny. To think a human body could twist like that!

“……Ah.”

Ignoring the spirit’s words, Rayrn moved forward endlessly.

At the end of the traps.

“As expected. There was one here too.”

GRIND!

There was a Magic Stone imbued with power.

As if repaying the humiliation he had suffered, Rayrn crushed the Magic Stone without hesitation.

Directly to the third stage. Rayrn proceeded without a moment’s rest.

“Is this a lack of imagination from here on? Hmm…… still, it is strong?”

The third stage was a collection of everything he had experienced so far.

The first and second stages were exquisitely mixed. On top of that, new illusions appeared following the iron armor.

-Intruder!

-Repel him! FIREBALL!

CRASH! CRASH!

They fired magic so wildly that he worried the dungeon might collapse.

‘……Can illusions also use magic? I hadn’t even thought of this.’

It was the same as before.

Just as the sword swung by the iron armor had physical force, the magic used by the illusionary mages was also imbued with mana.

‘The composition of the illusion is also mana. It’s like mana using mana. This is truly……..’

There were cases where Rayrn himself applied magic circles over Jinbeop.

But he had never thought of layering magic over magic.

‘It is beyond what I could imagine.’

Elemental. Enchant. Summon. Illusion. He had never heard of any Magic Tower using magic in this way.

In the first place, there was no Magic Tower that used divine power mixed in.

WHOOSH!

“Ugh!”

It was to the point where even Rayrn could not let his guard down against the powerful attacks.

“Where are you going!”

GRIND!

Smashing the rushing illusions, dismantling the magic, and when he lacked energy.

WHOOSH!

He even used the Absorption Technique, which he didn’t often use, to suck in the energy and endure.

‘This is a crazy difficulty.’

He hadn’t imagined this level of difficulty.

Deep down, Rayrn had underestimated all the methods of this world.

Science was below Earth, and Aura research was below Murim. But the magic here was deeper than he had thought.

‘Even if divine power is mixed in, the foundation is mana.’

Rayrn raised the standard for the power of this world and marched forward endlessly.

A brief moment of leeway.

Even during that time, he researched and explored the dungeon itself.

“Is there no information here?”

-……I would like to receive a reward, but unfortunately, there is none.

“Hmm…….”

A place that even the Fire Spirit, who had lived a long life, did not know was full of unknowns.

‘I must remember this method as well. I should copy this magic circle entirely. What is the composition of this?’

Exploring and learning.

“I don’t know how many days I’ve been wandering this place.”

-Three weeks have already passed.

“……Even though I ran as fast as I could, that is the speed. Crazy.”

Finally, it seemed like the edge of the dungeon was in sight.

And at that end.

“Hmm? This is a scam until the very end.”