[The efficiency of Dragon God’s Body has increased.]
[Mana consumption is reduced by half.]
[Time limit: 30 minutes.]
Between the gradually sharpening senses, I could feel the changes happening in my body.
My muscles grew even stronger, making my body sturdier.
The strength of my mana circuits increased, allowing more mana to flow through them.
Even the size of the Dragon Heart had grown, if only a little.
Up to this point, it was just like when I had tried using it as a test before.
If there was one thing that had changed since then—
By collecting ten Sacred Relics, mana consumption was now cut in half. I’d wondered how that would work.
‘I can feel the mana so vividly.’
Before, I simply sensed the existence of mana; now, I could see it clearly.
The mana spread throughout this world.
I could see it shimmering in blue waves. Maybe because I could see the movement of mana, the battle unfolding before my eyes looked completely different.
【How about this? Can you block this too?】
Leah, the Naga Queen, whipped her trident atop a raging wave, unleashing her water magic.
I could see exactly what kind of mana she was using.
‘A refreshing, clear sea.’
To be precise, I could sense exactly what kind of feeling she used to manipulate her mana.
The same went for the other Guardians.
Each handled mana in their own way, with great differences in their approach.
The sensations I got from each were also different.
‘…It’s fascinating.’
It felt like I’d been forcibly elevated to a realm I still couldn’t fully comprehend.
I wanted to focus on these senses, make them my own, and grow even further.
But there was no time for that now.
【Grrrk! This guy is on a whole different level from anyone I’ve met before.】
【Die. Die. Die. Give me blood!】
【Leah! Watch out!】
【Urgh! Don’t get in my way!】
The clone of the Great Guardian and the Guardians were locked in a fierce battle.
‘If this drags on, we’ll be the ones pushed back.’
With my full senses open to mana, such things became apparent.
The Great Guardian’s clone was stronger than all four of them combined.
And with the effects of berserk and the Lower Apostle, its power kept growing.
I had to end this before things got out of hand.
‘Hoo.’
Taking a deep breath, I drew all the mana around me into my Dragon Heart.
I filled the now larger Dragon Heart to the brim.
Then I stared straight at the clone of the Great Guardian. I examined what kind of mana it held.
‘An endlessly cold ice shield.’
A shield that would never allow an enemy’s attack, letting only its own offense through—a perfect defense.
“Kuhahahahaha!”
The Lower Apostle controlling the Great Guardian’s clone showed an expression matching that image.
Using sword and shield, he blocked the Guardians’ attacks.
Then he drove the Guardians back with a counterattack.
Sword energy and ice-imbued magic shot out in all directions.
‘I need a spear strong enough to pierce that shield.’
My very first magic, and one of my most powerful: Dragon Fang Spiral Spear.
But even that couldn’t pierce it.
I needed something stronger.
Luckily, I had the perfect Sacred Relic for the job.
“Comet Necklace.”
I took out the Comet Necklace from the Dragon Lair and put it around my neck. A Sacred Relic that could summon a comet with devastating power.
If I could land a hit, the mana I had now could destroy the Great Guardian’s clone.
But if I did that, Korea would suffer massive damage as well.
Comet Summoning was an enormous area-of-effect spell, after all.
‘I’ll have to change it.’
Compress the size, so that only the Great Guardian’s clone would be killed.
I pictured it in my mind, moving my mana.
I kept the destructive power of the comet, but compressed its form to the extreme.
Changing a spell’s attribute is relatively easy, but shrinking a huge spell while maintaining its destructive force is not.
In theory it’s possible, but the body usually can’t withstand the power.
Normally, it would be impossible.
But with the efficiency of Dragon God’s Body doubled, I could now control things that were previously only possible in theory.
“Hoo.”
Now the preparations were done.
I unleashed the magic I had constructed in my mind.
“Dragon Fang Blazing Spear.”
Magic that imbued my first spell with the power of a comet.
Woooom!
Mana from my Dragon Heart sucked in all the surrounding mana and shaped the spell.
A three-meter-long spear appeared above my head.
It surged with blistering heat and flames.
So hot it made me feel faint.
I launched the most powerful spell I could muster at the enemy.
Paaang!
The Dragon Fang Blazing Spear shot out in an instant, heading straight for the Great Guardian’s clone.
“It’s useless!”
He crossed two shields and two swords in front of himself, blocking his body.
A chilling aura flowed out, covering the shields and swords in frost.
But before anything could freeze, everything melted away. The Dragon Fang Blazing Spear struck the shields and swords.
Psssh!
It melted and pierced through everything.
Boring holes through the tough shields and swords, it pierced the heart.
At the same time, heat radiated in all directions, burning everything.
The Great Guardian’s clone turned to black ash and vanished.
[You have defeated the Guardian of the Great Lord.]
[You have proven your qualifications for the sealed Sacred Relic Box.]
[You have obtained a Sacred Relic.]
[Sacred Relic: Paragon’s Shield]
-This is the shield carried by the hero who blocked the Demon King’s attack.
-Greatly increases the efficiency of all defensive martial arts and magic.
-Increases basic physical resistance.
-Increases basic magic resistance.
The efficiency of defensive magic would be better now.
[Sacred Relic: Registering Paragon’s Shield.]
[The efficiency of all shields made by those belonging to the Dragon Lair is increased. Also, basic resistance is increased.]
Satisfied with its decent performance, I approached the fallen Lower Apostle lying on the ground.
“Shall we have a little chat in the Room of Truth?”
Japan Hunter Association.
Association President Yoosaki was watching Korea Hunter Association President Lee Changgeon on TV.
He looked calm, but—
His voice was filled with rage.
-Today, an unfortunate incident took place in Korea. A sealed Sacred Relic was released, and a boss monster appeared……
It was going just as Yoosaki and the Lower Apostle had planned.
-Thankfully, thanks to the help of the Goblin Mask and the Wizard of the Golden Tower present at the scene, the boss monster was handled with little loss of life.
The best-case scenario would have been for Goblin Mask to die there.
But even so, it didn’t mean the plan had failed.
They had already taken into account the possibility of Goblin Mask defeating the released boss monster.
“What do you plan to do next?”
Yoosaki looked toward the window where the night sky was visible. The Lower Apostle perched there shrugged his shoulders.
“As planned, we’ll bury Goblin Mask. Using the media.”
“And if he gets away again this time?”
“No way.”
“You said this plan was worth a shot, too.”
“There was a chance. The Apostle of the Water Dragon God failed because he was incompetent.”
The Lower Apostle’s lips curled as he glanced aside.
“What? Nervous? Afraid the rumor will spread that you were behind it?”
“…It’s not entirely impossible. If we get careless and there’s backlash, the Japanese Association could be finished.”
“A guy who wants to control the whole world has such a weak stomach?”
Yoosaki responded calmly.
“I need certainty.”
“What kind of certainty?”
“After attacking Goblin Mask through the media—certainty in how you’ll deal with what follows.”
“Oh, that?”
The Lower Apostle turned his head to look at the moon outside.
Just then, the screen began to display related news.
-Some foreign news outlets are speculating that Goblin Mask deliberately released the sealed Sacred Relic Box.
-Because the special jinbeop used to defeat Blood Demon made it easier to kill the boss monster……
-There is suspicion that Goblin Mask being at the scene, and the immediate arrival of the Wizard of the Golden Tower, was all part of a plan……
Journalists who had been paid in advance had prepared the story.
With plausible reasons, they made Goblin Mask easy to bite into.
But even with this, it was impossible to completely bury Goblin Mask.
The sanctuary that Goblin Mask had built was simply too solid. At most, this would only restrict Goblin Mask’s movements for a few days.
Since something like this had happened, he would likely act more carefully for a while.
“It’s about time to check out the Red Dungeon (SS).”
“Red Dungeon (SS)?”
“While everyone’s distracted by Goblin Mask, I’ll enter the Red Dungeon and set a trap to hunt him.”
“……”
“I’ll kill everyone who enters. The rest is up to you.”
The Lower Apostle leaped out the window.
As he watched the Lower Apostle disappear in an instant, Yoosaki clicked his tongue.
‘The Red Dungeon (SS), huh.’
It was still an unknown place.
If a trap was set in such an unknown place, no one would be able to escape.
“If most of the Twelve Constellations disappear……”
Japan, not having lost their Twelve Constellations, would only grow stronger in influence.
As Yoosaki’s mind glittered with golden thoughts—
A message appeared before his eyes.
[A Korean Hunter is challenging the master of Labyrinth Floor 25.]
The labyrinth floors held by Japan.
There was only one Korean Hunter crazy enough to challenge that labyrinth.
“…Goblin Mask?”
As Yoosaki clenched his fist, an urgent news flash appeared.
-It is rumored that Japan is behind all these incidents. Korea has officially declared a labyrinth war against Japan.
This was an unexpected development.
Bang!
Yoosaki clenched his fist, his eyes blazing. Then he hurriedly made a phone call.
“Stop Goblin Mask at all costs!”
Crunch!
[You have won the Floor War.]
[You have acquired all the loot held by those defeated in the Floor Battle.]
[The master of the floor has changed.]
[All Korean Hunters receive a special buff on Labyrinth Floor 34.]
[You have obtained dungeon ownership rights for Labyrinth Floor 34.]
[Labyrinth Floor 34 is now linked to the Rift.]
[You can now enter Labyrinth Floor 34 through the Rift.]
I always kept a Floor Challenge Ticket on hand.
I just hadn’t used it while things were peaceful.
But Japan had joined hands with the Lower Apostle of the Red Dragon God to target Korea.
And tried to frame me in the process.
If I hadn’t gotten information from the Lower Apostle of the Water Dragon God, it would have been difficult to uncover the mastermind.
But since I had already extracted a confession from a Lower Apostle once, it wasn’t hard to get information this time either.
“Hoo.”
For now, I’d taken every floor Japan owned up to Floor 39 of the Labyrinth.
But the important floors were all on Floor 40.
Japan’s Twelve Constellations had their floor there as well.
So as I head down the labyrinth, I plan to take those as well.
-If Japan admits its wrongdoing and apologizes, I’m willing to stop even now.
-But if Japan continues to lie and try to bury the issue with manipulation, I won’t stop until I’ve taken every labyrinth.
Watching Association President Lee Changgeon’s announcement—he seemed as angry as I was—I took out a ticket from the Dragon Lair.
A Duel Ticket I’d earned after dealing with the Apostle of the Water Dragon God.
Now that I had collected ten Sacred Relics and received a ticket—
It was time to clear the main quest and challenge the Dragon Lord grade.
[Using Duel Ticket.]