“Did you do all this just to call me?”
“Of course! You are such a grand existence; I couldn’t just call you any old way.”
In response to Silvius’s sarcasm, Choi Kangjoong’s Death Blade grew more intense.
“Was that ‘Prince’ guy the one who opened the Gate I fell into before?”
“You’ll have to find that out for yourself.”
“I’ll get the answer once I beat the pulp out of you.”
“Wait. I came here to talk, not to fight.”
Silvius stepped away from the unconscious people.
“Wake everyone up and get them out of the Gate.”
“Yes, Captain.”
When Choi Kangjoong tried to pull out the arrow, Joo Eun-jong hurriedly stopped him.
“Why?”
“If I have this, people will realize how much I suffered!”
“It’s going to hurt a lot the whole way back, you know?”
“But it looks cool. It’s proof that I was the first to enter the Gate incident, went through all sorts of hardships, and saved people.”
Choi Kangjoong shook his head.
Joo Eun-jong clutched his stomach and woke the people. One by one, they got up and helped others, and soon everyone was awake. They quickly grasped the situation and, without panicking, followed Joo Eun-jong out of the Gate.
The group exited the Gate. Joo Eun-jong was the last to cross.
A crowd was gathered outside. Police and Hunters guided the rescued to paramedics.
“Are you alright?”
The officer who had worried about Joo Eun-jong earlier supported him. Civilians and reporters gathered further away filmed the scene. Ju Eun-jong subtly smeared blood from his stomach onto his face and neck.
‘I’ll look even more like a hero. Hehehe.’
He enjoyed the attention as he lay on the ambulance stretcher. Choi Yunseo and Han Junghwa approached him.
“Can you speak?” Han Junghwa asked.
“Yes.”
“How is the situation beyond the Gate?”
“There are Dark Elves, and the Outer Mind is confronting them alone.”
“What’s their strength?”
“There were over 100 A-rank and B-rank ones. One of them is at least S-class.”
“Thank you. You did well.”
The stretcher was loaded into the ambulance.
“Where did those things come from?”
“Maybe my brother did something?”
“He has a good relationship with the Dark Elves.”
“Probably Dark Elves from somewhere other than Marsala.”
“Could be. Let’s head in for now.”
Choi Yunseo and Han Junghwa quickly crossed through the Gate.
***
“What do you want to say?”
“The Prince is very interested in you. He wants to propose that you join us.”
“In destroying the Dimension System?”
“Exactly. If we break the system that binds us, we can gain freedom.”
“What kind of freedom?”
“This kind.”
Silvius drew her sword, and spirits clung to it. They were different from the spirits used by Elves. While Elven spirits were natural and free, Silvius’s spirits were artificial and lacked a will of their own.
“These are sword spirits I created. They aren’t destroyed even by an Aura Blade. Well? Isn’t it cool?”
Before deciding if it was cool, Choi Kangjoong estimated how much nourishment and Evolution Points he could get from eating them.
“Within the Dimension System, it’s impossible to create artificial spirits because the system doesn’t allow it.”
“They do look delicious.”
“Delicious? You really like eating. If you work with us, you can get plenty of food.”
“Besides your spirits, what else is good about destroying the Dimension System?”
“Inconveniences like Awakening will disappear, and anyone will be able to use this power. We can move beyond the limits of the Dimension System and become even stronger.”
“And you’re making this offer even though I killed Ladespina?”
“That arrogant lizard must have been in the wrong, don’t you think?”
Silvius smiled brightly. Choi Kangjoong felt uneasy for some reason.
‘Madness is practically dripping from her face.’
It was the face of someone who believed without a doubt that what they were doing was righteous. Choi Kangjoong had seen a similar case not long ago: Phoenix Meneta, who had tried to massacre every living thing in a dimension to kill a Demon. Silvius and him overlapped in his mind.
“What happens to worlds that refuse the destruction of the Dimension System?”
“Why would anyone refuse having their chains removed?”
“There’s no benefit that matches the cost.”
“Then we’ll have to persuade them by force.”
“I don’t really want to know anymore.”
“You’ll feel differently once you experience my power.”
Silvius drew her sword. Before she could attack, Choi Kangjoong quickly extended his Chitin Blade.
*Crash!*
Just as Silvius said, her spirits withstood the Death Blade. Silvius swung her sword like lightning. It was a speed difficult to track even with Choi Kangjoong’s eyes.
*Crash! Crash!*
Choi Kangjoong soon became disoriented and allowed a strike through. It only grazed his shoulder, but a terrible pain surged through him because the sword spirit remaining in the wound was gouging at his flesh.
‘It’s similar to Death Mana, yet different.’
The sword spirit was pushed back by Source Energy, and the wound healed quickly. Choi Kangjoong widened the distance and transformed his arm into a Mana Cannon.
*Boom! Boom!*
Shells exploded against the Multi-Shields deployed by the Dark Elves. Behind the shields, the Dark Elves fired arrows. Arrows imbued with unfamiliar spirits flew threateningly.
Choi Kangjoong used Stealth Blink to enter the ranks of the Dark Elves. The Death Blade drew a circle, and the waists of the Dark Elves were split apart.
“You have more tricks than I heard.”
Silvius stabbed at Choi Kangjoong three times. It was so fast the three thrusts happened almost simultaneously. Choi Kangjoong found the optimal movement through the Apocalid link and defended, then fired a Kaitin Spike with his left hand.
*Clang!*
Silvius parried the Kaitin Spike, but a parasite leaped out and latched onto her skin. Horrified, Silvius burned the parasite away with a Fire Spirit.
In the meantime, Choi Kangjoong summoned Lutal. Because they shared a conscious link, no explanation was needed. Lutal immediately coated its Scythe Claws in Death Blade and swung at the Dark Elves. When Choi Kangjoong even deployed the Apocalid World, the Dark Elves couldn’t block Lutal’s Scythe Claws.
*Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!*
The number of Dark Elves cut in half increased. Choi Yunseo and Han Junghwa approached from a distance. Choi Kangjoong used Psychic Resonance to tell them not to come closer. The two stopped abruptly.
“You have good intuition.”
Silvius pointed upward. A massive Dimension Ship, over 10 kilometers long, was floating in the Dimensional Sea. It was surrounded by a dense cluster of other Dimension Ships. Even at a rough glance, there were over 1,000 of them.
“One last offer. Will you work with us?”
“No.”
“I see.”
Silvius channeled Mana into her ring, and a Gate opened.
“We’ll see each other again soon.”
Silvius and the Dark Elves crossed through the Gate to the Dimension Ship. Choi Kangjoong thought the giant Dimension Ship looked appetizing, but he didn’t move as Han Junghwa and Choi Yunseo might be attacked.
Silvius’s Dimension Ship moved somewhere through the Gate. The numerous ships disappeared, revealing the pitch-black Dimensional Sea.
“Brother! Who was that bitch?”
“A weird Dark Elf named Silvius.”
Choi Kangjoong explained his conversation with Silvius.
“Destroying the Dimension System? Then what happens?” Choi Yunseo asked.
“She said Awakening would disappear and everyone could use Mana.”
“Isn’t Marsala similar?”
“Even the Elves there can’t all use Mana.”
“I guess? But I’m not sure if being without the Dimension System is a good thing.”
“Me neither.”
“Was that Dark Elf strong?”
“Very. That’s why I told you not to come.”
“How does she compare to me?”
“You’d be finished in one second.”
“Stop lying!”
“What if I fought?” Han Junghwa asked.
“You’d lose too. She’s on par with this guy.”
Choi Kangjoong tapped Lutal’s leg. Having fought alongside it at the Bluestone Fortress, Han Junghwa knew better than anyone except Choi Kangjoong how strong Lutal was. Its strength and speed were amazing, but it also possessed the terrifying Death Blade technique, high-speed Flight Ability, and even sophisticated swordsmanship. Calling it a cheat was an understatement.
“She was that strong?”
“Yeah.”
Han Junghwa didn’t want to admit it, but she had to accept it since Choi Kangjoong said so.
“I need to get stronger.”
Choi Kangjoong felt the same. If the fleet they brought out for a casual stroll was 1,000 ships, the main force would clearly be much larger. To consume them without being defeated, he had to increase the number of Apocalids.
The three of them crossed the Gate back to Earth. The Gate closed as if it had been waiting for them to cross. Han Junghwa and Choi Yunseo decided to handle the cleanup and report to the Association. This area was under the Dawn Guild’s jurisdiction anyway, and the two were much more accustomed to such tasks than Choi Kangjoong, who controlled the Apocalids from his room.
Returning to his room, Choi Kangjoong checked the Dimensionnet. A photo of Joo Eun-jong coming out of the Gate was pinned to the main page. With an arrow stuck in his stomach and clear traces of combat, it looked quite convincing.
**[Birth of a New Hero?]**
Choi Kangjoong checked the comments.
– New hero, my foot.
– Is there anyone who doesn’t know Joo Eun-jong is a piece of trash?
– Total scumbag.
– *Spits*
– Even if he’s a scumbag, isn’t it true he saved people?
– He must have had another motive.
– Didn’t he ask another Hunter to shoot him with that arrow?
– No. I heard he went in alone.
“It’s fun reading the comments.”
It was more entertaining to see people debating than having just praise or criticism. Choi Kangjoong posted a supporting comment.
– Joo Eun-jong has changed a bit lately.
“Wait. Everyone knows my ID, right?”
Choi Kangjoong quickly deleted the comment. It hadn’t even been one minute since he posted it, but in that time, someone had already screenshotted it and uploaded it.
**[Verification from the Outer Mind!]**
Using that as a catalyst, the criticism toward Joo Eun-jong vanished instantly. It was as if Choi Kangjoong’s words were the word of God.
– If the Outer Mind says so, then it’s true.
– If the Outer says the sky is red, then from that day on, the sky is red.
– Agreed.
Choi Kangjoong scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“I should delete my account and remake it.”
He deleted the ID he had used for years without hesitation. Re-registering with the same name was only possible after three months, so he could only lurk until then.
“I hope there’s a lot to eat in the Akirif Duchy.”
Before he knew it, Duke Akirif’s fleet had grown close enough for Kuongi to see it. Kai had sneaked onto the fleet’s flagship and was monitoring every move of Halidon, the fleet commander. Halidon, who was on the battlefield due to a command that was essentially a threat from Duke Akirif, was in a state of terror.
“I think we could win with a casual fight, but since we have plenty of nourishment, let’s produce more before we engage.”
“Ku-eong.”
Nourishment had gathered in an amount sufficient to produce three Hive Class units.
“I produced a lot of Titans last time. This time, let’s focus on Walkers and Scouts. If we had more Walkers, the dismantling of the Island Whale would have been much faster.”
Choi Kangjoong decided to increase the number of Walkers by 750,000 and Scouts by 65,000. With the remaining nourishment, he produced 10,000 Warriors. This brought the total to 1,000,000 Walkers, 100,000 Scouts, and 30,000 Warriors.
“It needs to be at least 1,000,000 to be called Apocalid.”
Choi Kangjoong felt good about his growing Apocalid force.
**[Time remaining for Apocalid mass production: 150:00:00]**
“The mass production time has been cut in half because of Kuongi’s Soil Pit.”
Kuongi’s Soil Pit bubbled up, and Apocalids began to emerge. A swarm of Apocalids also poured out from the Apocalid dimension. On the day the mass production ended, Kuongi began to advance alongside the giant Apocalids.