Chapter : 113
“Make sure the cargo is secure!”
The Ice Dragon appeared, but the Chinese psychics didn’t flinch at all. They had all steeled themselves, expecting to face it at least once.
With Liu Xin’s shout, the Chinese formed a protective formation around Dmitri. At the same time, they kept sharp eyes open, waiting for the right moment to escape.
Although they were awkwardly referred to as “cargo,” none of the researchers complained. Given the circumstances, they moved exactly as instructed, silently praying they could get out this time.
Thwack!
The Russians, led by Ivan, struck first. A fierce attack targeted the Ice Dragon’s head. For a moment, the monster staggered, shaking its head. Suhyun realized that the Russians had a psychic capable of generating shockwaves.
Puff-puff!
Half of the Ice Dragon’s icy head shattered. Normally, one could be confident of victory at this point, but Ivan’s face was tense. The fight had only just begun.
Whoosh-
“It’s heading that way!”
To confront the Ice Dragon, the teams had kept their distance. Even with half its head destroyed, it didn’t restore itself entirely before moving. Its sharp, whip-like tail lashed toward Uncle Joe Company, prompting Ivan to shout frantically.
“Ha!”
Gorgan raised an Altaranium shield to protect himself while firing his shotgun. The bullets, enhanced with Soyje’s ability, ignited in midair and struck the Dragon’s tail.
Bang!
But the Ice Dragon’s tail ignored the attack and struck directly over Gorgan. He gritted his teeth against the shock transmitted through the shield.
“Well done, Gorgan!”
His role was bait. Suhyun highly respected his willingness to volunteer for such a dangerous task. One didn’t have to be a psychic to be effective; ordinary humans could excel if they had the right skills.
While the Ice Dragon focused on Gorgan, Uncle Joe Company seized the opportunity. Kim Chang-sik launched flaming arrows precisely at its torso. Unlike fake flames, his attack was a genuine assault using an artifact.
At the same time, the black beast summoned by Shaina charged in. The Ice Dragon twisted its body irritably, trying to keep distance.
‘If the head doesn’t work…’
A heavy explosion echoed. Something unbelievable happened. Eyes widened, and someone muttered, “No way…”
The Ice Dragon’s torso had been obliterated in a single blow.
‘How?!’
Everyone’s gaze fell on Suhyun. As a healer, the only way he could produce such a phenomenon was through an artifact. He deliberately extended his hand toward the Ice Dragon, a rough copper ring on his finger catching the eye.
‘An artifact like that exists in Korea?!’
Psychic powers could grow with their users, but artifacts had fixed strength. That was why premium artifacts carried such high prices.
The telekinesis Suhyun demonstrated now was beyond imagination. An artifact with this level of telekinetic power would be designated as a state-controlled artifact anywhere in the world.
Both Russians and Chinese stared at Suhyun with complex expressions. The fact that he possessed such an artifact made them uneasy.
‘Was he more formidable than I thought?’
“What should we do?”
“Luiril, listen carefully and don’t panic.”
“?”
“That vessel you have… it seems to be why it’s targeting you.”
“……”
Luiril stared at Suhyun coldly, as if she wanted to hand him the grinder immediately.
“I’m just telling you. Hold onto it a little longer. You’re not participating in the attack anyway.”
“That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?!”
Suhyun used poison synthesis to create a potent toxin. Alone, he could have guided it telekinetically into the Ice Dragon’s body, but now he refrained. There were others watching.
Even just demonstrating a powerful artifact was shocking, but revealing that it could be used flexibly, not fixed, would multiply that shock. Suhyun had no intention of letting the Korean government come begging to see it afterward.
“It’s not as strong as I thought, huh?”
“Watch your mouth. Do you think the Russians are idiots?”
Liu Xin chastised a muttering subordinate. Watching his lip movements from afar, Suhyun thought, ‘They have someone like Kim Chang-sik too.’
As if it had heard the remark, the Ice Dragon began reconstructing its body. Cold air surged like mist rising from the ground. It appeared near Uncle Joe Company.
“Alright! Move the cargo outside!”
Despite the Ice Dragon, the top priority was rescuing the researchers led by Dmitri. While it chased after Luiril, a hole appeared in the once-secure exit. Ivan seized the moment to give orders.
“Don’t look back—run! We’ll hold its steps!”
“Yes!”
Dmitri and his team began leaving the battlefield quickly. Ivan exhaled internally. For some reason, the Dragon wasn’t as relentless as before. Last time, it had pursued only Dmitri’s group regardless of attacks, causing serious trouble.
One target down. Now it was either defeat the Dragon or escape.
“Uh… Captain, that thing…”
The Ice Dragon didn’t just recover from damage; it began reconstructing its main body and creating clones.
“Did it have a clone ability?”
“It didn’t before!”
It blocked the path with earth-shaking sounds. Its icy eyes seemed to stare directly at Suhyun.
‘…It can’t be because of me, right?’
Perhaps it was trying to counter Suhyun’s powerful display of abilities. Otherwise, why would it reveal this now, when facing the Russians earlier it had not?
“It’s coming! Dodge!”
Although it now had three forms, the strategy didn’t change. They couldn’t focus on combined attacks, but their strength remained intact.
“Been a while since I did this…”
Suhyun leapt forward, approaching the Ice Dragon. With both healing and telekinesis, close combat wasn’t overly dangerous. His aim was to poison it directly.
A freezing chill, enough to freeze any living being solid, poured like a waterfall. Suhyun used telekinesis to form a shield, reflecting the cold upwards.
‘One down.’
He struck the Dragon’s leg. The icy body darkened around where Suhyun’s hand had touched.
The Ice Dragon staggered, shooting out ice before collapsing to its knees. For a creature that had previously withstood physical attacks, it appeared unusually weak.
“Monster’s resistance is low. Gorgan, use this ammo next.”
“Yes!”
The Chinese team, led by Liu Xin, refrained from wasting psychic power for unknown reasons. Telekinesis wasn’t cost-effective. Suhyun loaded poison into bullets and scanned the area.
Sparks flew from the Ice Dragon’s neck.
Liu Xin leapt into the air, slicing the Dragon’s neck. The artifact caused flames to erupt along the cut.
The Russians also managed well. The Ice Dragon, spitting cold, had lost roughly a third of its body.
‘Even with clones, there must be a limit.’
No ability was limitless, even for beast-type monsters. Continuous attacks would eventually hit its limit.
The problem was, they were human. Psychic powers weren’t infinite, and exhaustion came faster than for the monster.
“One more strike, then we’ll join up and break through.”
“Wait, Dmitri’s team…?”
“Once we finish this, there’ll be time. Otherwise, there’ll be casualties.”
Ivan hesitated, then nodded. Suhyun was right. Dmitri’s life depended on it.
“Annoying creature!”
After firing shockwaves, the Russian stepped back. His shoulder was frozen blue from grazing ice spikes.
“Well done. Now join up and retreat.”
“Auto-healing is convenient.”
“Is this the time for jokes?”
The Ice Dragon’s true power emerged when humans tired. After enduring repeated hits, it would strike ferociously once psychics weakened.
Mist rose again, and a snowstorm scattered.
“Run!”
The three teams reunited quickly. Suhyun saw two flashes of blue light—probably the Dragon targeting them.
‘Not sure how effective this will be.’
The poison worked on clones, but the main body’s endurance was uncertain. Suhyun created a dense toxic mist and sprayed it where the Dragon was regenerating.
“Luiril, hand me the vessel. I’ll carry it.”
“You’ll be fine?”
“Monsters don’t matter. Just be careful during inspections later.”
“Move! Move! Keep distance before it recovers!”
From afar, the Ice Dragon stopped and shook. Suhyun guessed the poison had worked.
‘Good if it can’t chase. Step on it! Don’t get buried here!’
While vehicles sped away, the Ice Dragon recovered and resumed movement. Suhyun saw it slam its head into the ground.
“I’ll give the signal. Break it then.”
“Yes?”
“One, two, three… Now!”
Kim Chang-sik adjusted the route, and the Dragon rammed the ground. Seeing the Dragon’s eyes nearby, he instinctively used his ability.
“Ahhhhh!”
A dazzling, heatless flame. The Russians and Chinese marveled. The Dragon still had that much strength.
Yet Kim Chang-sik realized—he should have asked Suhyun first…
“Well done, Kim Chang-sik.”
The target wasn’t immune to poison, but it still pursued quickly. A creature capable of dividing itself into clones should have taken more damage. Suhyun’s poison was no ordinary toxin.
When Kim Chang-sik emitted fake flames, the Dragon didn’t dodge but rather absorbed them. Strange behavior for something with regeneration.
Conclusion:
Suhyun jumped, striking the ground with full force. The earth cracked, sending debris flying.
‘Damn, so the main body was separate all along.’
The icy dragon was a clone from the start. Its abnormal regeneration made sense now.
In that instant, the Ice Dragon shattered. Fragments reflected light as they fell. From cracks in the ground, thick blue liquid oozed, making Suhyun frown.
Receiving praise for uncovering its identity, Suhyun rejoined the team. Unlike the clones, the main body was small and shredded from his attack.
‘Should’ve controlled my strength…’
Going all out risked missing, but better that than letting it escape. Suhyun was curious about the creature that had been tracking the grinder.
“Thank you for your efforts.”
“No, we didn’t do much.”
“Nonsense. Just coming this far is already a big help.”
Ivan anticipated the aftermath. Even if the mining rights were handed over, Korea was the better choice for competition. Suhyun’s intervention provided the perfect reason.
But help was help. Ivan showed Liu Xin his gratitude formally.
“If we continue down this path, we’ll reach the Smirnov base. Our forces will be waiting there.”
‘What’s this?’
