CHAPTER 119……………………………………….
“Did he even use a skill that stops time?”
Looking around, it was clear that Kang Kwonhoo had exerted some kind of power, but I had never heard of him possessing such an ability. I hadn’t even seen it in the game settings.
“And why weren’t Baek Sohyeok and I affected?”
Judging by his reaction, it was obvious that Baek Sohyeok also didn’t understand what was happening right now.
“It’s interesting that you two can move freely even after I used my ability, but there’s no time to waste.”
Kang Kwonhoo said that and drew his great sword. That statement confirmed that he had used some ability to create this situation.
“What…?”
Without explaining further, he charged at the frozen king. Wherever he passed, black light formed a path.
If the brilliant light Baek Sohyeok created had the power to draw people in, the darkness Kang Kwonhoo created had the power to captivate them. I, too, was drawn in, staring blankly at where he had passed.
Bang! Kkwa-gwang!
Kang Kwonhoo swung his great sword without hesitation, severing the Ogre’s arm. From the cleanly cut section, his black mana oozed thickly.
The sound acted as a signal; the stopped clock began moving slowly. The movement was tiny, like stretching one second into an hour, but it was clear that it was gradually regaining its original speed.
“Is the principle that time resumes once a major change occurs after being stopped?”
I was curious about Kang Kwonhoo’s ability, but preparing for the resumed battle was the smarter choice.
“If it weren’t for Kang Kwonhoo, a lot of people would have gotten hurt.”
I probably wouldn’t have stayed unscathed myself. I didn’t know if he used the ability he had been hiding all this time for my sake or because some condition had been met.
“What does that matter? The important thing is that we survived.”
I quickly retreated to a safe area with Kim Jun.
“Right. Let’s focus for now.”
Baek Sohyeok also realized time had resumed and poured mana into his rapier. Time, which had been stretched, now fully returned to its normal speed.
Bang!
The Ogre’s arm crashed to the floor. The sound reverberated through the room, and finally, the world regained its original pace.
“What happened?”
“Why is the king injured?”
It was natural for those preparing for the next attack to murmur. They had been at a disadvantage just moments ago, but when they opened their eyes, the situation had completely reversed.
“Don’t overthink it! Focus only on the enemies in front of you.”
Baek Sohyeok stepped onto the empty air and thrust his glowing rapier toward the Ogre’s eye. The king, writhing in pain, dissipated like smoke. Sensing danger, he reverted to his original form.
“Doesn’t the mist seem a bit thinner than before?”
As Ryu Jisoo had said, the fog had shrunk significantly from the earlier unexpected blow. Before, it had filled the entire room; now, there were spaces near the door untouched by the mist, so it wasn’t an illusion.
“There’s a chance! Everyone can do it together.”
Hearing Ryu Jisoo and me speak, morale rose, and others voiced agreement. A vague belief that we could do it was important, but seeing the results with our own eyes made a huge difference.
“Foolish, foolish! How dare you defy the king!”
The mist spoke again, its voice ominous.
“The king will administer the third punishment.”
The third form required extra caution. Especially when the king was cornered, he would decide to use all his strength without restraint.
As if answering my prediction, the king assumed a new form. At first, it seemed humanoid, but then dozens of massive wings sprouted from his wing sockets, and a giant eye capable of seeing everything appeared at the center of his body. It was an ancient angel.
“You, my subjects, do not exist here.”
Instead of replying to Baek Sohyeok, the angel opened the eyes on its wings. Thousands of eyes appearing between the white feathers was both awe-inspiring and grotesque.
“Ugh, just looking at that makes my stomach turn.”
While some felt reverence, others were repulsed. Kim Jun staggered away from me, clearly belonging to the latter.
“Those with weak mental barriers, do NOT meet those eyes. If you can’t handle it, just close your eyes!”
Despite Kang Kwonhoo’s warning, people kept meeting the gaze. I knew it was difficult to give up one of your senses during combat, but it was unfortunate.
“My body… I can’t move it as I want. Move away.”
Those who met the gaze had to obey the angel’s command. There were fewer than ten of them, but if a nearby ally suddenly turned against them, the formation would collapse.
“The next attack is coming!”
To make matters worse, a yellow cloud formed above the angel, preparing to strike with lightning.
“Raise your armor! If you have electricity-resistant items, use them.”
People tried their best to continue attacking while defending, but they couldn’t penetrate the angel’s wings. Not even Kang Kwonhoo’s bullets or Baek Sohyeok’s sword could break through.
The angels are resistant to physical attacks.
They were vulnerable to natural-element attacks but resistant to physical and pure mana attacks, making them a poor match for Kang Kwonhoo and Baek Sohyeok.
Furthermore, those under the angel’s control couldn’t defend themselves, so the only option was to knock them out and place them inside the barrier. But everyone was busy both defending and attacking, so manpower was lacking.
If the next attack is lightning-element, my skill might react.
The massive cloud above the angel looked like it would strike lightning at any moment. It was a gamble, but doing something was better than doing nothing.
[“Blessing of Lightning Lv29” activated. Your spear-sword is imbued with the Blessing of Lightning.]
I thrust my spear high into the sky.
[“Blessing of Lightning Lv29” reacts to the “Angel’s Lightning.” “Angel’s Lightning” is absorbed into the higher-level skill “Blessing of Lightning.”]
The lightning, which had been crashing down as if to kill everyone, swirled toward me like iron filings drawn to a magnet.
“Brother!”
“Woojin!”
Baek Sohyeok and Kang Kwonhoo ran toward me, probably misunderstanding that I was doing something dangerous again.
“It’s okay! Don’t gather around me.”
I hurriedly told them to stay out of the lightning’s range. They ignored me and stood beside me stubbornly. I felt both grateful and burdened by their insistence.
Gugugugugung!
Fortunately, all the lightning struck my spear, acting as a lightning rod, and didn’t harm them. I could feel the absorbed lightning converting into mana in my body.
“You’re converting lightning into mana.”
Kang Kwonhoo noticed that some mana hadn’t fully absorbed and was leaking out.
“It’s fine, move away.”
When I absorbed all the angel’s lightning, sparks flew from my body. Even though the lightning was a lower-tier skill compared to mine, my weapon and skill level weren’t high enough to fully handle it, so overload was starting.
[“Blessing of Lightning Lv29” has absorbed a lower-tier skill. Skill level increased. “Blessing of Lightning Lv29” → “Blessing of Lightning Lv33.”]
It was a remarkable growth. Such a level-up only occurred under very special conditions.
“Hurry!”
But even at this level, storing all the lightning seemed impossible, and sparks continued.
“Step back.”
“Step back together.”
Baek Sohyeok and Kang Kwonhoo noticed my state and didn’t interfere further. Once they were far enough, I poured all the mana I had into the spear. The uncontrolled mana spread around me, transforming into blue electricity that arced sideways.
[“Blessing of Lightning Lv33” and “Spear-Sword Technique Lv30” activated.]
I threw it with all my strength at the largest eye in the angel’s core. The king, who hadn’t reacted to any attack before, seemed threatened by my spear and hurriedly closed the eye. As the large eye slowly shut, the smaller eyes on the wings disappeared one by one into the feathers.
“It’s broken!”
At the same time, those under control regained their bodies.
Meanwhile, my spear continued advancing, piercing the eye without regard for whether it was open or closed.
Kkwa-gwang! Kkwa-gwang!
Thunder spread across the angel’s entire body. The higher-tier natural-element attack overwhelmed the angel, causing its wings to droop.
“The form is changing again.”
I retrieved my fallen spear and sat down. Mana still overflowed, but my stamina was limited, leaving me exhausted.
It was about time for a break anyway.
“I’ll take a short rest.”
I told Kang Kwonhoo and stepped back.
The fourth wave of attacks was blocked as planned by the Dohwawon people and Baek Sohyeok, and the fifth wave was handled by Kang Kwonhoo and the Chaos guild members. The mist had visibly thinned and shrunk in range.
Even so, the Chaos side is still too far ahead.
Even with matched numbers, because Baek Sohyeok, Kang Kwonhoo, and I were blocking the main attacks, the contribution balance was still skewed.
“Kang Kwonhoo.”
“I know. Don’t worry.”
Kang Kwonhoo seemed to think this was the right moment to adjust the contribution ratio between the two sides after seeing guild members gradually adapt to the chaotic battle.
Just then, the king was transforming into his sixth form: a golem.
“Now.”
He tapped the back of a Chaos guild member wearing a black hood to signal. The member nodded resolutely.
