Chapter 153
"...!!"
The First Elder's eyes snapped open.
He immediately sat up and hurriedly checked the wound on his abdomen.
"What in the world...."
There wasn't even a trace of it.
It was as if the wound had never existed in the first place.
What exactly had happened?
The Mana circuits that had been severed in several places were flowing smoothly again.
Even his Mana Heart had returned to its original state.
"The curse is gone...."
"Is something like this even possible?"
At that moment, Suhyeok entered the room.
The First Elder's pupils widened slightly in surprise.
Then he let out a dry laugh.
"Hah..."
"So it was you."
"You were the one who saved me."
"That's right."
"How did you do it?"
"Even I couldn't remove that curse."
"No matter how extraordinary your abilities are, this shouldn't have been possible through skill alone."
Then...
A tangible blue energy began flowing over Suhyeok's hand like waves.
It wasn't Mana.
"...Rank."
"You know what it is?"
"Of course I do."
The First Elder stroked his beard and chuckled.
"I didn't gamble my way into becoming the First Elder."
"I may not look like it, but I've guarded this Sanctuary longer than nearly any other dragon."
He studied Suhyeok carefully.
"Your Mana Heart."
"Your bones and physique."
"The absurd amount of Mana no ordinary Player could possibly possess."
"I knew from the beginning that you weren't normal."
"But to think you were already a Constellation..."
"I hardly know how to conduct myself."
Suhyeok smiled faintly.
"I'm only a nameless Constellation for now."
"There's no need to treat me differently."
"No."
The First Elder shook his head.
"Before long, you'll receive an epithet of your own."
"And you'll bring tremendous change to this Tower."
"Just as you're doing now."
The First Elder's Dragon Eye focused on Suhyeok.
No.
On the flow of energy around him.
"Can you see it?"
"My future."
The First Elder stared for a long moment.
Then his shoulders flinched.
"...Only a tiny fragment."
"In it..."
"You're crying."
"I don't know what those tears mean."
"But many people are gathered around you."
"Are there dragons among them?"
"Hahaha."
"Unfortunately, I don't see any of us."
He smiled.
"But who knows?"
"The future changes every moment."
The First Elder glanced around the room.
Only the two of them were present.
"Now then..."
"You came to speak with me privately the moment I woke up."
"You must have something to ask."
"What is it?"
Suhyeok's expression hardened.
"...The human who placed the Death Curse on you."
"Can you tell me what you saw from him?"
The First Elder thought for a moment.
Then spoke.
"I saw nothing."
"...What?"
"More precisely..."
"It was too dark."
"I couldn't make out his figure at all."
"But there was one thing I did see."
The First Elder gathered Mana at the tips of his index and middle fingers.
Then he began drawing lines in the air.
Line after line connected...
Until they formed the shape of a person.
The instant Suhyeok saw it...
His expression changed.
His mind rejected what his eyes were showing him.
But reality remained right in front of him.
"Why is Mihyeon...."
"So you know her."
The First Elder nodded.
"I don't know the details either."
"I merely saw her wandering through that space."
If what the Dragon Eye had shown him was truly a fragment of the future...
Then Lee Seha's objective might not simply be to steal Suhyeok's body.
He might be trying to revive Mihyeon.
Or perhaps...
It's not as simple as bringing her back to life.
There still wasn't enough information to draw a conclusion.
All Suhyeok could do was prepare.
"Did I tell you something I shouldn't have?"
"...No."
"Thanks to you, I think I at least have a rough idea of what he's aiming for."
"Then I'm glad."
The First Elder climbed out of bed.
Then he bowed respectfully to Suhyeok.
"Forgive me for taking so long to thank you."
It was completely different from the fiery, rigid First Elder Suhyeok remembered from before the regression.
"I am Veil Kyren."
"Head of House Kyren and First Elder of the Great Council."
"I offer you my gratitude."
"Thank you for saving my life."
It was the first time Suhyeok had ever heard the First Elder thank him.
And the first time he'd heard such a gentle voice from the old dragon.
"With that in mind..."
"Tell me what you want."
"If it's within my power..."
"I'll grant it."
Suhyeok glanced out the window.
His gaze pointed toward the direction of Waven Castle.
"The final battle will begin soon."
"I'm going back to stop it."
"Kuhahaha!"
The First Elder laughed loudly.
"Bold."
"So you want us to help with your war?"
"Dragons..."
"Helping humans?"
There was no ridicule in his laughter.
"Fine."
"If that's what you want..."
"Then House Kyren will help you."
He smiled.
"No."
"The dragons of this Sanctuary will help you."
"I'll make sure of it."
Whoooooosh.
Meanwhile...
Waven Castle was completely buried beneath a violent snowstorm.
Nearly two weeks had passed since Suhyeok left.
Less than five minutes remained before the final Wave.
"Move!"
"Evacuate the residents and form ranks immediately!!"
The castle was in chaos.
Naturally so.
Soon...
Monsters would break through that blizzard and attack.
The soldiers stood atop the walls with their preparations complete.
None of them could take their eyes off the enormous silhouettes visible through the snow.
"F-Fuck...."
"Are we really supposed to stop that...?"
"How the hell are we supposed to fight monsters like those without His Grace here...?"
They looked like creatures no human could possibly defeat.
Absolute terror given form.
Everyone despaired.
And despaired again.
The hands gripping spears and shields trembled.
Every soldier prayed for the same thing.
That there would be nothing beyond the snowstorm.
But...
[The final Wave will begin shortly.]
[Enemy Commander Lee Baekho sacrifices his life to strengthen allied forces.]
[Stats of all magical beasts on the field are tripled.]
[Stats of all hostile Players are tripled for 10 minutes.]
RUMMMMMMMMMBLE.
The sound of the earth shaking spread throughout the castle.
Even the walls trembled.
Kasim, who had been defending the castle in Suhyeok's absence, shouted at the terrified soldiers.
"Do not surrender to fear!!"
"Behind us are countless civilians!"
"Your families!"
"If this place falls, the Empire is finished!!"
Everyone sensed death.
No one held any real hope.
They had only one thought left.
Protect this castle.
Protect their families.
Even from those monsters.
"Fight!"
"Warriors of the North!"
Kasim's desperate cry finally began to steady them.
They didn't ignore their fear.
They accepted it.
"Yeah, fuck it."
"We should've died a long time ago anyway."
"We lasted longer than expected, didn't we?!"
"Let's do this!"
"Fuck it, we're all going to die someday!!"
The snowstorm slowly began to clear.
And the monsters were finally revealed.
Liquid creatures with forms impossible to recognize.
Beasts covered in dozens...
Hundreds...
Of enormous tentacles.
There were even monsters made from human arms and legs fused together.
[The final Wave begins.]
They approached the walls.
The soldiers could do nothing but wait for the disaster to arrive.
Then...
RUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMBLE!!!
A tremendous shockwave shook the battlefield.
The soldiers looked toward the sky, wondering whether another monster had appeared.
Then...
They froze.
"N-No way...."
"Am I seeing this right?"
"Fuck..."
"I've lived long enough to see..."
"A dragon?"
Dozens of dragons filled the sky.
At first, the soldiers thought the dragons had come to attack them.
But then...
BOOOOOOM!!!
Massive meteors fell like stars.
Dragon Breaths hot enough to melt every layer of snow in the north blasted directly into the monsters.
It was said that even a single adult dragon could bring down an entire nation.
History itself recorded such events.
And yet...
"W-What is this...."
The monsters that had seemed utterly unbeatable...
The creatures that had embodied overwhelming fear...
Were reduced to ash.
And that wasn't all.
"Kuhahaha!"
"Didn't think I'd be summoned again after all this time!"
"Here we go!"
A massive man suddenly dropped from the sky and started crushing monsters with his bare hands.
Creatures several times his size...
No.
Dozens of times his size...
Exploded from a single blow.
CRAAAAACKLE!! BOOOOOOM!!!
A giant pillar of lightning tore through the air.
The monsters caught inside were instantly turned to ash.
"Seriously."
"I thought one of the three of us would've been summoned earlier."
"Me, Mister, or Hyuna."
"Still..."
"I'm glad Mister called us for something this important."
A petite woman annihilated the hostile Players who had once invaded Waven Castle and rampaged through it.
And those three weren't alone.
Many others joined the battle and began slaughtering the monsters.
Kasim could only swallow hard and watch.
The difference between them and him was too great for him to interfere.
ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
This isn't even a fight anymoreㅋㅋ
Where the hell did he get enough Points to summon URs all at once?
Didn't he probably summon them in real time using the Points he got from killing those monsters?
That's insaneㅋㅋ
Suhyeok descended from atop the First Elder.
The battlefield that had once been packed with monsters...
Was now covered in corpses.
"It's over."
[The final Wave has been successfully defended.]
[Level +15.]
[All of your proofs are complete.]
[Every Constellation is left speechless by the results you created.]
[Your achievements spread throughout the Tower.]
[All beings praise you and honor you as a hero.]
[The people of Waven Castle in the north, and the people of the Empire, will remember you forever.]
At that moment...
The surrounding space changed.
Suhyeok returned to the Banquet Hall.
The same place where he and the other Players had stood before arriving on this floor.
Countless stars glittered above his head...
Just like the moment when he had chosen a Constellation.
Only now...
They shone even brighter.
I'm not stopping here.
Now is the time to carve my existence into all of them.
[All remaining Stat Points are invested into ‘Rank’.]
[A tremendous amount of Rank gives greater meaning to your existence.]
[Lower-tier Constellations tremble before your Rank.]
[The chief gods of each faction begin to regard your Rank with caution.]
"...!"
The power was on an entirely different level from before.
Suhyeok could now perceive the Rank of every Constellation filling this space.
Even those beyond the third layer...
The ones he had never been able to see before.
And he could do more than merely perceive them.
[Trait Plunder is available for this target.]
[Trait Plunder is available for this target.]
[Trait Plunder is available for this target.]
[Trait Plunder is available for this target.]
...
...
...
He could see it on all of them.
Every Constellation.
All of them could now be targeted by Trait Plunder.
...So this is the power of Rank.
[I've never felt Rank this enormous before either, nya....]
[L-Lee Suhyeok, look at your waist, nya!]
Seong-a, hanging at his side, suddenly erupted with brilliant light.
[Ego Sword evolves as its owner's Rank increases.]
[Ego Sword may now absorb Rank when cutting down a Constellation.]
Seong-a transformed from sword form into her human appearance.
The aura flowing from her was now so immense that ordinary Constellations couldn't even approach her.
Then...
A massive message appeared across the ceiling of the Banquet Hall.
It read...
[The birth of a new Constellation has been confirmed.]
[Epithet: ‘Player’]
[Lee Suhyeok]
Suhyeok looked up.
"Player..."
"Lee Suhyeok."
