Chapter 79 – Rescue Operation (3)

During the seven months Lee Hanseong skipped, the person who achieved the greatest growth among the party was likely Dice.

Rumble!

Thunder roared from the swords of the two knights sparring as their blades clashed.

Both had imbued their Aura with the same thunder attribute, but their intended goals differed.

One sought to embody the speed of thunder in his sword. The other sought to embody the impact of thunder.

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

However, as the clashes continued, the shock of thunder also began to imbue the Aura of the knight who prioritized speed.

He had absorbed the subtle principles contained within his opponent’s Aura.

Kwa-rururum!

Finally, the two knights clashed swords one last time and created distance.

The knight wielding the Thunder Sword Art, which wielded the shock of thunder, Sir Narun, sheathed his sword and spoke.

“As expected, Dice, I have nothing left to teach you.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Sir Narun.”

Dice had already completely integrated Sir Narun’s Thunder Sword Art into his own Quick Sword Art.

Moreover, his growth wasn’t limited to just that.

“You seem to have become quite familiar with the swordsmanship of the other knights as well. Why didn’t you use any of it?”

“Haha, I was a bit embarrassed to show you mere imitations.”

“Imitation… Can you really call that just imitation?”

Sir Narun thought Dice’s humility was excessive.

Dice was already a genius who had mastered all ten swordsmanship styles of the Pilgrim Knight Order, except for Sir Belkain’s Blunt Sword Art, which they hadn’t rescued yet.

This included Sir Clark’s Shadow Sword Art, Sir Allen’s Wall Sword Art, Sir Gabian’s Wind Sword Art, and so on.

“Haha…”

But no matter how many times he was praised like this, Dice would just laugh it off and maintain his humble attitude.

As if something terrible would happen if he didn’t.

Perhaps his usual frivolous way of speaking was also part of an act to conceal his talent.

“You can probably stop being overly humble now. Continuing like this will only create a wall for yourself.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“That’s why I’m telling you to fix that way of speaking first.”

“Ahaha, it’s a habit, so it’s a bit hard to change.”

“Tsk. Fine. With your talent, you’ll probably break down any wall you create yourself when the time comes. Do as you please.”

“……”

As if further talk would only tire his mouth, Sir Narun stopped the conversation and began maintaining his sword.

It was preparation for the imminent rescue of Sir Belkain.

Dice approached Duren, who had been quietly meditating nearby, avoiding Sir Narun.

“The long rescue operation is finally at its end.”

“Yeah.”

Duren was in the middle of Circulating Qi, but he calmly opened his mouth and answered.

If he could perform Circulating Qi while moving, answering while sitting still was easy.

Of course, he wasn’t at the level where he could perform Circulating Qi while fighting, so he couldn’t recklessly expend his Internal Energy.

“What do you plan to do after this request is over, Mr. Duren?”

“The request was to accompany you to the Holy Land Lumen, so after that, I’m thinking of going to Elysion to see the elves.”

“I heard there are tons of Phantom Beast Species like the Fungus Demon King near Elysion?”

“Is that a problem?”

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“The rescue operation was dangerous too.”

Dice couldn’t understand Duren.

It was clear that Duren was an opponent of a higher Grade than him.

But from what he had seen over the past few months of being together, Duren was unmistakably a dullard.

Duren’s growth was so slow it was hard to believe he had realized the Flowing Sword Art during their duel.

“How can you be so reckless?”

“Reckless about what?”

“Participating in rescuing the Pilgrim Knights this time, and planning to go to Elysion… they’re all things you could die doing.”

“You participated in the rescue too, didn’t you?”

“I… calculated everything. I only stepped into crises where my talent was sufficient to survive and grow.”

“Talent…”

Duren pondered his words for a moment.

“Your talent is certainly dazzling. Compared to that, my talent is insignificant.”

“Huh…?”

Judging by swordsmanship skill alone, Duren had long been surpassed by Dice.

The gap he barely managed to open after gaining enlightenment from the Sword Demon’s swordsmanship was quickly closed.

“But you see. I also stepped forward believing I wouldn’t die. If you believe in your talent, I believe in the effort I’ve accumulated.”

“……”

Effort is Achievement.

Having learned Martial Arts that grow stronger by accumulating Achievement, he was no longer bound by talent.

Even if he didn’t seem to have changed much on the outside during the past eight months of rescue operations, Duren’s <Inner Family Qi Art> was approaching a certain Critical Point.

“It must be hard to believe just by hearing it. Talented people also put in effort. You might feel that a dullard’s effort is meaningless.”

“Th-that’s not true.”

Flustered by the almost self-deprecating words, Dice hurriedly denied it.

“That’s why I’ll show you this time. Then you’ll understand too.”

“Uh-huh…”

Not long after the two finished their conversation, the rescue of Sir Belkain began.

* * *

Thudududududung!

Hanna, wielding weapons and a shield made of Divine power like the Priest Beatus, pushed back the Awakened Monsters parasitized by mushrooms from the front.

After the durability of her original shield reached its limit, she had learned the knack of forming Treasure Vessels with Divine power from the Priest Beatus.

Jjeojeojeojeojeong!

On either side of her, Dice and Duren swung their swords.

The Priest Beatus, right behind Hanna, pointed to Sir Belkain’s location, which he had discerned through Tracking, and they charged in a diamond-shaped formation.

Excluding Sir Allen, who was left behind at the Temporary Sanctuary, the remaining eight Pilgrim Knights also paired up in groups of four, forming diamond formations like Hanna’s party, positioned like wings on the left and right flanks.

Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwa!!!

Perhaps because one knight was added each month, the charging speed grew faster with each rescue.

Breaking through obstructing trees and forcibly opening a path, the party instantly arrived at the Territory Lord’s Domain where Sir Belkain was imprisoned.

“Enemy entities detected.”

“The Territory Lord is a fire salamander.”

Following the pattern they had discerned from the situations of the knights rescued so far, the Territory Lord imprisoning Sir Belkain, who possessed ice-attribute Aura, had the opposing fire attribute.

On the back of the creature, more famously known as a ‘Salamander’, was, as expected, a giant mushroom in which Sir Belkain was embedded.

“Original Grade is 6-Star. Current Grade is… 7-Star.”

“What?”

But perhaps because the Fungus Demon King knew this was the last one, the Salamander had a difference from the Territory Lords that had been holding the knights captive until now.

If the Territory Lords they had fought so far were originally 5-Star and became 6-Star Rank due to the effects of Colonization,

The Salamander was originally 6-Star and had risen to a Half-Step 7-Star level through Colonization.

―I won’t let you get away this time!

Whoosh!

The moment the Salamander transformed its body into fire, becoming a Semi-Spirit, the mushroom sprouting from its back also changed into a spirit form, and then…

Swoosh― Swoosh― Swoosh― Swoosh―

It rapidly grew, using the Salamander as nutrients, reaching the size of the Fungus Demon King’s main body they had seen initially.

―Domain Expansion. Hall of the Commanding Fungus Demon.

“Absolute Fate.”

As the Fungus Demon King expanded its Domain, Duren attempted to sever the connection between the host and the Fungus Demon King with Absolute Fate, as he had done every time…

“…It’s not a host?!”

He failed.

The host known as the Salamander no longer existed in this world.

What was before their eyes was the Fungus Demon King’s new main body.

* * *

Lee Hanseong was the first to grasp the situation.

The Eye of Insight, integrated into the Primordial Chaos Gang Qi’s Synergy, easily discerned the structure of the Colonization forming the Fungus Demon King.

‘The 6-Star Monster that became the host was a kind of spare!’

Even if the main body died, as long as a 6-Star Monster remained, the Fungus Demon King could construct a new main body using another 6-Star Monster’s body.

Utilizing that Swarm structure, the Fungus Demon King’s main body was now positioned before them.

What was important now was the fact that they were trapped.

“Defense: Protection.”

Hanna first enveloped the party in a protective barrier to block the spore invasion.

Having already missed Hanna’s party several times due to Shrinking Earth, the Fungus Demon King, the moment its main body descended, firmly isolated its Domain.

From the spore walls covering the sky like a dome, starlight spores were falling like pure white snow.

“Shrinking Earth is blocked.”

“……!”

At the words that their retreat was cut off, the knights stirred.

“But there’s still a way to escape.”

Space-Time Step could leap over even an isolated Domain.

If combined with Blessing, escape was possible.

“The problem is…”

Since the limit for the group Transcendence that became the origin of the Blessing was six people, the limit for targets that could be granted a Blessing at once was also six.

While the skill-version of Shrinking Earth could move everyone by linking it with Blessing two or three times,

The Awakening Skill, Space-Time Step, even if borrowed as Borrowed Power, had a limit of one use.

“So with that method, only six can escape.”

“Yes…”

“Didn’t you say you would save everyone?”

Sir Clark brought up what Hanna had said before.

It was an expression of her intent not to abandon any of her comrades.

And Hanna felt the same way about not giving up.

“I still intend to.”

“How?”

“If we can’t escape, we just have to defeat the Fungus Demon King, the master of this Domain.”

While the Fungus Demon King isolated its Domain to prevent the party’s escape, it also blocked support from the colonized Territory Lords outside the Domain, so their chances were sufficient.

Of course, even if they defeated the main body here, as long as other colonized 6-Star Monsters remained elsewhere, the Fungus Demon King would continue to appear in new bodies.

But what was immediately important wasn’t the complete subjugation of the Fungus Demon King, but everyone returning alive, so that was irrelevant to her.

“Transcendence. Consecutive Transcendence.”

Borrowing Lee Hanseong’s Awakening Skill, Hanna raised her Grade.

Her Grade, which was Half-Step 7-Star, was overwritten by the Eightfold Annihilation effect on Transcendence, becoming 7-Star.

Consecutive Transcendence was added on top, raising it to 8-Star.

Paaaat!

As a result, all four of Hanna’s Awakening Skills became skill-ified.

“Blessing. Blessing.”

Blessings unfolded twice in succession, raising the Grade of Hanna’s party and all the knights by one stage each.

The Priest Beatus and the Pilgrim Knights, who were 5-Star, all became 6-Star Rank.

Dice, who was 4-Star, became 5-Star.

Duren, who was 5-Star Rank, became 6-Star Rank.

Gooooooo!

Yet, the Fungus Demon King looked at their rising momentum with composure.

―Why do you think I am alone?

Pababababat!

The Territory Lords that had been concealing themselves within the Hall of the Commanding Fungus Demon’s Domain revealed themselves one by one.

Just by the auras they sensed, there were over ten Territory Lords.

The knights’ complexions darkened at their appearance.

“Where did that many come from…!”

“If we lose like this, we’ll just become its hosts again, won’t we?”

The knights’ gazes turned toward Hanna.

In response to their questioning looks, Hanna calmly gave instructions as if she had anticipated this much.

“Knights, please block the approach of the other Territory Lords. If you buy us just a little time, we will defeat the Fungus Demon King’s main body. Healing Link Blessing. Protection Link Blessing. Judgment Link Blessing…”

She enveloped each of them with a protective barrier, imbued their bodies with Healing Light, and their weapons with the light of Judgment.

“Oh! Understood.”

Invigorated by Hanna’s powerful Blessings, the knights regained their fighting spirit and scattered toward the directions the Territory Lords were swarming from.

Since both the Territory Lords and knights were 6-Star Rank, they intended to each hold off one or two and buy time.

Paaaa…

With that, the effects of Transcendence and Consecutive Transcendence disappeared, and Hanna returned to Half-Step 7-Star, but she had sufficiently fulfilled her role.

The Priest Beatus, Duren, and Dice had also received Hanna’s Blessing series.

Thanks to the Judgment effect, they could attack the Fungus Demon King without worrying about Sir Belkain.

The first to attack the Fungus Demon King was Duren.

“I told you. I’d show you.”

He whispered to Dice, took a step forward, and began Circulating Qi.

It was his first attempt to perform Circulating Qi during combat, but it was a situation where he had to succeed now.

“Cross Slash.”

Tat, Chwak!

A cross-shaped scar remained on the Fungus Demon King’s Mycelium Body.

One strike was insufficient to deal enough damage.

“Cross Slash. Cross Slash. Cross Slash…”

Chwajajajajak!

Continuously replenishing his Internal Energy through Circulating Qi, he unleashed consecutive Cross Slashes.

Only then did enough damage seem to have been dealt, as a counterattack came.

Puhwahahak!

Mushrooms sprouted instantly from the mushroom’s torso like arms and struck at Duren.

Whirik― He deflected it with Flowing Sword Art.

Cross Slash again.

Chwajajak!

The amount of Internal Energy accumulated increased slightly with each repetition of the Small Heavenly Cycle.

Accordingly, the Internal Energy contained in the Cross Slash increased, and the damage grew larger.

Just as their combat power increased each time Hanna’s party repeated a rescue and a knight was added,

The utility of the Heavenly Cycle also grew with each repetition.

Tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu!

The starlight spores spread everywhere were in an uproar, trying to pierce the protective barrier.

The Priest Beatus, who had followed in, attacked the Fungus Demon King from the opposite side, and Dice also dazzlingly displayed the various knights’ swordsmanship, distracting the Fungus Demon King’s attention.

Thanks to that, even while dodging, deflecting, and attacking, he could barely manage to keep Circulating Qi from being interrupted.

Uuung!

And finally, the Twelfth Heavenly Cycle.

The moment he completed the twelfth Small Heavenly Cycle, the Inner Family Qi Art surpassed its Critical Point.

Hwaak.

The Internal Energy that had only flowed within the microcosm of his body connected with the macrocosm outside, creating an unceasing flow.

[Feat, ‘Repeating Star Trajectory’ has been achieved.]

[The Golden Constellation records your Feat and the Altered history.]

[The 4th Awakening Skill 《Zhucheon Star Track》 Blooms.]

[Duren Spirit’s Four-star promotion is completed.]