Chapter 124 – The End of the Second Gate (５)

‘!!’

It was a sudden, unheralded change.

A moment Gijun himself hadn’t even perceived.

He had simply been racking his brain for how to break through this situation.

If things kept going like this, he might squander a golden opportunity.

And then, in that instant, something astonishing happened.

[What is this?]

A voice came from somewhere.

[Where in the world is this place?]

It was a familiar voice.

The owner of that voice was none other than Libre.

“Libre?”

Gijun frantically scanned his surroundings.

But Libre was nowhere to be seen.

Only her voice reached him.

[I see. This must be the world you spoke of, then.]

Libre understood the situation without Gijun having to explain.

[I don’t know how it happened…, but it seems our minds are connected now. My vision and all my senses are feeling exactly what you’re feeling.]

She wasn’t just invisible to Gijun’s eyes.

As Libre said, she hadn’t manifested directly here.

Her mind was simply linked to his, sharing what he saw, heard, and felt.

[I don’t know how this came to be…, but that disgusting thing must be the enemy blocking your way.]

“Yeah.”

Gijun whispered softly.

[Hmph. So you’re still nothing but a child who can’t do a thing without me.]

Libre, saying that, somehow sounded pleased.

She seemed quite satisfied that she could be of help to Gijun.

[Unfortunately, I can’t lend you my power.]

That was only natural, in a way.

Libre’s physical body wasn’t here.

Only their minds were connected.

But then Libre spoke again.

[However, I think I can give you aid.]

The moment Libre said that, Gijun’s heart began to burn hot.

[I, too, am gradually recovering my original strength thanks to your help. That means I can awaken, even a little, the power you hold within.]

Gijun understood her meaning immediately.

The ancient god’s power.

She was saying she would help him awaken that power.

Gijun’s body blazed with white light, just as she’d said.

[…?!]

The Boss felt it then — something profoundly wrong. Its gaze locked onto Gijun.

The creature’s pupils dilated, wavering.

BOOM!

Gijun thrust his hand toward it.

White light erupted from his palm, wrapping around the Boss’s barrier.

In that instant—

SHATTER!

[!!!]

The barrier dissolved into nothing.

“That’s…”

“What the hell is that!?”

Urgent shouts from the Superhumans rang out from one side.

Not too late.

Gijun hurled a Fireball at the startled creature.

The spell, already reshaping into a spear mid-flight, bore down on the Boss’s chest without mercy.

CRAAAACK!

The transformed Fireball punched straight through the Boss’s chest.

And then—

RUMBLE!

The ten embers converged into one, snaking around the creature’s entire body.

[K-KRAA, KRAAAAAGH!]

It howled in agony.

But it couldn’t move an inch.

[Go now.]

Libre’s voice resounded again.

[I cannot say how long our link will hold, but until it breaks, I will do all I can to aid you.]

Right.

Gijun hauled up his Mana again.

In a flash, ten fireballs coalesced around him.

The Fireballs blazed with brilliant light once more.

Gijun reshaped them.

The same form he favored: a great spear.

But this spear was drastically different from the ones before.

Not roaring flames — it radiated a pure white, holy glow.

A single pillar of light, brilliantly illuminating the dark dungeon interior.

“…Ha…”

“What in the world is that…”

“This is insane.”

Awe-struck gasps spilled from the Superhumans who saw it.

Ha Taehyeong and White Wood were no exception.

“Huh… haaah…”

Endless wonder poured from White Wood’s lips.

“What on earth is that…”

Even White Wood couldn’t fathom the identity of that spell.

He had prided himself on knowing more about magic than anyone in the world.

But now, facing this new kind of radiance — one that might have leapt to an entirely new Dimension — White Wood felt a quiet despair welling inside him.

[KRAAAAAAAGH!]

The Boss writhed wretchedly, howling.

But it couldn’t resist at all.

The ten embers had locked it in a Stun effect.

And in that moment—

FLASH—!

The massive spear Gijun had created shot forth, glowing with a splendid corona, hurtling toward the Boss.

The great spear spun furiously as it crossed the air, tearing a thunderous rent through the silence.

The air vibrated; the entire dungeon shook violently.

And finally, the great spear pierced the Boss’s chest.

CRACK! CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK!

The great spear, having pierced the Boss’s frozen body, drove onward without end.

[Kaaaaaah!]

The Boss writhed in unspeakable agony.

Offering no resistance against the spear, the creature was ultimately pinned to the far wall.

Boommm!

Another explosion of sound erupted.

The wall crumbled, and once the blast subsided, the Boss’s body, trapped against the stone, crashed to the floor.

[Kheugh, kheugh….]

But the creature still hadn’t drawn its last breath.

Not that its condition was intact, either.

The damage it had taken from that last attack was far from negligible.

“Attack!”

“I don’t know what happened, but… this is our chance!”

The Superhumans, not letting the opening slip, began to move again.

White Wood was no exception.

At that moment, White Wood was utterly seized by a thrill.

Now, in this instant, the thought even crossed his mind that closing his eyes would be worth it.

As he pulled up his Mana, White Wood’s robe billowed.

“Everyone, support me!”

At that single word to Ha Taehyeong, the man caught his meaning.

And he wasn’t the only one.

The other dealers immediately switched their Skills as well.

“Tie it down!”

“We’ve got to keep it from moving!”

The archers fastened threads of Mithril to their arrowheads and loosed a relentless volley at the creature.

Thud! Thump-thump!

The arrows, piercing its body, lodged into the far wall.

In an instant, the creature’s entire form was completely bound.

Even after the Stun wore off, it couldn’t move a single step.

That wasn’t all.

“Move it!”

“Block every route!”

Predicting every path the creature might take, the archers set traps.

In a flash, over a dozen traps materialized around the Boss.

The creature bellowed in fury.

[Kruuaaah! Kwaaah!]

Grumble— grumble-grumble!

Then, the very space around White Wood distorted as Mana surged violently.

Gijun swallowed hard at the sight.

‘A 9th-Circle spell.’

This was a moment a 9th-Circle spell, one Gijun had never seen since entering this Dungeon, was about to manifest.

“Take cover!”

Ha Taehyeong’s urgent voice rang out from the other side.

Only then did Gijun move quickly.

To avoid being caught in a 9th-Circle spell, he had to hide behind Taehyeong’s barrier.

After all, even Gijun couldn’t dodge a 9th-Circle spell.

The moment Gijun had distanced himself from the Boss.

Flash—!

A blinding corona of light, searing enough to tear the retina, engulfed the entire Dungeon.

And the earth-shaking roar that followed was enough to deafen the ears.

[Kaaah! Kaaahaaaa!]

Amid that colossal detonation, the Boss’s shriek pounded at everyone’s ears.

*

“Huff, huff….”

“…That really was something.”

Around ten minutes had slipped by.

Shhzk— Shhhzk—

White Wood’s 9th-Circle spell scoured everything in the vicinity, then faded without a trace.

‘…Incredible.’

Gijun blinked and surveyed his surroundings.

Sparks were still spitting relentlessly in every direction.

The Dungeon’s interior had become an entirely new space.

Every structure that had stood moments ago was now shattered and tangled; piles of rubble from the collapsed walls and ceiling filled the area.

‘So this is a 9th-Circle spell.’

Gijun’s final attack had been impressive, but it paled beside White Wood’s 9th-Circle magic.

The instant his spell swept through the zone, even the Boss Monster couldn’t hold out any longer—its body was torn apart, reduced to a mangled wreck.

[Remarkable.]

Even Libre let out a note of admiration.

[For a human to reach such a height is truly astounding. In such a short life, how could one possibly ascend to that level?]

Libre seemed genuinely awed.

She kept pouring out that same tone of wonder, again and again.

But White Wood, for his part, was staring back at Gijun with the very same reaction.

“What in heaven’s name was that spell?” he asked.

He was genuinely curious about the magic Gijun had used at the end.

“In all my years, I’ve never even heard of such a spell. To see it with my own eyes and still not be able to identify it…” his voice trailed off, full of wonder.

Gijun felt a bit put on the spot.

He had no idea how to explain this.

Even the other Superhumans, not just White Wood, were watching him with eyes full of curiosity.

“That’s right. How did you get rid of that barrier?” one of them asked.

“That was an unbelievable spell. What kind of magic did you use?” another chimed in.

The other Superhumans fired off questions, one after another.

The archers, especially, were burning with curiosity.

Hadn’t Gijun dispelled that red barrier with a single gesture—the very barrier that had weathered their own volleys without a scratch?

Everyone was waiting for his answer.

He was stumped.

Telling the truth would sound far too absurd for anyone to believe.

How could he explain that he’d gained his abilities through a game, that a Pet he’d acquired in that game had appeared and awakened those game-given powers in him?

‘…No choice, then.’

After a moment of hesitation, Gijun finally spoke.

“…It was an accident.”

That was his answer.

“An accident…?” White Wood echoed, bewildered.

“Yes. I was staring at that thing, racking my brain for a way to take down the barrier, when suddenly my chest grew hot, and something happened that even I can’t explain.”

That’s what he told them.

When he thought about it, it wasn’t a complete lie.

Hadn’t he been just as lost in that moment, desperately wondering how to break the deadlock?

It just so happened that Libre had connected with his mind and lent him a hand.

Gijun might as well have been telling the truth — there was no lie in his words.

He’d simply swapped a few words around.

“…Mmm.”

A low, unreadable groan slipped from White Wood’s lips.

But after a moment, he nodded as though he’d accepted it.

“I see.”

“Is this something you recognize, sir?”

Unable to hold back their curiosity, the Superhumans pressed White Wood.

“No. Of course I can’t know anything for certain. But aren’t we standing on the threshold of a miracle right now?”

White Wood’s gaze shifted to Gijun.

“Has anything that boy has shown us ever been something our common sense could grasp?”

“…Ah.”

“You’re right.”

Only then did the Superhumans nod in understanding.

“What matters is that we’re standing at the scene of a new history unfolding even in this very moment.”

And saying that, White Wood turned his gaze.

Toward the darkness beyond the Second Gate — where nothing at all was visible.

And at that instant —

[You have defeated the Boss Monster ‘Brachios of the Nightmare’!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

.

.

.

[Great Achievement unlocked!]

[Sudden Quest completed!]

The message he’d been waiting for finally flickered into view.