Chapter 38 – The Rotom Mountains (４)

And now, Gijun had climbed the mountain and reached the summit.

At the end of Rakam Peak, there was a cave where the Red Dragon had hidden itself.

[I can feel an evil presence from within.]

Libre spoke.

Just as the Red Dragon had said, a malevolent aura seeped from the cave.

This was the ancient evil that had even infected the Red Dragon.

But at the same time,

[It is definitely in there.]

The Ancient Heart was also hidden inside the cave.

The Red Dragon had tried to use that immense power to purify the evil that tormented it.

[To make this Ancient Heart your own, you must overcome the evil and win the fight.]

“…That won’t be easy.”

[Of course not. This is an evil that plunged even a dragon into agony.]

“No other choice, then.”

But come all this way — how could he possibly back down now?

Gijun had no thought of giving up whatsoever.

‘Let’s go.’

With that thought, Gijun moved.

Before he knew it, Gijun and Libre had reached the end of the cave.

“…There it is.”

Inside, the Ancient Heart was truly there.

A crystal of the same shape as the one he’d seen in the Forest of Prostra.

But it was covered, layer upon layer, in some black substance.

That was when it happened.

Woooong!

The Ancient Heart began to thrum with a faint, pulsating tremor.

And at the same time, a voice flowed out of it.

“…It… is another me…”

Another me.

That had to mean the Ancient Heart cradled inside Jun’s own chest.

“Purify me… Purify me, and take me in as well—let us become one.”

A voice that trembled.

Just like the Red Dragon, the Ancient Heart too seemed to be wracked with pain.

And then.

BOOM! RUMBLE—!

The cave began to shake.

The Ancient Evil stirred.

[You who carry the Heart…]

This was nothing like what they had seen in the Forest of Prostra.

Back then the Ancient Evil had uttered no words at all.

But this time, it appeared to possess a will of its own.

[Hand over that Heart… That Heart…]

The black evil that had swathed the Ancient Heart coalesced into a single form.

It was shaped like a man.

A silhouette, its entire body stained black, revealed itself.

“KYYYYYAAAAAA!”

It let out a ghastly shriek and charged straight at Jun.

[Get ready, Master!]

“Yeah.”

Jun tightened his grip on the wand.

Shwham-shwham-shwham-shwham!

A violent wave of malice crashed toward Jun.

In that instant, a most unwelcome message appeared before his eyes.

[You have been infected by the Ancient Evil.]

[All Stats are drastically reduced.]

[The character will die in 10 minutes.]

[Upon death, the Ancient Heart will be destroyed.]

[If the Ancient Heart is destroyed, the Main Scenario can no longer be advanced.]

‘I’m going to lose my mind.’

The moment the Ancient Evil began to consume him, a dire crisis befell Jun.

Every single one of his Stats had plummeted.

Suddenly, his body felt as heavy as lead.

And that wasn’t all.

‘Ten minutes.’

He would die in ten minutes.

Worse, the Ancient Heart would be destroyed.

If he died here, the Heart would shatter, and he could never advance the Main Scenario.

‘Damn it.’

The mere thought of it was horrifying.

Was he about to let this incredible stroke of luck slip through his fingers?

But really, it only made sense.

The Ancient Evil was the very thing that had tormented even the Red Dragon.

It was practically impossible for a human body to endure it.

‘No.’

Jun could not—would not—let this opportunity slip away.

How could he possibly let go of the fortune that had finally come to him, a man who had suffered his entire life?

And then.

“Take my hand.”

A voice spoke.

From within Jun’s own body.

‘…No way.’

Yes.

It was the voice of the Ancient Heart he carried inside him.

“I will give you my strength. Take my power, and save the other me, so we can unite and become one.”

In that moment.

WHOOOOSH!

Something surged up from around Jun’s body.

It was not mana but an alien energy.

-Seize that power.

The Ancient Heart’s voice came once more.

But Gijun was a bit baffled.

Seize it, it said.

How the hell was he supposed to do that?

Even as he hesitated, the ancient evil was closing in fast.

Time was running out.

Soon, the thing would take his throat and then his heart—that was certain….

‘Huh?’

Gijun’s eyes went wide.

In that instant, something began to show itself to him.

‘A line.’

Amid the unknown power surging up from deep within him, a single line appeared.

One thread, stretching from his heart out into the world beyond.

By instinct, Gijun reached for it.

At that moment.

Boom!

An explosion sounded from somewhere.

The source of the blast wasn’t outside—it was inside Gijun.

Another message surfaced in his mind.

[An Ancient God manifests.]

*

Around that same time.

Inside the Ure guild building’s training hall, a group of Superhumans were gathered, talking among themselves.

At the center of them stood a young Superhuman.

“Gangseok, your debut’s coming up soon, huh?”

“We’ve got high hopes for you, Gangseok!”

Park Gangseok.

He was a Superhuman of Ure.

At just twenty-three, he was already one of the most promising rookies the guild had ever recognized.

He was about to participate in a Level-4 dungeon raid.

Not just any dungeon, either—a first-clear dungeon.

“But I heard that guy from Hwarang is supposed to show up too, right?”

“Oh, you mean… the world record guy?”

“Yeah.”

Of course, they all knew.

That the guy from Hwarang would be appearing in the upcoming first-clear Level-4 dungeon near Namtaeryeong.

That person was the talk of the town.

For days, the internet had been buzzing nonstop.

And no wonder.

Even though neither his face nor his name had been revealed, wasn’t he the Superhuman who had broken Woo Jimin’s record?

The record no one else in the world had managed to beat all this time.

“But rumor has it he’s kinda old, right?”

“I heard that too. Word is he was pretty famous back at the Academy.”

“I actually know the real story—they say it’s a guy named Baek Gijun.”

“Baek Gijun? No fucking way. Stop bullshitting!”

Someone shouted.

“I was one year ahead of him at the Academy, and that bastard couldn’t even form a Circle. How the hell….”

“Anyone who knows him knows the deal. But now the rumor’s spread like wildfire among our old Academy classmates.”

“…Nah, that’s gotta be some garbage rumor. Does that even make sense? A guy who was bouncing between small-time guilds until recently—how?”

“Still… smoke doesn’t rise from a chimney that’s never been lit, right?”

“…….”

That was when Park Gangseok spoke up.

The Superhuman who was about to go on that Level-4 dungeon raid.

“Is that for real?”

‘Baek Gijun? First Circle? Mana Circle Formation Disorder?’

He vaguely remembered hearing the name before.

A legendary figure from the Academy.

And that guy was supposed to go into the dungeon with him?

What’s more, he was the one who broke Woo Jimin’s record?

‘If it’s true….’

Maybe something truly interesting was about to happen.

“You confident, Gangseok?”

Park Gangseok answered.

“I’ll chew it up and come back.”

If he swallowed a hot potato that size in one bite.

Wasn’t it only a matter of time before his name spread far and wide?

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Who are we? We’re Ure. You think we can lose to bastards like Hwarang?”

“No fucking way.”

Park Gangseok’s lips split into a long grin.

His heart was already starting to pound.

‘I was destined to be a star. Heaven itself is helping me.’

He never once entertained the possibility of his own defeat.

But then—

“Superhuman Park Gangseok!”

“Yes.”

“I have a message to deliver to you urgently.”

“…?”

“There’s been a change regarding this Dungeon.”

*

“…?!”

Manifestation of an Ancient God.

A message he couldn’t even imagine appeared before his eyes.

And with it—

“Kyaaaaah!”

The Ancient Evil stopped dead in its tracks.

“Stop! Stop it!”

The creature howled.

But it only screamed — it couldn’t move any closer to Gijun.

[Unbelievable!]

Libre too cried out.

[This power… it must be….]

Libre’s voice trembled.

And now…

—Use it. My power.

That voice echoed from within Gijun once more.

Gijun gripped his wand and began casting Fireball.

Whoooosh—!

Three Fireballs materialized into view.

But they were nothing like the Fireballs Gijun knew.

They resembled miniature suns.

Three suns rose, floating around Gijun’s body.

‘Ah…’

His mind went hazy.

Just looking at those Fireballs felt like slipping into ecstasy.

After that, Gijun didn’t need to do anything.

The three orbs shone with their own light, brightening the dark cavern.

“Kyaaaaaah!”

The Ancient Evil writhed in agony just from touching that light, its entire body contorting.

Yet the Ancient Evil didn’t vanish.

“Let me go! Let me gooooo!”

It charged at Gijun again.

Gijun’s eyes snapped wide.

‘I have to move them.’

The three Fireballs blazing like suns.

He had to move them.

But it wasn’t easy.

They were as heavy as a thousand pounds.

They were Fireballs, but they wouldn’t budge at all.

As if they were shouting this:

—This isn’t a power someone like you can wield.

The power itself was rejecting Gijun.

Perhaps that was only to be expected.

This power was nothing less than the strength of a god.

Even for Jun — barely past Level 100 — to wield a god’s strength.

It was absurd.

But….

“I have to do this.”

Yes.

He had to see it through.

No matter what it took, he had to use this power to destroy the ancient evil.

Jun gritted his teeth.

“I can do this.”

He focused every fiber of his being.

He began to feel the colossal force flooding the space around him.

That energy — branching in countless directions, impossible to count or describe….

“Ah.”

In that instant, something flashed through his mind.

“Peace.”

The moment he looked upon and truly sensed that power, a strange feeling swept over him — as though he and it had become one.

That feeling was simply peace.

Like casting his entire body into the very source of the world.

And then, like being utterly one with that source.

Something beyond words.

In that moment of infinite and complete unity —

Koooooh!

The sphere began to spin.

And Jun whispered.

“…Go.”

Just that single word.

In that instant, the sphere moved.

Driven by Jun’s will alone, it drifted toward the ancient evil — which had already closed the distance to stand before him.

Its pace was unhurried.

Like a ball rolling slowly through the air, simply floating its way toward the evil.

But as it moved, the light grew ever more intense.

“No! Nooooo!”

The brighter the light burned, the more the ancient evil shrieked in agony.

Koooooh!

Even then, the sphere drew closer.

And even then, it kept magnifying that radiance.

Until finally… the entire cavern was flooded with light.

Not a trace of shadow remained.

When the world had become pure, perfect white…

“KYAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Only a piercing scream filled the air.

Crunch — Crack!

The ancient evil’s body began to tear apart.

“Kuaaah! Kuaaah! KYAAAAAAAH!”

Scream after scream erupted from it.

Even then, the brilliant light kept rending the black darkness, dismantling it, driving the evil out….

Fwoosh!

At last, the ancient evil vanished completely.

“Haaah… haaah….”

The moment the ancient evil was gone, the sphere disappeared as well.

In an instant, the light fled the cavern and darkness settled back in.

Thud!

Jun collapsed to the floor.

His legs felt as though all the strength had drained from them.

Not that he felt any real pain, of course.

It was just a game.

But he couldn’t stay on his feet a second longer.

Because of that sensation — so alien, so utterly foreign.

Even for Jun, it had been an overwhelming experience.

His MP was already completely drained.

His HP was the same story.

If even a little more time had passed, his HP might have drained completely.

But then—

Thump!

The second Ancient Heart, now purified, pulsed within its vessel.

In answer, the Ancient Heart cradled against Gijun’s chest beat in kind.

Two hearts thrummed together, their rhythms locking into a shared cadence.

Boom! Thud-thud! Thump!

And so, by now perfectly synchronized, they beat as one.

Whoosh!

The Ancient Heart blazed with renewed light, wrapping Gijun’s entire body in its glow.

[Remarkable.]

“….”

[Truly, you’ve moved the power of a god.]

Libre’s voice came as though she were bewitched.

She sounded genuinely awestruck.

[You are surely more than I ever took you for.]

Libre’s words poured forth without pause.

[Ah, how astonishing. Truly….]

Then a new message flashed before his eyes.

[You have acquired the second fragment of the Ancient Heart!]

[Ancient Heart]

– Completion: 2/10

– Magic Attack +200% (+100%)

– MP Consumption -40% (+20%)

– MP Recovery Rate +40% (+20%)

– Casting Speed +40% (+20%)

– Magic Power Stat Efficiency x2 (+0.5)

– Additional Magic Power +2 per Level Up (+1)

– Magic Skill Proficiency Gain +50% (+20%)

– Experience Gain +50% (+20%)

But then, even more astonishing messages followed.

[You have achieved a feat that will be remembered throughout history.]

[You have blazed a new chapter in the main scenario.]

[A new dimension, ‘Tartaros,’ has been opened.]

[All beings across the continent now know of your achievement.]