The Palace of Ruin’s King (1)
The realm of transcendence, where one can open new domains.
Despite countless failures, fewer than ten characters have reached this pinnacle, even after hundreds of attempts.
The time invested in elevating a character to this level is staggering—at least a hundred and twenty hours, if not more.
From the perspective of someone living in this world, it would equate to decades.
“Arghhh!”
A dark, battered armor, now resembling a rag, retreated with a pained scream.
Dalen slowly clenched his fist, feeling the fresh breeze between his fingers.
“So this is what it feels like.”
Even within the same day, the density of time varies greatly for each person.
The decades spent by a hero in turbulent times might weigh as heavily as thousands of years for an ordinary person.
The essence forged through such immense perseverance—Dalen reaching this pinnacle of enlightenment was nothing short of miraculous.
Yet, here he was.
‘Status window.’
――――――――
Name: Dalen
Level: 37
[Strength: 55] [Dexterity: 48] [Stamina: 43]
[Senses: 42] [Intelligence: 43] [Magic: 45]
Skills: Dehama’s Armor Combat (D), Night Vision (E), Leap (E), Flame Arrow (D), Lapantella’s Crushing Sword (C), Hegaleus’s Flame Rain (C), Lightning Strike (D), Curse Ward Seal (D), Leredonara’s Secret Sword (B), Sacred Fire’s Ember (C), Crimson Dragon’s Blood (A), Key to the Gates of Hell (C), Ackerman’s Diagram (C), Filz’s Wind Barrier (C), Fire Spear Technique (D), Living Roots (D), Rapid Germination (D), Rulia’s Spring Water (C), Soul Extraction (B), Prayer of Healing (D), Skadi’s Tidal Wave (B)
*Unique Skills (15)
――――――――
His abilities had far surpassed human limits, nearing the realm of demigods.
“I can’t read your moves. I could just a moment ago… Were you hiding your strength?”
“Who knows.”
“No, that’s impossible. Such a perfect disguise is unthinkable, especially when your life is at stake. How… or why?”
The eyes behind the helmet flickered with confusion.
Dalen chuckled softly and stepped forward.
The weight of decades built by a hero—normally, enduring such a process would be impossible.
Yet Dalen’s potential, as expressed in his stats, was far beyond the norm.
Moreover, his domain was filled with the essence directly imparted by a transcendent being.
‘Imitating this much isn’t too difficult.’
With that thought, he took a step forward.
And then.
「Return to the Abyss」
「Eightfold Dispersal」
As a gray shadow flickered, Dalen’s massive form blurred.
Crackling─!
The space tore apart, and Dalen’s figure vanished as if evaporating.
In the next moment, Dalen’s form appeared at all eight points around the armor, each strike targeting a vital spot.
Thud, thud, thud, thud―!
Dozens of shockwaves erupted around the armor, and from the torn and twisted metal, a dark energy seeped out.
“Lord Talmad…!”
In a desperate attempt to stave off death, he thrust his spear and called for his ally.
Dalen watched the approaching spear and simply caught it. The spear halted abruptly.
“Ugh…!”
Boom!
The armor, with its chest plate completely caved in, was flung far away, and Dalen twirled the stolen dragon-slaying spear in his hand.
“Die!”
The warrior, summoned by the armor’s call, was right in front of him. Having taken the spear, Dalen’s limbs began to feel heavy under the warrior’s power.
‘Enemy spear.’
Yet Dalen did not let go. In the moment before impact, as time seemed to stretch infinitely.
[…Indeed.]
Dalen called upon the ancient dragon beyond his consciousness, and the dragon perched on a snowy cliff rose.
[If your abilities have improved this much, you can manage without seizing control of the heart, even if just for a moment.]
As the dragon spoke, a new vigor coursed through Dalen’s weary muscles.
The density of power, enough to burn through his veins, resisted the demon’s might.
[I’ll show you once, so remember it well. I’ll teach you in a way that suits your fighting style.]
With a low whisper resonating in his ear, control of his limbs was handed over to another.
Step.
A sound like an illusion.
With it appeared a figure he hadn’t seen in a long time.
A slightly blurred form in a dark robe, hair black with a hint of red.
In a scene where time seemed to flow slowly, the enemy spear turned slightly to look at Dalen.
Her face, pale with a hint of red, bore eyes that glinted mischievously. She spoke.
[Your heart is racing. Are you that glad to see my form after so long?]
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heart pounded. Dalen let out a dry laugh.
The enemy spear was one of the strongest true dragons in history.
Even with a heart made from a true dragon’s heart, it was impossible not to tremble under such power.
‘You force my heart to race and then say that? Have you caught some kind of delusion?’
[Delusion… what? What did you say?]
‘It’s a saying from my homeland, don’t mind it. And sorry, but I’m already taken.’
[Tch. How dull. But it doesn’t matter.]
The woman, frowning, stepped closer and lifted her toes. Her face drew near, a light touch.
With control of his limbs already surrendered, resistance was futile. The enemy spear whispered with satisfaction.
[Let the human side of you belong to that girl or the witch. I’ll take your dragon side. After all, aren’t we already one?]
’…Enough nonsense, just focus ahead.’
[Heh, alright. There’s no time, so learn well.]
Despite claiming there was no time, she wasted none in idle chatter. As Dalen shook his head in disbelief, the hand holding the spear moved on its own.
Time perception quickened again.
The hand holding the spear thrust forward with precision.
Swoosh━
The warrior’s claws met the spear’s tip, and with a light sound, the two figures crossed paths.
Crack─ Rumbling!
A massive crack formed in the ground following the spear’s trajectory, splitting the earth deep into the bedrock as if an earthquake had struck.
Looking back, the warrior was staggering, clutching his opposite shoulder with his left hand.
His right arm had lost two fingers and a chunk of shoulder flesh.
“Enemy spear! Why lend your power to a mortal… Aren’t you afraid of the dragon god’s wrath?”
[How amusing. What more can one who has lost even their name fear?]
The warrior spat blood, while the enemy spear, using Dalen’s mouth, scoffed.
Despite being a dragon and a demon, Talmad’s body couldn’t regenerate properly.
The spear, cursed with dragon-slaying power and blazing with crimson flames, was the worst possible match for a creature with dragon’s blood.
“Damn it!”
Realizing his disadvantage, the warrior spread his membranous wings and took to the sky, seemingly trying to buy time.
[By the way, fairy spear techniques… Dalen, your body knows quite a few interesting skills.]
But wings alone couldn’t escape the grasp of an ancient dragon.
Step─
A step on air. Following the ripples in the sky, Dalen’s arms and legs traced elegant arcs.
The spear, held alternately in both hands, painted the air crimson, leaving countless blossoms in its wake.
Before the warrior could react, the trajectory passed him, blooming flowers.
「Crimson Blossom Chaos」
The tough scales melted away without resistance.
The heat that sliced through the tough hide adorned the warrior’s body with red flowers.
Originally from the distant east, the skill ‘Fire Spear Technique’ was retrieved through a corpse.
The enemy spear had absorbed the essence of the fairy’s spear techniques, transforming it to an entirely different level.
Swoosh─
Even as the floral spectacle unfolded, there was no excessive noise or impact.
The sound of air being torn was buried in the graceful dance, and even the aftermath of the collision melted away in the crimson flames.
“Talmad, you…!”
The great demon, having gathered his battered armor and taken to the sky, was split in two by the spear that effortlessly sliced through the body of Tur Aradun, tempered in hellfire for over a thousand years.
In less than a few minutes, the dark armor, split in half, and the warrior with a pierced heart fell to the ground.
These were merely avatars of the great demon, already exhausted. There was no reason to prolong the fight.
[This should suffice. Continuing further would make it difficult for you to regain control of your body.]
The enemy spear spoke. Dalen nodded.
The emergence of Jeokchang as a formidable force was undoubtedly a hidden trump card, but one must not overlook the risk that the allure of such power could lead to the downfall of even the bravest of hearts.
Descending to the ground, Daellon placed his hand over the four ashen corpses lying beside the dragonkin’s body.
“You have retrieved the body of the archer devoured by the dragonkin.”
“Inheritance Reward: Skill +2, Fairy’s Knotwood Bow.”
“You have retrieved the body of a mercenary, a mere morsel.”
“Inheritance Reward: Stamina +1.”
“You have retrieved the body of a paladin buried in the Sea of Blood…”
“The successor of the Crimson Spell…”
As he collected the four bodies, Daellon gained not only enhanced abilities but also a legendary sword, an elven bow, and a new fire-based spell.
For defeating a single enemy, the rewards were quite substantial. Daellon turned his attention to the last remaining body.
“The body of the Grand Mage summoned by the Sky Fortress.”
“I can retrieve that one later.”
The Grand Mage summoned by the Sky Fortress.
This lightning sorcerer was one of only two who had ever succeeded in destroying a dark god.
It was the culmination of countless strategies and knowledge gathered towards the endgame.
Daellon had meticulously prepared a character, investing dozens of hours in planning, to see how far he could push a traditional mage character.
The result was a lightning sorcerer, one of the top three strongest entities across all playthroughs.
“If the same phenomenon occurs as with the Ashen Warrior… there really won’t be any way out this time.”
The battle with the Ashen Warrior had been anything but easy.
Despite having the stats to easily overpower him, the depth and breadth of his accumulated experience and resolve were far greater than expected.
A battle between transcendents isn’t decided by mere stats alone.
Reaching the level of a transcendent means possessing potential far beyond that of ordinary beings.
If the Ashen Warrior, who only dented Zum’s armor, was formidable, what about this lightning sorcerer who stormed the Palace of Doom and defeated Zum?
Even if the dark god was weakened by internal strife, vanquishing one is no easy feat for any transcendent.
“Unlike Dalber, who lived with those thick-headed orcs for decades, a proper spellcaster might be more reasonable… or perhaps even less so.”
Considering the slim chance of reason, Daellon shook his head.
A spellcaster, of all people.
There’s no way a sensible conversation would work.
The battle at the fortress walls was still ongoing. It was wiser to regroup with Felber and Lucia inside the fortress and finish the remaining fight.
As he turned south towards his companions, a voice cut through the air.
“Yes. You’ve passed my test well.”
The air froze.
“Applause is in order.”
A soft footstep.
From behind. To the north.
Lucia, who was tending to Felber, turned to look, and Felber slowly raised his head.
The frozen sky screamed. The dark clouds, which seemed to be retreating, suddenly surged forward, colliding and dissipating.
“Heh—”
A laugh tickled the back of his neck. The voice whispered.
“Sorry. I meant to wait… but it looked too fun to resist.”
”…”
“I’ll create a battlefield just for the two of us. Forget everything else, just us.”
As the words ended, a malevolent energy engulfed the battlefield. In an instant, the army of tens of thousands of monsters turned into a pool of blood.
The crimson flood flowed over the collapsed walls and streets, a scene of utter carnage that left everyone on the walls staring in disbelief.
“This way, we don’t need to waste any more strength, right?”
Daellon slowly turned around.
“Yes. Now you’re finally looking at me.”
It was a twisted, dark red form.
“It seems the Well of Reversal has chosen correctly. I’m so delighted.”
Two distinct eyes, the color of vivid blood droplets, curved into a smile.
“The protagonist of the prophecy… the embodiment of all possibilities squeezed from the well… I get to fight you first, before those other four fools. Hehe.”
The dark god laughed.
It was a joy so pure it was sinister.