Chapter 134
The notification that the Destruction Rune was charged wasn’t just good news, but a lifeline for him. The moment Do-Jin saw it, he knew it was time to end this.
Since Wedge of Drain is still working, its HP was dropping little by little.
The problem was, it didn’t seem like it. The creature didn’t show so much as a flicker of weakness. If anything, it seemed as though its health bar was regenerating faster than Do-Jin could wear it down. Either its maximum HP was absurdly high, or it had some innate effect allowing it to recover mid-fight. Either way, low-tier spells were not going to be enough.
Fine. Then I’ll just blow the bastard away in one shot, hit it hard and fast, and turn it to ash.
Dodging every lethal strike that came his way, Do-Jin began setting up for a full-force burst. His mind was already calculating every piece of the sequence of mana flow, timing, positioning, angle of release.
“Curse of Softening.”
Brakin’s hulking frame made it obvious he was built for brute force, not magic defense. At some point, he had stopped paying attention to anyone else and was locked completely onto Do-Jin. There was no intelligence left in those eyes. He was just pure aggression, drawn to whatever hit the hardest.
To buy himself a few precious seconds, Do-Jin cast Curse of the Lotus on Brakin, making him more vulnerable to Anemone’s strikes and forcing him to split his focus.
Judging by how much mana that curse took, its magic resistance isn’t that high.
Curses and other debuffs burned more mana when the target had strong magical resistance. Piercing through Brakin’s defenses had eaten up about fifteen percent of his total mana. For Do-Jin, whose mana pool was massive compared to most mages, that was a good chunk. It was still manageable, though, considering this was a boss-tier monster.
Most mages would blow through half their mana pool just trying to land one curse on something like this.
Enemies with resistance that high could drain them dry in a single attempt. Even so, Do-Jin went for it. If the curse landed, it would hit like a truck.
Good, the curse stuck. Now I just have to keep dodging for a bit.
Do-Jin stopped attacking and focused purely on evasion. His movements were tight and precise, every step calculated to keep him alive.
Hah... Any mage who lasts more than ten seconds against this freak deserves a damn medal.
Even with Psychokinetic Artistry backing him up, it was still one hell of a balancing act. Every close call felt like death brushing past his cheek.
Actually, none of the other classes could normally survive this shit either.
As he slipped past another spear thrust, Brakin suddenly froze, taking a long, deep breath as his massive chest swelled and his arms crossed in front of him. Every instinct in Do-Jin’s body screamed that whatever came next was going to be bad.
He pushed off the ground with the last of his strength as Psychokinetic Release surged through his legs. The sudden burst of speed tore at his body, but he didn’t care. He needed distance, now.
“Anemone, watch out!”
The words barely left his mouth before a crushing pressure hit the air. The world exploded. Brakin spun his dual spears in a wide arc, not thrusting this time but sweeping, a full-range annihilation attack that ripped everything within reach to pieces.
The sound was hellish, metal grinding against the earth itself. The ground shattered beneath the force, splintering into jagged shards. Do-Jin landed hard, panting, watching chunks of stone and debris rain down.
Holy fuck... If I’d been half a second slower, I’d be paste right now.
He clenched his fists as the air continued humming from the monster’s spin. This was the moment to strike back. Before he could move, however, Brakin’s roar ripped through the air, shaking the ground under Do-Jin’s feet.
“Jesus Christ, this crazy fucker—!”
With another deafening bellow, Brakin slammed his feet down and released a burst of pressure so violent the ground erupted, hurling stone and debris in every direction.
Do-Jin reacted instantly, spreading his mana and releasing Psychokinetic Release to shield himself. But before the force field could fully form, Anemone darted in front of him without hesitation, wings flaring as a barrier of raw spirit energy enveloped her.
“Anemone!”
“I’m fine! Don’t worry about me! Rocks like this are nothing!”
Despite her reassurance, it seemed far from nothing. The wave of debris slammed into her like a storm of blades, and when the dust cleared, her spirit barrier was flickering, shot through with cracks, her body trembling from the impact.
Shit...
Strain carved itself into each movement, a faint shake in her legs betraying how hard she was pushing past real pain. However, Do-Jin had no time to check on Anemone. Brakin had already shifted his focus, rage burning hotter than ever in his hollow eyes.
Good. It’s switched targets.
Do-Jin sent a surge of mana into Anemone. She absorbed it without hesitation, turning the energy into renewed spirit force as she launched herself back at the monster.
I gotta wait for the swing like Do-Jin... Anemone thought, trying to mirror his tactics.
Brakin slashed at her with one of his spears, aiming to skewer her midair, but Anemone was faster. She stepped into the very edge of the strike zone, then darted back just as the blade whistled past her nose, letting the attack pass harmlessly.
When it swings wide like that, that’s the opening!
The moment Brakin’s weapon left an opening, she pounced. Her twin kicks slammed into his chest with a thud, strong enough to make the massive beast stagger half a step.
I gotta get out! Don’t be greedy.
Her movements became more precise and sharp. It was the same kind of rhythm Do-Jin himself used in close combat: strike, pull back, reposition. She was learning fast. Using her speed, she kept baiting Brakin farther and farther away from Do-Jin. The monster lumbered after her, roaring in frustration, sinking deeper into blind rage.
Sorry, Anemone. I’ll end this fast... just hang on a little longer.
Meanwhile, Do-Jin bit down on a sprig of mana herb and felt raw power returning through his veins. The air trembled as he began his next spell.
“Quagmire.”
It was a Tier 5 spell that warped the terrain itself. Most mages avoided it, not for lack of power, but because it demanded constant mana control while the ground shifted underfoot. Using it in real combat was suicide for any run-of-the-mill mage.
Nevertheless, Do-Jin gritted his teeth and flooded mana into the earth until the ground softened, then melted into a deep, sucking bog that spread across the battlefield. His mind burned from the strain, circuits running hot, but he didn’t stop until the swamp was wide enough to drag down even Brakin’s bulk.
Draining the last of his potion, he raised his hand again. “Curse of Mana.”
He cast this new curse on Brakin just as the monster hurled his spear at Anemone. It was a vicious spell that disrupted mana control, collapsing the flow and compressing the mana field until Brakin’s magic resistance crumbled.
The casting drained a ridiculous amount of Do-Jin’s mana, digging into the core of how mana worked, but he didn’t care. If he wanted this next hit to land like a hammer, this was the price.
If I stack any more buffs, I’m gonna fry myself and screw the next quest before it even starts. This is as far as I can push it.
Once he was ready, Do-Jin called out, “Anemone!”
She looked back mid-run, alarm flashing in her eyes as she caught the command through their link. “What?! Are you insane?”
She could feel Do-Jin’s intent pouring into her, telling her loud and clear to charge straight at him. If she ran straight toward Do-Jin while carrying Brakin’s full attention, that meant the monster would come charging right after her. The thought made Anemone uneasy.
She drew a breath and chose to trust him, the plan, and the fierce determination burning through their connection.
Anemone circled wide, drawing Brakin into position until the three of them were perfectly lined up. Then, just as he wanted, she sprinted toward him at full speed. Do-Jin waited, watching her tear across the ground with Brakin barreling behind her like a freight train.
Anemone’s hooves hit the mud pit he had created, but she did not sink. Even moving at full speed, the swampy ground was not enough to slow her down.
Brakin was not so fortunate. He slammed straight into the pit and was swallowed whole by the ground with a sickening, wet crunch. He roared in rage, thrashing wildly and stabbing his spears into the ground in a desperate attempt to pull himself free. With that monstrous strength, he could have escaped in seconds if Do-Jin had allowed him.
But he had no intention of letting that happen. He began shaping the formula for Ring of Fire and activated Destruction Rune. The Magic Circle that flared beneath him was wrapped in twisting strands of black runic light that pulsed like chains come alive. Every bit of damage he had built up was converted into raw, devastating power and poured directly into the spell.
The spell, now infused with the power of ruin, came to life. A massive ring of fire erupted around Brakin, whose lower body was already buried in the mud. Do-Jin spread his hand open, then clenched it tight.
The burning ring shrank inward, tightening around Brakin. Brakin finally screamed in agony. The louder he roared, the hotter and thicker the flames grew, the tighter the ring constricted around his body.
As Do-Jin twisted his hand sharply, the fiery wheel began to spin at full force. Each rotation burned through even more mana, but he didn’t care. He planned to dump every last drop he had into this single spell.
If I already boosted it, I might as well squeeze out everything I can.
Ring of Fire was a channeling spell, like Flame Pillar. As long as his mana and circuits held, he could sustain it. That was exactly why he had chosen it to carry the power of ruin. Single-shot spells vanished the instant they were cast, but this one would keep burning the enemy alive until his mana ran dry.
Brakin let out a guttural growl as his body pushed through the flames, forcing himself forward despite being seared alive by a spell strengthened with the Destruction Rune.
“Just fucking die already!” Do-Jin cranked the output all the way up.
His circuits screamed in protest, but he had no choice. If this failed now, there was no coming back. Luckily for him, Brakin’s limit came before his own. The monster’s forearms, which he had raised to protect his neck, began to crumble like plaster.
The spinning ring instantly tore into the exposed neck. With a sharp, burning grind, the fiery edge sliced through its outer shell and severed its head in one clean sweep. The heat and friction alone were enough to shred its defense.
“Fucking hell...”
Once he saw Brakin fall, Do-Jin immediately released the channeling. His whole body trembled from the overload. His circuits were seconds away from melting or tearing apart.
Level adjustment, my ass.
The quest’s design bordered on sadism. The monster in front of him was clearly built for a full raid team, not a lone player, yet the system had locked it as solo-only. It was LOST in all its infuriating glory, and calling it unfair did not even begin to cover it.
As Do-Jin caught his breath, trying to swallow the bitterness of that insane fight, a voice drifted in. “Stubborn bastard. Dying that ugly, too.”
The ghost, Matthew, was floating over Brakin’s decapitated corpse, his expression heavy with grief.
That’s not the face of someone watching a demon general die, Do-Jin thought.
Maybe the guy was pitying his fallen comrade, now nothing more than a monster. Seeing that expression on a former hero’s face, Do-Jin figured his guess was probably right.
“Was that one of your comrades?” he asked.
“Comrades?” Matthew snapped back without looking, then let out a hollow laugh that tasted like dry leaves.
“What’s wrong? You think I called you here to grant peace to the comrades who can’t even die properly?”
Do-Jin remained silent.
“You’re not completely wrong. Among the ones you’ll have to kill, there are some who were once my comrades. But that’s either a part of the process to reach the goal... or the result that comes after it.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Do-Jin asked.
“I told you before, didn’t I? I want you to kill what I want dead, whatever it is. You took down Brakin and proved you’re capable, so I’ll tell you who the target is.”
Matthew turned to make eye contact as he revealed, “This half-dead world and every half-living thing still left in it. If my wish comes true, then what you said will end up being right. Because if everyone dies, everyone will finally find peace.”
Do-Jin barely caught the last thing he said.
