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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 81: The Defense of the Dragon's Lair (2)
It's been ten days since I entered the shattered world of Kalvine.
Is this when the Hero appears?
I should keep that in mind...
"A Hero, huh?"
"Do you even have to ask...?"
"What’s their rank?"
"A... Demi-God rank. With a blessing, they’d be close to divinity."
Hmm, stronger than me, huh?
Can I win with the backup of my two status windows?
I extended Yeoui to about the size of a greatsword and boarded the Flame Chariot.
I also summoned the Phoenix and activated Aegis’ Shield.
Fully prepared, I waited for the Hero.
Once I finished my battle preparations, Arik stood beside me.
"I will join the fight."
"Alright."
Aside from him, the two orcs and the single goblin had already turned bright red all over.
Are they planning to self-destruct against the Hero right away?
"Tsk, it took you this long just to take down a mere hatchling?"
A deep male voice echoed.
A brilliant white light spread from the entrance, illuminating the cave.
The divine energy within the light made my skin sting.
For me, it was just an irritation, but for Arik and the other monsters around me, it was outright agonizing.
"The Hero...!"
The Hero who appeared at the far end of the cave was dazzling.
If paladins wore pure white armor, the Hero’s armor outright radiated with a brilliant white glow.
It was so bright I could barely make out anything inside.
Even the sword they held was made of light.
It was entirely composed of light from the hilt to the very tip.
A complete holy power set, huh?
"Phoenix. Go for it."
[...Understood.]
The Phoenix hesitated before responding.
Does it not want to fight the Hero?
Well, I get it.
He does look ridiculously strong.
Tch.
But what can I do?
I need to test my summons against him.
"I’m sending the Flame Chariot too."
[How considerate.]
The chariot charged first, followed by the Phoenix taking flight.
At that moment, an immense wave of divine power erupted from the Hero.
"Minerva’s Judgment!"
Golden light filled the cave and then exploded toward us.
Wait.
A finishing move already?
The golden divine sword aura sealed off every escape route.
"No! Block it!"
At Arik’s shout, the two orcs and the goblin rushed toward the light.
Boom!
They exploded before they could even touch it.
Scarlet flames burst forth in the aftermath but were immediately extinguished by the golden sword aura.
Yeah, this is no joke.
Time to use my defensive skills.
"Aegis’ Shield."
The Aegis’ Shield was said to block even SS-rank attacks.
As I activated the skill, a small shield moved forward and quickly expanded.
"Let me in too!"
Arik threw himself behind me, collapsing to the ground.
Damn this orc...
I wanted to say something, but the situation up front was more urgent.
The golden, semi-transparent Aegis’ Shield had expanded into a large circular barrier, forming a dome that protected me.
The light emanating from it was similar to the Hero’s divine attack.
Well, it is Athena’s artifact, so that makes sense.
I could see Minerva’s Judgment clearly through the shield's golden glow.
A devastating golden sword aura shot forward in a straight line, seemingly intent on obliterating the entire Dragon’s Lair.
But as soon as it hit Aegis’ Shield, that section of the attack vanished without a trace.
Oh, nice.
Yeah, no matter how strong this Hero is, an A-rank can’t unleash an SSS-rank attack.
The golden sword aura aimed at me was completely blocked.
"Ugh... Aaaaahhh!"
But then, a sudden scream rang out.
I turned to see Arik clutching his head in agony.
What the hell?
Why is he suddenly...
"The gate... The gate’s been breached... I thought they were trying to capture us...?"
At his words, I looked toward the back entrance.
The door, which had been firmly shut, was now completely gone.
"Impossible! How could you withstand Minerva’s Shield?! Who the hell are you?!"
The Hero lunged at me in an instant.
But I had no time to answer.
[Drakina has died.]
[Mission failed.]
A message appeared, and then the world froze.
Darkness swallowed everything, and my body lost all sensation.
And when my vision returned...
"Kim Jiho has returned."
A Valkyrie, taller than me, lowered her head upon seeing me and reported to someone.
"Right."
I had returned to the broken world portal that Valkyrie had temporarily set up.
Sigh...
Is this how it ends?
So pointless.
Should I have blocked the hero’s strike at close range, or rushed in before he could unleash his finishing move?
The Aegis Shield is just big enough for me to survive alone.
Well, my survival is important, after all.
"Can I enter Kalvine again?"
"Reentry will be possible after a day for readjustments. Please return at this time tomorrow."
"Sigh... Alright. By the way, do you know a skill called ‘Dragon’s Power’?"
"Dragon’s Power? If you mean a skill, I’ve never heard of it. There is a similar skill that increases strength, though."
Looks like Valkyrie doesn’t know anything relevant.
I acknowledged her answer and headed home for now.
The results of my ten days of battle were as follows:
Level increased from 144 to 146.
A total of 7 points added to Strength, Agility, and Magic combined.
The neutral faction’s ability gauge barely moved.
Additionally, I earned about 50,000 SP through soul absorption.
Since I spent ten days in the broken world, only a single day had passed on Earth.
Through soul mediation, I earned another 35,000 SP.
"Not bad."
Checking the soul mediation window, I noticed that Elprian was earning a surprising amount of SP.
Currently ranked third after Odin and Loki.
I thought she was a completely forgotten god, but apparently not.
Wasn’t she supposed to have disappeared from existence?
This system is impossible to figure out.
Anyway, my total earnings in Earth time for the day were 85,000 SP.
Since Kalvine is unavailable for another day...
That means I’ll earn 50,000 from soul absorption and 70,000 from two days of soul mediation, totaling 120,000 SP in two days.
If I keep this up for 200 days, I’ll reach 12 million SP, which will allow me to smuggle through the soul mediation.
"Looks like I need to grind levels for a while."
Two hundred days of grinding...
Thinking about doing this a hundred times was overwhelming, but I steeled myself.
I should finish as much as possible while things are still peaceful.
Once B-rank dungeons start appearing, I won’t have time for this.
[Hey. Did you register as a Hunter?]
"Yeah. I signed up as a C-rank Hunter."
[Then you should return to the guild.]
"Huh? The guild?"
[Yeah. You’re not coming back? Kang Shia was asking about you.]
"Kang Shia? Isn’t she with Daehyun Guild? Weren’t you in Seomsang Guild?"
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HELHEIM SCANS
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[Dude... what is wrong with you? Haven’t your memories fully returned?]
On my way home, I received a text from Lee Jinseong.
When I called him back, he was saying some completely unexpected things.
Hmm.
How exactly have the memories of the people around me changed?
It’ll be difficult to keep fooling them, so I’ll have to play the amnesia card.
"Honestly, my memory is really hazy. I barely remember what I did. I just feel blank."
[Hmm… I’ve heard of cases like that before. But of all people, it had to happen to you.]
Fortunately, it seems like memory loss cases aren’t unheard of.
Lee Jinseong accepted it quickly.
"What was I doing before? Can you remind me?"
[Do you remember Kang Shia?]
"Only her face?"
[Wow, you really forgot everything. Kang Shia made Daehyun Guild the number one guild in the country. And you were her personal secretary. Later, during a national crisis, Daehyun Guild unified all the other guilds in Korea. You seriously don’t remember any of this?]
Why is my role reversed?
They changed my memories but did it in a weird way.
Those Asgard bastards.
Come to think of it, in the past, when Kang Shia acted as my secretary, I told her to take care of Daehyun Guild as much as she wanted.
She asked me a few times if I was sure, but it seemed like she used my influence well.
And in the end, Daehyun Guild did become the most powerful in Korea.
Simply because I, Kim Jiho, was associated with it.
Since that fact had to remain intact, did they just flip everything around?
"I don’t remember anything. Tell them I can’t do the secretary job since I’ve lost my memories. I need to get myself together first."
[Wow... dude, are you serious? That was the highest position of power in Daehyun Guild.]
"No thanks. Talk later."
I had way too much to do to be playing secretary for Kang Shia.
I hung up on him and finally arrived home.
The stale smell of a bachelor’s apartment stung my nose.
My quality of life was terrible.
"I can’t live like this."
If I had no money, I’d just endure it, but I still had the cash I got from Valkyrie.
Time to move.
When I checked out real estate agencies near the Association, they were all packed.
It was so crowded there wasn’t even space to stand.
"Ah, looking for a place? Good luck with that."
"The area around the Association stayed safe until the end. Owners won’t sell even if you offer ten times the price."
"Even all the rental units are gone. Landlords are moving in themselves."
Sigh...
So everyone is moving to safe areas because they know the future?
Then are there places that have been abandoned?
I searched online and quickly found an answer.
["Luxury housing in Seongsu-dong plummets in value… Particularly, the price of G Apartment, where a B-rank portal appeared, has dropped to one-fifth of its original value."]
Oh?
Isn’t that the super expensive apartment complex where a lot of celebrities live?
A B-rank portal appeared there?
I don’t remember that...
Maybe it happened while I was dealing with an A-rank dungeon.
Either way, this looks like a good option.
It’s just across the river.
Casting an invisibility spell and using a flying spell, I quickly arrived from Yeoksam.
"You’re really serious about buying, right?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
A real estate office near Galleria Apartments.
The real estate agent kept asking me as if they couldn't believe it.
"Yes. I know there's a B-rank dungeon appearing nearby, but the hunters should be able to handle it this time, right? I'm buying it while the market is down."
"Haha. That's a smart decision. The current price is ridiculous."
The agent immediately called the owner, not wanting to lose me as a buyer.
Less than five minutes after the call, the homeowner rushed in.
Huh.
That’s the handsome celebrity I saw in the advertisement.
He hurried inside and looked me up and down.
"This person is the buyer…?"
A doubtful gaze.
Well, I do look like an ordinary guy in my twenties.
And my clothes are shabby.
To convince him, I put on Hephaestus’ armor.
His face immediately brightened, and he took a seat.
"Oh, you're a Hunter. Let's proceed with the contract right away."
And just like that, I managed to buy a luxury penthouse—something that normally wouldn’t be available even for 3 billion won—at a bargain price.
It took some time to finalize the contract, move out, and settle in, so I stayed in my rented place a little longer.
Eventually, I moved in.
During that time, Lee Jinseong kept pestering me about rejoining Daehyun Guild, but I just cut him off.
A hundred days passed by in no time.
"My experience points aren’t increasing."
After doing the same thing 50 times, my EXP stopped rising, and I wasn’t gaining SP or stat points anymore.
Is it because I kept hunting the same paladins?
My SP earnings dropped from 50,000 to 5,000, and now, at level 161, my EXP bar barely increases by 10% per cycle.
I've already absorbed all the available stats.
I'm barely gaining anything now.
It’s time to quit the grind.
"Are you heading to Kalvine again?"
When I entered the newly completed Association building and reached the top floor, Aria greeted me with a smile.
"Yes. This time, I might be gone for a while."
"Did you find a breakthrough for the raid?"
"I'm about to start working on it."
SP balance: 8.03 million.
In 100 days, I only made a bit over 5 million.
Now that I'm about to push forward, I should start investing.
I'll use just 1 million.
Investing 1 level into Thunder God, the most versatile ability.
Upgrading Focused Enhancement by 4 levels, since it boosts firepower.
And just like that, 800,000 SP vanished in an instant.
I thought B-rank skills wouldn’t cost much, but the SP costs were 50,000, 100,000, 150,000, and 200,000 per level.
It just deleted my SP.
[Thunder God Lv.2]
[Focus Enhancement Lv.5]
[Momentarily amplifies the output of mana manipulation. Output increases by 4x, but consumption increases by 6x. This ratio applies up to 12x output. Cooldown: 1 minute.]
Thunder God didn’t change much, but Focus Enhancement now has a 1-minute cooldown and boosts output from 2x to 4x, with a max of 12x instead of 6x.
Nice.
Now, I’ll pour the remaining 200,000 SP into neutral faction magic…
Once my Magic A stat filled up by a third, my entire 200,000 SP budget was used up.
"I'm ready."
"Your mana has grown incredibly strong… I'm looking forward to the raid."
And so, I faced the paladins once again.
Since I had fought them 50 times before, I efficiently swept through them and then turned to Arik, who was still pretending to be clueless.
"Hey. Stop acting dumb. I know you’re not an orc."
"Wha…?"
"Tell your minions to hold off on using dragon powers and just wait."
"How do you know that!?"
Arik gasped in shock.
After watching them for 50 runs, of course I’d know.
Ignoring his question, I faced the 1,000 paladins ahead.
A massive divine barrier stood thick and firm.
Arik shouted at me.
"You need dragon power to break that!"
"Just watch. Focus Enhancement. Thunder God."
Before, no matter what I did, my attacks couldn't break through.
But this time was different.
A golden thunderstorm erupted from my palm and crashed into the magic circle.
The range was massive, engulfing the entire barrier and slowly eating away at it.
"So… strong!"
"This energy… It feels like Jupiter’s presence!"
Well, of course.
Zeus gave it to me.
Cracks formed all over the divine barrier, and soon, it shattered completely.
The golden lightning surged inside.
This time, they had no chance to heal each other.
The moment they touched the lightning, they burned into blackened corpses.
"That was definitely worth the investment."
I felt satisfied after wiping them all out in a single attack.
Arik stared at me in shock.
"You… just who are you?"
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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