Chapter 25
25 – We Are Not Trapped.
The realization of being reincarnated came to me for the second time.
Or should I call it intuition?
The moment I wielded magic, I felt a sensation that could only be described as “yes.”
Even now, it’s a mystery.
I identified myself as someone from a past life.
An entity endlessly repeating reincarnations.
Starting from the second time and up to the third.
I sought ways to swiftly grow stronger by honing my abilities.
Recovering the power of past lives faster than anyone else. That was the premise behind creating my abilities.
Magic, martial arts.
Combining these two abilities into the Taiheomushin Gyeol.
It suited me best.
Fortunately, I had talent.
And I had desire.
*
Upon the castle walls.
– Uwaaah!
Corpses reached out towards me.
It was quite unpleasant.
Even though it’s a resurrected corpse devoid of intellect.
Daring to lay hands on my body.
‘How should I handle this at first?’
The pulsating ignition of creativity within my heart.
Embracing the profound celestial energy.
These two different forces were harmonizing and repelling, generating an immense amount of mana.
And the elixir given by the principal.
I fully assimilated it.
‘I don’t know who it is.’
I don’t know why they terrorized the academy’s dungeon.
I don’t even want to know the reason.
However, that person touched me.
Touched my students whom I teach.
Although the bond between master and disciple is not established yet.
‘You touched the wrong person.’
Dare to touch me, and don’t think you’ll return unharmed.
I leaped straight off the fortress wall.
Swoosh!
The wind roared. Hair fluttered.
I pulled up the threads of chaos and creation.
Woong!!
The descent speed increased.
Legs slammed towards the castle gate.
The speed is steep.
In that state, I blew all my strength into my legs.
Kwoong─!!
A massive explosion resounded, and dozens of zombie bodies around burst apart.
‘Recovery.’
Basic mana manipulation.
It presupposes control of mana.
Recover some of the consumed mana and minimize consumption.
‘Efficiently.’
The enemies are countless.
No matter how skilled, one cannot defeat them with just fists.
So.
“It’s been a while since I had a weapon.”
Pulled out the spear taken from Yoo Eunchae.
“Give me a weapon before you go.”
“This is really expensive! Don’t get hurt with it!”
Yoo Eunchae’s words came to mind. Laughter erupted involuntarily.
‘Chang.’
My main attack is my fist.
I use fists and feet as my main weapons, but I handle swords and spears just as well.
The reason for handling spears is simple.
In the future, when I build my physique, it boasts the most robust strength.
I’ve handled both swords and spears, but the taste was lacking.
‘The spear isn’t bad either.’
Whoosh!
I swung it once. As if to say that the talk about its expensiveness was no empty chatter, the feel in my hands was quite satisfying.
‘Well then… shall we give it a try?’
Moonlight.
Swish!
Gathered at the tip of the spear, imbued with the spirit of the moon.
“Proficiency of Moonlight (A) has increased!”
“Moonlight (A) has evolved into Moonlight (A+)!”
I knew as soon as it evolved.
The nature of Moonlight had changed.
And I could bestow that nature as I pleased.
And that nature was a power specialized in cutting.
‘Not bad.’
No.
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Rather, it’s good.
With a smile, he swung the window open.
To someone else, this situation might be a hardship.
But not for me.
‘I can’t even fit into the category of trials.’
To think they would experiment on me with something like this.
Whoosh!!
A single swing. And with that, dozens of zombies are cleaved in two.
“Sip.”
And I seize the morale of the zombies.
It’s easy to burn them with magic.
But I choose not to use magic, opting for martial arts to kill the enemies.
‘Because there might be more enemies.’
Hence, the calculated value.
A swarm of thousands of zombies.
And four corpse lords among them.
Plus, someone beyond that.
‘The current number I can kill.’
At the end of the moonlight, a peculiar energy vortex begins to gather.
Grasping the end of the magnificent pole, she swung the moonlit window as it was.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
One strike.
Then, separation.
Dozens of zombies were cut by the window and fell on both sides. Without pause, she leaped right into them.
She treads the arcane. Moves forward.
She grasps the peculiar energy within the bodies of the slain zombies.
That amassed peculiar energy.
‘Wol Gong Bing Cheon.’
Whoosh.
Her heart freezes cold. The temperature around her drops sharply.
She seizes the peculiar energy acquired from the zombies.
Stamping it on the ground as if leaping far with grandeur.
Retrieving the grandeur with the Yeomdong magic.
And.
‘Hyukjak Yeomhwa.’
Flames burst forth.
Fire bloomed from her heart. The chill of destruction and the flame of life merge upon her hand.
It begins to transform into colossal magical power.
‘Amplification.’
This is the art of amplification.
A method of unleashing opposing forces to their fullest extent.
If my martial arts are perfect,
magic begins with imperfection.
Because of its imperfection, it can become even more intense.
Opposing forces repel each other.
This is the power of maximized opposition.
This is the new signature of the purple tower that was created.
Hoo.
I held my breath.
The world slows down infinitely.
The world I see narrows, and most of it is used to control this magic.
“At first.”
What should I use?
In fact, there’s no need to think about it.
The application of this power, created by extreme opposition between the two forces, Wolgongbingcheon and Hyeokjageomyo, is predetermined.
Star-splitting lightning.
In this state, the magic being used is known as “Soul-Destroying Light.”
However, it’s a magic that annihilates everything. It affects students even at a distance of about 100 meters.
“Well, I can’t use it in this condition anyway.”
That’s why a different magic is used.
“Moon Wheel, Moonlight Flower.”
A small sphere formed in the palm.
Its color was endlessly white. And it harbored destruction.
“Unique Attribute, Eternal Rest is bestowed upon you.”
A coldness embracing destruction.
It began to emit a bluish light. Everything around froze with a crackling sound.
Holding this azure sphere, I descended into the midst of thousands of zombies.
“Burst.”
Taking the form of a ring. Freeze and shatter all the reanimated corpses in the vicinity.
As determination took shape, the ring transformed into a wave.
And soon, like a shockwave.
Kwoooh!
Scattered in all directions.
At first, dozens of zombies struck by this wave froze and shattered into fragments.
Hundreds of zombies outside were freezing and shattering into fragments in the ice, smashed to pieces.
And the last remaining zombies…
Half of them are frozen.
“Tsk. Are there any mountain bastards?”
About 200 of them are left.
But they cannot move. Not until this fight is over.
Thunk.
I broke their neck. My body felt a little stiff.
This time, I won’t retrieve the mana.
I used a special energy to cast the spell. Having a lot of mana isn’t always a good thing.
I slung the spear over my shoulder and slowly moved forward.
-Kwwooooh!!
The corpse lords leading the zombies from behind are coming towards me.
Even though they are undead, their emotions were still apparent.
Resentment towards the mountain people.
And confusion.
They are coming to kill me, a mountain person who cannot resist their instincts.
But it’s futile.
I imbued the spear with moonlight.
A top-tier warrior lord among the undead, at the peak of the fourth level.
If a wizard were involved here, even I wouldn’t be able to handle the ninth level no matter what.
“It’s doable.”
He walked forward with a confident smile.
*
The colossal figure of the corpse lord approached me.
They are not easy to deal with.
‘Regenerate.’
Simple.
Whether it’s decapitating the head, splitting the torso, or cutting off the limbs.
They manipulate the surrounding corpses to attach them to their own bodies.
If the severed parts are attached as they are, they reattach as they were.
That’s why the zombies need to be killed first.
But that doesn’t mean they won’t resurrect less.
‘And that’s why it’s annoying.’
As if the purpose is to delay time.
Unlike Dark Knight or Lich, you have to burn the corpses while killing them.
There is no existence like a nuclear core, either.
‘But.’
I’ve met the wrong opponent.
Thud!
The circle of the heart is spinning.
Raising the body temperature with hyperthermia, using the power of the Moonlight Frost.
Flames embracing life.
The Hyukjak Yeomhwa is deadly to the undead in itself.
It may not be as potent as divine power, but it produces a similar effect.
However, I can’t use the Hyukjak Yeomhwa right now.
I’ve only prepared to embrace the Moonlight Ice Heaven at the moment.
“It’s possible to use it, though.”
It falls short of the Moonlight Ice Heaven.
There’s no need to use it deliberately.
“Moonlight Ice Heaven.”
The circle, now weaker than before, began to rotate.
“Shall we experiment once?”
Tap, tap.
I loosen up my body.
The corpse lord moved, raising its massive arm.
Kwoong!
In an instant, an accelerated fist struck me.
“It burst too slowly.”
Trying to accelerate, but even my students wouldn’t fall for this.
I lightly rode on top of the fist and went up to the fellow’s head.
And then.
Frozen World.
Shhhhh!
A thread made of ice began to wrap around his body.
-Kuoh?
Slowly, the frozen world began to freeze his body.
“It’s quite useful.”
The effect of this ability is not just wrapping around the enemy.
It’s about substituting the enemy’s power with one’s own.
The amount is very small, though.
“Well, it’s not bad for this level.”
At the same time, he sent moonlight into the frozen world.
《Moonlight (A+) is bestowed upon you.》
His temperament turned sharp.
The sharpened frozen world, infused with moonlight, pierced into his body.
But the lord of the body was not alone.
The remaining enemies began to target me.
As if they found me the most threatening here.
“The number is three.”
The opponent is quite bothersome. I partly reproduced the power of immortality.
On the other hand, I used more than half of my magical power.
The window was intact, but the volatile compound could only be used as a supplementary measure for the Moonlight Ice.
Thud!
He swung the window once, and one arm of the corpse lord flew off.
“Not very dignified, but…”
Even if dignity feeds and shelters you, it doesn’t save your life.
“Where should I go wild for once?”
*
“That, what is it?”
He recalled the sight from earlier.
Is that even possible?
Shin Yu looked at Han Seojin.
The magic that seemed to have completely destroyed everything just a moment ago.
Even formidable sorcerers would be astonished by the power of that magic.
However, Shin Yu was astonished not just by the power of the magic, but by something else.
“You controlled the explosion range and shape with your will.”
Being chosen by the magic, he could tell.
It was different from the magic he had used so far.
The 7 Circles.
It’s something that even the highest-rated heroes or those with potential might be able to achieve.
People who bring their own imagination to the world and carve it into reality.
‘Is that even possible?’
I’ve entertained the thought before, wishing it were possible.
But that seemed achievable only for the high-ranking magicians.
However, Han Seo-jin seemed to scoff at that notion, defining its form.
As if controlling the explosive radius at will, much like the sun.
‘When you think about it.’
It was referred to as basic mana manipulation.
The method of dispersing magic and controlling the surrounding mana.
If you don’t know about magic, you might think it’s possible.
But from the perspective of those who stake their entire lives on magic, it was different.
The power to make those who had been studying magic for at least a decade seem foolish.
That’s why he desired to attain that power.
Moreover, his power didn’t end there.
Disturbingly, with a single swing of his spear, he could dispatch dozens of zombies, a truly terrifying sight.
But the bigger issue is the Lich Lords.
Han Seo-jin has to confront a staggering nine Lich Lords thereafter.
It’s a stretch.
They themselves are pushing it to the limit, attempting to kill the Lich Lords with all their might.
‘Resilient.’
Even if his body were to break apart, it continued moving endlessly.
As if they were born solely to kill us.
That’s why they still can’t bring themselves to help him.
But.
“How easily you’re disposing of the corpse lord.”
Han Seo-jin was moving, shattering the madness.
Grinding.
Literally grinding and pulverizing the corpse lord.
Using the spear to grind every bit of the corpse lord’s body, smashing it all with fists.
His spear moved as if it could pierce through anything.
His fists were erasing forms as if they could crush anything.
If he’s this flawless even as an unmanned…
“Could this not be a second awakening?”
Really.
Was he truly hiding his power?
The second awakening might indeed be the stepping stone.
Everything is bewildering.
-Kwwoooo!!
However, the situation wasn’t favorable.
The place was too dangerous to infer anything.
That’s why he kept the questions unspoken.
‘Who are you?’
That question lingered in my mind.
*
Swoosh.
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The arm of the corpse lord is severed at the window. Then, the arm is divided into five parts.
‘Quite impressive.’
Moonlight.
The newly evolved moonlight moved according to my will.
Previously, it only combined the sword and the moon’s icy power, but now, two forces merged and moved as I desired.
Like a whip, it stretched out long and struck the corpse lord for the next blow.
The shattered flesh strikes with a fist.
Thud.
Fragments of the corpse scatter from the impact of the fist. Another corpse lord approaches me.
My spear drew a line.
The moonlight drew five lines.
Thud!!
The corpse lord’s body is split into dozens of pieces.
And.
Hooong!
Moonlight flickers in my fist.
“Not leaving a single one.”
I grind the corpses.
The lunar energy responds to my will.
Minor lunar manipulation.
Crackling!!
My hand begins to shine white. The hand, imbued with cold, freezes and shatters the body of the corpse lord.
“Three.”
Now only two corpse lords remain.
There isn’t much mana left.
But my body is moving more vigorously than ever.
Thinking back to my conversation with Yoo Eun-chae.
“The one who attacked this place? They must be here.”
“Why?”
“I guess you could call it a weakness. Anyway, it’s the price of severing the space here. No one can leave this place for a while!”
“So, if things go according to my plan, no one can enter this place either.”
“Not even the principal?”
“Well, that senile old fool might have a way… but…”
“In that case, it’s settled.”
I recalled the words I exchanged with Yoo Eun-chae.
You thought you had us trapped.
Surely, that’s what you thought until you caused the terror.
But.
“You were wrong.”
It’s not us who are confined.
It’s you who’s trapped here.
So, you’ll have to pay the price for tormenting me.