Chapter 66
“Hey, Cloud-head!”
At Caltain’s call, Nia, who had been catching her breath while lying down, sprang up and raised her hand.
[Raging Storm]
A fierce storm erupted from Nia’s fingertips, scraping across the walls of the cavern.
Mushrooms glowing with a faint light crumbled and fell in its wake.
However, as always, things weren’t so easily resolved.
Wriggle, wriggle.
The scattered spores clung to the walls, rapidly regenerating into new mushrooms.
If the mushrooms regenerate, there’s only one way to stop them.
“Now!”
They had to be destroyed before the spores could grow.
“I’m on it.”
At the urgent cry, Caltain’s muscles, trained to their utmost limit, tensed and coiled like a predator poised to strike.
His breathing deepened, and his entire body braced itself for a leap.
The immense power began to condense.
Watching the scene in awe, I instinctively covered my ears and shouted.
“Everyone, cover your ears and get down!”
A massive force gathered in Caltain’s tightly clenched fist.
With a distortion in the air, the form of Shura, the vengeful deity, emerged behind him.
The six-armed, three-headed monster.
The wrath of a warrior who descended from the heavens to punish the gods and shatter the skies.
The wrath of the Warrior Who Punishes Gods erupted in a single devastating blow.
[Shura Breaks the Heavens]
A strike powerful enough to topple the sky itself.
The sheer force sent shockwaves rippling outward, throwing everyone backward.
“Cough, cough!”
Even Caltain himself was flung away by the aftermath.
Yet, the Wind Barrier was unmistakably shattered.
The gargantuan spider-like creature flailed its eight legs frantically, trying to rebuild the barrier.
“Darwin! Xenon!”
But I wasn’t about to give it the chance.
“On it!”
With a resounding laugh, Darwin’s already massive body began to swell.
[Enlarge]
[Primordial Strength]
In the blink of an eye, Darwin grew into a towering five-meter giant, his colossal hands spreading wide.
“Come here, you unlucky bug!”
With that, Xenon soared gracefully through the air, landing lightly on Darwin’s massive palm.
“Don’t break, fragile little one.”
Ensuring Xenon was securely in his hand, Darwin hurled him forward with all his might.
[Dragon’s Song]
As Xenon shot through the air like a black arrow, the power of the most perfect creation under the heavens infused his being.
Wooooong—
The force of the skill surged through Xenon’s body, making his blade tremble with exhilaration.
[Sword Strike: Swift Blade]
The deadliest, fastest single slash.
A blade designed to sever life in an instant exuded a chilling, razor-sharp aura.
[Attribute Conversion: Lightning]
The most destructive and swiftest force surged within his sword, crackling like a storm ready to erupt.
Screeeeeeech!
Perhaps sensing the imminent threat to its life, the spider shrieked, unleashing sharp gusts of wind. But—
Clang!
The gusts were deflected, dissipating against Xenon’s sword.
A black bolt of lightning pierced the air.
The spider’s eight eyes filled with overwhelming despair as it stared at the unavoidable doom descending upon it.
In the next instant, the black lightning and the spider crossed paths.
Slash.
The spider was split cleanly in two, collapsing with a heavy thud.
Moments later, a translucent notification window appeared before me.
[The Black Faction has captured the ‘Wind’ Stronghold!]
The system confirmed the successful capture of the stronghold.
“Ha.”
It had all happened in an instant.
Staring blankly at the glowing notification window, I felt a wave of relief rather than elation.
Everyone was safe—that was all that mattered.
Yet, an inexplicable feeling stirred within me.
It wasn’t pure joy, but something slightly bitter—a strange sense of loss.
Blinking slowly, I tried to process this unfamiliar emotion.
‘If only we could’ve cleared the stronghold this easily back at Fire’s Stronghold…’
Maybe no one would’ve gotten hurt.
Maybe no one would’ve died.
I swallowed my words and quietly observed the team members embracing in the joy of victory.
The original protagonists remained as strong as ever.
While I was struggling and clawing my way to become even slightly stronger, they leisurely walked down their predetermined path of victory.
In some ways, it felt unfair.
So unfair it brought tears to my eyes, making the disparity seem insurmountable.
But this place was one where even that unfairness was measured by individual ability.
To survive here, you had to accept that the starting line wasn’t the same for everyone.
Still, the overwhelming difference in power I’d just witnessed…
Nia, who summoned a storm powerful enough to divide the heavens.
Caltain, whose single strike seemed capable of splitting the earth.
…And Eltein, who demonstrated the true [Raging Storm Arrow], as opposed to my feeble imitation.
All of them possessed natural talent that I could never hope to surpass, no matter how hard I tried.
Even if I worked tirelessly, I’d never reach their level. I’d barely graze their heels.
As doubt crept over me, a familiar sound rang out above my head.
–Peter (potxxx): Caltain’s team is impressive, but I still think Wendy’s the best.
ㄴMiumi (mimxxx): 22222 Love a character who rises from the bottom.
–O_O (Yoixxx): Clearing this was easier than the Fire’s Stronghold, which is actually a relief.
ㄴ788 (kinwxxx): Sometimes, you need an easier win.
[You have gained favor from 31 Observers.]
[Accumulated Favor: 590]
I stared blankly at the rising comments before snapping back to my senses at the readers’ words.
Right. I didn’t have time to wallow in despair.
I had readers watching me, cheering me on.
And meanwhile, Agatha’s party was steadily conquering their strongholds.
Complaining about unequal starting points or natural talent wouldn’t change anything now.
No matter what, I’d always done my best.
‘That’s enough.’
I just needed to keep moving forward at my own pace, as I always had.
As relief washed over me and the tension left my body, Xenon suddenly murmured beside me.
“It’s over.”
But…
What did he just say?
“Hey!”
I smacked him on the back as he nonchalantly uttered the universal forbidden phrase.
“…What?”
Xenon rubbed his back with a puzzled expression.
“You shouldn’t say things like that.”
“Why not?”
His confused and slightly indignant face made me awkwardly look away. How was I supposed to explain this?
In the place I came from—South Korea—there’s a superstition that if you declare “It’s over” after defeating the final boss, the boss will come back to life.
But saying that out loud would probably make them think I was crazy.
Not to mention, they’d start questioning what kind of place “South Korea” was and whether I was some kind of heretic.
“…It’s just a thing.”
I waved it off vaguely and turned my attention back to the fallen boss in the middle of the cave.
Fortunately, there were no signs of the defeated enemy reviving or the boss battle entering a second phase.
And then there was that chest.
The loot chest, filled with supplies, was far better this time—brimming with mid- and high-grade recovery and mana potions, unlike the pile of useless ores we found at Fire’s Stronghold.
Excited teammates eagerly distributed the items among themselves.
Of course, not everyone was pleased.
“Ugh, just potions this time?”
Sylvester grumbled, clearly disappointed.
It made sense—his specialized crafting skills meant he had little use for consumables like potions.
But for most of the team, the immediate utility of recovery items was far more valuable than cumbersome ores.
“Wow! A mid-grade mana potion!”
“There’s a high-grade recovery potion here too!”
“Alright, everyone, take one each!”
Yeriel’s voice rang out as the team happily gathered their share of the dungeon’s spoils.
But… why was Xenon still standing beside me?
“Aren’t you going to grab something?”
Xenon glanced briefly at the chest before shaking his head.
“I don’t need it.”
“…”
Was this the confidence of a true powerhouse? The audacity to dismiss something as basic as potions?
“Alright then, I’ll take two—yours and mine.”
Annoying as he was, this was a win for me.
‘Score! Double the potions for me.’
For someone as fragile as me, the more potions, the better. I hummed happily and started walking toward the chest when—
“Wait.”
Xenon grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.
“Aren’t you curious why?”
His sudden question made me blink in surprise. It wasn’t like him to ask for attention like this.
“Okay, why?”
Intrigued, I turned to him, and after a brief pause, he spoke slowly.
“Because I have something more reliable than those.”
“…Something more reliable?”
“Yeah. That’s why I didn’t take anything.”
Before I could fully grasp the meaning behind his words—
Clatter.
The sound of something being dropped drew our attention.
Turning toward the noise, we found Yeriel standing there, clutching a potion, his face glowing with emotion.
“Mr. Xenon…!”
His voice trembled, filled with overwhelming gratitude.
—
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