Chapter 22: The Fallen Sun (2)
How would you feel if a cockroach the size of your middle finger crawled up your arm?
Its many legs brush against your bare skin, and its bodily fluids seep into your flesh.
Even if you’re half-asleep, in a state where reason is barely functioning, you’d definitely feel that grotesque and horrific sensation, and you’d lash out in a frenzy, trying to kill it.
Boom!!
As soon as I climbed onto Ra’s enormous fist, timed perfectly with Seo Mina’s attack that momentarily stopped him, Ra, in a frenzy, tried desperately to shake me off.
“Raaaargh!!!”
A mere insect that should have been crushed beneath his fist was now madly climbing up his arm toward his head!
How infuriating and detestable!
Daring to climb toward the Sun that floats proudly and grandly in the sky, looking down on all creation!
The thoughts slumbering in Ra’s unconsciousness began to dominate his frenzied body, and his enormous arm started to thrash wildly.
Crack!
I drove my sword into his arm, holding on as if I had been caught in the middle of a hurricane, enduring the wild shaking.
‘Damn… it!’
Even though he’s lost his mind, why is he acting so cleverly?
I thought he’d just swat me off with his hand where I was hanging!
But I can’t fall. Not if I want to clear this Hidden Stage and survive.
Gritting my teeth, I transformed Manbyun into a longsword and started climbing this enormous, terrifying mountain of a god.
Clang! The ice-infused sword dug into the god’s skin, securing me and giving me some stability.
Clang! Manbyun, now transformed into a sturdy longsword, paved the next path for me.
“Raaaaaaargh!!”
Of course, Ra, enraged that the insignificant insect clinging to him wasn’t falling, finally exploded with fury.
—!!!
A silent rage burst forth from Ra’s mouth. But instead of being a problem, it became an opportunity for me.
As Ra paused to roar, I climbed further up his arm.
“Raaaaagh!”
In no time, I had climbed to his shoulder, and I could see it clearly—the dark, burning eyes of Ra glaring at me.
At that moment, as I stared into the dark, burning sun in his eyes, I felt an indescribable, bizarre emotion for the first time in my life.
It felt as if challenging this being itself was a sin—an unreasonable and unforgivable offense. My mind was flooded with thoughts, as if being forced into my head, that I had to stop this arrogant and disrespectful act immediately.
I dropped both swords to the ground and started to kneel…
“This… insane! How is this mindless creature using mental attacks?!”
〚Unique Ability: Ultimate Soul barely manages to fend off the overwhelming mental attack, taken aback by its sheer intensity.〛
〚Stat: Perseverance assists Ultimate Soul in defending against the mental attack!〛
〚Authority: The Eyes of Twilight has completely resisted the attack!〛
Something felt off. Ra certainly had no mind, but I could tell from standing right in front of him—the eyes I saw were those of a conscious being.
Ra had changed after that dark flame ignited in his eyes.
‘Whatever! Deal with what’s urgent first!’
I abandoned the two swords that had fallen to the ground and, without further hesitation, kicked off from Ra’s shoulder and leaped into the air.
“Raaaaagh!”
Was it then that Ra finally realized what I was after? Or was it that he still couldn’t stand the thought of a mere insect reaching for his head?
Ra’s gaze shifted momentarily to his head, to the half-broken sun embedded with the key.
Simultaneously, Ra’s face twisted grotesquely, as if someone were forcibly contorting it.
At last, words—rather than growls—began to escape his mouth.
-“Raaagh… H-How… dare… you…!!”
His first utterance, after so much silence, wasn’t exactly a pleasant one considering the situation.
“Damn it! I wish we could’ve met, exchanged greetings, and become friends! What a shame! Just know that I like you!”
-“…Do not… mock… the sun…!”
“Yeah, sorry. After all, I’ve even climbed onto the head of a great celestial being!!”
I squeezed out every last bit of the power that was gradually fading from my body and leaped off his shoulder.
“It’s done.”
At last, I managed to land on Ra’s head.
Before me lay the broken sun, fallen from the high heavens, its light and power lost.
-“Cannot… be… allowed! Ra… must… remain… trapped here… forever…!”
As I looked at Ra, whose face twisted grotesquely, or rather, the being controlling Ra’s body, I flashed a twisted smile.
“You’re too late, you bastard.”
Without hesitation, I threw myself onto the broken sun and finally stood before the key.
-“You… lowly creature!!!”
Perhaps realizing that he couldn’t stop me from taking the key, the enraged entity began looking for another solution.
And where his gaze fell… was on the large altar beneath Seo Mina’s feet.
-“…Heh heh heh…. Fine… Even if it’s a loss… it can’t… be helped…!”
Ra’s massive arms rose into the sky and came crashing down toward the altar.
“Seo Mina, get out of the way!”
“Damn it!!!”
Boom!!!
With a deafening roar that reverberated throughout the pyramid, it felt as if an earthquake had truly struck, with vibrations coursing through my entire body.
Crack!
Where Ra’s hand struck, the seemingly solid altar began to crack slightly.
Boom!
An overwhelming power burst forth and started to seep into Ra!
At the same time, the red sun’s power began to flow back into the broken sun, bringing intense heat and pain to me as I stood atop it.
“Ugh! Hurry! Come out!”
I quickly pulled the key free and jumped down from the sun, landing back on Ra’s body. The entity within him, clearly displeased with the situation, made a declaration to me.
-“Go on… run wild as you wish…! If you, a mere insect, can escape from under the great sun, that is!!”
Was it because the power was returning through the crack on the altar? The words flowing from Ra’s mouth no longer seemed clumsy.
‘There’s still a chance.’
It became even clearer now. I had to place the key into that altar. If I did so, Ra would regain all of his power and be able to expel whatever was possessing him.
After picking up the two weapons lying on the shoulder, I quickly ran through my options.
‘The problem is that whatever’s inside him will desperately try to stop us, no matter what Mina and I do.’
I need to find a way! If I want to live, I must!
Sensing the murderous intent in Ra’s eyes, I threw myself off his shoulder, sliding down his long, massive arm, racing toward the ground below.
-“…Where… do you think you’re going!!?”
Whoosh!
As the massive hand began to descend upon me, I kicked off from its arm, launching myself into the air.
Poof?!
Manbyun, which had reverted back into its shoe form, activated the effect of the Cloud Step item. A cloud formed beneath my feet, allowing me to land safely on the ground.
-6″You… lowly… creature!!”
But my luck had run out. The overwhelming energy that had been coursing through my body vanished in an instant, and blood surged from my throat.
“Cough! Cough! Ack!”
“Are you okay?! If it’s too much, hand me the key—I’ll try to figure something out!”
Seo Mina, who had rushed over, shouted with a pale face as she saw the torrent of black blood pouring from my mouth.
‘Wait a second?’
A thought flashed through my mind.
“Come here!”
I quickly pulled Seo Mina into my arms, using the Invisibility Cloak I had obtained as a memento from Kang Cheol-woo and the Invisibility Ring left by Lee Ji-hyung simultaneously.
Our presence diminished, our scents and sounds erased.
-“Hahaha… You dare… hide from the sun’s light?!”
I knew it. Even with this invisibility, it wouldn’t matter much against him. He would likely still sense where we were.
But he wouldn’t know this. Wiping the blood from my mouth, I took out a potion from my inventory.
《→Copy Potion》
A potion that creates a single-use duplicate of an item for ten minutes. While it can’t replicate its full abilities or power, that doesn’t matter. All I need right now is something that can fool that damn thing.
Drip!
As I poured the potion over the key, a second key materialized. I handed one to Seo Mina, giving her instructions.
“We split up and head for the altar at the same time. If it gets dangerous, back off immediately. Can you do that?”
“Of course, I have to. I don’t want to die here.”
The moment she said that, the enormous fist descended directly toward our concealed forms.
“Now, split up!!”
With no need for further discussion, we understood each other’s plan.
I handed Seo Mina the cloak and leapt to the left, while she, still hidden under the cloak, moved to the right. At the same time, the ring’s invisibility effect activated.
Seo Mina and I sprinted toward the altar with all our might.
But we hadn’t made it halfway when the ring’s invisibility wore off.
‘Damn it, I don’t have any magic stat!’
Lee Ji-hyung and Seo Mina had been born with awakened magic stats, allowing them to maintain the item’s invisibility even when the item’s magic was depleted.
But I couldn’t. Unless I had a unique ability that extended invisibility duration like Kang Cheol-woo’s, I had no chance.
-“Fools… This is the sun’s… judgment!!”
Just as his attention was about to focus entirely on me—
“It’s over!”
Seo Mina, having dropped her invisibility, appeared near the altar, pulling out the key from her coat.
-“No… you can’t!!!”
In panic, the entity within Ra’s body gathered all its stolen power into its right fist and launched it toward Seo Mina.
Whoosh!
With a force that could scorch anyone just by looking, the sun’s power infused into the fist, aiming to annihilate Seo Mina with unprecedented speed.
“Ugh!”
Seo Mina, shocked by the incoming fist, threw the key toward the altar, hurling herself backward without hesitation. Her last move made it seem as though she was trying to insert the key into the altar until the very end!
-“No!!”
The entity, abandoning its attack, desperately reached out to catch the key flying toward the altar. But just as the key neared the altar, it lost momentum and fell beside it.
Seeing this disheartening yet relieving sight, the entity froze in place, its body trembling.
Then, a burst of laughter.
-“Ha… hahaha!… This is why… lowly beings…”
Was he convinced of his victory? Or had he simply calmed down after being overwhelmed with shock?
Picking up the key from the ground, he began to laugh so loudly that it seemed as if his ears would bleed, mocking us all the while.
-“In the end… lowly creatures like you… cannot defeat the sun!”
But that sense of relief, arrogance, and carelessness would soon be his downfall.
Thud!
Without stopping, I reached the altar and leapt onto it, landing right before the slot.
-“Heh heh! It’s too late…!”
The entity shot me a twisted grin.
“Is it? Are you sure you’ve won?”
I mirrored his twisted smile with a condescending smirk of my own and pulled a key from my coat.
-“…What is… that?”
“What do you think? This one’s the real deal.”
-“Damn… it!!!”
Too late! Before his massive fist could move, I inserted the key into the altar.
Clunk!
The seal over the altar released with a click.
-“No… you… what… have you done!!!”
As the key turned, the entire pyramid, and the Hidden Stage that had concealed the Tutorial Zone 7, began to tremble, accompanied by the entity’s anguished cry.
As if a dam had broken, the essence and the rightful owner of this space awoke.
Rumble!
An unfathomable power surged through the altar, pouring directly into Ra’s body.
-“Arghhh!!!”
The entity within Ra, unable to break free from its possession, began to suffer as the overwhelming energy flooded his body.
-“Damn… it! Curse you……! You… vermin… I will… remember… you! If we meet… in the Abyss… I will tear you apart… until you are neither alive nor dead!!!”
Those were his final words. Leaving behind his curses, the entity vanished. In its place, pure, untainted flames began to burn brightly where the tainted, dark flames once lingered.
【It has been a long wait indeed.】
The sun at high noon, Ra, was reborn.
—
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