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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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“There has to be some way!”
“But… the students…”
While Lee Seok-hyun battled Raystember in the dreamscape, the situation in the real world was rapidly deteriorating.
Raystember, the Archdemon, had invaded the arena mid-competition.
One student was dead, killed instantly before anyone could react, and nine others were in a coma, trapped in Raystember’s nightmare.
The Archdemon, his face contorted in a mask of pain, seemed to be experiencing the students’ mental anguish firsthand.
And there was nothing they could do.
“Why…?”
Extracting Raystember from the dreamscape wouldn’t be difficult, but the problem was his Main Skill.
He’d linked the minds of the nine comatose students, weaving their nightmares into a single, interconnected web. Forcefully pulling him out could have devastating consequences.
While defeating the Archdemon was possible, the potential cost, the risk to the students, was too high.
Every expert agreed: the students could suffer irreparable mental damage.
If Raystember chose to, he could trap them in a perpetual coma.
That risk paralyzed them, preventing them from taking decisive action.
“Are we just going to stand here and do nothing?”
“Do you have a better idea? Should we just leave them trapped in there, their minds at the mercy of an Archdemon?”
“That’s not what I meant! We need to find a solution, a way to…”
“There’s no time for discussion! We have to act now!”
The sheer number of people involved further complicated the situation.
Guild leaders, Knight Order commanders, renowned mages and healers—a wealth of talent, yet their opinions clashed, their proposed solutions conflicting, their debates escalating.
Two minutes had passed since Raystember’s intrusion.
The Mirinae and Velutos headmasters, realizing they couldn’t afford to waste any more time, acted decisively.
They began weaving a complex magical spell.
The students’ safety was paramount. They had to protect them, no matter the cost.
“They completed the protective spell and the full recovery ritual that quickly?”
“With the Ruamos Headmaster’s support… the students should be safe now.”
The combined power of the three academy heads calmed the chaotic energy swirling around the comatose students. Even in a crowd of experts, leadership mattered. The natural hierarchy asserted itself, their combined authority restoring order.
“Now, to extract the demon… What?”
They had protected the students; now they just needed to pull Raystember from the dreamscape.
It would take time, but once he was out, they could easily eliminate him. The combined might of the assembled experts was more than enough to deal with a single Archdemon.
But before they could act, Mijuran’s eyes fluttered open.
“…?”
She’d experienced hours in the dreamscape, yet only three minutes had passed in the real world. Disoriented, she scanned her surroundings, her gaze immediately locking onto Lee Seok-hyun.
“Seok-hyun!”
Mijuran’s awakening meant Raystember had been defeated. And the fact that she’d immediately looked for Lee Seok-hyun suggested he was the one who’d defeated the Archdemon.
The sudden shift in the situation left everyone stunned, their minds struggling to catch up. And then…
–Cough.
…Lee Seok-hyun started coughing, blood splattering onto the floor.
Wounds appeared across his body as if by magic: his left arm, previously healed, was now a mangled mess; a gaping hole appeared in his side; his ankles twisted at unnatural angles; a large, ragged wound tore through his thigh.
His injuries multiplied with terrifying speed.
The Ruamos Headmaster quickly cast a healing spell, but the wound in Lee Seok-hyun’s heart refused to close.
“Commoner!”
“Seok-hyun…!”
“Lee Seok-hyun!”
One by one, the other students began to awaken.
“Seok-hyun’s still in there! He’s trapped!”
“He’s… he’s fighting alone… Please! Someone, help him!”
“The commoner…!”
The students, panicked, rushed towards Lee Seok-hyun.
Before anyone could calm them down, before they could explain what had happened, Lee Seok-hyun convulsed, a torrent of blood and gore erupting from his mouth.
The mages, realizing the severity of the situation, prepared to extract Raystember from Lee Seok-hyun’s mind, but…
–Thud.
…Raystember emerged first.
“…What…?”
When the Archdemon first appeared, shimmering and distorted, the assembled experts had been ready to strike, their Main Skills charged, their weapons drawn.
But as he fully materialized, their expressions shifted from anticipation to disbelief.
“What… happened?”
A single, stunned whisper echoed the thoughts of everyone present.
Raystember, the Archdemon, lay dead, his head severed from his body.
“He’s… regenerating!”
“Seok-hyun!”
The students who had been trapped in the dream, their eyes still glazed with the remnants of the nightmare, ignored Raystember’s corpse, their focus solely on Lee Seok-hyun.
The survivors, their gazes fixed on their classmate, and the audience, stunned into silence by the sight of an Archdemon’s corpse, inadvertently created a spotlight, their combined attention focused on a single point – Lee Seok-hyun.
–Fizzle.
As Raystember’s body dissolved into dust, his eyes, still wide with terror, remained fixed on Lee Seok-hyun.
What had he seen in that dream to warrant such fear? What horrors had unfolded in that mindscape to break the spirit of an Archdemon who reveled in inflicting nightmares upon others?
“…”
No one dared to speculate.
And Lee Seok-hyun remained unconscious.
The inter-academy exchange competition, meant to be a celebration of talent and camaraderie, had become a nightmare, forever etched in their memories.
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A familiar ceiling.
‘Not bad.’
He mentally applauded the cliché line, straight out of a light novel, then looked around.
‘I’m back in my room.’
He remembered collapsing after defeating Raystember, his body pushed to its limits. He’d awakened in his own bed, his wounds healed, his body refreshed. He felt lighter, stronger, the lingering exhaustion replaced by a sense of calm energy. He must have received some serious medical attention.
[Welcome back, Master.]
As he splashed water on his face, trying to fully wake up, Pephais greeted him. The spirit, usually a vibrant ball of fire, was now shrunken, its flames flickering weakly, like a deflated balloon. It had clearly overexerted itself.
“Welcome back? What are you talking about?”
He’d been here all along. What did it mean to “come back”? He’d assumed Pephais was referring to his return from the dreamscape, but the spirit’s tone suggested something else entirely.
[Master, you truly are a complex individual. I don’t know much about humans, since you’re my first contractor, but… you are truly… unique.]
“You’re not making any sense.”
[I don’t know how to explain it, but… you’re fascinating.]
Pephais, still a mid-rank spirit, struggled to articulate its thoughts. Its vocabulary seemed limited, its ability to express complex ideas still underdeveloped.
But that didn’t matter. It had fulfilled its purpose, playing a crucial role in his victory.
‘And I finally unleashed Magnum.’
Magnum.
A powerful, single-target attack, fueled by Natural Mana channeled through the Manaplate Armor. He’d gathered the energy in his palm and released it in a devastating blast.
It was a skill he hadn’t been able to use before, a technique that required the combined power of Pephais and the Manaplate Armor. He’d exhausted Pephais’s energy reserves to unleash it.
One of his most powerful attacks, and incredibly effective against demons. Essentially, his ultimate move.
‘Now, for the rewards.’
His body rested, his surroundings calm—it was time to savor the fruits of his labor.
Congratulations! You have single-handedly defeated Raystember! $%@(_ $(
@@@@@@@@@@@@ has intervened.
Rewards have been adjusted.
The title [Spider] has sprouted a new leg.
Due to the effects of [Spider – Fourth Leg], the [Adhesive] property has been added to your spider silk.
Combined with the existing [Elastic] property, your spider silk is now resistant to severing attacks.
The title [Snake] has shed its skin.
Due to the effects of [Snake – Second Slough], the [Indomitable] property has been granted to your body.
You can now move freely, regardless of injuries.
However, this does not negate pain or damage. You will still feel the pain and accumulate damage.
“…?”
He knew defeating Raystember under these special circumstances would yield significant rewards, but he hadn’t expected them to be adjusted.
‘Though, I shouldn’t complain.’
He should have been eliminated, crushed by Raystember’s power. He was lucky to be alive, let alone receive any rewards.
And the rewards themselves were substantial. The Snake title had evolved, granting him the Indomitable trait, and the Spider title had also leveled up, imbuing his spider silk with the Adhesive property. In the long run, these enhancements would be invaluable.
–Sizzle.
Of course, the immediate side effects—the searing pain in his tongue as it regenerated, the burning sensation in his fingers—were less than pleasant.
‘I thought I’d acquire the General title as well, but… perhaps that’s asking too much.’
Animal-based titles offered incredible long-term benefits, their abilities growing and evolving alongside him. And the more he acquired, the stronger the synergy between them.
‘I could aim for the Great General title, but… I shouldn’t get greedy. That could backfire.’
He was already progressing at an alarming rate; it was best not to push his luck.
He suddenly felt something soft and yielding against his side, an unfamiliar texture.
‘There’s nothing like this in my room…’
It was a sensation he’d never experienced before, a soft, warm pressure against his skin.
“Mmm… Seok-hyun… are you awake?”
“…?”
Mijuran.
In his bed.
‘Why are you here?’
This was an unexpected development, a situation that defied all logic and reason.
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Thanks for the chapter