11. The World Tree (2)
A white light erupted from Kim Jin-hyeok’s sword.
To others, it might have seemed like a holy light, but to Jin-woo, it was the bloodstained blade of a butcher.
That was the sword’s true nature, the reality hidden beneath its “holy” facade.
The magical energy woven into Kim Jin-hyeok’s martial arts and his sword was formidable. How many people had he killed to amass this much power?
Even Remorr would have struggled against him.
“Die!”
Whoosh!
He swung his sword.
The magical energy surged towards Jin-woo.
Sword Qi.
It was Kim Jin-hyeok’s Awakening technique, a manifestation of his mastery of the sword, allowing him to overcome the inherent limitations of a blade’s reach. Most swordsmen’s Awakening techniques took the form of Sword Qi.
There were various types, some focused on cutting power, others on brute force or explosive energy.
Kim Jin-hyeok’s Sword Qi, however, prioritized destructive power. It was designed to crush and tear through flesh.
Crack!
It sliced through the air, breaking the sound barrier, reaching Jin-woo in an instant. The sound of the impact lagged behind, a delayed echo of its destructive power.
No ordinary mage could react in time.
But as it reached Jin-woo…
Swoosh!
The supersonic blade slowed down dramatically.
“What…?”
Kim Jin-hyeok’s eyes widened in shock.
He recovered quickly and unleashed another wave of Sword Qi.
It was an expenditure of magical energy that would have been impossible for any other martial artist. It was only possible thanks to the vast reserves of mana stored within his sword.
But as they reached Jin-woo, they all slowed down, their momentum sapped.
Jin-woo slowly raised his hands.
Magic circles appeared in his palms.
Perfect double casting.
He looked at the blades of Sword Qi hovering before him, then plunged his hands into the mass of energy, tearing it apart.
Boom!
The deflected blades slammed into the chamber walls, pulverizing stone.
Jin-woo walked towards him, his movements calm and deliberate.
For a mage to abandon the advantage of range was foolish. But strangely, the situation was reversed.
“This is impossible!”
Kim Jin-hyeok stumbled back, fear creeping into his eyes.
He swung his sword wildly, his attacks desperate and clumsy.
There was no finesse, no experience, no hint of the battle-hardened warrior he claimed to be. He had never faced a real challenge, never truly fought for his life. He was just a larva, feeding on what was given to him.
He deflected the incoming blades with his hands, magic circles shielding him from harm.
The ground around him was scarred and cracked, but the path he walked remained untouched.
A thin cut appeared on the back of his hand.
Kim Jin-hyeok’s eyes lit up, a flicker of hope returning.
But the wound vanished, healing instantly.
It had been a superficial cut, nothing more.
Kim Jin-hyeok’s body trembled.
Jin-woo, in his eyes, was a monster.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
There were no benevolent supernatural powers.
Kim Jin-hyeok relied heavily on his sword.
He always had, and he always would.
His greed was insatiable, and it had eventually led him to target the magical powers of his fellow mages. He had killed them, his allies, in secret, absorbing their power. His “holy” Sword Qi was fueled by their stolen lives.
He couldn’t remember exactly when it had happened… It was probably around the time Jin-woo had become an Archmage.
Kim Jin-hyeok wouldn’t have let him live. He was too valuable a target.
He remembered Deran.
Kim Jin-hyeok had stood before him, his sword dripping with blood.
‘Deran, you should run.’
‘Archmage, you once asked me about the secrets of Spirit Summoners, didn’t you?’
‘Why… why now?’
‘Let me tell you one secret. The Spirit Realm exists outside the flow of time. Past, present, and future exist simultaneously. However, that doesn’t mean we can predict the future. We can only sense it, vaguely.’
Kim Jin-hyeok had approached, his face twisted with arrogance.
Deran summoned a water spirit, its form enveloping Jin-woo.
‘But there’s one thing I know for certain. I know when I’m going to die.’
‘What…?’
‘I tried to fight destiny, but… it seems unnecessary now.’
Deran gestured, and Jin-woo’s body lifted off the ground.
‘What a wonderful destiny. I’ll gladly die for you.’
Deran smiled, a serene expression on his face, and turned away.
It was the last time Jin-woo saw him alive.
The water spirit carried him away. When the spirit was recalled, Jin-woo knew Deran was gone.
He had sacrificed himself.
But the situation was different now.
Kim Jin-hyeok wasn’t approaching; Jin-woo was the one advancing. And they were alone.
There was nothing to stop him.
“You think you can defeat me with magic?!”
Kim Jin-hyeok attacked, his swordsmanship on full display.
To Jin-woo, it was like watching a fly buzzing around, its movements slow and predictable.
“Let me show you.”
Everything he had learned, everything he had endured.
He shattered the magic circles in his palms.
New circles began forming, tracing the lines of his arms, reaching towards his mana core, flowing through his veins.
His entire body was covered in magic circles.
Combat Magic.
The Fifth Form: Mana Amplification.
His mana core went into overdrive, flooding his body with magical energy. The surrounding mana particles reacted, swirling around him, their density so high they became visible.
It was a technique that unleashed his full magical potential in a single burst, enhancing his physical abilities, his cognitive functions, and his mana reserves.
An Awakening technique.
It was similar to a martial artist’s Awakening.
Kim Jin-hyeok, sensing the shift in power, charged.
His Sword Qi might be ineffective, but he still had his swordsmanship.
He wasn’t known as the Genius Swordsman for nothing. He closed the distance, his blade flashing, but an invisible force pushed him back.
“M-mana? Magic?”
His senses were overwhelmed, his vision blurring.
“Grand Magic.”
Jin-woo, watching him struggle, revealed the nature of his power.
This was just the first step towards unleashing a Grand Spell.
He extended his hand.
A single gesture was all it took.
Multiple magic circles appeared before him.
The Authority of Time activated, holding them in stasis.
Auxiliary Mana Circuits.
Activating them simultaneously would allow him to access a level of power beyond his current capabilities, a taste of his future potential.
Red sparks danced between the circles, merging them into a single, massive circle.
Spells were classified based on their scale, mana expenditure, and the complexity of their techniques.
Grand Spells typically required three or more mages to cast.
But Jin-woo was doing it alone, drawing upon his own power.
It was a true Grand Spell.
Was it 5th Grade? Or perhaps 4th?
The classification didn’t matter.
Kim Jin-hyeok’s eyes widened in horror as…
Boom!
The spell activated.
A giant fireball erupted from the magic circle, its size dwarfing Kim Jin-hyeok.
It was like staring into the heart of the sun.
The shockwave from its emergence rippled through the chamber.
The Grand Spell: Hellfire.
A spell that incinerated everything in its path.
The intense heat melted the stone floor. Steam rose from Kim Jin-hyeok’s body, his protective gear softening, fusing with his skin.
He didn’t even have time to scream.
He summoned his remaining strength, swinging his sword.
It was a futile gesture.
“Aaaaaargh!”
His sword glowed red.
It was an artifact, its form unchanged, but the intense heat transferred directly to him.
Clang!
His hands melted, and the sword fell to the ground.
Jin-woo raised his hand, and the fireball grazed Kim Jin-hyeok, slamming into the ceiling.
Boom!
The ceiling exploded, a massive hole opening up, revealing the night sky.
Molten rock rained down.
Kim Jin-hyeok collapsed, his hands mangled, half his body cooked, his bones visible through his melted suit.
Jin-woo lowered his hand.
He had crushed Kim Jin-hyeok with magic. His vaunted Sword Qi had crumbled before him.
But he didn’t kill him immediately.
“Ugh…”
Kim Jin-hyeok twitched on the ground.
Molten lava flowed towards him, engulfing his feet.
“Now you look the part.”
It was a fitting image.
“The artifacts… where did you get them?”
“I-I don’t know… I found them… I found them in the mountains…”
Jin-woo lifted his head, bringing his face closer to the lava.
“Aaaaaargh! Someone gave them to me! I don’t know who! I don’t know! Please!”
Kim Jin-hyeok screamed, tears streaming down his face.
It was valuable information.
‘An artifact maker.’
It wasn’t conclusive, but it was a possibility.
“Please… spare me… it hurts… huh?”
He stared at the lava, his expression blank, as it got closer.
Jin-woo submerged his face in the molten rock.
Even with his face melting, Kim Jin-hyeok thrashed, his body convulsing. An Awakened martial artist’s vitality was as tenacious as a cockroach.
It was a curse now.
All that remained was a single ear.
“Do you know why I chose to fight you directly?”
He thrashed, his body writhing.
“Because if I killed you quickly, I wouldn’t be able to do this.”
Perhaps he understood Jin-woo’s words.
His struggles intensified.
He wanted to scream, to beg for death, but he had no mouth. Jin-woo picked up a large mana stone and embedded it in his chest.
He then drew a magic circle on his body.
A healing spell. Powered by the mana stone, it would keep him alive, barely. He would likely live longer than he was supposed to. And then, using the Authority of Time, he cast a physical enhancement spell on him, embedding it in his mind.
He didn’t bother calculating the side effects. It was more convenient this way.
If it worked, Kim Jin-hyeok would experience time at a slower pace, every second stretched into an eternity.
‘Whatever.’
He dragged Kim Jin-hyeok’s body towards a deep fissure in the ground. It was a bottomless chasm, a place where no one would ever find him.
Unless they excavated the entire mountain.
“Whew…”
Jin-woo exhaled deeply.
Fatigue washed over him, the aftereffect of unleashing his full magical potential. It was a powerful technique, one that could potentially damage his mana core, but he was an Archmage.
He was simply exhausted, his mana reserves depleted.
He was tired.
The events of the past few days had taken their toll.
He looked at his hands, feeling no remorse, no guilt.
He had seen the horrors of the future, the depths of despair that awaited them.
He was relieved.
He had removed an obstacle, a threat to their survival.
As his mana reserves recovered, he stood up.
He looked around the devastated chamber.
The Mimic Larvae were all dead, incinerated by his spell. But the giant Mimic Larva, the one mimicking the World Tree, remained untouched.
It pulsed with an immense amount of magical energy.
The mana stones, affected by his spell, glowed with an even brighter blue light. Each one was a treasure trove of magical energy, a fortune to any mage.
And to corporations.
If this place were ever discovered, corporations would swarm, their pockets overflowing with money, eager to exploit this resource.
He chuckled softly.
What value did these things hold, when they were hastening the world’s demise?
To him, they were worthless.
He would rather have the dead larvae at his feet.
‘But…’
A mage could transform something worthless into something valuable. And he was an Archmage.
He picked up the discarded sword and ring.
He could sense their power, the supernatural abilities they contained.
He looked up at the giant Mimic Larva.
It emitted a unique mana signature, a frequency that controlled the other larvae. It was the reason behind their explosive growth in the past year.
He descended, circling the giant creature.
‘It’s feeding well.’
Most of its sensory organs had atrophied.
It was focused solely on consuming and multiplying. The mature larvae acted as its eyes and ears.
It was draining the World Tree’s nutrients and mana.
Unlike the giant hornets, who had formed a symbiotic relationship with the World Tree, this creature was a parasite, taking without giving.
Its immense size was a testament to its insatiable appetite.
If Ilsin or Hancheon got their hands on this, they would dissect it, study it, and create something far worse. He wouldn’t be surprised if they developed a machine that could extract all the mana from the World Tree, converting it into mana stones.
He remembered the sheer volume of mana stones Hancheon had produced in the past.
‘The reason why the World Tree withered.’
The threat wasn’t external; it was internal.
They were selling off their own vital organs for profit. Corporations, driven by greed, wouldn’t hesitate to do such a thing. Very few cared about the future.
He remembered what he had told Deran.
‘The World Tree will recover.’
He had lied.
He was an Archmage.
He was here to prevent the world’s destruction. And he knew what he had to do.
He approached the giant Mimic Larva.
It sensed the threat and let out a piercing screech. Mimic Larvae from all over Bukhansan began converging on their location.
“Whew…”
He took a deep breath and held up the sword and the ring.
His mana core activated, its energy surging, absorbing the power contained within the artifacts.
His veins throbbed.
His mana core felt like it was going to explode.
Screech!
The giant Mimic Larva writhed, emitting a strange sound. To Jin-woo, it sounded like a terrified scream. It had a massive body, but it was crying like a child.
His skin began to crack.
His body was struggling to contain the immense power flowing through him. Blood seeped through his clothes, evaporating instantly due to the intense heat.
He could feel the full extent of the artifacts’ power, their potential. With them as his conduit, he could achieve anything.
The Mimic Larvae, a writhing tide of flesh and chitin, surged towards him.
But he didn’t stop. The sword and the ring, glowing red hot, melted, then vanished.
Crackle!
A magic circle formed on the giant Mimic Larva’s body.
He understood now, how it had produced the mana stones.
The knowledge solidified in his mind, transforming into a technique.
A spell.
“If you eat something you shouldn’t, you have to spit it out.”
He reversed the process.
Using the giant Mimic Larva as a catalyst, he channeled the artifacts’ power in reverse.
Just as the swarm of larvae was about to reach him…
Boom!
The spell completed itself.
The power of the artifacts was immense.
It exceeded his expectations, a torrent of raw energy.
The larvae froze mid-air, their advance halted. He looked at the giant Mimic Larva.
Its body, like a deflating balloon, began to shrink, its skin collapsing, holes appearing.
Hiss!
It deflated rapidly, releasing a blast of mana.
The giant Mimic Larva vanished, turning to dust.
And then, a storm of mana erupted.
The mana stones, caught in the maelstrom, were sucked in.
Rocks levitated, the ceiling crumbled, revealing the night sky.
Dark clouds churned overhead, obscuring the moon, plunging the world into darkness.
His body trembled.
He had reached his limit, his mana and stamina depleted.
The storm of mana surged upwards, towards the sky.
Boom! Crackle!
A magic circle formed within the swirling energy, its intricate patterns shifting and changing, branching out like a sprouting seed.
A smile touched his lips.
“Return.”
He spoke softly.
Reversal.
It was his specialty.
Crackle! Boom!
The storm of mana reversed its course, flowing downwards, towards the World Tree’s root.
The ground cracked, and he was thrown back.
“Whew…”
He staggered, then collapsed, his vision blurring.
He had pushed himself too far, his mana, stamina, and mental energy completely drained.
He leaned against the wall, looking up at the sky.
The dark clouds had vanished, revealing a clear night sky. Perhaps it was the lingering effect of the ring, but the mana particles danced in the air, shimmering like stars.
The withered root of the World Tree was regaining its vitality.
But this was just the beginning.
Rumble!
The ground shook, a tremor that echoed through the mountain.
The ground split open, and the World Tree’s root surged upwards, its withered tip bursting forth with new growth, tendrils snaking outwards, anchoring themselves to the surrounding soil.
“Hmm…”
He observed it for a moment, then reviewed the technique, his brow furrowing.
“A bit…”
It wasn’t a mistake.
He had simply overdone it.
‘Still, for a first attempt…’
Not bad.
He felt like he had pushed back the inevitable, just a little.