From Today, I'm a Player

Chapter 75: Heaven’s Lake Pt. 4

He could feel the mana that lay rampant inside the Seal. It was gathering around him. Reign of Fire burned even fiercer under the influence of his mana stream. His body drew out its potential faster and faster.

As the power fueling it grew stronger, the mana within him didn’t deplete whatsoever.

“How late,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said as he rubbed at his neck that had been crushed in the boy’s grasp. He wasn’t talking to anyone around him, but rather, he was just speaking to himself.

‘I had aimed for that to happen before that, however…’

His mana stream had been extremely active during combat.

In combat, one would be in an intense state of concentration while surrounded by danger. Those things would instinctively depend on how much one would be able to draw from one’s potential and circulate up to even the bare dredges of one’s mana.

Lee Jun-Kyeong had maximized this as he had had his mana stream activated. Therefore, he had a hunch that his mana stream would improve during this battle. No matter how hard he had fought with the other monsters before, he hadn’t felt as though he was in a crisis. This battle, on the other hand, sacrificed safety for a faster return on strength.

The result was as expected as well.

"It was a little late, but it was a success."

He felt the power overflowing within his body. Every cell was wrapped in mana and evolving. The him before his mana stream had leveled up and the him after were worlds apart.

What was he like now?

Boom!

He was faster.

Swish!

More powerful.

Squelch!

More precise.

In an instant, he had exploded forward and pierced forth with Muspel’s Spear.

“Roa—huh?”

The spear was once again lodged in the boy's shoulder. The boy had previously been evading all their attacks and beating them back single-handedly like a monster, but it had now suddenly realized there was something different.

“You should take a taste of your own medicine, too,” Lee Jun-Kyeong quipped.

The situation had reversed, and Lee Jun-Kyeong wrenched out the powerful Muspel’s Spear.

Flicker.

A small flame spread across Muspel’s Spear, eventually passing through the spearhead and condensing on its tip like a dewdrop. The flames on the spear were completely different now compared to what they had been before.

“This is going to hurt,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said.

The flames that had previously enveloped his weapons through Reign of Fire were literally just simple flames born of the flame attribute. The only difference was that the temperature was extremely high compared to other flames, and they were difficult to smother without Lee Jun-Kyeong’s permission.

However, the red, dew-like flames on the tip of his spear were fundamentally different from the regular flames. Mana had been condensed to the point of igniting, and the flame had hints of the essence of fire.

He had finally achieved it.

He murmured, “Origin Flame.”

It was one of the techniques the Demon King had most often used, a skill Lee Jun-Kyeong could finally control now that the level of his mana stream had risen. The principle behind it was a very simple technique if one considered how the mana stream circulated.

[You have acquired the skill Origin Flame without anyone's aid.]

[You have completed an unbelievable achievement.]

[Your unbelievable achievement grants you a large amount of stats.]

[You have completed two unbelievable achievements.]

He heard a flurry of notification messages. Muspel’s Spear had already been infused with Lee Jun-Kyeong’s Origin Flame, so it flew through the air and hurtled toward the boy. It was as if a single line had gently touched the boy, almost like a single bright light.

Drop.

The space seemed to condense.

The incredible heat of the Origin Flame distorted space and then expanded, devouring its target.

BOOM!

Soon after, a massive explosion occurred. The blast was like a visible phenomenon, almost like a black hole.

"Mr. Lee!"

He could hear the screams of Jeong In-Chang, the princess, and Hyeon-Mu all at once. It was as if they could feel the pain from the intense heat as if their skin was melting off their flesh.

He reassured them, “Don’t worry. The flames won’t hurt you.”

However, exclamations of surprise came out when what he promised came true

"What…?" Jeong In-Chang exclaimed. It really was as Lee Jun-Kyeong had said. The incredible pain they had expected never appeared as if the thought had been but a breeze. The flames that passed by avoided the party. The only being to be affected by it was the boy that had been consumed at the epicenter.

“AHHHHH!”

[Reign of Fire has reached level 10.]

[You have completed the ‘Ruler of Fire’ achievement.]

[Reign of Fire has changed to Monarch of Fire.]

His stats weren’t the only things that had changed with the growth of his mana stream. The Authority that had been blocked by the wall at level 9 had also broken through its barrier. It had been incredibly lucky timing.

‘It’s over.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong had been aiming for this to happen.

With the sound of a whimper, the flame died down, and eventually, the appearance of the boy, the boss of the Seal, was gradually revealed.

It no longer had the appearance of a boy. Instead, the owner of the gigantic front paws that it had displayed earlier, a burnt white wolf, stood in front of them.

It wasn’t enough of a shock that the terrible fight had ended so abruptly, but seeing the boy’s true body, Jeong In-Chang exclaimed out loud, "Wow…"

He then commented, “It’s beautiful…”

Jeong In-Chang’s weary visage expressed exactly how difficult the battle was. He had only said two words, but looking at the situation they were in, it was easy to see how heavy the expression itself was.

It was his final words to an enemy, a tribute to a monster that had pushed him to almost beyond the brink of death.

Step.

Lee Jun-Kyeong parted the overflowing flames like the Red Sea and walked forward.

“Roar…”

The boy had transformed entirely into a beast and whimpered in a manner befitting its appearance.

Step.

Lee Jun-Kyeong walked one step closer to the whimpering wolf as its eyes glared terrifyingly at him. He felt an aura of fear exuding from its body as if it would tear him apart if he got any closer.

“How cheeky."

Lee Jun-Kyeong waved his hand, dispersing the aura of fear exuding from its body, and walked forward faster.

‘From the very beginning, you couldn’t beat me.’

His confidence was one that could be described as arrogance, but it was absolutely warranted. Although this was regarding Lee Jun-Kyeong, who hated the idea of birth, there was no way around it for something like this brat in front of him.

This brat would never have been able to defy its nature.

“Grrr…”

The light in the boy’s eyes shifted. It had been ferocious and murderous, but a mild tone had started to spread within its glare. The boy had been injured, and it had been beginning to lose its sanity.

Therefore, it had rampaged into Mt. Baekdu and had fought the powerful Sangun in order to find a way to recover. It had never been a child who had harmed anyone without permission before. It had just been trying to find a way to heal by allowing itself to be sealed here.

However, the heat here had driven it crazy. Therefore, considering that it had fought while it was a complete mess without any sanity, it hadn’t been able to use even half of its power.

If it had been able to use its full power, Lee Jun-Kyeong probably would have lost.

In fact, he most likely wouldn’t have decided to come if that wasn’t the case. But, he had been sure of it.

It was what he had read in the book and remembered.

[I had passed through the flames and approached the brat.]

Step.

[It was a wounded beast. Its gaze, which had been distorted by both anger and pain, had suddenly changed to be filled with sorrow.]

“Grr…”

[Because it had soon recognized something.]

Lee Jun-Kyeong stood right in front of it. Its huge eyes met his. As they stared at each other for a while, he noted something.

Its eyes were like the abyss.

[It had recognized its owner.]

“Huh…!!!” Jeong In-Chang exclaimed in surprise. The boss that had fought with its life on the line was now bowing its head. The wolf stood with its head bowed, and it looked even more noble and beautiful.

Swish.

Its burnt fur returned to its original state, pure white, like the perennial snow that covered Mt. Baekdu. There wasn’t a single speck of color to be found on its brilliant hide.

“Growl.”

It bowed low to the floor towards Lee Jun-Kyeong.

Lee Jun-Kyeong raised his hand over its head.

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> looks at you seriously.]

It was the first time his Sponsor had looked at him this seriously.

Lee Jun-Kyeong placed his hand on the wolf’s head.

“Grrr.”

The wolf growled, and at the same time, the beginnings of a bond had formed.

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> has sponsored you with a bond.]

[A bond is possible. Would you like to proceed?]

He had finally received an ability that quite a few Hunters had access to.

Bonding was a skill that created synergy when Hunters with the same Sponsor worked together—being able to bond meant that they would have the same Sponsor.

‘This brat…’

It wouldn’t have had a Sponsor–no, it couldn’t have one. The Sky of the Apocalypse only supported one Hunter. That was an unchanging fact.

This little brat…

[<The Sky of the Apocalypse> looks at the lost child.]

It was presumed that it was a child of <The Sky of the Apocalypse>, and <The Sky of the Apocalypse> was Lee Jun-Kyeong’s Sponsor.

‘I’m…’

He was the incarnation of <The Sky of the Apocalypse>. This brat had come to its senses and recognized him as its owner.

He began to stroke the wolf, and as if it had been a warmth it hadn’t felt in a long time, the wolf quickly closed its eyes in peace.

Although the wolf looked so gentle right now, it was known as one of the demons that had shaken the world together with the Demon King.

It was a companion of the Demon King, a subordinate, and, like a child.

[The Pure-White King, the Lord of Beasts, the Fangs of God. They were all names that the people had called it.]

Its name was…

“Fenrir,” he stated.

[Bond evolves into Servitude.]

[Servitude is possible. Would you like to begin the contract?]

Lee Jun-Kyeong didn’t have to consider it. Then, all of a sudden, a bright light erupted from his hands and the wolf’s body.

***

“Di… did it end?”

The earthquakes in Heaven’s Lake Village had stopped. All of a sudden, heaven and earth had become quiet, and only the sounds of birds chirping could be heard throughout Mt. Baekdu. The villagers of Heaven’s Lake Village talked about the event as they looked over the suddenly quiet village.

“Village Chief…”

Yet, Ungnyeo still stood in front of Heaven’s Lake with a bronze bell in one hand and a bronze sword in the other.

Clang!

When the bell rang again, the world was wholly engulfed in silence. Then, in a silence that was so quiet that one could count the noises, a small reverberation rang out.

Thrum.

The lake slowly split apart, and a man came out quietly and calmly from within the divided lake.

“You came back alive,” she noted.

One man.

Then, another.

“...”

And, Ungnyeo closed her mouth. There was something in Lee Jun-Kyeong’s hands. It was definitely something she recognized.

“Sangun!” Ungnyeo shouted loudly.

Clang, clang, clang!

The reverberation grew stronger. The residents of Heaven’s Lake Village saw that the situation had ended and had begun to relax, but the vibrations that followed soon forced them to lay flat on their stomachs again.

“...”

Soon, Lee Jun-Kyeong and Jeong In-Chang stood up under the cold gaze from Ungnyeo.

In Lee Jun-Kyeong’s arms was a small naked boy.

“What did you do,” she asked. If she was given the wrong answer, then the bronze sword she was holding was poised to pierce through Lee Jun-Kyeong’s chest.

Boom, boom, boom!

After loud thuds shook the ground, Sangun could be seen on the horizon. His body should have been covered in white fur, but it was stained with gray. It was the wounds from fighting Fenrir combined with the mark of time.

“Sangun has arrived…”

“What is… what could be going on that…”

The residents of Heaven Lake Village didn’t often see Sangun’s visage, so their hearts tightened as they looked to the shore of Heaven Lake.

On one side was a giant tiger and a girl, the other two men and a boy. Then, Lee Jun-Kyeong spoke first, “I’m fulfilling my promise.”

–Are you trying to deceive me? Surely you must kill the intruder…

“I never said I was going to kill it. I was quite clear about it when I negotiated with you,” Lee Jun-Kyeong retorted gently as he looked into Sangun’s eyes.

Sangun looked confused as if he had noticed the change in Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“I said that I would reap the intruders trapped within the Seal.”

–That is…

He had definitely said that. But, of course, Sangun had assumed that the meaning behind the word was death. He didn’t realize it was meant literally.

–By reap, you mean…

“He’s not dangerous,” Lee Jun-Kyeong said as if he was persuading Sangun.

“This brat… now he’s not…” Lee Jun-Kyeong’s eyes lit up for a moment. “He won’t be dangerous to you, specifically.”

Just then, the boy opened his eyes.

Flinch.

Because he was the monster who had directly clashed with Sangun, because Ungnyeo had seen the extent of his power, she stood, nervous, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

"…"

However, the first thing the boy did when he woke up was bow to the two who were watching him anxiously.

"…"

"…"

He then raised his head and looked at Lee Jun-Kyeong. Lee Jun-Kyeong patted the boy's head and said arrogantly, “Did you see that?"

1. We’ve been switching pronouns for the boy/wolf based on how he’s been portrayed. We’ve made it a rule to make all monsters androgynous unless otherwise indicated, so once the boy had been exposed to be a monster, we reverted to the pronoun it. However, now that the monster has shifted to be a child of <The Sky of the Apocalypse> and a boy again, we are reverting to he.