From Today, I'm a Player

Chapter 159: The Second Skull Pt. 5

Jeong In-Chang stood flabbergasted at the sight of Hell spread out in front of him.

Swish!

As if a spear and arrows had been thrown and shot at him, a fierce wind barreled toward Jeong In-Chang.

“Goongje!”

The princess hurriedly blocked in front of him.

Slice! Squelch!

Even though it was just wind, it had still cut through the princess’ skin. It was a fierce wind that could cut through even the tough hide of an Orge Mage.

“Princess!” Jeong In-Chang called out, coming to his senses.

He plunged the greatsword into the ground and circulated his mana.

A thin, protective barrier formed around them, blocking the way, and the wounded princess was once again held within Jeong In-Chang’s arms.

He looked over again.

“This is…”

It was a sight that made even forming words difficult.

“A…a ghost?”

There were thousands of soldiers, seemingly formed of wood and stone, that were being confronted by seemingly blurry astral figures.

.

It was like watching a great battle in hell.

The soldiers of wood and stone attacked the astral figures with well-refined weapons.

Swish!

However, their attacks were just fleeting, cutting through the spiritual figures. In contrast, the astral figures weren’t even properly armed.

'Are those people… ?'

They even looked like ordinary Korean citizens.

But they wept bitterly.

–Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

And they clung to the soldiers of wood and stone with ear-piercing screams.

Every time they made a move, a fierce wind blew across Jeong In-Chang’s skin.

Moreover.

Ssssshhhh.

The astral figures clinging to the soldiers made of wood and stone melted their bodies as if their astral bodies had a corrosive aura.

It was a horrifying scene. At the center of it, there were two people who seemed to be colliding with reality itself.

“Mr. Lee!”

Although seemingly having the same appearance as the soldiers, there was a being who was pressuring Lee Jun-Kyeong with movements full of vitality.

Jeong In-Chang instantly recognized who it was.

“The ruler of Incheon…!”

He had seen that being before. The ruler was moving at a speed that was hard to follow with one’s eye.

Swish! Swick!

He was shooting arrows at Lee Jun-Kyeong, but the arrows seemed more like spears than anything else, too huge to be called simple arrows.

Boom!

They had incredible destructive power, like bombs.

An arrow with that sort of power would blast through someone’s body, rather than pierce or cut through the skin, even just by brushing against it.

Clang!

Lee Jun-Kyeong was swinging Muspel’s Spear to swat aside the arrows. As the spear swung, it spewed out heat as it accelerated.

Clang!

It collided with an arrow.

Lee Jun-Kyeong blocked the tremendously destructive arrows that were the same size as his spear.

Flicker!

Muspel’s Spear was endlessly vomiting flames.

“Ha…”

At that moment, Jeong In-Chang seemed to be suffocating. He had thought that he had grown enough to catch up to Lee Jun-Kyeong, even if it was just a little.

‘Just how the hell does he do it…?’

However, Lee Jun-Kyeong had already gone further.

He hadn’t been able to even hunt, so it wasn’t as if he could have received proper sponsorship either.

Of course, his growth was still by no means similar to a typical Hunter–no, he was at a level that not even Heroes could easily follow.

Jeong In-Chang suddenly remembered what the Hunter had told him.

'I'm a little different from a normal Hunter.'

He had asked Lee Jun-Kyeong how he had been able to grow so quickly.

‘I am…’

He still didn’t quite understand his companion’s answer then.

‘I am a player.’

But now, he understood more clearly than ever that the Hunter was a completely different being from people like him.

“Kyyyaaak!”

Jeong In-Chang turned his head at the sudden shouts.

The soldiers of wood and stone hadn’t been able to damage the astral figures whatsoever until suddenly, their weapons had a blue aura that began to cut through the astral figures.

‘Mana…’

Jeong In-Chang recognized it.

Now that the astral figures were starting to suffer,

Clench.

He knew it was time for him to make his move.

***

Clang!

Lee Jun-Kyeong could feel his ears trembling, his hearing fading.

The arrows shot by Elfame had grazed by his ears, and the waves alone were enough to make his eardrums explode.

Elfame was a terrifying archer, an archer with skills to the extent that one wondered if there was anyone who could be titled a master archer when compared to him.

However, such a masterful archer was aiming at himself.

Swish!

It was the worst type of enemy.

Moreover, there was another problem.

‘More and more…’

He was getting stronger.

Whether it was the arrow’s speed or his movement, they were rising rapidly.

At first, he had been able to attack the bastard, but by this point, he barely had enough time to dodge the arrows.

If there was something for him to be relieved by, it was that he had something helping him on the side.

–Groooogh.

An incomprehensible cry rang out in Lee Jun-Kyeong's head, a new subordinate who controlled the astral figures to block Elfame’s army.

Hel’s aid was great.

The soldiers of wood and stone seemed to be Elfame’s clones, and he could feel the speed at which Elfame strengthened was slowing down as he defeated his soldiers one by one.

But even so, there was no answer.

“Heh heh…” Elfame laughed madly, pressing down on him.

“The ruler…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong was somewhat aware of the power of the ruler, which he had only seen in books.

When the cataclysm struck, the Hunters had struggled a lot. However, it wasn’t because they were isolated from one another due to the augmented monsters or the veil or because there were constantly occurring gate breaks around them.

‘The rulers.’

No, it was because of the rulers.

They had intelligence incomparable to the monsters and strength unparalleled to any boss monster. While no detailed information about them survived to his time, tales of how fierce and strong they were had been told in many different ways.

It was also said that different rulers appeared in different regions, and these rulers each had their own unique abilities and growth methods.

That was the most important part.

‘The growth method.’

These rulers could grow like Hunters.

There were rulers who appeared fully grown in the first place and also rulers who would appear and then grow stronger over time.

Just like the Hunters.

Thus.

‘I didn’t mention anything about the rulers to them.’

If Lee Jun-Kyeong had told them about the existence of the rulers, then the Hunters around the world would have tried to kill them quickly, no matter what they would have to sacrifice.

However, if the Hunters killed a ruler, then the ruler would be revived.

‘They would always come back in their completed states.’

That was why he had refused to explain about the rulers.

The Hunters would make their own judgments and attack if they felt like it, which was what Lee Jun-Kyeong thought would be the best way for things to go.

The problem was something different.

Crack!

The problem was the fact that he was having a difficult time right now.

Lee Jun-Kyeong looked down.

His thigh had been grazed by one of Elfame’s arrows.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a fatal injury as he had defended against it using his mana, but the ruler’s attacks were beginning to land on him.

‘Mr. Jeong.’

Also, Lee Jun-Kyeong had noticed that Jeong In-Chang had arrived, but he had no time to care about him.

He had to take down Elfame quickly.

He had to kill that monster in front of him that was getting stronger at every moment as he was a monster that devoured people.

“Ugh!”

But.

He was getting stronger too quickly.

‘Muspel’s Spear…’

Lee Jun-Kyeong had been feeding Muspel’s Spear flames continuously.

Although it felt stronger after doing so, that was all there was to it.

‘Just like when I fought Odin…’

Unfortunately, it wasn’t reaching the level of change as it had during that fight. If he had that much strength at this moment, then he would be able to defeat Elfame.

Wait.

‘No.’

Lee Jun-Kyeong had been deliberately wary of Muspel’s Spear for a reason and quickly suppressed his reinforcement of the weapon.

Someone’s words had suddenly come to mind.

‘Make sure you don’t get devoured.’

Muspel’s Spear was a demonic spear, so it was always aiming to consume him.

Lee Jun-Kyeong had been suppressing it so far, but the stronger he got, the stronger Muspel’s Spear would get in return.

It was always aiming to consume him, casting its demonic aura at him.

Lee Jun-Kyeong had felt it ever since the last fight against Odin.

There were too many possible dangers that could overwhelm him, so it wasn’t a good idea for him to unleash an untamed demonic beast.

As Lee Jun-Kyeong’s thoughts continued, a voice whispered in his ear, “Are you daydreaming?”

Squelch.

“What are you thinking about in front of me?”

Elfame's arrow went into Lee Jun-Kyeong's back.

He hadn’t even been able to protect the area with his mana.

“Cough!”

Lee Jun-Kyeong screamed and coughed up blood. He looked behind himself with eyes dripping blood.

“Hehehe…”

Elfame was standing before his eyes, letting out a bleak laugh again, having landed there before he had noticed.

“Now, be consumed by me,” he said as he reached out with his hand.

Lee Jun-Kyeong had to make his choice now.

‘Who will I be consumed by?’

Would it be Muspel’s Spear?

Or the man-eating demon?

The answer was decided.

Squelch.

Muspel’s Spear began to spew out thorns.

***

Lee Jun-Kyeong seemed to have become an engine.

The mana flow emitted from Muspel’s Spear pumped through Lee Jun-Kyeong’s body, passing through the dragon heart.

Then, the Madness, dragon’s blood and mana circulated through him and passed through Muspel’s Spear again.

Flicker.

The spear combusted into flames.

Muspel’s Spear no longer was in the shape of a spear. Rather than calling it a spear, it had become a weapon much larger, much longer. A weapon the size of a lance soon appeared in Lee Jun-Kyeong’s hand.

“Whew…”

Dragon scales encroached all over him.

His Dragon’s Bloodstone was much different from Jeong In-Chang’s.

Not only did Jeong In-Chang have resistance to the dragon’s blood, but he was also manipulating pure dragon energy, an energy untainted by Madness.

As for Lee Jun-Kyeong.

“The Berserk Dragon…” Jeong In-Chang said as he looked up at the sky.[1]

Lee Jun-Kyeong’s appearance was completely unfamiliar.

He spread wings made of bones on his back and rose into the sky. Scales had sprouted all over his body, and his arm had merged into a lance, just as Jeong In-Chang had done with his greatsword.

He was a Dragon Knight.

‘The Dragon Knight of the Berserk Dragon.’

For some reason, Jeong In-Chang thought of that phrase.

Lee Jun-Kyeong, who was floating in the air, and Elfame, who was on the ground, collided.

Boom!!!!

Before, Lee Jun-Kyeong hadn’t been able to keep up with Elfame’s speed, but he was different now.

Not only had his speed increased.

Swoosh!

His attack range had also widened.

When Lee Jun-Kyeong stabbed out with his spear, a wave exploded forth, rippling through space as if it was tearing the very reality apart.

“Keughk!!!!”

The soldiers of wood and stone that remained alive in the form of Elfame all died.

–Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa.

Even the astral figures who had been fighting the soldiers couldn’t handle it either.

It was a relentless fight, and there was another growth.

However.

Jeong In-Chang felt uneasy and ominous at Lee Jun-Kyeong’s altered appearance.

As Lee Jun-Kyeong increasingly clashed with him and left wounds, nervousness appeared on Elfame’s face as he tried to keep Lee Jun-Kyeong in check.

“How uncivilized…!”

Although Lee Jun-Kyeong’s growth was incredibly rapid, it was ominous.

Jeong In-Chang continued to feel uneasy and out of sorts.

As Lee Jun-Kyeong’s reddened eyes briefly passed over Jeong In-Chang…

Shiver.

…Jeong In-Chang felt ice go down his spine, leaving goosebumps in his wake.

Although it was true that Lee Jun-Kyeong was pushing the ruler back, he was worried that he would lose his companion in the process.

However.

“Hel…!”

Lee Jun-Kyeong called out a word that Jeong In-Chang had never heard in the air.

Then, a change occurred.

Shhhh.

The astral figures that were dealing with the soldiers suddenly turned and headed toward Lee Jun-Kyeong.

Soon, they merged together, condensing into an armor-like form.

Some also moved over and clung to the burning lance.

“The scales…!” Jeong In-Chang shouted.

The astral figures were clinging to his body, dissolving the scales as they had dissolved the soldiers.

Moreover, as they passed through Lee Jun-Kyeong’s entire body, they seemed to turn something around within him.

“Whew…”

Lee Jun-Kyeong’s eyes had been consumed by Madness, but as they slowly regained reason, he felt it.

‘A new power of the Demon King.’

He had finally gotten it, a new power that the Demon King had used in the past.

1. Reference to one of Korea’s most famous games, Dungeon Fighter Online. ????