novelraw Chapter 62 : Chapter 62
Chapter 62 : Chapter 62
Chapter 62. Tracker of the Mountain Sea (6)
“Pfft.”
Riman spat out the sand he had been holding in his mouth.
He also shook off the sand stuck in every wrinkle of his clothes.
Because he had come out after being stuck inside the quicksand filled with fine sand, his whole body was covered in sand.
‘I thought I was going to die holding my breath inside the swamp.’
Since he was shaking it off anyway, he wanted to take off his shoes and shake out the sand inside them too, but he couldn't afford to.
Because the opponent was still alive.
‘I feel a fluctuation of mana, however faint, from the warehouse side.’
If the Mage had died, the input and output of mana, as well as its flow, would have stopped.
The fact that he could feel the movement of mana itself was proof that Wong Chen was still alive.
‘Good thing I adjusted the output a bit.’
The [Crushing Whirlwind] he just launched at Wong Chen wasn't Riman's full power.
It was a version with deliberately lowered power.
Because Riman intended to capture Wong Chen alive, not kill him.
‘There is a high probability that he is a Mage who formally studied at a Magic Tower.’
In other words, if he caught him and wrung him out, he might find a way to access the Magic Tower's literature.
Therefore, he adjusted the power of [Crushing Whirlwind] to a level just enough to subdue him.
Of course, if an ordinary person had been hit, it would have been enough to kill them five or six times over.
But the opponent was a Mage, a species impossible to subdue without an attack of this magnitude.
Anyway—
‘What I lack right now is the theoretical system of magic.’
And just in time, a Mage appeared in front of him.
A situation where he must capture him alive if possible.
Things seemed to have worked out a bit conveniently, but seizing such an opportunity was also an ability.
Like that, Riman moved his steps toward Wong Chen.
However, he suddenly felt his body stagger slightly.
‘Mm?’
His legs had given way.
His stamina was already strained.
Although he utilized environmental factors to the maximum, Riman had currently unleashed considerable scale magic twice in a row.
He felt his body starting to grumble, telling him to stop.
‘This damn stamina…….’
I should get an elixir from Mr. Ji Byeong-seo as soon as possible to build up stamina and muscle strength.
‘…Come to think of it, I came here for that, but why suddenly a battle.’
Riman massaged his thighs to roughly revive his legs, then started walking toward the warehouse again.
Toward the warehouse where Wong Chen was stuck.
Pajiji……
Riman loaded [Electric Bullet] on the tip of his right index finger.
So that he could counterattack immediately at any time.
Even at this moment when suppression was over, Riman did not relax.
The opponent is a Mage.
Considering their schemes, it wouldn't be strange if they were hiding some trick.
Not letting one's guard down until the very end.
That was the basic principle of dealing with a Mage.
Jeobeok, jeobeok—
At that moment, footsteps were heard from Riman's side.
The Oviparous Humans were approaching Riman.
But they weren't threatening at all.
Because they were in a state of serious injury from the [Wind Wave] explosion a moment ago.
Everyone looked like they had one or two body parts crushed and smashed.
Limping in that state, they were approaching Riman.
Ironically, that was the terrifying thing about Oviparous Humans.
Since the consciousness to sense pain itself was gone, they neither felt fear nor let go of their obsession toward the opponent.
So Riman moved while closely examining the movements of the Oviparous Humans as well.
At that moment.
Seu-eung—
A chilling energy brushed Riman's cheek.
It was flowing out from that warehouse.
Mana?
It is mana.
But……
‘Something is mixed in the mana.’
But he couldn't know what it was with just a simple feeling.
Anyway, what was certain at this moment was…….
‘That bastard is plotting something……!’
Cheok!
Riman immediately aimed the [Electric Bullet] he had loaded toward Wong Chen.
The bullet of electricity clumped even more solidly and finished preparation to be fired.
At that moment.
“Kyahhaaaaaack!”
“Kahhaaaaaack!!”
Screams ripping through ears.
Something began to escape from the bodies of the surviving Oviparous Humans.
Simultaneously, the bodies of those Oviparous Humans began to dry up and shrivel like mummies.
‘What……?’
A bizarre phenomenon of unknown cause.
But as long as it's a situation fighting a Summoner, the answer is simple.
Summoned creatures or whatever, the situation ends if the caster is cut.
And now the caster is in a mangled state due to Riman's attack.
Suppression is easier than ever.
Pishuk!
Riman fired [Electric Bullet] toward Wong Chen.
A bullet of electricity flying at a fierce speed.
However—
Teo-ung!
Blocked.
Unable to even reach Wong Chen, the [Electric Bullet] hit an invisible wall and shattered.
‘What……?’
Is it a barrier?
No, the feeling itself was different from when hitting a barrier.
Then what on earth blocked the attack……
‘…Wait, don’t tell me.’
Hu-uk!
Riman spread [Detection] to its maximum range.
However—
Tu-ung!
Even the mana wavelength of [Detection] hit an invisible wall and was blocked.
No, this wasn't something that could simply be called a wall.
This was……
‘…Severance of space?’
The space surrounding Riman itself had been severed from the outside.
Naturally, it was impossible to cross the gap of that severance with ordinary magic.
‘No, this isn't the problem right now.’
The act of interfering with space itself through magic.
That was something one couldn't dare attempt with mediocre talent and effort.
Even Riman couldn't manipulate space yet.
But……
‘That guy succeeded in that?!’
No matter how much he thought about it, that Summoner bastard's talent wasn't at this level.
But what's done is done.
He couldn't deny the spatial severance that occurred right in front of his eyes.
Ultimately, there was only one thing to do.
Just breaking through this situation somehow.
‘I’ll break it.’
Pajiji……!
Riman concentrated electricity on both palms.
He didn't know how much output he needed to generate to break the spatial severance and escape.
But originally, you don't know until you try.
Just as he was about to unleash the maximum single-point focused attack he could……
[It's useless.]
At that moment, Wong Chen's voice was heard.
A sound plugging straight into his head, not his ears.
This wasn't a sound made by vocal cords, but a voice shot directly using magic.
[This is the final move unleashed by placing my life force on the altar. You can't escape from there.]
“……!”
Riman's question was solved.
Life force, that was the answer.
The guy had performed this magic by cutting and consuming his own lifespan.
Life is the supreme and final value a living being possesses.
If that was sacrificed, this severance of space made sense.
Magic fundamentally follows the principle of equivalent exchange.
Therefore, even if talent is lacking and genius is absent, if one pays a price sufficient to
make up for it, it is sufficiently possible to manifest a deed that seems impossible.
The guy paid a significant portion of his remaining lifespan as the price.
On top of that, probably……
‘He must have used all the surviving Oviparous Humans as sacrifices too.’
The reason why the Oviparous Humans died twisting a moment ago was revealed like that.
Anyway, whatever—
“So what.”
Riman took something out from his bosom.
Glass bottles containing blue liquid.
It was the mana recovery potion Ji Byeong-seo had given as a gift the other day.
But Riman was a body that didn't need ‘recovery’ of mana.
Therefore, this potion performs the role of boosting, not recovery, inside Riman's body.
In short, it amplifies the amount of mana flowing in the body several times over.
And the amount of mana is directly connected to the power and rank of magic.
If one can operate more mana, one can touch higher and stronger magic.
Gulp—
Riman poured 3 doses into his mouth at once.
A volume exceeding the limit the body can accommodate plugs straight into his stomach.
Tu-ung!!
The reaction comes to the heart first.
The beat begins to run wild like crazy.
Blood vessels all over the body began to tremble violently.
Next is the mana circuit.
Shuwa-a-a……!
A tremendous amount of mana poured into Riman's body.
With this, the limit of the current point is temporarily broken.
Now the next step is magic.
Among the magic that comes to mind right now, the magic with the highest single-point destructive power.
[Lightning Spear (Noe-jeon-chang)]
Pajijijik……!
Black lightning extending from Riman's hand is forged into a single spear.
But this wasn't the end.
With just this much, he can't even scratch the spatial severance.
Over one magic, layering magics again.
[Lightning Spear], 11-fold.
Pajijijik……!!
Weaving and twisting eleven [Lightning Spears] into a single strand.
A crazy act he wouldn't even dare attempt usually.
But borrowing the power of the potion, Riman finally succeeded.
Each spear repels each other madly, bursting out enormous energy.
And Riman blocks the bursting energy with all his might.
A massive amount of energy accumulating inside the lightning shaft.
Therefore, the power of the 11-fold [Lightning Spear] wasn't simply 11 times.
Because the power accumulated by the condensation of repulsive force was amplified multiplicatively.
‘The best single-point strike I can pull off in the current situation.’
Riman felt it.
The spatial severance surrounding him began to tighten slowly toward him.
Now was the time to rebel.
Pishuk!
The spear of lightning left Riman's hand.
The black spear tip sparking fiercely plunges into the empty air.
It bursts.
Accelerates.
Crushes.
And pierces.
Pababababak!!
Black electricity bursting out in all directions.
An impact difficult to withstand even standing just from the aftermath created by the impact and explosion exploded.
However, a moment later.
Paseuseu……
Riman felt it.
That nothing had happened.
‘…Damn it.’
Even the decisive blow launched by grinding his physical health couldn't break the severance of space.
And soon after, the recoil struck.
‘Keuk……!’
The mana circuit that had accelerated as if running wild began to scream, and the speed of blood flow ran toward acute hypertension.
Riman stiffened momentarily, clutching his chest.
Wong Chen muttered watching such Riman.
[I told you it's useless.]
A voice imbued with subtle mockery.
[You won't be able to escape from there and will die there.]
“Chatter chatter, you talk a damn lot.”
[Listen. You can't do anything other than listen anyway.]
The sound of Wong Chen giggling low flowed into Riman's head.
[That place is inside a stomach.]
“What?”
[Where you are is inside Gyeryong's stomach, or rather, a place no different from inside the stomach.]
“What bullshit are you…….”
He burned Gyeryong to death earlier.
But suddenly Gyeryong again?
[I extracted the concept of inside Gyeryong's stomach and manifested it inside the severed space.]
In other words……
[You will be digested there, that's what I'm saying.]
“This bastard…….”
Riman tried to squeeze up mana in his body once again.
However—
Kugung!
The heart beating convulsively hindered the construction of magic.
Casting would be possible again after a little time passed, but there was no such time now.
Because the surrounding space was already darkening.
[Don't worry. A terrible situation like flesh falling off as the body melts in gastric acid won't happen.]
“What……?”
[What is digested inside Gyeryong's stomach is only ‘memory’ and ‘consciousness’.]
“……!”
[All memories, knowledge, information, consciousness you held in your head. All those things will flow out.]
Tzrrrrr—
Riman felt it.
That digestion was already beginning.
[And all memories and knowledge you possess will flow into me and become mine.]
“This f……!”
[You will die as an empty shell, not a Mage.]
It really was so.
Riman felt his mind being emptied in real-time.
[By the way, aren't you curious? How my Oviparous Humans were created?]
“I don't know, fuck……!”
[What do you mean you don't know. You are experiencing it right now.]
Ka-geu-rak—
Eggshells that had been rattling since earlier began to flock more and more toward Riman.
[When you are trapped in an egg after having all your memories stolen like that, you will be reborn as a new Oviparous Human.]