The Player Who Stands Above All

Chapter 203

"…What kind of trick is this?"

At Raven's unexpected action, Jahangil's face momentarily went blank, then hardened as he glared fiercely at her.

Jahangil's eyes, glaring at Raven, flickered fiercely as if he was about to rush at her at any moment.

"Nothing."

But Raven, even while facing Jahangil's gaze head-on, showed no signs of wavering.

'Bluff.'

And for good reason, Raven's eyes were accurately seeing Jahangil's condition.

Jahangil was quite exhausted from his fight with Baekhyun, and his body was wounded here and there, so he was not in a normal state.

Although he wasn't seriously injured enough to collapse immediately, his body was in a state where it was impossible to exert proper strength.

If they fought in this state, no matter how much of a mage she was and how close the distance between them was, she could easily escape.

Therefore, in Raven's eyes, Jahangil's current appearance was nothing more or less than a bluff-filled threat created by a frightened animal forcibly puffing up its fur.

On top of that, the Jahangil she knew was not a fool who would rampage without knowing the situation.

Although he was showing such an appearance to position himself at the high point of the conversation that would follow, it was clear that he knew there was nothing to be gained by fighting now.

'If that weren't the case, he would have swung his fist long ago instead of threatening me with words like this.'

Raven, knowing that, opened her mouth in an indifferent tone.

"I didn't pull any tricks, so don't worry."

"You're telling me to believe you now?"

As Jahangil continued to look at her with suspicious eyes, Raven stared at him for a moment and then said.

"If you stay like this, you'll eventually lose to Gaudi. Is that okay with you?"

"…What do you mean by that?"

Jahangil suppressed the trembling voice that was about to come out and asked, feigning composure.

But Raven's eyes did not miss Jahangil's gaze wavering the moment he heard her words.

'As expected, oppa is amazing. To predict a situation like this.'

Raven thought that, smiled slightly behind her mask, and then said to him.

"Just before joining you, Gaudi, who was gathering information using his abilities, learned of a chaebol, and that that person had gathered a huge amount of magic stones in a warehouse in case of an emergency."

At Raven's words, Jahangil quietly bit his lip and looked at her.

Raven pointed her finger at the cult leader, who was still writhing on the floor, unable to regain his senses, and said.

"While you were thinking only of interfering with me and taking the magic stones from that guy, Gaudi was thinking about how to defeat you while also thinking about interfering with me."

Raven looked at Jahangil, openly showing her disdain.

"Although you're working together for a moment because of me, you two are rivals. And what determines the winner of this mission is the one who first opens the gate using the jewel and calls the knights."

At Raven's words, Jahangil said in a disheartened voice.

"He stored the jewel in the warehouse where the magic stones were stored so that the jewel could absorb the magic power of the magic stones, and then he moved alone to come to my side. Damn it, that means that guy already…"

"No, that's not it."

Raven said, cutting off Jahangil's words.

"Although there were a lot of magic stones in the warehouse, there weren't enough to open the gate at once."

To replace one LV. 4 magic stone, at least 10 LV. 3 magic stones were needed.

And the LV. 4 magic stones in this world had already been mostly preempted and collected by the Ten Kings, including Lee Shin, when the large-scale dungeon break occurred a long time ago.

Therefore, although there were many magic stones in the chaebol's warehouse, most of them were low-grade.

And if he tried to activate the jewel in that way, he would need more time and more magic stones.

"But it would be enough to prepare to open the gate."

Raven said, watching Jahangil's body tremble with anger.

"The reason that guy moved to capture the cult leader was to make you let your guard down, interfere with your work, and, if he had the chance, to take as many magic stones as possible."

Raven looked at Jahangil as if to say, 'do you understand the situation now?'

Kadeuk-

"…How do you know all that? And why did you just leave us alone even though you knew our movements in such detail?"

"It's a secret."

At Raven's words, Jahangil gritted his teeth, but that couldn't be a threat to her.

"The artifact that guy had was one that allowed him to move to a location recorded by its owner. And the location Gaudi chose was, of course, the warehouse where he had hidden the jewel."

Raven, who had said that much, said to Jahangil as if declaring.

"If you stay like this, you will lose."

And she clearly drew his future.

"You will be abandoned by your family, having lost everything you had. Because there's no reason for the family to accept you, who was beaten by an LV. 4 without being able to use your strength, and who also failed the mission."

Raven's words were right.

Therefore, Jahangil couldn't say anything and closed his mouth.

"I know you're suspicious of me, but it's better to be suspicious while looking at the situation. Because you don't have the strength to be suspicious of something or the choice to choose something right now."

Jahangil, who had heard that much, couldn't stand it and asked, even though he knew Raven wouldn't answer.

"What… what do you want?"

"There's no reason to answer."

With those final words, Raven disappeared into the shadows, as if to say, 'the choice is yours'.

"Damn it…"

Jahangil said, spitting, as he looked at the spot where Raven had disappeared.

At first, he had suspected a trap, but as Raven disappeared as if she didn't care what happened, it was Jahangil who became anxious.

A discomfort, as if he were continuously walking on a path someone had set, pounded his heart.

But he had neither the strength nor the means to escape it.

And as Raven had said at the end, the situation was not so relaxed that he could afford to worry about such things now.

"If this is a trap… I'll kill you later, no matter what, you hybrid."

With that weak last word, Jahangil opened the door next to the cult leader and entered.

As Jahangil opened the door, numerous magic stones that filled the room greeted him.

Although there were no LV. 4 magic stones, each and every one was a top-grade LV. 3.

As Raven had said, with this amount, it seemed more than possible to create a gate using the jewel.

Jahangil hesitated for a moment, then made up his mind and slowly took out the jewel from his bosom and held it in his hand.

Woong-!

Simultaneously with coming out of Jahangil's bosom, the jewel flickered slightly as if it had been waiting and began to slowly suck in the magic power of the magic stones in the room.

Normally, Jahangil would have quietly watched that and waited until the jewel had absorbed all the magic stones.

But the situation was different now.

It was an urgent situation where he didn't know when Gaudi would open the gate, and he didn't know when the enemy he had fought would attack.

So he needed to absorb the magic power into the jewel even a little faster.

Even if he had to sacrifice himself.

Teok-

Jahangil, who had made up his mind, held the jewel in both hands and moved his internal energy.

Woong-!

Then, the jewel flickered much more strongly and quickly, scattering light.

On the contrary, Jahangil's face distorted in pain.

What Jahangil was trying to do now could be compared to the work of taking a waterfall and enduring its impact, while at the same time creating clean water with a delicate hand and purifying the water flowing below.

It was a crazy act.

Certainly, if he sacrificed his body like that, he could send refined magic power to the jewel and open the gate faster.

But as a backlash, Jahangil would be in a state where he couldn't use his strength properly and would have to recuperate for at least a year.

But Jahangil gritted his teeth and endured the shock.

Because his body was not important right now.

"Keulreok!"

And Gaudi was thinking the same thing.

He was also accelerating the process of absorbing the magic stones into the jewel, ignoring the impact his body would receive, just as Jahangil was doing.

No, Gaudi's resolve far surpassed that of Jahangil.

Gaudi had not talked with Raven or anything.

This was purely the result of Gaudi thinking and moving on his own.

At the last moment, just as Jahangil had seen Gaudi, Gaudi had also clearly seen Jahangil escaping that place by teleportation.

If there is an element of uncertainty, it is best to eliminate it.

But if it had been just that Jahangil had disappeared in pursuit of the magic stones, he would not have moved so urgently.

Because his jewel had already filled nearly half of the required amount.

Kadeuk-

The driving force that was moving Gaudi now was revenge.

The determination to repay the humiliation and pain he had received from his fight with Crowley a little while ago a hundredfold was now burning his heart.

'I brought the magic stones I collected while moving, so the amount needed to activate the jewel is already enough. No, if it's not enough, I have to open the gate even if it means sacrificing myself.'

Gaudi gritted his teeth and forcibly absorbed the magic power of the magic stones into the jewel.

How much time had passed like that?

Woong-!

The jewel, which had absorbed enough magic power, stopped flickering and emitted a bright light.

As the light subsided, a blue portal appeared from Gaudi's jewel, and a little while later, a tan-colored portal was created from Jahangil's jewel.

Without knowing who had opened the gate faster, the two looked at the portal that had appeared in front of them and straightened their posture.

Chakang- Chakang- Chakang-

The moment they straightened their posture, knights in blue armor and knights in tan armor walked out from inside the portal, lined up in rows.

Seeing the knights who had come out of the portal, the two bowed their heads slightly.

"Gaudi Leviathan of the Leviathan family pays his respects to the great knights of the temple."

"Jahangil Behemoth of the Behemoth family pays his respects to the great knights of the temple."

At that, the men in ornate armor who were coming out from the very front bowed to the two and said.

"Hazel, a knight belonging to the temple, 'Sea', pays his respects to the scion of the Leviathan family, one of the three pillars of the nobility."

"Grif, a knight belonging to the temple, 'Earth', pays his respects to the scion of the Behemoth family, one of the three pillars of the nobility."

Jahangil, who had finished the formal greetings, smiled with a sense of accomplishment, having finally achieved his mission.

But Gaudi, as if it were just the beginning, burned his eyes with revenge.

'This is not enough.'

To give that guy, Crowley, greater despair, this was not enough.

Although he hated to admit it, Crowley's skill was far superior to his own.

On top of that, according to the information, there were still many comrades of similar skill to him here.

So he needed greater power to achieve his revenge.

Therefore, Gaudi said without hesitation.

"Please call the priests. We will begin the summoning ritual immediately."

"The summoning ritual, you say?"

"Yes."

At Gaudi's words, the knight was surprised and asked back as if to reconsider, but Gaudi said again without a moment's hesitation.

Only then did the knight, who had read the wounds on Gaudi's body and the resolve in his eyes, harden his face and nod his head silently.

While Gaudi was preparing a move for revenge.

"Sigh, why are you doing this?"

"You disappeared after saying that yesterday, do you think I wouldn't be angry?"

"What, I kindly left a hidden piece, didn't I?"

Kwaaaang-!

"You mean that ridiculous note from the cult? The one with the strange coupons and lucky letters?"

"Strange? In times like these, a gas discount coupon is so precious, and I wrote the lucky letter by hand, one by one."

"Then you should be beaten by hand too."

Kuuung-!

"No, really, why do I have to be beaten?"

"You're asking because you don't know?"

Cheon Yuhwa gritted her teeth and shouted at Lee Shin.

"Even one Behemoth is a monster we don't know if we can handle with our current strength, but you're crazy enough to call Leviathan and Ziz too?!"

Cheon Yuhwa shouted, panting.

"You committed such a crazy act without consulting me, and you thought I would just let it slide? Do you know what I did to prepare for this?"

"I also had to act in a role I'm not suited for because of that guy."

"Ah, I had fun, Hyung."

At their complaints, Lee Shin let out a deep sigh and said.

"You guys, if you worry about such trivial things, you'll go bald later…"

Kwaaaang-!

Before Lee Shin could finish his words, Cheon Yuhwa created numerous spears of light and swept the area.

(End of Chapter)