"ROOOOOAR!!"
"You're too loud."
Kwakwakwakwa!
A Lesser Catastrophe was still a Catastrophe; the momentum of the Grade 5 Fire Dragon was quite a sight. The fireballs spewing from its maw were more than enough to incinerate the Prophets.
"Everyone, run counter-clockwise!"
I turned my head toward Kim Dokja. Since he knew the patterns, he was busy dodging with everything he had. I could see Minseob and Seongkuk desperately following behind him.
[The Grade 5 Fire Dragon, 'Lesser Dragon Igneel,' is preparing 'Flames of Destruction.']
Flames began to coalesce in Igneel’s mouth. Behind it, the group was scanning the area for a specific platform to activate. If I didn't have the Limitless technique, I’d probably be right there with them, hunting for a safe spot.
"Let’s see if you're at least on Jogo’s level."
[The Grade 5 Fire Dragon, 'Lesser Dragon Igneel,' uses 'Flames of Destruction.']
Just as the party triggered the platform, the beast aimed its breath directly at me. It seemed determined to kill me specifically... but unfortunately, I have no intention of falling for such an attack.
[A significant number of Constellations doubt their eyes at your strength.]
I have a feeling I’m going to get hit with a penalty once this is over due to a "Probability" violation. I recall Dokja’s knowledge causing a similar stir. Ah, well. Maybe some high-ranking Bureau officials among the Dokkaebis can cover for me?
I let out a hollow laugh at the idle thought while watching Igneel pour meaningless attacks on me.
"Anyway, you’re weaker than I thought, Igneel. A Grade 5, and this is all you’ve got...?"
[A large number of Constellations doubt their ears at your statement.]
Oops. I’ve accidentally made the stars doubt both their eyes and ears. Next time, maybe I should make them doubt their sense of smell too?
I smirked and looked back at Igneel. To be honest, I thought it would at least reach the soles of Jogo’s feet. But at this rate, I feel bad for Jogo. If this is a Grade 5...
"I guess I’ll have to wait for a Grade 1."
Disappointed by the weak dragon, I looked over at Kim Dokja, who was still playing the platform game. He’s working hard. Should I handle this quickly?
I reached out and placed a hand on Dokja’s shoulder. In an instant, I warped us both directly in front of Igneel’s snout.
"…?! Yujin, what is this?!"
"Just hold your breath for a second."
I pushed back the approaching heat for the flustered Dokja and glared at Igneel.
"Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void."
Ignoring Dokja’s panic, I crossed my fingers and muttered the words. Dokja stared at me, looking even more bewildered, but I ignored him and expanded the domain.
I understood why he was surprised. He surely remembered the state of Cheon Inho after being hit by this. But as the world turned black and something appeared in the distance, it didn't take long for Dokja to realize he was safe.
"What is... this...?"
"You're asking about the space? This is a Domain. You could call it the interior of my technique, Limitless. Dokja, didn't you say you worked at a game company?"
"…Yes."
"To put it in terms you’ll understand: Think of it as a DDoS attack on the human brain. It causes a total information overload."
Dokja looked at me, seemingly satisfied with the tailored explanation.
"Then why am I unaffected?"
"As long as you're touching me, you're outside the area of effect."
"…Ah."
I looked forward.
"Usually, it looks like that."
Dokja followed my gaze and looked shocked to see Igneel frozen in place, trembling violently.
"I was worried it wouldn't work since it’s not an intelligent lifeform, but I guess we’re in luck."
"Yes, well... I see."
I immediately brought Dokja to the top of Igneel’s head. I wondered for a second if I could rip it off with one hand... but realized the thought was redundant. I grabbed Igneel’s head.
"Close your eyes. This might get a bit messy."
"You don't need to worry about—"
Crr-ack.
Igneel’s head was torn clean off, and blood erupted like a geyser.
Dokja went silent, his sentence cut short. Since the blood didn't touch me, I didn't care. I released the Domain and let go of Dokja.
"Hmm?"
As I tried to move forward to inspect the area, my foot hit something. I looked down to see a man lying dead, foaming at the mouth. Likely a Prophet who had been caught in the range of Unlimited Void.
"Looks like a few got caught in the crossfire."
"Is it any surprise when you deploy such a wide-range attack? I saw last time that you can adjust the scale."
"The dragon was big. I didn't have much choice."
I nudged the fallen Prophets aside and looked around. Quite a few were dead. It looked like most of them hadn't survived the Domain.
Well, considering the ripple effect, this might be better. It’s more annoying if people who are supposed to die stay alive and cause trouble.
"That skill is as terrifying as they say."
"Exactly. A DDoS is dangerous."
Dokja nodded slowly and turned away. I tracked him with my eyes as he hurried toward the flag holder.
"King of No Killing."
He planted the flag and stared into empty space for a long time before whispering the title. It was a privilege granted as a reward for the hidden scenario, if I recalled correctly.
The King of No Killing.
A good choice. Considering what's coming, that title is practically a requirement for Dokja. It even has a resurrection function.
[You have achieved the first kill of the Lesser Catastrophe, 'Lesser Dragon Igneel.']
[You have contributed to the first clear of the fifth scenario.]
[You have achieved an impossible feat.]
As I slid up next to Dokja, the messages confirming Igneel’s defeat finally began to scroll. They were late, probably because the Dokkaebis hadn't expected the beast to die so fast. In other words, it was my fault for being too strong.
"Here it comes."
[Due to the achievement of an impossible feat, compensation calculation will take some time.]
[Some low-ranking Dokkaebis have requested a 'Probability Appropriateness Evaluation' from the Administration.]
Even so, there shouldn't be any immediate issues. A Probability check doesn't happen in an instant, so that Dokkaebi can't harm me yet.
[The Constellation 'Prisoner of the Golden Tightband' rebukes you for not using a staff.]
[The Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is astonished by your strength!]
...
[A large number of Constellations are filled with admiration for your performance.]
Ugh. So many messages.
[You have received a sponsorship of 19,000 Coins.]
"Hoho."
Scrolling through the spam, I couldn't help but smile at the final message. So this is how a popular streamer feels. Not bad at all. But this wasn't the priority, so I cleared the notifications and surveyed the situation.
"Dokja. What are you doing?"
"Extracting the Fire Dragon's Core."
The core. I forgot about that.
"Do you want it?"
"Keep it. It’s yours."
"I won't refuse, then."
Dokja pocketed the core.
"I wonder how those two survived in that mess," I mused.
"Hmm?"
Following Dokja’s gaze, I looked at Lee Seongkuk and Jung Minseob. They had survived because they weren't hit by Unlimited Void, but their pants were soaked. It was a pathetic sight. Well, at least they were alive. They got lucky.
"You handle those two. They look like the type who know which way the wind blows, so they’ll listen."
"That's the plan."
So the Prophets here are mostly dealt with. Now it’s time to worry about the remaining Apostles. I had sent Heewon and Hyunsung back, so damage should be minimized, but I couldn't shake the anxiety. Those guys were Apostles. They knew the future and the world; there was no telling what traps they had prepared.
"I’m heading back to Chungmuro for a bit."
"To Chungmuro?"
"Yeah."
Dokja fell into thought at my words. He was probably wondering why, or if it was okay to leave now.
"You can just wait at Chungmuro Station once you get there."
"Ah, really? Got it."
Since I killed Igneel so fast, I might not be too late. If I’m on time, maybe there won't be any casualties at all.
"See you later."
Hoping I wasn't too late, I clasped my hands, set my destination, and activated the technique.
"…Hah."
I thought I had moved fast, but the situation had already exploded. It looked like a bomb had gone off; debris was everywhere, and the group I had sent ahead—the allies I told to leave—were all down.
"Who are you?"
"I thought there were too many survivors. Looks like we missed a weird one."
"Is that a Mass Destruction Magic Shell?" I asked.
"What? You know about that? Are you a hidden Prophet?"
They probably hadn't lost in a fair fight. I couldn't imagine Heewon, Hyunsung, or Jihye losing to these low-lives. But if they had separated Hyunsung from the group and detonated a Magic Shell to take them all out at once, before finishing him off... that was a different story. They had never seen such items before, so they would have been defenseless.
"Did you not hear me? You look like just another early-game dropout."
Sending Heewon and Hyunsung hadn't been enough. I thought Hyunsung and his gear could handle it, but they must have had something specific prepared for him.
"You brat, are my words a joke to you?"
"I guess I really should just kill everyone."
I looked at the Apostle who was annoying me. He was a fat, bald man dripping with greed, and in his hand, he held Jihye by her hair.
"What? What is this little shrimp barking about?"
"I realize I made a mistake in judgment. My friend's opinion was right after all."
Dokja had been right; it would have been better to keep Heewon and Hyunsung by our side. My bad call had led to more damage. I looked away from the bald pig and toward my fallen comrades on the platform.
"Whatever. I’ll just have to fix it now."
Step. Step.
The sound of someone approaching from behind. I didn't need to look back to know who it was.
"Right? Yoo Joonghyuk."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Joonghyuk walked silently past me and drew his sword. I gripped the Playful Cloud on my back and glared at the Apostles.
It happened in a heartbeat.
The man holding Jihye’s hair lost his head. The one lounging behind him was sent flying by my staff. Judging by the coins that rolled in, the impact killed him instantly.
"Three left?"
"Looks like it."
Our momentum forced the remaining Apostles to falter. These nobodies really thought they could backstab Joonghyuk for profit?
"Disgusting trash."
It’s revolting to see people who can’t achieve anything on their own immediately look for someone to exploit.
Yeah. I’m definitely killing them all.
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