CHAPTER 108**

108 – Still As Blue As Ever

Kalesian, rising from a cloud of dust, shook his head. He couldn't get his bearings, not because of the pain, but because of the shock.

The fact that he had been struck by his own security magic, a system he had set up in his own home, was utterly devastating.

"Kalesian?"

"Ah, ah, just a moment. It seems there was a slight malfunction."

Feeling embarrassed under Jinwoo's gaze, Kalesian cleared his throat with a cough. Then he leisurely tried to enter the lair again.

SMACK—!!

"Gak!"

The magic activated once more, swatting Kalesian away. Thrown back in a similar fashion, Kalesian couldn't get up this time and just lay there, stunned.

"What happened?"

"Hahaha, as expected of my magic. I've sealed it up so tightly that not even an S-class Hunter can break in."

"And that's why you can't get in either?"

"......."

Jinwoo stared at the scratching Kalesian with a dumbfounded expression.

"The incident in Ireland was quite a big deal, wasn't it? I thought I'd be away for a long time, so I put extra effort into sealing the entrance."

"Right."

"And do you remember when I suggested we go steal the divine objects? After the Ireland matter was resolved, I planned to propose it to a Hunter I had my eye on and leave for the 3rd Floor. It was certain I'd be away from home for a long time."

"Yes, I see."

"So... are you even listening?"

Of course, he was listening. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in the story; it was just that the situation was too absurd.

"I understand how this happened. So how do we get in?"

"Are you sure you were listening? The point is that this excellent magic is, in the end, my magic, and even if I was repelled by it, my greatness is not diminished..."

Kalesian's words had been focused on making excuses for himself from the start. His embarrassment was understandable, but no amount of talking would improve the current situation.

It would be more constructive to discuss a solution.

"Is there no way to disable it from the outside?"

"None. I blocked it off in case a thief skilled in magic tried to invade."

"What about a secret path to sneak in?"

"There's nothing like that either. Who would lock the main gate while leaving the back door open?"

In that case, there was only one way.

"We can just break it. No matter how strong the defense magic is, it can't be as tough as the Red Cliff. Why don't you just blast it with a breath attack?"

"Foolish talk! Who would shoot a breath attack at their own house! All the treasures inside would be destroyed!"

When Jinwoo looked at him with a "then what are you going to do?" expression, Kalesian avoided his gaze and cleared his throat again.

"Still, I agree with the idea of breaking it. We just need to break the magic laid at the entrance as we go in."

"So if we only break the door, the furniture won't get destroyed."

"That's about right."

In the end, it meant they had to break through it one step at a time.

It seemed tedious, but it also seemed like the most rational plan, so Jinwoo also drew his sword.

The Nebula Sword, housed in the Sky Sword's Scabbard.

As Kalesian had said, no matter how strong the defense magic was, it couldn't be on the level of the Red Cliff. With this sword, he should be able to cut through it easily.

"Let's go."

"Alright."

Kalesian flapped his wings and rose to about the height of Jinwoo's head. A man and a dragon cautiously approached the entrance of the lair.

Rumble!

As they got closer, a sound similar to thunder rumbled, and the crystal arm from before shot out. It then rushed forward to strike Jinwoo and Kalesian.

Resisting the crushing pressure bearing down on him, Jinwoo swung his sword.

Slice.

The severed crystal scattered into the sky. Due to the inertia of its rapid approach, the fragments exploded like a grenade, but they were blocked by a transparent barrier that appeared in front of Jinwoo. It was a defensive magic cast by Kalesian.

"It's not over yet, so be careful!"

Needless to say, Jinwoo hadn't let his guard down either.

The crystal fragments that had scattered throughout the cave absorbed mana and began to grow again. Spreading rapidly like a tree branching out, the crystal covered the defensive magic protecting Jinwoo.

Crack, crackle.

The defensive magic instantly cracked and shattered. A dragon's magic, broken so easily? But then again, these crystals were also magic set up by that same dragon, so it was only natural.

"Jinwoo!"

"I see it."

As the barrier shattered, the pressure instantly poured onto Jinwoo. However, the flow of the pressure wasn't precise, so there was plenty of room to dodge.

Following the flow of my body, Jinwoo swung his sword again and again. From the crystal branches nearby to those far in the distance.
After he had cut down that many, the crystals could no longer muster any strength. In their place appeared a ceiling of flames that covered the sky and a field of ice that clung to his feet.
"There's more!?"
"Of course. Did you think I would protect my lair with just that level of magic?"
I wanted to smack Kalesian, who puffed out his chest with pride. Who did he think was going through all this trouble?!
"Kuh..."
The ice underfoot could be cut away. The fire in the sky, however, could not be cut with a sword. At best, he could only scatter it.
With his footing unstable, he had to endlessly dodge the rain of fire falling from the sky. It truly seemed like a challenge that even a respectable S-class Hunter would struggle to pass.
Still, with Kalesian providing some cover, he managed to push deeper inside. The problem was that no matter how far he went, there was no end in sight.
"How much further do we have to go?"
"I've also applied a space-expansion spell... at this rate, we'll have to keep going for about half a day."
"You've got to be kidding me."
Unable to hold it back, a curse slipped out. It wasn't directed at Kalesian, but at the situation itself.
After barely escaping the field of ice, what appeared next was a forest of golems. Artificial lifeforms created by magic. Each one was a rock giant larger than an ogre, and all hell broke loose as they threw boulders and charged at Jinwoo.
To do this for half a day is...
Jinwoo thought as he sliced through a golem. He had to break through a path of dozens, maybe even over a hundred traps, for half a day.
It wasn't impossible, but it was dangerous and exhausting. Worse, there were no rest areas in between. From the cave's perspective, they were trespassers; why would it offer them a break?
If I think of it as a warm-up before going to the Spirit Realm, is it okay?
If he thought positively, it could be good preparation. Though, for a simple warm-up, it was quite dangerous...
Hm?
Just then, he felt something squirm. He thought it might be the flapping of Kalesian's wings, but Kalesian was flying above his right shoulder.
The squirming thing, on the other hand, was at his left hip.
The scabbard...
The Sky Sword's Scabbard was there. The energy of Erosion flowing from it was rising on its own, coiling around Jinwoo.
It wasn't just the scabbard. As if drawn by it, Erosion also began to drip from the Nebula Sword, falling to the floor drop by drop.
What began as a faint movement spread in the blink of an eye, enveloping Jinwoo, covering the floor, and blanketing the walls and ceiling completely.
"You, that's..."
Kalesian stared with astonished eyes. Jinwoo felt much the same. For the power of Erosion to suddenly move on its own...
The energy of Erosion, which had completely covered the area with Jinwoo at its center, seeped into the cave's installed magic.
Hundreds, thousands of magic circles that Kalesian had painstakingly hidden so that intruders could not find and remove them.
The Erosion didn't seek them out. It simply permeated the entire space itself.
The instantly contaminated magic circles lost their function. The power of Erosion fixes things in place, causing them to lose their original purpose. Magic circles were no different.
No, in fact, because magic circles rely on delicacy, even a slight seepage of Erosion was enough to instantly distort and halt their function.
The golems lost their light and crumbled. With the mana supply from the magic circles cut off, they were nothing more than lumps of rock.
The ice field, the fiery ceiling, and the living crystal walls that Jinwoo had passed through all came to a halt and melted away.
The same happened to the traps that lay ahead, where Jinwoo had not yet gone.
All that remained was a single corridor, covered in Erosion.
It was as if... it was a perfect imitation of the Erosion barrier that had overturned Earth and other worlds.
This Erosion... is from me?
He had tried infusing his sword energy with the power of Erosion and unleashing it before. But this was the first time he had ever done something like deploying a barrier.
A tendril of energy rose from the floor like a snake. It wrapped around Jinwoo's hand and then rubbed its body against the back of it.
"Are you alright?"
"Ah, yes. I'm fine."
Jinwoo tore his eyes away from his hand and answered.
"Is this the power of the divine artifacts?"
"Probably."
No. While it was true that the source of the power came from the artifacts, the deployment of the barrier had nothing to do with their function.
For now, anyway...
"Shall we go in?"
"Yes, let's."

Kalesian's hesitant voice perfectly represented Jinwoo's own feelings.
Jinwoo walked into the now wide-open path. With every step he took, the Erosion expanded, destroying the still-intact traps one by one.
The Sky God had used this power to inflict Erosion upon the Earth. For decades, even before Jinwoo was born, this power had caused the Earth of today to lose all its past verdant glory and become a dying planet.
That same power was now spreading out with Jinwoo at its center.
Is this really okay? The thought crossed his mind. This ability was identical to the power of the Monarchs.
But it also felt strange to deliberately not use a power he possessed.
It would be a different story if there were side effects, but his body, mind, and soul were all perfectly fine.
On the bright side, I've gained a decent weapon before entering the Spirit Realm.
Aside from the unsettling feeling, there was no downside. The Spirit Realm was a dangerous place. A place where a goblin shaman you meet on the road can traverse space and call down lightning.
Having a power like this would be incredibly useful in such a place. Wouldn't his chances of survival at least double?
It just bothered him that this power was a mirror image of the force he had been fighting against until now.
"Wait! You can stop this, right? It won't spread too far and reach the treasures inside, will it?"
Anything that touched the Erosion would be destroyed. Not only that, but even simple works of art without magic would have their colors changed and forms distorted, losing their original value.
"It will be fine."
Jinwoo replied, telling him not to worry. This Erosion was spreading from Jinwoo as its epicenter. In other words, Jinwoo was the core of the barrier.
As the center, all information within the Erosion flowed into Jinwoo in real-time. What traps there were, and how they were being destroyed.
If he dispelled the barrier right as the traps ended, it would be a clean job. He could destroy only the traps at the entrance while keeping the interior intact.
"That's a relief. Let's go in."
Jinwoo slowly followed behind Kalesian, who led the way with a sense of relief. On the way, he looked down at his own chest.
He wondered if a Black Flame had formed in him, the core of this Erosion, but that wasn't the case. His flame was still as blue as ever.