CHAPTER 52

Chapter 52: Getting Ganged Up On?

Looking at Lin Shenlin and Mahiri, Jinwoo asked in confusion.
"Were you the ones fighting up there?"
"Yes, it just sort of happened."
"Because of that sacred object?"
"I was just planning to poke around and test the waters, but his reaction was more intense than I expected."
Anyone would get annoyed if they were "poked" like that while someone was "testing the waters."
However, although Lin Shenlin was attacking by shooting Sword Ki, he was fundamentally a swordsman. Couldn't they have just flown away and escaped?
"We sort of ended up destroying a part of the Sky Temple."
"Pardon?"
"It wasn't intentional, but I blew a gaping hole in the center of the temple with my breath."
Jinwoo couldn't understand how blowing a hole in a building wasn't intentional. As he stared in disbelief, Mahiri pouted.
"The timing was just too perfect, what was I supposed to do? While I was bickering with Lin Shenlin, an opportunity to land a clean shot on the temple opened up… How could I resist that!"
"Who just fires away because they see an opening? Most people have self-control."
"Tch."
He had thought it from the moment Kalesian suggested raiding the temple, but he was incredibly reckless for a dragon. Was his mind still that of a hatchling because he hadn't molted yet?
"Are you his comrade?"
Just then, Lin Shenlin said something. Jinwoo glanced at Kalesian, who translated.
"He's asking if you're his comrade."
"Tell him no."
But before Kalesian could reply, Lin Shenlin's gaze locked onto Jinwoo.
Slowly, killing intent began to emanate from his eyes. His hand moved so fast it was a blur, and then…
KWAAAAAAAH!
A wave of Sword Ki began to pour out like a tidal wave.
"Aargh!"
"Jinwoo-ssi!"
Jinwoo hastily drew his sword and cut through the Sword Ki. Kalesian didn't stand idle either, firing a breath attack to push back the wave.
However, Lin Shenlin's Sword Ki was relentless.
It was similar to the Black Knight in Belen Village, but the difference was that his power was not from Erosion.
‘It’s impossible to find a weakness and break the flow like last time.’
In the end, they had no choice but to dodge or flee.
Mihari, holding Kalesian, created a mana barrier and ran, and Jinwoo followed suit.
"Why is he so strong? He's on a completely different level from David or Johann. I think he's even stronger than the other S-class hunters I saw in Ireland."
"He has the blessing of the God of the Sky. Plus, Lin Shenlin himself is one of the top-ranked hunters who has mastered martial arts."
In Hong Kong, there were many hunters who had been martial artists in their past lives.
Among them, Lin Shenlin was one of the strongest. His name from his past life was unknown, but rumors said he had mastered a martial art with the characteristics of a Demonic Art.
Jinwoo didn't know much about martial arts, but he had heard of the infamy of Demonic Arts.
Demonic Arts were said to possess overwhelming power that transcended ordinary martial arts, allowing one to gain immense internal energy and destructive power with only a short period of training.
In exchange, the side effects were severe; the stronger one became, the more one lost their ego and sanity.
Furthermore, it was said that it would inevitably lead to Qi Deviation (Juhwa-ipma), where one's internal energy would reverse its flow or go berserk. It was only a matter of time; the end result was always the same.
‘But they said that if you overcome it, you can reach an incredible state.’
He only knew the rough details from a post he read on the Hunter Net's anonymous forum.
"Is Lin Shenlin sane?"
"Of course. A demon who has lost their ego would never be recognized as S-class, no matter how powerful. He is a martial artist who has already reached the state of Transcendent Demon."
"He must have been quite something in his past life."
"On top of that, he has over 100 million contribution points… He's truly the strongest on this 3rd Floor."
The Sword Ki that Lin Shenlin casually swung was wiping out the surrounding forests and buildings.
Their side was fine for now, thanks to Kalesian's defense, but even that barrier was on the verge of shattering.
[The God of the Sky bestows his supreme blessing.]
[May all things under the sky be free.]
‘I agree.’
Receiving the blessing, Lin Shenlin agreed with the God of the Sky's thoughts.
His words were not a wish for true freedom for all. It was a wish for all things to simply play beneath the sky.
In other words, it was an ambition to make all of creation kneel at his feet.
This matched the disposition of both Lin Shenlin himself and his past life. The reason he had chosen to serve the God of the Sky and accumulate contribution was because of this good compatibility.
[Death to those who defy the sky.]
"I know."
Lin Shenlin tuned out the nagging god's voice and swung his sword.
The Demonic Ki that naturally emanated from his body with every breath was sharply refined and channeled into his blade.
The projected Demonic Ki tore through forests, rocks, and buildings, rushing towards its target.
KWAGAGAGAGANG!
"Are you confident you can win?" Jinwoo asked from within the barrier Kalesian had created.
"Umm…"
"You blew a hole in the temple without even being sure you could win?"
"I-I just wanted to hit it with a clean shot…"
What an irresponsible human—no, hatchling. He might be an adult by age, but his mind and body hadn't matured, making him no different from a hatchling.
All the while, Lin Shenlin's Demonic Ki continued to pound against Kalesian's barrier.
Although it was Demonic Ki, it was different from Erosion, so there was nothing Jinwoo could do.
Inside the mana barrier, which seemed as thin as glass and about to break at any moment, Kalesian narrowed his eyes.
"Jinwoo."
"What is it?"
Ipril was no longer here. Swept up in the chaos, she had already fled somewhere and was out of sight.
Kalesian stopped speaking through Mahiri's mouth and, at this moment, spoke his true thoughts.
"I will handle Lin Shenlin somehow. In the meantime, will you enter the Sky Temple and retrieve the sacred object for me?"
"You want me to get the sacred object?"
"I know you refused once, but please reconsider. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
In the midst of Lin Shenlin's killing intent, which poured down like a raging storm, he was seeing something else entirely.
Not a plan to escape or to deal with the enemy, but a plan to raid the temple in the chaos.
In a way, he was a sharp gambler, but in another, he was just a dragon obsessed with treasure. Or maybe both.
"I've already blown a hole with my breath. If you just go through there, it's a short path to the room with the sacred object. All you have to do is slip in and slip out."
"You said there was a guardian."
"That… you'll have to handle somehow."
That was the one thing Kalesian couldn't help with.
He could tie up Lin Shenlin or create an excellent infiltration route into the temple, but he couldn't do anything about the guardian.
"You said even an S-class couldn't handle the guardian alone. Are you sure you should be asking an E-class Hunter like me?"
"Haha, you, an E-class? That's a good joke. I am not swayed by a mere rank assigned by the Bureau."
"Even if I were S-class, you said it's impossible alone. That's why you asked me to cooperate back then."
"Still, can't you manage somehow?"
The sacred object of the God of the Sky. If he could get his hands on it, what would happen?
Kalesian had said that even if the 3rd Floor's sacred object disappeared, it wouldn't save Earth. The God of the Sky's Erosion of Earth and the 3rd Floor's sacred object were completely separate matters.
‘But he did say the God of the Sky might be weakened a little.’
The situation was no different from before. The return was too ambiguous for the risk.
In fact, by making an enemy of Lin Shenlin, the risk was now even higher.
But.
‘I don’t want to miss this.’
If this truly was a golden opportunity, he didn't want to let it slip by.
A chance to land a blow on that bastard.
[The God of the Moonlight Forest is cheering for you.]
[I will give you a push.]
A faint light enveloped his body, then gathered near his heart and formed into a force.
A power like a small glass bead.
He could feel a blessing from it that was greater than any he had received before.
‘Is she telling me to give it a try?’
Even though their names were different, they were fellow gods. Was she really helping him steal a colleague's sacred object?
He didn't know what their relationship was like, but at the very least, it seemed the God of the Moonlight Forest and the God of the Sky were not on good terms.
At this point, there was no reason to hesitate.
"Let's give it a shot. But I expect to be paid handsomely for my help."
"I will let you into my treasure vault. You may take any one item that you desire."
"Three."
"…Would two not suffice?"
"Two, and for the half, you can throw in a minor elixir."
"Keuk! F-Fine."
As the situation was urgent, the contract was bound to be concluded in Jinwoo's favor.
In truth, if he had held out longer, he probably could have gotten the three items he initially proposed, but he decided not to be too harsh. After all, the dragon had treated him to a delicious meal.
"I'll be back. Be careful. He doesn't look like an easy opponent."
"You be careful too! The guardian will not be easy."
GRANG!
Just then, Kalesian's barrier shattered under Lin Shenlin's Demonic Ki. KWAGAGAGAGANG! Countless streams of Demonic Ki rained down on the spot where the two had been, pulverizing the ground.
The two, who had scattered to either side to dodge, departed towards their respective goals. Kalesian towards Lin Shenlin, and Jinwoo towards the Sky Island.

‘He’s running!’
Lin Shenlin noticed that the two had split up.
His sword naturally turned towards Jinwoo.
He didn't know why, but the one the God of the Sky was screaming at him to kill, to kill now, was Jinwoo, not Mahiri.
If only to shut the god up, who was chattering away to the point of giving him a headache, Lin Shenlin intended to finish Jinwoo off first.
"Hey, your opponent is me!"
But Mahiri and the hatchling interfered. Lin Shenlin had to dodge the breath attack the creature fired.
Hwarurururuk!
The flames shot by the red dragon destroyed the ground and covered the world in fire.
An unnatural heat that surpassed natural warmth seeped through Lin Shenlin's Protective Aura, attempting to cook him alive.
"Hup!"
He dispersed the Demonic Ki to protect his body from the heat.
By then, Jinwoo was already out of sight. The world had transformed into a circular arena engulfed in flames.
The only ones there were himself, Mahiri, and the hatchling.
"Tsk."
No matter how much of an S-class Lin Shenlin was, with 100 million contribution points, Mahiri was also an S-class. The hatchling on her head, though just a hatchling, was a dragon that had lived on the 5th Floor.
He couldn't just ignore them and chase after Jinwoo.
[The God of the Sky is enraged!]
‘Stop getting so angry. I’m the one doing the fighting.’
Wearied by the god's voice that gnawed at his mind with its constant hysterics, Lin Shenlin raised his sword, imbued with Demonic Ki.

Jinwoo chased after Poldre, whom he had just parted with, and asked to borrow Gorong.
Poldre was already trying to evacuate as parts of the city began to collapse.
"Wh-where are you trying to go!"
"To the island up there."
"To the Sky Island? Are you crazy?"
Poldre looked at Jinwoo as if he had lost his mind.
"Can't you see Lin Shenlin is destroying the city? If you trespass on the Sky Island, you'll only incur his wrath even more!"
"That's why I have to go now. While Lin Shenlin is down on the ground, away from the island."
Now he was looking at Jinwoo like he was truly insane. Poldre shook his head, saying it was out of the question.
"No way, no way! I'm going to evacuate far away with Gorong and come back when things calm down. You think I'm going to some dangerous place like the Sky Island?"
"Take this."
"What… huh, jewels?"
He took out a few of the jewels Kalesian had gifted him at the luxury goods store.
These were jewels that Kalesian, who was even stricter with gems than other luxury goods, had carefully selected and gifted him. They shone with a brilliance that would make a merchant's eyes pop.
"K-Khm…"
As Poldre still seemed to be hesitating, Jinwoo said,
"I'm not saying you shouldn't run. Just cut across the Sky Island on your way out. I'll jump off on my own in the middle."
"If it's just that…"
Poldre snatched the jewels and quickly put them in his sub-space pocket, then grabbed Gorong's reins.
Flap! Gorong spread his wings and flew high into the sky, heading out of the city to avoid the chaos.
The flight path slightly overlapped with the Sky Island, and from there, Jinwoo jumped without a second thought.
"I'll lower the altitude so… Hey, hey! You already jumped?"
Poldre had intended to fly a bit lower to make the jump easier, but Jinwoo had already leapt.
Seeing him jump so unhesitatingly from such a height, Poldre wore a look of disbelief.
Then he shook his head and snapped Gorong's reins.
"Why are there so many crazy people in the Gate?"
Clicking his tongue, he and Gorong flew farther away.
Meanwhile, Jinwoo landed on the Sky Island and immediately headed for the temple.
The building had the feel of a Middle Eastern temple, constructed with white bricks that had a faint sky-blue tint.
The roof of the main building in the center was a convex dome, and there was a gaping hole right in the middle of it.
‘So that’s where he shot the breath attack.’
According to Kalesian, it wasn't a random shot. He had aimed precisely at the room with the sacred object to create a path.
This meant that jumping into that hole in the roof would be a straight shot to the room with the sacred object.
He kicked off the temple wall, climbed up to the roof, and peered down into the gaping hole.

Then, suddenly.
[The God of the Moonlight Forest is filled with anticipation.]
[The God of the Ice Valley is delighted.]
[The God of the Forge’s eyes flash open.]
[The God of the Battlefield watches with interest.]
[The God of the Iron Gorge…]
Messages from all sorts of gods poured in.
The God of the Moonlight Forest was one thing, but it seemed all the other gods were watching as well. Were they all munching on popcorn together?
No, more importantly, among all these gods, not a single one was willing to help the God of the Sky. Instead, their reactions were either intrigued amusement or outright gloating.
‘The God of the Sky… is he an outcast?’
Good grief. Letting out a hollow laugh, he leaped down through the hole in the roof.