A number of people gathered daily around the entrance of the Sodoong Mine, waiting for any news or developments.
All of them were waiting for their families, praying for any news whatsoever. As they cried and despaired, let down each time by the lack of updates, they returned here every day, clinging to hope.
Suddenly, someone wearing a protective suit rushed out of the mines.
“Th-The Earth King is coming back up! It’s severely damaged, but…”
“Don’t tell me… Get out of my way!”
Rumble rumble!
The crowd surged past the guards and sprinted towards the mine.
“H-Hold on…”
“Honey! Honeeeey!”
“Daaaaaaaad!”“Elder Brother! You’re back, right?!”
Dozens, no, hundreds of people began to run. It was a stunning yet equally depressing sight.
If bad news came, a torrent of sadness would wash over everyone.
“S-Stop them!”
“Over there!” shouted the individual at the front. “There…”
“The Large Soldier…”
“That…”
The people quickly slowed down before coming to a halt, waiting silently.
The Large Soldier looked different from what they had expected.
They had been expecting a triumphant return, a sight of the miners being let down one by one peacefully with happy faces.
But… what was that pitiful lump of steel on the ground supposed to be?
It couldn’t even support its own head as it crawled on the ground. The machine was even missing some of its limbs.
Though it was just a simple machine made of steel, the crowd could sense that it had endured a great ordeal.
That it was desperate… That it put everything on the line…
“Open it!”
Fssssss…
The crew exited the coffin on the Large Soldier’s back, clad in protective suits.
Fssssssss…
“Cough… Cough…”
“Haah… Haah…”
One by one, the miners safely took a step on the surface.
All of them were people the townspeople thought they had lost.
“Honeeeeey!”
“Oh my god…”
“No… No way…”
Hope is not unconditional.
Humans only believe as much as they want to believe.
They believe with a pinch of doubt, so as to not hurt themselves.
The townspeople had been praying for the miners to return, but they themselves knew that their deaths were also possible.
But in the end… they returned.
Like a miracle.
“Woahhhhhhhhh!”
“They’re back! They’re all back!”
“Thank you… Thank you so much…”
“Miss Dragon’s Flower, really…”
The crowd's emotions swelled, teetering on the edge like the moments before a firework or a volcano's eruption.
However, the fervor quickly died down as they saw someone emerge.
“O-Over here… it’s Master Chi Woo!”
“Oh my god…”
Chi Woo looked like he was in terrible condition.
He was barely breathing, and his chest was practically caved in.
“All of his ribs… seem to be broken…”
“Hah… Hahaha…”
“M-Master Chi Woo?”
“Hah, I’ll be fine. It just needs a bit of spit… idiots. I’m a member of the Lang Tribe…”
“Doctor! Someone bring a doctor right now!”
Just as Chi Woo was finally freed from the cables wrapping around his body, the Earth King began to move.
“Fuel…”
“...What?”
“Please… resupply my fuel… I need to go back down…”
“W-With your condition…”
An archivist’s voice rang out.
“Seol Hong, the Death Flower! We will now evaluate your actions.”
“...Shut up.”
“...What?”
“The trial… still isn’t… over…” cried Seol Hong from behind the Earth King’s speakers. “Seol’s still down there! My Dragon’s Stone is still down there!”
“......”
“Phantom… has revived…. He has revived down there in the mines.”
“......”
“S-Send me back… Please…”
The archivists fell silent.
Only now did they realize that there was a bigger issue than Seol Hong’s Dragon Trial.
One of the archivists quickly left Tumaku to report the situation to the Dragon Emperor.
Step…
Step…
Meanwhile, an individual approached the Earth King, muttering with concern.
“Oh no… You won’t be able to use the Earth King like this…”
“This voice…”
The voice belonged to Bang Jae, one of the Dragon’s Flowers.
He was also the Dragon’s Flower who refused to help the trapped miners.
“But what about you, Seol Hong?”
“Elder Brother Bang Jae…”
“Are you the same mess as that lump of metal? Because if you are, you won’t be able to go back down.”
“Hah… Did you come to mock me?”
Everyone here knew that there were no more Large Soldiers left. Bang Jae’s words seemed to only poke and prod at Seol Hong’s heart.
However, he bore a completely serious expression on his face.
“Is that what it sounded like to you?”
A guard, clad in a protective suit, came running after the crowd.
“Th-there are Large Soldiers arriving at Tumaku!”
“What?!” shouted Seong Chi, the owner of the Sodoong Mine. “Really?”
Seong Chi quickly turned to Bang Jae, who shrugged in response.
“I quickly seized them from a military-industrial complex nearby. They haven’t been mass-produced yet, so they will be hard to handle. Especially since they weren’t redesigned to mine.”
Fssss…
Seol Hong exited the Earth King’s cockpit, clutching the information card tightly.
Bang Jae continued to watch as Seol Hong slowly limped around.
“My trial was to transport those Large Soldiers to Tumaku. With that completed, my trial is over. But Seol Hong… what about yours?”
Seol Hong flashed a bright smile.
“It’s… It’s still not over.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll loan you a Large Soldier. Go down once you’re ready.”
“Yes, Elder Brother!”
“Go and save the citizens of the empire.”
After waving goodbye to Seol Hong, who was smiling through her tears, Bang Jae walked over to Chi Woo, who was lying on a stretcher.
“See, Chi Woo? You should’ve listened to me.”
“Haha… Hahahaha…”
“...You look delighted.”
Chi Woo, his face pale and ribs completely shattered, weakly muttered a response.
“Ah… it’s so fun.”
“What?”
- Be happy, Chi Woo. Live your own life…
“This feeling… is amazing…”
“You fool…”
* * *
Phantom.
Around 300 years ago, Hwagmu, the Evil Dragon, had acquired a weapon that gave him the confidence to attempt the takeover of the entire East.
That weapon was neither his sharp fangs nor his powerful tail, capable of shattering even steel. It wasn’t an incredible Daoist spell, stronger than the sun, moon, and stars, acquired by sacrificing his spirituality either.
It was his ghost army.
Ghosts were supernatural entities born from souls with lingering regrets or intense malice. Unlike human armies that dwindled as soldiers died, ghostly forces only grew larger over time, never diminishing.
While these ghosts all had different types of powers, there were also a few that were eye-catchingly powerful.
They were Shade, Spectre, and Phantom.
The three, known in the past as the Ghost Generals, were exceptionally dangerous spirits that Hwagmu took great pride in.
However, even they weren’t immortal.
Spectre and Shade one day went into hiding, and Phantom was sealed by Hong Cheon, the Dragon Emperor, before Hwagmu was.
But now, for some reason, Phantom was standing before Seol. The large ghost, the size of a house, was completely unsealed.
Glooooooow…
[You enter the Night Crow form with Knight ‘Karuna, the Moonlight Knight’.]
[You absorb Karuna, the Moonlight Knight’s stats.]
[Your class is changed to Knight.]
[Shadow Hand is changing.]
[You are able to use Soaring Moonlight.]
[You are able to use Montra Swordsmanship.]
[You are able to use Mind Control Resistance.]
[You are able to use Passive: Black Wave.]
[You are able to use Exceptional Skill: Night Sea.]
……
Usually, entering the Night Crow form was more than enough to take down any opponent.
However, Seol’s brilliant blue light was nothing more than a small firefly in front of Phantom’s deep darkness.
‘I can’t believe I’m facing Phantom of all things now…’
Though it was a weird feeling to see a legendary ghost in front of him, right now, Seol was more worried than anything.
Crackle crackle…
The immense amounts of ghost energy that Phantom radiated was excruciating for Seol.
‘It’s this bad even though I’m in Night Crow?’
It seemed that even armor wasn’t enough to stop the flow of energy seeping in through the cracks.
Seol felt as if the ghost energy flowing in was burning his skin.
- …You’re alone, little one.
Phantom looked grotesque.
He almost looked as if a shadow had risen from the ground, piercing holes for eyes, nose, and mouth. He might have even passed for someone’s shadow at a glance if he were smaller.
“Because I’m more than enough.”
Seol then quickly read through Phantom’s information with his Eyes of Foresight.
[[Phantom]
Rank: Immortal
Estimated Level: 45~50
Ghosts can be born in many ways.
Sometimes, a supernatural phenomenon coalesces for a long time, only to fail at the last second to become a spirit.
Other times, someone's last breath lingers, gathering once to create negative energy.
Lastly, a human's evil, wicked emotions and feelings can create an evil spirit.
Phantom is a powerful ghost birthed from the fear of humans. He is the vanguard of Hwagmu, the Evil Dragon, and has just revived.
Basic Skills: [Passive: Fear 2], [Passive: Ominous 1], [Ghost Pressure 3], [Induce Fear 2], [Darkness Slash 2], [Erode 4], [Blind Spot 1], [Twist 2]
Unique Skills: [The Unseen 1]]
[Intermediate Insight activates.]
[Phantom feels the side effects of being sealed for a long time.]
[Phantom is slowly recovering his strength.]
Insight had activated at the same time as the Eyes of Foresight.
‘I knew it would be high, but Immortal-rank…’
Phantom’s rank was Immortal.
The same rank as Ur, who was currently sealed.
- Lord Hwagmu has awoken me.
“Yeah, you already said that.”
- I shall now devour your fear.
Fwoooosh…
The area around them turned pitch-black for a moment, as if the last flicker of light had been extinguished in the dead of night.
[You have entered the 3rd Stage of Soaring Moonlight, Full Moon.]
‘I can’t see at all.’
Previously, when Seol entered the Full Moon stage, his body would emanate a brilliant light. But currently, he was completely encased in darkness, unable to see anything in front of him.
[Phantom used Darkness Slash.]
[If the target fails to perceive this attack, this attack has double its cutting power.]
Fwip!
Because Seol couldn’t see it, he had to sense it.
‘It’s coming…!’
Seol readied Agony ahead of him, preparing for Phantom’s attack.
But unfortunately… the darkness had already slipped past.
- I’ve already cut you.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!”
Seol’s left hand was cut clean off.
[Lineage activates.]
[Regeneration drastically increases.]
Fwirl…
Seol’s bones, flesh, and muscles quickly moved to recreate his left hand.
- An interesting body. I shall bring you more fear.
You must overcome your fear.
These were the words often repeated by those who had faced Phantom. However, those were also the words they died by.
After all, you must feel an immense amount of fear first before you can overcome it.
- I am the one who devours fear.
[Phantom’s Passive: Fear activates.]
[The more your enemies fear you during combat, the stronger you become.]
Fwoooosh…
It was human nature to fear the darkness.
Wooosh…
Phantom began to grow larger and larger, feeding off that fear.
But then, for some reason… his growth stopped.
- …Do you think you were the first to come up with that idea?
Seol had closed his eyes.
Just like the people who had fought Phantom long ago.
After looking at his own body, Phantom began expanding his domain once more.
Writhe…
- You were abandoned here. Fear will come to you eventually. I know very well that humans feel fear from being alone.
Smirk…
Seol couldn’t help but smile after hearing those words, his eyes still closed.
“But I’m not alone.”
Writhe…
The shadows began to grow.
Fwip!
Phantom launched another sneak attack, but this time, the outcome was different.
Claaaaaang!
Seol had deflected it using Agony’s side.
Creak…
- You… blocked it?
Seol was not alone.
“It’s two.”
[Awakening! You have awakened a new skill.]
[Night Crow: Shadow Hand has transformed.]
[You have awakened Night Crow: Sense Domain.]
[Night Crow: Sense Domain is born!]
……
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