Solo Max-Level Newbie
chapter-236

Chapter 236: The World of Players (1)

Clink-clank!

Sharp forelimbs grazed past Antrat’s body.

As they did, Antrat’s fist exploded on the body of the tunnel spider.

Boom!

The clash of these incredible behemoths was beyond imagination.

Every attack and defense surpassed all common sense.

“Kieeeek!”

With a fierce roar, a thick substance sprayed from the tunnel spider’s mouth.

[Tunnel spider releases Lv. 19 ‘Digestive Fluids’!]

Instead of a spray that would cover a wide area, it had an extremely concentrated, narrow range.

However, even this unpredictable attack was within Antrat’s calculations.

Defying its size, Antrat’s body moved swiftly.

Dodging the digestive acid by a hair’s breadth, he scoffed.

“Stupid thing!”

He swung his sword horizontally, holding it tight.

Sszzzzk!

The searing blade cut through the tunnel spider’s neck in a single stroke.

Thud!

The gigantic body fell sideways to the ground.

Dealing with the nuisance gave him the leisure to shift his focus.

‘By now, that human must have run quite a distance.’

He had wasted too much time.

In ten minutes, anyone could have escaped the castle and run far away.

But no matter how far they ran, he had no intention of letting them go.

‘All of them can be ignored, but that human is dangerous.’

If he doesn’t cut off his air supply before he grows stronger…

‘He might come back one day, turned into a gigantic blade.’

Antrat’s instincts continuously sent warning signals.

If he let this chance slip, they might be the ones to suffer next time.

Kuwoong!

His body slowly headed outside the castle.

It was time to tighten the reins for pursuit.

But then.

“…Could it be, this magic power.”

It seemed impossible.

He never even imagined that the humans would stop running and choose to face him.

But, as he faced the two players who had appeared before him, denial was no longer an option.

Perhaps if it was the distant future when they had grown much stronger…

He couldn’t imagine them brandishing swords in their current predicament.

“How dare… how dare you mock me like this!”

[Antrat activates the special battlefield Lv. 19 ‘Demon World’s Boundary Line’!]

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa!

Terrifying demonic energy erupted from Antrat’s body.

Simultaneously, the ground around it started to be stained with a purple hue.

‘Demon World’s Boundary Line.’

A wide-scale skill that consumes the ground to create a territory only for demons.

***

Jinhyuk and Cheon Yuseong drew their swords, facing the intense heat head-on.

The heat was unbearable, almost suffocating.

Sssshh!

Unable to withstand the rage, Cheon Yuseong’s clothes began to scorch.

And there, his defensive coat took its place.

‘That’s unfortunate.’

Jinhyuk’s face briefly showed a flicker of regret.

It was an expensive item…

But artifacts with resistance options were essential to withstand Antrat’s flames.

“We can’t stay here long; it’s dangerous.”

“Right. We need to hurry.”

Jinhyuk gripped his Fang in the reverse grip.

“But can you keep up? We’ll have to move fast now.”

“Don’t fall behind yourself. If you get in the way, I won’t hesitate to leave you behind.”

“Always so sweet with words.”

They exchanged what seemed like trivial banter before the fight.

Considering the life-and-death situation, it was a remarkably casual conversation.

That’s how much…

They trusted each other.

Even against a formidable enemy, they were sure that if these veterans, who had climbed the tower, combined their strength, they could defeat anything.

Fssshhh!

Cheon Yuseong was enveloped in frost mist created by ‘Glacial Sculpture.’

[Your resistance to flames increases by +20%!]

With the sound of the ground being kicked, Cheon Yuseong’s figure vanished.

He reappeared right above Antrat’s right shoulder.

“You insects dare to attack me first?”

Antrat responded immediately.

His searing blade moved to slice off Cheon Yuseong’s body in its entirety.

But, just before the sword could touch Cheon Yuseong…

Puff! Phew!

A lance made of glacial form and fire elements struck Antrat’s wrist bones.

Not enough to cause damage, but sufficient to deviate the trajectory slightly.

“Don’t forget I’m here too.”

Jinhyuk smiled faintly.

Using that brief moment of opportunity…

The ‘Soul Chasing Sword’ technique swept over Antrat’s right side.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!

Crunch!

Small fragments scattered about.

Even before the sword momentum, the armor surrounded by flames could not serve as a shield.

“Kwaaaaa!”

For the first time, Antrat’s mouth burst with a scream of pain.

…Now.

The extremely condensed ‘Daylight’ whitened their sight.

Adding the ‘Star’s Blessing,’ a flash of light amplified by divine power streaked through the space.

Kwaaaaaang!

The collision between light and flames generated a massive shockwave.

It was a force to rival even a small-scale breath from a hatchling.

Thanks to that, Antrat’s center completely crumbled.

[Cheon Yuseong activates Lv. 11 ‘One-Point Breakthrough’!]

A blue light connected to a single point.

Like a knight in full armor charging into enemy lines, Cheon Yuseong surged towards his target with daunting momentum.

Crack!

The sword that pierced through Antrat’s ribs reached the red mass of flames within.

Crunch! Crunch!

Antrat’s heart.

It was the life-core made of flame and demonic energy.

“Keuk!”

Cheon Yuseong’s forehead bulged with veins.

But.

Though he exerted every ounce of strength to shatter the heart, the blade didn’t budge.

As if there was a limit imposed upon it just there.

“Did you enjoy thinking your attacks had an effect?”

A cold voice flowed from Antrat’s mouth.

Danger.

Cheon Yuseong quickly relinquished his attack and put some distance between them.

Whoosh!

Black flames surged where Cheon Yuseong had just been.

“Where exactly do you think you are?”

The very world created by the ‘Demon World’s Boundary Line.’

In this place, everything happens according to Antrat’s will.

The helpless struggle had been allowed only because Antrat had permitted it.

“I’ve purposely been acting as if I was suffering to allow this world to consume you, and yet you were so easily deceived.”

The shattered fragments regrew.

Antrat’s glittering eyes blazed ferociously again.

His body was restored exactly as it was when they first met.

No, the restoration wasn’t the end of it.

[Antrat uses the hidden skill ‘Miniaturization’.]

“However, one thing I will acknowledge: your power, having transcended humanity, was quite astonishing. Frankly, most demons would have been wiped out by that last attack.”

It was neither flattery nor exaggeration, but the truth.

Antrat calmly stated the reality.

“In that sense, I shall honor you by taking your lives with a fitting response.”

Antrat’s colossal body began to shrink rapidly.

10 meters… 5 meters… 2 meters…

Once it got down to the size of an adult man, the miniaturization stopped.

Do not underestimate him simply because he appears smaller.

The wasted power to maintain his large form was minimized, and instead, that gathered power was concentrated into his smaller form.

This true form only revealed when Antrat went all out to kill his enemies.

“Don’t die too easily now. It’s really been a long while since I had to fight like this.”

Flick!

Before the sound of a brush, Antrat’s body moved faster.

Kaaaang!

Jinhyuk instinctively swung his sword to cancel it out.

It was more of an unconscious act born out of a refined instinct than a conscious response.

A red line lingered where the sword had passed.

A phenomenon occurring when heat congeals on air.

“Ho? You reacted to that?”

“These middle-ground guys always switch to such predictable attack patterns when they get significant power boosts.”

“Hmm. What a fine mouth you have. Then, let’s see if you can keep your composure when I speed up even more?”

Kwaang!

Almost immediately, two red streaks were drawn in the air.

Jinhyuk and Cheon Yuseong were flung back nearly 2 meters.

Throb!

“Kuk!”

“What kind of sword is this…”

Not only was it fast, but the power was also off the charts.

Even in a 2-on-1 situation, it was difficult just to keep up.

‘If this goes on, it could get dangerous…’

Although he put on a brave front, holding on for just a few more moves was the best they could do.

It was then…

A familiar voice reached Jinhyuk’s ears.

[It’s done! You can start now.]

Truly…

He was about to lose his neck from waiting.

The essential condition that could close the overwhelming gap had just been cleared.

“Good work.”

These words were heartfelt.

Jinhyuk murmured towards Ellis, who was certainly far away by now.

***

“…!?”

Antrat suddenly realized the anomaly, just as Jinhyuk did.

“So, it was just a single hit. Was all this preparation to take down the main?”

“That’s right. You weren’t the only one dragging out time.”

“How did you pinpoint the main’s location?”

“There’s a pup that’s incredibly good at sniffing out demonic energy. Since the range of magic power supply is limited, it didn’t take too long to find.”

“Kahaha! To think there’s a human who knows so much about demons. Quite amusing. If not for your appearance, I’d feel like I was facing one particularly nasty demon.”

Antrat was genuinely impressed.

But it lasted only for a short while.

“So what are you going to do now? Even if the source of magic power is cut off, there’s still plenty of time left in this realm. Moreover, as long as this world exists, you have no chance of winning,” Antrat spoke while the ground around him stained denser.

This world was the reason demons could exert their strength across layers of the tower.

“That’s not incorrect.”

But that’s the thing.

“Now that the main is gone, we too can create a mental realm.”

With the source of magic supply gone, a skill they hadn’t been able to use was now unlocked.

The ability to dominate space, ‘Battlefield Selection.’

“How laughable. A mental realm is the understanding of the tower. How well one knows this world determines the integrity of the created realm. Yet you, who hasn’t even been in the tower for a year, dare to discuss this realm?”

Antrat laughed, as if finding the notion absurd.

However.

The mockery didn’t last long.

“You have no idea… So don’t carelessly chatter about what this tower is like. Your mind couldn’t handle it, not even the slightest speck.”

A mid-level demon who merely dwelt around the 40th floor had no right to speak.

And now…

He would demonstrate what his words meant.

[Battlefield selection…]

Suddenly, a blinding light flickered in the world saturated with deep color.

[…’The Lonely Summit of the Tower’ is activated.]

The summit of an unnamed place, bathed in the light of stars and moons.

This was the mental realm as remembered and experienced by Jinhyuk.

Crack!

A fissure formed in Antrat’s territory.

It was an impossible occurrence.

No, something that should not be.

“Cheon Yuseong.”

“I know.”

Amidst the crumbling fragments…

This time, Cheon Yuseong’s magic slowly blossomed.

Fissshh…

Another crack began at the edge of Antrat’s realm.

[Battlefield selection ‘Sanctum of Swords’ is activated.]

The desolate landscape filled with countless swords unfolded.

The place embodied all the sweat and blood shed in a lifetime for one’s purpose.

This grim environment was what made the Sword Saint who he was today.

Thus…

[Special conditions have been met.]

[The Third Battlefield ‘World of Players’ is activated!]

Two realms merged into one.

A third concept, liberated from the laws and shackles of before.

The mental world created by Jinhyuk and Cheon Yuseong completely swept away Antrat’s ‘Demon Battlefield.’

The view changed.

But it wasn’t just the view…

“That can’t be…”

Despair suffused Antrat’s voice as he realized the gravity of the situation.