The 31st Piece Turns the Tables
chapter-94

Simultaneously being able to summon both Karuna and Karen was a breaking point for Seol.

Now, he could summon two Legendary-rank summons, which also have unique skills that apply when summoned together, at the same time.

And now, there were two reasons why his combat capabilities increased massively.

First, obviously, was the change in Karuna.

Karuna’s overall ability improved massively after rising to Legendary-rank from Heroic-rank. Among the countless messages that popped up when Seol summoned Karuna were messages about his newly unlocked skills.

Second, the Twin Knights had their stats increase due to the effects of Connected Soul. In fact, their stats were doubled. Karen, already Seol's strongest summon, not only doubled in strength but also enhanced Karuna, who matched her in power, making him even stronger in the process.

Seol couldn’t lose now.

However, Magra, who didn’t know their strengths, laughed.

“Hahaha… In the end, they are just shadows. Sure, confidence is a key to becoming brave, however…”

Flap!

Magra took off his robes and tossed them aside.

Beneath his robes was a thin, yet sturdy physique.

Hmph!

Unsheathe!

Unsheathe!

It was Seol’s first time seeing such weapons.

A symmetrical blade attached to the end of the sword’s handle. It was closer to a spear than a sword, but more interestingly, there were two of them.

Magra held onto his strange weapons tightly.

“I applaud your bravado, but it’s futile before me, Magra.”

Flaaaaare!

Flames engulfed Magra’s body and sword.

[Magra, the Scorching, used Scorching Hell.]

[All living creatures within the attack range suffer fire damage.]

Seol looked at Magra’s information with his Eyes of Perception.

[[Magra, the Scorching]

Rank: Legendary

Estimated Level: 25~35

Magra, the Scorching, is a member of the Council of Elders in the Troll Tribe Alliance.

It would not be an overstatement to say that the reason the Sulfur Skull Tribe became such a massive tribe, despite its barren land, was because the skilled Magra was a part of their previous generation.

Born with the energy of fire, Magra left a deep mark in the world around him and is revered as a legend amongst trolls.

Basic Skills: [Unknown 2], [Scorching Hell 1], [Unknown 1], [Unknown 3], [Unknown 2], [Unknown 2], [Unknown 3], [Unknown 1], [Unknown 1], [Unknown 2], [Unknown 3], [Unknown 1], [Unknown 4]

Unique Skills: [Unknown 2], [Unknown 3]]

It was Seol’s first Legendary-rank enemy.

Though Seol wasn’t shocked by Magra’s rank as he expected him to be this strong, he still clicked his tongue.

‘Are these the limits of Eyes of Perception?’

Even though Eyes of Perception may seem like an all-powerful artifact, it was impossible to see information about an enemy who was much higher-level than Seol.

Not to mention the fact that Seol hadn’t even fully awakened it yet.

Seol thought it was a shame that he couldn't read all of his opponent’s skills, but he didn’t think he would lose because of it.

‘As long as I have Karuna and Karen, I can win!’

Step.

Step.

Karen and Karuna inched toward Magra.

Even so, Karen seemed more excited than anything and tried talking to Karuna.

“Karuna, you know…”

“Focus on the battle, Karen.”

“I’m always focused, alright? More importantly, it’s about us. Do you remember how long it’s been since we last fought together?”

“...Before Montra fell.”

“Hahaha! Yeah, exactly! Then… Why don’t we see if your skills have rusted?”

Immediately after, Magra’s weapon crashed with their swords.

Claaaaaang!

Creak!

Magra’s weapon creaked as it struggled with Karen’s ordinary sword on one side and Karuna’s Breath on the other.

Creak…

Creak!

Magra looked shocked after their first move. It was because he realized how strong they actually were.

“Th-this strength…?! Wh-what are you?”

This question was not for Karen and Karuna but for Seol. He was standing in the back with his arms crossed, observing their battle.

“An unlucky bastard,” said Seol, coolly.

Clang!

Karen swung her sword diagonally, and Magra tried his best to quickly block it.

“Hrgh!”

Kick!

Karuna’s kick landed perfectly during the opening Karen made.

The kick lifted Magra’s body into the sky. It seemed like even Karuna’s kicks carried a lot of weight behind them now.

Frsss…

Magra somersaulted backward from the impact and quickly took a stance.

“Haha… Where did monsters like these come from?”

Magra looked worried.

And Seol, seeing that, was confident in his victory.

‘I won.’

Seol’s plan was to initially prevent Zando from moving, followed by splitting into two parties. The first party would free the prisoners, while the other party used the Sacred Fire to receive the Fire’s Grace and summon both Karen and Karuna.

Even though their objective was clear, the process leading up to it was dangerous due to the rush caused by the time constraints.

If it were someone else, just receiving the Fire's Grace—no, they might not even have an offering prepared to receive it. Still, even if, by some chance, they managed to receive it, facing Magra would still be beyond their capabilities.

But Seol was different.

The path that Seol had taken so far…

Through enduring all challenges in this grueling world, he had built up a substantial foundation.

And his foundation became a strength impervious to any gust of wind.

He had become so strong that with just a bit of help, he could clear through any storm before him.

Though Seol himself didn’t know how powerful he became, he realized it today.

He was right.

The fact that he was the only transferee who could easily defeat a Legendary-rank monster was proof of his efforts.

‘Even if Magra is powerful, he can’t fight them both at the same time!’

If his opponents were Legendary-rank, he just needed two of them.

CLAAAAAAAANG!

Frsss…

Even the ground that Karen stood on was burning because of Magra.

“Fuuu… This won’t be easy.”

Fwoosh!

Hmph!

Magra’s sword, which was covered in an indecipherable ancient language, was instantly engulfed in a green will-o'-wisp.

Flaaaaare!

[Magra, the Scorching, used Sulfur Shamanic Spell: Will-o'-Wisp.]

[Will-o'-Wisp increases the damage from fire-attribute attacks by 80%.]

Fwoosh!

Karen and Karuna both moved at the same time.

Karen swung her sword at Magra’s upper body while Karuna aimed for his legs. They moved quickly and naturally, like they had done this countless times before, and were faultless in their technique.

Fwooosh!

Fwip!

Claaaang!

“Krgh… Let’s slow down a bit, youngins.”

“Haha! We were going slowly, though… Were we too fast for you?” joked Karen.

Fwip!

Magra pushed away their swords and rained down an avalanche of will-o'-wisps at them to turn the tables.

BAAAAAAAM!

The two knights quickly backed off, dodging the flames, almost like they were trying to flaunt that they were capable of more.

And then…

Magra looked at Seol.

A chill ran down Seol’s back.

‘Don’t tell me…’

His assumptions were wrong.

Seol was definitely the type of person who should trust their own gut.

Especially so when it was something that made him uneasy.

Boooooom!

Frsssss…

In an instant, Magra shot out a fist-sized fireball from his hands at Seol. Seol stiffened up, unable to react.

It was just that fast and unexpected. It also seemed like Magra was aiming for this from the start.

Karen and Karuna, seeing his attack, quickly tried to return to protect Seol.

This, too, could have been Magra’s plan as well. After all, it was easy to attack an opponent who has their back turned to you.

But then, Karuna and Karen noticed something and turned back around to fight Magra.

Fwip!

Magra’s fireball was quickly flying towards Seol, but…

Singe…

Someone received Magra’s attack with their arms.

It was Jamad.

Jamad had quickly blocked Magra’s sudden attack with his Mountain Fists, and Karen and Karuna turned back around after seeing him.

“Krgh… that’s hot, old pal.”

“Jamad? Weren’t you dead?”

“I came back because I still had unfinished business.”

“Hahaha… I see. But now, you’re no different from a dog guarding a house now. Perhaps that was the perfect role for you all along? Is this all you’ve gained from turning your back on the Old Gods and cozying up to a dragon? How pathetic.”

“Hanging around with a human is not too bad of a life, old man. After all, you have to start understanding others if you want to get their respect. Furthermore…”

Karen and Karuna stood together in front of Seol, defending him.

Jamad bared his teeth.

“Even though I might not like it, I’ve gained new friends too.”

Rumble…

“M-Magra, they’re climbing up the stairs.”

“Hold the line! We’ll kill them all once our reinforcements arrive!”

Magra continued to insult Jamad, but his face looked much more frustrated than Jamad’s.

Jamad quietly spoke so that only Seol could hear.

“Magra’s a sly old man. You don’t know when he’ll try to attack you, so don’t let your guard down.”

Seol nodded as that was enough for an answer.

A chill ran down Seol’s back.

Jamad then spoke to the twin knights.

“I’ll take care of our weak master here, so go crazy.”

“You’re damn reliable in situations like this, alright!”

Karuna and Karen took more aggressive stances than before.

Clang.

[Karuna has entered the 1st Stage of Moonlight Surge, Crescent Moon.]

Gloooow!

Flinch…

“...What?”

As Karuna’s energy changed, Magra shouted loudly.

“I told you, we were taking things slowly,” said Karen.

Magra’s expression changed again.

“This is… worrying. It makes me worry if I will be able to see tomorrow,” embellished Magra.

Magra then also unleashed more energy.

[Magra used Sulfur Shamanic Spell: Indiscriminate Fire.]

[Indiscriminately ignite both allies and enemies around you and increase your Strength and Dexterity by 50.]

FWOOOOOSH!

Buuuurn…

Everything around Magra started melting. However, he wasn’t just radiating heat. His speed and strength had also definitely increased.

Rumble Rumble!

Claaaang!

Another clash.

“Krgh…”

Spurt!

Blood spilled from Magra’s arms, but he quickly flicked his body to kick Karuna.

Kick!

However, thanks to his sturdy armor, Karuna absorbed the blow and was only pushed back.

Skid…

Thud!

Karuna somersaulted a couple of times before standing up in position.

Fwooosh!

Magra’s sword, no, his spear, was flying toward Karuna.

“Hmph! Too obvious!”

As Karuna was regaining balance, Karen quickly deflected Magra’s sword upward.

Kang!

Thankfully, the sword was repelled. However, it returned right to him.

Clang! Clang!

Karen was slowly speeding up.

CLAAAAAANG!

“Krgh!”

“Hahaha! How fun! It’s been so long since I fought like this!”

“You monsters…”

Fwirl!

She relentlessly attacked, throwing fire and sword strikes at Magra.

Fwoooooosh!

Flaaare!

“Krgh…”

CLAAAAAAANG!

Thud!

Magra tried his best to push her back as she rained down attacks from all directions, but he only continued to get more and more bloodied.

Hmph!

As Karuna came to attack as well, Magra dashed behind.

Magra, a Legendary-rank monster, couldn’t even land a proper attack and continued getting pushed back.

“Gasp… Gasp… I guess I’m old, too, now. Where are they from?”

“Way over… Ah, I guess you won’t understand even if I told you. It’s before you were born.”

“Haha… How ridiculous. Do you even know how long I’ve lived?”

“Still, it wouldn’t compare to us.”

Magra would not have understood even if they told him.

After all, Montra was a fallen kingdom that had disappeared long, long ago.

Magra licked the blood which dripped down from his wound.

“I’m sure you already know this, but this is an unlosable battle for us,” said Magra.

“What are you talking about?”

“Zando is going to return the altar to its original state soon. And once he does, he and I will toss you into the lava. You’ve done well to push me this far, but your plans have gone awry the moment I bought this much time. Also, what will you do about the reinforcements coming to the altar? You cannot escape.”

Seol snorted.

“I can’t believe you made me worry for a second.”

“...Why are you laughing?”

“Because all I have to do is destroy the altar. In the first place, this fight was unloseable for us the moment I reached the Sacred Fire.”

“Do you think I’d fall for your bluff—”

“You’ll see.”

Karuna’s energy violently increased once more.

[Karuna has entered the 2nd Stage of Moonlight Surge, Half Moon.]

Glooooooow!

Even though he was still in his 2nd Stage, Karuna glowed as much as he did when he entered his 3rd Stage before he met Karen. That was more than enough for Seol to see how much he had grown.

Magra’s pupils shook slightly. Still, he did his best to hide it.

“It’s useless! Soon—”

“Karuna.”

“Yes, Master?”

“Show him.”

[Karuna has entered the 3rd Stage of Moonlight Surge, Full Moon.]

GLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!

A gargantuan amount of power expanded out from Karuna. It was like the moon had fallen to the earth.

Magra trembled before him.

“Oh my god…”

He despaired.

The unluckiest person at the Fire Altar was no longer Seol. It was him.