Junhyuk walked outside and saw the lizardmen kneeling in front of Gongon and Aktur. Gongon wagged his tail at him and tilted his head slightly toward him.
âLooks like you have grown taller?â
âIs that right?â
He looked around for something to measure his height against, but could not find anything suitable for comparison. Aktur, who had his arms crossed, said calmly, âYouâve certainly grown taller.â
Junhyuk smiled.
âDid I really grow?â he asked. Then, he stretched his arms and added, âWhat should we do this time? Same as last time?â
Aktur shook his head.
âOur enemies have changed.â
âTheyâve changed? I thought teams couldnât change.â
âCorrect.â
He didnât know where Aktur had gotten that information, but he realized that Aktur had better connections than he did. Junhyuk looked at the mummy rather strangely, and Aktur continued calmly, âDrakey and Lugos are dead. So, they brought in two more champions.â
âDrakey and Lugos are dead?!â
Junhyuk had fought them last time, and hearing that they were dead now made him feel strange. They couldnât have been killed in a silly way. They had been too skilled for that.
âIt happened in their dimensions, so I donât know the details. However, others were brought in.â
âWhat are they like, these new ones?â Gongon asked.
Aktur showed him his palms and said, âI donât know anything about them. Weâll have to fight them to find out more.â
Something was nagging at Junhyuk. Only Kraken still remained.
âDid Kraken kill those two?â
âHe wouldnât be that stupid.â
âWe donât know that.â
Of their three enemies, two had died, so Junhyuk was suspicious of the third. Gongon shrugged.
âThis place has many limitations. There is no way to be sure of who is stronger in their own dimensions, but I donât think Kraken can travel between dimensions.â
âYou think itâs a coincidence?â
Gongon wagged his tail.
âThatâs my thought on the subject.â
Junhyuk looked at Aktur and asked, âThen, are we adopting a new strategy?â
âNo. When you meet the enemy, make sure to communicate to the others. We have to know what kind of enemies they are before coming up with a new strategy?â
Junhyuk nodded and looked at Gongon, saying, âThen, letâs move together!â
âSure.â
Aktur took the upper bath, and Gongon and Junhyuk went toward the bottom. Junhyuk took fifty lizardmen and headed toward the watchtower.
When Junhyuk had first arrived, he had wanted to check on his teleportationâs range, so as he walked with Gongon, he teleported suddenly. Seeing the distance he had covered, he smiled.
âOK.â
Gongon ran toward him while wagging his tail.
âDid you just teleport through twenty meters?â
âI trained like a dog. It was worth it,â Junhyuk said, smiling.
Previously, the distance had not increased at all. However, this time, it had doubled at once. Before, he wouldâve been vulnerable to attacks, but now, his enemies wouldnât be able to reach him unless they used their powers.
And when considering two teleportations, even long-ranged attacks wouldnât be able to hit him. He could also always run away.
Junhyuk looked at the sword he was holding and wondered about how the Spatial Slash had changed. He couldnât use it on Gongon, so he wanted to meet their enemies quickly.
Placing a hand on Gongonâs head, he said, âThis time, I worked hard as well.â
âHi-hi-hi. You are something else.â
Last time, Gongon had trained hard before going to the battlefield, and they had gotten satisfying results from his effort. This time, Junhyuk had worked hard in hopes of similar results.
His powers hadnât improved only in South Korea, but in the battlefield as well, and that was all because of the living spirit within him. Junhyuk had learned that even if the battlefield had limitations, he could still improve his powers.
He tried to walk away quickly, but Gongon jumped on his neck. Junhyuk looked at the hatchling, who simply wagged his tail.
âLetâs go!â
He smiled bitterly while giving Gongon a piggyback ride and ran.
As always, the watchtowers were weaker than in the Valley of Death. Once he reached it, he tapped Gongonâs foot lightly. After Gongon dropped to the ground, Junhyuk looked at the enemies in front of him.
He had met Kraken before, but there was another champion there. However, that champion looked familiar.
âAn Elidra?â
Opposite of him, was a champion with an alligator head and broad shoulders. Elidras were quick, but they werenât as big as the one in front of him, who had even wider shoulders and a highly trained body.
The Elidra stepped forward and pulled out two saw-bladed swords from his waist.
âNice to meet you. I am Nid, the savior of the Elidra species.â
Junhyuk had already seen the Elidrasâ wild dual swordsmanship, but the others hadnât been able to use proper technique. The Elidra in front of him was different, however, and without knowing what powers the Elidra had, he couldnât just step forward.
Gongon walked ahead and said, âKraken, two of your teammates have changed, but you still canât win.â
The hatchling turned to Nid and added, âEspecially when you are paired with that low class species.â
A spark appeared in Nidâs eyes, and he stared coldly at the dragon.
âDonât get him excited,â Junhyuk said.
Gongon shook his head.
âNo. Some excitement is good. I want to see his powers.â
Gongonâs eyes also looked cold, and Junhyuk smiled bitterly. Even though he is young, Gongon was still a dragon, and the things he said werenât wrong.
Junhyuk saw Nid running toward them and said, âIâll start.â
âOK.â
How much stronger had the Spatial Slash gotten?
Junhyuk ran toward Nid, and when there were about fifty meters between them, he swung the Blood Rune Sword from behind him. With a flash, the sword disappeared.
The Spatial Slash disappeared from his enemyâs sight and reappeared immediately. His enemy couldnât match its speed, and without any uncertainty, blood gushed out of Nidâs neck.
âUgh!â
Junhyuk had added the living spirit to the Spatial Slash and noticed a difference. While he wasnât sure of what kind of equipment Nid had, as Nidâs neck tore apart, Nid lost 45 percent of his health.
The strike created a shockwave, and since Kraken had been following Nid, Kranken lost 17 percent of its health.
The shockwave dealt 50 percent of the original strikeâs damage, and it had dealt 17 percent of damage to Krakenâs health, which meant that the shockwave had hit for 2 percent more damage than before.
Even if he wasnât sure about Nidâs defense, he was satisfied with the damage increase. Junhyuk did not stop, running forward as fast as he could. Of course, his regular speed hadnât changed. However, the Dimensional Battlefield had unlimited mana, and there was no way to compare it to the training facility.
He had been absorbing mana all the while, so he focused on the living spirit so it wouldnât enter his veins. With a burst of speed, he clashed against Nid.
Clang!
The swords clashed, and Nid bared his teeth against him.
âYour skills are astounding.â
Junhyuk felt Nidâs strength pressing against his sword and frowned. Junhyuk possessed the highest quality attack rune and was strong himself, but Nid was not being pushed around by him.
Elidras specialized in speed, so he thought Nid was surely a champion. Then, Nid laughed and said, âShall I repay my debt to you?â
Junhyuk realized that Nid was about to use a power and became anxious. At once and regardless of Nidâs power, he decided to be hit by it. There was no single blow that could kill him.
At that moment, Nidâs sword became translucent and passed by his sword, slashing him in the chest.
âUgh!â Junhyuk groaned and winced in pain, but more importantly, he had to dodge Nidâs next attack.
So, Junhyuk stepped back, but Nid tracked after him, saying, âI am sorry, but you canât outrun me.â
Nid closed in quickly, so Junhyuk teleported.
At once, he appeared twenty meters back, and Nid stared at him with wide eyes. At that moment, Gongon rushed toward Nid.
Boom!
Gongon headbutted Nid, who bounced back, rolling on the ground. Kraken appeared suddenly, grabbing Gongon by the legs and raising him up. As Kraken held on to Gongonâs limbs, Junhyuk clicked his tongue.
He hadnât wanted to show all of his powers from the start, but he, too, had experienced Krakenâs twisting power and did not want anyone to feel that violated.
Junhyuk extended his hand, and an ivory light appeared from Gongonâs body. Kraken no longer had a hold of Gongon, and Junhyuk looked at Nid.
NIdâs translucent sword had returned to its normal consistency.
As Gongon dropped to the ground, he could not hold his fury back, and a firebreath spewed from his mouth. The flames swept across the enemy line.
After being hit by Gongonâs headbutt and now his firebreath, Nid was left with 15 percent of his health. Nid grimaced and looked at Junhyuk and Gongon, who were within the force field.
âA protective shield?â
âCorrect. Even heroes donât have that type of force field,â Kraken said.
Nid nodded and stepped back, drinking a potion. His health went back up to 35 percent.
âThey are strong enough.â
Krakenâs eyes sparked as it said, âThey arenât easy.â
Gongon hadnât transformed yet, so Kraken retreated within the watchtowerâs range. Junhyuk and Gongon chased after their enemies, but they couldnât close in. Junhyuk had already used his teleports, and Gongon didnât have any speed boost items.
The force field had prevented Krakenâs power, but that was its only use. While standing next to Junhyuk, Gongon wagged his tail and asked, âHow is your injury?â
Junhyuk checked his health and murmured softly, âNidâs power disappeared, so it looks like it has a time limit. His strike took 20 percent off my health.â
âWas it a critical hit?â
âYes.â
âThen, donât worry about it. I kept an eye on it, and it only lasts for three seconds.â
âDonât dismiss it. He has high movement speed, and you canât block his attack when his power is active.â
If Junhyuk got hit by three attacks within those three seconds, he might even lose 60 percent of his health. And they hadnât seen Nidâs two other powers yet. If Nid really went all out, he might die.
Gongon laughed and said, âIâll go first and be the shield.â
The hatchling stepped forward, and Junhyuk walked behind him.
âWe havenât seen his other powers. Be careful.â
âWhen a lion hunts a rabbit, a lion does his best,â Gongon said, running ahead. He entered the watchtowerâs range to kill Nid, who had 35 percent of his health left.
Nidâs health and defense werenât great. Compared to Kraken, Nidâs defense was rather low. However, Nidâs attack stat seemed to be significant.
Junhyuk stopped worrying and ran behind Gongon, who was already ahead. If Gongon were to use his power at that point, it would be his transformation.
Junhyuk saw Kraken taking the front and swinging its long tentacles. Gongon was very small, but that he was able to dodge all of Krakenâs tentacles was unbelievable. Then, Gongon headbutted Kraken and shouted as he continued to attack, âYou finish him off!â
Thinking of it, Gongon held a deep grudge against Kraken. Junhyuk laughed and closed in on Nid, who he thought he could kill easily with the amount of health Nid had left.
As he approached, Junhyuk swung his sword, but Nid blocked it with his own. A smile appeared on Nidâs face, and he said, âNow, itâs my turn, right?â
Nid spun around, touching Junhyuk lightly.