Something changed.

It wasn’t just that spatial perception had crumbled.

My body changed. Strength returned to legs that seemed ready to collapse. It felt as though something was supporting and caressing my back…

‘What is this?’

Could it be a flashback before death? Am I really on the brink of dying?

– Grrrrr…!

…There was no time to think.

A nearly dead man had just gained a little leeway.

Aerulus’s growl always carried the purpose of intimidation. It was the sound a predator made to threaten and paralyze its prey.

But this time, there was a mix of confusion and wariness. Maybe it sensed my changes instinctively.

I could feel it.

The fur brushing the wind, distinguished by green lines.

‘Huh.’

A world painted black with green lines.

It was familiar information. This was the frustrating perspective I used to feel in the early days of my life here.

Back then, I thought my spatial perception was broken.

Now, I understood.

I was merely reading the entire space. My rank, my level, was too low to read it properly, making it almost useless.

And since I saw the gate this way, it felt incredibly eerie.

I nodded. A subtle sense brushed past me.

I could feel things I couldn’t feel before.

This space itself was advantageous to Aerulus. It had transformed into such an environment. A dungeon’s backup. It’s the benefit given to an alpha entity by the dungeon.

It also exerted pressure on external entities.

It invigorated the monsters within and suppressed the outsiders.

Previously, just resisting the pressure with spatial perception was overwhelming.

Now? There was no reason to leave it as it was.

I waved my hand.

The air fluctuated along my gesture. The minute reverberation soon turned into a massive wave.

‘Manifesting authority.’

[Space]

The space shook violently.

The vortex of space rising around me spread outwards. It tore apart the dungeon’s control in an instant, and my dominion took over the surroundings.

– …!?

Aerulus’s eyes widened. Obvious bewilderment was transmitted.

The power that had been empowering it was now gone.

Aerulus lifted its head to look at the sky. The sense of the dungeon that always watched and supported it was now absent.

Until just a moment ago, this place was the dungeon’s domain. It was a space devoured by a rampaging dungeon, and a battlefield advantageous to the monsters belonging to the dungeon.

But not anymore.

Now this space was under my control. Not at the level of clumsy spatial perception. Although it wasn’t full manifestation of authority, it was at least beyond what a fourth-ranked dungeon could contend with.

I could feel it. The green lines against the black background…

Even while on the brink of death, the vibrations reached my skin. My hearing finely caught its growl.

Though it didn’t hinder combat, there was no reason to stick to a less optimal method while better ones were available.

I waved my hand again. This time, there were no fluctuations or vortices in space.

‘Manifesting authority.’

[Observation]

Unlike the authority of space, nothing special happened.

I just began to receive information again.

There might be other ways to operate it, but I had no time to research and experiment with the operation methods.

Thus, I used the most familiar way.

Like spatial perception, I gathered information from the area centered around me.

Contrary to the space’s waves that radiated from me, waves of information converged on me.

The black map regained its color. Blood-red fur and mist, crimson puddles of blood scattered on the ground, and the sky’s wing feathers fluttering with magical energy.

Clear.

The information flooding my mind was incomparably clearer and more detailed than before.

Bang! The ground split. A blood-red surge swept in. The foreleg wrapped in blood mist slashed through the air. The wind slicing from its claws approached menacingly.

The same attack as before.

But it felt different than before.

I stretched out my hand. Blue Qi covered it.

Attack and defense.

Qi and blood mist intertwined. The blue and red pushed against each other.

The blue was pushed back.

It was better than before, but it still yielded.

The reason was clear. The blood mist was denser and stronger than my Qi.

If met head-on, the Qi would shatter.

– Grrrr…!

My body wasn’t pushed back. I gently diverted the descending attack’s trajectory. The attack shattered the innocent ground.

I dodged the foreleg that swung like a whip. The long-tattered wall was torn away.

‘Jack-of-all-Trades.’

A versatile unique ability that holds at least minimal potential in various fields.

Also, a skill-related unique ability that enhances finesse.

It was rapidly growing as I became aware of my uniqueness.

I could dodge and deflect more easily than before. My finesse had improved.

Additionally, the quality of the information collected by the authority of observation increased. There was no reason I couldn’t avoid it.

If I had been at this level from the start, I could have held out.

But my condition was at its worst to drag out the time.

Had it not been for the unknown force supporting my back, I would have been a corpse already.

Also, my instinct told me that this help wouldn’t last much longer.

I couldn’t waste time. I had to finish it quickly. If I fell here, the people in the shelter would die.

That was true even a moment ago. But just because I couldn’t do it due to power issues.

Now? Could it be possible? I had to try.

I smirked and reached out. My arm, broken and battered, held together by the sky’s wing feathers.

And my right arm, still bearing the scars of a gruesome burn.

Aerulus flinched as it extended its foreleg. I sensed its intention to pull back. Is it because it’s a beast that its instinct is sharp?

Whoosh!

But it was too late. The distance was sufficient.

Sparks flew on my right arm. In an instant, they blossomed into a massive flame.

Flames that set oneself and the world on fire, flames that leave no ashes of what they hate.

Gop-hwa (Catastrophic Fire).

Why do flames rise from my arm? I still don’t know precisely, but I understood how it worked.

‘Magic Affinity.’

A unique ability I originally had but didn’t realize.

The original description of an extraordinary affinity for magic. It wasn’t wrong.

But the ability I defined at this moment was different.

Thanks to Magic Affinity, I felt magic from the beginning. It was easy to start with magic. Handling it was easy, and using magic to strengthen the body, Qi, and spells was easy.

Magic Affinity isn’t just that kind of ability. While it might include that, it’s merely a byproduct.

It’s not a clumsy ability that just makes difficult things easy.

It’s an ability to do what others can’t.

When was it? Was it that fire?

I encountered Gop-hwa. The flames that engulfed my right arm and body were Gop-hwa. They burned me, but for some reason, I survived.

Especially the right arm, which was tenaciously gnawed at by Gop-hwa, understood and remembered it.

‘Expansion Ability.’

Expansion of uniqueness.

A step forward, not standing still.

Whether it’s regression or progression, it’s about changing without stopping.

‘Homogenization, Gop-hwa.’

A storm of flames swept through the wide corridor. A wave of fire that swept away the thick blood surged forward.

– Kaaaargh─!

For the first time, a scream of agony erupted from Aerulus’s throat. The corridor shook. Debris rolled across the floor.

The flames adhered to the blood mist enveloping its body, clinging to its blood-red fur.

Aerulus rolled on the ground. But Gop-hwa didn’t extinguish.

‘It hurts like hell, doesn’t it? You bastard.’

I went through it, and it hurt like hell.

It felt incredibly satisfying. No matter what, seeing the creature that tormented and tried to kill me in such pain was cathartic.

But I was also dying. Smiling bitterly, I kicked off the ground.

– Grrrrrr─!

Aerulus, foaming at the mouth, struck the ground with its forepaw and stood up.

Even with its eyes rolled back in pain, survival instincts made its body move.

Its gaze focused on my right arm. It seemed wary of the remaining embers of Gop-hwa.

The sound of wind splitting.

The claws, partially wrapped in blood mist, flew toward my face.

There was a difference in size. Even if I extended my hand, the length was different, and my head would go first.

There was a difference in body levels. If we ran side by side, I could never outrun Aerulus.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t dodge. I twisted my body. My ear, now unrecognizable, flew off. The tips of my hair were severed.

Instead, I regained distance. I dug into its embrace.

Even then, Aerulus’s attention remained on my right arm. It seemed desperate to avoid Gop-hwa.

I stretched out my left arm.

Encased in the sky’s wing feathers but with Qi dissipated, it was an unguarded left arm. An arm receiving less scrutiny.

An arm difficult for a beast tormented by Gop-hwa to focus on.

– Keh!

The gaping jaws encroached. The distance closed. It meant Aerulus had an opportunity to attack.

If bitten, my upper body would easily fit into its jaws. The sharp and thick teeth could chew up my body in an instant.

I thrust my left arm into it.

The open jaws closed. Teeth flew toward me.

– Crunch-

The sky’s wing feathers were torn apart. They dug into the flesh. Slicing through muscles, finally embedding into the bone.

– Crackle!

At that moment, I triggered magic.

‘Expansion Ability.’

The circuit creaked. I scraped up magic from the bottom. It wasn’t enough.

– Woooong!

I drew in surrounding magic. Magic mixed with miscellaneous elements. I ignored the aftereffects and slammed it all into my left arm.

‘Homogenization.’

I had experienced Gop-hwa. I had endured the pain and understood it.

This time, there was no such experience.

But I certainly felt it. I felt it acting on me and saw others using it up close.

It was also a unique ability with an intense impression that didn’t lag behind Gop-hwa.

‘Changhae (Vast Ocean).’

Crack! An explosion of cold burst from my left arm, torn by sharp teeth. Aerulus’s head froze entirely.

Its jaws held my left arm. There was a difference in size. It meant its head was lowered.

It was in a perfect position for a strike and couldn’t escape.

Realizing this, Aerulus hurriedly tried to pull back its head.

Crack! The long-shattered arm bones ground against each other. The pain felt like boiling blood due to being flash-frozen alive.

Slam…! I pulled back my clenched fist with unprecedented force.

There was no next. I had to finish it in one blow.

‘Gop-hwa?’

If used, it could inflict a fatal wound or even maim. But it was uncertain. The barely manifested Gop-hwa might not kill it.

The creature I hit directly with Gop-hwa was now active.

I knew Gop-hwa was powerful. I felt the might of Gop-hwa manifested by Hong Yeon-hwa.

But.

‘Something stronger.’

There are too many strong people in this world. And many monsters beyond common sense.

One monster can steep the vast lands of China in poison and leave them abandoned.

One rampaging monster can shatter an entire continent.

There are many powerful monsters in the towers that might invade someday. There are real monsters sitting at the top of those towers.

All this is knowledge from the original work. I haven’t felt it in reality.

The strongest power I felt while living in this world. The strongest person I met.

Ferocious and wild golden magic.

‘Expansion Ability.’

I contained it. A sample? Material? Information? There was more than enough. I collected information almost daily.

The person I contacted most. The person who kept guiding and teaching me.

The person I imagined as a calm adult.

I could replicate it.

‘Homogenization.’

Did I overuse it? My head felt light. I held onto my fraying sanity as if it would snap any moment.

This was the last. I instinctively realized.

Slam! My nails dug into my palm. The Qi flared wildly, then compressed and settled.

The color changed. In the collapsing corridor, a sudden sunlight appeared.

Atra Clyde’s unique ability.

An acquired unique ability boasting power comparable to Gop-hwa and the property of magic.

‘Midday Sun.’

A golden-tinged fist struck Aerulus’s head.

Light exploded.

– Crash!

– Crack- The space’s outer wall, which seemed on the verge of collapse, was struck by a fist.

Golden energy followed. Crash! A shockwave spread through the world.

– Crack!

How many times did I strike with my fist? Five? Six? The outer wall’s cracks finally crumbled away.

I couldn’t destroy it completely. I didn’t intend to.

The collapsing gray wall before my eyes. Atra quickly withdrew her fist and leapt into the hole.

‘Where is it? Where are you?’

Her bloodshot eyes scanned the area. Vision enhanced by magic scoured the city.

The ruined city came into view. Buildings collapsed, and fires flared up here and there.

It was a scene that heightened her unease.

She gritted her teeth and crossed through.

She saw bodies with no possibility of survival. She saw hunks of meat being devoured by monsters.

Her unease grew. She scattered the damn monsters with bursts of Qi.

“……!”

A familiar aura. Faint and it doubled her unease.

Bang! The rooftop she stood on sank. Atra’s gaze scoured the origin of the aura.

Next to that aura, there was the menacing aura of a monster.

Then.

– Crash!

A roar echoed in her ears. It was a familiar trait and sound of magic.

‘Damn.’

Damn, damn, damn…!

Unease.

The world changed rapidly. Atra’s form extended.

Bang! The ground shattered upon landing. She didn’t care and swiftly scanned ahead.

The entrance to the destroyed shelter. The door near the corridor was smashed and scattered on the floor.

Unease.

‘It can’t be.’

This time is different. It can’t be. Surely, they’re safe. I can feel the magic. It’s different from last time. This time.

This time…

The thoughts filled her mind. She tore through her unease and rushed into the shelter.

Then.

She saw an arm.

‘……’

An arm with all the fingers broken and the pinky finger missing.

An arm that seemed shredded by something massive, with no intact skin left.

An arm clad in chunks of ice.

An arm that should be attached to a body but was somehow separated.

An arm that felt familiar.

The world turned black. Why? Her gaze naturally turned away.

Nearby.

A monster corpse with a shattered head lay over a pool of blood. A large monster with red fur. It seemed to be an alpha entity.

It was dead. Who killed it?

She didn’t want to see. But she had to. Her gaze naturally returned.

Next to it… She saw a corpse with one arm missing.

A corpse.

A sight that couldn’t belong to a living person.

A familiar physique. The familiar scar on the mangled right arm that should be called a chunk of meat.

Lying in a pool of blood…

“Ah.”

Her lips parted. No sound came.

The light disappeared from Atra’s eyes.

[The Savior Correction System]

[Assisting in the savior’s life maintenance.]

[The ‘Curse of the Beautiful and Short-lived’ activates.]

[Exhausted vitality restores the body.]

[The ‘Curse of the Beautiful and Short-lived’ consumes vitality.]

End of Chapter