Chapter 212: 51st Floor, The Wolf That Brought Destruction To The World (2)
The wolf howled towards the meteor falling towards it.
[Keuheong!]
The howling, carrying heat, shot out. The meteor was instantly shattered, and even its remnants melted away. Not even moisture remained; nothing was left.
The howling, not satisfied, flew towards Taesan. Taesan quickly moved his wings.
A hot blast of heat passed right beside Taesan.
The wolf that destroyed the world.
It must have burnt the entire world.
"Uwaaak!"
Those who were hiding seemed to realize they couldn't survive and charged at the wolf. Even staying still, their vitality was gradually eaten away by the heat, so they thought to kill the wolf first.
But it was futile. The wolf moved its body with a derisive laugh.
Crack.
Adventurers charging with afterimages were all crushed and trampled. They disappeared without even a scream.
Their foolish deaths were an opportunity for Taesan.
He charged at the wolf, which was taking a brief breath after trampling them.
[You have activated Apostle Transformation [Myriad Spirits].] [You have activated Acceleration.] [Keuheng!]
The wolf responded to Taesan, who approached in an instant. It turned violently and slammed down its claws. Taesan raised his sword.
[You have activated Flow.]
Kagagagak!
Flow deflected the opponent's attack. The path of the claws, which should have been diverted by the sword, did not change. The claws, with force, overpowered and slammed down in their twisted trajectory.
Kagagak!
Taesan directly deflected the wolf's claws. The claws grazed Taesan's forearm and stuck into the ground.
[You take 2021 damage.]
Despite a slight graze, a high amount of damage was inflicted. Taesan then pulled his sword and slashed the wolf's flank long.
[43 damage to the wolf that destroyed the world.]
And damage finally appeared. Taesan clicked his tongue, and the wolf swung its claws again.
[You have activated Random Blink.]
Taesan's body moved above the wolf.
The claws sliced through the air, missing their target. As he fell, Taesan gathered his strength into his sword, infusing it with Spirit Strike, and plunged it into the wolf's back.
[203 damage to the wolf that destroyed the world.]
The damage was noticeably higher than when not enhanced with Spirit Strike.
Yet, the damage was still woefully inadequate. It was uncertain how much health the wolf possessed, but it was clear that this amount of damage was far from enough.
A wave of heat rushed towards Taesan, who had landed on the wolf's back. He quickly dodged the engulfing flames.
"Fighting it in a battle of attrition won't work."
[What you received was the Apostle's Spirit Strike. And that is the wolf that destroys the world. In terms of level... that side is higher. Even if it's just a fragment.]
Attempting to defeat it immediately was overly ambitious. Unperturbed, Taesan activated Essence Understanding.
[You have activated Essence Understanding.] [Fragment of the wolf that destroyed the world] [An entity that turns everything to ash.]
The health was not visible. This indicated that the enemy's full scope couldn't be comprehended even with Essence Understanding, leaving Taesan to deduce it on his own.
The wolf was completely engulfed in flames, which served as a sort of barrier, preventing Taesan's attacks from effectively landing.
This meant he had to consume those flames.
Taesan unfurled his wings.
"Let's take it slow."
Mana was essentially limitless. The powder derived from fairy wings replenishes not just health, but also mana. The mana expended on dozens of frost arrows was fully replenished in that brief moment.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
Jeejejejeok!
Frost enveloped the world. A piercing winter chill assailed the wolf.
[Keuheng!]
The wolf howled. The encroaching coldness was shattered into fragments.
"Doesn't it work?"
Frozen World was a skill effective against many enemies. However, it proved less effective against overwhelmingly powerful foes.
Taesan soared into the sky, wielding a variety of magic. Frost arrows, scorching spheres, wind explosions, and more continuously harassed the wolf.
[Krrrung......]
The wolf grew increasingly agitated. It was desperate to defeat its adversary and lay waste to the world, yet it found itself constantly thwarted.
[Aoouuuuu!]
A burst of scarlet flames erupted.
Before the wolf, flames began to coalesce. These flames intertwined with the wind, swirling together.
Kagagagagak!
Several fiery tornadoes formed.
These tornadoes consumed one another, merging into a single, massive storm.
"For a beast, it certainly employs a diverse array of techniques."
Taesan chuckled, flapping his wings. The fiery storm pursued the agile Taesan.
When he realized he couldn't dodge the attack, Taesan ceased his evasive maneuvers.
[You have activated Frozen World.]
Jeejejeok!
Ice surged forward. However, the storm hesitated only briefly before resuming its advance toward Taesan.
Magic proved ineffective. Taesan infused his entire body with Spirit Strike and lunged at the storm.
He brought his sword down upon the storm.
Kwagwagang!
The storm exploded violently. Flames erupted in every direction, attempting to overwhelm Taesan.
Taesan fortified himself with more Spirit.
Kagagagak!
He was met with fierce resistance. The intense heat made breathing difficult and challenged the Spirit enveloping him.
Taesan concentrated deeply.
He focused all his attention on the sword as it met the storm, confronting the tempest before him.
This was no ordinary storm of flames. It was an assault infused with the wolf's essence.
And such an attack always harbored a core.
Sensing the storm's frequency and motion through his sword, Taesan deciphered it.
Finally, having identified the heart of the hurricane, Taesan plunged into the storm.
[You take 3051 damage.] [You take 2043 damage.]
Flames engulfed him.
His skin began to redden, starting from the fingertips, slowly burning, suffocating. Ignoring the incoming pain, Taesan plunged his sword into where the core was.
Puueng!
The storm exploded outward.
And behind the exploding storm, the wolf was revealed.
Kaang!
Taesan blocked the wolf's attack and used the recoil to fly far away. He quickly pulled out a health recovery potion and drank it.
New flesh appeared on his burnt skin.
His health was dangerously low. It was a risky attack for Taesan as well.
But there was also something to gain.
The intensity of the flames emanating from the wolf was noticeably weaker.
Taesan realized the flames wrapping the wolf's body served both offense and defense. Meaning, if it focused on attack, its defense naturally weakened.
Then, the method of attack was clear.
Taesan charged at the wolf. The wolf howled and ran towards him, slamming down its claw fiercely.
Kagak!
He twisted the sword, deflecting it. The mere aftermath brought damage, but it wasn't unbearable.
Taesan, who had slipped under the wolf, moved his sword.
[You have activated Vital Point Designation.] [You have activated Addition.]
Kwajik.
He slashed the wolf's hind leg.
[502 damage to the fragment of the wolf that destroyed the world.]
Although still not high, the damage was significantly greater than before.
The wolf, attempting to burn Taesan who had dug underneath it to death, spewed flames downwards. Seeing the precursor, Taesan pulled out his shield.
[You have activated the Aegis Shield.]
Puuung!
Flames exploded, pressing down on Taesan. However, due to the Aegis Shield, he took no damage.
When the shield's invincibility time ended, so did the outburst of flames. Taesan then wedged into the attacked area and attacked again.
[You have activated Wedge.] [1304 damage to the fragment of the wolf that destroyed the world.]
Finally, four-digit damage appeared.
The wolf attempted to crush him by folding its legs, but Taesan narrowly escaped.
Creating some distance, Taesan examined the wolf's hind leg.
A very small wound was visible there.
[Krrr......]
The wolf quietly bared its teeth, its gaze fixed on Taesan with wariness.
[Keuheng!]
Charging forward, the wolf attacked.
In response, Taesan raised his sword.
He kicked away the jaw that sought to swallow him and then dodged the incoming claws.
[You take 4053 damage.]
The claws grazed his back. Enduring the pain, Taesan thrust his sword into the wolf's hind leg once more.
[2031 damage to the fragment of the wolf that destroyed the world.]
Puhak.
Blood spurted from the leg.
[Keung!]
For the first time, the wolf's howl was filled with pain. It shook its body violently, scattering flames in all directions like sparks.
Taesan utilized his wings, dodging all the sparks with precise movements.
He evaded the wolf's leap that was aimed at catching him.
The wolf expelled a sphere of flames from its mouth. Narrowly avoiding it, Taesan plunged his sword into the wolf's hind leg once again.
[Keuuung!]
The wolf howled loudly, thrashing its leg. The leg, not fully evaded, struck Taesan's shoulder.
[You take 8053 damage.]
The damage was significant.
Taesan created distance. The wolf was formidable. To land his attacks, he had to accept some damage.
However, unlike the wolf, he had means to recover health.
Until now, there hadn't been a moment to use potions properly during the battle, but his fairy wings allowed him to float in the air. This enabled him to evade the wolf's attacks and seize the opportunity to use potions.
[You have used a Health Recovery Potion.]
Health surged back. Taesan gripped his sword and charged again.
Kagagak!
As the battle wore on, Taesan's speed and strength continued to increase due to his sustained battle skills. Meanwhile, the wolf's flames gradually lost their intensity.
Kwajik.
The wolf howled as the sword was plunged into its leg once more.
It began to limp.
[Krrr......]
Narrowing its eyes, the wolf fixed its gaze on Taesan.
It recalled its own demise.
As it turned the world to ash, fulfilling its duty, countless lives stood in its way.
Among them were formidable magicians and the world's most powerful swordsman. Hundreds, thousands of individuals with extraordinary abilities converged to slay it.
They were indeed powerful, capable of killing the wolf.
Yet, to the wolf, they held no significance.
It was a monster destined to bring about the world's end. To it, they were merely trivial beings, mere fragments of the world. In truth, even though they managed to kill the wolf, they failed to prevent the apocalypse.
However, the entity before it now was different.
It wasn't just an insignificant fragment. Its power, its stature, everything about it surpassed the wolf.
The wolf made its decision. Its priority was no longer the world's destruction, but the elimination of the being before it.
The wolf let out a howl.
[Aoouuuuu!]
Whoosh!
The flames engulfing the entire village were extinguished. The heat devouring the air began to fade.
[You take 164 damage.] [You take 123 damage.]
The sustained damage gradually lessened and then ceased altogether.
But Taesan's expression remained grim.
Until this moment, the wolf had regarded Taesan merely as a hindrance to its mission. But now, recognizing him as a formidable adversary, it was determined to kill him.
The world-destroying wolf now personally targeted Taesan.
[Krrr.]
The flames cloaking the wolf's body grew denser, now blazing a deep crimson.
The true battle was about to begin. The wolf crouched on its hind legs, then propelled itself towards Taesan like a bullet.