Chapter 55
Chapter 55
The ominous darkness began to creep into the sunlit arena.
A bizarre phenomenon where darkness pushed away the light.
Seong Jihan gathered his internal energy.
'An overwhelming magical power that's imperceptible... Defeating her is impossible.'
Even if he possessed martial power and Force, it would be impossible to defeat the power of the Shadow Queen at his current level.
'However, I don't need to defeat her.'
Seong Jihan recalled the content of the Epic Quest.
[Find the Shadow Queen located near the spectators in the Colosseum Map and provoke her.]
The quest he received wasn't about fighting the Shadow Queen, but rather, finding and provoking her.
Although it seemed he had identified the Shadow Queen,
'The quest hasn't been completed... I haven't provoked her yet.'
How could he provoke the Shadow Queen? Throwing the Phoenix's Arrow into the darkness again would be ineffective.
While Seong Jihan was deep in thought, the Phoenix's Arrow, which he had launched towards the barrier, suddenly returned to his hand.
'Even after entering that darkness, the arrow's return feature remains intact.'
Though the Phoenix's Arrow always returns to its owner, he thought its effect might be nullified due to the potent darkness.
Whether it was allowed by the Shadow Queen or not, the arrow continued to emit a brilliant white light.
'Hmm.'
As Seong Jihan channeled energy into the Phoenix's Arrow, the bright white light intensified, illuminating the encroaching darkness.
It was then that he felt a subtle movement beneath his feet. Looking down, he noticed his elongated shadow morphing into a peculiar shape.
'This is...'
The head of the shadow had transformed into the shape of a sword.
Simultaneously, the sword-like shadow suddenly lunged, attempting to pierce Seong Jihan.
But he, who had been alert since the shadow began to form, easily dodged the attack.
The sword-shaped shadow dissipated, losing its form.
However, after a brief moment, it began to morph back into the sword shape.
'The shadow is being infused with a foreign power. This could be endless.'
Moreover, the external darkness continued to flood into the arena.
'I need to assess the situation first.'
Seong Jihan decided to retreat. Just as he was about to use the Flashing Sky Thunder Steps, he felt a slight current run through his legs.
The rate of the shadow's transformation slowed.
'Electrical currents work.'
Once more, he deliberately channeled the electrical energy from the Flashing Sky Thunder Steps into the ground.
The shadow was noticeably paralyzed.
'Even if I can suppress the energy flowing into the shadow, it won't completely disappear.'
No matter how much Seong Jihan tried to neutralize the foreign energy with his electrical currents, it didn't vanish entirely.
'I'll leave it as it is for now.'
Having made up his mind, Seong Jihan cast Flashing Sky Thunder Steps to search for other players.
* * * * *
The arena was in chaos.
"What... what's with these shadows?"
"Ah... help!"
Screams of players echoed everywhere.
Unlike Seong Jihan, who had managed to suppress his shadow, other players were helplessly attacked by their own sword-shaped shadows.
Attempts to block the attacks with shields or protective magic were futile.
For some reason, the shadows ignored the players' defenses and instantly took their lives.
The number of survivors rapidly dwindled.
[Only 5 survivors remain.]
[The Top 100 Promotion Match will soon end.]
Upon seeing the system message, Seong Jihan felt a sense of urgency.
'I haven't completed the epic quest yet.'
How could he provoke the Shadow Queen?
He looked around.
After he broke a part of the barrier, the whole barrier in the arena had been deactivated, and darkness continued to spill in from all sides.
Four players were surviving in the center of the arena, apparently unaffected by the shadows, at least for now.
However, their own shadows squirmed ominously, indicating an imminent threat.
'I need to save them first.'
With a swish, Seong Jihan used the Thunderbolt Step to its full potential, quickly approaching the survivors.
"What... what's happening?"
One warrior, startled by Seong Jihan's swift approach, tried to use a skill, but Seong Jihan effortlessly parried him and simultaneously stepped on his shadow, sending electric currents into it.
The sword-shaped shadow vanished, returning to its normal state, leaving the warrior stunned and confused.
'Why is he helping me?'
Seong Jihan then proceeded to rescue the other three in the same manner, placing them all in the center of the arena.
The four players, turned to stone by shock, could only blink and stare at Seong Jihan, wondering about his motives.
Seong Jihan, however, didn't pay them any mind and instead focused on the encroaching darkness.
He had observed that while the darkness seemed uniform, there were definite power hierarchies within.
To verify this, he sent electric currents into the five shadows, including his own.
This was not to completely suppress the shadows, but to observe from which direction the foreign power flowed.
Soon, he felt a peculiar energy extending from the northeastern darkness.
The shadows, which had been paralyzed by his electrical currents, began to recover rapidly.
'That's the spot.'
It was clear.
The Shadow Queen was located where he had broken the barrier.
Now that he had pinpointed her location, all he needed to do was strike and provoke her.
However, even with the Triad of Martial Mastery, reaching the Shadow Queen was a challenge.
While martial arts were powerful, the opponent was exceptionally unconventional.
Yet, among the martial arts he could use, there was one that could exploit the Shadow Queen's vulnerability to electrical currents.
The Phoenix's Arrow blazed anew, this time not only with white flames but also with blue electric currents.
'Although I haven't fully mastered the Nameless Divine Technique...'
It wasn't a skill registered in his system, but his body remembered it well.
From the Nameless Divine Technique, Seong Jihan deployed the most suitable technique for this situation:
Nameless Divine Arts, Divine Thunder Decree - Striking Thunderbolt
The arena was filled with the roaring sound of thunder and the brilliant light of the Phoenix's Arrow, ready to strike.
'Striking Thunderbolt', which was best suited for countering darkness and evil, was too high-leveled for the current Seong Jihan.
Even if he had fully learned it from the Wandering Martial God, he wouldn't have been able to unleash its full potential.
'If I'm lacking, I'll borrow from the Phoenix's Arrow.'
The Phoenix's Arrow, an item that disappeared after five uses, held a formidable power rivaling that of SS rank, setting aside its limitations on uses.
Thus, Seong Jihan drew the power he needed from it.
His hand, holding the Phoenix's Arrow, was engulfed in flames, unable to withstand the heat.
A side effect of using an advanced martial art without the support of the Nameless Divine Technique.
Despite the excruciating pain, Seong Jihan smirked as thunder roared from the arrow.
"Success."
He took a stance to throw the arrow.
Every muscle in his upper body tensed, his shoes digging into the ground from the immense Force.
Then, with a sonic boom, he threw the Phoenix's Arrow, which split the darkness like a bolt of lightning.
As the darkness receded, a Dark Elf with black eyes, presumably the Shadow Queen, appeared, standing right in the path of the Phoenix's Arrow.
But just as the arrow was about to pierce her, it halted abruptly in front of her.
The Dark Elf chanted in an unknown language, and the arrow's flames and electric currents began to wane, slowly reverting it to its original form.
It seemed Seong Jihan's desperate attack would go to waste.
However, in that split second, a white lightning bolt grazed the Dark Elf's cheek. It was the secondary lightning strike from the Striking Thunderbolt.
Although he couldn't release the full power of the Striking Thunderbolt, resulting in a delayed attack, it worked in his favor.
The Dark Elf's cheek showed a brief scorch mark before healing instantly.
Though she barely took any damage, Seong Jihan's objective was achieved.
[You have provoked the Shadow Queen.]
[You have cleared the Epic Quest.]
[You have been rewarded 50,000 achievement points.]
It was enough for Seong Jihan, as his sole intent was to provoke the Shadow Queen.
The Dark Elf, with her black eyes, spoke in an unknown language and extended her hand.
The surrounding darkness quickly vanished, converging into a massive black sword that stretched from her hand to the end of the sky.
Simultaneously, the shadows of all living players started to go wild.
They had been suppressed by Seong Jihan's electric currents, but now with the Dark Elf exerting her full power, there was no stopping them.
With a shrieking sound, the shadows bound the players' arms and legs.
The climax of the battle had begun, and the true power of the Shadow Queen was about to be unleashed.
Bound to a metaphorical execution stand, Seong Jihan and the other players were rendered completely defenseless.
In this state, they would undoubtedly fall to a single strike, and anyone could tell that Seong Jihan would be the first to face the axe.
His first rank in the promotion match was at stake.
However, even in such dire straits, a smile never left Seong Jihan's lips.
"I'm sorry, but I can't afford to die here."
Suddenly, players behind him gasped in pain.
One by one, they started to disintegrate into light, until only Seong Jihan remained.
The Dark Elf's eyes widened in surprise. She had thought she had Seong Jihan completely restrained.
How was it possible for the other players to perish in front of her, a being of overwhelming power?
"See you next time," Seong Jihan whispered.
[You have won the Top 100 Promotion Match.]
[You will log out in 5 seconds.]
Before the 5 seconds elapsed, the massive dark sword, aimed to split Seong Jihan in two, swung down.
But, with an unexpected twist, Seong Jihan managed to dodge the brunt of the attack.
He couldn't avoid it completely, and his left arm was severed, falling to the ground.
Still, in his mind, he thought, 'That was a close one.'
Even amidst the pain of losing an arm, Seong Jihan logged out with a sly grin on his face.
[The Throne, 'Shadow Queen', takes an interest in you.]
['Shadow of the Sun' embeds itself in your left arm.]
He logged out without seeing the last system message.