Chapter 87
The Minor Catastrophe (2)
Arthur set out toward Anju Station.
On his way there, he passed by four stations. He captured them with terrifying speed, with barely any resistance. There were no previous occupants… not even humans.
"Only two left."
The distance to Anju Station was a day and a half, yet he arrived before that.
As he approached, he froze in place.
The station was covered in an immense fiery aura, surrounded by a blue barrier.
"A scenario barrier?
What is happening here?"
Such barriers usually prevented entry and exit… yet this one allowed him to pass through.
He hesitated for a moment.
'This seems dangerous.'
He opened his personal window.
(Stats displayed…)
Arthur consumed an enormous amount of coins. In just three seconds, his body adapted to the new evolution.
He raised his sword…
and entered.
What greeted him was hell itself.
Heat and flames devouring the air.
{Hidden Scenario: Together, you die. Apart, you die}
A red dragon appeared before him.
{Red Flame Dragon – Agnel}
He ignored the windows.
His gaze was fixed on the dragon.
A charred body lay before him…
then he heard a scream—a voice he recognized instantly. It belonged to both Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung, calling Kim Dokja's name in pain and sorrow.
Arthur froze in disbelief as he looked at them. Grief and anguish had completely filled their eyes as they cried out Kim Dokja's name.
'Dead?
No… that's impossible.'
He ran, searched, ignored the danger. Ignored the flames and the dragon standing there.
"Where is Dokja?!"
No one answered. They only looked at him with sorrow, tears streaming endlessly from their eyes.
Then they looked to the side.
Toward the charred body. Arthur looked at it, knelt down, and grasped the ashes.
"You idiot… didn't I tell you…"
Arthur's voice stopped as he closed his eyes.
Then—
He stood up slowly… and looked at the dragon.
Arthur had gone through a lot in this miserable world.
Children and women had been killed before. At that time, he had truly felt like he wanted to die once and for all.
But he had kept moving.
Kept going.
Endured the suffering.
But this time…
the first companion he had acknowledged had fallen.
Kim Dokja was gone.
The anger turned into a deadly silence, and Arthur charged forward.
He swung his sword with force and madness, pushing through the flames that began to ignite and burn his clothes.
He struck… but did not even scratch the dragon.
Arthur leapt forward at great speed and stabbed—
his dagger pierced one of the dragon's eyes.
The dragon felt the pain that tore through its eye, opened its mouth in fury, and roared.
Arthur's body trembled from the sound. His entire form staggered, and he crashed into the ground.
The dragon moved with terrifying speed and struck with its tail.
Arthur raised his arms to block the blow and received it violently, his body thrown backward.
Arthur felt his left arm completely shattered. His ribs slammed with immense force, pain exploding through his body all at once, as blood began pouring from his nose, mouth, and open wounds. His body screamed, as if every bone protested his survival.
Had Arthur not enhanced himself before entering this scenario, he would have died at that moment without question.
And had it not been for the Joker Mask… that mask with its immense healing properties.
The dragon moved wildly and lunged at Arthur, ignoring any other opponent or presence.
It roared as it pinned its heavy body over him, then raised its massive claw and struck directly at the Joker Mask. Arthur felt an overwhelming pressure crushing his head, forcing it violently into the ground, as if his skull would shatter under the brute force.
But in a desperate moment, Arthur moved his leg with lightning speed and delivered an upward strike from below. The dragon recoiled and leapt back, attempting to take flight, but its wings were not large enough. It remained suspended in the air at a height of about five steps, beating the air in anger, unable to rise further.
As for Arthur… he remained lying on the ground, his body broken, his breaths uneven, his pain beyond endurance.
'Damn it… I can't pull out a miraculous healing potion now… not now… damn it!'
He raised his voice despite the pain:
"System… consume 5000 points to upgrade the Joker Mask."
| Processing |
The Joker Mask emitted a faint sky-white glow, then the color intensified, gradually turning into a deep, dark black. The cracks and lines that once covered its surface disappeared, as if the mask were being reborn.
The mask turned completely black…
and evolved.
Arthur felt a warm energy seep into his body. The mask's healing ability began working at full capacity. Most of his wounds closed, the sharp pains subsided, and his body gradually regained balance.
Arthur rose slowly… then stood upright.
He lifted his gaze toward the dragon, steady, ready to strike at any moment.
He exhaled quietly, adjusted his stance, then bent slightly, taking the old sword-drawing posture—the samurai stance. His back slightly curved, one hand on the sword's hilt, the other on the sheath, his head lowered, his eyes closed.
"Blade's Edge."
The aura around his sword condensed, calm energy circles forming around his body, rotating with deadly precision. Those circles expanded beyond Arthur's body… until they encompassed the dragon itself.
The dragon was now within his attack range.
A pure, dark energy—calm in a terrifying way—began to dance around Arthur's body. It was not chaotic, but controlled, focused, as if it were an extension of his own will.
The dragon felt that aura.
It roared with even greater fury and charged directly at Arthur, its massive jaws wide open.
Arthur smiled beneath the black mask.
And before the dragon's mouth could reach his head…
Arthur swung his sword.
Calmly.
Slowly.
With a slowness that would have allowed even a child to see the movement of the blade.
The blade struck the dragon's mouth…
And blood exploded.
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