Chapter 88
The Minor Catastrophe (3)
Arthur's swing was deceptively slow…
but the power hidden behind it was something beyond belief.
Pure strength—refined, focused, without the slightest hesitation.
Even Yoo Joonghyuk himself, if he were to take this strike without any defense, would truly suffer a fatal wound.
The strike pierced through the dragon's head from above, tearing through its tough hide as if it were paper, slicing through dense flesh, then reaching the bone…
and in one decisive instant, the head of the Red Flame Dragon split into two halves.
The massive body fell lifeless.
A heavy silence settled, laced with the scent of blood and burning.
Arthur stood beside the dragon's corpse, flicked his sword in a precise motion, scattering the blood droplets from its blade, then calmly sheathed it—as if what had happened was nothing more than a duty fulfilled.
At that moment, dozens of windows burst before his eyes.
Before Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung could reach him to check on his condition, Arthur's body suddenly collapsed to the ground… unconscious.
Blood began pouring from his body in large amounts. His form trembled for a few moments from the pain… then went completely still, unmoving.
---
{You have greatly contributed to the completion of the Fifth Scenario}
{You have achieved a great and unprecedented accomplishment}
{Reward settlement will be delayed due to exceeding normal parameters}
{You have obtained the Dragon Core "Agnel" – Level 5}
{The constellation Prisoner of the Golden Shackles applauds your high combat spirit}
{The constellation Abyssal Black Flame Dragon watches you with anger and interest}
{The constellation Secretive Plotter shows curiosity toward your power}
{The constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire is angry at your recklessness… and happy for your survival}
{The constellation Miracle Narrator applauds your great achievement}
{Many constellations are astonished by your performance}
{30,000 coins have been sponsored}
---
Arthur slowly opened his eyes to the flood of messages filling his vision.
He tried to move…
but unbearable pain swept through his entire body.
A sharp pain in his left arm, and a suffocating heaviness in his chest, as if every breath required twice the effort.
He looked at his left hand…
it was tightly wrapped in a white bandage.
No…
his entire body was covered in white cloth, like a cursed mummy just risen from its grave.
Arthur clenched his teeth and leaned with difficulty against the wall behind him until he managed to sit halfway upright.
He looked around.
People were gathering whatever scattered items remained, yet no one dared approach the dragon's corpse.
Arthur glanced at the dragon's dead body, then smiled faintly…
with a single glance and slight focus, the corpse disappeared entirely into storage.
Everyone noticed the dragon's disappearance, and concern began to creep into Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung—they had been guarding it for him.
Arthur raised his right hand and waved at them calmly.
In that moment, the matter of the dragon was completely forgotten.
Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung rushed toward him quickly, while the rest of the survivors looked at him with astonishment mixed with reverence, as if they were witnessing a being not of their world.
"How are you now? Are you okay?"
"Do you need any help?"
Arthur smiled calmly upon hearing their words.
"I'm fine… thank you for your concern. How are you two?"
His question was simple…
but it carried genuine concern for them after Dokja's death—or so he thought.
But what shocked him…
were their expressions.
Then he was even more shocked when he saw someone wearing the robe of the constellation "Bald General of Justice."
Kim Dokja…
alive.
"…So you're alive after all."
Arthur said it in a calm, almost empty voice.
Kim Dokja smiled.
Jung Heewon suddenly laughed:
"Oh, don't let him fool you with that calm act! If you had seen what he did when he thought you were dead…
he got furious, charged straight at the dragon, and fought without any regard for his life! Ah, is this what they call lo—"
Before she could finish—
A dark aura burst violently from Arthur's body.
He looked at her with pure madness, a gaze that suggested he was ready to rip her head off if she uttered another word.
Jung Heewon's body trembled, and she immediately fell silent, forcing a small, tense smile.
{The constellation Demon-like Judge of Fire agrees with the incarnation Jung Heewon: "It's love"}
"Damn all of you."
Arthur said in a dark tone.
"Does this help you now? I swear… if anyone dares to say that disgusting nonsense again, I'll rip their head off and feed it to their parents."
Even the constellations…
fell silent.
Kim Dokja sighed quietly as he looked at Arthur.
"How… are you really still alive?"
Arthur asked calmly, looking directly at him.
"Well… I'll tell you."
Kim Dokja sat down and began explaining his hidden scenario.
After occupying ten stations, he obtained the King of No Killing attribute—
an attribute that allows him to return from death if he saves a large number of people, under one condition:
he must never kill.
If he kills… the attribute disappears forever.
At that moment, a dokkaebi appeared.
But this was not an ordinary dokkaebi.
It was black in color, wearing an elegant suit, resembling a refined office owner.
It looked at Arthur.
{The rewards were delayed due to some issues. I sincerely apologize for the delay, but your rewards will now be issued}
{You have obtained 4000 coins as a reward for completing the hidden scenario}
{You have obtained 15000 coins for being the first to kill a fifth-grade dragon}
{You have obtained the Immune Talisman for being the first to defeat a minor catastrophe}
{The holder of the talisman will receive the gratitude and affection of the Immutars}
The rewards accumulated before Arthur one after another, while the other participants also received varying rewards, though less remarkable. The atmosphere filled with a mixture of relief and unease, for such abundance was not always a sign of good fortune.
The dokkaebi smiled a strange smile—one that carried neither warmth nor mockery, but something unsettling in between.
{Thanks to your hard work, the scenario encountered some issues}
{And since you are stronger than expected, the difficulty of the fourth scenario will be adjusted}
The dokkaebi snapped its fingers, and in the next moment, a red window appeared before everyone.
{The time limit for completing the fourth scenario has been reduced}
{Only 48 hours remain until the end of the fourth scenario}
{Anyone who fails to complete it… will die}
Expressions changed instantly.
Shock, anxiety, fear… all became evident.
But the most disturbed among them was Kim Dokja.
The dokkaebi disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving behind the weight of its words hanging in the air.
Arthur looked at Kim Dokja and saw him staring at the scenario window, then at the talisman in Arthur's hand, as if weighing survival against the coming danger.
Arthur smiled faintly, then extended his hand and handed the talisman to Kim Dokja without hesitation.
"Take it… I don't need it."
Kim Dokja froze for a moment.
"???"
"What? Don't you want it or something?"
"Of course I want it… but what's the price?"
Arthur thought for a brief moment, then shook his head lightly.
"Right now, I can't think of anything. Let's consider it an open favor… maybe tomorrow, maybe later, I'll ask you for something, and you'll have to fulfill it."
Kim Dokja hesitated slightly, then said seriously:
"Alright… but it has to be within my ability."
The two exchanged a silent smile, one of mutual understanding, and Kim Dokja took the talisman.
Meanwhile, Arthur's body began to recover at a faster rate.
The heat, the pain, the heaviness… all gradually receded.
Arthur stood up calmly and began removing the bandages from his body.
"Arthur, don't—"
But before Kim Dokja could finish his sentence, Arthur had already torn off the last of the bandages in annoyance, simply to get rid of the discomfort and suffocation.
Unaware…
that beneath all those white wrappings,
his body had been completely naked… with nothing covering it at all.
---
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