[Passive skills ā Wild Card Lv1, Acting Lv20, Invisible Heart Lv4/Lv159, Rebellion Lv5, Mana Acceleration Lv7, High Rank Mana Bone Lv7, High Rank Command Lv7, High Rank Assimilation Lv5, High Rank Combat Sense Lv6, Lucky Strike Lv3, Soul Seeing Eye Lv3]
[Active skills ā Disguise Lv9, Instigate Lv8, Bone Reinforcement Lv12, Rule of Bone Lv11, Bone Armory Lv10, High Rank Regeneration Lv5, Sacrifice Lv1]
[Elements ā Darkness: MAX, Beginner Dark Shadow Lv1, Intermediate DarkĀ Flame Lv1, High Rank Fire Lv6, High Rank Water Lv1, High Rank Wind Lv3, High Rank Earth Lv3, High Rank Ice Lv1, High Rank Acid Lv4, High Rank Lightning Lv5, Absorption Lv12]
[Resistances ā Holy: MAX, Darkness: MAX, Light: MAX, High Rank Fire Lv5, High Rank Water Lv1, High Rank Wind Lv3, High Rank Earth Lv4, High Rank Acid Lv3, High Rank Ice Lv1, High Rank Lightning Lv4]
Lee Shin Woo melted into the darkness and then checked his completely changed stats. His skills grew, which resulted in a noticeable increase in his stats as well. Heād just become level 8, yet his stats totaled 14,679.
Moreover, by becoming level 8, his status effectiveness had increased, so even he wasnāt sure how much stronger heād gotten. Although his growth rate was lower now than when he had leveled up from level 6 to level 7, he had gained an overwhelming authority in its place, so he didnāt have any complaints. As the message said, it would be nigh impossible for other level 8s to gain this much power.
āAnd I feel it too. That I wonāt lose to anyone Iāve met anymore.ā
He recalled the Archmage, Feotane Von Seldin, yet he didnāt feel tense. When he was level 7, heād set the groundwork to countering the Archmageās spatial magic. And now that heād learned the Dark Shadow element and had reached level 8, he was confident that he could counter his spatial magic completely. If he were to factor in theĀ darkĀ flames as wellā¦ Wait, theĀ darkĀ flames?
āAh, thatās right.ā
He knew he was forgetting something. Lee Shin Woo stopped ruminating and got to work. The dense darkness was condensed into a single point, giving his body its shape. Itād be fine if he looked like a skeleton, but he decided to assume a human form, just in case the dungeon collapsed and they were exposed.
āHoo.ā
He appeared as a young man with a fit body and a tall height, causing him to emit a sort of decadent appeal. His body was much more ābalancedā than when he was on Earth, but it was only natural when he took into account the transcendent growth in his stats.
He could make himself look like this with the Disguise skill, but making this form from darkness resulted in a way more lifelike feeling.
āI donāt even need to use Disguise anymore. Is this what happens when the world automatically overlaps the frame of āa living personā onto oneās essence? Interestingā¦ā
Of course, it wasĀ becauseĀ of the Disguise skill that he was able to awaken, so he shouldnāt be worrying about the differences between the two abilities. All of his abilities made up who he was. āPerhaps Iāve achieved enlightenment,ā Lee Shin Woo uselessly thought, and equipped himself through Bone Armory.
He couldnāt yet, but if he were to transcend Bone Reinforcement, Rule of Bone, and Bone Armoryā¦ his skills related to bones, then Lee Shin Woo would be ācompleteā, or so he thought. Heād already transcended his previous physical form, so now he had to transcend his current abilities.
āShin Woo!ā
āYeah, thanks for covering me.ā
Once he became visible, Jin flew through the air and approached him. Lee Shin Woo replied nonchalantly, accepting the Titan Bone Core and the two Bone Cores, but Jinās expression didnāt look too bright.
āThatās not the issue here. You look completelyā¦ā
āAh, letās talk about that later.ā
āā¦Ok.ā
As expected, Jin also felt something after witnessing Lee Shin Wooās evolution. Did he find out that he could transform into a human? If he did, then Lee Shin Woo would have to apologize until Jin cooled off. But there was something more pressing at the moment.
āBone Reinforcement.ā
Lee Shin Woo said softly and tightened his grip. Darkness leaked from his fingertips, enveloping the Titan Bone Core and the two Bone Cores. The Titan Bone Core and the two other cores lost their shape and fused together; they were forming into a completely different shape.
When he leveled up, his āexistenceā changed completely, so all of his skills underwent fundamental growth, not just his Wild Card skill. If they hadnāt, then the completed Bone Core probably wouldnāt be rebuilt.
[Kyaaaaahkā¦!]
[Kihik!]
āSorry, but youāll have to stick with me for a little bit longerā¦ Heup!ā
The Titan Bone Core was still evolving. He gripped the darkness in one hand and extended his other hands to the groaningĀ DarkĀ Flame Ghosts, who were trapped in their armor. Then, they surprisingly started to escape upwards!
[Kyahak!?]
[Kiiiiiiiiii!]
Lee Shin Woo reinforced their bone armor by infusing his magic into them, allowing him to control them more easily. Then, theĀ DarkĀ Flame Ghosts escaped the barrier, even though they hadnāt been able to do so by themselves!
āNowās not the time to be fighting amongst ourselves! Get a hold of yourselves!ā
[Giiiiiiik!]
Heād been the one egging them on, so it didnāt sound right coming from him. However, Lee Shin Wooās expression didnāt waver. Was he not going to instigate them now? This was a complete 180!
Jin looked disapprovingly at him (thatās what his goblin fire seemed to convey at least) and Lee Shin Woo whispered.
āJin, weāll be fighting the true boss soon. Bear with it until I get on the Titan. Iāll take care of the rest once Iāve gotten on.ā
āThose bugs are still there, yet you want to call the host!? Are you going to try and fool them? You canāt even talk to them.ā
āItāsĀ becauseĀ those bugs are there that Iām attempting to call the boss. And I donāt need to fool them. Youāll see.ā
Jin was confused. Lee Shin Woo clicked his tongue and raised his hand even higher. The sound of something rupturing sounded throughout the clearing. Immediately after, a ridiculous amount of fire surged from under the ground. TheĀ DarkĀ Flame Ghosts had moved so forcefully that the barrier had been completely broken!
[Kuaaaaaaaaaaaah!]
[Giiiiiiiik!]
[Gueeek!]
A frightening amount of fire shook the clearing. TheĀ DarkĀ Flame Ghosts began to shake when they heard those cries. Lee Shin Woo didnāt concern himself with their reactions and used more of his strength to completely pull them out from the ground.
The sight of the giantĀ DarkĀ Flame Ghosts unable to resist and being forced into the air was slightly adorable.
āHoly crapā¦ Shin Wooā¦ā
[Kuoooooooh!]
Once a part of the barrier cracked, the rest of it gave way quickly. Ultimately, the flames surging from under the ground burnt away the remains of the barrier.
Though they were far away, the surging golden flames momentarily obscured their vision. It was such that Lee Shin Woo couldnāt completely shield himself from the sight with his darkness. In other wordsā¦
[Kuhaaaaaaaah!]
āThatāsā¦ā
Jin shook at its overwhelming presence. On the other hand, Lee Shin Woo wasnāt very surprised, as heād felt it before. It crowed as it flew, its feathers, composed of golden flames, rising into the sky.
[Lv9 Corrupted Garuda ā Sun God]
āIf the Pope knew about this, then heād grasp his forehead. Since heād have to remake all the stone statues of the Sun God.ā
āNowās not the time to be joking around! If itās corrupted, then that means itās in the same condition as those Dryads!ā
āYeah, youāre right. Itād be great if we can return it to its original state, butā¦ Man, that thingās ruined.ā
Lee Shin Woo assumed that it was once covered in gold, but as of now, its body was a mix between a murky gold and black; he looked down at the giant divine bird and shrugged his shoulders.
It looked like it had avoided a complete undead transformation, but it wasnāt alive; there was even less of a chance of him restoring its intellect. At least, thatās what he saw.
āIts soul is rotten. ā¦Well, it mustāve gone through a lot, so it makes sense.ā
āShin Woo, letās run. We canāt beat that thing. Letās let it rampage on the surface and hope it kills the Emperor for us.ā
[Heās right. Thatāsā¦ Not something a living being can oppose. Its existence borders on myth! As a spirit, I can tell. Only by transcending the barrier of the living and spirits can you gain that form!]
Now that he thought about it, heād completely forgotten about Zenon. While he was evolving, he had unsummoned his greatsword and Zenon was released; he had been hiding all this time. Lee Shin Woo called him to his side and soothed him.
āItās ok. We donāt need to fight right away. Letās just watch for now.ā
[Huh?]
The Garuda was slowly coming up and getting closer and closer to them. However, Lee Shin Woo remained relaxed. Zenon wondered why he was so confident, but he soon got his answer. TheĀ DarkĀ Flame Ghosts were free falling towards the Garuda.
[Kyaaaaaaah!]
[Kihaaaah!]
āGood. Let go of your anger!ā
āTheyāre not letting go of their anger. Youāre letting go of them.ā
Jin calmly retorted, but that really wasnāt very important to Lee Shin Woo. Lee Shin Woo would be happy as long as theĀ DarkĀ Flame Ghosts and the Garuda fought!
Jin had thought that Lee Shin Woo would convince theĀ DarkĀ Flame Ghosts to fight against the Garuda, but he never needed to do so. If he left the three together, thenā¦!
[Kuaaaaaaaah!]
The Garuda noticed theĀ DarkĀ Flame Ghosts and furiously spewed flames. The flames were so great that the sides of the clearing walls exploded; part of the walls were simultaneously vaporized. TheĀ DarkĀ Flame Ghosts had been drawing energy from the Garuda for years, so it was seething in anger!
[Giiiiiiiii!]
[Guaaahk!]
Of course, theĀ DarkĀ Flame Ghosts were quite pitiful. They were brought here and sealed by the Magic Emperor, and had no choice but to draw energy from the Garuda to survive!
But so long as it was hostile towards them, theĀ DarkĀ Flame Ghosts had no choice but to use theirĀ darkĀ flames in order to survive! And so, the battle between the level 9 bird and the two giant level 8 bugs began. Lee Shin Woo watched from above with Jin and Zenon and stuck his chest out boastingly.
āSee that? A swindler controls cause and effect, even while doing nothing.ā
āYeah, youāre amazing.ā
āThat golden flame is either High Rank Fire or fire mixed with something else (a fusion element). Iām sure of it, considering the fact that theĀ darkĀ flames arenāt very effective against it. ā¦Based on the info Iām getting from the black armor, the only reason theyāre lasting so long is because of theĀ darkĀ flames.ā
But there was a pronounced difference in physical specs, so the battle would end at this rate.
Rather than entering the battle himself, Lee Shin Woo reinforced their black armor further by infusing more magic into them. He increased their defense as much as he could and was trying to draw out as much of the Garudaās power as possible.
āThose guysā¦ Do you think they can win?ā
āNope.ā
Jin asked cautiously and Lee Shin Woo firmly replied.
āOn the contrary, the true battle will begin after they die.ā
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He smiled as he looked at the still-evolving darkness within his grasp.
When thoseĀ DarkĀ Flame Ghosts had done their job and turned into Bone Cores, the Titan Bone Core would finally be reborn into the state that Lee Shin Woo envisioned. The Titan Bone Core would inherit theĀ DarkĀ Flame Ghostsā will and strength and be reborn. He would then ride the reborn Titan Bone Golem to defeat this foe. There was nothing more wonderful than this!
āIām glad that youāre still the Lee Shin Woo that Iām used to, even after leveling up to level 8.ā
āā¦ā
Thatās strange. Jin hadnāt insulted him at all, yet he felt unpleasant for some reason. As the battle continued, Lee Shin Woo wondered whether Jin had learned a skill like Instigate while he wasnāt looking.