The fate line of the Dwarves. Just by that one word, understanding Sargas’s identity was not difficult at all. From the moment he heard the name Sargas, Shimun had already grasped his identity.
‘Undefeated Sargas. Wasn’t he the dragonkin that terrified Dayna so much?’
Squama Circle, whom they encountered previously in the poisoned supply route.
Unlike Drahel, Sargas was a true expert with the nickname “Undefeated”.
Shimun still remembered Dayna’s reaction when his name was mentioned. And sure enough.
“Oh, no….”
Dayna trembled like a quaking aspen. Her entire body trembled with fear, just like in the poisoned supply route incident.
Just like when the supply route was poisoned, she hugged her trembling body tightly, and within that embrace, an unusual scar that looked like a stab wound was peeking out.
-Why is Dayna shaking like that?
-Oh, shoot! What happened to Dayna?
-We are witnessing various sides of Dayna today.
-She might have found a weakness in that muscular dragonkin. WWWW
-Why is the lady trembling like that? What is Kim Shimun doing? This is why the men of the small nations are…!
Dayna, who even looked down on diamond-rank players, trembled. The chat was aflame with the unexpected sides of her that she had been showing since before.
While Shimun paid no attention to the chat, his gaze was drawn to something else.
『”The five Constellations who were watching the situation are conversing.”』
『”The five Constellations are issuing a mission.”』
『The five Constellations suddenly issued a mission.』
Without lowering his guard against Sargas, Shimun immediately checked his mission window.
『Mission』
-The five Constellations do not wish for your defeat.
Survive against “Undefeated Sargas” until you clear the Arena.
Reward: Achievement Points 5,000
And then,
“What?”
The words slipped out before he could catch them. Did Sargas misunderstand his reaction?
“Are you so surprised that I know your true identity?”
The rigid line of Sargas’s mouth twisted slightly.
“Do you think that’s all I know about you?”
Step.
With just that single step, it felt like a giant boulder had moved, sending heavy vibrations through the floor.
“The great Dragon Emperors know all of your schemes. So do I.”
A natural born predator.
“We even knew there would come a day when you’d set foot here…”
The face of Sargas, typically full of arrogance and confidence, frowned. The reason was simple.
“You. You’re not listening to me at all.”
Kim Shimun stood still. It seemed his gaze was directed at Sargas, but Sargas realized he was actually staring into empty space.
In reality, ‘Not defeat but survive? That’s the mission condition?’
Currently, Shimun’s attention was fixated on the mission given by the five constellations. After checking the mission details once more, Shimun let out a scoff.
‘Do the constellations think I can’t defeat that dragonkin called Sargas?’
He didn’t even wonder about how strong Sargas must be. Given Dayna’s reaction and the Dragon Force emanating from Sargas—
“Arrogant!”
Thud.
A voice mixed with rage accompanied by a powerful step.
Each stomp of Sargas’s muscle-bound foot generated shockwaves that were far from ordinary.
Slice.
Kim Shimun’s fingers flicked instantly in response. Simultaneously,
Stamp.
Kim Shimun also stomped onto the ground.
Boom!
The ground between them erupted violently. Soil scattered in all directions. Through the debris, Sargas and Kim Shimun’s gazes met. Once the soil fragments settled back to the ground,
“Indeed.”
Sargas, who had been silently observing Kim Shimun, nodded slightly.
“Seems you do have a trick or two up your sleeve? Well, one can’t twist the lines of fate merely by chance.”
Crossing his arms thicker than logs, “Human. I’ll make you an offer.”
He looked at Kim Shimun with a slightly softened single eye.
“I won’t ask you to surrender. Just follow me quietly. Then I’ll let go of those you were trying to save.”
“What!”
In a somewhat stunned state, Dayna exclaimed. The thousands of dark elves who had been holding their breath seemed equally astonished.
Then, Dayna urgently shouted, “Noble one, do not listen! He is a high-ranked official of the Squama Circle, the closest confidant to the nefarious Dragon Emperors!”
Dayna’s voice was full of distrust, not without reason. Wasn’t Sargas the overseer of this place, the Black Forge, where he had been persecuting her kin?
However, Sargas confidently stated, “There is no reason not to trust me. Dayna just insulted the esteemed Dragon Emperors, yet I have not taken any action against her.”
Indeed, as he said, the Squama Circle was a secret society for the Dragon Emperors. Despite Dayna openly insulting them, Sargas merely watched the situation unfold without even hinting at retribution.
What could this mean?
“By the way, letting them go like this would be a significant loss for me,” Sargas said, shifting his gaze towards Kim Shimun.
“Dayna is the first escapee from this place. It’s not just my honor at stake but much more. Still, I propose to let them go.”
It goes without saying how significant this offer is. Listening to Sargas’s proposal, Kim Shimun nodded his head.
“I accept the offer.”
“Noble one!!”
Dayna’s voice tore through sharply at Kim Shimun’s acceptance. She wasn’t the only one.
“Oh, this is unacceptable! How could we leave the companion of our parent behind!”
“We’d rather all stay!”
As the silent dark elves opposed Sargas’s offer, he asked, “The companion of the Elders?” with a firm gaze.
“Hey, are you the companion of the World Tree?”
There was a hint of surprise in those eyes.
There was a hint of surprise in his eyes.
“I see!”
The small surprise quickly grew larger.
“So, the recent order from the Dragon Emperors to find the eradicated High Elves… was because of you!”
For the first time, Sargas displayed deep emotion. However, Shimun didn’t even glance at Sargas, instead turning to Dayna.
“Dayna, don’t worry and leave first. I see no reason why he would break his promise.”
“I can’t do that!”
Was it because of what Sargas just said? Dayna grabbed Kim Shimun’s arm with an even more desperate expression.
“Please reconsider. This isn’t why I asked for your help! If it means sending you to him, I’d rather—”
“Dayna.”
Kim Shimun gently interrupted Dayna’s words. Looking at her with a somewhat troubled face, he sighed quietly and then spoke firmly,
“As the companion of the World Tree, I order you. Take your people and leave immediately.”
“Such!!”
Dayna’s whole body radiated refusal. But to an elf, the World Tree, and its companion’s command was no different from a Dragon Emperor’s command to a dragonkin.
“… I will obey.”
Dayna had no choice but to bow her head deeply. She rose and glared at Sargas.
Then.
“Please be careful. For some reason, nothing seemed to touch him.”
Leaving behind a quiet whisper, Dayna turned around.
* * *
Far down the passage. Dark elves gradually disappeared into the darkness.
And then. As the 3-meter stone golems that escorted them vanished.
“Amazing.”
Sargas looked at Kim Shimun. Dark Elves. A formidable and resourceful race, requiring the direct involvement of the army commander of the five dragons even when captured.
Yet here they were, moving at Kim Shimun’s command.
“I guess humans can truly be companions of the World Tree.”
Sargas dispelled the lingering trace of doubt within him.
“Human, let me ask you one thing.”
Sargas gave Kim Shimun a curious look.
“Why did you accept my offer? Do you really believe I will send them back?”
“Well, half.”
“Half?”
With a tilt of his head, Kim Shimun, too, gave Sargas a curious look.
“Powerful beings like you don’t usually lie.”
“You seem to know a lot about us.”
“In fact, you did send the dark elves, didn’t you? It was ‘you.'”
Kim Shimun emphasized the “you”. Sargas’s lips curved into a smirk.
“Yes, I indeed sent them. And I won’t pursue them.”
That’s what Sargas himself said.
“But your subordinates may not feel the same.”
“That’s why you had those golems accompany them. I suddenly thought of this.”
Sargas’s eyes on Kim Shimun sparked with interest.
“If you believed half of my proposal, then you must have agreed to half of my proposal as well,” Sargas chuckled mockingly, nodding slightly.
“Right. I decided to go with your side on the condition that you send Dark Elves,” Shimun agreed.
Sargas’s smile grew even wider as he realized what part of Shimun’s agreement he accepted.
“So, the part you rejected must be following ‘quietly,’ right?”
Sargas remarked.
“Exactly. Smarter than the average Squama, aren’t you?”
Shimun retorted.
“Drahel? Ah, I see. His absence is related to you, isn’t it? Dealing with you would solve a lot,” Sargas concluded, abruptly cutting off his words.
With a swift motion, Shimun concentrated a powerful magic into his hand, unleashing it towards Sargas with a resounding impact.
Thunk!
The snapping sound of fingers and the intense sound of air being cleaved echoed through the passage.
Closing the distance in an instant, Shimun focused intense demonic energy in his hand.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Supreme Emperor’s Demolition Strike.
He launched the attack at the massive, pot-lid-sized fist flying towards him.
Boom!
The sound, which one would hardly believe came from two fists clashing, reverberated through the passage. Kim Shimun was pushed back by the recoil.
Swish.
He landed neatly on the ground with an aerial flip. Then he looked down at his trembling fist, a remnant of the clash.
‘What immense power.’
No other description was needed.
Realizing his opponent’s prowess in a single clash, Shimun looked at Sargas with astonished eyes.
‘I poured considerable power into the Demolition Strike, and he didn’t even flinch….’
Human Alchemy and Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Wasn’t his demonic energy supposed to be overwhelmingly powerful, boosted by acquiring the original Lemegeton?
Yet Sargas was standing there, maintaining the stance from the clash without a scratch on his pot-lid-sized fist.
‘No wonder the constellations gave me such a mission.’
It was the first time the Five Constellations had given him a mission to survive. He now fully understood why the constellations had set that mission, thanks to the recent clash.
But was Kim Shimun the only one surprised?
“Indeed…”
Sargas slowly withdrew his fist. His eyes showed admiration.
“No wonder the Dragon Emperors are troubled by you.”
The seemingly undamaged fist. But maybe that appearance was deceptive. Sargas clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly.
Ironically, despite that action, “This kind of power. It’s been a long time since my blood boiled like this.”
Sargas’s elongated pupils were dilating with excitement.
Then,
Boom.
The ground trembled once more.
Despite his massive frame, Sargas reached Kim Shimun in a flash with incredible speed.
Whoosh.
The sound of air being torn apart was hard to believe came from just a swinging fist.
Instead of countering it directly,
‘Pure strength battles will put me at a disadvantage.’
Kim Shimun dodged and reached for the Paracelsus Cylinder attached to his left arm.
Precisely,
‘I’ll buy time with my demonic beasts and use long-range attacks…’
He planned to dodge and activate the cylinder.
Just as Sargas’s fist eerily, “So predictable.” followed his evasive path.
“Tsk.”
Kim Shimun clicked his tongue shortly.
Then,
Crack.
His body transformed, becoming even more robust, as if in a movie transformation scene. Empowered by his Dragonification, Shimun’s fist gathered intense dark demonic energy.
Boom!
Another intense sound echoed through the passage.
This time, unlike before,
Crash!
The released shockwave scattered soil fragments across the ground and surroundings. Pushed back again, Shimun pondered, ‘How did he read my move?’ looking at Sargas with astonishment.
“You…”
Sargas wasn’t much different.
“What’s your true identity? Why does a human possess Dragon Force?”
Now glaring at him with cold eyes, unlike his earlier excitement, but Kim Shimun responded not with words.
‘I need to investigate this further.’
He answered through action.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
Wave Annihilation Cannon.
Pew.
A black beam shot out in an instant.
Yet, incredibly,
Swish.
Sargas tilted his head slightly, evading the attack with minimal movement.
At a glance, it looked like he dodged it effortlessly, but to Kim Shimun, it was clear that wasn’t the case.
‘That wasn’t a reactionary dodge.’
A dragonkin of Sargas’s caliber could have reacted to the Annihilation Cannon after seeing Kim Shimun’s hand movement.
But the recent evasion was different.
Kim Shimun fired the Annihilation Cannon once more.
Pew.
The ray traveled a similar trajectory as before. However, this time, the black beam aimed directly at Sargas’s left carotid artery.
And once again, the same result.
“Hmph.”
Swish.
Sargas tilted his neck slightly, dodging the attack. At a glance, it seemed like he evaded with minimal movement, but
‘Indeed.’
Seeing this, Shimun was convinced.
‘He isn’t dodging after seeing the attack. He already knows.’
Before Dayna left, she had mentioned, ‘For some unknown reason, no attacks worked on him.’
Now Kim Shimun understood why she said that.
“Sargas, you…”
And why Sargas had earned the nickname ‘Undefeated’.
“You can see the future, huh.”
TL’s Corner:
Dang, Sargas also having a cheat skill.