A vast dark magic surged into the Eclipse, almost identical in nature to the power wielded by the constellation Shadow Queen.
'It's similar in quality to the main body, though not in quantity…' Ariel struggled to believe what she was witnessing. The shadow magic of the constellation was specialized in 'darkness' among the various branches of mana.
'Could he have emulated the Eclipse's magic after seeing it?' But then again, the dark magic pouring from Seong Jihan seemed even purer than that of the Eclipse. How could this be possible?
Amidst her confusion, a loud whooshing noise sounded. The Eclipse, which had transformed into a whirlwind, now resembled a massive tornado, threatening the barrier of light at the very forefront. The protective light barrier, right in front of the Archangel's sword, began to weaken rapidly.
Flash! Flash!
The Archangel's sword behind the barrier emitted bright flares, seemingly in a desperate attempt to hold the onslaught. However, unlike when it deflected the basic form of the triad technique earlier, the sword's protection was futile against this force.
[In order to prevent the disgrace of the Sanctuary, the Archangel employs a desperate measure.]
[The Archangel's sword divides to reinforce the barrier.]
Swish!
The enormous sword behind the barrier split into two. One part merged into the barrier that was on the brink of collapsing.
Flash!
The barrier, which was succumbing to the Dark Soul Vortex, now radiated a brilliant glow. Ariel sighed softly, acknowledging the formidable power of the Archangel's desperate maneuver. Although the Dark Soul Vortex couldn't further consume the barrier, the quality of the dark magic was undeniably impressive. Its only limitation was the quantity.
To the players on the Angel faction, the diminishing size of the vortex signaled an apparent shift in power dynamics. They sighed in relief.
"That's the sanctuary barrier for you! So reliable!"
"Let's move back quickly. If we die here, we'll be done for."
The vortex shrank, and as it condensed, it morphed into a new shape. One of the retreating Angel faction players furrowed his brow, "…A drill?"
The Eclipse, now in a spiral form, was significantly smaller compared to the massive vortex Seong Jihan initially conjured. But as it gently rotated and grazed the barrier…
Vroom!
The point where the drill touched instantly pierced through.
"Wh… What?"
The hole was tiny, roughly the size of a fingernail. Yet, once the breach was made, a powerful suction force began pulling the five players again.
"Ahhhh! We're getting sucked in again!"
"Hold on! Hold on for dear life!"
The pulling force of the Dark Soul Vortex, now in its reduced size, worked even more powerfully than before.
'The vortex becoming smaller wasn't a sign of its weakening!' Ariel realized.
Flash!
The Archangel's sword tried to reflect the Dark Soul Vortex's power. However, this attempt tragically led to the annihilation of the players trapped between the pulling force of the vortex and the reflecting force of the sword. In a split second, the players turned into fragments and vanished. Soon after, a message appeared to all players in the rift:
[PENTAKILL!]
[Player Seong Jihan has achieved a Pentakill!]
* * *
The might of Seong Jihan exceeded the expectations of the viewers. From seeming like a newbie at the start of the game, he had achieved such a result within mere minutes.
– Woah!!! Pentakill!!!!
– This is insane! A great pentakill!
– Resistance is futile!
Even though the opposing players were nearly at level 50, and the game map was the Valley of the End which is used up to the Platinum League, Seong Jihan, at level 30, dominated the game. Both Korean and American viewers were in awe.
– When did BattleNet become a single-player game? He's hogging all the action.
– He's leveling up alone.
– AF, Offer him more money! Hire him for 500 million dollars!
– What if a U.S. guild recruits him? A unique guild!
– Then who will pay?
– The government.
When America First Guild offered a signing bonus of 300 million dollars, many thought it was excessive. But now, they felt even that might not be enough. Especially after…
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
[R.E.Gates has donated 100,000GP.]
[Congratulations Player Seong on acquiring new power.]
The new shadow ability Seong Jihan showed, which could be used both as a sword and a summon, seemed incredibly useful in the increasingly complex and challenging BattleNet.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
[R.E.Gates has donated 100,000GP.]
[I'll send you a blank check. Write any price you want.]
Robert Gates was willing to pay any price.
"Thank you, Robert. I'll consider your offer and get back to you later."
As Seong Jihan ended the stream, Barren, the top prospect of American First, slammed his drink.
Clang!
"Shit!"
He didn't care about what the Koreans were saying in the chat, but seeing Americans rave about Seong Jihan and urging a 500-million-dollar signing was a massive blow.
"Damn it…"
Before the 'Top 100' match, the world hailed Barren as the top prospect. But ever since his helpless death in that game, the cheers for him diminished. And those cheers were now directed at Seong Jihan.
"Does he think I can't do it…?"
Gritting his teeth, Barren thought, 'What's so special about jungling? Even I can wipe out those players at the well.'
"This is a chance to prove that last game was just a fluke!"
Gulping down whiskey, he staggered to the BattleNet connector.
Seong Jihan…
Barren, still burning with ambition, had thought it would be a simple task to replicate Seong Jihan's impressive run in the jungle.
Bang!
[Player Barren has died.]
[You will revive in 1 minute.]
However, the jungle monsters proved more formidable than he anticipated.
"It's just a mistake!" he reasoned. But after dying to the same monster twice…
[Player Barren has died.]
[You will revive in 1 minute.]
His teammates grew increasingly frustrated.
[Barren! Get your act together!]
[Jungling in Silver rank? Seriously?]
In a huff, Barren returned to his lane. As a mage wielding incredible power, he led his team to victory and secured the top spot in the overall score. However…
– Why did Barren go to the jungle?
– Seong Jihan went to the jungle, and achieved a Pentakill. Barren must have watched his stream.
– Oh…So Seong Jihan can do it, but Barren can't?
– No way! I don't believe it. I'll go watch and confirm it myself.
The chat in his streaming channel was filled with comments about Seong Jihan. The topic of Seong Jihan achieving a Pentakill after conquering the jungle was the talk of the town. Many of Barren's viewers left his stream to watch Seong Jihan's playthrough.
"Aaaahhhhh!!!"
Barron yelled in exasperation as he emerged from the BattleNet connector.
To be killed twice by a jungle monster.
What a humiliation!
"Damn it, damn it...!"
Barron cursed, then swiped at the whiskey on his desk.
'Yeah. I died, and it's because of drinking and gaming. If it wasn't for this whiskey,...!'
Bam!
He blamed the whiskey for his poor performance, smashing the bottle in frustration.
* * *
Back in Seong Jihan's world, he was basking in the rewards of his achievements.
[Hidden Quest, 'Pentakill' has been cleared.]
[You've earned 10,000 Achievement points.]
[Hidden Quest, 'Sanctuary Pentakill' has been cleared.]
[You've earned 20,000 Achievement points.]
'What a fruitful invasion,' Seong Jihan mused, his smile growing at the cascade of rewards. The points he earned from the hidden quest achievements were even more than the reward from the linked quest 'Trace of the Apostle (1)'. The 30,000 points were more than satisfying.
[You have ranked 1st in the invasion game.]
[Your level has increased by 1.]
[1st place reward: Experience and GP gain increased by 50%.]
[You've earned 15,000 GP.]
Having already reached level 30, Seong Jihan hadn't expected to level up so quickly. With the title boost, guild boost, and other experience boosters, the growth was significantly noticeable. If he continued at this rate, he might even aim for the Gold promotion match in September.
[You have acquired a fragment of the Archangel's sword.]
[This is a quest item. It will be automatically stored in your inventory.]
Everything had gone perfectly in the first game.
Suddenly, Ariel emerged from Seong Jihan's left arm, her tone serious, [Lower-class creature.]
"When did I get promoted from the lowest class to lower?" Seong Jihan chuckled, finding the situation amusing.
But Ariel's voice was grave.
Ariel looked at Seong Jihan, her eyes reflecting a depth of knowledge and curiosity, [Earlier, that power you displayed. What was it exactly?]
"You mean, the 'Dark Shadow Technique' ?" Seong Jihan asked, slightly puzzled.
[Yes. The energy emanating from it was strikingly similar to that of the main body. Among all the magical energies, it purified only the darkness, producing pure dark magic… The energy wavelengths were almost identical.]
"You're saying it's similar to the power of the Shadow Queen?" Seong Jihan tilted his head, clearly taken aback.
The Dark Shadow Technique was one of the three branches of the Nameless Divine Art, a martial art that controlled the energy of darkness. As the name suggested, it had connections to shadows. But Seong Jihan had never imagined it would be related to the constellation Shadow Queen.
"I'm not entirely sure myself," Seong Jihan admitted.
Ariel, looking even more intrigued, prodded, [How did you obtain such power?]
Seong Jihan hesitated. "I can't go into specifics."
How could he explain that he had acquired it in his past life?
Seeing Seong Jihan's reluctance, Ariel bit her lip slightly before speaking. [Lower-class creature, I will formally recognize you as my master. But in return, I ask you to answer just one question.]
"What is it?" Seong Jihan inquired.
[Is that power somehow connected to the Wandering Martial God?]
Her question seemed to stem more from a place of near-certainty than mere speculation.
Seong Jihan figured there was no harm in confirming this particular detail.
"Yes, it is."
Ariel seemed to find solace in his affirmation.
[I thought as much.]
"Do you have any insights or suspicions about it?" Seong Jihan asked, eager to delve deeper into the mysteries surrounding his newfound power.