The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 486



Only Noblemtl

Episode 486

#486. You have no idea who I’ve been dealing with every day.

A long, vertical slit appeared in the air, as if torn from a painter’s canvas.

It looked very much like an eyeball. The red pupil in the center glowed dimly, and a bluish light leaked out from within.

Kang Moo-hyuk looked into the pupils for a moment, lost in thought. The pupils were also staring at Kang Moo-hyuk.

There was a deep darkness behind the black pupils that filled the area around the pupils. It felt like I would be sucked in if I stepped into it.

Soon I felt like I was lost in space. It was cold. It was scary.

This is the third time.

Kang Moo-hyuk intuitively realized that this was the same type of being he had encountered in Bukpocheon and LA.

However, the difference was that while unknown beings had descended directly in Bukpocheon and LA, the beings here felt more distant.

Aisle? String?

It feels like a connection window to a main body that is far away.

Kang Moo-hyuk realized that he could summon something that was beyond the gap here.

‘Don’t touch that. If it connects, it will come down here.’

The moment I thought that, the torn space smiled.

As if he knew you. As if he could see right through you.

“Huh!”

Kang Moo-hyuk realized that he had returned to the cliff by the seaside. At the same time, a loud noise pierced his ears.

Boom! Boom! Clang! Rumble!

One side of the cliff collapsed and fell into the water. The collapse continued along the coast. From a distance, it looked like the sea and the land were fighting.

Kang Moo-hyuk’s hair was blown messily by the aftershock left by Thomas and Muhammad.

He raised his left arm to shield his eyes from the dust. Beneath his sleeve, he could see the guide he was holding in his other hand.

The yellow colored crystal had lost its black light that had once soared high into the sky and returned to its original state.

“So, leader… … ?”

The artifact, ‘The Leader’, first appeared at the end of the Great War and first demonstrated its abilities during the Little War.

A representative ability known as this was to deceive the perception of monsters below a certain level and create a safe space around the leader.

But the real ability was something else.

‘When I only encountered it through materials, I didn’t understand what the ability to lead was… … .’

I could tell right away when I experienced it myself.

‘The ability to literally lead.’

If you want to close the gate, you need to know where the boss monster is and its weakness. If you want to find treasure, you need to know where the treasure is hidden. If you want to find a person, you need to know the path to him.

The leader led the owner to where he wanted.

‘The question here is why such an ability was manifested in my hand.’

After the Little War, the leader’s whereabouts were unknown. There was no trace or even a sighting of him being used anywhere.

Such an object suddenly appeared from the Eagles and was used by Kang Moo-hyuk.

From what I’ve heard, it seems like the leader has never shown any powers other than the ability to chase away monsters.

‘Is there a specific condition? Like you have to be a non-hunter? Or is this also related to mana addiction? Or is it the unknown power that’s affecting it? How on earth did the original owner of the guide use this?’

While complicated thoughts were tangled in his head, Kang Moo-hyuk suddenly realized something.

‘Come to think of it, I don’t even know who used it?’

Although it was not widely known due to its very short period of activity, the leader’s abilities were outstanding even among numerous items.

It would be normal for such a powerful item to have its owner be famous as well.

Of course, for items of unique grade or higher, there was more hidden information than was known, but the leader was not included in this case because there was public information.

“This isn’t even over yet.”

It seemed like the next thing to do had already been decided.

‘The leader, the unknown, and the conditions of use.’

To answer this question, it seemed necessary to learn about the first users.

As always, it was a moment when Kang Mu-hyeok’s thoughts accelerated when he encountered new information, and numerous thoughts crossed his mind.

Suddenly, Muhammad, who was fighting with Thomas, screamed.

“The light, the light… Innom, what have you done?! Hurry up and bring the light back!”

Muhammad aimed for Kang Mu-hyeok and stabbed him.

“Captain!”

* * *

Muhammad sensed that the battle was in its mid-game.

‘But it doesn’t even end, let alone gain the upper hand.’

Muhammad kept pushing Thomas, but was unable to land a decisive blow.

This was not because of a lack of strength, but because the opponent blocked it well.

He felt that it was not enough to just compete from a distance like now.

‘So you’re saying that even if I die soon, I’m still a wizard?’

Muhammad drew upon the power of the abyss and wrapped it around his body.

Thomas immediately saw through his intentions.

“Fight in a fight? You’ll regret it.”

“Let’s see if you can still laugh like this.”

Thomas cheered inwardly.

‘Close combat in this situation? No good to me. With my current physical condition, a fight with strength is disadvantageous.’

Muhammad did not dodge the small magic that Thomas cast, but instead confronted it head-on. His body, wrapped in abyss, could not be damaged even by magic as strong as Phoenix.

As soon as he got to the desired distance, he attempted close combat.

They threw punches and kicks at close range where they could feel each other’s breathing.

Thomas’ white hair contrasted with the black halo of the abyss. It was a battle of black and white. It was a feast of one-sided attacks and narrow evasions.

But as the attacks piled up, Muhammad became increasingly impatient.

‘Hey, why doesn’t it fit?’

He didn’t use any great magic. Thomas simply dealt with his abyss with cowardly and cunning tricks such as tripping, slipping, casting a curtain of wind, and aiming at its eyes with flames.

Muhammad realized that he was getting tired of his fumbling and stepped back slightly to catch his breath.

“Are you a wizard?”

“Are you embarrassed? I told you, you’ll regret it.”

“How come I never get hit in close combat?”

“Isn’t that because your skills are lacking?”

“That can’t be. I, I’m definitely an S-rank. And I’ve even gained the power of the abyss. Even if you’re an S-rank wizard, it’s ridiculous that you haven’t been hit once!”

As Muhammad shouted in anger, Thomas’ eyes widened and he let out a sigh that contained a mocking laugh.

“Are you laughing at me? What’s so funny?!”

“You have no idea who I’ve been dealing with every day.”

“What are you talking about out of the blue… … .”

“Look, I train with the best fighter in the world every single day.”

Thomas recalled his training with Jusea.

A woman who is not pushed back by a tyrant who is said to be the strongest in close combat even among S-ranks.

A woman with strong defense against all physical attacks and absurd magic resistance.

The duel with the wizard killer, Jusea, helped Thomas, who lacked experience in high-ranking battles, grow quickly.

He shook his head, superimposing Jushea over Muhammad.

“I honestly don’t know if you’re S-rank or not. But I can be sure of one thing.”

“… … .”

“You’ve never fought an S-rank before, right?”

“!!”

“That strange power. Apart from that, you’re just a strong A+ rank.”

Muhammad’s face turned pale at Thomas’ assertion. Although his skin was already blue and scaly, which could not be called human, his emotions were clearly visible in the color of his face, which was stained with shame and humiliation.

“You don’t even feel the momentum that Joo Se-ah Gilma showed during practice. In a word, you’re a loser.”

“Yes, you dare… … .”

“How dare you!”

Shudder.

Muhammad hesitated.

“Don’t you dare speak. You will die here today. I don’t need to use all my strength.”

Somehow, Muhammad saw Thomas as a big figure. He felt that his own body, which surpassed the human skeleton, was small.

My mouth feels dry and my lower body feels weak.

He realized what his feelings were.

‘I was scared?’

There is power in the abyss!

“I am to the likes of you!”

Muhammad shouted and cursed.

On the other hand, Thomas just glared at him with cold eyes. Muhammad’s breath caught in his throat at his calm appearance.

‘Can we win?’

The moment that question arose, I took a step back.

And the moment I realized that, venom filled my eyes.

‘Yes. I just need to get stronger. I just need to extract more power from ‘that place’. And if I could have the power that was emanating from that thing earlier… … .’

It was when the thought crossed the mind of the leader.

Only then did Muhammad realize that the black pillar of light that had been shooting into the sky had disappeared.

“Where did mine go… … .”

As he was looking around for the item, he soon discovered Kang Mu-hyeok holding a guide in his hand.

‘It’s you! You took out the light!’

Muhammad, paralyzed by fear for the first time since becoming a high-ranking hunter, rushed towards Kang Mu-hyeok without warning.

“Come on, can’t you turn the light back on!”

Thomas tried to stop him by blasting his magic, but even with the Phoenix, he could only burn part of the abyss, and could not properly damage it.

He warned Kang Mu-hyeok.

“Captain! Run away!”

Thomas thought that even if his shouts reached Kang Mu-hyeok, it would be of no use.

It was only natural that an ordinary person who couldn’t even do anything to an orc wouldn’t be able to withstand the attacks of a high-ranking hunter.

He stretched out his hand and placed it on Muhammad’s exposed back.

‘Can you do it?’

I think something will happen if I do that.

‘There is no choice.’

Then you must do it.

【Golden Phoenix】

“Coolook!”

At the same time as the magic, a clot of blood came out of Thomas’ mouth. For a moment, his mana was disrupted, but the magic was already complete.

‘If this gets blocked, there really is no answer. Please end it.’

The golden phoenix, carrying Thomas’s wish, spread its huge wings and flew towards Muhammad.

Muhammad turned around, sensing a heat behind his back that he had never felt before.

“What is this… … .”

Are you saying that this magic existed and was hidden all this time?

‘If you don’t stop it with all your might, you’ll die.’

Muhammad faced the Golden Phoenix by drawing up all the abysses like a handful of breath that he had kept deep in his lungs.

“Ugh, that, that extreme… … !”

A groan escaped my lips. My teeth cracked as I poured out every last bit of my energy, and my gums were soaked with blood.

I pulled out more darkness than the firebird could burn, but the flames continued to surge forward without showing any sign of being quenched.

Before long, the phoenix was within arm’s reach. His palms were almost touching, melting.

Muhammad had a premonition of his death.

‘Die? Me?’

We’ve achieved so much so far. We can’t just collapse here.

“I will be king! I will rule the world!”

Flash! Kwakwakwak!

Gold and darkness swept across the area.