After Regressing, I Gained the Power of the Demonic Dragon - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 11
As the white light faded, Sang Hyuk’s feet touched solid ground.
Instead of the bottomless pit, a pristine white expanse surrounded him on all sides.
The pain that had pierced his left shoulder and back was gone—all the wounds from the battlefield had healed completely.
「Settlement of Floor 1 Clear results in progress.」
At that moment, a new notification appeared before Sang Hyuk’s eyes.
[ Completely Destroyed]
[Battlefield Cleared with 25 minutes remaining on the time limit]
「You have fulfilled the conditions for a Perfect Clear of the Hidden Battlefield .」
[Clear Rating: SSS]
「Your Level has increased.」
[Lv.1 → Lv.2]
Warmth spread from his feet through his entire body.
The tension in his muscles eased, and his depleted Mana rapidly refilled.
[Physical Output increases.]
[Mana Capacity increases.]
[Mana Recovery Speed increases.]
[Authority Maintenance Time increases.]
After confirming the messages, Sang Hyuk raised his right hand and concentrated his will.
‘Annihilation Form.’
Black energy coalesced between his fingers.
The aura was denser than before, and the Mana required to maintain it at the same intensity had decreased.
‘It’s definitely improved.’
The result of having used Annihilation Form multiple times during the battlefield, combined with the Level increase.
Then it happened.
Thump.
A heavy resonance came from deep within his chest.
The white settlement space vanished from his vision in an instant.
A black land without star or moon.
At the horizon’s end lay an enormous black dragon, coiled in repose like a mountain range.
It was the same sight he’d seen just before entering Floor 1.
But this time it was far closer.
He could see each individual scale covering the massive head.
From the center of that face, crimson eyes stared directly at Sang Hyuk from the beginning.
Shortly after, Apocalypse Dragon slowly moved its front claws away from its chest.
Scraaape.
As the enormous limbs dragged across the earth and shifted aside, the chest beneath was laid bare.
Where the heart should have been, within the cracked black scales as if torn away, only a vast hollow remained.
Apocalypse Dragon’s crimson eyes turned toward Sang Hyuk’s chest.
Thump!
Sang Hyuk’s heart beat powerfully.
The next moment.
The black earth and the enormous dragon vanished at once, and the settlement space spread before his eyes again.
When Sang Hyuk placed his hand on his chest, he felt a heartbeat no different from usual.
Yet no notification came regarding what he had just witnessed.
That hollow in the Apocalypse Dragon’s chest.
‘Did it give me its heart?’
Or.
‘Did a heart stolen from someone else come to me?’
He could not yet know how the heart had reached him, or why Apocalypse Dragon had chosen him.
But as his Level rose, the dragon’s form drew closer and clearer; once the heart awakened further, the next vision would surely reveal itself.
When Sang Hyuk lowered his hand from his chest, the settlement proceeded as if waiting for this moment.
「The core reward for the Hidden Battlefield is being granted.」
Flash!
White light gathered beneath his feet, transforming into a pair of black boots.
Sang Hyuk immediately opened the boots’ information.
[Item Information]
[Name]
[Grade] Heroic
[Effect]
– Balances your footing on unstable terrain.
– Assists with sharp directional changes.
– Absorbs a portion of landing impact.
“Another Heroic-grade drop.”
It was Heroic-grade equipment that even top-ranked players struggled to acquire.
The Annihilation Form required direct contact to reach its full potential, so knowing an enemy’s weakness meant nothing if he couldn’t close the distance to exploit it.
On this battlefield too, he’d only managed to finish the fight after crossing collapsing debris and crumbling towers to cling to the heart itself.
For someone like Sang Hyuk, these boots suited him far better than equipment that merely boosted raw speed.
If he could maintain his balance even on unstable footing, his chances of reaching his enemy would multiply accordingly.
The moment Sang Hyuk slipped on the boots, the interior contracted snugly around his feet.
He took a few steps, then pivoted sharply—but the boots held his ankles so firmly that his center of gravity didn’t waver in the slightest.
‘This is excellent.’
Just from that brief test, he could feel the performance unmistakably.
But the rewards weren’t finished yet.
「Your Perfect Clear bonus reward is being granted.」
This time, light gathered in the palm of his hand.
Shimmer.
A crimson fragment the size of two finger joints appeared.
Inside the fragment, a faint red glow pulsed slowly.
[Item Information]
[Name] Collapse Core Fragment
[Grade] Rare
[Classification] Material
[Effects]
– Possesses properties that weaken barriers and wards.
– Can be used as a crafting material for related equipment.
It was a material item.
‘This is…’
Sang Hyuk’s eyes gleamed.
If he gave this to Kim Seo Yoon and her research team, they might be able to find a way to craft equipment that weakened barriers and wards.
‘I’ll show her once she’s had some rest.’
As Sang Hyuk placed the fragment in his inventory, the national achievement settlement began.
「Checking current national achievement status.」
[Republic of Korea’s Projected Shortfall for This Quarter: 29,720 Points]
It had been 30,000 points before he entered the tower.
While Sang Hyuk was inside, Korean Players had each earned points in their respective Clears, reducing the shortfall by 280 points.
Then his own record from the 1st Floor began to be settled.
「A new record is being registered in the Hall of Fame for the 1st Floor.」
The Hall of Fame.
It was where records of Players who first achieved Perfect Clears of Hidden Battlefields and Hidden Trials were permanently enshrined.
Once a record was confirmed, Achievement Points were awarded to the nation it belonged to based on the record’s significance.
[Battlefield: Collapse Battlefield]
[Primary Objective: Survive 30 minutes]
[Achievement: Complete Annihilation of the Collapse Heart]
[Record Title: First Early Termination]
[Achiever’s Public Name: Undisclosed]
[Affiliated Nation: Republic of Korea]
Sang Hyuk had completely eliminated the Collapse Heart on a battlefield designed to test thirty-minute endurance.
It was the first Clear where someone had finished the battlefield itself with over twenty-five minutes remaining.
Though it was unlikely, even if someone later conquered the same battlefield faster, the record for the first early termination would forever belong to Sang Hyuk.
Once the record was confirmed, the national achievement reward followed.
「Hall of Fame record rewards are being applied to your affiliated nation.」
[Republic of Korea Achievement Points +300]
[Projected Shortfall decreases from 29,720 points to 29,420 points.]
The points Sang Hyuk earned on a single floor exceeded what numerous Korean Players had collectively contributed.
[Republic of Korea’s Projected Shortfall for This Quarter: 29,420 Points]
Sang Hyuk absorbed the new number.
There was still a substantial gap to close.
But he’d only just finished the 1st Floor.
All he needed to do was continue building records that others hadn’t yet achieved, one floor at a time.
‘This quarter, I won’t let a single rift open.’
It was Sang Hyuk’s first objective since his regression.
「All settlements have been completed.」
「Returning to reality.」
White light enveloped Sang Hyuk’s body.
* * *
At the same moment.
A notification of an updated Hall of Fame record for Floor 1 appeared on PlayerNet’s public records channel.
[Korea/Lv.17] Hobak : A new record just dropped in the Floor 1 Hall of Fame. The battlefield name is ?
[Japan/Lv.29] Ken : There was a Hidden Battlefield on Floor 1 that no one had cleared yet?
[USA/Lv.36] Jack : I’ve never seen that battlefield name before. Post the record screen.
Hobak uploaded a screenshot of the Hall of Fame.
[Primary Objective: Survive 30 minutes]
[Achievement: Complete Annihilation of the Collapse Heart]
[Record Title: First Early Termination]
[Achiever Public Name: Undisclosed]
[Affiliated Nation: Republic of Korea]
The chat fell silent for a moment.
[Japan/Lv.29] Ken : They cleared a 30-minute survival battlefield in less than 5 minutes?
[USA/Lv.36] Jack : Looks like they straight-up destroyed the battlefield itself. Crazy! Who’s the madman who did that?
[China/Lv.33] Lin : Lately I keep seeing records that shouldn’t even be possible.
[Korea/Lv.24] Min Ji : The 300 points that came into the Republic of Korea are the reward for this record.
[Korea/Lv.17] Hobak : That’s more than the 280 points domestic Players have earned in the meantime lol
The Players who saw the record began speculating about the achiever’s identity.
[China/Lv.33] Lin : Undisclosed name, nation is Republic of Korea… Isn’t this the Player who achieved the impossible achievement in the tutorial?
[USA/Lv.36] Jack : Looks right to me. Timing matches up too—after the Diamond Scarecrow and the Guardian of Unbreakable, now a Hidden Battlefield. It’s natural to assume it’s the same person.
[Japan/Lv.29] Ken : Looks like a major new talent has emerged.
[Korea/Lv.17] Hobak : Is it even possible to finish a Hidden Battlefield in 5 minutes from the start? Who on earth is this?
[Korea/Lv.17] Hobak : Since the name is undisclosed, let’s just call them the Impossible One from now on.
[Korea/Lv.24] Min Ji : The Impossible One. That fits perfectly.
What had started as a joke nickname found no better replacement.
As the Hall of Fame screen spread across other channels on PlayerNet, the same name followed along.
The Impossible One.
The anonymous Korean Player had been given a name for the first time.
Over the next four days, Sang Hyuk climbed one floor per day.
Floor 2 was a hunting trial against predators lurking in the forest.
They rushed at him from all sides, but Sang Hyuk deflected their attacks with the Collapse Wanderer’s Boots, then placed his hand on their necks and struck them down with the Annihilation Form.
「You have cleared Floor 2 of the Infinite Tower.」
[Clear Rating: SSS]
[Lv.2 → Lv.3]
[Republic of Korea Achievement Points +20]
On Floor 3, he had to find Mana crystals buried in the Cliff Face within a time limit, but when he opened the Dragon’s Eye, the locations where the crystals lay gleamed red.
Sang Hyuk used the Annihilation Form only on the rock surrounding the crystals.
Crash-crash-crash.
Unblemished Mana crystals poured forth from within the stone.
「You have cleared Floor 3 of the Infinite Tower.」
[Clear Rating: SSS]
[Lv.3 → Lv.4]
[Republic of Korea Achievement Points +25]
The undisclosed records appeared on Korea’s daily Achievement leaderboard for two consecutive days.
Both floor records were posted side by side on PlayerNet.
[Floor 2 / Clear Rating: SSS / Republic of Korea +20]
[Floor 3 / Clear Rating: SSS / Republic of Korea +25]
[Korea/Lv.24] Min Ji : The player presumed to be the Impossible One just achieved back-to-back SSS ratings on Floors 2 and 3.
[USA/Lv.36] Jack : Consecutive perfect ratings after the Floor 1 Hall of Fame. That’s impressive.
[Japan/Lv.29] Ken : At this rate, aren’t they going to break Moo Geuk’s record?
[China/Lv.33] Lin : The highest public consecutive SSS streak is Moo Geuk’s 20 floors. It’s too early to compare yet.
[Korea/Lv.17] Hobak : The starting point is the same though. We’ll just keep watching the next floor records.
[Korea/Lv.24] Min Ji : Now I have a reason to check the leaderboard every day. ㅎㅎ
People’s attention naturally turned toward the next record of the undisclosed Player who had come to be known as the Impossible One.
People began to wait and see how long the Impossible Left could maintain one floor per day, and how many more SSS Ratings he could chain together.
And on the third day.
Sang Hyuk stepped into the Circular Battlefield of the fourth floor.
Roooaaarrr!
A colossal beast standing at the far end of the battlefield let out a deafening roar.
Its entire body was encased in a blood-red carapace.
[Mother of the Pack]
[Lv. 7]
At the center of the battlefield sat an enormous nest, its surface crawling with blood-red flesh.
Each time the nest writhed, smaller beasts poured ceaselessly through the gaping cracks.
They rushed at Sang Hyuk from all directions.
Sang Hyuk pressed his palm against the head of the first beast to charge.
Screeeee!
The beast’s body transformed into black sand and scattered into the air.
The nest convulsed violently, spitting forth two new beasts.
For every one he felled, two more appeared.
No matter how many charging beasts Sang Hyuk eliminated, their numbers never diminished.
Ten.
Twenty.
Black sand had begun to pile up thickly around him.
He could fell the smaller beasts easily with the Annihilation Form, but as he faced the endless tide, his Mana drained at an accelerating pace.
Soon even the black aura wrapped around his hands grew noticeably faint.
In that moment, a new notification appeared.
“Hidden Perfect Clear condition discovered.”
[Destroy the beast’s nest.]
[Eliminate the Mother of the Pack.]
Sang Hyuk quickly processed both conditions.
Defeating the Mother of the Pack would let him clear the fourth floor.
To earn the Perfect Clear and additional rewards, he would need to destroy the nest as well.
The problem was his remaining Mana.
He didn’t have the reserves to face them separately.
‘Then I finish it all at once.’
Sang Hyuk slipped past the nest and wedged himself between the Mother of the Pack and her brood chamber.
As he turned with the nest at his back, he found himself face to face with her.
“Grrraaaaaahhh!”
The Mother of the Pack bellowed and lowered her head.
Her massive horns leveled toward Sang Hyuk.
She stamped a foreleg hard against the ground.
Boom!
Her enormous body surged directly at him in a straight charge.
The moment the horn reached his face, Sang Hyuk planted his right foot firmly and twisted his body.
Whoosh!
His feet didn’t slip despite the violent motion.
The Collapse Wanderer’s Boots had done their work.
Sang Hyuk slipped cleanly to the creature’s side.
Crash-crunch!
Unable to slow her charge, the Mother of the Pack rammed directly into the beast’s nest.
Her thick horn pierced deep through the center of the brood chamber.
Crack-splinter!
Blood-red flesh tore and split at the point where the horn drove in.
The fissure spread rapidly, and the entire nest swelled outward with tremendous pressure.
Kaboom!
The beast’s nest exploded into fragments.
The Mother of the Pack, caught in the blast, staggered badly.
Her chest carapace shattered away, exposing the crimson heart beneath.
Thud!
As the nest collapsed, every small beast remaining on the battlefield fell in unison.
Sang Hyuk kicked off from the scattered nest debris and leaped to the height of the creature’s chest.
Before the Mother of the Pack could even steady herself, Sang Hyuk’s right hand touched the exposed heart.
‘Annihilation Form.’
Screech!
Where her palm made contact, the crimson heart transformed into black sand.
In moments, the entire heart lost its shape and scattered.
Boom!
The Mother of the Pack convulsed violently, then collapsed limply to one side.
「Perfect Clear conditions achieved.」
[Beast Nest Destroyed]
[Mother of the Pack Eliminated]
「Perfect Clear of Floor 4, Infinite Tower.」
[Clear Rating: SSS]
「Level increased.」
[Lv.4 → Lv.5]
[Republic of Korea Achievement Points +30]
「Perfect Clear bonus rewards issued to Inventory.」
As his level rose, the depleted Mana surged back to full capacity.
Sang Hyuk felt the Mana coursing through him and clenched and unclenched his right fist.
It was his first battle as a Player where he’d truly felt the limits of his Mana.
This time, he’d cleared the Battlefield by using the cunning tactic of ramming the Mother of the Pack into her own nest.
But there was no guarantee he could employ such ingenuity in the next Battlefield.
Next time, he might discover the Perfect Clear conditions only to be forced to abandon them.
‘I need to solve the Mana problem first.’
* * *
Back in the real world, Sang Hyuk immediately began searching for ways to replenish his Mana.
The most readily available option was Mana recovery potions.
But each bottle came at a steep price, and they were consumables that only temporarily refilled Mana while in effect.
The recovery amount was fixed, and effectiveness diminished as one climbed higher floors.
It couldn’t be a fundamental solution.
Therefore, what Sang Hyuk needed most right now was an Artifact that could accelerate Mana recovery or increase his total Mana pool.
The problem was availability.
Artifacts related to Mana were snapped up by major guilds and powerful Player nations the moment they appeared on the market.
Even at the Heroic grade, finding one with money alone was difficult.
‘Are there any items whose value hasn’t been discovered yet?’
Sang Hyuk sifted through his memories from before the Regression.
Artifacts that had never been found, or ones left dormant because their true worth had gone unrecognized.
Then one item came to mind.
‘Ah, that’s right.’
The Eternal Vein Ring.
A Heroic-grade Mana recovery Artifact.
But at this point in time, it lay sealed in Tae Sung’s warehouse due to the powerful Curse attached to it.
A Curse that drained the wearer’s Mana entirely upon equipping.
Over many years, Tae Sung had summoned numerous renowned Purification-type Players, but none could lift the Curse.
Eventually, he’d declared it unusable and buried it deep in storage.
But Sang Hyuk knew this item’s future.
After Korea fell before the Regression, the Eternal Vein Ring passed into Japanese hands.
There, a high-level Player managed to break the Curse, and its hidden true function was revealed.
Not only did it rapidly restore the wearer’s Mana, it grew alongside them, feeding on the absorbed Mana as nourishment.
After that, the Eternal Vein Ring became known as one of the preeminent Mana recovery Artifacts.
Sang Hyuk didn’t know the exact method the Japanese Player had used to break the Curse.
Still, he had a way to attempt it himself.
‘Use Dragon’s Eye to locate the Curse, then erase it entirely with Annihilation Form.’
Whether it would actually work, he’d have to test directly.
But it was worth trying.
The real problem was obtaining the Eternal Vein Ring in the first place.
Its current owner was Tae Sung Group.
As a sealed item never put on the market, he couldn’t simply buy it with money.
Viiing.
At that moment, the phone on the table rang.
[Yun Chae Rin: Remember that meal we talked about? Let’s make it lunch this Saturday!]
[Yun Chae Rin: I’ll send you the location.]
Sang Hyuk read the message, then turned his thoughts back to the Eternal Vein Ring.
If money won’t buy it, then I’ll extract payment some other way.
Besides, there’s a debt I need to collect from Tae Sung anyway.
‘I’ll take the Eternal Vein Ring as compensation for the broken engagement.’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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