After Regressing, I Gained the Power of the Demonic Dragon - Chapter 22

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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 22
Sang Hyuk kept his right hand pressed against the core as he poured more power into the Annihilation Form.
Screeeech!
Black energy burrowed deeper into the blue crystal, fiercer than before.
The palm-sized hole widened rapidly, spilling black sand in its wake.
[Eternal Frozen Core Damage Rate: 7%]
[Eternal Frozen Core Damage Rate: 14%]
Whirrrrr!
The core shuddered violently as the damage rate climbed.
Blue light erupted from the widening fissure, coiling around Sang Hyuk’s right arm.
Crack-crack-crack!
Ice spread across his hand and forearm in an instant.
His Freezing Rate spiked sharply.
[Current Freezing Rate: 91%]
Then the newly opened Draconic Blood Flow surged to life.
Thump!
Crimson energy rose from his heart and raced through his veins.
Though his Freezing Rate continued climbing, the pace at which his body stiffened slowed noticeably.
His right arm—the one touching the core—received the brunt of this power.
Strength returned to fingers that had begun to freeze.
Now it came down to a race.
He had to push the core’s damage rate to 100% before his own Freezing Rate reached it.
‘I’ll destroy it first.’
The Annihilation Form shrouding his right hand deepened.
Wherever black energy touched, the blue crystal crumbled without a chance to regenerate.
[Eternal Frozen Core Damage Rate: 23%]
[Eternal Frozen Core Damage Rate: 38%]
The same numbers appeared before the eyes of his three companions.
Hong Ryeon swung her staff without tearing her gaze from the damage rate.
Whoooosh!
Magical beasts crowding toward the Warmth Core were engulfed in crimson flames.
“He’s really destroying the core!”
Baren answered only by raising his shield to meet the charge of an onrushing boar.
Crash!
The impact sent both his feet sliding long across the snowy ground.
Still, the beast did not reach the Warmth Core.
“We hold until the Silent Left destroys it!”
Chukbok Eunyulyo layered a protective barrier behind Baren’s back.
Hong Ryeon widened her flames, driving back wolves that tried to slip past the shield’s edge.
The three no longer glanced toward Sang Hyuk.
They held their ground, each blocking the assault to buy him time to shatter the core.
Sang Hyuk himself endured the increasingly ferocious cold that mounted with each point of damage.
[Current Freezing Rate: 95%]
The ice covering his arm and shoulder grew heavier.
Even his breath froze in the air, yet the body suffused with Draconic Blood Flow did not fully stiffen.
Whirrr!
The Spirit Vein Ring: Sprout at his left wrist drew in the scattered power across the valley.
Each time the drawn power reached the Apocalyptic Dragon Heart, the Draconic Blood Flow surged stronger.
While enduring the freezing cold that locked his body, the Annihilation Form in his right hand never weakened.
[Eternal Frozen Core Damage Rate: 57%]
Crack-crack-crack!
A fissure spreading from Sang Hyuk’s palm extended to the vast core’s center.
Beyond the widening crack, the interior of the crystal was already nearly hollow.
From the moment the crack reached the core’s heart, the damage rate climbed even faster.
[Eternal Frozen Core Damage Rate: 74%]
[Eternal Frozen Core Damage Rate: 89%]
As the damage rate approached 90%, the core burst with intense blue light.
Boom!
The cold unleashed in the explosion swept across the entire valley.
White frost settled on the bodies of the three protecting the Warmth Core.
Sang Hyuk, standing closest, took the full force of the cold directly.
[Current Freezing Rate: 98%]
Ice crept up his right arm and spread across his chest.
The remaining Damage Rate had only 11% left until 100%.
The Freezing Rate had only 2% left until 100%.
Yet Sang Hyuk had no intention of releasing the core.
He poured every last drop of mana into his right hand.
‘Disappear.’
A piercing shriek tore through the air.
Black energy erupted from his palm like a detonation.
The Annihilation Form, which had burrowed deep into the core, consumed all the remaining blue crystals at once.
Crack!
At last, the center of the core turned black.
[Eternal Frozen Core Damage Rate: 100%]
In that instant.
The blue crystal, which towered many times Sang Hyuk’s height, crumbled inward.
Whoooosh!!
Even the base, buried deep in the ground, transformed into black sand and poured across the snowfield.
“The Eternal Frozen Core has been destroyed.”
“Freezing generation in the valley is ceasing.”
Whiiiine.
The blizzard that had blanketed the valley lost its force.
The biting wind that had raged so fiercely began to ease, and the ice covering Sang Hyuk’s body melted away rapidly.
The Frozen Valley’s magical beasts, which had charged at the Warmth Core, came to a halt.
The ice enveloping them cracked open, and the bodies within scattered into blue light.
Rumble.
As the last beast vanished, silence fell over the battlefield.
[Warmth Core Durability: 100%]
[Eternal Frozen Core Status: Destroyed]
[Cooperative Members Eliminated: 0]
[Time Remaining: 06:21]
“You have completed the 10th-floor restricted Cooperative Battle Field, Frozen Valley.”
“Perfect Clear conditions have been met.”
“Frozen Valley has been achieved with a Perfect Clear for the first time.”
[Clear Evaluation: SSS]
Flash!
White light enveloped the four scattered across the battlefield.
When the light faded, Sang Hyuk stood before the Warmth Core alongside his three teammates.
Hong Ryeon looked back and forth between Sang Hyuk, who stood without a scratch, and the black sand piled high at the end of the valley.
Her lips parted several times before her voice finally emerged.
“You really…… you really destroyed it.”
Her eyes, wide with disbelief, fixed on Sang Hyuk.
A longing she could no longer hide kindled in her gaze.
She and another flame mage had poured torrents of fire without raising the Damage Rate even 1%.
Sang Hyuk had eliminated that same core alone, with nothing but his bare hands.
Baren loosened his tense expression and lowered his shield to the snow.
A faint smile spread across his lips.
“I was completely mistaken.”
Baren’s gaze turned toward Sang Hyuk’s empty right hand.
“I never imagined the Impossible One would truly fight barehanded.”
His voice carried genuine wonder.
“Remarkable. Now I understand how you defeated the Indestructible Guardian in the tutorial.”
Chukbok Eunyulyo set down her staff and clasped her hands before her chest.
Her eyes watching Sang Hyuk gleamed with admiration.
“To destroy a core no one else could break, alone…… it’s truly extraordinary.”
Her voice, full of emotion, trembled slightly.
“Thanks to you, we were able to achieve a Perfect Clear together. Thank you, Impossible One.”
She broke into a radiant smile.
“Now I understand why everyone calls you the Impossible One.”
The gazes of all three converged on Sang Hyuk once more.
Now no one doubted his identity.
Soon the four of them watched as their battle contributions appeared one after another.
[Battle Contribution Rank: 1st Place]
[Public Name: Undisclosed]
[Affiliated Nation: Republic of Korea]
[Core Achievements]
– First damage to the Eternal Frozen Core
– Solo destruction of the Eternal Frozen Core
– Perfect Clear condition achieved
First place in contribution went to Sang Hyuk without question.
Everyone nodded as though it were only natural.
The Perfect Clear reward settlement followed immediately.
“All cooperative members who participated in the Perfect Clear will receive additional compensation.”
Hong Ryeon’s eyes widened as she saw the newly added rewards in her settlement window.
“We received Perfect Clear rewards too.”
Chukbok Eunyulyo reviewed the unfamiliar reward list several times over.
“These are rewards we couldn’t obtain even with such effort…….”
Sang Hyuk gazed at the intact Warmth Core.
“You all earned this by protecting it.”
Had the three of them failed to withstand the assault, the basic objective itself would have failed before Sang Hyuk could destroy the core.
Because the three of them fulfilled their roles, Sang Hyuk too could concentrate on the core until the very end.
Baren bowed deeply toward Sang Hyuk.
“It would be an honor to be grouped with you again next time.”
“Same here.”
Hong Ryeon spoke up with a bright smile.
“If we’re grouped together again, let’s achieve a Perfect Clear then as well.”
Sang Hyuk looked at the three of them in turn.
Though they had just met, they were those who trusted his judgment and protected the Warmth Core until the very end.
Beneath his black mask, a faint smile crossed Sang Hyuk’s lips.
“If the opportunity comes.”
Sang Hyuk nodded lightly.
Then a new notification appeared before Sang Hyuk’s eyes.
“Perfect Clear core contribution reward has been granted.”
[You have obtained 1 Authority Factor.]
[Authority Factors in possession: 1]
[Once you acquire 2 additional Authority Factors, you will be able to explore new Authority candidates.]
Sang Hyuk’s gaze lingered on the last sentence.
Authority Factor.
It was a growth resource that countless players desperately sought.
The core that determined a player’s strength was ultimately Authority.
Even with similar levels and equipment, combat power varied greatly depending on what Authority one possessed.
Authority Factor was the resource that opened up one more possibility for such Authority.
It was not easy to obtain.
As levels increased, opportunities to acquire it dropped sharply, so the standard practice was to accumulate as much as possible when you could.
This precious resource had come as a Perfect Clear reward.
‘Excellent.’
Especially for Sang Hyuk, who harbored the Apocalyptic Dragon Heart, its value was all the greater.
Annihilation Form had erased even what was said to be indestructible, and the Eternal Frozen Core that no one could scratch, leaving not a trace behind.
The newly unlocked Draconic Blood Flow was no different.
From Stage 1, it reduced all abnormal status effects by 30%.
Thanks to this, even when the Freezing Rate shot up to 98%, he could still move his body and destroy the core completely.
And it had opened the path to learning Dragon-lineage dark magic.
Every Authority he had unlocked so far defied common sense.
What power would reveal itself next?
To confirm that answer, he only needed to gather 2 more Authority Factors.
‘I’ll need to obtain them from every available source going forward.’
Then the Authority Factor notification was pushed upward as a new World Achievement alert appeared.
“You have achieved the World Achievement ‘The One Who Ended Eternal Freezing.'”
“This achievement will be announced across all Eastern and Western channels.”
[Achiever Public Name: Undisclosed]
[Affiliated Nation: Republic of Korea]
[Republic of Korea World Achievement Points +30,000]
[Republic of Korea This Quarter Projected Deficit Points: 0]
[Current Estimate: Rift Generation Range Exceeded]
At last, the projected deficit points for this quarter had reached zero.
It wasn’t final yet—the quarter hadn’t settled.
Still, if the current projection held, Korea wouldn’t see even a small Rift open this quarter.
Sang Hyuk stared at the final figure for a moment.
A Korea without a single Rift—what had been a vague aspiration until now—had become a concrete number before his eyes.
While Sang Hyuk gazed at the display, Hong Ryeon swallowed quietly.
The World Achievement notification hovered before all three team members.
“Did you achieve another World Achievement?”
Baren’s gaze flickered between the +30,000 and the 0 below it.
“To earn thirty thousand points from a single clear and bring Korea’s deficit to zero at the same time…….”
Chukbok Eunyulyo asked, her tone heavy with disbelief.
“So Korea won’t see a single Rift open this quarter?”
“It’s not final yet—the quarter hasn’t settled.”
“But you’ve already moved beyond the Rift generation threshold, haven’t you?”
Hong Ryeon stared at Sang Hyuk, wonder still plain on her face.
“Really…… just how far do you mean to go?”
Sang Hyuk regarded her for a moment, then the corner of his mouth curved upward slightly.
“Still a long way yet.”
Then the return notice appeared.
「You will return to the Cooperative Battle Field Waiting Area in 30 seconds.」
Baren, checking the remaining time, ventured carefully, “It might be best if what we witnessed here today doesn’t leave this place?”
The clear results would become public anyway.
But he had no intention of revealing which power had shattered the core.
Sang Hyuk nodded.
“I appreciate that.”
“Understood. I will say nothing beyond what appears in the public record.”
Hong Ryeon and Chukbok Eunyulyo both nodded solemnly.
White light bloomed beneath the four of them.
Even as they vanished into the glow, the three could not tear their eyes from Sang Hyuk.
* * *
Moments later.
A new entry appeared on the public record board for the ten-level Cooperative Battle Field.
[Battlefield: ]
[Record Achieved: First Perfect Clear]
[ Durability: 100%]
[ Status: Destroyed]
[Clear Evaluation: SSS]
[Battlefield Contribution: 1st Place]
[Public Name: Undisclosed]
[Affiliated Nation: Republic of Korea]
The moment the public record went live, the World Achievement notification rippled across every channel, east and west.
A first Perfect Clear.
Yet another World Achievement.
Korea’s projected deficit points for this quarter: zero.
The instant all three pieces of news became public.
PlayerNet erupted.

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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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