After Regressing, I Gained the Power of the Demonic Dragon - Chapter 25

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

Episode 25
Sang Hyuk made his choice immediately.
[Public Name: Undisclosed]
[Protective Appearance: Black Mask]
The Black Mask settled over Sang Hyuk’s face.
“Beginning matchmaking for the 15th Floor Cooperative Dungeon.”
“Transferring to Cooperative Dungeon waiting area.”
Whoosh!
As the light faded, Sang Hyuk stood in the center of a circular stone chamber.
The three members who had been waiting for the final recruit turned their heads in unison, scrutinizing the newly arrived Sang Hyuk.
At the same moment, the public information of the three appeared before Sang Hyuk’s eyes in sequence.
A sturdy man holding a Red Spear.
[China / Lv.15]
[Public Name: Cheol Hyul Chang]
A short-haired woman with Silver Dual Swords at her waist.
[Japan / Lv.15]
[Public Name: Shirogane]
A Korean man holding a Staff with Blue Gemstone.
[Republic of Korea / Lv.15]
[Public Name: Jumun Eun Jjalge]
Sang Hyuk’s information appeared in the fourth slot.
[Republic of Korea / Lv.15]
[Public Name: Undisclosed]
In the 15th Floor Cooperative Dungeon, where each member had to manage one Control Point, it was an unspoken convention that once the team was formed, members revealed their names and roles first.
Jumun Eun Jjalge, confirming that the final recruit was Korean, raised his staff across his chest and spoke first.
“So the final member is Korean. I’m Jumun Eun Jjalge. I’ll provide fire support from the rear.”
Cheol Hyul Chang nodded curtly and planted the shaft of his Red Spear against the ground.
“Cheol Hyul Chang. I’ll hold the front line.”
Shirogane gazed at Sang Hyuk’s Black Mask for a moment, then bowed lightly.
“I’m Shirogane. I’ll handle any fast enemies or any that slip through to the rear.”
All three pairs of eyes settled on Sang Hyuk.
“Undisclosed. I’m close combat too.”
Cheol Hyul Chang’s gaze lingered on Sang Hyuk’s empty hands.
“Your weapon?”
“Bare hands.”
Cheol Hyul Chang’s eyebrows rose slightly, but he asked nothing further.
Once the brief exchange ended, Jumun Eun Jjalge examined all four members in turn.
“Two frontliners, one flanker, one rear support. The composition works.”
Ding.
“4-person matchmaking complete.”
“Entering the 15th Floor Cooperative Dungeon <Leaderless Legion>.”
Whoosh!
Black light swallowed the four of them.
Moments later, Sang Hyuk’s feet touched solid ground.
As the light cleared, a vast underground Barracks revealed itself.
At the four cardinal points stood Control Points, each marked by a red crystal.
At the center rose a massive black obelisk, sharp as a spear.
[Battlefield Command Stone]
[Current Owner: None]
[Legion Control: Active]
Between the four Control Points and the central Command Stone, hundreds of Demon Soldiers in black armor stood packed in formation.
Curved horns jutted from either side of their helmets, and sharp teeth gleamed through the gaps in their face guards.
[Demon Soldier]
[Lv.15]
The soldiers stood motionless, heads bowed.
Cheol Hyul Chang raised his Red Spear.
“Once we start, each of you takes one of the nearest Control Points.”
Jumun Eun Jjalge and Shirogane adjusted their grips on their weapons.
Sang Hyuk’s eyes fixed on the central Command Stone.
In that moment.
Thump.
The Apocalypse Dragon Heart beat heavily.
Whooooom!
The red light enveloping the Command Stone trembled violently.
The bodies of the Demon Soldiers who had been bowing their heads flinched in unison.
At the same moment, a system message appeared before Sang Hyuk’s eyes.
「The battlefield Command Stone has detected Higher Sovereign Authority.」
[Detection source: ]
Click.
One of the Demon Soldiers in the front row lifted his head.
Click.
Click-clack.
The same motion continued in sequence all the way to the end of the Barracks.
Hundreds of pairs of red eyes fixed upon Sang Hyuk all at once.
The three team members turned to look at Sang Hyuk in the Black Mask, following the Demon Soldiers’ gaze.
Cheol Hyul Chang made no attempt to hide his bewilderment.
“What the…?”
He looked back and forth between the Demon Soldiers and Sang Hyuk, then quickly angled his Red Spear diagonally in front of him, blocking Sang Hyuk’s path.
“I don’t know why, but they’re all looking only at you. Back away for now.”
At that very moment, one of the Demon Soldiers in the front row slowly lowered his spear tip.
He took a step toward Sang Hyuk and began to lower himself onto one knee.
Then the red light from the Command Stone flashed intensely.
The Demon Soldier’s body lurched violently.
The knee that had almost touched the ground was forced straighten, and the lowered spear tip turned back toward Sang Hyuk.
Yet the arm holding the spear still trembled faintly.
[The battlefield Command Stone is increasing control output.]
[Army command orders are in conflict.]
“Something is wrong with the Demon Soldiers’ state.”
Jumun Eun Jjalge muttered in an alarmed voice.
Though he had cleared this battlefield multiple times for farming, he had never seen the Demon Soldiers resist the Command Stone’s orders.
Just as he was trying to discern the cause, the central Command Stone erupted with intense red light.
Kuuuuoom!
「Beginning 15th Floor Restricted Cooperative Dungeon .」
[Control Points captured: 0/4]
[Central Command Stone barrier: Active]
[The battlefield Command Stone has detected a control intruder.]
[Priority elimination target: South Korea / Public Name: Unreleased]
Kuoom!
Hundreds of Demon Soldiers stamped the ground in unison upon receiving the Command Stone’s order.
They didn’t spare a glance at the other three—they surged toward Sang Hyuk alone.
“Are you insane? Why are they all targeting just one person?”
Cheol Hyul Chang gripped the shaft of his Red Spear firmly, standing between Sang Hyuk and the advancing horde.
Shirogane drew her Silver Dual Swords as well, fixing the legion with a grim stare.
“This battlefield is strange. I’ve never seen them move like this before.”
That was when Sang Hyuk spoke.
“The three of you—head for the Control Points.”
Unlike the three who were gripped by confusion, Sang Hyuk’s voice was calm.
Cheol Hyul Chang turned around as if he had misheard.
“What do you mean by that?”
“They’re targeting only me right now. I’ll kite them while you three take the empty Control Points.”
Because all the Demon Soldiers were converging on Sang Hyuk, the paths to the three Control Points lay completely open.
Sang Hyuk pointed toward them in order.
“Cheol Hyul Chang, take the eastern one. Jumun Eun Jjalge, the southern.”
Then he looked to Shirogane, the fastest among them.
“Shirogane—capture the western Control Point and immediately move north.”
Shirogane stared at Sang Hyuk with wide eyes.
“I’m taking two alone?”
“Yes. While they’re all chasing me, you can capture both in succession.”
At Sang Hyuk’s answer, Shirogane was momentarily at a loss for words.
Cheol Hyul Chang took one sweeping glance at the legion bearing down on them, then turned back to Sang Hyuk.
“You’re really going to kite all of them by yourself?”
“Yes.”
Cheol Hyul Chang still thought Sang Hyuk was showing off.
But there was no bravado in Sang Hyuk’s demeanor, no hint of anxiety either.
Even as hundreds of soldiers surged toward him, he stood unperturbed—a man who had already finished every calculation.
Cheol Hyul Chang’s throat moved once.
The objection he’d been about to voice never came.
Sang Hyuk’s composure silenced the agitation of all three in an instant.
Cheol Hyul Chang spun the Red Spear first.
“Try not to die.”
The three teammates scattered toward the Eastern, Western, and Southern Control Points.
According to the original plan, Sang Hyuk should have taken one Control Point as well before heading to the center.
But if the entire legion was chasing only him, there was no need.
While the three of them captured the four Control Points in sequence, he just had to pin the legion down.
Sang Hyuk immediately broke into a run toward the outer perimeter of the Barracks.
Roooooar!
Hundreds of Demon Soldiers gave chase like a massive wave behind him.
Not a single one broke formation to pursue the other three teammates.
When the vanguard drew close, Sang Hyuk surged ahead; when their formation began to fray, he slowed again.
As the distance remained forever just out of reach, the soldiers bellowed ferociously and pressed harder.
The entire legion held together as one mass, moving steadily away from all four Control Points.
When Sang Hyuk had circled the Barracks perimeter once with the legion in tow—
Ding.
[Eastern Control Point captured.]
[Control Point Capture: 1/4]
[Southern Control Point captured.]
[Control Point Capture: 2/4]
[Western Control Point captured.]
[Control Point Capture: 3/4]
[Central Command Stone Shield Output: 25%]
Shirogane released the Western Control Point and bolted north.
The Demon Soldiers who should have turned back to reclaim the now-undefended point kept their eyes fixed only on Sang Hyuk.
Moments later, the final alert appeared.
[Northern Control Point captured.]
[Control Point Capture: 4/4]
[Central Command Stone Shield Output: 0%]
[Occupation Duration: 03:00]
Roooooar!
Blue light erupted from all four Control Points, converging on the central Command Stone.
Deep cracks spiderwebbed across the crimson barrier before it shattered entirely.
Crash!
[Central Command Stone shield deactivated.]
Cheol Hyul Chang’s voice came through the Cooperative Dungeon comms.
“Just three more minutes and we get the Basic Clear.”
“All of you, head for the center.”
Sang Hyuk pointed toward the Command Stone.
“Attack it while the shield is down.”
“Are we certain we can leave the Control Points unguarded?”
At Jumun Eun Jjalge’s question, Sang Hyuk glanced back at the legion chasing him.
“They don’t care about the Control Points.”
The other three had already confirmed it themselves.
All four Control Points stood empty, yet the Demon Soldiers didn’t spare them a glance.
They pursued only the figure ahead of them.
Jumun Eun Jjalge let out an incredulous laugh.
“What is this—like the Pied Piper? How is the entire legion chasing only you?”
Then Shirogane’s eyes widened as she checked Sang Hyuk’s public information again.
“Wait. A South Korean player who just reached Level 15 today…….”
She looked at the Black Mask sprinting around the Barracks perimeter.
“Could you be Gukpalboksa?”
Cheol Hyul Chang laughed dryly.
“Ah, well. It’s probably just a coincidence that the conditions lined up. That Impossible One really is in our team…….”
Sang Hyuk laughed softly instead of answering.
Cheol Hyul Chang’s words trailed off.
“……What? Was it really true?”
“Destroy the Command Stone.”
It was neither confirmation nor denial, but for the three of them, that was enough.
Cheol Hyul Chang studied Sang Hyuk for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter.
“Ha! I knew from the start something was different about you. To be on the same team as the Impossible One—what an honor!”
He turned the Red Spear toward the center.
“Good. Leave the Command Stone to us!”
Cheol Hyul Chang, Shirogane, and Jumun Eun Jjalge charged toward the center in unison.
Sang Hyuk continued circling the Barracks perimeter, keeping the legion engaged.
The situation looked better than the original plan he’d devised.
In the public footage, the four team members had been too busy blocking soldiers to properly attack the Command Stone.
Now, three people could pour their firepower uninterrupted for however much time remained.
At this rate, it seemed like the three of them could destroy the Command Stone without him ever reaching the center.
The moment the three team members arrived before the Command Stone.
“Here we go!”
Jumun Eun Jjalge thrust forward the Staff with Blue Gemstone.
Blue mana bullets hammered the Command Stone’s front face, while red spear strikes and silver blade-light pierced both sides in rapid succession.
Boom-crash-crack!
With each explosion, stone chips scattered across the surface of the black stele.
The three pressed their assault without pause.
Yet even after thirty seconds had passed, the results fell far short of expectations.
[Remaining Time: 02:30]
[Central Command Stone Durability: 98%]
“Only two percent?”
Cheol Hyul Chang’s face hardened.
Jumun Eun Jjalge quickly ran through the remaining time in his head.
“It won’t work. At this pace, even if we attack the entire duration, we won’t chip away more than twenty percent of the durability.”
The team in the footage that had lowered the Command Stone’s durability to seventy-one percent was composed of the highest-tier super rookies that the Eastern channel’s major guilds had assembled for a Perfect Clear.
Sang Hyuk knew their skill level was exceptional.
Still, he’d judged that if the three could attack uninterrupted by Demon Soldiers for the full three minutes, they alone should be able to destroy the Command Stone.
But the actual gap was wider than he’d anticipated.
Cheol Hyul Chang, Shirogane, and Jumun Eun Jjalge weren’t weak.
The four in the footage were simply unusually strong even at the same level range.
Shirogane gritted her teeth and brought the Silver Dual Swords down again.
Clang!
A shallow scratch appeared on the Command Stone’s surface.
Even that didn’t change the durability number.
“We……can’t break it.”
Sang Hyuk checked the Command Stone’s durability and the legion pursuing him in turn.
If they were satisfied with a Basic Clear, they could just run out the clock.
But he had no intention of abandoning the Perfect Clear that carried the Authority Factor.
‘Looks like I have to go after all.’
Sang Hyuk altered his running path toward the center.
“Back away from the Command Stone, all three of you.”
“Don’t tell me you’re going to do it yourself?”
“I’ll destroy it.”
Before Cheol Hyul Chang could even respond, Sang Hyuk accelerated toward the center.
Because he’d changed direction several times while dragging the legion to the perimeter, a portion of the extended formation now blocked the path toward the center.
Taking a detour would only eat into the time he had to attack the Command Stone.
Sang Hyuk chose the shortest route and cut straight through the Demon Soldiers.
Clash-crash-clang!
Swords and spears erupted from all directions at once.
Sang Hyuk unfurled the Extinction in his right hand as wide as it would go.
Swoooosh!
Black energy spread in a fan pattern, erasing both weapons and bodies of the Demon Soldiers blocking his path entirely.
Black sand cascaded down, the path opened briefly, but dozens of trailing Demon Soldiers immediately filled the gap.
The Extinction obliterated whatever it touched without fail.
But there was a limit to how much he could cover in a single sweep.
‘If only I had the strength to wipe out that entire formation at once.’
What he lacked became abundantly clear.
Yet he couldn’t afford to pause and lament his shortcomings.
‘I break through with what I have now.’
In that moment.
Thump!
The Apocalypse Dragon Heart thundered in response to Sang Hyuk’s will.
The swords and spears raining down on him froze in mid-air.
Sang Hyuk seized that precious instant and drove deep between the soldiers.
Screech!
With each sweep of his right hand, the soldiers blocking his path crumbled into black sand and scattered.
When those behind tried to fill the gap, he tore it open again with Extinction.
Sang Hyuk plunged straight through the formation, drawing closer to the center.
The three team members standing before the Command Stone watched it all unfold clearly.
Everywhere Sang Hyuk’s hand passed—weapons, armor, and the bodies within them—all vanished without a trace.
Jumun Eun Jjalge’s mana projectile wavered for a moment.
“That’s… the Authority of the Impossible One.”
Only then did the three understand why Sang Hyuk had said he came unarmed.
It wasn’t that he lacked a weapon—he simply didn’t need one.
Sang Hyuk opened the Cooperative Dungeon channel.
“I’ll destroy the Command Stone. Cover my back.”
Moments before, they would never have believed a promise to obliterate the Command Stone with bare hands.
But this time, no one questioned him.
Cheol Hyul Chang rushed forward first, charging toward Sang Hyuk.
“You heard him? Hold off the pursuers until the Impossible One reaches the Command Stone!”
Shirogane and Jumun Eun Jjalge fell in right behind.
Cheol Hyul Chang swung his Red Spear, driving back the vanguard chasing after Sang Hyuk.
Shirogane’s Silver Dual Swords severed the legs of soldiers closing in from both sides, while Jumun Eun Jjalge’s blue mana projectiles erupted in succession between them.
While the three teammates held back the pursuit, Sang Hyuk erased the last soldiers blocking his path with Extinction and reached the central Command Stone.
[Time Remaining: 02:11]
[Central Command Stone Durability: 98%]
Sang Hyuk placed his right hand on the black monolith.
‘Extinction.’
Screech!
Black energy bloomed beneath his palm and burrowed into the Command Stone.
The obelisk that had been scarred but otherwise unscathed even after the three’s assault for tens of seconds crumbled into black sand the moment Sang Hyuk’s hand touched it.
[Central Command Stone Durability: 63%]
[Central Command Stone Durability: 17%]
A deep, violent hum filled the air.
The Command Stone shook fiercely and poured out crimson light, but Sang Hyuk didn’t remove his hand—he poured more mana into Extinction.
Dissolve!
At last, the black energy consumed the entire Command Stone.
[Central Command Stone Durability: 0%]
「The Battlefield Command Stone has been destroyed.」
「Forced control over the Demon Soldier Legion will now cease.」
The massive obelisk that had loomed like a black spear crumbled into black sand from its base.
The movements of the soldiers, now leaderless, all froze at once.
The crimson light in their visors flickered unstably, yet their weapons remained clasped in their hands.
Then.
Thump.
The Apocalypse Dragon Heart beat powerfully once more.
[The lower-tier Demon Soldier Legion, having lost their sovereign, senses Higher Sovereign Authority.]
[Source of detection: Apocalypse Dragon Heart]
[Temporary battlefield command authority has been acquired.]
Click.
Hundreds of soldiers turned to face Sang Hyuk in unison.
It was the same sight as when the battlefield began.
But this time, it was not to kill him.
They awaited their new master’s command.

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