After Regressing, I Gained the Power of the Demonic Dragon - Chapter 26

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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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Episode 26
Thump.
The Heart of the Apocalypse Dragon beat again.
Sang Hyuk felt his will flow through the heart and touch the entire legion.
In response, hundreds of soldiers lowered their stance in unison.
He understood instinctively how to move them.
All he had to do was pour his will into the command.
Sang Hyuk opened his mouth, facing the legion.
“Stop.”
Clang.
The front-row soldiers dropped their weapons.
Hundreds of swords and spears followed, clattering to the ground in succession.
Clang.
Crash.
Clatter!
The moment the last weapon fell.
Hundreds of Monster Legion soldiers dropped to one knee before Sang Hyuk in perfect unison.
Cheol Hyul Chang stood frozen, his red spear still in hand.
Shirogane lowered her twin blades, watching the kneeling soldiers.
Jumun Eun Jjalge barely managed to open his mouth.
“Those creatures… they’re obeying the Impossible One.”
「You have fulfilled the Hidden Objective’s complete conquest conditions.」
[Battlefield Commander Stone — Completely Destroyed]
[Masterless Legion — All Subordinated]
Shirogane turned back to look at Sang Hyuk.
Her widened eyes, already filled with surprise, now shone with something close to awe.
“You solo-controlled hundreds of them and destroyed the Commander Stone, and now you’ve made the entire legion bend the knee.”
Shirogane swallowed hard, as if unable to believe what she was witnessing.
“Seeing it firsthand, I understand now why everyone pays such attention to the Impossible One.”
Jumun Eun Jjalge nodded slowly, seeming at a loss for words.
“If we weren’t in the same team, I wouldn’t have believed it myself.”
Cheol Hyul Chang lowered his red spear slowly, a dry laugh escaping him.
“The world’s vast, they say, but I’ve never seen anyone quite like you.”
He glanced back and forth between the spot where the Commander Stone had been—now only black sand—and the kneeling legion.
“Once the Commander Stone disappeared, they recognized you as their new master?”
“At least for now.”
The red light lingering in the soldiers’ eyes faded completely.
[All Monster Legion soldiers have ceased combat operations.]
[The Battlefield Commander Stone has vanished. The basic conquest condition is achieved ahead of schedule.]
Rumble.
The entire encampment trembled one last time, then fell silent.
Moments later, white light descended from the ceiling.
「Calculating results for the 15th Floor Collaborative Dungeon 〈Masterless Legion〉.」
[Command Posts Occupied: 4/4]
[Battlefield Commander Stone: Destroyed]
[Monster Legion Soldiers: All Combat Operations Ceased]
[Team Members Slain: 0]
「〈Masterless Legion〉 has been completely conquered for the first time.」
[Conquest Rating: SSS]
Each of the four watched their individual accomplishments materialize before their eyes.
[Battlefield Contribution Rank 1]
[Affiliated Nation: South Korea]
[Public Name: Undisclosed]
[Key Accomplishments]
– Monster Legion Solo Lured
– Battlefield Commander Stone Solo Destroyed
– Masterless Legion Combat Operations Ceased
「The nation affiliated with the rank 1 battlefield contributor receives Achievement Points for the inaugural complete conquest.」
[South Korea Achievement Points +1,000]
「All collaborative participants in the complete conquest receive additional rewards.」
Shirogane checked her rewards window and her eyes widened.
“There are rewards here that weren’t part of the basic clear.”
She fully sheathed her twin blades and bowed deeply to Sang Hyuk.
“Thank you, Sang Hyuk. Thanks to you, I’ve received a Flawless Climb reward for the first time.”
Jumun Eun Jjalge checked his own rewards list multiple times over.
“I’ve run this Collaborative Dungeon countless times, but I’ve never seen rewards like these. I’m truly grateful.”
Cheol Hyul Chang closed his rewards window and turned to face Sang Hyuk.
The cheerful smile faded from his expression, leaving only gravity.
He bowed deeply to Sang Hyuk.
“That was extraordinary, Sang Hyuk. I won’t forget fighting alongside you today.”
Sang Hyuk laughed quietly beneath his black mask and nodded.
Then a new notification appeared — only for him.
「You have received a Flawless Climb Essential Contribution Reward.」
[You have obtained 1 Authority Factor.]
[Authority Factors held: 1 → 2]
[Confirmation until new Authority candidate appears: 1 required]
Just one more.
Once he gathered one more Authority Factor, he could confirm the new Authority candidate that would be born from the Heart of the Apocalypse Dragon.
Thump.
The Heart of the Apocalypse Dragon beat again deep within his chest.
The kneeling Legion soldiers trembled in unison.
「The <Heart of the Apocalypse Dragon> holds the seed of a new Authority.」
[Authority Seed: Subjugation of Low-Rank Monsters]
[Current scope of confirmation: Masterless low-rank monsters]
[Has not yet bloomed into a formal Authority.]
[When all Authority Factors are gathered, a new Authority candidate will be generated from this seed.]
As the Commander Stone vanished, the Legion without a master sought a stronger ruler.
And the closest presence was Sang Hyuk, who bore the <Heart of the Apocalypse Dragon>.
This was only possible because he had encountered masterless low-rank monsters within the Collaborative Dungeon.
It didn’t mean he could command a Monster Legion anywhere, anytime.
Instead, this act of subjugation became a seed that would grow into a new Authority, remaining in his heart.
The <Heart of the Apocalypse Dragon> was not merely a trait for wielding Mana and nurturing Authorities.
It carried within it the very presence of a ruler before whom weak monsters would instinctively bow their heads.
This time, it had only revealed itself briefly after the Commander Stone disappeared.
But if the Authority Seed bloomed formally, it could become another force that would shake the entire Collaborative Dungeon.
One Authority Factor remained.
Once he obtained it, he could confirm what Authority this seed would grow into.
「The Collaborative Dungeon settlement is complete.」
[Your temporary command authority within the Collaborative Dungeon has ended.]
Whoosh.
The Legion soldiers on their knees scattered into white light from the front ranks onward.
As the last soldier vanished, a new message appeared.
[15th Floor Restricted Collaborative Dungeon completed.]
[The restriction on Individual Climb Floor 15 has been lifted.]
* * *
Less than ten minutes had passed since the Collaborative Dungeon ended.
A new entry appeared on the 15th Floor public leaderboard.
[15th Floor Restricted Collaborative Dungeon]
[Dungeon: <Masterless Legion>]
[Achieved Record: First Flawless Climb]
[Dungeon Commander Stone: Destroyed]
[Monster Legion Soldiers: All combat ceased]
[Clear Evaluation: SSS Rank]
[Contribution Ranking: 1st Place]
[Country of Origin: South Korea]
[Public Name: Undisclosed]
Players who discovered the record immediately screenshotted it.
[Korea/Lv.42] Gukbap E Mal Eun Soju : First Flawless Climb on 15th Floor Collaborative Dungeon just went up wtf
[Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian : Destroyed Commander Stone? Didn’t the best record so far only drop durability to 71% remaining?
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : Right. There’s been no record of dropping durability below 70% until now.
[South Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian : Impossible Left truly lives up to the name ㄷㄷ they said you absolutely couldn’t break a Commander Stone unless you had five people, and you just deleted it…!
[China/Lv.68] Beijing Swordsman : Hmm. A Collaborative Dungeon is a battlefield where four people fight together. You can’t just assume the anonymous player cleared it alone, now can you.
As Newbie Guardian’s praise continued, Beijing Swordsman quickly cut in.
That was when Jumun Eun Jjalge released the participation record.
It was a certification showing the same dungeon and the additional rewards for a perfect clear.
[South Korea/Lv.15] Jumun Eun Jjalge : We were on the same team.
[South Korea/Lv.15] Jumun Eun Jjalge : The three of us managed to chip away only 2% in thirty seconds.
[South Korea/Lv.15] Jumun Eun Jjalge : Impossible Left erased the remaining 98% alone.
The chat fell silent.
In the next instant, questions erupted as if they’d been waiting for this moment.
[South Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian : What Authority could take out 98% alone? What weapon do you use? It’s a sword, right??
[South Korea/Lv.42] Gukbap E Mal Eun Soju : So is Impossible Left a man or a woman? Have you heard their voice?
[South Korea/Lv.37] Tower Climbing From Tomorrow : What does Impossible Left look like? Good-looking?
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : How did you stop the monster legion?
Among the barrage of questions, Jumun Eun Jjalge’s reply came belatedly.
[South Korea/Lv.15] Jumun Eun Jjalge : Uh…….
[South Korea/Lv.15] Jumun Eun Jjalge : I’m afraid I can’t share anything about their Authority or personal details.
[South Korea/Lv.15] Jumun Eun Jjalge : With that, I’ll be on my way.
Jumun Eun Jjalge vanished from the chat.
[South Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian : Hey, where are you going! Come back, Jumun Eun Jjalge!
[South Korea/Lv.42] Gukbap E Mal Eun Soju : Even their answers are short like their name lol
[South Korea/Lv.37] Tower Climbing From Tomorrow : Wait, I still have tons of questions!
Only hollow shouts remained in the chat.
What was certain was that Impossible Left had alone erased the remaining 98% durability of the Commander Stone.
Which Authority they’d used, who was beneath the black mask, why the monster legions had stopped all at once—none of it had been revealed.
The first public testimony only deepened the mystery surrounding Impossible Left.
[South Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian : Impossible Left is level 15 now, right? Hurry up and hit level 20. You’ll be entering the Channel League, won’t you?
[South Korea/Lv.42] Gukbap E Mal Eun Soju : If Impossible Left’s first public match comes up, I’m watching for sure.
[South Korea/Lv.37] Tower Climbing From Tomorrow : Where do I turn on spectator notifications? I’m standing by starting today.
[Japan/Lv.55] Tsukikage : At this climbing pace, we won’t have to wait long.
[China/Lv.68] Beijing Swordsman : The Channel League is a stage where you face players, not monsters. Whether Impossible Left will shine there is something we’ll have to see firsthand.
[South Korea/Lv.33] Newbie Guardian : Which is why we want you to show up soon lol
The clearing method remained a mystery.
Instead, the players’ eyes turned toward the Channel League, where Impossible Left’s combat would first be made public.
* * *
The next day.
Sang Hyuk stood before the gate leading to the Individual 15th Floor.
Sang Hyuk’s Individual Climb record currently stood at 14 consecutive SSS Ranks.
[Current Consecutive Record: 14]
[All-Time High Record: 20]
If he finished this 15th Floor with an SSS, his record would become 15 consecutive.
To match Moo Geuk’s record would require 5 more floors; to surpass it would take 6.
But if he missed even a single SSS before then, everything he’d built so far would be forfeit.
‘This time, I’ll take the SSS without mistakes.’
As his hand touched the gate, an entry notice appeared.
「Entering Individual Climb, 15th Floor.」
Whoosh!
As the light cleared, a vast circular stone chamber emerged.
Within it stood one hundred stone statues, all identical, arranged in rows.
「The 15th Floor individual trial begins.」
[Trial Name: <The Fleeing Heart>]
[Time Limit: 3 minutes]
[Objectives]
– Disable the protection of the Red Heart.
– Destroy the Red Heart once its protection is disabled.
[Trial Rules]
– The Red Heart is hidden within one of the 100 stone statues.
– Each time you locate it, it moves to a different statue.
– Locate it 10 consecutive times to disable its protection.
– Touching any other statue awakens all 100.
– If you defeat all awakened statues, the Red Heart’s protection is forcibly deactivated.
[Evaluation Criteria]
– Consecutive successful heart tracking attempts
– Number of attacks used to defeat awakened statues
– Number of times hit
– Clear time
There were two ways to achieve the highest rating.
The first was to locate the hidden heart without a single mistake ten times in a row.
But the sound the heart produced echoed throughout the Stone Chamber, and picking out only the correct answer from among statues that looked identical was nearly impossible.
There was another method even after tracking failed.
Sweeping away all one hundred awakened statues in a single attack the moment they rose.
During that process, you had to avoid being hit even once and destroy the heart to earn an SSS rating.
A player at only Level 15 would struggle to possess both the range and power simultaneously.
That was why the Fleeing Heart was considered one of the most difficult tests to achieve an SSS on among the lower-floor Individual Climbs.
But.
For Sang Hyuk, it was almost the easiest test instead.
‘This should be simple.’
Dong!
As the bell rang, a dull thudding sound of a heartbeat came from somewhere among the hundred statues.
The sound traveled along the curved wall and spread in all directions, making the direction impossible to determine.
All the visible statues looked identical.
Sang Hyuk concentrated mana into both eyes.
‘Dragon’s Eye.’
The edges of Sang Hyuk’s irises darkened to black, and his red pupils narrowed vertically.
In the grayed vision, only the hidden Red Heart in the chest of the statue at the far left became vividly clear.
There was no need to search.
The answer lay plain before Sang Hyuk’s eyes.
Tap!
Sang Hyuk crossed between the statues and pressed his hand to its chest.
[Heart tracking successful: 1/10]
The heart left a red afterglow as it burrowed beneath the floor.
The heart that moved to the opposite statue could not escape the Dragon’s Eye either.
[Heart tracking successful: 2/10]
[Heart tracking successful: 3/10]
Each time it was discovered, the heart fled to a statue even farther away.
Sang Hyuk crossed between the statues, and when the path was blocked, he stepped on shoulders and heads to vault over.
[Heart tracking successful: 6/10]
[Heart tracking successful: 9/10]
The final heart burrowed into a statue behind where Sang Hyuk had first stood.
Sang Hyuk pushed off with his right foot and reversed direction in a single motion.
Tap!
His palm touched the chest of the final statue.
[Heart tracking successful: 10/10]
The statue’s chest split open to the sides, revealing the Red Heart.
[Red Heart’s protection has been deactivated.]
‘Annihilation.’
Shriiek!
Black energy seeped into the very center of the Red Heart.
The moment that energy covered the entire heart.
Fwooosh!!
The red light vanished and the heart crumbled into black sand.
Not a single one of the hundred statues ever awoke.
「You have completed the 15th Floor Individual Climb: Fleeing Heart.」
[Consecutive successful heart tracking: 10]
[Incorrectly touched statues: 0]
[Awakened statues: 0/100]
[Attacks used to defeat statues: 0]
[Times hit: 0]
[Clear time: 00:27]
[Clear rating: SSS]
“Your level has increased.”
[Lv.15 → Lv.16]
“Your Flawless Climb consecutive record has been updated.”
[Individual Climb SSS Rating: 15 consecutive]
“Your first Cumulative Privilege has unlocked.”
[Cumulative Privilege: ]
[Effect]
– Hidden objectives will now be displayed in all future Individual Climbs.
– Completing a hidden objective grants additional rewards.
It was an exceptionally valuable privilege.
From now on, each Individual Climb would reveal its hidden objective, and accomplishing it would earn him bonus rewards as well.
Sang Hyuk immediately pulled up the information for the next floor.
[16th Floor Individual Climb: ]
[Primary Objectives]
– Close all three water gates.
– Hold back the incoming water and reach the exit.
Below the primary objectives, new text appeared in black.
It was information displayed by the privilege he’d just unlocked.
[Hidden Objective]
– Reach the exit without closing any of the water gates.
[Hidden Objective Additional Reward: Confidential]
Normally, the test was straightforward—close all three water gates to stop the flow and proceed to the exit.
But to achieve the hidden objective, he would have to push straight through the rushing torrent and open the exit himself.
The newly revealed hidden objective and its confidential additional reward.
Sang Hyuk stared at both entries and let out a quiet laugh.
“Another thing to collect, then.”

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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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