After Regressing, I Gained the Power of the Demonic Dragon - Chapter 28

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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 28
Whoosh!
As the white light dissipated, Sang Hyuk found himself standing in the center of a circular stone chamber.
The light that had enveloped the surroundings vanished nearly at the same moment, and his three teammates came into view.
The four of them exchanged glances and naturally began inspecting their equipment.
At the front stood a man holding a rectangular shield as large as his torso.
As he planted the shield—reinforced with thick demonic beast hide—against the ground, a weighty thud echoed through the chamber.
[Public Name: Oneul Do Makneun Da]
[Lv.20]
Beside him, a woman drew her bowstring taut to test its tension.
Two quivers of different sizes hung from her back.
[Public Name: Hwasal Gap Tto Ollat Ne]
[Lv.20]
The last man pressed three blue magical stones embedded in a short staff one after another, testing them.
[Public Name: Hil Kul Dol At Eum]
[Lv.20]
All three turned their eyes toward the black mask and empty hands.
Sang Hyuk’s public information materialized before their eyes.
[South Korea / Lv.20]
[Public Name: Private]
Hwasal Gap Tto Ollat Ne looked at Sang Hyuk with a knowing smile.
“Your name’s private, huh. Don’t tell me you’re trying to pull off the Impossible Rank act?”
Sang Hyuk lifted one shoulder lightly in a shrug.
“Who knows.”
At his noncommittal reply, Hil Kul Dol At Eum chuckled softly.
“I’ve heard hiding your public name is all the rage these days. Looks like we’ve got one on our team.”
Ever since records emerged that the Impossible Rank had reached Lv.20, Korean players hiding their public names and entering the Rookie League had become far more common.
Hil Kul Dol At Eum apparently took Sang Hyuk for one of them.
Oneul Do Makneun Da adjusted his shield and spoke.
“We’ll figure it out once we get going.”
Hwasal Gap Tto Ollat Ne didn’t press further and steered the conversation elsewhere.
“So let’s first confirm what each of us can do.”
Oneul Do Makneun Da tapped the shield’s handle.
“I’m a tank type. My ability is Impact Reflection. I can accumulate the impact absorbed by my shield and redirect it through my next shield attack.”
Hwasal Gap Tto Ollat Ne drew an arrow.
“Mine is Piercing Point. Each time I hit the same spot, the arrow’s penetration keeps increasing.”
Hil Kul Dol At Eum pointed to the three blue magical stones in turn.
“My ability is Triple Heal. I’ve stored three large recovery instances in advance. I can use them consecutively, but once all three are gone, that’s it.”
All three eyes converged on Sang Hyuk once more.
“Private—you handle close combat.”
Sang Hyuk raised his empty right hand for them to see.
“Anything this hand touches can be annihilated.”
Hwasal Gap Tto Ollat Ne raised her eyebrows slightly.
“Annihilated? Anything?”
Sang Hyuk nodded lightly.
A moment later, all three broke into quiet laughter.
At Lv.20, annihilating anything with an ability.
The claim was far too absurd to take at face value.
In the lower tiers, there were often players who exaggerated their abilities’ capabilities.
Oneul Do Makneun Da nodded as if he’d grasped the gist of it.
“So you’ve got a high-damage close-range ability. Got it.”
Sang Hyuk made no effort to correct him.
They’d understand once they saw it firsthand.
Oneul Do Makneun Da quickly organized their formation.
“I’ll take the front. Private, you’re on my right. Archer on the left, healer stays behind me.”
He swept his gaze across the three of them before continuing.
“Our opponents are from the Jinryong-hoe, so victory won’t come easy. Still, we can’t just fold without putting up a fight. Let’s give it everything we’ve got.”
Jinryong-hoe was a Fixed Team with long-standing coordination, backed by the Sixteenth Throne Rank, Jinryong.
By contrast, this group was a Provisional Team that had only just confirmed each other’s names and abilities.
Victory was not a realistic goal for these three teammates.
Only Sang Hyuk was different.
Then the center of the stone chamber brightened.
“Drawing the arena for the first match.”
Ding.
[Arena: ]
[Match Type: 4 v 4 Team Annihilation Match]
[Victory Condition: All members of opposing team eliminated]
[Republic of Korea Victory Reward]
– Republic of Korea Rookie League Season Score +3
[First Match MVP Special Reward]
– x1
Sang Hyuk’s gaze fixed on the final item.
He currently held two Ability Factors.
With that reward, he could check a new Ability candidate.
Victory was non-negotiable—and neither was the MVP.
“Confirming registered equipment.”
“Equipment change window: 60 seconds.”
Sang Hyuk looked down at the on his left wrist.
If Yoon Chae Rin recognized this piece, it could be the decisive link connecting Impossible Seat and Kim Sang Hyuk.
But the curse had lifted, and the Spirit Vein Ring had evolved—its appearance was entirely different now.
Item information wasn’t disclosed to spectators anyway, so recognizing it by sight alone would be nearly impossible.
‘No problem there.’
Sang Hyuk closed the equipment screen without removing the Spirit Vein Ring.
A moment later.
“Equipment change time has ended.”
“Registered equipment confirmed.”
Whoooosh!
The black wall on one side of the chamber turned transparent.
Four members of the Jinryong-hoe standing in the opposite waiting area became visible.
All of them wore equipment embossed with a golden dragon insignia.
[Japan Fixed Team: Jinryong-hoe]
[This Season 4 v 4 Team Annihilation Matches: 4 Wins, 0 Losses]
[Team Annihilation Cumulative Member Eliminations: 0]
Hwasal Gap Tto Ollat Ne’s expression hardened.
“They’ve fought four annihilation matches without losing a single member?”
“That means all four were landslides.”
Hil Kul Dol At Eum swallowed dryly.
Oneul Do Makneun Da gripped his shield hilt even tighter.
“They’re a rookie Fixed Team personally trained by the Sixteenth Throne Rank, Jinryong. We’re nothing like them—we just scraped together.”
Hwasal Gap Tto Ollat Ne glanced sideways at Sang Hyuk.
“If only Impossible Seat were on our team. That’d give us real confidence.”
A thick note of regret colored the words.
Sang Hyuk didn’t bother responding.
His eyes were fixed on the man standing in the center of Jinryong-hoe.
Crimson coat and golden eyes.
Below his neck, exposed skin bore a small dragon mark.
[Public Name: Tokyo Gold Dragon]
[Lv. 20]
The moment he beheld that mark, the within his chest reacted with an inexplicable pulse.
Sang Hyuk’s eyes narrowed.
‘This is…’
“Transferring to the arena .”
Before he could discern the nature of that reaction, light erupted beneath both teams’ feet.
Flash!
* * *
Thud.
Sang Hyuk’s feet touched the crimson earth.
Sheer cliffs rose on both sides, and only a single straight path connected the two teams.
There was nowhere to hide, no way to circle around.
This was a battlefield that demanded a direct assault—one team forcing the other back.
[Battlefield: ]
[South Korea Remaining: 4/4]
[Japan Remaining: 4/4]
“The match will begin in thirty seconds.”
As the match-start message appeared, Oneul Do Makneun Da stepped forward and raised his shield.
Hwasal Gap Tto Ollat Ne and Hil Kul Dol At Eum took their positions behind him.
Sang Hyuk stood to Oneul Do Makneun Da’s right.
Since this was their first Annihilation Match, he wanted to observe how the opponents fought before making his assessment.
On the opposite side, the public information of four players appeared in turn.
[Public Name: Kongo]
[Lv.20]
[Public Name: Ryuga]
[Lv.20]
[Public Name: Kagura]
[Lv.20]
[Public Name: Tokyo Gold Dragon]
[Lv.20]
On the opposing side, Kongo held a square shield emblazoned with a golden dragon emblem and stood at the front.
Ryuga with a long bow and Kagura with a staff set with golden gems stood side by side behind him.
Tokyo Gold Dragon alone stood off to the right of the shield, keeping his distance.
Unlike the other three, his movement was not bound to a fixed position.
“The match begins.”
Boom!
The moment the match started, a golden barrier unfurled from Kongo’s shield.
The radiant light spread wide, sealing off the front of Jinryong-hoe’s three fighters without gap.
It was Kongo’s ability: Vanguard’s Rampart.
While the shield remained fixed in place, a broad barrier could be deployed in front.
The barrier allowed only attacks moving outward from inside to pass through.
Ryuga planted his feet and drew back his bowstring.
‘Continuous Fire.’
Twang!
The first arrow passing through the barrier aimed at Oneul Do Makneun Da’s face.
Clang!
Oneul Do Makneun Da raised his shield and deflected the arrow.
But when the barrage didn’t let up, Ryuga’s hands only grew faster.
Twang! Twang!
The second and third arrows flew in almost simultaneously.
Bang-clang-crash!
The successive arrows struck the shield with sharp force.
Through that opening, three golden mana projectiles spilled forth from Kagura’s staff.
Boom-boom-crash!
Oneul Do Makneun Da’s feet slid backward.
Above the demon beast leather reinforcing the shield, a red pattern glowed brightly as the accumulated impact began to stack.
“Arrow-value!”
“Got it!”
Hwasal Gap Tto Ollat Ne nocked an arrow to her bowstring.
Her target was Ryuga, who never stopped drawing from behind the barrier.
‘Piercing Point.’
A sharp blue light crystallized at the arrowhead.
Once the first shot landed, each subsequent strike at the same point would gain increasing penetration.
Twang!
The arrow arced high, passed over Kongo’s barrier, and fell toward Ryuga’s chest.
In that instant.
Whoooosh!
The pattern inscribed on Tokyo Gold Dragon’s chest blazed with light.
Behind him rose the massive head and two forearms of a golden dragon.
As Tokyo Gold Dragon raised one hand, the dragon’s forearms moved in perfect mimicry.
Crunch!
The enormous claws seized the incoming arrow mid-air and shattered it.
Thud.
As Sang Hyuk watched the scene unfold, the Apocalypse Demon Dragon’s Heart within his chest beat heavy and deep.
More vivid than the form of the golden dragon itself was the pattern carved into Tokyo Gold Dragon’s chest.
‘That’s…’
Even as Sang Hyuk traced the sensation, the golden dragon’s other front claw swept across the empty air.
Crash!
The enormous golden talon slammed against Oneul Do Makneun Da’s shield.
“Ugh!”
One of Oneul Do Makneun Da’s knees struck the dirt ground.
Ryuga’s arrows and Kagura’s mana bolts poured down again.
Hil Kul Dol At Eum pressed the first blue magic stone.
“Healing incoming!”
Blue light began to gather around Oneul Do Makneun Da.
Kagura had been waiting for precisely this moment—she brought her staff down in a sweeping arc.
Slash!
Sharp golden light tore through the blue radiance, scattering the healing that had begun to unfold.
The light from the first magic stone died away as well.
[ Remaining Uses: 2/3]
“Recovery’s been cut!”
Kagura’s Art Severance had interrupted Hil Kul Dol At Eum’s first healing even before it could fully activate.
Their counterattack was blocked by the golden dragon, and recovery itself had been shut down by Kagura.
Meanwhile, Jinryong-hoe didn’t need to advance an inch.
Kongo held the line while standing firm, and Ryuga and Kagura unleashed assault after assault from behind.
Each time Hwasal Gap Tto Ollat Ne counterattacked, Tokyo Gold Dragon’s golden dragon snatched the arrows from the air.
When attacks slowed, the enormous front claws hammered down on Oneul Do Makneun Da’s shield.
It was a tactic of maintaining a steadfast defense while methodically driving the opponent back without mercy.
Clang!
Clang-clang-clang!
Ryuga’s arrows grew faster.
The next arrow flew before the previous one had even lodged in the shield.
It was Continuous Fire—a technique where the rate of fire accelerated with each successive shot fired from the same position.
Crack.
A fissure appeared across one side of Oneul Do Makneun Da’s shield.
His breathing had become noticeably ragged.
“I can’t hold this much longer.”
Oneul Do Makneun Da gritted his teeth as he spoke.
“If this keeps up, the shield breaks first. I’ll open a path—you two go after the ones in back.”
The moment he stepped forward with his shield, he would take concentrated fire.
Yet he seemed to judge that even that was better than collapsing where he stood.
“Just hold on a bit longer.”
Sang Hyuk opened his mouth.
Oneul Do Makneun Da turned, breathing heavily.
“Do you have a way?”
“I do.”
Sang Hyuk gathered mana into both eyes behind his black mask.
‘Demon Dragon’s Eye.’
In the grayish dimness of his vision, the golden dragon’s movements became far sharper and clearer.
The golden dragon was simultaneously blocking Hwasal Gap Tto Ollat Ne’s counterattacks while striking Oneul Do Makneun Da’s shield.
If he were the one to face it, the three other team members would have an opening to strike back.
Having made his decision, Sang Hyuk stepped out from behind Oneul Do Makneun Da’s shield.
“Come back here!”
Oneul Do Makneun Da cried out urgently.
“Don’t go out there! That’s exactly what they’re waiting for!”
“If you charge out alone, what good does that do? You’ll just get surrounded faster!”
“Just hold your position.”
Hwasal Gap Tto Ollat Ne also tried to stop Sang Hyuk, but he didn’t slow his pace.
Seeing this, a light smile crossed Kagura’s face.
“Another one couldn’t resist and came out.”
Ryuga drew his bowstring and let out a soft chuckle.
“It’s the same as always.”
Jinryong-hoe’s last four matches had all ended this very way.
The moment an opponent faltered under the barrage of attacks from behind the shield and broke formation, Tokyo Gold Dragon stepped forward and struck them down himself.
Tokyo Gold Dragon turned his body toward Sang Hyuk.
“Keep firing. I’ll handle this.”
The gold dragon hovering behind his back blurred and moved swiftly.
The massive head and two front claws dissolved into golden light, layering across Tokyo Gold Dragon’s arms.
Whoooosh!
Golden front claws several times larger than human arms wrapped around his fists.
As Tokyo Gold Dragon took a step forward, the red earth beneath his feet exploded outward.
.
The moment he overlaid the distant gold dragon onto his own body, Tokyo Gold Dragon’s close-quarters combat transformed completely.
“Fall back! You can’t win against that!”
At the same moment as Hil Kul Dol At Eum’s urgent cry, Tokyo Gold Dragon rushed toward Sang Hyuk.
“You couldn’t hold out against even this much.”
Tokyo Gold Dragon clicked his tongue.
“Though the outcome would’ve been the same even if you’d lasted a bit longer.”
As he spoke, Tokyo Gold Dragon brought the gold dragon’s claws down toward Sang Hyuk’s head.
The massive talons were poised to tear through the black mask and upper body in one motion.
But Sang Hyuk did not dodge.
Instead, he raised his right hand and caught the golden claws head-on.
‘.’
Screeeech!
Black energy engulfed the golden claws.
The authority of annihilation that began at his fingertips rapidly consumed the gold dragon’s massive front claw.
Psshhh!
The golden front claws that had wrapped around Tokyo Gold Dragon’s right arm vanished without a trace.
“……What?”
For the first time, composure disappeared from Tokyo Gold Dragon’s eyes.
Kongo, Ryuga, and Kagura all stared at this scene in disbelief.
The three Korean team members were no different.
“······!!!”
“The gold dragon…… disappeared?”
Oneul Do Makneun Da’s expression twisted in shock beyond the fractured shield.
Only then did the three recall what Sang Hyuk had said at the beginning.
– Anything that touches this hand ceases to exist.
It was not mere boasting.
The gold dragon’s front claw that touched Sang Hyuk’s hand truly vanished without a trace.
In that moment.
Thump!
The Apocalypse Demon Dragon’s Heart beat powerfully once more.
The pattern carved into Tokyo Gold Dragon’s chest resonated, glowing brightly in response.
Inside the inventory, a crimson key trembled violently.
[The responds to the Throne Mark.]
[A pattern matching the first seal on the key has been detected.]
[The seal pattern is located at the center of the Throne Mark.]
[Direct contact with the mark is required to verify.]
Sang Hyuk’s gaze turned toward Tokyo Gold Dragon’s chest.
The source of the sensation that had been echoing his heart since moments ago was that very pattern.
‘So that was it.’
What the key desired was precisely that mark.
He could confirm it more accurately if he touched it directly.
Sang Hyuk stepped forward once more, beyond where the gold dragon’s claws had vanished.
Thwap!
The Throne Mark carved into Tokyo Gold Dragon’s chest came within reach of his hand.

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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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