After Regressing, I Gained the Power of the Demonic Dragon - Chapter 39

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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 39
.
The name inscribed on the first line of became vivid.
The moment Sang Hyeok read the two characters, the method of wielding burned itself clearly into his mind.
「You have inherited the Black Technique .」
[]
[Effective Range: 10 meters]
[Imprints the mark of decay upon a single visible target.]
[Targets at or below the caster’s level suffer a 50% reduction in strength, speed, and mana output.]
[When used against spells or curses, their power and activation speed are reduced by 50%.]
[Spells and curses confirmed through can also be designated as targets.]
[Concurrent marks that can be maintained: 1]
[For targets higher in level than the caster, the reduction decreases according to the level gap.]
Sang Hyeok checked the effective range first.
Ten meters.
reached its maximum power only within a meter of his fingertips.
Because of this, whenever he faced a strong opponent, he had to break through their attacks and close the distance.
But was different.
Even at a distance of ten meters, he could weaken his opponent’s strength.
It was possible to first weaken spells or curses with this mark, then erase them with .
Against targets at or below his level, he could reduce strength, speed, and mana output by half.
Even against targets higher in level than him, he could still imprint the mark itself.
It was a ranged weakening tool he’d never possessed before.
Whoooosh.
As the surrounding darkness lifted, Sang Hyeok found himself standing in the 1st Storage District once more.
Suhosoo was cradled in his left arm, and still hung in his left hand.
Sang Hyeok carefully set Suhosoo down on the floor.
All the characters that had covered the bone fragment’s surface had vanished.
Yet the fragment still radiated power.
Thump!
As the heart of the True Dragon beat, shone once more.
The portion touching Sang Hyeok’s palm began to tremble faintly.
Suhosoo saw the glowing fragment and took a step back.
[It’s not finished yet.]
“There’s still more besides the Black Technique?”
[ comes from your former body.]
[Even after passing on the Black Technique, the bone’s power remains untouched.]
Suhosoo gazed at Sang Hyeok’s left hand.
[You must fully accept that power as well for the inheritance to be complete.]
As Suhosoo finished speaking, the power remaining within the bone fragment flowed into Sang Hyeok’s palm.
Crack-crack-crack!
The joints of his left hand bent involuntarily.
Pain that began in his palm shot through his wrist and arm, climbing toward his shoulder.
Soon a series of popping sounds echoed from his spine and ribs.
The agony spread rapidly to his thighs and shins.
Suhosoo rushed to his side in alarm.
Sang Hyeok gritted his teeth and gripped even harder.
“I’m fine.”
[You don’t look fine.]
“I can bear it.”
The pain intensified with each passing moment.
His vision blurred, and he felt as though he might lose consciousness at any second.
Still, Sang Hyeok endured, his legs locked firm beneath him.
He did not hate this pain.
Before the regression, he’d never awakened his trait—he was level zero.
He’d never even been granted the chance to enter the Tower, no matter how desperately he craved strength.
When people he cherished fell before his eyes, he had no power to save them.
No one knew better than Sang Hyeok how bitter that powerlessness had tasted.
But this pain now was proof that he was growing stronger.
If he could endure this agony, he would become that much more powerful.
My sister, my father, my brother.
South Korea itself, and Suhosoo, who had only just opened his heart to me.
This time, I would protect them all.
If I could only gain the strength to protect those I held dear, Sang Hyeok was willing to endure any pain.
The body reborn from the heart of the Apocalyptic Dragon accepted the power that remained in the Old Bone.
Thump!
My heart beat again.
This time, the mana flowing from my chest seeped through the bones of my entire body.
The pain that began in my fingers subsided in turn.
When the pressure that had been crushing my spine vanished at last, Sang Hyeok exhaled slowly.
「The inheritance of the bodily legacy Old Bone has been completed.」
[You have absorbed all the essence remaining in the Old Bone.]
[Full-body skeletal strength: 30% increased]
[You are now able to accept remaining bodily legacies.]
Sang Hyeok extended his left hand and moved each finger in turn.
There was no stiffness in the movement at all.
The wound on my right arm had not healed.
Beneath the cloth I’d wrapped around it, pain still lingered.
This inheritance had not treated the wound—it had reinforced the skeletal structure of my entire body.
Sang Hyeok checked the system window again.
Skeletal strength increased by thirty percent.
It was not merely a change that raised immediate defense.
My bones themselves had been transformed, allowing me to accept stronger Dragon legacies going forward.
The bone fragment in my left hand retained its form even after losing both its markings and its power.
Sang Hyeok did not shatter it or discard it, but carefully placed it back in its original storage case.
Suhosoo looked back and forth between the powerless bone fragment and Sang Hyeok.
[The master’s Black Technique remains within you.]
Suhosoo touched his nose tip to Sang Hyeok’s left hand and closed his eyes for a moment.
[The power that dwelt in the bone has also taken root in your body.]
The spirit opened his eyes again.
[Now I’ll admit that you have inherited the master’s strength.]
「The final Suhosoo recognizes you as the heir of the Apocalyptic Dragon.」
It was not a result obtained through the weight of oppression bowing my head.
It was a judgment Suhosoo had made after witnessing it himself.
Sang Hyeok liked that about it.
“Yes. Thank you.”
[I’m acknowledging you as the heir.]
[I’m not making you the new master.]
“That’s for you to decide.”
Suhosoo stared at Sang Hyeok for a long moment, then turned his head away.
Only the tips of his two-forked tail moved slightly.
Sang Hyeok withdrew his gaze from the open Old Bone storage case and examined the remaining legacies.
Six storage cases still remained tightly sealed.
“The next legacy isn’t responding yet.”
[Each one has different conditions for opening.]
[Even if I permit it, they can’t be opened arbitrarily.]
[Only when you inherit all seven legacies will the door to the Inner Repository open.]
“The Inner Repository?”
[It’s where the master kept his most precious legacies.]
‘More precious than the Outer Repository.’
With just the first legacy, the Old Bone alone, I had gained the Decay Mark and strengthened my skeleton.
What treasures could possibly remain in the Inner Repository, where even more precious legacies were stored?
The anticipation was exhilarating, but it was not a place I could enter immediately.
To open the door to the Inner Repository, I first had to inherit all six remaining legacies before me.
To do that, I would need to discover the opening conditions for each storage case, one by one.
Before leaving the Outer Repository, Sang Hyeok opened the progress of Unexplored Footstep.
[Unexplored Footstep: 2/10]
[Warning]
[If you receive a rating below SSS in Solo Climbing, all accumulated Unexplored Footsteps will disappear.]
[Thereafter, you will permanently lose eligibility to acquire Unexplored Footstep.]
Eight Unexplored Footsteps remained before the first untouched battlefield could be opened.
Not once during this time could he afford to miss an SSS rating.
Sang Hyeok surveyed the six locked storage chests and the progress of his Unexplored Footsteps in turn.
His path forward crystallized.
First, he had to clear every floor of Solo Climbing with an SSS rating.
He would gather eight more Unexplored Footsteps to unlock the first battlefield no one had ever set foot on, and in doing so, he would uncover the conditions for opening the remaining legacies.
Only then could he inherit all seven legacies and finally advance to Nae-go.
Before his return, humanity had not even survived the opening match of the Dimension League.
Before that day arrived, Sang Hyeok had to draw as close as possible to the power of the True Dragon of the End that his heart had shown him.
To do that, he had to climb the Tower steadily, one floor a day.
He would break into the Legend Tier where the highest-ranked players in the late 70s and top of the 80s levels dwelled, and ultimately claim one of the sixteen Heavenly Seats.
Once he ascended to a Heavenly Seat, even if his life ended in the real world, the power of that throne could reconstitute his body once.
It was an essential authority he would need to prepare for the annihilation ahead.
During that process, he also intended to uncover what relationship the True Dragon’s throne bore to those who had invaded Wae-go.
And while ascending to a Heavenly Seat, he would set as many records as possible that others deemed impossible.
Those records would not end with his growth alone.
Every time he established an impossible achievement, South Korea accumulated achievement points as well.
The stronger Sang Hyeok became, the greater South Korea’s chances of survival grew.
Once he had ordered his thoughts, Sang Hyeok lowered his gaze and met the eyes of Suhosoo, who sat before the locked storage chests.
[Where do we go now?]
“Back to the Tower.”
[Going to climb again?]
“Have to. I still need to gather eight more Unexplored Footsteps while ascending the Tower.”
Sang Hyeok closed the progress display floating before his eyes.
“Once I collect them all, a battlefield no one has ever visited will open.”
Suhosoo glanced around the locked storage chests, then placed one small foreleg on the edge of the Old Bone’s chest.
[When that opens, you’ll be able to get stronger?]
“Yes.”
[Then come back stronger next time.]
“You make sure you recover properly too.”
[I’ve already healed quite a bit.]
Suhosoo stood to prove his point at once.
But his hind legs wobbled, and he caught himself with his front paws.
When his eyes met Sang Hyeok’s, the spirit straightened his posture as if nothing had happened.
Sang Hyeok suppressed the smile tugging at his lips and nodded casually.
“Right. You’ll be in perfect condition next time we meet.”
[Of course.]
As Sang Hyeok turned to leave, Suhosoo followed him all the way to the entrance of the 1st Storage District.
His pace was slow, but this time he didn’t collapse midway.
When Suhosoo reached the door, he looked up at Sang Hyeok.
[When those bastards come again, you really will fight with me, right?]
“I promised, didn’t I?”
Suhosoo regarded Sang Hyeok for a moment, then withdrew to the side of the door.
「Exiting from the Wae-go Dragon’s Testimony Threshold.」
* * *
After returning from Wae-go, Sang Hyeok looked down at the cloth wrapped around his right arm.
The bleeding had stopped, but the puncture wounds from the thorns still throbbed.
To reduce the healing time, he needed a Wound Recovery Potion.
But until now, Sang Hyeok had not prepared even a single bottle of Wound Recovery Potion.
Inside Wae-go, the Tower Shop was inaccessible, so once wounded, there was no way to obtain one.
In truth, he had seen no need to prepare recovery potions until now.
Since his return, he had almost never sustained injuries of this degree.
But this incident changed his thinking.
From now on, he would bring several bottles each of Wound Recovery Potion and Mana Recovery Potion whenever he entered a battlefield.
Sang Hyeok opened the Tower Shop and checked the recovery potion list first.
[Wound Recovery Potion]
[For 30 minutes after consumption, suppresses bleeding and accelerates wound healing.]
[Cannot heal fatal wounds or limb loss.]
[Mana Recovery Potion]
[For 30 minutes after consumption, accelerates Mana recovery.]
[Potion effects from the same category do not stack.]
Sang Hyeok purchased three bottles each of Wound Recovery Potion and Mana Recovery Potion.
Six bottles cost nearly all the Tower currency he’d accumulated so far.
Still, he harbored no thought of economizing—a single potion could determine success or failure in clearing a floor.
[You have purchased 3 bottles of Wound Recovery Potion.]
[You have purchased 3 bottles of Mana Recovery Potion.]
Sang Hyeok uncorked one bottle of Wound Recovery Potion and drank it in a single gulp.
「The Wound Recovery Potion’s effect has been applied.」
[Remaining effect duration: 30 minutes]
The potions sold in the Tower Shop didn’t heal wounds instantaneously.
They simply accelerated the natural healing process over thirty minutes while the drug’s potency lasted.
Sang Hyeok unwound the blood-soaked cloth, cleaned the wound, and wrapped fresh bandages around his arm.
While the potion took effect, he kept his right arm motionless and opened his inventory.
On one side, a single unused reward remained.
[Equipment Lottery Ticket]
[Please select one equipment category of your choice.]
[You will obtain one random piece of equipment from the selected category.]
Countless equipment categories materialized before his eyes.
Though he’d completed his set piece on the twenty-first floor, Sang Hyeok had refrained from using the ticket immediately.
He wanted to first confirm what rewards remained in Wae-go, then select a category that wouldn’t overlap.
His patience had borne fruit.
With just the first legacy—the Old Bone—he’d acquired Decay Mark and strengthened his skeleton.
Considering the remaining six legacies and Nae-go beyond them, he had no pressing need to rely heavily on weapons or armor for the time being.
In that case, it made more sense to use the lottery ticket to shore up his weaknesses rather than seek combat equipment.
As Sang Hyeok reviewed the equipment categories in turn, his gaze stopped at the Concealment and Mask section.
What he needed most urgently now was a means to hide his identity outside the battlefield itself.
His private name and the black mask the system provided only concealed his identity within authorized battlefields.
In reality or other sectors of the Tower, he couldn’t rely on the same protection.
The consecutive records of the Impossible Seat were already drawing worldwide attention.
China and Russia were tracking his identity, and Il-sung had been fielding external inquiries about Sang Hyeok’s awakening and recent movements.
Moreover, he’d confirmed a clue linking the force that invaded Wae-go to the current True Dragon’s throne.
The more his movements expanded into reality and public Tower sectors, the more thoroughly he needed equipment to conceal his identity.
Without hesitation, Sang Hyeok made his selection.
“Concealment and Mask.”
[Equipment category selected.]
[Selected category: Concealment and Mask]
「Using Equipment Lottery Ticket.」
Whoosh!
As the ticket scattered into light, a mask that covered his entire face materialized in its place.
It was a black mask with no gaps—not even openings for eyes or mouth.
From a distance, it resembled the protective exterior used in Channel League matches.
Yet shallow grooves were etched across its surface, and up close one could discern it was a tangible artifact distinct from the system’s protective form.
[Hero-Grade Equipment: Mask of Namelessness]
[Category: Concealment and Mask]
[Bound to: Kim Sang Hyeok]
[Equip Restrictions: None]
[Base Function: Namelessness]
[Makes the wearer’s face, voice, and physique difficult to identify.]
[Does not conceal the wearer’s publicly disclosed name or directly manifested abilities.]
[Sealed Function: Traceless]
[Unlock Condition: Reach Platinum Tier]
The old black mask had been a protective exterior usable only in Tower-sanctioned matches.
By contrast, the Mask of Namelessness was genuine equipment bound to Sang Hyeok.
Now he could conceal his face, voice, and physique even outside the arena.
The sealed function’s effect remained unknown to him.
Yet the base function alone granted him the means to hide his identity in reality.
Sang Hyeok placed the mask in his inventory.
He planned to use it when moving in reality or entering public Tower sectors.
After storing the mask in his inventory, he refrained from moving his right arm until the potion’s effect wore off.
Sang Hyeok unwound the bandages and examined his right arm.
The puncture marks from the thorns remained, but the wound had healed considerably.
Even moving his fingers and wrist brought almost no pain.
Though not completely recovered, it was enough to see him through a fight.
He’d already used his Solo Climbing entry for the day on the 22nd floor.
But his Iron Rookie League participation ticket remained unused.
In Solo Climbing, he needed to uncover the Unexplored Footsteps; in the league, he needed to accumulate national season points.
One floor per day.
And one match per day.
He had no intention of skipping either.
Sang Hyeok opened the Iron Rookie League participation menu.
‘Join.’
「Your Iron Rookie League participation ticket has been used.」
「Your matchup and opponent are being drawn.」
A moment later, a new bracket appeared.
[South Korea Random Group]
VS
[China Fixed Group ]
[Match Format: Giant Proxy War]
[Arena: ]
The Giant Proxy War was a match where three pilots each controlled a massive war colossus to fight.
Both sides received colossi of identical specifications.
Each wielded a longsword in one hand and wore a small circular shield on the other arm.
There was no difference in base performance either.
Victory hinged on the pilot’s mana control.
Depending on how quickly and precisely the pilot channeled mana through the colossus’s limbs and weapons, the machine moved entirely differently.
Each pilot could also register one of their abilities or techniques to use through the colossus.
Victory required rendering all three of the opposing team’s colossi combat-ineffective.
Success demanded not just individual piloting skill, but also the formation and synchronization of all three colossi working as one.
It was a format that inherently favored the fixed group, who had trained together for a long time, over a random group meeting for the first time.
The Biyeon Group was a trio who had won five matches in a row, relying on their colossi’s perfect synchronization.
[ Giant Proxy War Record]
[5 Wins 0 Losses]
Sang Hyeok studied that record for a moment.
‘An interesting opponent just fell into my lap.’

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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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