After Regressing, I Gained the Power of the Demonic Dragon - Chapter 42

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

Episode 42
Whoosh!
As the light faded, a rectangular battlefield came into view.
At each of the four corners stood cannon towers more than three times the height of a man, and a crimson sphere floated at the center of the arena.
[23rd Floor Individual Trial: All-Around Barrage Formation]
[Primary Objective]
– Halt the Cannon Control Sphere at the center of the battlefield.
[Hidden Objectives]
– Do not destroy a single cannon tower.
– Halt the Cannon Control Sphere within one minute.
The standard approach on the 23rd floor was to destroy each cannon tower one by one, starting with the nearest.
Once you reduced the barrage and pushed toward the center, the danger dropped significantly.
But Sang Hyuk charged straight through the gaps between all four cannon towers.
Whirrrrr!
Mana surged through the four cannon barrels.
Sang Hyuk’s eyes deepened to a dark crimson.
‘Dragon Eye.’
The sequence in which mana filled each of the four barrels and the direction each was aimed at came into focus all at once.
The rightmost cannon tower fired first.
Boom!
A mana projectile fell in Sang Hyuk’s path ahead.
Just before the explosion, Sang Hyuk twisted his body to the left.
The opposite cannon tower immediately launched a second mana projectile.
This time, the barrage was aimed at the direction Sang Hyuk had dodged toward.
Bang!
Without slowing his pace, Sang Hyuk bounded forward and cleared the impact zone.
An explosion erupted behind him, shrapnel whizzing past his sides.
The remaining two cannon towers unleashed their fire in turn.
Boom! Boom!
The four cannon towers alternated their barrages from different points, barring the path to the center.
But with Dragon Eye, the next impact site appeared to Sang Hyuk before the projectile even fell.
He read the firing sequence and impact points, shifting direction with each prediction.
Wherever Sang Hyuk lifted his foot, a mana projectile struck.
The stone floor erupted in succession, fragments scattering in all directions, yet Sang Hyuk’s speed never wavered.
Ten meters remained to the Cannon Control Sphere.
Through Dragon Eye, the flow of mana from the crimson sphere to the four cannon towers became visible.
The four cannon towers drew mana from the central control sphere, using it to forge their projectiles.
‘Decay.’
A black mark seared itself into the surface of the crimson sphere.
The Power Stone that had spun rapidly inside the sphere suddenly slowed.
The rate at which mana filled the four barrels plummeted.
Whirrrrr.
The mana projectiles fired late now were smaller than before.
Boom! Boom!
The stone floor did not erupt as violently as it had before.
Only shallow fractures spread from where the projectiles impacted.
Thud!
Then the floor beneath the crimson sphere cracked open, and a black armored figure rose up.
[Barrage Guardian Soldier Lv.24]
The creature swung down an iron mace held in both hands.
Sang Hyuk twisted aside to dodge the blow, then drove his shoulder into the creature’s exposed flank.
Crash!
The Barrage Guardian Soldier was knocked sideways.
Rather than chase it, Sang Hyuk surged toward the Cannon Control Sphere.
Within the crimson shell, a Power Stone slowly rotated, supplying mana to all four cannon towers.
Using Dragon Eye to peer inside, the structure of the Power Stone became crystalline and clear through the shell.
From a step away, Sang Hyuk extended his right hand.
‘Just the Power Stone.’
‘Annihilation.’
Black energy bloomed from his fingertips, crossing empty space to engulf the Cannon Control Sphere.
The red exterior showed no change whatsoever.
Only the Power Stone spinning inside had turned to black sand, pouring downward.
Fzzzt!
The red light filling the Cannon Control Sphere extinguished.
The four cannon towers that had been preparing their next barrage halted in unison.
「You have completed the 23rd Floor Individual Trial.」
[Cannon Towers Destroyed: 0/4]
[Clear Time: 00:57]
[Player Direct Hits: 0]
[Clear Evaluation: SSS]
「Your level has increased.」
[Lv.23 → Lv.24]
「Your consecutive record has been updated.」
[Personal Ascent SSS Evaluation: 23 Times Consecutive]
[Hidden Objective Cumulative Completion: 8 Times]
「You have obtained a Hidden Objective Assembly Reward.」
[ x1]
[: 1/3]
[Collecting all three fragments will complete a , permanently increasing your maximum mana.]
Sang Hyuk stared at the fragment’s name for a moment.
He had obtained his first Dark Art, , but his mana remained severely limited.
To use Dark Arts and Authority one after another in larger-scale battles, he needed to expand his total mana pool.
He had only one of the three pieces so far.
One more reason had emerged to pursue every remaining Hidden Objective without fail.
[: 3/10]
Sang Hyuk finished his accounting and returned to reality.
* * *
A few hours later.
In the test facility of the Ilseong 1st Research Building, thirty units of Mass-Produced Protective Equipment were lined up neatly, including the gear that had completed the real-combat verification on the 22nd floor.
Association inspectors and purchase managers from seven guilds filled the observation gallery.
Kim Do Hyun observed the test facility from the front of the gallery, while Kim Sang Jun stood beside the test equipment, conducting final procedures with Association staff.
As Sang Hyuk entered the test facility, Kim Seo Yoon approached him directly.
She opened her mouth while gazing at the thirty Mass-Produced units.
“I included the 22nd floor real-combat record in the inspection materials.”
She lowered her voice.
“Taeseong’s argument is simple—they claim that just because one unit used by Sang Hyuk was intact, there’s no guarantee the other twenty-nine will perform identically.”
Kim Seo Yoon’s gaze swept across the equipment one by one.
“So today we prove it directly with those thirty units.”
On one side of the test facility, the existing supply plan was displayed.
[Association Low-Level Protective Equipment First Trial Supply Schedule]
[Taeseong: 200 units]
[Ilseong: 0 units]
If today’s inspection alone passed, eighty of the two hundred units concentrated at Taeseong would transfer to Ilseong’s quota.
Conversely, if it failed, Ilseong would be unable to supply even a single unit.
The sample deployment requested by the seven guilds wouldn’t even begin.
The head Association inspector in a gray suit rose from his seat.
“Before we begin the inspection, I will first review the formal objections from the existing supplier.”
Three items appeared on the wall screen alongside Taeseong’s name.
[Formal Objection from Existing Supplier]
– Unable to confirm the influence of wearer’s defense capability and auxiliary Authority on real-combat results
– Real-combat record limited to a single Mass-Produced unit
– Need to verify performance variance among 30 mass-produced units
The head inspector indicated the real-combat record Sang Hyuk had sent.
“The records from the anonymous operator will be used only as reference material. We cannot judge the performance of all mass-produced units based on a single unit’s real-combat record alone.”
The Taeseong observer seated in the gallery nodded, arms folded across his chest.
Sang Hyuk had no objection to this judgment.
To bring the product to market, he needed to prove that the performance would be identical regardless of who used it—not just Sang Hyuk alone.
The door on the opposite side of the test facility opened.
Seven low-level players unrelated to Ilseong stepped inside.
Each had different levels, different weapons, and different signature characteristics.
The chief examiner called out the equipment numbers.
“Unit 3, 7, 11, 16, 19, 24, 30.”
Association staff removed the equipment and fitted one set to each of the seven operators.
The Mana Cannon across from them was also locked to the same output level the Association had determined.
During the test, no special abilities or techniques could be used—only the equipment itself could be activated.
Clang!
The first Mana Cannon fired.
Boom!
The blue protective barrier buckled inward from the impact, then snapped back into shape.
[Unit 3 Equipment Defense Output: 144]
Each time an operator changed or equipment rotated, the Mana Cannon fired again.
Boom! Boom-boom!
After confirming the Defense Output, they increased the cannon’s power and deliberately shattered the first protective barrier.
All seven units deployed their Backup Protective Barriers the moment their blue shields shattered.
[First Random Inspection]
[Inspection Quantity: 7 Units]
[Minimum Defense Output: 142]
[Maximum Defense Output: 145]
[Backup Protective Barrier Normal Deployment: 7/7]
[Equipment Malfunction: 0/7]
One of the purchasing directors seated in the observation box leaned forward.
“The operators are all different, but the variance is only 3?”
The director beside him unfolded the parts specification sheet again.
“No rare materials involved, and that output?”
The Taeseong observer narrowed his eyes and double-checked the parts numbers on all seven units.
Since the Association had chosen the equipment directly, he couldn’t claim that Ilseong had simply selected their best-performing products for submission.
After confirming the seven measurements, the chief examiner covered the interim results sheet.
“We’ll verify all remaining equipment as well.”
Kim Sang Jun spoke up.
“The preliminary agreement was only for a random seven units, wasn’t it?”
“We’ll verify all thirty units. Let’s settle the questions about this variance here and now.”
The chief examiner pointed to the remaining equipment.
“Is that possible?”
Kim Seo Yoon didn’t hesitate.
“Yes. Everything is ready.”
The test resumed.
Each time the seven operators switched equipment, output measurements and overload tests followed in sequence.
The tenth unit showed no issues.
By the twentieth, not a single unit displayed a significant drop in output.
As the test continued, the purchasing directors’ hands grew busier.
One verified production schedules while another transmitted the inspection data in real time to guild headquarters.
The Taeseong observer, by contrast, pressed his lips together more tightly with each successive result.
At last, the thirtieth unit’s protective barrier withstood the final Mana Cannon blast.
Boom!
When the final test concluded, the equipment performance and the results of the production process inspection conducted beforehand appeared together on a single screen.
[Ilseong Mass-Produced Protective Equipment Official Inspection Results]
[Inspection Quantity: 30 Units]
[Defense Output: 142~145]
[Mana Recharge Rate: 11.9~12.3%]
[Backup Protective Barrier Normal Deployment: 30/30]
[Equipment Malfunction: 0/30]
[Rare Tower Material Usage: 0]
[Production Process Inspection: Passed]
[Monthly Production Capacity: 400 Units]
The test chamber fell silent.
The chief examiner asked the seven operators whether they’d ever received special Mana operation training from Ilseong.
No hands went up.
It was their first time wearing Ilseong equipment at all.
“So these results didn’t come from exceptionally skilled operators.”
The chief examiner signed below the results sheet.
“A regular player will get the same performance from the very first use.”
Only then did the spectators scattered throughout the stands break into gasps they’d been holding back.
“All thirty units passed.”
“At that level, this isn’t a well-made prototype—it’s genuinely mass-produced equipment.”
A new supply table appeared on the screen.
[Association Low-Level Protective Equipment First Trial Distribution]
[Taeseong: 200 units → 120 units]
[Ilseong: 0 units → 80 units]
[Ilseong Mass-Produced Protective Equipment Official Review: Approved]
[7 Guilds Practical Sample Operation: Authorized]
[Low-Level Protective Equipment Additional Procurement Candidate: Registered]
Taeseong’s objection could not block Ilseong’s supply.
Instead, it had only created an official record proving that all thirty units performed at the same level.
Taeseong’s observer collected the results table with a rigid expression.
He had nothing left to protest.
The procurement officers in the stands moved immediately.
“First, we’d like to discuss the supply schedule for the initial production quantity.”
“Please allocate additional samples to our guild as well.”
One man raised his phone to his ear before he’d even left his seat.
“Don’t sign off on the Taeseong equipment upgrade. We’ll decide after we’ve tested the Ilseong sample.”
These were people who, just moments before, had said they would wait and see the results.
Now they were competing to secure equipment before any other guild could.
Kim Seo Yoon watched the scene unfold, and the tension drained from her shoulders.
Sang Hyuk spoke quietly.
“Congratulations.”
“The sample operation phase is still ahead.”
Even as she said it, a smile spread across Kim Seo Yoon’s face.
Shortly after.
Once the outside personnel had left, Kim Sang Jun and Kim Seo Yoon moved to another location with the research team for follow-up discussions.
Only Sang Hyuk and Kim Do Hyun remained in the spacious test chamber.
“Seo Yoon and the research team completed the equipment.”
Kim Do Hyun looked directly at Sang Hyuk.
“But you were the one who brought the materials to start the research, and as an Irregular, you created the practical combat records. Without either of those, today’s results wouldn’t exist.”
“From now on, whenever we obtain new structures or materials, you review them first. You decide what to research and in what order. Ilseong will provide the necessary personnel and budget.”
Sang Hyuk nodded lightly.
“Yes, I understand.”
* * *
That evening.
While Sang Hyuk was organizing the records he’d obtained that day, the in his inventory trembled violently.
Whrrrrmmm!
As Sang Hyuk drew out the key, its surface glowed faintly.
An alert appeared before his eyes.
[The Final Guardian of Wae Go notifies you of changes in the repository.]
[A visit from the Successor is requested.]
Sang Hyuk’s gaze fixed on the name .
He immediately grasped the Sealed Key and rose from his seat.

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