*Ding

  [You have received a subquest]

  ===============

  Subquest: The Great Barrier

  | Description: The Frost Elf faces their second greatest calamity — the fall of the Isolation World Tree. Without intervention, both the Isolation World Tree and the Frost Elf will face complete annihilation.

  | Objective: Support a fated one and prevent the destruction of The Great Barrier.

  | Reward:

  –  Experience Point

  –  A new clue about the Guardians and the truth of this world

  –  Eternal gratitude from the Frost Elf and the chance to learn their secrets

  | Failure:

  –  The destruction of The Great Barrier

  –  The countdown to the world’s end will begin

  ===============

  Count down to the end!? Shit! Read later, enemy first.

  [Four Directional Protectors Arts – Movement technique – Tail of the White Tiger]

  I focused Qi into my legs and flickered away from my original spot. The fireball streaked past, slamming into the gate’s frame with a deafening explosion. Flames erupted, scorching part of the frame and creating a burning fence in its wake. The heat radiating against my back made it clear that taking a direct hit from that thing would have turned me into a roasted Karl.

  He had shouted that his scouting mission was forcibly turned into this catastrophe, and the fact that he was inside the Frost Elf’s sanctuary's core confirmed a traitor among their ranks. More troublingly, he claimed he was following orders against his will.

  Was it the traitorous Elf who forced him? Or someone higher up the chain?

  Setting those thoughts aside, I narrowed my eyes and focused on the threat before me. His level. [Level 57].

  I’m sorry you can’t go back to your wife and daughter, but I must kill you now.

  He had reached 1st Ascension and likely had time to adjust to his new Class.

  From the fireball he had launched, I deduced he had taken the [Elementalist] branch of the [Mage] Class. That meant he could wield Fire, Water, Earth, Air, or Wood — your typical, overused elements across too many worlds.

  Since he seemed to be a low-ranking member and a scapegoat, it was unlikely he was an exceptionally skilled mage. That suggested he’d mastered a maximum of two elements. Fire was already confirmed. I only needed to watch out for the second.

  Who would’ve thought that the conversation I had with Ragna about Runes, Skills, and Class would come in handy at a time like this?

  The scholar swung his massive right hand down at me, but I had already leaped out of the way long before his attack landed.

  Unlike when I fought against the Bearowl with a weak, unrefined body, my current body — refined to its peak — combined with years of combat experience, made his clumsy movements more an annoyance than a threat.

  The quickest and most painless way is to destroy his brain or his heart.

  As my gaze shifted toward his chest, I noticed something odd. His left hand was still tightly clutching the flower embroidery on his chest. He hadn’t released it once, even amidst his blind rage.

  He’d mentioned going home to his daughter and wife earlier, too.

  “Go home to your daughter and wife, huh?” I muttered.

  His legs twitched, a clear sign he was about to jump. As expected, he lunged forward, slamming his right hand down in an effort to crush me. I sidestepped the attack with ease.

  Going back is impossible. You've mutated too much.

  Would his family mourn his corpse in sorrow, or would they recoil in terror and disgust at the grotesque thing he had become for their sakes?

  The question lingered in my mind as I dodged again, this time evading a wide, clumsy swing from his right arm after he twisted his waist 180 degrees.

  I sighed as I looked at the man who had truly lost everything.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  At least his face hasn’t mutated. The others might still be able to identify him from that.

  It was unlikely that a disposable pawn like him carried any useful intelligence about the Demonic Arts users. Killing him and investigating his family might yield more clues.

  But still, there was no need to obliterate his face, just in case he had used a fake identity. His wife and daughter might be a fail-safe to confirm who he really was.

  The brain is a no-go. Too much risk of collateral damage.

  My gaze settled on his heart — right where his left hand protectively clutched the flower embroidery.

  I made my decision.

  Gathering Qi into my palm and legs, I shot forward, aiming for the heart of the monstrosity that had long since lost every trace of humanity.

  [Four Directional Protectors Arts – Movement technique – Tail of the White Tiger]

  Qi surged through my legs as I launched a side thrust kick into the scholar's right shoulder, shoving his massive arm away and exposing his chest. Using the momentum, I anchored myself to the ground and channeled almost all of my Qi into my palm. My strike landed squarely on his heart, drilling his left hand.

  Madness twisted his face as his neck muscles spasmed and stretched unnaturally. His neck extended, jaws snapping as he tried to bite me, but I had already flickered away using White Tiger, staying well out of his range.

  I wasn’t about to repeat the same mistake I made with the Bearowl.

  Focusing on his chest, I analyzed the damage.

  Disappointingly, the fortifications from his Demonic Qi-empowered body had blunted my attack. The strike left a gory hole in the back of his hand, exposing the bone beneath, but it wasn’t enough to pierce his palm, let alone his chest.

  That was my strongest attack, too.

  Worse still, the wound was already healing. Rapidly.

  Unlike the Bearowl, this scholar knew how to use Demonic Qi to heal.

  One of the reasons Demonic Arts users were so notoriously difficult to kill was precisely this. They could burn their own life force to recover from injuries, a trait unique to Demonic Qi.

  “Burn life force to heal,” I muttered, my gaze narrowing as an idea took shape.

  This scholar wasn’t a seasoned Demonic Arts user. He lacked the technique to refine or enhance his life force, and he had no opportunity to steal life force to sustain himself. There was no one else here for him to drain.

  If I kept forcing him to heal, it would exhaust his life force completely. When he had nothing left to burn, he would die.

  The strategy was simple. Inflict wounds and force him to heal, letting his own Demonic Qi burn him out.

  I didn’t need to risk a counterattack while trying to pierce his empowered body.

  With a plan in mind, I smashed the wall behind me, devouring the Qi in the broken bark that fell, then grabbed several pieces to use as throwing weapons.

  To keep my Qi reserves up, I broke my arm again.

  *Ding

  [Full body restoration activated]

  I used Blue Dragon to empower the broken barks, making them into deathly, piercing throwing weapons.

  *Ding

  [Four Directional Protectors Arts Level up: Level 2 –> 3]

  The scholar charged at me again, still favoring his grotesque right arm for attacks while keeping his left hand protectively over his chest. He swung his massive arm down, attempting to crush me.

  I sidestepped and hurled a piece of tree bark at him. Qi spun the bark into a high-speed drill, honing it into a homing projectile aimed straight at his eyes.

  Before it could connect, he conjured a cluster of baseball-sized fireballs and incinerated the bark midair, reducing it to ash.

  Interesting. Expending Mana to use his Skills seemed to burn through his life force just as effectively as forcing him to heal.

  Either way, it worked in my favor.

  I widened the distance between us and kept up the barrage, throwing more pieces of tree bark while dodging the fireballs he hurled in retaliation.

  Each time he got too close, I used White Tiger, keeping me well out of his reach. When I ran out of bark, I smashed more pieces from the wall to restock.

  Fighting someone who had lost their mind was always straightforward. Like a rabid beast, he only knew how to charge forward and lash out. All I had to do was maintain the same rhythm: dodge, attack, repeat.

  Unlike with the Bearowl, I kept my distance at all times, never giving him the chance to land a blow. Each failed chase, every Skill he conjured, only drained more Mana and burned through his dwindling life force.

  Victory was simply a matter of time.

  After four minutes or so, the scholar was visibly deteriorating. His body showed clear signs of exhaustion as no more fireballs were hurled, his movements became sluggish, and parts of his grotesquely mutated body began to wither, taking on a mummified appearance. His bloated muscles could no longer support his swollen frame, forcing him to rely solely on his right arm to attack whenever I entered his range.

  Even so, I didn’t let my guard down.

  One reason I maintained my distance was that the scholar hadn’t used his second element yet. Either he didn’t have one, or he instinctively reserved it as his trump card.

  As long as I kept my distance, I was safe.

  “Sir Karl, reinforcements from Elder Aaron are here!” a stranger’s voice called out, cutting through the tension like a knife and catching me off guard.

  FUCK. I cursed loudly in my mind, frustrated by the sudden intrusion.

  Turning my head for a split second, I spotted an Elf drawing his sword. His face was drenched in sweat, his breath came in short bursts, and his trembling hands betrayed his terror at the abomination before him.

  “Get out of here and stop the others from coming, now!” I shouted.

  The scholar, on the brink of collapse, seemed to sense the fresh source of life force. Ignoring me completely, he roared and lunged at the newcomer with savage intent.

  [Four Directional Protectors Arts – Movement technique – Tail of the White Tiger]

  I bolted forward, passing the scholar, and stopped in front of the Elf.

  Dodging wasn’t an option. If I let the scholar reach this guy, he would consume the Elf life force and heal, undoing all the progress I’d made. I needed this fool to run and stop any more 'reinforcements' from coming.

  Facing him head-on was my only choice now. There was no room for hesitation.

  Risking an arm or a leg to land the final blow wasn’t ideal.

  I’d already shown too much to Sera, Lucy, and Elfina. The last thing I needed was for strangers to start having funny ideas. Being an immortal test subject for a second time? Not appealing in the slightest.

  The scholar’s massive right arm twitched, signaling an incoming horizontal sweep. I braced myself, ready to shove the Elf behind me out of harm’s way and dodge the attack.

  But the Elf suddenly spoke.

  “Ever the hero. I always hated no-ears like you.”

  Before his words could fully register, a sharp pain erupted in my chest. I glanced down to see a sword piercing through my heart.

  My mind raced as I turned to look behind me. The Elf’s appearance flickered like a hologram before dissolving into motes of light. Aaron’s face replaced the illusion, a twisted grin spreading across his lips.

  Before I could seize the opportunity to kill him, the scholar’s massive arm slammed into me with devastating force.

  Pain exploded across my body as the left side of my torso crumpled under the impact. The blow sent me hurtling toward the wall like a ragdoll, smashing into it.