Level Up Machine

Chapter 95 Blue Giant (4)

“Ugh, aaaaahhh!”

Yu-na howled like a beast. The flames that had enveloped her body gradually flowed into her.

“Ha, ha…

Temporarily controlling the power was successful but not perfect. The dark red flames that gathered around her lower abdomen had hardened, making it impossible for her to control them at will.

‘But.’

Yu-na’s eyes sparkled.

Even the power emanating from the dark red flames in her lower abdomen allowed her to use a completely different strength from before.

“Thank you, unni.”

“Are you okay now?”

“Yeah. So…”

Yu-na’s gaze turned to Cheon Tae-hwang, who was slashing at the magic barrier.

Boom!

Yu-na’s body, engulfed in dark red flames, shot forward like a bullet. She squeezed out all her remaining strength and struck the magic barrier.

Crash!

The magic barrier shattered pathetically under her dual strike.

“Huh?

Cheon Tae-hwang, who was in a berserk state and swinging his sword, let out a regretful sigh.

“Sorry, but we don’t have much time, so please understand.”

Yu-na said with an exhausted expression. Cheon Tae-hwang, awakened from his berserk state, finally collapsed on the spot, likely due to the side effects of the Sacred Sword Union skill.

Boom!

At that moment, a gigantic explosion echoed through the cave.

Two black energy bombs fired from Yeong-sik’s hands simultaneously blew up the two remaining altars.

“Hoo?”

Yeong-sik, confirming the destruction of all the altars, looked up at the blue giant, breathing heavily.

– Mana supply completely cut off. Entering emergency mode.

“Emergency mode…?”

The unsettling words from the blue giant’s mouth made Yeong-sik mutter in a tense voice.

– Hiss.

『The usage time of Multipurpose Functional Combat Suit Lacteon Type 2 has ended.』

At the same time, the suit’s duration ended. Yeong-sik’s expression twisted in frustration.

“Damn…!”

He felt it when fighting Lekras, but the suit’s duration was too short. Yeong-sik took off the suit and stepped outside.

– Eliminate the intruders.

“It’s still moving…?”

“I-it’s over now…”

Even though they had destroyed all four altars, the blue giant was still moving, causing the summoners to let out despairing sighs.

“Ha, ha…! Cough!”

As if to deepen that despair, Park Si-a, who had summoned the water dragon to bind the giant, collapsed. The water dragon’s body turned back into water.

“Aah?”

“Unni!”

Kang Ha-rin, clutching her poorly healed arm from the potion, approached Park Si-a. She gently caressed Park Si-a’s pale cheek with her trembling hand.

Park Si-a, spitting blood, opened her mouth in a faint voice, as if it might break off at any moment.

“I-I’m sorry, Ha-rin…”

“What! What are you sorry for!”

Kang Ha-rin bit her lip roughly and bowed her head. Her shoulders trembled slightly. Transparent tears rolled down her cheeks.

Since the Leviathan Guild became one of the top three guilds, she had never experienced such utter despair.

“Don’t worry, unni. I’ll do something about it.”

“W-what are you saying… you too…”

Park Si-a tried to grab Kang Ha-rin, who was attempting to stand up. But before her hand could reach, Kang Ha-rin, using her sword for support with one arm, charged toward the giant.

“Die, you stone bastard!”

Kang Ha-rin endured the pain radiating from her left arm and swung her right arm. A pure white light emanated from her longsword.

Clang!

However, being unable to use one arm was fatal for a swordsman.

– Boom!

“Kyaaah!”

The blue giant swung its arm.

Kang Ha-rin’s body was flung backward, blood spraying as she flew, a sharp scream escaping her lips.

“Ugh! Ha-rin, damn it!”

Cheon Tae-hwang reached out his hand. He pressed his hand to the ground and tried to move. But his desperate hand couldn’t reach her.

“Ugh, aaah…!”

He screamed in agony as he tried to move forward. The aftereffects of the Sacred Sword Union skill weighed heavily on his body.

“…It’s over.”

“T-that’s a monster…”

The summoners looked up at the blue giant with despairing expressions. The rankers they had trusted were all collapsed on the ground in exhaustion.

Thud!

The blue giant took a step toward the fallen summoners. The despair on their faces deepened.

“Ha, ha…”

Yu-na, who looked like she could collapse at any moment, took a step forward, breathing heavily. She bit her lip roughly as she looked up at the blue giant.

Dark red flames blazed from the two swords in her hands.

“Ah, ugh!”

Yu-na’s expression twisted in agony as she drew up her remaining mana.

Pain that started from her lower abdomen spread throughout her body.

The veins all over her body bulged grotesquely. Uncontrollable power surged within her.

“Yu-na, no…”

Tiria, who was healing her burns, tried to stop her with an urgent expression. But perhaps because she hadn’t fully recovered from the shock of being hit by the giant’s fist, she collapsed to the ground as her legs gave out.

– Confirmed that Hero Ragna’s legacy has been stolen. Eliminate the intruders to secure the legacy.

“Ugh…!”

A desperate groan escaped Yu-na’s lips. The giant clasped its hands together and brought them down like a hammer toward her.

Despair, as if it had taken form, approached her.

Yu-na let go of her twin swords and raised her arms to cover her head. Her shoulders trembled slightly. A pitiful scream of terror escaped her.

Compared to her usual self, she looked like a fragile young girl.

“What are you standing there for!”

Yeong-sik’s angry shout was directed at her. Using a boost up to his limit, Yeong-sik approached her and embraced Yu-na, narrowly dodging the giant’s fist.

Boom!

The cave shook with a deafening explosion. The ground cracked as if an earthquake had struck.

“Ye, Yeong-sik…”

In Yeong-sik’s arms, Yu-na looked up at him with a dazed expression. Yeong-sik, with his lips firmly pressed together, looked at the blue giant turning toward them.

“Stay here.”

“A-are you planning to face that giant alone? No. Wait a bit. I can also…”

“I said stay here.”

Yeong-sik said this while looking at the grotesquely bulging veins all over Yu-na’s body. Hearing his cold voice, Yu-na bit her lip in frustration and bowed her head.

Yeong-sik, with his lips still tightly sealed, surveyed the surroundings.

It was a hopeless situation.

Most of the summoners who had been attacking the blue giant were now in a state of mana exhaustion, and even the powerful rankers like Tiria, Kang Ha-rin, and Park Si-a were all down.

– Thud. Thud.

The blue giant approached him. This monster, which had brutally shattered the alliance of the Leviathan Guild and the Salvator Guild, was strong enough to be called the mightiest force in the East.

A thrilling fear gripped Yeong-sik as he faced the giant, a sensation like confronting a mythical colossus.

Facing it alone in his current state was sheer madness.

Even though its mana supply had been cut off, the blue giant was still an unfathomable monster that humans couldn’t possibly challenge.

‘The only option left is…’

### Episode 95

### The Blue Colossus (4)

He looked down at his left hand. In it was the halved cube he had taken from the altar.

From the first moment he saw it, he felt a peculiar sensation. Yeong-sik clenched the item in his hand.

He didn’t have many options left now.

“Analyze structure.”

– Ding.

『Attempting to analyze the structure of the “Halved Lacteon Core”.』

[Unconditional approval for Summoner ‘Yeong-sik’s information interference confirmed.]

[‘Halved Lacteon Core’ lock released.]

[Structure analysis successful.]

“Unconditional approval…?”

Yeong-sik frowned at the incomprehensible words. As if to cut off his thoughts, an image flashed in his mind.

It was a vast plain.

The beautiful horizon was stained with blood. People were writhing in agony, screaming in their death throes.

Many were groaning. People with their arms, legs, and bodies split in half soaked the plain with red blood as they died.

– Thud. Thud.

A thunderous sound shook the entire plain. It was the sound of a fierce battle.

– Splat.

A golden sword pierced through his body.

He felt something inside him split and shatter.

The figure in the vision fell to his knees and collapsed.

Looking down at him was a tall, silver-haired youth. His eyes were cold and filled with anger.

Thud.

The thunderous sound continued.

The silver-haired youth turned toward the source of the sound. He kicked off the ground and flew towards the direction of the sound.

Thud.

With no strength left in his body, he collapsed.

The blue sky looked distorted.

Crackle.

Blue sparks flew from the wound where his body had been pierced.

What am I doing here?

A low mutter escaped his lips. He looked up with a pained expression towards the source of the thunderous sound.

There, eight humans were engaged in a fierce battle with a vague, shadowy figure.

The ground was torn apart.

The intense heat swept across the plain, turning the blood-soaked land into a barren wasteland in an instant.

It was as if disaster itself had descended upon the earth.

The battle grew even more intense.

The shadowy figure wasn’t pushed back at all by the eight humans with incredible power.

No, it was actually overwhelming them.

The seemingly endless battle finally ended.

The shadowy figure approached the fallen one.

The shadowy figure embraced him and muttered something. He couldn’t understand the words or see the expression clearly, but Yeong-sik felt that the shadowy figure was deeply ‘sorrowful.’

The figure in the vision reached out with a trembling hand toward the shadowy figure. As if the fog was lifting, the shadowy figure’s form became clearer.

– Ding.

[The memory inside the ‘Halved Lacteon Core’ is damaged and cannot be read further.]

[Successfully analyzed the SS-rank core.]

[Your structure analysis proficiency has increased explosively.]

[Structure Analysis skill level has increased to 7.]

[Structure Analysis skill level has increased to 8.]

A blue message window appeared before his eyes. Even before he could read it all, a familiar mechanical voice reached Yeong-sik’s ears.

– Hiss.

[Detected surrounding danger.]

[Releasing the highest possible security level currently available.]