Chapter 180: Shadow Dojo (5)

A haze floated up and gathered to take the form of a human.

Yeon-woo tightly shut his mouth at what he saw.

The appearance of his brother that he had only seen through pictures was there. He had a bright smiling face that anyone would like, and the blue armor gave off a serious impression.

The shadow couldn’t think, but Yeon-woo felt like the shadow would call out his name any second.

[…..Master.]

“I know. Don’t worry.”

Nemesis quietly called his name, as if he had read Yeon-woo’s mind.

He was trying to tell him not to become too emotional.

Yeon-woo swallowed, and nodded his head. But it wasn’t easy.

[The Cold-Blooded trait has been activated for an unknown reason.]

[The Cold-Blooded trait has been activated for an unknown reason.]

It was a face he hadn’t seen in years.

It was a face that he had tried desperately to look for but couldn’t find. It was the same face as his.

[00:27:59_83]

[00:27:59_82]

And the reason why he kept on feeling this way even though he knew it was just a shadow was probably because of how sorry he felt.

Until now, he thought that his brother had run away, and he had hated him for it.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

That was why he left Korea. He no longer had any ties to the country. His father had died when they were young, and it had been a while since they cut off ties with their other relatives.

He hated all that.

Because he hated those traces of him, he decided to leave the country.

[00:19:02_31]

And he lived like there was no tomorrow there.

Looking back at it now, the reason why he left Korea simply might’ve been because he wanted to abandon the country.

It might’ve been because he wanted to go somewhere he could die.

So he went around like he was crazy. He didn’t have the will to live. He always took care of things by himself if it was dangerous.

And before he knew it, he was called ‘Crazy Dog.’ It was because he didn’t let go of something once he got a hold of it.

When more time had passed, his nickname ‘Cain’ had gotten more famous, and people tried to scout him.

Though, his squad chief had looked at him sadly when that happened.

But he didn’t care about that.

He felt like he could only live if he moved like this. If he got a vacation, he would just be locked up in his room alone.

It was ridiculous.

But when he thought of his mother’s last words, he couldn’t die like that. Her words protected him like a lucky charm.

-Until your brother returns, save his spot.

That was why he left the house his family used to live in back in Korea.

But.

Unlike his mother’s wishes, it was just there.

[00:10:07_83]

Yeon-woo slowly swept his hair up with his hand and took a deep breath, taking off his mask. A face that looked the same as the shadow appeared.

Like looking at a mirror, the two looked at each other’s faces.

“…..”

“…..”

The two were quiet.

The shadow couldn’t speak anyway, and Yeon-woo quietly looked at the shadow. He wanted to keep it in his memory for a bit longer. At times like this, he was ever so grateful that he had a good memory.

[00:05:55_10]

No one could speak.

Even the constantly loud Shanon, the advising Hanryeong, and the observing Rebecca. Nemesis, Nike, Boo, and the Monster Portents all read Yeon-woo’s mind and helped him to organize his thoughts.

Shanon, Hanryeong, and Rebecca were all completely taken aback.

Yeon-woo hadn’t told Shanon and Hanryeong about his backstory until now.

But because they had seen Yeon-woo’s face a few times and felt his mind when he climbed the Tower, they could somewhat assume.

However, comparing his face with Cha Jeong-woo just like that surprised them again.

Heaven Wing. He had once caused uproar in the tower, and it seemed like he had come back. Seeing the brothers walk together like that, the amount of Yeon-woo’s progress was just surprising.

And they felt something tear inside of them.

Seeing the appearance of the older brother who followed his younger brother into the Tower was pitiful to them.

Rebecca shut her lips and looked at Yeon-woo worriedly.

(00:02:47_35]

Yeon-woo thought that the 30 minutes he was given was too short.

He just wanted to sit there, looking at his younger brother. Even though he knew it was just a shadow, he couldn’t help but stare at him.

He purposely didn’t use Time Difference to help him think faster. He just wanted to organize his thoughts with the time given by the world.

But now, he had to look away.

[00:00:58_21]

Time continued to pass, and the people who followed him were waiting for him.

Then, Yeon-woo slowly stood up. He lightly dusted off the dust on his bottom and pulled out Vigrid from Intrenian.

[Did you? Organize your thoughts?]

Then, Nemesis broke the silence.

“Yeah. A bit.”

[You have succeeded in maintaining your calmness with the trait ‘Cold Blooded.’]

[You have succeeded in escaping from the ‘Confused’ state.]

As the trait was applied, his complicated mind became clearer. He also felt refreshed, like he had just woken up.

“You must be out of it too. Sorry.”

[It couldn’t be as much as you.]

Nemesis brushed it off like he was okay, but Yeon-woo knew that it wasn’t true, because they were connected. He was also feeling confused right now too. However, he was not showing it.

[But you really are similar. Ha! The creator of the 21st floor is quite horrible. No matter how I look at it.]

“I agree.”

[And it seems like the data that he had was input exactly like it was. If even his abilities to speak were…..]

“It would be annoying.”

When 30 seconds passed, Yeon-woo started up his Time Difference again.

However, he knew that the remaining time was too short to plan something.

Nemesis spoke up.

[First off. My past owner…Jeong-woo’s specialty was in quickly adjusting.]

Yeon-woo nodded because he already knew that.

After his brother contracted with Kalatus after the 11th floor, he had continued to grow with the dragon’s blessing.

Unlike Yeon-woo, who had barely awakened his Dragon Body, his brother had quickly progressed through it.

It also had to do with the fact that he could freely control mana.

Thanks to that, his brother grew his magic power to an incomparable level.

He could move the path of mana around him, and he even created a skill called ‘Impassibility,’ which blocked off most magic power.

And because of this, others couldn’t even approach his brother.

When the power of the Mythical Dragon was added on top of that…all magicians had to avoid him. Even the priest. He didn’t get the title called Magic Massacrer for nothing.

‘The funny thing was that he wasn’t limited at all with this skill.’

It only blocked off magic from the outside.

He could do triple casting, which only high rankers could do, and his understanding of spells was deep as well.

Alchemy, mechanical magic, spirits, summoning…

And when he did his Magic Equip, his body became stronger as well.

When the blessing of the dragon was combined with the blessing of mana, the efficiency of the mana couldn’t be put into words.

He could also fight with all types of battling methods.

The only thing his brother couldn’t do was Aura.

But that didn’t mean he was unskilled in martial arts either. Because the born warrior Valebich had kept on nagging him, he was able to learn the basic skills.

The ‘basic skills’ in this case was actually the skills of the born warrior giant species. Even if it wasn’t as much as the One-horned tribe’s Mugong, it was able to be used on most players.

He had the magic, talents, martial arts, and blessings. Because he was skilled in various fields, no one who was on the similar floors as him could look down on him.

Even rankers avoided him.

Also.

The most troubling part was…..

‘Sky Wings. That’s the problem.’

The unique skill that given him the name Heaven Wing, was troubling.

Through the authorities and blessings his brother received through the Draconic species, he had made this cheat skill himself after a lot of trial and error.

While the Sky Wings were active, he could use a part of Kalatus’s powers.

Also, because he could move freely in the air and the wings could be used in various methods, he could use them as a shield or weapon.

Yeon-woo’s wings of fire were actually based on those.

But unlike the clear limitations of the wings of fire, his brother’s Sky Wings had been acknowledged by the system.

The numbering that was given was 002.

They couldn’t even be prepared.

That was why everyone called his brother a genius.

He had reached a level that was almost impossible to reach in just several years, and this might’ve been the reason why he was able to threaten the Nine Kings.

And on the 21st floor, his power had begun to bloom. This was clear since even the rank of the last dragon, the Summer Queen, had been pushed back.

[Also. The awakening…..]

“Is possible up to the 2nd step.”

[Correct.]

Yeon-woo still hadn’t been able to pass the 1st step, Dragonic Blood, but his brother had already passed the 2nd step, Pressure, and was heading towards the 3rd step.

Since he completely finished the 3rd step on the 22nd floor, he had probably only used the 2nd step here.

But Yeon-woo couldn’t be relieved because his brother had perfectly mastered the 2nd step.

[Are you confident?]

Nemesis asked in a concerned voice.

He asked like he was trying to tell Yeon-woo it was okay to ask for their help.

The Monster Portents and the spirits were technically all Yeon-woo’s skills.

There would be no problem if he used them.

Also, Yeon-woo had gotten here without a lot of rest, so he was pretty tired.

However.

“Should I tell you something?”

Yeon-woo smirked and slowly spoke.

He didn’t wear his mask. Since there weren’t any eyes around, he wanted to fight with his brother with his bare face.

[What?]

“You know—”

Intrenian opened, and 7 pieces of Aegis soared out to swirl around him. Dragon scales popped up from his chest.

Territory Announcement.

As the first step authority opened, his body received more strength.

“—I’ve never lost to my little brother before.”

And with that, he stopped his Time Difference. The counter quickly decreased.

[00:00:00_01]

[00:00:00]

[The preparation time has been finished. The trial of the 30th section is beginning.]

Then, the invisible wall disappeared.

His brother’s shadow awakened his authority and spread his Sky Wings. It was like an angel had come down to the ground. The pure white wings flapped with explosions of magic power.

It became hail, and it covered the sky of the stage.

Dragonic Pressure.

On the other hand, the power that was called Draconic Murderous Intent began to approach Yeon-woo to trap him. It looked similar to the constraint of the 20th floor.

Looking at the magic storm, Yeon-woo cynically murmured.

“But wouldn’t it be embarrassing if I lose now?”