Instant Kill, Time-Stop Spellcaster

Unlike in Japan, the White House was in high spirits.

“Will this change the situation?”

“Yes, sir. Until now, it was nearly impossible to hope for E-grade Blessing installations.”

It would take a significant amount of time just to install them across Korea.

The U.S. had only expected installations in a few major cities.

That’s why they had been treating Korea so well.

“But now we may be able to allocate Blessings abroad.”

Perfect Clear awakeners had surged.

An incredible four consecutive Perfect Clears.

And two days in a row.

The entire world was shocked.

It deviated from all prior predictions.

Previously, it was believed that for one Perfect Clear awakener to fill a country’s entire progress bar, they had to be at least C-grade.

That was the consensus.

“For E-grade dungeon Perfect Clears, progress increases by 5%.”

“But one person raised it by 40% over the past two days… That’s unbelievable.”

When all of Korea’s awakeners worked together, the progress bar increased by about 0.5% per day.

Yet Perfect Clears increased it by 3% even during F-grade periods.

Some had dubbed him “the only man who can move natural numbers alone.”

And now, he could single-handedly raise progress by 100%.

“The season’s progress will be maxed out before all of Korea’s Blessings are installed.”

Korea was no longer in a hurry.

Rather than rushing to resolve the crisis, they had already secured a more fundamental safety measure.

“There’s an abundance. They could sell Blessings rather than just share them.”

“The prevailing opinion was that Perfect Clears would be nearly impossible from E-grade onward.”

“Why are experts always wrong?”

Experts would have found this comment unjust.

Kang Hyun’s growth had been absurdly rapid.

“This is moving the EX stock price up much faster than expected.”

“It was originally a growth stock valued for its future potential. Now it’s become a blue-chip.”

“That was Choi’s doing, right? If not for him, EX would’ve belonged to the U.S. by now.”

Either way, this current momentum was a boon for the U.S.

“It was smart to stake our claim in Korea. Focus on installing Blessings in major cities.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Find out who it is if possible.”

Currently, Korea’s rapid movement technology was a hot topic.

Though its nature was unknown, it could surely be detected somehow.

“They wouldn’t have stealth capabilities, would they?”

“Not even the U.S. can do that.”

Korea’s government didn’t have that kind of capability.

“Forget the Blessings for now. EX’s growth speed is almost frightening… At this rate, D-grade Perfect Clears might be possible.”

“Our experts’ analysis says it’s unlikely.”

There were walls between each grade.

Especially starting from D-grade, dungeon structures changed.

“EX’s Perfect Clear strategy is suspected to be ‘herding hunting.’”

This seemed the most plausible scenario.

It was likely specialized in dealing strong firepower to concentrated areas.

That may have worked for simple E-grade dungeons.

But D-grade dungeons were larger in scale.

“EX’s combat power is respectable, but without herding tactics, D-grade solo clears would be tough. A skilled team will likely be necessary.”

“This is an opportunity.”

The U.S. was the land of talent.

They had plenty of people to introduce to EX.

“Clearing D-grade will take significant preparation. In the meantime, let’s hurry to locate EX.”

“Find them at all costs.”

The U.S. President licked his lips.

###

“Eight consecutive loot openings!”

“Woohoo! Drumroll, please!”

Aden was making a fuss.

She furiously opened a backlog of loot boxes.

And the results?

“Nice! Junk items!”

“Aw… You opened eight of them…”

Nothing particularly useful came out.

Still, it was an overall gain.

Because a new Word of Command had appeared.

He looked at the system message.

[You have unlocked the seal of a random Word of Command.]

[The Word of Command 【Explode】 has been unlocked.]

It wasn’t highly versatile.

But it was quite a powerful skill.

‘And more importantly, it’s one of two keys to that technique.’

A very welcome addition.

If the other key appeared, her combat power would increase dramatically.

As for the rest?

Surprisingly, it was all junk.

“Wow, you’re rich in potions!”

“Are you mocking me?”

They were all lower-grade potions, unusable at the current level.

If it’s going to be like this, I should’ve at least gotten a Dried Shincheonsoo Elixir or something.

He could at least use it as a mana potion.

‘I’ll separate out anything usable up to E-grade…’

These items could be refined later.

Maybe synthesized into higher-grade potions.

‘This storage space is so convenient.’

Potions usually cost money just to store.

But Kang Hyun had an inventory.

‘But four F-grade body potions?’

These were utterly useless.

In that case…

“Open up.”

“No, don’t!”

“Open!”

“No!”

“Open your mouth!”

“Stop it!”

Aden wrestled with her master’s attempts to make her drink the potion.

“Ahhh! My master’s trying to kill me!”

“You ungrateful brat, don’t you know how valuable these are?”

“Then you drink them, Master!”

“Back in my day, we risked our lives just to get a single potion!”

“Three days off training per potion!”

“One day per potion!”

“Argh!”

In the end, she was force-fed the potion.

“Blegh… it’s so bitter…”

“Now spit it out.”

“Ptooey…”

After helping Aden absorb the potion, Kang Hyun stood up.

“Let’s hit a dungeon.”

“E-grade will be a piece of cake, right? I’m ready.”

“No. Today we’re heading to a D-grade.”

“Oh!?”

Korea had put out its immediate fires.

There was no longer a dire need for Blessings.

They could simply halt progress temporarily in cities without Blessings.

‘Negotiations with foreign countries are still ongoing.’

And unlike Korea, the situation abroad wasn’t as severe yet.

Only Japan had suffered major damage.

And even that was due to mishandling.

“Let’s at least check out a D-grade.”

“Woohoo!”

Aden followed him toward the gate.

###

‘So this is the effect of Blessings.’

It became clear upon observing an anomaly dungeon from within a Blessed area.

Unlike Providence, this was an artificially controlled anomaly dungeon.

‘It suppresses some of the demon energy.’

The Abyssal Commander’s power still lingered in the dungeon.

It was simply being suppressed.

The Abyss’s power hadn’t completely vanished.

So it wasn’t a perfect solution.

If an Abyssal Commander invaded, the Blessing wouldn’t stop it.

‘Upon entering a dungeon with suppressed power…’

Through the gate.

A normal dungeon emerged.

A jungle-like wilderness.

[You have entered the D-grade dungeon, ‘The Jungle of the Crimson-Eyed Apes.’]

Aden was summoned.

“Ugh, the air feels sticky.”

“Watch your step. The terrain’s rough.”

Soon, monsters arrived on their own.

Red-eyed monkeys.

Screeeech!

Shriek, shriek!

“They’re hanging from trees?”

“What should you do? Think for yourself.”

“Make them fall?”

“That would’ve worked before.”

Kang Hyun opened his inventory.

He dropped E-grade mana stones into his palm.

One for each monkey. Twelve in total.

Then, using mana control, he made the stones float in the air.

“Whoa! How are you doing that!?”

“Skillfully.”

A larger mana pool allowed for more tricks.

‘I’d felt shackled all this time. Now I feel free.’

Aden’s eyes sparkled.

“Teach me that too!”

“It’s pretty hard.”

“I’ll work hard!”

“With your talent, it’ll take a few years of practice.”

“Ew.”

Aden was visibly disheartened.

“Hmph… it was so cool…”

The mana stones circled around Kang Hyun at a steady distance, following his hand movements.

Screeeech!

Shriek, shriek!

The monkeys reacted.

They had sensed that something was being prepared.

It seemed their intelligence was higher, fitting for a D-grade dungeon.

The monkeys pulled out bamboo blowguns from their pouches.

Just as they brought them to their mouths—

“【Gara】”

The floating mana stones flew in all directions like bullets.

They all hit the monkeys in their eyes.

Screeee—

Screech, screech!

Shriek!

“Mana stones are rocks imbued with energy.”

“Yes, sir!”

Aden snapped to attention.

“They hold pure, concentrated energy.”

As such, they were widely used in modern times.

As an energy source, as well as for various industrial purposes.

Mana stones had become second only to oil.

“But they’re not very reactive.”

That’s why special processes were required for refinement and use as fuel.

“What happens if a mana stone breaks?”

“Um… it explodes?”

“No.”

The energy simply disperses into the air.

However…

“If that pure, concentrated energy could be ignited, it would have a variety of uses.”

The monkeys writhed in pain.

Kang Hyun lowered his mask.

“【Explode.】”

Boom, boom, boom!

“Whoa!?”

The shockwaves ruffled Aden’s hair.

The noisy jungle fell silent.

“Wow…”

“What’s so ‘wow’ about it? Your magic can do the same.”

“But it’s so much cooler! With just two words, you made it go boom!”

“That’s true.”

Fast casting speed.

Power beyond its investment.

Those were just a few of the advantages of Words of Command.

“Let’s go deeper.”

“Huh? That wasn’t the end?”

“D-grade dungeons are said to be larger.”

More monkeys kept appearing.

They were dispatched just as easily.

Using less mana-intensive methods than 【Die】.

“It would be convenient to just clear everything with 【Die】.”

“Dungeons like that won’t be easy to find now.”

The dungeon was unexpectedly vast.

Aden wasn’t used to the rough terrain.

She almost sprained her ankle several times.

“Get on.”

“Up we go!”

Kang Hyun helped her walk for a bit.

“Ew… I’m all sweaty…”

“I can tell.”

He wiped her sweat off too.

They soon reached the jungle’s center.

A clearing with no trees, where a massive gorilla lay resting.

A leader, soaking up sunlight in its den.

Its pillow was the root of a black World Tree.

Snore…

“Are you just going to fight it?”

“Why bother?”

He threw a rock to wake the gorilla.

Grr…?

“Soul (靈魂)., Spirit (魂魄)., Soul Ritual (魄儀)…..”

The true strength of 【Die】 wasn’t mass slaughter.

It was its ability to kill in one strike, regardless of the opponent’s strength.

Even with Kang Hyun chanting, the gorilla remained still.

It was a rare passive type, unusual for a boss monster.

“Declaration (言明)., Annihilation (明滅).…【Die】”

Thud.

The gorilla lay back on the World Tree root.

Its snoring stopped for good.

“…No matter how many times I see it, it feels broken.”

“It is broken. Let’s head out.”

The dungeon was cleared.

Ding!

[Perfect Clear!(Solo)]

[An incredible achievement! You have cleared a D-grade dungeon, perfectly fending off the World Tree’s invasion!]

[Your achievement grants Blessings to the surrounding area! Everyone will praise your accomplishment!]

[Special rewards are granted for a ‘Perfect Clear!(Solo).’]

[A ‘Silver Box’ is awarded.]