Rapture (5)
A massive landmass, over 1 kilometer in diameter, was falling from several hundred meters above the ground.
If it hit as it was, the damage would be unimaginable.
To make things worse, the area below was densely packed with the 144,000 people who had just been offered as sacrificial victims.
The casualties would be catastrophic.
I have to stop it no matter what.
The only bit of hope was that the land was falling slowly.
The core that maintained the fake world had been destroyed, but not all its power had vanished yet.
The remnants of the power that once kept the land afloat — the traces of the false messiah Jeong Hyunsoo were causing the massive landmass to
descend slowly.
But the real problem was that not much of that power remained.
Even now, the rate at which the land was falling was gradually increasing. Once the supporting force disappeared completely, everything would be over.
[Evacuate the people closest to the impact zone! Now!]
He immediately ordered his retainers nearby.
Those who had been unable to enter the sanctuary began evacuating the unconscious people lying around.
But even with the full capability of the retainers, it was impossible to evacuate everyone who had collapsed and lost consciousness.
We have to stop the fall itself.
There was no other way.
[Jang Sungjoon!]
The first person who came to mind was Jang Sungjoon, who possessed telekinetic abilities.
[We need to minimize the damage!]
At the same time, he cast a buff on him to maximize his telekinetic power.
Jang Sungjoon quickly understood the intention and went into action.
His telekinetic energy, tinged with a dark aura, began to spread across the entire landmass.
But-
Rumble rumble-
Even with the buff, it was a scale no human could handle alone.
Jang Sungjoon's current level was 50.
Before entering Seoul, all retainers had been raised to at least level 50.
This was the result of leveling up as much as possible without overexertion.
[30,000,000,000 won is required to raise Retainer Jang Sungjoon's level.]
[Would you like to level up?]
From level 51 to 55, each level required 3 billion won.
But this wasn't the time for hesitation.
Level up Jang Sungjoon!
In an instant, 150 billion won was spent to raise Jang Sungjoon to level 55.
At the same time, he sent out a telepathic message to all the Kellikans in the
area.
[Lift from below!]
The buffed Kellikans began flapping their wings furiously beneath the falling landmass.
Still, it wasn't enough.
I need more power.
As he searched among his retainers for anyone who could help, his eyes landed on Lee Junhyuk.
!
Lee Junhyuk had stood out ever since he awakened the S-rank ability "Control Water" upon being registered as a retainer. That was why he had already been raised to level 55 before entering Seoul.
Furthermore, all retainers had been given the maximum 3-star power of the stars, along with boosts from trust and various titles.
They possessed far greater power than their levels would normally suggest.
And Lee Junhyuk was proving that now.
Swoooosh-
The waters of Seokchon Lake began gathering in their entirety.
At the center of the surging water stood Lee Junhyuk, and from that spot, the head of a dragon rose.
The dragon soared into the sky and flew straight toward the underside of the falling land.
Buff Lee Junhyuk.
As the dark aura enveloped Lee Junhyuk's entire body, the dragon he created also turned black, empowered by the buff.
For a brief moment, the speed of the fall seemed to slow but only for a
moment.
And then-
Fwaaaah!
Choi Doyeon, who had the ability to control wind.
Upon being registered as a retainer, she had immediately awakened the S-rank ability "Blessing of the Typhoon," starting at level 40.
She had been rescuing people but now flew up urgently, generating a massive air current.
Her power was weak compared to the others, but it was clearly helping.
Level up and buff.
Her level was raised from 50 to 55, and with the additional buff, her contribution grew significantly.
But still-
It's not enough.
The hopeful part was that the land had descended to about half its original height.
The hopeless part was-
This is the limit.
The last of the energy supporting the land had finally run dry.
Boom!
With Jeong Hyunsoo's power gone, the burden on Jang Sungjoon, Lee Junhyuk, Choi Doyeon, and the Kellikans holding up the land suddenly multiplied.
At the same time, the speed of the fall increased dramatically.
It felt like the entire landmass had turned into a giant drop tower, plummeting down with terrifying momentum.
Once the speed of the fall began to accelerate, it became uncontrollably faster.
'I guess there's no choice.'
[To level up Retainer Lee Jun-hyuk, 100,000,000,000 won is required.]
[Would you like to level up?]
A hundred billion won for one level-up.
But considering the performance Lee Jun-hyuk had shown so far, and his talent, it wasn't a wasteful investment.
'Up to level 60.'
[Retainer Lee Jun-hyuk has reached level 60.]
[You can no longer level up Retainer Lee Jun-hyuk.]
It was the first time learning that 60 was the maximum level a retainer could reach.
'And level up Jang Sung-jun and Choi Do-yeon to 60 as well.'
[Retainer Jang Sung-jun has reached level 60.]
[You can no longer level up Retainer Jang Sung-jun.]
[Retainer Choi Do-yeon has reached level 60.]
[You can no longer level up Retainer Choi Do-yeon.]
A massive expenditure of 1.5 trillion won in total.
But the effect was undeniable.
Boom-
It would be normal for someone to struggle after a sudden level-up, but the three of them were already surpassing their limits and demonstrating their
power.
"Hup!"
Jang Sung-jun was using his psychokinesis at full capacity to hold back the falling earth.
Around him, debris from buildings and amusement rides floated chaotically in the air.
Whooooosh-
From below, a water dragon that looked even larger than before asserted its
presence.
Coiled entirely around the bottom, the dragon was pushing the ground upward from beneath, and at the very center, Lee Jun-hyuk, emanating a dark aura from his entire body, was holding up the earth like Atlas.
Screeeech-!
Finally, five swirling tornadoes stretched up from the ground to the bottom of the falling landmass, raging wildly.
At the center floated Choi Do-yeon, spreading black-tainted winds in a desperate effort.
Thanks to the three of them, the previously accelerating fall began to slow down little by little.
And just around that time, the effect of Myeonggyeong Jisoo finally ended.
The pain of leveling up had come to a close.
"Haa."
A familiar drowsiness typical after Myeonggyeong Jisoo washed over his mind.
At the same time, the effect duration of Descent was also nearing its end.
However—
'Still not enough.'
The speed was slowing, yes.
But the reduction was far too small.
To make matters worse, the distance to the ground was now only about 100
meters.
While the damage would be less than doing nothing, at this rate, many people would still die or be seriously injured.
That's when—
Boom!
Explosions began to ring out from all directions.
Ha Dong-geon, Kim Ga-young, and the others had started launching attacks at the falling ground.
The impacts were either blowing chunks off the landmass or slowing its descent slightly.
Everyone was doing their utmost, united with a common goal to minimize the damage.
But despite their efforts, the earth continued its terrifying fall.
66
""
I quietly placed my hand on the ground.
'With my mental power...'
There were a few things that had become clear after fully entering Seoul.
Unless something unexpected happened, my retainers' power ranked among the top tier of all humanity.
No-perhaps it would be more accurate to say they had far surpassed that level.
And I had surpassed even them by a vast margin.
To the point where comparison was meaningless.
Take Moon Byung-ho's teleportation ability, for example, which depended on mental strength-it was feeble compared to mine.
Though Moon Byung-ho had significantly improved and could now freely travel long distances and transport dozens at once, I had never once felt any limitation using teleportation.
And I realized that as my level increased and my domain expanded, that sense of limitless power only grew stronger.
Which means-
'Maybe it's possible.'
The teleportation ability I gained when Moon Byung-ho's trust reached 100—
It had a few key characteristics:
You could only teleport to places you could see.
You had to be in direct contact with those you wanted to teleport with.
And-
'Upon teleportation, all kinetic energy becomes zero.'
Even if you were falling from the sky, teleporting to the ground nearby would instantly nullify your speed.
And that applied equally to the beings moving together with it.
In other words—
'If I teleport this land in place...'
I closed my eyes and felt the falling land.
I saw Lotte Tower, still maintaining its form-how sturdily was it built?-and the vast expanse of land stretching beneath it.
From the eyes of the Absolute One, I surveyed the overall situation of my vassals and connected with the massive chunk of land, one kilometer in diameter, that had come into contact with my hand.
Just that alone caused cold sweat to pour down my body like rain, but I didn't
care.
Because it was something that had to be done.
Wooooong-
The moment all of the land entered my senses.
'Teleport.'
I moved it back to its original position.
Shush-
In an instant, the massive land mass blinked out.
Right after that-
KWAaaaaaaANG!
The massive land, which had briefly halted at zero velocity, began to fall again, and settled into the hole that had been torn open when it was originally displaced.
Kugugugugugung!
A tremendous earthquake and shockwave swept across the area, but considering the size of the land that had fallen, the impact was surprisingly minor.
It had worked perfectly.
"Huff, huff."
Blood streamed down the back of my hand as I lay on the ground, gasping for air.
It was a nosebleed, as if an artery had burst.
And a splitting headache followed.
At the same time-
[Citizen Ha Dong-geon has defeated the boss of 'Lotte Tower.']
[You can now construct an outpost at 'Lotte Tower.']
Amazingly, Lotte Tower was still standing.
Cracked and partially collapsed, yes, but still intact.
It seemed my power had something to do with that.
In any case, thanks to that, the outpost conditions were fulfilled and construction was now possible.
"Haah..."
To think the reward for nearly 2 trillion won in expenses, the pain of leveling
up, and a splitting headache was a barely-standing Lotte Tower.
"Well... still... if I bring the Toyongis to help with repairs, it might be salvageable..."
My entire body was drained of strength.
Even then, I activated the Absolute One's Eye to confirm that Lee Jun-hyuk
and Choi Do-yeon, lying on the ground, were alive.
'...Summon vassals. Lee Jun-hyuk, Choi Do-yeon.'
The two, buried alive under a mound of dirt, were in better condition than expected.
In the final moment, they had amplified their powers to protect themselves.
The water and wind from the two had likely cushioned the impact, reducing the damage significantly.
"...You've done well."
Choi Do-yeon muttered blankly.
"Did we really... succeed?"
Lee Jun-hyuk asked, looking at me as I bled from both nostrils.
"Was that power in the end yours, Jaehyun?"
I lay weakly on the ground and replied.
"Barely pulled it off."
At that moment-
[Citizen Lee Jun-hyuk's loyalty has increased.]
[Citizen Lee Jun-hyuk's loyalty has reached 100.]
[Citizen Lee Jun-hyuk is already registered as a vassal.]
[The vassal capacity has increased.]
[Citizen Lee Jun-hyuk's trust has increased.]
[Citizen Lee Jun-hyuk's trust has reached 100.]
[You have acquired 'Control Water.']
[Citizen Choi Do-yeon's loyalty has increased.]
[Citizen Choi Do-yeon's loyalty has reached 100.]
[Citizen Choi Do-yeon is already registered as a vassal.]
[The vassal capacity has increased.]
[Citizen Choi Do-yeon's trust has increased.]
[Citizen Choi Do-yeon's trust has reached 100.]
[You have acquired 'Blessing of the Typhoon.']
And starting with those two-
[Citizen Moon Sang-hoon's loyalty has reached 100.]
[Citizen Moon Sang-hoon is already registered as a vassal.]
[The vassal capacity has increased.]
Most of the vassals present at the scene were able to reach 100 loyalty and
trust.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]