The Hero Returns

The massive light ray flying in towards Su-hyeun suddenly distorted and then vanished without a trace. Coltman and the magicians believed the attack could not be evaded or defended against, so rather obviously, they became flustered by it.

"It-it vanished?"

"Was that 'cancel' magic?"

"But in such a short amount of time?"

Learning the cancel magic that systematically analyzed and canceled out your opponent's magic wasn't all that hard. However, utilizing said cancel magic you learned was another story altogether. Quite obviously, the harder the magic you wanted to cancel, the tougher it'd get to use your own cancel magic.

Not to mention, over one hundred of the empire's magicians chanted that magic to life only a few moments ago. It was simply impossible for a single individual to cancel magic like that in such a short period of time.

<<No, that was not cancel magic.>

Biltor, the empire's proud magician as well as the captain of the magic division, began stumbling backward.

<<That eye...>>

Just how many more abilities did that thing even possess?

Su-hyeun was currently furrowing his brows a little after having blocked the magic. The third eye was already closed shut by then.

"I feel a bit...dizzy."

One of the authorities Third Eye possessed, Neutralization, was probably the craziest cheat-like skill as far as Su-hyeun was concerned — an authority that allowed him to extinguish one of his opponent's magical machinations by consuming his own magical energy as well as mental strength.

There certainly existed specific skills that rendered the opponent's skills useless or outright canceled them, but even then, limitations would be imposed depending on the grade of the skills involved.

However, Third Eye's Neutralization wasn't bound by such restrictions.

The neutralization was limited only by the individual user's capability, meaning its limit depended on the skill user's competence and mental focus.

<<Although the consumption of magical energy and mental strength is greater than I expected...>>

Su-hyeun smirked inwardly.

<<Not bad. Not bad at all.>>

No, it was already well beyond the realm of "not bad" at this point.

With everything he witnessed so far, his new trait was more than good enough to be ranked as one of the very best traits that he had the knowledge of. If this skill had been acquired through Transfiguration, then he most likely wouldn't have been able to explore its full potential.

<<I really got lucky this time.>>

The dizziness lasted only for a second or two. Su-hyeun re-focused on the magic spells flying in his direction soon afterward.

[Indomitable Body.]

[Falcon's Holy Armor.]

Ka-ka-boom—

Accompanied by a round of explosions, scorching-hot flames of conflagration violently whipped about Su-hyeun's vicinity.

Now that their magic attacks had finally landed on target, both Coltman and Biltor cried out in elation inwardly.

It should've resulted in immediate death, or at the very least, heavy injuries. That's what they believed.

Unfortunately for them...

"Man, that surprised me." Su-hyeun's figure revealed itself from between the dancing flames, looking completely intact. He lightly dusted his armor, now slightly burnt around the edges. "You aren't supposed to hit someone when they are in a daze, don't you know that?"

"That, that..."

"B-but, how..."

They definitely hit him, yet none of their attacks were effective. Not only the armor, but even his unprotected skin didn't display any hints of damage other than emitting a slight reddish glow.

Su-hyeun repeatedly clenched and unfurled his fists and sensed the hot temperature transmitted through his skin.

<<Third Eye doesn't seem to possess any magic resistance.>>

That was slightly lamentable, but wishing for that would have been him being way too greedy. Besides, defense against magic would be provided by the Falcon's Holy Armor anyway. Even if that wasn't it, he could easily get his hands on items that boosted his natural magic resistance.

With this, the experiments were over.

"In that case. From today onwards..."

[Third Eye - Predator]

The eye in his forehead that was temporarily closed opened wide once more and scanned through the Colosseum.

"I'm putting an end to your operation."

Kiii-eeeeh—!

At the same time, monsters finished devouring their trainers and began screeching and howling loudly.

Soon afterwards...

"Euh... uwaaaaah—!"

Screams reverberated from the center of the Colosseum's battle arena.

Act 6

Clang—

When the part between the links connecting the chains and the keyhole was severed, the cuffs binding the man's ankles came undone.

"T-thank you."

"As soon as you get out of here, don't even look back and escape back to your home country," said Su-hyeun.

The man loosened his aching wrists and ankles and replied, "I'd like to do that, but...how do I even get out of here?"

"You won't even find a single ant outside, actually."

"What do you mean? It's not as if you don't know where we are, so what gives?"

"You'll see once you get out of here."

The man tilted his head this way and that after hearing Su-hyeun's words, but still, cautiously made his way outside.

He didn't seem to trust what Su-hyeun had told him, but he'd soon understand by going outside the prison.

<<Was that the last captive?>>

Su-hyeun spat out a lengthy groan and plopped down on the ground.

This was definitely not a difficult trial. If he took his time clearing it, then there wouldn't be any reason for him to get this exhausted. The issue was with Third Eye, as well as his body that hadn't fully acclimated to the Ouroboros's magical energy.

<<Although the effects are very good...I'll need more time before I can wield them to my heart's content.>>

The magical energy stabilized a little after acquiring the Ouroboros's trait, but that didn't mean it was perfectly under his control.

Quite a lot of magical energy and mental strength had to be consumed every time he used the trait's skills, which naturally meant he needed time to get used to everything.

<<Will I be able to fully acclimate before the Ranking Wars?>>

Only a few months remained until the start of the Ranking Wars.

The American S-Rank awakener, Gordon Rohan, organized the greatest event in history: the Ranking Wars.

At the very least, Su-hyeun had to completely master Third Eye and Ouroboros's magical energy residing inside his body as his own before the commencement of that event.

<<Nothing's going to hold me back.>>

Su-hyeun tightly clenched his fist.

This event might look like all fun and games at a casual glance, but the Ranking Wars Gordon Rohan organized would end up sending massive ripples to every country in the world.

A new awakener powerhouse nation would be born from the Ranking Wars, while those previously seen as one would become the setting sun instead. Su-hyeun simply had to be at the center of that storm.

<<All for the sake of that day.>>

Su-hyeun got up from his sitting position. Every time his thoughts began running deeper like this, he'd start finding taking little breaks a waste of his precious time.

[200,000 Achievement points have been acquired.]

[Highest completion rate has been attained.]

[You have perfectly cleared the 31st floor's trial.]

[Achievement ranking is being tallied.]

[You're in the first position.]

[....]

"Time to go to the next floor."

Su-hyeun's figure vanished from this world.

* * *

The year was 2021.

The world was rapidly changing.

—Do you really think that the current rate of dungeon generation is normal? What about the awakeners? The world wasn't like this only a couple of years ago.

—Take a look at this graph. Past 2017, then 2018, and after 2019...the rate of dungeon generation is showing a steep upward trajectory from the year 2020 onwards. And when it comes to dungeons of the color level higher than yellow, it's even worse.

—The whole world is going to get destroyed soon!

Theories on the looming crisis were on the rise everywhere.

Especially so during the latter half of the year 2021, dungeon outbreaks were no longer treated as uncommon accidents.

The mass media would often report on the news related to various outbreaks.

The world's opinion regarding the dungeons split into two camps. One side believed that these dungeons were massive ticking time bombs that'd lead the world to its destruction. And to the other, dungeons were a resource that would lead the world to prosperity.

The world was indeed changing rapidly.

"Isn't it amazing? This building is the first in the world to feature 200 floors. Its height alone is over 3,000 feet."

A dandy man with blonde hair, sporting a golden-rimmed pair of sunglasses — this man, who looked to be only in his mid-thirties, was draped in high-end luxury brands from head to toe. A regular person would've never even seen such luxurious apparel in their lifetime, never mind even putting on some.

The man was riding on a fast-moving elevator along with a woman. He continued chatting with her. "The world has become really wonderful. I mean, just take a look at this elevator. It's moving so fast, yet you can't even feel the hint of vibration or hear any noise. You think such technology would've existed in the past?"

"It's all thanks to Ether stones, I'm guessing."

"That's right. I've invested a huge chunk, that's for sure."

"Just how many Ether stones did you have to use in order to complete this building?"

"I wonder. It could be around ten percent of all the Ether stones produced within the United States, I guess?" The woman's question was triumphantly replied to by the blonde man.

America was already famed for dungeons generating rather frequently within her borders. But to say that around ten percent of all of America's Ether stones had been spent on constructing this one building? That was a notion difficult to imagine.

"It's basically a golden castle, then." The woman spoke of her honest impression of the place.

The man smiled brightly, perhaps finding her comparison to his liking. "A golden castle, is it? Now that's damn cool."

The elevator vibrated imperceptibly before coming to a stop.

The two of them had arrived on the top floor of this building. The moment they stepped outside the elevator, they were greeted by a golden statue resembling the blonde man, with a plaque where his name was engraved on the surface right below it.

"King and God."

Gordon Rohan.

It was a truly arrogant phrase. Even the mass media openly talked about how that phrase was meant to imply Gordon's unwillingness to let go of both the title of "king" and "god."

The woman, Ashlyn, was an American S-Rank and affiliated with the American awakener organization. She stared at Gordon Rohan with less than impressed eyes. "You sure love to say that cringeworthy thing so brazenly in public."

"It's the truth, after all," replied Gordon Rohan without a shred of hesitation. "I am...the best."

The mischievous gleam in his eyes until now suddenly disappeared, replaced by preternatural calmness.

Being the best.

Every time he said that, Gordon Rohan transformed a little. It was as if he was completely obsessed with being the best. But he happened to be one of the very few people alive who could say something like that with unshakable confidence.

"Is that the reason why you organized this event?" Ashlyn asked.

"Event? Oh, you mean the Ranking Wars?"

"Right, that."

The opportunity to prove that he was the best...

"It won't just be me saying it, but soon, the entire world," said Gordon Rohan.

He looked down on the world from the very top of the highest building in existence. "They will say, Gordon Rohan is the best."

Ashlyn froze up on the spot. The magical energy emitted from his body felt so painful that she thought her entire body might break.

She had felt this before, but still, Gordon Rohan's talents were truly absolute even among the S-Rank awakeners.

<<Is this a competition where the victor has already been decided?>>

Although they were all placed under the same banner of S-Rank, individuals like him sometimes existed — an awakener possessing abilities seemingly from another dimension.

Ashlyn barely managed to calm her trembling body and continued to walk towards Gordon's side.

"Five, four, three...." He was looking down at the cloudless scenery below while counting down the numbers. "...Two, one."

Bang, boom—!

Fireworks went off.

These fireworks could only illuminate the top floors of the building despite being fired upwards from the ground below. Fireworks that cost tens of millions of dollars exploded brilliantly to brighten the night sky.

By looking down at those fireworks, he could appreciate the fact once more that he was indeed in a very high place.

Ashlyn muttered softly while looking at the fireworks going off. "It's December."

Fireworks denoting the arrival of December. They weren't welcoming the new year, but regardless, today would be marked in history as a far more significant date.

"It is, indeed." Gordon Rohan grinned after hearing what Ashlyn had said and turned around. "And it's the start of the Ranking Wars."

The day he had been waiting for with bated breath.

The day that S-Ranks from various nations of the world would gather in one spot.

For the sake of this very day, he made sure to prevent any potential outbreaks by proactively raiding the dungeons with colors higher than green.

All thanks to that, the number of tourists coming to spectate the Ranking Wars would now be recorded in the history books as unprecedented.

December.

The fireworks signaling the start of the Ranking Wars continued on for many hours afterward.