Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 386: Hunting Black Dragon

The Athenae operators themselves were also left speechless when they saw the thousands of Hellfires and spears of light pour down from the skies.

Vormon’s existence was created by the supercomputer Athenae, and this very same existence had turned into one that was borderline incomprehensible and undefeatable for the players. No, perhaps they might have a chance if someone had reached the realms of a true and genuine ‘God’.

But there was no such person right now. Although there were God classes, they were only successors that had, and would inherit the power of their Gods. And right now, among all of the players in existence, some of these God classes had only reached the Demigod level.

“The entire world will be seeing this,” Director Kim Daesik murmured after gulping dryly.

That was right. The whole world would be able to witness how Black Dragon Vormon annihilated the remaining troops with his Hellfires and gigantic spears of lights, before proceeding to turn both the Asgan and Cairon Continents into wastelands.

“Are we going to save both the Asgan and Cairon Continents with updates once they turn into wastelands?” Kim Daesik asked bitterly.

But then, a man murmured, “It’s not over until it’s over.”

Team Leader Park Minggyu had always been stubborn and blunt. However, his words made Director Kim feel emotional. Team Leader Park wanted them to believe in the players. Director Kim also wanted to believe in them, but the situation right now was so desperate that faith in a miracle was something that seemed out of reach.

“But the situation right now is…”

Just when he was about to speak…

Bang—

…the door to the conference room was slammed open by a woman. This woman was their new employee, no, she was already a pretty decent employee. She was none other than Lee Minhwa.

“Employee Lee Minhwa?” Team Leader Park looked at her in confusion. Everyone’s gazes also turned to her.

Then, with her voice filled with excitement and agitation, she said, “A God…! A God has appeared!!!”

“…What are you saying?”

Because of the crisis that Vormon had brought to their company, only a few of the employees were left to do their original jobs. Lee Minhwa was among the few that were left in their original posts. She was the only one that witnessed this scene.

“A player that has become a True God has appeared!”

“What?!”

“What did you just say?!”

“What do you mean?!”

Everyone keenly felt something. Meanwhile, President Kang Taehoon jumped up from his seat and asked, “Who is it? No, more importantly where is he right now?!”

This was an event that was as shocking as Vormon’s descent into frenzy. Then, Lee Minhwa shakily raised her finger and pointed at one place. Everyone followed her finger to the screen.

Displayed on it was the scene where thousands of Hellfires and Diss were slowly falling down on the remaining thousands of troops, Minhyuk and Ellie. All of the people below Vormon fell into despair. And just when the attack was about to reach them…

[Dispel.]

A voice rang in their ears. The voice sounded as distinct and beautiful as God’s whisper. And along with that voice…

.

[Keuhaaaaaaaack!]

…the thousands of Hellfires were sucked back into the torn space while the thousands of gigantic spears of light stopped right above the heads of the remaining troops, before slowly dissipating and disappearing into nothingness. Vormon looked bewildered and in disbelief as he turned his gaze to one place.

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

The place where Vormon’s gaze stopped was shown on the screen of the TV that the Athenae executives were looking at.

Vormon, as mentioned before, had transformed into a handsome white-haired man, wearing a pristine white robe and holding a white staff. In front of him stood an equally handsome man using Fly magic. The man’s figure, with his golden hair, golden eyes, golden robe and golden staff, was a stark contrast to the figure of the transformed black dragon. This man was illuminated with a strong golden light as he stood facing Vormon. This man was none other than Golden Mage Ali.

***

Dispel could be said to be an exclusive skill for high-leveled mages that could nullify their enemy’s magical attacks. A familiar voice rang loudly in the area as he cast this very magic. Following his words, the Hellfires that were about to rain down on the remaining troops were instantly sucked back into the space torn out of the sky. Even the spears of light that were already looming above the players’ heads and trying to stab them to their deaths slowly dissipated, until they disappeared into nothingness.

“What was that?”

“What the hell just happened?”

“Dispel? Is that really a Dispel? Can Dispel really nullify all of that magic?!”

The power of the skill Dispel depended on the magic user’s level of attainment. To think there was an existence that could cast a Dispel which extinguished more than a thousand Diss and Hellfire created by Vormon in one single go! Everyone was both shocked and in disbelief. And then…

“Over there!!!”

“Heok?!!! Who’s that?!”

The gazes of the thousands of remaining troops all turned towards Vormon, no, to be exact, to the man standing in front of Vormon. For a moment, the remaining troops could not figure out who the man was. Unlike his usual gloomy and dark aura, the man was flying steadily in the sky as he faced off against Vormon, while shining with a bright golden light that could even surpass the sun in brightness.

“Isn’t… isn’t that Ali?”

“The world’s greatest mage, Ali?!”

That was right. There was only one mage that the entire world had recognized, and that was none other than Black Mage Ali.

There was only one reason why the people heaped praises on the Summit Five and that was because they were unrivaled in terms of strength and power. As for the mages, Ali, as an unofficial ranker, was not included in the rankings. Even the mage player hailed as the global number one official ranker was said to be a tier lower than Ali in terms of power. And that was a fact.

This was the reason why Ali was more famous than any other Korean players to the people all over the globe.

Even if that was the case, Ali was still just a player. However, it was clear to everyone present that Vormon was sporting a flustered expression on his face, as Ali stood in front of him with a cold expression. Surprisingly enough, Ali was not pushed back by Vormon’s overwhelming momentum.

Ali had also confirmed his power after using that Dispel. As the successor of the Great Mage, Ali met with Great Mage Moldoron and asked him to awaken his powers inside his body in exchange for a penalty. Ali would be able to use Moldoron’s power for half a day, but all of his magical power would be exhausted and he would return to Level 1. However, he willingly accepted this penalty for one reason, and one reason alone. It was so he could protect his friends. And this was the power that he gained:

[Great Mage Moldoron has been moved by your dedication and actions.]

[You have gained the Title: The Man that Moved the Legend.]

[Great Mage Moldoron has increased the power that he would temporarily grant you.]

[You have temporarily awakened the power of the God of Magic, Archipello.]

[Eight Tier Magic. You have transcended beyond the human realm and have entered God's realm.]

[Your HP has temporarily doubled while your MP reserve has temporarily quadrupled.]

[Your magic attack has tripled while your magical penetration has increased by 100%.]

[You will be able to use Eight Tier Magic without any cooldown restrictions.]

[Dual Class. You have acquired the class ‘His Companion’.]

[His Companion can only allow you to choose one partner.]

Even his dual class had requirements and restrictions. The dual class ‘His Companion’ would only be granted to someone who could sacrifice their everything for the sake of someone else. Also, the achievements that the companion that they should choose must be far greater than any other players.

Yes, Ali believed that there was one person who was more than enough to be chosen as his partner. And that was none other than Minhyuk.

[Ali has appointed you as his ‘companion’.]

[Do you agree?]

There was only one companion that Ali, someone that had come close to God, could choose. Minhyuk did not even hesitate. Then, surprising notifications rang one after the other.

[You have become Ali’s companion.]

[All of your stats will increase by 1.2x when Ali is with you, his companion.]

[Your EXP Acquisition rate will increase by 1.5x when Ali is with you, his companion.]

[You can receive a companion exclusive buff if Ali is with you, his companion.]

[Ali has used ‘Companion’s Support Buff’ on you. The buff can only be used once a month.]

[Companion Support.]

[Your HP and MP has fully recovered.]

[All of your skill cooldown has been reset.]

[Your EXP Acquisition Rate has increased by 200%.]

[All of your stats have increased by 15%.]

[Your basic attack power has increased by 1.4x.]

Ali looked at Minhyuk as he stretched out his finger and pointed at Vormon, who was struggling to hide his embarrassment.

“…?”

Vormon almost burst into a fit of laughter. Who was he? He was a dragon, the one and only king of magic in this world. Could someone really take on a magic attack that he sent himself? Besides, human magic was something that eventually came to be after taking a hint from dragon magic. Their magic casting time was too long and their power was not enough. But at that moment…

“That’s not how you use Diss,” Ali said as he looked at him with a wide grin. Then, he spat out, “Diss.”

Shwaaaaaaaaa—

A tremendous amount of mana swarmed around Ali’s finger.

Flutter—

Ali’s golden hair and robe fluttered as a golden spear of light was shot out from his finger before swiftly piercing through the pit of Vormon’s stomach.

Stab—

[Your Magical Defense has been ignored.]

[Your HP has decreased by 7%.]

“Urk…?!”

Vormon looked down at his chest in disbelief. A huge golden spear was piercing through his chest.

‘How… how can such a weak and puny human do this…?’

Humans were beings that stole magic from the dragons. But he, an existence that stood at the peak of magic, actually suffered from a human’s magic attack?

“How dare you, human?!”

Hundreds of lights appeared as Vormon cast Diss and fired the skill towards Ali. Then…

“Dispel.”

And just like before, they all dissipated and disappeared into nothingness. On the contrary…

“Diss.”

Stab—

…another golden spear shot out of Ali’s finger and stabbed through Vormon’s chest.

“Keuaaaaaaaack!”

Vormon could not understand what was happening. The master of the Supreme Divine Beast smacked him with a frying pan earlier! There was also a self-sacrificing old man that stabbed him in the neck. There was also that man that called himself a dragon, and that woman who performed incredible swordsmanship.

Then, there was this mage in front of him. His power was quite astonishing, but Vormon believed that this mage would eventually feel shamed in front of his prowess. Thousands of magic spells appeared in the skies. And once again…

“Dispel.”

Stab—

“Keuaaaaack!”

Everything disappeared in front of Ali’s power. Then, gigantic spells appeared around Ali one after the other. Hellfire, Diss, and even the gigantic meteor created from the skill Meteor appeared in the sky.

“Spatial Distortion,” Ali muttered.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!

The debris and destruction below Ali flew up and formed a transparent space that locked him and Vormon inside. This was to keep the others from being affected by the Hellfires and Meteors that would fall down at any moment.

“Keuaaaaaaaaaaack!”

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Vormon, who was trapped in this huge space, tried to shoot down the Meteor falling down by firing his own magic. However, Ali’s Meteor was already at a level beyond Vormon. The Hellfire and Diss were the first attacks that came down and devoured him.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud—

Ping, ping, ping, ping, ping—

“Keuhaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!”

Vormon’s HP had fallen below 50%. The attacks had brought him terrible pain. And by the end of it…

Baaaaaaaaaaaaam—

A huge meteor shot down and crushed Vormon into the ground.

Thuuuuuud—

A huge shockwave erupted the moment the attack made contact with Vormon. Ali swiftly created a golden shield to protect himself from the shockwave. Then, the transparent wall disappeared by itself.

‘The amount of MP it consumed had been too high.’

Ali broke into a cold sweat. Even if he had temporarily loaned God’s power, he still used up too much of his MP.

‘What a monster…’

Even though Ali went on a rampage with his magic, he still did not receive the notification that he had hunted Vormon. Then, at that moment…

Stab—

A sword pierced through the thick cloud of dust and stabbed Ali’s chest.

“Urk…!”

Ali’s face wrinkled in dismay.

‘I’ve been seen through…’

Ali’s face crumpled as he watched Vormon’s lips twitch in delight. That was right. Ali’s abilities and skills had risen by leaps and bounds. His magical abilities had reached their peak and were able to neutralize and nullify Vormon’s magic.

However, what would happen if his enemy came close and did not engage in magical warfare with him?

‘I won’t be able to stop him.’

Ali’s HP had dropped below 40% in an instant. But then…

Vwoooom—

…Ellie stormed in and swung her sword to stop Vormon’s attack. Vormon and Ellie’s swords collided. Vormon was a dragon that had lived for thousands of years. It was only natural that he excelled in swordsmanship. In fact, his swordsmanship was even beyond that of the Sword Saint’s skills. The worst part of it was the fact that he could combine it with the most powerful magic.

“Ughhh!”

Ali pretended to fall as he grabbed his chest, but he just pulled back a little, before leaping forward again. Vormon stood in the center while Ellie attacked him from the left and Ali from the right. With every wield of Ali’s golden staff, dozens of magic would appear to attack Vormon.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

With every swing of Ellie’s sword, dozens of sword strikes would slam into Vormon’s body. But…

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

…Vormon was a boss monster. It was a fact that his HP was hundreds of times that of Ellie’s and Ali’s HP. His HP had been reduced, yes, but the amount was still too high to begin with.

Meanwhile, Vormon could tell, ‘It’s my victory…!’

If this battle continued at this rate, these people attacking him would eventually collapse. But then…

Baaaaaaaaaaaaang—

…a pillar of light struck down from the skies.

[Camera 5!!! Camera 5!!!]

[Camera 8!]

[Camera 9! Shoot whatever it is over there!]

The cameras from all over the world moved swiftly as they followed the orders of their own PDs.

[What the hell is that pillar?!]

[What kind of existence has appeared this time?!]

[Hope. Is our hope growing once again?!!!]

The cameras finally arrived at a place that was close enough for them to capture a scene that was never witnessed before.

[Zoom in!!! Zoom in!!!]

[What the hell is that?!!! Get a close up!!!]

Something was slowly falling from the pillar of light that pierced through from the skies. When the cameras finally got a close up, they finally saw what it was.

[A crown?]

[A golden crown?!]

[What, what the hell is that?]

The golden crown slowly fell down and the pillar of light slowly dissipated. When the pillar of light completely disappeared, it showed the figure of the being that was enveloped in its light. It was none other than a baby piggy wearing a golden crown, a golden armor, while holding a black and shiny kitchen knife.

“Oiiiiink!”

It was the Supreme Divine Beast, Beanie.