Chapter 134

Chapter 134

Chapter 134 – Rapture (5) A colossal fragment of earth, measuring more than a kilometer across, was plummeting from an altitude of several hundred meters.

If this massive weight collided with the earth below, the resulting devastation would be beyond calculation.

To make matters worse, approximately 144,000 individuals who had been designated as offerings were gathered in the immediate vicinity.

A crash would result in an unimaginable loss of life.

‘I must find a way to halt this.’

The solitary saving grace was the relatively slow rate of the land’s descent.

Although the core sustaining the illusionary domain had been shattered, a fraction of its original energy still lingered.

The fading remnants of the force that had kept this island of earth aloft—the lingering influence of the false deity Jeong Hyun-su—were currently decelerating its fall.

The critical issue, however, was that this residual energy was rapidly bleeding away.

Even at this very second, the rate of descent was beginning to quicken. Once the final traces of that levitating power dissolved entirely, catastrophe would be unavoidable.

[Clear everyone out from beneath the drop zone! Move!]

I immediately barked commands to my nearby subordinates.

Those who had been unable to step inside the sanctuary began scrambling to carry the unconscious victims to safety.

Yet, even if every single one of my followers exerted themselves to their absolute limits, evacuating such a massive, unresponsive crowd in time was a physical impossibility.

‘The only solution is to arrest the descent of the land itself.’

There was no alternative path.

[Jeong Seong-jun!]

The first name that surfaced in my mind was Jeong Seong-jun, given his telekinetic prowess.

[We have to cushion this impact as much as possible!]

Simultaneously, I cast a supportive enhancement on him to amplify his telekinesis to its absolute threshold.

Instantly grasping my intent, Jeong Seong-jun threw himself into action.

I watched as the dark, shimmering energy of his telekinetic field rippled out, wrapping itself around the entire falling landmass.

And yet.

Kugugugugu—

Despite the amplification, the sheer scale of the falling earth was far too massive for a single human to control.

At that moment, Jeong Seong-jun’s growth level stood at 50.

Prior to our entry into Seoul, I had ensured that all my primary followers were elevated to at least level 50.

It was a controlled, steady progression that didn’t push them past safe limits.

[To raise the growth level of follower Jeong Seong-jun, 30,000,000,000 won is required.]

[Do you wish to proceed with the advancement?]

Stepping up from level 51 to 55 demanded a hefty 30 billion won per increment.

But this was no time for financial hesitation.

‘Advance Jeong Seong-jun!’

Without a second thought, I poured 1.5 trillion won into pushing Jeong Seong-jun’s level straight to 55.

At the exact same time, I broadcasted a mental directive to all the Kellicans in the vicinity.

[Get underneath and push upward!]

Bolstered by my enhancements, the Kellicans beat their powerful wings furiously, straining against the bottom of the descending mass.

Even so, the downward momentum remained too great.

‘I require even greater force.’

As I searched my mind for another follower capable of assisting in this crisis, my gaze locked onto Lee Jun-hyeok through the Absolute Dweller’s Eye.

‘!’

Ever since he registered as my follower and awakened his S-grade Control Water ability, his performance had been exceptional. Consequently, I had already brought him up to level 55 before we set foot in Seoul.

Furthermore, every follower possessed the peak 3-star power of the stars, supplemented by bonuses from high trust and unique titles.

Their actual combat capabilities far exceeded what their raw numerical levels suggested.

Lee Jun-hyeok was demonstrating that fact right now.

Swoooosh—

The waters of Seokchon Lake began to surge and gather.

Standing at the epicenter of the swelling deluge, Lee Jun-hyeok channeled his power, and a massive serpentine dragon made of water reared its head.

The aquatic beast soared upward, rushing to brace the underside of the descending earth.

‘Lee Jun-hyeok, enhance.’

As a shroud of dark energy enveloped Lee Jun-hyeok’s form, the water dragon he commanded also took on a pitch-black hue, its power swelling immensely.

For a brief instant, the plummeting landmass seemed to falter, but the reprieve was fleeting.

Right then.

Woooosh!

Choi Do-yeon, with her mastery over the currents of the air, joined the effort.

She had awakened her own S-grade ability, Blessing of the Typhoon, immediately upon becoming my follower, having started her journey under my command at level 40.

Abandoning her rescue efforts, she soared toward the sky, conjuring a massive vortex of wind.

Though her raw strength was lesser, her contribution was invaluable.

‘Advance, enhance.’

I boosted her level from 50 to 55 and applied my buffs, granting her a massive surge in power.

And yet.

‘It is still insufficient.’

On the positive side, the distance between the landmass and the ground had been cut roughly in half from its starting point.

But the grim reality was hard to ignore.

‘We have hit the ceiling.’

The lingering energy that had been cushioning the descent finally flickered out completely.

Kugugung!

With Jeong Hyun-su’s residual power gone, the sheer weight of the land crashed down fully upon Jeong Seong-jun, Lee Jun-hyeok, Choi Do-yeon, and the Kellicans.

The speed of the fall accelerated dramatically.

It was as if the massive chunk of earth had suddenly been cut loose, entering a state of absolute free fall.

With momentum building so rapidly, it was fast becoming an unstoppable force.

‘Is there really no other card to play?’

[To raise the growth level of follower Lee Jun-hyeok, 100,000,000,000 won is required.]

[Do you wish to proceed with the advancement?]

A single level increase now demanded a staggering 100 billion won.

But considering the sheer talent and utility Lee Jun-hyeok consistently displayed, it was a necessary expenditure.

‘Advance him to level 60.’

[Follower Lee Jun-hyeok has reached level 60.]

[Follower Lee Jun-hyeok has reached the maximum developmental limit.]

I realized then that level 60 was the absolute ceiling for my followers.

‘Advance Jeong Seong-jun and Choi Do-yeon to level 60 as well.’

[Follower Jeong Seong-jun has reached level 60.]

[Follower Jeong Seong-jun has reached the maximum developmental limit.]

[Follower Choi Do-yeon has reached level 60.]

[Follower Choi Do-yeon has reached the maximum developmental limit.]

It was a monumental expenditure, draining 1.5 trillion won for each of them.

But the return on investment was instantaneous.

Kugung—

Though the sudden surge in power left them struggling to fully adapt, the three of them pushed through the disorientation, channeling their newly expanded reserves to their absolute limits.

“Urgh!”

Jeong Seong-jun strained under the mental load, throwing every ounce of his telekinetic force to halt the descent.

All around him, shattered concrete and pieces of amusement park rides drifted in chaotic suspension.

Swoooosh—

Beneath the falling land, the titanic water serpent—now swollen to a size far grander than before—coiled itself imposingly.

The dragon wrapped itself beneath the entire base of the floating island, straining to hold it up. At the center of this storm of power stood Lee Jun-hyuk, his body radiating a dense, dark aura as he held up the crushing weight like the titan Atlas.

Screeeeeech—!

Five towering cyclones erupted from the ground, boring into the underside of the descending earth with a deafening roar.

At the focal point of the tempest, Choi Do-yeon hung suspended in the air, pouring every bit of her strength into sustaining the dark, howling winds.

Through their combined, desperate struggle, the rapid acceleration of the falling earth began to stall, grinding down to a slower pace.

It was at that exact moment that the lingering effects of Tranquil Mind finally evaporated.

The crushing strain of my own rapid leveling had run its course.

Haah.

The heavy, paralyzing fatigue that always accompanied the end of Tranquil Mind washed over my consciousness.

To make matters worse, the duration of my Descent state was also rapidly ticking away.

And yet,

‘Is this still not enough?’

Though the velocity had slowed, the change was so marginal that it was barely discernible.

Worse, the massive landmass was now a mere 100 meters from making impact.

While their efforts had prevented an outright catastrophe, a collision at this speed would still result in countless deaths and severe injuries.

At that moment.

Kwahhhh!

Deafening detonations began to ring out from all sides.

Ha Dong-geon, Kim Ga-young, and the others were unleashing their most powerful offensive techniques against the falling earth.

The sheer kinetic force of their attacks chipped away at the rock and helped bleed off some of the downward momentum.

Everyone was fighting tooth and nail to minimize the impending impact.

Despite everything, the massive island of earth continued its relentless downward trajectory.

…

I quietly reached out and pressed my palm against the soil.

‘If I use my mental strength…’

Certain truths had crystallized for me since we crossed the threshold into Seoul.

Under normal circumstances, the strength of my followers placed them at the very pinnacle of human capability.

In fact, it was more accurate to say they had surpassed the limits of ordinary humanity entirely.

And my own power existed on a plane so far above theirs that comparison was meaningless.

It was a vast, unbridgeable gulf.

To put it in perspective, Moon Byung-ho’s short-range teleportation, which relied on mental focus, was incredibly limited compared to my own spatial manipulation.

Even though Moon Byung-ho had grown strong enough to teleport dozens of people over significant distances without much trouble, I had yet to find a hard limit to my own spatial movement.

As my personal level scaled upward, the scale of my abilities was expanding at an exponential rate.

Because of that,

‘It might actually work.’

The teleportation technique I had obtained from Moon Byung-ho after maximizing his trust to 100 came with specific constraints.

First, the destination had to be within my line of sight.

Second, I had to be in physical contact with whatever or whoever I intended to transport.

And,

‘Upon arrival, all relative kinetic energy is completely neutralized.’

This meant that if I were to teleport while plummeting through the air, my velocity would instantly drop to zero the moment I reappeared at my destination.

The same rule applied to anything I carried with me.

Therefore,

‘If I can teleport this entire landmass back to its original position…’

Closing my eyes, I poured my concentration into the falling chunk of earth.

I visualized the towering structure of Lotte Tower, which miraculously remained structurally sound, and the vast, circular section of ground supporting it.

Utilizing the Absolute Dweller’s Eye, I mapped the positions of my followers and extended my mental grip to encompass the massive, one-kilometer-wide island of stone and dirt.

Though cold sweat drenched my skin, I pushed past the physical strain.

This was the only way.

Woooooo—

The moment the entirety of the falling land fell under my mental grasp.

‘Teleport.’

I shifted its position back to its original coordinate.

Shhh—!

For a split second, the massive landmass flickered out of existence.

Immediately after,

Kwahhhhh!

The giant chunk of earth, its momentum completely neutralized, dropped the remaining fraction of an inch and slotted back into the massive crater from which it had been torn.

Kuuuuuuuuung!

A powerful tremor and a wave of compressed air rippled outward, but it was a mere fraction of the devastation that an unchecked impact would have caused.

The gamble had succeeded perfectly.

Hah, hghh.

I collapsed onto the dirt, drawing in ragged, painful breaths as blood began to seep from the back of my hand.

My nose was bleeding profusely, as if a vessel had ruptured, and a blinding headache threatened to split my skull.

At that very moment,

[Civilian Ha Dong-geon has defeated the ruler of ‘Lotte Tower’.]

[The requirements to establish an outpost at ‘Lotte Tower’ have been met.]

Against all odds, the structure of Lotte Tower remained standing.

Though it bore heavy structural damage and partial collapses, the main tower still pierced the sky.

My spatial manipulation had undoubtedly spared it from total destruction.

Because of that, the criteria for claiming the zone had been fulfilled, clearing the way for construction to begin.

Hah.

Saving the damaged Lotte Tower was easily worth the equivalent of 2 trillion won in potential losses, even if the price was this excruciating mental strain and physical toll.

“Well, at least… with the Tohyoong… repairing it shouldn’t be an issue…”

I was completely spent.

Even so, I forced the Absolute Dweller’s Eye to remain active, confirming that both Lee Jun-hyuk and Choi Do-yeon were still breathing, though they lay motionless on the ground.

‘…Summon Followers. Lee Jun-hyuk, Choi Do-yeon.’

The two, half-buried under displaced soil, were in surprisingly stable condition.

They had managed to deploy their elemental shields at the final second to insulate themselves from the shockwave.

Their control over water and wind had acted as a natural buffer, absorbing the worst of the kinetic feedback.

“…My thanks,” Choi Do-yeon whispered, her voice dazed.

“Did we… did we actually pull it off?” Lee Jun-hyuk asked, his eyes widening as he noticed the blood dripping from my face.

“Was that your doing, Jae-hyun, at the very end?”

Lying motionless on the dirt, I managed a weak reply.

“It was a near thing.”

Right then,

[Civilian Lee Jun-hyuk’s allegiance has increased.]

[Civilian Lee Jun-hyuk’s allegiance has reached 100.]

[Civilian Lee Jun-hyuk is already designated as a follower.]

[Your maximum follower capacity has expanded.]

[Civilian Lee Jun-hyuk’s trust has increased.]

[Civilian Lee Jun-hyuk’s trust has reached 100.]

[You have unlocked the ability ‘Control Water’.]

[Civilian Choi Do-yeon’s allegiance has increased.]

[Civilian Choi Do-yeon’s allegiance has reached 100.]

[Civilian Choi Do-yeon is already designated as a follower.]

[Your maximum follower capacity has expanded.]

[Civilian Choi Do-yeon’s trust has increased.]

[Civilian Choi Do-yeon’s trust has reached 100.]

[You have unlocked the ability ‘Blessing of the Typhoon’.]

Beginning with those two, further notifications began to flood in.

[Civilian Moon Sang-hoon’s allegiance has reached 100.]

[Civilian Moon Sang-hoon is already designated as a follower.]

[Your maximum follower capacity has expanded.]

…

…

The devotion and trust of almost every follower present had surged to its absolute peak of 100.