Chapter 56

Contrary to expectations of considerable resistance, entering the city was so easy it made one yawn.

Not only when approaching the city, but even until entering inside, there wasn’t any resistance, let alone any sight of Lizardmen.

It felt almost anticlimactic after being so tense about what dangers might await – an unknown city presumed to have fallen from another world, Lizardmen using unidentified abilities, barriers easily blocking modern weapons.

Even those who had maintained their tension until the end unconsciously relaxed and became distracted by sightseeing at the sight of the desolate city where no human presence could be felt.

“I’d seen it in photos, but seeing it in person, I can’t help but be amazed.”

“How can buildings like these stand without collapsing? What are they even made of?”

“Is that a carved dragon?”

Unlike Earth’s cities packed with gray concrete matchbox structures, this city consisted of buildings that looked like works of art with elegant curves and geometric forms.

Except for the dust accumulated everywhere from long neglect, the buildings made of gleaming metals and the large, majestic statues were beautiful enough to draw spontaneous admiration.

However, unlike others, Yuseong couldn’t simply admire it.

‘What on earth is that?’

The moment they entered the city, he felt an inexplicable sensation.

Activating Eye of Truth on a hunch, Yuseong couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat at the sight of a massive pillar of energy surging from the city center.

Something that continuously emitted enormous energy incomparable to anything he’d seen before.

‘I’m curious.’

An immense energy source capable of generating a barrier that could protect an entire city.

He was dying to confirm its true nature with his own eyes.

Though he wanted to act alone immediately, conspicuous behavior was forbidden in this atmosphere.

While pondering how to naturally slip away, Yuseong sensed something and stopped walking.

“Everyone stop!”

Yuseong wasn’t the only one who felt something strange.

The warrior from a major guild temporarily in command raised his hand and ordered everyone to halt.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

A heavy resonance.

The faint sound that seemed to come from far away began getting closer, then suddenly seemed to be right nearby before disappearing in an instant.

Just as everyone’s tension reached its peak, someone pointed at a nearby building and shouted.

“There!”

What was there was a Lizardman.

No, it was a Lizardman priest wearing what appeared to be an antique priestly robe and holding a staff.

“Shaaaaaak!”

“…What’s it saying?”

“It’s probably threatening us? Something like ‘Leave now or we’ll attack.’ That kind of thing.”

An unidentified sound that seemed like both a resonance and a whistle.

Though it seemed to be saying something, no one could guess its meaning.

Except for one person – Yuseong.

Primal Language, Babel was a skill that could perfectly understand and speak all types of languages regardless of dimension and race.

For Babel, which had succeeded in decoding even the language of Outer Gods beyond human comprehension, interpreting the Lizardman’s language was as easy as pie.

Thus, understanding the Lizardman’s words, Yuseong couldn’t help but be surprised.

‘Dialogue and treaty?’

That Lizardman was looking for someone who could communicate.

Though he knew some monsters possessed intelligence, Yuseong was startled, having never encountered a monster smart enough to attempt dialogue and mention treaties.

“Sss! Are there any humans who can understand my words!”

“…”

“Sssss! If you cannot understand, then listen without understanding! I am High Priest Nord, tasked with protecting this holy land, Dragonia! We do not wish to fight with you! If you withdraw now, I swear by the great Dragon God to see you safely away! But if you intend to continue advancing…”

As the Lizardman priest’s words trailed off, dozens of Lizardmen revealed themselves from the surroundings.

“You will pay the price for defiling this holy land.”

Yuseong’s eyes narrowed at the fluent speech that clearly showed intelligence.

The two-dimensional beings appearing on Earth now.

People had been simply lumping them together under the term ‘monster’ which meant beasts, and Yuseong had unconsciously thought of them the same way, but according to users’ explanations, they weren’t simple monsters.

‘Fragments of broken dimensions and losers drifting in search of new sanctuary.’

In other words, these weren’t simple monsters.

They were intelligent races that had lived in another dimension.

‘Okay. I get that. But now what do I do?’

If he showed he could understand and freely speak the Lizardmen’s language in front of so many people, he would instantly become a worldwide celebrity.

Having his identity revealed to other users would be a bonus.

A situation where he couldn’t step forward despite knowing the circumstances.

Seeing people not moving an inch while aiming their weapons, Nord made a grim expression and said.

“Ignorance does not grant forgiveness. Intruders, pay the price for defiling this holy land.”

Bang!

With his tail striking the ground, the Lizardmen forming the encirclement began letting out strange cries.

“Ancestors! Lend your strength to your foolish descendants!”

‘That’s it!’

The soul entities that appeared with the Lizardmen’s cries.

Through Eye of Truth, Yuseong succeeded in memorizing every detail of how the souls appeared and settled into the Lizardmen’s crowns without missing anything.

Crunch! Crunch!

The bodies of the Lizardmen who received the souls began to change.

Their bent backs straightened, unknown characters appeared floating above their scales, and their small frames transformed into thick, muscular bodies.

A form more fitting to be called Dragonkin than Lizardmen.

Even though words couldn’t be understood, people’s atmosphere also began to grow ominous as they could sufficiently read the Lizardmen’s hostility towards them.

“Everyone prepare for battle!”

“Attack.”

No sooner had the priest’s order fallen than dozens of Lizardmen began charging in, and the Contractors also formed ranks to intercept them.

Crash!

The most important thing when groups clash is seizing the initiative.

Various powerful spells and arrows made of special materials began raining down on the Lizardmen’s heads.

Some people were already wearing confident smiles, certain of victory against the attacks that seemed endless, as if they would leave no trace.

However, when the Lizardmen began emerging through the bombardment, people realized something was wrong.

Crunch!

“…Huh?”

A surreal scene where a thick greatsword bent like taffy in one strike, and a large young man was sent flying without even managing a scream.

The faces of those who knew this warrior was a fairly powerful Contractor turned pale.

“W-wait! There’s no way Lizardmen could be this strong…”

“Mage! Don’t just watch, do something!”

“What magic am I supposed to use at this close range? Support or whatever needs some distance, right!”

“S-sorry! I can’t die here! My family is waiting for me at home!”

“That bastard’s running! Catch him!”

Some bravely fought the Lizardmen, some requested help from those around them, and some fled without looking back.

Complete chaos.

And Yuseong was coldly observing the entire situation from one step away.

‘They’re subduing people without killing them?’

Yuseong’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the Lizardmen who, despite having plenty of opportunities, were subduing people by lightly striking with the flat of their blades or hitting pressure points to knock them unconscious.

Between the Lizardmen wanting dialogue and this, these creatures seemed somehow different from monsters that unconditionally hostile to humans.

“How dare you be distracted on the battlefield!”

A Lizardman who spotted Yuseong lost in thought swung his fist with a contemptuous expression.

A heavy bursting sound and blood spraying through the air.

Of course, the owner of that blood was not Yuseong but the Lizardman.

“Kuhek!”

An elbow thrust lightly while taking one step back.

Though it was a simple elbow strike, the magical power flowing through Energy Release had enough force to pierce through the Lizardman’s tough scales and muscles and wreck its insides.

“Sssss! Capture that human!”

The Lizardmen ground their teeth and charged at Yuseong who had taken down their comrade in one blow.

And as soon as Yuseong noticed he had become their target, he began running away without looking back.

‘Fighting head-on would be dangerous.’

The Lizardmen’s strength was at an alarming level.

If he insisted on fighting bare-handed, he could barely handle four or five, and even with his axe out, at best ten?

An even bigger problem than the Lizardman warriors was the Lizardman priest called Nord.

Whether it was intuition or the influence of his abnormally increased Wisdom and Spirit stats, he had a strong feeling that staying here any longer would not end well.

“Think you can escape! Ssss! Art of the Great Dragon’s Descent!”

Grrrrrng!

As the Lizardman priest chanted his spell, a nearby dragon statue began moving as if alive.

“This is insane?”

Screams erupted from people’s mouths.

Just calculating the destructive power from its size and weight alone, Contractors who could face that statue head-on could be counted on one hand in Korea.

Taking that thing on isn’t courage or anything else.

Just recklessness.

Even those who had maintained their fighting spirit until now began running in the opposite direction without looking back after seeing the statue move.

However, Yuseong instead charged straight at the statue.

‘A direct collision would turn me into a bloody pancake right away.’

Even if he raised all his stats to 299 points using the newly opened stat increase right, it wasn’t enough to compete in strength with a massive statue estimated to weigh at least tens of tons.

The result wouldn’t change even if he mobilized all his skills and items.

Considering its size, the plasma axe would at best inflict scratches, and even Energy Release which somewhat ignores defense didn’t have enough power to subdue such a massive body in one go.

But Yuseong had an ace up his sleeve.

‘It blocks external impacts through the harmony and balance of two energies of different natures. But they don’t necessarily have to be different. Using opposing energies is just because energies of the same nature would merge into one, but if you can control two energies to prevent them from mixing…’

The incomprehensible eyes that see and understand everything.

A bizarre ability unprecedented in history that turned a girl who had lived as an experimental subject her whole life into a monster capable of destroying a country in just a few years.

Though Kang Changseok showed it without thinking, Eye of Truth could penetrate everything from the principles to the activation formula of Ying-yang Foresight Barrier just by seeing it once.

Wooooong!

Magical power gathered in both palms.

Like two water drops touching about to merge into one side, two magical powers of the same nature began trembling as if about to combine into one, but ultimately did not merge.

The sense and control of magical power developed due to the Wisdom stat that had increased dramatically after obtaining the Forbidden Knowledge formula made the impossible possible.

A miracle created by Eye of Truth, Forbidden Knowledge formula, and Wisdom stat coming together as one.

And Yuseong brought that miracle to meet the statue’s arm coming toward him.

Tong!

A dull sound like beating a drum.

Surprisingly, the attack carrying the weight of the tens of tons heavy statue couldn’t pierce through the small barrier nestled between Yuseong’s palms and was deflected elsewhere.

“What?”

Screams burst from the Lizardmen’s mouths at the unbelievable sight.

‘I’m sorry. And thank you. Kang Changseok.’

Though it wouldn’t reach him personally, Yuseong sent an apology in his heart for treating him roughly until now, and thanks for teaching him a new technique, before launching himself into the city center, leaving the Lizardmen behind.