Chapter 124: Time Limit

I teleported straight to Russia. I’d heard a new dungeon had appeared here, so I started searching while flying through the sky.

It was different from any dungeon I’d seen before, so it took a little time to find—eventually, I pinpointed a place thick with mana and swarming with monsters.

“Phoenix, I’m counting on you!”

I sent the Phoenix to handle the monsters on the ground and headed straight for the dungeon.

I landed in front of the cave entrance, pulled a single bag from the pocket dimension, and paused time to check inside.

It was a mana core—a stat-boosting item I’d acquired through my Hunter class skill, “Dissection.” Monsters drop them occasionally, but I’d always just stuffed them in a bag instead of eating them.

Because each one’s effect was so small.

But now, with even a slight boost to my base stats being crucial, they’d become a vital upgrade. I ate all the dozens of mana cores I had.

It made me queasy… all at once.

I pulled out my Hunter class board and touched its surface. In Russia, I’d be leveling up this class. Even if each mana core’s effect was tiny, piled up, they’d add up.

I considered pausing time and advancing through the dungeon—but then I’d get no experience, and couldn’t collect any more mana cores. So I let time flow again and rushed toward the lowest level—

【—England】

The sun was rising. It was getting light. England looked like morning. I’d finished clearing Russia… and with that, I’d maxed out my Hunter class board—four total boards, all capped.

【Class Skills】

Dissection Rank C → A

Acquired Skills: Spatial Perception ×5, Enemy Detection ×4, Thousand-Mile Eye ×2

Alright, the English dragon’s the most troublesome monster around… gotta take them out efficiently or I’ll run out of time.

Can’t think of any better way to clear them all at once than this.

“Summon—come forth! Flame Dragon King Shiva!!”

The dragon king emerged from the light magic circle, flames blazing, descending once more upon English soil.

Shiva let out a roar so loud it seemed to shake the entire island. She can influence the dragons’ movements to some extent, after all.

If I use that……

A flock of flying dragons began gathering in the sky. Once I confirmed a decent number had gathered, I gave Shiva the order to attack.

“Burn them all! Breath of Ruin—!!”

The fireballs unleashed by the Flame Dragon King shot straight toward the hundreds of flying dragons. They exploded midair, blanketing the entire sky in light and searing heat.

A shockwave like a nuclear blast spread out, clouds billowing—every single flying dragon was erased.

The “Demon King” class board I’d prepared beforehand hit maximum capacity.

“Not bad… really efficient.”

I moved across England, using Shiva’s power to gather the dragons and incinerate them all at once.

I even spotted Earth Dragons mid-migration, so I took them out completely in “Niflheim—the Frozen World of Eternal Parting.”

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

【England, Wiltshire Government Underground Facility】

“Something’s going on out there… noisy, isn’t it?”

“Are the dragons rampaging!?”

Those sheltering underground couldn’t see what was happening outside, so their anxiety only grew.

“Is the Teacher here?”

“Yeah, probably. Noah said he’d definitely come.”

The twin brothers, Raphael and Gabriel, who came to England with Noah, are huddled together in the shelter. Yet neither of them shows the slightest worry.

They trust Gojo and Noah that much.

"Should be out of here soon."

"Yep, if the Teacher’s come, we’re fine!"

While everyone else around them panics and scrambles, the twins just chat casually, relaxed as they wait for help.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

When we reach Brixton in England, a massive blue dragon is waiting for us. Its entire body is encased in what looks like an icy shell.

"A dragon made of ice…?"

Among all the fake Leaders I’ve seen, this one looks the strongest. But Shiva won’t lose. Still… one thing I want to test.

I focus both hands, gathering two separate magical forces. The strongest magic I can summon—lightning is "Thunder Emperor," fire is "Inferno, the Ultimate Hellfire."

If I can combine them into a "Compound Magic," it’ll be a devastating weapon. My Compound Magic rank’s already reached "S"…

If this works on a Dragon Leader with resistance to magic, it’ll prove it’s real.

I channel "Thunder Emperor" into my right hand, "Inferno" into my left. Focus everything… here it comes—

"Thunder God Annihilation!!"

A lightning bolt splits sky and earth, piercing through the ice dragon’s body and blasting a hole into the ground. The ice dragon—supposedly immune to magic—lets out a feeble cry, staggering backward.

Fire erupts from within its body, flames bursting out from every crack.

"Now! Shiva, finish it!"

Shiva gathered immense magic within its mouth, spewing forth a fireball that obliterated the ice dragon into scattered fragments. Where it had stood, only a crater remained—everything else erased.

That should be enough to secure England...…

After the battle, my职业 board had maxed out at two "Devil Kings" and four "Holy Warriors." Checking my stats—

【职业技能】

Barrier Art Rank B → S

Dark Blessing Rank C → A

Acquired Skills: Intimidation (I) ×2, Mental Resistance (I) ×3

Physical Resistance (I) ×4, Magic Resistance (I) ×5

Acquired Magic: Dark Magic (I) ×3, Light Magic (I) ×5

I erased Shiva and instantly teleported to France.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

In France, swarms of insect-like monsters had erupted everywhere. Bees and flies choked the skies; giant locust-like creatures attacked people mercilessly.

The sheer number was overwhelming—people could only flee in panic.

And in Paris, a massive flower monster had grown, believed to be the source generating the insects, prompting the French military to respond.

But regular troops couldn’t stand a chance against such creatures.

Then—

“Circle around and strike the target!”

“Got it!”

Two F35 Lightning II fighter jets dodged through the dense swarm of insects in the air, launching an assault on the flower monster. Missiles launched from their wings struck the base and stem of the flower.

They tore into the monster’s surface, dealing solid damage.

At this crisis, “Prometheus”—previously inactive—had been urgently deployed. With help from former forcibly used paranormals, they’d hastily equipped and prepared the unit.

The Prometheus crew didn’t know, but plenty of them felt guilty for how badly they’d treated paranormals.

That’s exactly why they all wanted to prove themselves—show the world they were a new organization working alongside paranormals. That was the mission of every single soldier who’d taken part.

Two of them circled high above, preparing to attack again.

The F35 Lightning II had launched in “Beast Mode,” loaded to the max with missiles. They thought if they hit every single one, even a Leader could be brought down… but.

Just as the fighter entered attack range, an overwhelming swarm of insects descended. Too fast to dodge. Both aircraft exploded midair.

Even the pilots who’d ejected didn’t make it—caught in the air by the swarm, they died.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

I’m here in France—teleported in an instant.

Look around—there’s a swarm of insects so vast it covers the sky. Is this what France’s monsters look like…? The swarm’s heading straight for me.

I pour magic into the atmosphere across all of France, altering the air currents. At the same time, I gather moisture in the air, merging the power of wind and water.

“Composite magic—Supreme Tempest!!”

A massive storm erupts, swallowing the countless insect monsters whole. Within the storm, water slashes like arrows, piercing through their bodies.

Eventually, the storm condenses into a single, all-destroying tornado.

Each individual monster is weak, but their sheer numbers gave me an enormous amount of experience. Several职业 boards maxed out, and in the end, only one flower-based Leader remained.

I send a signal to the phoenix that’s been with me all along.

She raises a hand toward the sky, summoning a massive fireball with the spell Inferno—hell’s ultimate flame. The phoenix shoots upward, diving straight into the fireball.

The phoenix, having absorbed all the energy from the massive fireball, descended as a swirling mass of flames—then suddenly became a colossal bird of fire, charging straight toward the flower’s Leader.

Even the Leader of the flowers hurls thorns, but the body of the phoenix, the embodiment of fire, doesn’t even feel them—everything passes right through.

The phoenix slammed into the enemy—boom!—a massive explosion rocked the area, and the monster took devastating damage.

The fire didn’t die down—it roared higher, twisting into a flaming vortex that burned the Leader to ash.

"Sixth one...!"

The职业 board that got stuck in France had four cards total—two Alchemists and two Wise Ones.

[Profession Skill]

Occult Library Rank D → A

Alchemy Rank B → A

Acquired Skills: Magic Affinity (I) ×2, Telepathy (I) ×3

Magic Amplification (I) ×2, Blessing (I) ×2

I’m heading toward Angora, my final destination.

Ankora had never been to this country before, so getting here was a hassle, but the monsters that appeared weren’t all that strong—she easily took down even the fake “Leader.”

The skill board was maxed out at seven 【Thief】 cards.

[Occupational Skill]

Seizure Rank D → SS

Acquired Skill: Mimic (I) ×17

The thief's close-combat skill "Steal" and the acquisition skill "Imitate" were seriously useful. With those, I took down all seven "Leader wannabes" within the time limit.

Only thirty-four out of fifty-three职业 boards maxed out... couldn’t get them all, but that’s plenty, right?

I should be able to outclass the Black Knight even with just base stats now.

I opened a rift into the sub-space leading to Bangkok.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

With magical abilities spreading across the world and monsters dwindling rapidly, people began to firmly believe in Gojo’s return.

The news that Gojo had appeared didn’t spread all at once—communication was still jammed—but it seeped through, slowly, yet inevitably, across the globe.

And then—

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

【——Current Location: Bangkok】

Right as our Teacher appeared before us, chaos erupted around the Leader. A monster mid-flight had its arm torn off, and the Leader himself was being attacked by someone…

“Too late.”

There they were—Wang and the “Suzaku” members, arriving alongside the Teacher.

Wang moved with terrifying speed, his staff whirling, disorienting the Leader. Then, with a full-body surge of ki, he unleashed a devastating strike—piercing straight into the Leader’s throat.

The Leader staggered back, forced to retreat.

In that instant, the Teacher leapt from the rooftop, landing hard on the ground. Just as he turned toward me—

Leo and Anna were left behind as the Black Knight charged forward with full force, sword raised high.

『Dimension Slash!』

A black grid-shaped slash surged toward the Teacher.

“Teacher!!”

“Dimension Slash.”

The Teacher swung his blade—cutting through the air with a streak of black light. The grid clashed with the Black Knight’s attack.

A deafening metallic screech erupted, shockwaves rippling out. The Black Knight took a single step back, barely holding his ground.

Before I could even blink—the Teacher was right in front of the Black Knight.

“After taking that much… you could’ve copied it, right?”

The Teacher slammed the Black Knight’s face with a left fist radiating terrifying qi—*crack!* Metal twisted, warped, and the Black Knight went flying.

He slammed into the building’s wall and stopped, but the impact shattered the wall. The outer structure collapsed, burying the Black Knight beneath rubble.

“Don’t interrupt while I’m talking to a student.”