Chapter 228: A Human Weapon [2]

Countless black tentacles burst from every direction.

They surged toward me like living spears, twisting and writhing with terrifying speed.

"Damn!"

I shifted my footing without hesitation and swung my sword.

"Lightning Slash!"

Mana surged through the blade, and a brilliant arc of electricity burst forward, carving a path through the writhing mass of tentacles.

Without stopping, I sprinted straight toward him.

For a brief moment, I thought I had an opening.

Then dozens of tentacles erupted from the ground.

"Tch!"

I immediately changed direction.

BOOM!

The spot where I’d been standing exploded a heartbeat later, stone and debris flying in every direction.

I clicked my tongue and raised my sword again.

Using Furion’s ability, I intercepted the tentacles rushing toward me, slicing them apart one after another.

One.

Five.

Ten.

Twenty.

No matter how many I cut down, it didn’t matter.

The severed tentacles writhed for a moment before new ones burst from the old man’s body, replacing them almost instantly.

If anything...

There were even more than before.

"...Are they multiplying?"

A chill ran down my spine.

This wasn’t a battle I could win through attrition.

THUD!

"Ghk!"

A blinding pain exploded across my shoulder.

One of the tentacles had slipped into my blind spot while I was focused on the others.

The impact launched me across the warehouse.

"Cough...!"

The air was forced from my lungs as I slammed into the ground.

My vision blurred.

Barely able to focus, I noticed another shadow hurtling toward me.

Instinct took over.

I threw myself backward.

BOOM!

The tentacle crashed into the floor where my head had been only a split second earlier, leaving behind a deep crater.

"...That was close."

Breathing heavily, I staggered to my feet.

The old man looked at me with obvious disappointment.

"I truly don’t understand," he said with a sneer. "What exactly do you think you can accomplish with such pitiful strength?"

He spread his arms as countless tentacles writhed behind him like a living sea.

"Just stay quietly in a corner and witness my evolution, child."

My back struck something solid.

A wall.

I glanced around.

The corner where I’d retreated seemed to be outside the tentacles’ effective range. They stretched toward me, but stopped just short, twisting restlessly as if held back by an invisible boundary.

A temporary safe zone.

"..."

I tightened my grip on my sword.

This couldn’t continue.

At this rate...

I’d do nothing but watch as this monster completed its transformation.

Watch as the world headed toward destruction.

No.

I refused.

"Haa..."

A tired sigh escaped my lips.

"I really didn’t want to use this."

Ignoring the pain screaming through my battered body, I slowly stood upright.

The old man’s expression changed.

"...What are you planning?"

"Well..." I smiled bitterly.

"When you’re out of options..."

"...you have to gamble on the last one."

For the first time since the battle began, unease appeared on his face.

"What are you doing?"

Without answering, I reached into my pocket.

The Dreamscape Orb rested quietly in my palm.

Its surface shimmered with an ethereal light, almost as if it understood what I intended to do.

"...Sorry."

Whether I was apologizing to the orb or to myself, I wasn’t sure.

I released the illusion covering it, allowing it to return to its original spherical form.

The old man’s eyes widened.

"Wait...!"

I raised the orb.

Then—

Without another moment’s hesitation—

I threw it into my mouth...

...and swallowed it whole.

I had no idea if this would actually work.

There was no guarantee. No proof.

It was nothing more than a desperate gamble.

Still... I remembered a scene from the original webtoon.

During a life-or-death battle, the protagonist had done something completely insane. Instead of using the artifact, he swallowed it.

Everyone around him thought he had lost his mind.

But the result... changed everything.

"...Here goes."

I took a deep breath.

There was no time to hesitate. If I waited any longer, I’d lose my chance.

Without allowing myself to think twice, I tossed the Dreamscape Orb into my mouth and swallowed it.

"...Ghk!"

The moment it slid down my throat, an unbearable heat erupted inside my body.

"Urgh...!"

I doubled over, clutching my stomach.

It felt as though something had exploded deep within me. A torrent of energy surged through every vein, every muscle, every bone.

Every cell in my body screamed to life.

The sensation was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

My body felt unbearably heavy, as if a mountain had been placed on my shoulders. Yet at the same time, it felt so light that I could almost float.

The two completely opposite sensations existed together, refusing to make sense.

Then...

Crackle.

A tiny spark danced across my fingertips.

Another followed.

Soon, countless arcs of electricity burst from my body, crawling across my skin like living serpents. They illuminated the surroundings with flashes of blue-white light, filling the air with the sharp scent of ozone.

The mana inside me no longer felt like a quiet stream.

It was a raging ocean.

An endless tide that refused to stop.

"...This..."

I slowly raised my trembling hand.

The world looked different.

Every movement of mana in the air was crystal clear. The faintest currents flowing through the atmosphere were now visible to me, as if an entirely new sense had awakened.

Even my hearing had sharpened. I could make out distant footsteps, the subtle crackling of electricity around me, even the rhythm of my own heartbeat.

Power overflowed from every part of my body.

It was exhilarating... and terrifying at the same time.

For a brief moment, I wondered if this was what the protagonist had felt back then.

I clenched my fist.

Lightning surged around it with a deafening crack, exploding outward before settling into a calm hum.

A smile slowly spread across my face.

It worked.

Against all odds... it actually worked.

My reckless gamble had paid off.

From this moment onward...

I was no longer just an ordinary swordsman.

I had become something far more dangerous.

A human weapon.