Record of a Thousand Lives

Chapter 189

The King of the Underworld’s power allowed Kang Yoon-Soo to use the abilities of anything he had killed in his thousandth life, but the bone’s durability would be reduced each time. It indeed bestowed him with a powerful ability, but he had to use it at the right place at the right time.

‘The first ability I have to use is…’?Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

He gripped the King of the Underworld’s Summoning Bone while thinking of the creature he had killed. Then, the summoning bone unleashed a flash of green light before being absorbed by Kang Yoon-Soo, granting him his desired ability.

“Your joke sounds too arrogant. I do not find it funny,” the Dragon of Destruction said, then struck down with its claw aimed at the human standing before it.

Baaam!

A force strong enough to smash a large castle bore down on Kang Yoon-Soo, and the powerful impact made the earth tremble and carved up the ground of the swamp.

At that moment, the Dragon of Destruction’s golden eyes suddenly shot wide open.

Kwachik…!

Kang Yoon-Soo emerged unscathed from the ground; he had not been crushed by the force of the dragon’s foot. The party members who were unleashing their attacks at the Dragon of Destruction could not believe their eyes when they saw what had happened.

Kang Yoon-Soo was blocking the dragon’s claw with one hand.

[You have borrowed the power of the dead.]

[You have selected ‘Old Colossus Raujan’.]

[Location Killed: Desert of Death.]

[Ability Obtained: Colossus’ Mighty Strength.]

[The durability of the King of the Underworld’s Summoning Bone has been reduced by 5%.]

[Remaining Durability: 95%.]

Kang Yoon-Soo had personally dealt the final blow to the Colossus Raujan during the war against Kartheon in the Desert of Death. It might have been an old, senile Colossus, but its strength had still been great enough to let it overpower the Ignus Dragon.

This was the mighty strength of the Colossi race!

Kang Yoon-Soo’s hand trembled and his muscles were in agony, but he was still holding back the Dragon of Destruction’s claw with one hand.

‘Amazing,’?he thought.

The King of the Underworld’s Summoning Bone was an item he had obtained for the first time in his thousandth life, and he had already expected it to be an amazing item just based on the fact that it was something he had only received after clearing all of the trials in that nightmarish book. However, its effects were so good that it exceeded Kang Yoon-Soo’s wildest imaginations.

‘I can take whatever ability I want from the things I killed in this life.’

The King of the Underworld’s Summoning Bone had different effects depending on its user. It would not have been much help to an adventurer who played it safe by sticking to normal hunting grounds, but Kang Yoon-Soo was different. He had lived much more recklessly compared to anyone else in his final life, and the creatures he had killed in this life were strong enough to threaten the safety of the entire continent. That meant he would be able to exploit the King of the Underworld’s Summoning Bone’s ability to the fullest.

[You will have to pay a hefty price for using the abilities of the dead.]

[The summoning bone will pay that price for you.]

[The King of the Underworld’s power will disappear once the summoning bone’s durability reaches zero.]

[You will have to pay the price instead if your target is still alive after the King of the Underworld’s power is used up.]

However, it would result in Kang Yoon-Soo’s defeat if the King of the Underworld’s Summoning Bone lost all of its durability and turned into dust.

Kang Yoon-Soo put the bone back in his pocket, taking the dragon’s claw in both hands and starting to push it back.

The Dragon of Destruction grimaced and said, “I see that you are making me use all of my strength.”

The force behind the dragon’s claw slowly became stronger. In the end, Kang Yoon-Soo failed to win in the contest of strength, so he decided to take a step back. The dragon’s claw smashed into the ground, leaving a large crater.

Kang Yoon-Soo used that opening to climb onto the dragon’s foot and rush up its leg. The Dragon of Destruction failed to react in time when the tiny human started climbing up it due to the sheer size of its own body.

Then, Kang Yoon-Soo took out his halberd and swung it as hard as he could at the Dragon of Destruction’s chest.

Kwachik!

[You have displayed monstrous strength!]

[Your strength has surpassed the limit of human ability!]

[Your attack has ignored the Dragon of Destruction’s defense because of the Ignus Dragon’s Amulet.]

[The Dragon of Destruction’s life force has been reduced by 0.03%.]

[The Bloody Halberd of Vengeance has used up all of its durability because of your monstrous strength.]

[Your weapon has shattered into pieces!]

The halberd could not withstand the force of the monstrous strength he had displayed, and broke on the spot.

.

‘The weapon can’t withstand the strength of a Colossus,’?Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

The halberd he had obtained from the trial could be considered a powerful weapon, but the strength of a Colossus was so great that even a high-ranked weapon could not withstand its full force.

Kang Yoon-Soo jumped down from the dragon’s chest and rolled across the ground before looking up at the dragon’s chest. Although the damage he had dealt was insignificant, he had still been able to tear through some of the dragon’s scales and leave a scratch on its body.

“All forces, focus your attacks on the wound on the Dragon of Destruction’s chest,” Kang Yoon-Soo commanded. Between that command and the display of courage he had shown, it was more than enough to make the army’s morale skyrocket once more.

“Waaaaaaaaaah!”

“Our savior is fighting against the mighty dragon!”

“Let’s fight alongside our savior and lend him our strength!”

The titans began using their stone arrows and javelins with a roar. The men ran up the dragon’s leg and unleashed several powerful attacks. The rest of the party used whatever skills they had, either to attack the dragon or provide support to the army.

The focused barrage targeting the Dragon of Destruction’s chest managed to inflict a minuscule amount of damage to its life force. The scales that Kang Yoon-Soo had torn through allowed the army’s attacks to pierce through the dragon’s defense.

“It has been quite a while since I last experienced being wounded while in my dragon form. You are starting to get on my nerves, old geezer,” the Dragon of Destruction said before shaking its body and spreading its wings. The men clinging to it fell off one by one, and the Dragon of Destruction grabbed Kang Yoon-Soo in its claws, saying, “Let us go into the sky.”

“Nooo!” the entire army screamed in despair. However, the Dragon of Destruction paid them no heed as it flapped its wings and shot up into the sky.

The dragon’s lair was located underground, but a blue sky existed due to the Dragon of Destruction’s magic. Thus, it rose up high with its gigantic body, flying far enough up to make it difficult to breathe..

“I think this is a good place to end your life, old geezer,” the Dragon of Destruction said, preparing to unleash its dragon’s breath. It opened its claws in preparation for using its breath, but Kang Yoon-Soo was nowhere to be found.

Just as the Dragon of Destruction furrowed its brow and turned around, something struck it in the crown of its breath.

Pukeok!

“Kruuuuwaaaah!”?The Dragon of Destruction roared, squirming in agony. However, Kang Yoon-Soo clung to the dragon’s head, refusing to let go of it.

‘I don’t have a weapon with me right now that can withstand a Colossus’ strength,’?Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

He was certain that whatever weapons he had in his backpack would simply shatter in a single strike. He needed at least a legendary weapon for it to withstand the mighty power of a Colossus, but he did not have any such weapons at the moment.

In the end, Kang Yoon-Soo decided to use the primitive weapon that humans had from birth, thinking, ‘I’ill just beat it to a pulp with my fists.’

Kang Yoon-Soo clung to the broken scales with his legs, then smashed his fist into the wound in the dragon’s chest.

Pukeok! Pukeok! Pukeok!

[You have punched the Dragon of Destruction with your bare fist!]

[You are the first on the continent to punch a dragon!]

[All of the adventurers on the continent will admire you for your bravery.]

Punching an enemy with one’s bare fists would not be as effective as using a weapon, but if it had one advantage, that would have to be the fact that it made it possible to deliver quick, consecutive blows.

‘The?life when I used to beat everything up with my fists…’?Kang Yoon-Soo thought. He had brought a knight captain wearing plate armor to his knees in his previous life as a Martial Artist, and the only thing that was different in this life was the fact that he was beating up a dragon instead.

Kang Yoon-Soo punched so quickly that his hands looked as if they were starting to multiply.

Peuk! Peuk! Peuk! Peuk! Peuk! Peuk! Peuk!

[You will deal more damage because of your Ice Gauntlets.]

[You will deal additional frost damage every five attacks.]

[You may give your target a concussion if you hit it with your 300th consecutive strike.]

The effect of the Ice Gauntlets he had obtained from the northern area raised punching attacks’ damage by 130% and applied a small amount of frost damage. They were considered gloves, so their durability did not go down in spite of the mighty strength of the Colossus.

Gauntlets were not particularly important pieces of equipment, but the Ice Gauntlets’ usefulness had been greatly amplified along with Kang Yoon-Soo’s strength. The Dragon of Destruction’s scales started to crack whenever Kang Yoon-Soo smashed his fist into them. Additionally, the continued critical hits delivered shockwaves to the dragon’s head.

The dragon’s flight gradually became more erratic as the number of punches Kang Yoon-Soo delivered started to pile up.

“Kruwaaah!”?The Dragon of Destruction roared.

[The Dragon of Destruction has suffered a concussion!]

[The dragon’s brain has temporarily stalled.]

The dragon suffered a concussion. Such status ailments would not last long on a dragon; however, it became unable to continue flying. Its gigantic body started to fall the moment its wings stopped flapping, and a massive earthquake erupted the moment it crashed into the filthy swamp.

Baaaaaaaaaaam!

[The Dragon of Destruction has crashed!]

[The dragon’s life force has been reduced by 4%.]

[The swamp’s earth has been split open.]

[The tree roots beneath the earth have been exposed.]

Kang Yoon-Soo did not come out unscathed from the crash, however. The Dragon of Destruction had absorbed most of the damage, but he had been flung off of its body in return due to the impact. Whether it could be called fortunate or unfortunate overall, however, he landed in the soft part of the swamp.

[You have fallen into a sinking swamp!]

[You will sink more the more you try to resist!]

[Your movement speed will be slowed down.]

[You will find it difficult to breathe.]

Kang Yoon-Soo knew what to do to get out of a sinking swamp. He calmed his breath, then slowly began moving in order to crawl toward a more solid part of the swamp.

“This is quite irritating,” the Dragon of Destruction said while shaking its head, right before slamming its tail downward.

Just as Kang Yoon-Soo was about to free himself from the sinking swamp, he was plunged down into the deepest part by the dragon’s tail. He was barely able to keep his head and arms afloat, but his body could not move at all no matter how much he struggled to exit. It was gradually becoming more and more difficult for him to breathe, as mud started to enter his mouth and block his airway.

He had been fighting against a dragon just moments before, but he was about to meet a pathetic demise by drowning in a filthy swamp.

Just as Kang Yoon-Soo was thinking about whether to sacrifice the summoning bone’s durability and call forth a swamp monster, a thin thread-like thing wrapped around his hand. He pulled on the thread as hard as he could without any hesitation, and he was soon freed from the swamp.

Henrick pulled back his mana thread after getting Kang Yoon-Soo out of the swamp. He said, “I came over after hearing a sound. Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied, before turning directly toward the Dragon of Destruction while still covered in mud.

The Dragon of Destruction seemed to still be feeling the concussion it had sustained, as it scratched its head and said, “You suddenly became stronger, old geezer. However, you are still weak.”

“Why don’t we talk after you take off those ragged scales of yours, eh?!” Danesh shouted, and the rest of the army let out a battle cry.

However, the Dragon of Destruction was not angered at all. In fact, it seemed quite optimistic, as if it agreed with what the human had just said.

“Yes, that is probably the best thing for me to do right now,” it said as its scales slowly started to thin out before falling to the ground. Afterward, an extremely fine layer of shiny scales replaced the previous ones.

[The Dragon of Destruction has shed its scales.]

[The dragon’s new scales are sturdier than the old ones.]

[The dragon’s defense has increased.]

[The dragon’s magic resistance has explosively increased.]

[The Dragon of Destruction will now assert its authority over magic.]

[The Dragon of Destruction's magic power is said to be stronger than an Archmage’s.]

The dragon had become even stronger after shedding its scales. The entire army fell silent, and none of them could even react to the message in front of them.

The Dragon of Destruction slowly began to say, “I will admit that you are strong, old geezer. However, you are still a human in the end. The dragon race is naturally stronger than the human race.”

“I agree,” Kang Yoon-Soo admitted, and another green light flashed from the summoning bone.

[You have borrowed the power of the dead.]

[You have selected ‘Necromancer Rawelkan’.]

[Location Killed: Trial Within the Book ‘Horrible History’.]

[Ability Obtained: High-Ranking Necromancer Skill, Bone Dragon Transformation Skill.]

[The durability of the King of the Underworld’s Summoning Bone has been reduced by 5%.]

[Remaining Durability: 90%.]

[Do you wish to combine the ability effects?]

[Additional durability will be taken from the King of the Underworld’s Summoning Bone.]

The second message was unexpected, but Kang Yoon-Soo immediately agreed to it.

[The Colossus’ Mighty Strength and Rawelkan’s skills have combined together.]

[The durability of the King of the Underworld’s Summoning Bone has been reduced by 10%.]

[Remaining Durability: 80%.]

The green light from the summoning bone did not fade, however.

[You have borrowed the power of the dead.]

[You have selected ‘Vampire Lord Argoric Hermon’.]

[Location Killed: Sanguineum.]

[Ability Obtained: Master Rank Life Drain, Master Rank Mind Control.]

[The durability of the King of the Underworld’s Summoning Bone has been reduced by 5%.]

[Remaining Durability: 75%.]

[The three abilities have combined together.]

[The durability of the King of the Underworld’s Summoning Bone has been reduced by 20%.]

[Remaining Durability: 55%.]

[You have borrowed the power of the dead.]

[You have selected ‘Ancient Emperor of Time, Kartheon De Rasil’.]

[Location Killed: Desert of Death.]

[Abilities Obtained: Time Freeze, Time Regression, Time Resurrection, Drain Life Force.]

[+You will not be able to revert time to replenish the summoning bone’s durability.]

[Using any time skills will decrease the summoning bone’s durability.]

[The durability of the King of the Underworld’s Summoning Bone has been reduced by 5%.]

[Remaining Durability: 50%.]

[The four abilities have combined together.]

[The durability of the King of the Underworld’s Summoning Bone has been reduced by 30%.]

[Remaining Durability: 20%.]

Kang Yoon-Soo could feel power wildly flowing through his body. He said, “Give me a sword.”

“Yes, sir!” a titan soldier replied enthusiastically, passing a stone sword to him.

Kang Yoon-Soo grabbed the sharp sword, which was made out of the extremely hard stone found underground. The sword would be more than enough for him to stab through anything if he paired it with the Colossus’ mighty strength.

The Dragon of Destruction laughed arrogantly and asked, “Do you plan to fight me with a measly sword like that?”

“No,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied before raising the stone sword.

Kwachik!

Then, he stabbed his own forehead with it.