Chapter 17: The king of thunderstorm (2)

The redirected thunderbolt had crashed into the dragon’s own jaw like divine irony. The Lantern burned out in Ye-Jun’s hand, and the stat boost pulsed through our bodies like fire laced with adrenaline. [Buff Activated: ALL PARTY STATS +100% for 10:00] Muscles tensed. Weapons glowed. Breathing synced. The redirected thunderbolt cracked into the dragon’s chin—and for the first time, Nameless looked surprised. A mistake. He realized it was too late. Now we weren’t just standing. We were storming.We weren’t just survivors anymore. We were a threat. [Flash back] A night before the confrontation with the dragon. The camera blinked off. Silence lingered like the echo of a final sentence. None of us said much for a while. Ye-Rin stirred a spoon in her now-cold soup. Seo-Yeon leaned against the wall, arms folded. Mi-Sun sat cross-legged on the floor, gazing into nothing. "Alright," I said, cracking my knuckles. "We all hit Level 10. That means something new’s unlocked." "The summons," Mother said quietly, her bloody-red eyes flickering. "Everyone summon your card selections. I will tell you what to choose". "How?" In-ji confusedly asked. Mother flicks her wrist and her profile shows up. Name : Shin Mi-Sun Gender : Female Age : 56 Nature : Bloody Eyes Level : 12 Class : Priestess of Dead Sub-class : (Unlocks after Mission 5) Title : ( Unlocks after Sub-Class) Strength : 0048 Agility : 0092 Health Point : 0108 Magic Point : 0276 Stamina : 0072 Nature : Bloody Eyes Can distinguish between good and bad. Truth and lies. Hidden and unhidden. "My nature allows me to do the things I can do. Now everyone And you won’t need to guess their ranks. I can see them." "They have ranks?" In-ji continued. "How do you think we got ourselves into this mess?!" I interrupted. Everyone summoned their cards in front of my mother to see. She moved her head toward Ye-Rin. "Your turn. Three cards. One silver, two bronze." Ye-Rin groaned. "Ugh, really? Come on, RNG gods—" She picked the silver. [Silver Equipment Acquired – *Collette’s Gauntlets] +40% Defense +40% Attack Speed Designed for melee initiators and reckless idiots Ye-Rin strapped them on, flexed once, and smirked. "Okay... okay. I forgive the system." "They look good on you," Seo-Yeon said softly. Ye-Rin flushed. "Don’t flirt with me right now. I’m still mad about not getting gold." Next was In-Ji. Mi-Sun tilted her head. "Only one of yours is silver. Rest are trash." In-Ji shrugged. "Sounds about right." He picked the silver one. [Equipment Acquired – *Flashstep Boots] +20% movement speed Grants short-range dash every 10 seconds Reduces fall damage to zero He kicked in the air. "Light on my feet. Finally. Maybe now I won’t get slashed mid-sprint." "You’re still getting slashed," Ye-Rin teased. Then came Seo-Yeon. Mi-Sun’s expression changed—slightly impressed. "One of yours... it’s gold." Seo-Yeon raised a brow, then reached for the glowing card. [Equipment Acquired – Ring of Tilt-Tap] Worn on the ring finger Increases telekinetic lift capacity by 200% Unlocks "Crush Zone" gravity AoE Enhances psychic response time + mental cooldown reduction The ring shimmered like mercury as Seo-Yeon slid it on. It pulsed faintly, syncing with her breath. "Looks elegant," I said. "Looks expensive," Ye-Rin mumbled. "We can do Yeet-smash". She spoke excitedly. Seo-Yeon smiled faintly. "I’ll make it worth it but what is yeet smash?" And finally, Mi-Sun. She didn’t even reach. Just stared at the last three cards in front of her. "All bronze," she said. "Unlucky." She didn’t complain. Just chose one. [Equipment Acquired – Fractured Prayer Beads] +5% Attack for 10 seconds after casting a skill Prevents enemy healing for 10 seconds after activation. (Cool down 30 sec) She tied it around her wrist. Beads like cracked obsidian. Her fingers trembled slightly as she secured the last knot. "No defense, huh?" she said quietly. "You don’t need it," Ye-Rin said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You’re our anchor." Mi-Sun smiled—sadly, but truly. Three draws. One’s glowing brighter than the rest." I knelt down. There were three cards. I hovered my hand, sensing the weight, the buzz, the tension. Mi-Sun squinted. "That one. Platinum." I blinked. "Seriously?" "No doubt." I grabbed it. The room dimmed. The card shimmered—platinum borders rippling like molten silver. [Equipment Acquired – Lantern of Echoed Judgment] One-time use Redirects any single-elemental attack to itself Absorbs attack value to boost all party stats for 10 minutes Boost % = power absorbed Cooldown: None / Self-destructs after use I turned it over in my palm. Smooth, heavy, with veins of starlight dancing through it. "Holy crap," Ye-Rin muttered. "You got a platinum? First try? That’s—what’s the word—illegal." "Rigged," In-Ji added, smirking. "Clearly streamer luck." I grinned. "You’re just jealous." "Damn right." [End of flashback] It’s gaze flicked over each of us as though seeing us for the first time—not as ants—but as ascending warriors. It opened his maw—and Ye-Jun jammed his fist into the dragon’s nostril. "NOPE," My tail whipped around the base of the dragon’s horn for grip. Then— "Lantern’s done,"I growled. "Let’s make it count. I webbed across the dragon’s eye socket with molten strands that burned into the scale,this time, tougher, layered, woven with the threads that shimmered like glass wires. Blocking vision. Nameless growled, trying to blink it off. Mother, her voice hissed as she activated her relic. Blood oozed between her teeth as she slid under the beast, narrowly dodging a stomping rear foot. She carved her scythe upward into the dragon’s tendon—cursed aura trailing like smog. A vein ruptured. The dragon howled—not in pain, but insult. "Vermin!" Mi-Sun whispered under her breath: "You can’t heal that." From behind the rubble, In-Ji fired three bullets in rapid succession, each spiraling into exact nerve-line coordinates, right at the base of it’s neck—piercing deep enough to spark blood and cause the dragon’s center neck to sway off-balance. Ye-Rin: "Let’s do that thing. You know the one." Seo-Yeon: "The Yeet-n-Smash?" Ye-Rin grinned. "Exactly." Seo-Yeon’s hand glowed with golden psychic energy—the Ring of Tilt-Tap resonating on her finger. She focused her mind and launched Ye-Rin straight upward like a rocket, axe forward. Ye-Rin: "WHEEEEEEEEEE!" She twisted mid-air and slammed her gauntlet-amped axe directly into the side of the dragon’s face—the entire cheekbone split, blood crackled against the edge. The dragon’s eye snapped shut—temporarily blinded. Even I was about to fall off from its head. But this time—he didn’t just tank it. He turned. The single head, now bleeding, grinned. "Interesting," he rumbled. "You strike not with chaos... but coordination." Then the tail flicked once. BOOM. Ye-Rin was smacked from the air. Seo-Yeon caught her, lowering her like a feather. But it wasn’t done. Nameless growled, teeth exposed like boulders grinding. His nostrils flared—then electricity surged again. This time another tail. BOOM! It caught Mi-Sun mid-slide, flinging her like a ragdoll. She hit the ground rolling, coughing blood. In-Ji ducked behind cover just in time—his shoulder still clipped by a flying chunk of shattered stone.** The dragon tried to bite Ye-Jun off his head, but Ye-Jun dodged—barely—gripping tight to the horn like a rodeo beast. "(Auntie.You good?)" Seo-yeon used her telepathy to ask her Mi-Sun, limping back into position: "Alive. Barely. Let’s end this before that changes." Ye-Rin landed beside her, panting. The four of them stood around the dragon. Exposed Breathing hard. Bloodied. Buzzing with strength. Timer: 6:43 remaining Ye-Jun (from above): "He’s watching us now. He’s not underestimating anymore." Ye-Rin: "Good. I want him wide awake for this beatdown." Mi-Sun: "My curses are holding. But they won’t last." In-Ji: "I’ve got two bullets left. You call the mark, I’ll handle the rest." The dragon exhaled again—this time more deliberate. Lightning arced down his teeth. It didn’t roar. It muttered "Let me show you the difference between thunder... and lightning." I smesed something. Something Dangerous. Ye-Jun screamed from the top: "Move" I plunged my claws into the eye ridgeand threw my full weight to yank the dragon’s head anywhere else. The ground erupted around Mother. She leapt back just in time. It opened it’s jaw—not wide, but focused. A laser-thin bolt of lightning—sniper precision—blasted toward In-Ji. "NO—!" Seo-Yeon swung her hand— The beam diverted mid-air. Barely. It grazed In-Ji’s coat, setting it ablaze at the hem. He panted. "Thanks. That... would’ve cooked my spine." Seo-Yeon’s nose bled. "I can’t do that twice." Ye-Rin: "Then let’s turn this into a symphony."