Chapter 11: The Wrath of Sleep: The Sea King’s Last Stand

Cheonma Cheon Yeoul

She had come on a business trip to Gangneung, Gangwon-do.

It was because she heard news that a Monster Wave was approaching.

“Seems doable.”

Ever since picking up that angelically cute little girl, everything seemed to go well.

She could do whatever she wanted and then return home for treatment.

Not worrying about side effects, she used her Cheonma skills, and the monsters were no match for her.

“Cheonma Gwonlimbo!”

With a single step, the wave was cleared away.

“Cheonma Gwangryuncheom!”

The fearsome sword energy, like a spiral, entangled and spun, and the wave was cleared once again.

This was what it felt like to monopolize the country’s best healer unofficially!

Cheonma felt a sense of exhilaration for no particular reason.

Perhaps she had been unable to use her full strength freely, and the stress built up after being beaten by a World Boss.

“Wow, this is S-class rank 5…?”

“It’s on a whole different level, even though we’re both hunters.”

“Doing it all alone.”

“This is why they call her Cheonma.”

S-class rank 19, Brain Dragon Sect Leader.

He had come on a business trip to Sokcho, Gangwon-do.

Of course, it was because of the Monster Wave.

His disciples, who trained under him in swordsmanship, had heard the news and followed him to the Brain Dragon Sect.

“Great Master!”

“It’s time to show off the formation we’ve honed!”

“Is it time to demonstrate the Brain Dragon Sect’s secret techniques that I’ve cultivated in seclusion?”

“Let’s go!”

The Brain Dragon Sect specialized in lightning attributes.

It was easy to deal with sea monsters, which were their natural enemies.

As expected from Cheonma, Cheon Yeoul’s swordsmanship master, the Brain Dragon Sect Leader was strong.

Together with the hunters from Sokcho, they easily handled the wave.

“Easy, too easy.”

“Nothing special.”

But they didn’t know.

Most of the waves and boss monsters had headed to Seokcheon,

meaning that this large scale Monster Wave was actually being handled alone by S-class rank 20, Park Doo-sik (Chungmugong).

And then.

Seokcheon, Gangwon-do.

Late at night.

The Sea King had returned.

He had come to assassinate Park Doo-sik, whose power would have drastically diminished due to the cooldown of his skills.

Once he assassinated him, he could rampage along the coast, and the prey called Min Hayul would inevitably come here.

However, he faced an unexpected obstacle.

“Grr… Was she pretending to sleep? That cunning female…!! She had a calm face and was waiting for me to let my guard down.”

He was still writhing on the water’s surface.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!!!

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get his posture right.

After bouncing several dozen times, he finally managed to straighten up,

but his dazed expression suggested he hadn’t fully recovered from the shock.

“Such a tremendous attack!! My wounds… Huh? No wounds?”

He tried to activate his high-speed regeneration ability, but there were no wounds to heal.

He had been thrown an incredibly long distance from the beach.

The Sea King then chuckled as if he realized something.

“Hahaha! I see. I’ve finally fully adapted to land. Look! I can speak without stuttering now!”

He had evolved to a new stage as a creature.

There was no other explanation for it.

The Sea King stood on the water’s surface with a grim expression.

I’ve become stronger.

It’s different from the day.

Fighting that formidable being on the turtle ship must have taught me the instincts of a creature.

My body can evolve in real-time.

Now, I feel like I can do anything.

Whoosh.

Boom!!

Swoosh!!

The Sea King forcefully kicked off the water’s surface and shot through the air in a straight line.

His target was the beach.

He aimed for the arrogant girl, who was lying down with a teddy bear.

The rebound from his leap was so powerful that massive waves splashed in all directions, briefly exposing the seabed.

His movements were rough yet powerful.

The water exploded as the sea split in two.

His arms were covered in black scales .

The Sea King’s fist, infused with all the advantages of marine creatures, crackled with black electricity and shockwaves.

The entire sky and earth were engulfed in black light, and a pitch-black sphere overlapped with his fist,

unleashing a monstrous force that aimed to destroy everything in its path.

Hae-ryong Am-bung-kwon (Sea Dragon Dark Collapse Fist)!

The power was so overwhelming that it made one question their eyes.

Kwahhahahahah!!

But, the Sleep Skill activated.

[Sleep Skill]
Grade: S
Description: You are a “Master of Sleep” who can unleash ultimate power through sleep.

The deeper you fall into sleep, the stronger you become, and the deeper the sleep, the more powerful your abilities will be.

Sleep itself becomes both a weapon and a defense mechanism.
[Sleep Enhancement] Stamina recovery in sleep increases by 50%.
[Dream Strength] The power of your martial arts increases as you fall deeper into sleep.
1st Stage: Light Sleep (Damage +10%, Defense +10%)
2nd Stage: Medium Sleep (Damage +30%, Defense +30%)
3rd Stage: Deep Sleep (Damage +100%, Defense +100%, Related skills are adjusted to S-grade)
[Auto Battle] Automatically detects enemies and counters while asleep. (On/Off available)

Her breathing was regular and stable.

She had a peaceful expression on her face, as if disconnected from the world.

The little girl, who seemed to have descended from the heavens, lay there.

“Zz.”

With her eyes closed, she automatically countered the detected threat.

Once again, the teddy bear was swung.

“Are you trying to stop me with a teddy bear like this?!”

The Sea King shouted confidently.

Clang!

A cheerful sound echoed.

The recoil transmitted to his fist was far beyond imagination.

“Krrrhh!”

His entire arm twisted grotesquely from the recoil.

Thud, thud, thud!!

His muscles unraveled like threads, and blood sprayed out like mist.

Puhhh!

It was a miracle his upper body didn’t explode.

His body spun several times in mid-air before flying backward once again.

A sense of alienation flooded him.

Why am I being flung away so helplessly?

I’m the Sea King.

I’m supposed to become a perfect being!

A massive splash of water erupted.

Swoosh!!

No matter how much he tried to stabilize himself, it was futile.

The Sea King was once again bouncing off the surface of the water.

Thud! Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud…

“What… What is this…?! What on earth…!!”

Anger welled up in the humiliating situation.

“Grrr! I’ll kill you!”

A tremendous shockwave spread out, and the seawater was once again pushed back.

Whoosh!!

There was no sign of movement.

In an instant, he arrived back on land.

He thrust his fist out.

Boom!

The air exploded, and the earth flipped in a circular motion from the impact, but the girl holding the teddy bear appeared completely relaxed.

“Zzz…”

One side was striking, while the other side continued to block.

The clash of powerful forces overturned the ground and pushed the air away, creating a dazzling battle scene.

“Hya! Hya!”

The sand of the beach had already been blown away, leaving the area barren.

But there was no effective hit.

Every attack was blocked by the teddy bear.

“Kraaagh! How is this possible?!”

How could a being at the pinnacle of life struggle against such a small creature?

He couldn’t bear the situation any longer.

After considering his options, he realized one thing.

“… You’re only defending, aren’t you?”

He concluded that there would be no counterattack if he stopped attacking.

He stepped back, and as expected, that annoying female just hugged the teddy bear and laid down again.

“I see. You can’t do anything unless I attack you!”

Why is that, I wonder?

He had to make use of this situation.

The Sea King conjured the strongest technique in his mind.

Using the S-grade skill Predation, he activated the genetic information of the marine creatures he had consumed.
He gathered all of them.
Bones and flesh automatically rearranged, and his body reformed into the most ideal shape.
The head of the deep-sea ruler, Sea Dragon Leviathan, materialized.
The strengths of various creatures were combined into one.
The form was grotesque.

“Now, it’s over! You will die here!”
He gathered all of his energy.
Energy began to swirl in a vortex from the dragon’s maw, forming a gigantic sphere in the air.
As the energy condensed, the surrounding air grew hotter.
The intense heat surged like waves, warping the very air around them.
The intense energy caused the sea to boil, and the ground began to twist as if it would catch fire from the heat.
Hae-ryong Myeoljinpo (Sea Dragon Extinction Cannon)!

However, at that moment…
The necklace around the girl’s neck began to glow.
The God of Sleep.
It was a lullaby necklace created by Hypnos himself.

[Hypnos’ Lullaby]
[Abilities and Effects]
[Protector of Dreams]
Once a day, negates one attack.
Cooldown: 24 hours.

As the necklace’s power activated, the Sea King’s attack vanished into nothingness before his eyes.
“What… What is this?! How is my technique…!”
The Sea King was stunned.
To have his ultimate attack nullified, he could hardly believe it.

At that moment…
The girl slowly rose.
Her face still peaceful, as though she hadn’t woken up, she hugged her teddy bear.

[Sleep Skill Stage 3: Deep Sleep]
[Damage +100%, Defense +100%, Related martial arts skills are boosted to S-grade]
[The F-grade skill, Triad Sword Technique, is boosted to S-grade]

She gripped the teddy bear with both hands and lifted it above her head.

[S-grade Skill, Triad Sword Technique, using the final move, Taesan Apjeong]
“…Kunya.”

One of the three moves of the Triad Sword Technique, known for being a second-rate martial art.
Taesan Apjeong (Mount Tai Press).
It was a simple vertical slash.
But thanks to the Sleep Skill’s effect, it possessed S-grade power.

However…
[S-grade Skill, Triad Sword Technique] Insufficient resources to execute.]
The problem was a lack of internal energy.

While it might have worked with the basic F-grade Triad Sword Technique, there was no logical way to perform an S-grade version.

So…
The system borrowed other resources.

Angel’s Wings and a Halo appeared.
The Eastern coastline was bathed in sacred light, and brilliant radiance filled the teddy bear.

Her eyes were still closed.

“ZZ…”

The Sea King recognized it instantly.
Ah, this being…
She was a heavenly being.

“S-Stellar Constellation!!”

And then he realized.
He was nothing compared to the feet of the Stellar Constellation.

In the eyes of this ultimate lifeform, how insignificant must he have seemed?
His body trembled.
The sky became brilliantly radiant, and the wind began to howl fiercely.

A sense of overwhelming pressure, as if a massive mountain was descending from the heavens, emanated from the teddy bear imbued with infinite divine power.
Though the move hadn’t even been executed yet, everything around them began to crumple under the weight of the pressure.

“Kaaaagh! This can’t be! The apex of life, and yet…”
If this continued, he would die.
He would vanish without a trace.

Determined, he decided to dismantle the creatures he had consumed.
“If just one… just one survives, I can come back!”
Breaking down everything he had built up, the many creatures he had consumed surged within him, bursting free all at once.
His body began to disassemble, and various marine creatures exploded from his form, fleeing in all directions to survive.
But it was already too late.

The teddy bear descended with the power of the collapsing sky.
“ZZ…”

Boom!

The sound of the air being torn apart.
Everything around them was turned to dust and vanished.
Like a fragile sandcastle that would eventually collapse, it disappeared without a trace.

[Enemy Defeated]
[The Triad Grandmother’s Teddy Bear invokes the Wrath of the Three Gods.]
[Defeated 19,564 creatures.]
[Current Attack Power: 19,565]

The cute silver-haired girl, still blissfully unaware, was fast asleep.
“Hunya…”

She was still in Dreamland.