Dancing on the golden ashes

Suddenly, from behind, the roars and cheers of my friends and beasts echoed loudly:

"You can do it, Gaon!"

"He's all alone against our army—we will never submit!"

Kim Seong-Hoon was watching me from behind; I could feel his gaze fixed on me throughout the entire fight. The ice dragon around him had not been dismissed—it danced continuously, coiling like a snake. Its sharp eyes followed Nam Ji-Ho's every movement, ready to pounce the moment it sensed an opening. Now, the dragon felt unnervingly alive, as if it were a real, breathing creature.

"What a nice group you have there—a fitting one for a king-level warrior. Yet… you're too weak to protect them."

Suddenly, the sky above us darkened as storm clouds gathered, plunging the entire area into an apocalyptic gloom.

What the hell is he trying to do now?

In a flash of light, a sea of lightning crashed down on his body, wrapping him in a radiant golden glow. Every muscle in his body spasmed violently, and in the next instant, his half-naked form was encased in a crackling lightning armor, sparking with destructive energy. This armor wasn't just dangerous to enemies—it could easily harm his own allies. Was that why he waited until they were all dead?

I can't say I'm too surprised. Someone at his power level has most likely been alone for a long time. After all, it's far too difficult to grow when you have to share experience points.

"Today, I'll show you the gap between you and me."

His spear crackled with pure lightning, and in the next moment, I felt my body hurled into the sky. It happened so fast that even the pain didn't have time to catch up.

Lightning danced across the heavens, followed by thunder that shook the earth with a deafening roar.

A sharp, ear-splitting CRACK tore through the air. In an instant, my entire body went numb, my flesh burning despite the fire coursing through me. It felt like every single cell in my body was ablaze—an excruciating, unrelenting agony.

Fuck, this is too much to handle! I'll tear him apart, I swear!

Yet, despite my internal struggle, I couldn't move. My body refused to respond, leaving me helpless as I began to free-fall from at least a hundred meters in the sky. I had no idea how I'd been thrown so high or what had hit me, but one thing was painfully clear... He's too strong.

Before I could even brace for impact, a hand wrapped tightly around my neck, halting me in midair. Nam Ji-Ho held me by the throat, his grip unrelenting, cutting off my breath. Our eyes met, and his gaze was cold, indifferent—like this was just another routine day for him, another piece of trash he needed to deal with.

"Big sis!" Kim Seong-Hoon's voice rang out, cutting through the chaos. Moments later, I spotted three figures moving behind the ice dragon—they were coming for me.

You fools… you'll get yourselves killed...

"I envy the true friendship you have," Nam Ji-Ho said, his lips curling into a cold smile.

The sky rumbled ominously, and in the next instant, a sea of lightning rained down from above. Each bolt crackled with calculated precision, their power varying as though meticulously controlled. I could feel it—a storm designed to destroy everything below me. That much energy would most likely kill everyone...

"D-Don't!" I barely managed to choke out, his grip on my neck was so tight I could feel my life slipping away, moment by moment.

Then, everything went silent. The battlefield was suddenly bathed in golden light. In an instant, the ice dragon shattered into pieces, and three bodies plummeted from the sky, their fate unknown—alive or dead.

"I-I will… F-Fucking kill you!" I snarled, my voice trembling with rage. The fire in my heart burned fiercely, and I could feel something stirring deep inside me, awakening once again. Yet, an insidious feeling of envy coiled within me, trying to smother the fire.

I envied that power—desperately. I wanted to be the one holding my opponent by the neck, to feel the rush of control, to make them tremble beneath me. But I wasn't in control. I was nothing more than a rabbit caught in the jaws of a wolf.

Five seconds left… but would that even be enough? For the first time ever, I doubted the power of my boost. The gap between us was just too wide.

Suddenly, his hand released me, and I began to free-fall once again. Air flooded my lungs, but my body felt completely disconnected, as if my brain had lost the ability to command my limbs. My nerves were likely fried, leaving me helpless—an invalid.

Three… two… one… huh?

It didn't activate. My Laughing At The Death skill... where did it go?

Before I could make sense of it, everything went dark as my body slammed into the ground.

But the darkness didn't last long. I was abruptly and forcefully woken up as lightning crashed onto my body again, jolting me awake and frying me further. The pain was unbearable—I wanted to die. It felt like pure torture just to remain alive.

Yet, deep within my heart, something refused to submit. It clung stubbornly to life, defying the agony and despair. That fragile, unyielding spark was the only thread tethering me to this world.

"You're weak… yet you talked so big. Do you see the difference between us now?" Nam Ji-Ho sneered, standing over me. Without warning, his spear plunged into my shoulder.

"Fuck! I'll kill you—just you fucking wait!" I screamed, the pain unbearable. It burned through me, too overwhelming to contain. I had to let it out, or I'd lose myself to the darkness.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Still so ferocious," he said with a cold smirk. "Seems like we haven't had enough training yet..."

For the next several hours, he kept torturing me. I had no idea if anyone else was still alive—most likely not. My lonely screams echoed through the desolate world, a cruel reminder that there was no escape. There was no way for my system to boost my strength and help me kill him. It was nothing but senseless, brainless torture.

"If you think I'll ever submit, you're a fucking moron. Go fuck yourself in the ass! I will never bow before you!"

With the last shred of strength I had left, I spat in his face.

The spear suddenly crackled with even more lightning, but by this point, the pain felt almost familiar. My body was slowly adapting to the torment, the agony dulling with each passing hour.

Strangely enough, I couldn't access my system at all. No matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't respond. I wanted to use the skill points I had to boost my strength, to fight back, but it was as if something was blocking me entirely.

Was he watching? Was this entire ordeal a warning—a message not to pursue the path of a cultivator?

It didn't make any sense. None of it did.

"Seems like I've been going too easy on you... Fine, you brought this on yourself. If you survive this, I'll let you go—but no one has ever walked away from this alive, not even at my level."

His arm rose toward the sky, and in an instant, a red lightning bolt crackled to life in his palm. It was at least a meter long, radiating a power unlike anything I'd ever felt before.

"Goodbye, Lee Gaon. I hope we get to meet again someday."

Just as his final words left his mouth, the red lightning bolt struck my pelvis. Instantly, it felt as though millions of fire ants were devouring me from the inside. The pain spread like wildfire through my entire body, leaving me writhing and spasming on the cold ground as if in a violent seizure.

Every limb felt like it had detached from my body. Every bone and nerve felt like they were being torn apart, and my head throbbed with an unbearable agony. The torment stretched on endlessly, each moment an eternity of suffering.

Then, suddenly, it all stopped.

For a brief moment, everything felt strange, almost alien—like the pain had been my very existence, and without it, I was nothing.

Why did the pain stop? Why… why can't I feel anything? Am I dead now?

My eyes shot open. The sky above was sunny, and the air carried the crisp, fresh scent of morning. Yet, I couldn't move. It felt as though I had become part of the ground itself, my body refusing to obey.

The silence was deafening—too quiet, almost unnatural.

Did I survive?

It felt more like I was half-dead. Or perhaps… this was heaven? But who was I kidding? If I died, I'd go straight to hell.

I chuckled inwardly. At least I knew I was still alive—I hadn't lost my sense of humor just yet.

Several black figures approached me, they looked like shadows, not like humans, I couldn't hear what they were saying, maybe it was angels or something like that coming to take my soul, but it was mine... I would not give it to anybody.

I spaced out again, and in that fleeting moment, everything went completely dark. This time, it was for good—I passed out.

The last thing I heard was a system message… that damned system. It had betrayed me when I needed it the most.

[Congratulations, player Lee Gaon. You have once again achieved the impossible and broken system records]

[You have gained a new achievement:]

[The Fate Defier – Defy all odds and survive the endless torture which was supposed to be your death by fate]

[New passive skill has been granted as a reward:]

[Level 1 Immortal Body – The user's body has now become more powerful and, through the refining of lightning, has gained resistance to elemental and physical damage to an extent]