I Became the Youngest Prince in the Novel

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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Episode 164, Chapter 45: The Tower of Causality (4)

Thud, thud.

The group approached the door leading to the boss room on one side of the cavern. No one uttered a word as they walked, their eyes fixed on Zion's back. But that didn't mean their minds were idle. If anything, their thoughts were racing faster than ever.

Most of their thoughts centered on Zion's true identity and the boss monster waiting behind the door.

'The Copycat Lord we just defeated specialized in deception and confusion, so the monster behind that door is likely focused on brute force,' Rain pondered, concentrating on the latter issue. There was no point in dwelling on the former for now.

If Rain had to pick a side in the recent argument between Deshawn and the fairy swordswoman, she'd lean towards the fairy. Even if speed was key to getting a good score, it made sense to gather some basic information first.

Yet Zion was heading straight for the door without asking a single question.

Just then, Zion's form stopped in front of the door.

"Once we're inside, move according to my instructions," he said in a low voice.

Zion planned to coordinate closely with the others in the upcoming battle. The reason was simple.

'This trial was designed for exactly that purpose.'

If the first floor's trial tested the minimum qualifications to climb the tower, the second floor tested how well one could cooperate with others. In other words, the better they worked together to fight the monster, the higher their score would be.

'Might as well do it perfectly,' Zion thought.

He had already gauged the others' capabilities during the brief fight with the Doppelganger.

"......"

There was no response to his words, but Zion took their silence as agreement and pushed open the door.

Rumble!

The thick stone door, seemingly unopened for ages, slowly creaked open, sending up clouds of dust.

Another cavern revealed itself beyond.

"......!"

The eyes of those behind Zion widened simultaneously. It wasn't because the new cavern was much larger than the previous one.

"That's...!"

In the center of the cavern crouched a massive wolf. Its entire body burned with an eerie green flame that made one's skin crawl just looking at it.

"A Purgatory Flame Wolf..." the fairy swordswoman breathed in disbelief.

The Purgatory Flame Wolf, or Yeonokrang for short.

Far to the west of the empire, beyond even the Fairy Forest, lay a region known as the 'Flame Prison'. It was a land of death where dark red lava flowed and the air burned year-round. Only a handful of monsters adapted to this hellish environment existed there, and their strength surpassed even the highest-tier monsters.

The Purgatory Flame Wolf before them was one such creature from the Flame Prison.

Growl!

The wolf's eyes opened, noticing Zion and the others. It slowly began to rise, accompanied by a low growl.

Whoosh!

Green flames erupted from the wolf, spreading rapidly and heating the entire cavern.

As the others caught their breath against the scorching heat and prepared for battle, Zion suddenly sprang into action.

Swoosh!

Darkness exploded around him as he shot towards the Yeonokrang in a straight line.

"Why's he going alone all of a sudden?!" Deshawn exclaimed in confusion.

He couldn't understand why Zion would charge in without a word after telling them to follow his instructions.

But the bewilderment on Deshawn's face soon vanished.

'Prepare a sealing spell from where you are,' Zion's voice echoed directly in his mind.

Bang!

Had the others received similar instructions? Rain and the fairy nodded coldly, drew their weapons, and darted to either side.

Meanwhile, Zion reached the Purgatory Wolf. His eyes flashed with Myeong-an as he abruptly changed direction by nearly 90 degrees.

Crash!

The wolf's massive paw slammed into the spot where Zion had just been. Unfazed, Zion began climbing up the very leg that had tried to crush him.

His movements as he ran up the nearly vertical limb were nothing short of acrobatic.

Grrrr!

The Yeonokrang swung its other front paw at Zion as if swatting an insect.

Despite seeing the terrifying speed of the incoming paw, Zion showed no reaction and continued climbing.

Just as the paw was about to squash him like a fly—click!

The wolf's paw stopped abruptly right in front of Zion.

Deshawn had used the sealing spell as instructed.

"Huh...!" the sorcerer gasped in surprise.

He hadn't expected his spell to work so easily on the Yeonokrang, which should have had immense magic resistance due to the green flames covering its body.

He hadn't done anything special. The only difference was:

'The spot 1m below the second joint of the wolf's left leg.'

He had cast the spell precisely where Zion had mentally specified.

It was one of the weak points Zion's evolved Myeong-an had identified.

Seizing the opening, Zion's form shot towards the wolf's head.

Crack!

The Giant Destroyer in Zion's hand transformed into a chain sickle, tearing into the muscles around the wolf's jaw and neck. At the same time, the Dark Soul Threads burrowed deep inside.

Yelp!

The Yeonokrang let out a pained cry and tried to shake Zion off.

Or rather, it attempted to.

Before it could, swoosh!

The fairy swordswoman appeared by the wolf's left hind leg, her blade slicing through a critical tendon behind its ankle.

With its front leg immobilized and the tendon of its hind leg severed, the Yeonokrang's body began to tilt to the left.

As if driving in the final wedge:

"Hup!"

Rain appeared on the wolf's right, took a deep breath, and unleashed a spear charged with brilliant white lightning.

Crash!

An enormous boom erupted as the space around them glowed white-hot!

Struck by Rain's attack, the Purgatory Wolf's body collapsed to the left, unable to withstand any longer.

Roar!

The Yeonokrang let out an enraged howl and tried to rise again, but Zion moved even faster.

Suddenly appearing right in front of the wolf's head, Zion drew back his right fist, now wrapped in the chain form of Gigaperses.

Crunch!

The air around them darkened and space itself seemed to contract.

Sensing the danger, the fallen Yeonokrang desperately opened its mouth towards Zion.

Whoosh!

An immense green flame blazed inside its maw!

If things continued, Zion would have to face the full brunt of the Purgatory Flame Wolf's 'Breath', one of its strongest abilities. Yet Zion's eyes remained utterly calm.

He knew that breath would never reach him.

Pop!

The Dark Soul Threads that had seeped into the muscles around the wolf's jaw and neck, torn open earlier by the Giant Destroyer, forcibly closed the joint.

The Yeonokrang's mouth snapped shut against its will.

Zion knew the wolf's hide was incredibly tough. It would take too long to deal a fatal blow from the outside, even targeting weak points.

So there was only one solution: strike from within.

That's why Zion had deliberately created a situation where the Yeonokrang would have no choice but to use its Breath.

It was a meticulously crafted plan from the moment he first saw the wolf.

!!!!!!

The Yeonokrang's eyes filled with shock as it realized it had fallen perfectly into the trap.

Just as Zion's condensed fist struck the wolf's upper jaw—kaboom!

The pent-up Breath exploded inside the Yeonokrang's body, tearing it apart from within.

* * *

Awooooo!

A pain-filled howl echoed as green flames filled the entire cavern.

The heat was so intense it could melt rock in an instant.

"How...?" Rain's voice trembled with astonishment as she deflected the flames while launching another attack at the Yeonokrang.

How many times had she uttered those words today? And all because of one person.

'How is this even possible?'

She couldn't believe it.

The battle was progressing far more quickly than expected, but what truly shocked her was Zion Harness's ability—specifically, his leadership.

At first, when he told them to follow his instructions, she hadn't thought much of it. She expected typical commands like 'maintain formation', 'draw its attention', or 'aim for the neck'.

But Zion Harness's instructions, transmitted directly into their minds like a messaging spell, were nothing like that.

'Remove the tendon 20cm below the ankle of the target's right hind leg.'

'In 3 seconds, when the target's body tilts, strike its left flank with full force.'

He specified not just the timing of attacks, but the exact locations.

It was unbelievable.

To give such precise instructions, timed to the second, one would need to predict every single movement of the opponent.

Combat was supposed to be the most unpredictable thing in the world. This kind of foresight should have been impossible.

Yet the impossible was happening right before her eyes.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

When Zion Harness gave an instruction with a specific time, the exact situation he described would unfold at that precise moment.

It was uncanny.

'Does he know the future or something?' Rain couldn't help but wonder.

Moreover, he was facing the Yeonokrang head-on while simultaneously giving such instructions to three other people.

His command ability was truly awe-inspiring.

And somehow, he had gauged their capabilities without them even noticing.

'Could it be from that brief fight with the Doppelganger earlier...?'

Rain's eyes wavered.

Just how far did this man's abilities extend?

Even as these thoughts raced through her mind, bang! bang! bang! bang!

Their coordinated attacks continued relentlessly, like perfectly synchronized gears.

Roaaaar!

Endless agonized howls erupted from the wolf as it endured their assaults.

The Yeonokrang's body erupted with indiscriminate attacks in all directions.

But not a single person was hit.

They all blocked or dodged thanks to Zion's timely instructions.

"I can't believe a battle like this exists..." the fairy swordswoman muttered in a daze as she swung her sword.

What was the Purgatory Flame Wolf?

It was a monster so feared in her homeland, the Fairy Forest, that stories about it were passed down like fairy tales.

Yet here it was, being utterly dominated without even putting up a proper fight.

It wasn't that the wolf was weak.

It was because their skills—or more accurately, the black-haired man's skills and leadership—were just too perfect.

How long did this one-sided hunt continue?

Finally, with a last death wail, the massive body of the Purgatory Flame Wolf collapsed to the ground.

The Yeonokrang lay there, gasping for breath and slowly succumbing to death.

In truth, this outcome had been inevitable from the moment Zion shattered its insides earlier.

As the wolf's breaths grew fainter and finally stopped, and the green flames covering its body completely faded away,

'You have perfectly cleared the trial of the second floor.'

'Points will be awarded based on contribution.'

'You have achieved the highest score among the 4th generation participants. 3 additional points awarded.'

The Trial Helper's voice rang in everyone's ears.

'Perfect cooperation achieved. 2 additional points awarded.'

For the others, it ended there. But for Zion:

'10 additional points awarded for overwhelming contribution.'

'Additional points for perfect leadership...'

The artificial spirit's voice continued to resound in Zion's ears.

And finally:

'You have achieved over 55 points up to the 2nd trial. You have met the first condition for accessing the secret trial.'

A slight smile crossed Zion's face at these last words from the spirit.

---

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