Ensemble Leveling
Chapter 43: Absolute Absurdity
As Jihoon runs away from the finishing line to perform the unthinkable once again, he drawn out the same electric guitar that accompanied him since the beginning of the race and threw it upward with all the obsession-driven might toward the helicopter that had follow his pursuit until now.
The helicopter’s side door spring wide open as the Doppelganger that bore the appearance of an old veteran quickly took hold of the electric guitar with calm precision despite the timing window as razor-thin as a silk thread. And despite the force that could have broken his own instrument, it caught and handled with such fluidity before brought into its embrace, as if failure was an impossibility.
Then, the Doppelganger changed its form again. This time, it is Jihoon’s appearance itself. Even though she knew intellectually that these Doppelgangers were Jihoon’s creation, seeing one assume his appearance so perfectly unsettled her in a way she couldn’t quite articulate. The copy stared back at Jihoon on the ground, its expressionless face a hollow mirror of his own.
______-----{////\\\\}-----______
Doppelganger
Classification: Illusion Magic
Rank: Master
Effect:
-Create up to 3 duplicate clones that share base stats of the user,
can interact with mundane objects with equal proficiency as the user.
Can't utilize System [Skills]. Stats can't be enhanced by external effects.
User could customize the appearance of the Doppelgangers if one wished
No duration limitation. Cooldown: 3 hours.
------_____{\\\\////}_____------
The resemblance wasn’t merely physical. It was the eerie emptiness in its eyes, a reflection stripped of humanity’s nuance. The Doppelganger wasn’t alive, and yet its presence felt heavier than the living. Its own face devoid of emotion. Behind those lifeless eyes lay a ruthless efficiency, a version of himself stripped of human limitations. It was both inspiring and terrifying.
Awaiting his command, Jihoon simply just lets them all attune to his own desperation and convey it as a melody.
Rosa’s thoughts wandered to the tales she had heard from Eastern Absence, the Land of Shadows, Atria, home of the Yokai people. There, Shadow Magic was a common sight, its users often shrouded in an air of mystique. But this—this was something else entirely.
In Atria, shadow constructs often carried the faint echoes of their creators’ intent, emotions, or even personalities. They were fragments of the caster’s soul imparted due to how attuned their life essence with their power, however incomplete. His Doppelgangers, by contrast, were utterly soulless. The terrifying part wasn’t just their resemblance to Jihoon—it was the absence of anything human behind that resemblance.
To Rosa, it was as if the Doppelgangers embodied the hollow shell of what someone could become when stripped of everything but efficiency.
On the ground, Jihoon paid her unease no mind. He didn’t need to command the Doppelgangers directly. Instead, he poured every ounce of his desperation, every fragment of his determination, into the shared mental link that connected him to them.
They understood him not through words but through emotion—a raw and unfiltered plea that resonated in their blank, hollow selves. The Jihoon-formed Doppelganger took the guitar, its fingers moving across the strings with mechanical perfection. The melody began as a simple note, a trembling whisper of the desperation and fury coursing through them. It was Obsession distilled and untainted.
And then it began to build.
F- Ab C~|
Final Lap…
The other Doppelgangers joined in, their coordination flawless, their motions unsettlingly fluid. Together, they performed a melody that spoke to the madness of Jihoon’s actions—the despair, the drive, and the sheer defiance of someone who had cast aside everything for his obsession.
Using F minor Key Signature, the key sign of misery, lament. The song sets and establishes the mood for Jihoon’ss final lap.
G Bb Eb~| E- G Bb~| G Bb Eb~
Say your last… prayer to… any gods…
The performance was broadcast across the trial, the haunting melody reaching the ears of everyone watching the final lap of the race unfold. Rosa couldn’t tear her eyes away, both awestruck and horrified.
G Bb Eb~ | Bb Eb F~| Bb Eb F~|
This is your… funeral… Your demise…
F~~~|
NOW!
With the Thanatos completely block the urban road, Jihoon immediately jumps off the highway itself and run directly straight toward the destination flag still flutter atop the desolated mountain peak. And nothing will deter him as he runs with all the speed that he could possibly muster beyond his performance limit.
Spectators gasped as Jihoon’s figure darted toward the ruined mountain, the Thanatos now in slow pursuit. Or perhaps, it is utter no concern to him at all.
F_F Db+ C+~| G Db+ _Eb+ Db_C~C| F_Db+ Eb+_Db+ C+_Gb C+ F|
Final Lap to… confront all of my wrongdoings… All the learned lessons I disregarded…
"What is this madness?" Karim whispered, his tone just utter disbelief as he watched from the entertainment district, clenched his fists.
Jihoon’s body surged forward with impossible speed, his every step pounding into the ground with a force that left small craters behind. The shockwaves of his motion reverberated through the air and lingered like a deafening echo.
The helicopter gave chase, its rotors strained against the forces. Though helicopters by design weren’t designed to endure such speeds, the advanced materials engineered by House Magni held—for now. The strain on the machine was palpable, its engines whining under the immense pressure of maintaining pace with Jihoon’s obsession-fueled sprint. The camera locked onto his trail, broadcasting his every step to the world.
Onboard, Rosa clung to her seat, her knuckles white as the helicopter shuddered violently. The sight below sent her stomach churning.
“Is he even… human anymore?” she whispered to herself, watching the distorted image of Jihoon tear through the landscape.
F_F Db+ C+~| G Db+ _Eb+ Db_C~C| F_Db+ Eb+_Db+ C_Db Eb+_F|
Final Lap to… show who I really am…. A hypocrite not knowing his place.
As Jihoon veered off the urban road and barreled directly toward the mountain peak through the adjacent forest, the effects of his speed wreaked havoc on the terrain. Trees didn’t merely sway in his wake—they shattered, their trunks splintering into jagged fragments as if struck by an invisible immense force. Leaves and branches exploded outward in violent manner, forming a chaotic storm behind him.
Each step carried him farther than the human eye could track. With a deafening crack, the sound barrier shattered around him. The resulting shockwave rippled outward, a violent eruption that flattened trees at the forest's edge and sent debris flying in every direction. Jihoon tore through the landscape with no regard for the devastation left in his wake.
[F-—Ab—C]~~~|[ G-—Bb—Db]~~~| [Eb-–G–Bb]~~~|[ G-—Bb—Db]~~~|
[F-—Ab—C] [F-—Ab—C] [F-—Ab—C]~|
*[x—y—z] means pressing the x,y,z notes at the same time.
His leg movements blurred into imperceptible afterimages, a hazy circular cyclone where his strides should have been visible. His body leaned forward at an angle so precarious that it seemed he would collapse at any moment. Yet he didn’t stop. His strides grew longer, impossibly so, each one as though his limbs were being torn apart and reassembled mid-motion. His arms flailed as if his body was desperately trying to claw forward faster, though his form never broke its relentless sprint.
His expression was a grotesque mix of rage and determination, features distorted into a mask of unrecognizable berserk derangement. To those watching, it was both awe-inspiring and horrifying. Jihoon bulldozed through everything in his path—trees splintered, rocks shattered, the very earth quaked beneath him.
[F-—Ab—C]~~~|[ G-—Bb—Db]~~~| [Eb-–G–Bb]~~~|[ G-—Bb—Db]~~~|
[F-—Ab—C] [F-—Ab—C] [F-—Ab—C]~|
All lesser sentinels come across his path just pulverized or trampled over. Because of how sudden the initiation of Lap 4 is, there was no boss sentinels prepared for it. Although they would do absolutely nothing against him and his berserk state.
And of course, such actions tear his body apart even if his END’s limit has been nullified.
The Thanatos, the mechanical colossus engineered as the end of this trial, found itself unable to match Jihoon’s speed. For the first time, the pursuer lagged behind, its monstrous form unable to close the gap.
And because of it, the trial organizers have made their decision.
Hard Time-Limit Initiated: 3 Minutes
If he failed to cross the finishing line within that window, the Shield Bracelet would self-destruct, ending his attempt in disqualification no matter how close he was.
The system broadcasts the update, echoing through the trial grounds and across every screen in Cicones. The commentators’ voices reached a fever pitch of disbelief.
“This is insane! They’ve imposed a hard time-limit of three minutes! If Jihoon doesn’t cross the finish line in that time, his Shield Bracelet will remotely self-destruct, and it’s game over!”
The audience erupted into chaos—cheers, boos, and gasps of disbelief blending into a cacophony. The decision was polarizing, with supporters arguing that Jihoon’s defiance needed a definitive conclusion, while others decried it as an unfair handicap for a competitor who had already pushed beyond all reason.
Rosa, aboard the helicopter, clutched at the seat as turbulence shook the cabin, her heart pounding in time with the racing display below. Jihoon’s distorted expression flashed across her mind, a harrowing image of a man completely consumed by his drive.
“Jihoon…” she whispered, equal parts horrified and mesmerized.
This was all destined to happen, ever since the moment he awakened to it. Like a Chekov’s Gun primed to fire, he was destined to just fall back into it. Like a smothering sorrow of a man at his deathbed. There was no other way for it. It was the only way this could have ended.
2:59… 2:58…
The countdown had begun. Jihoon’s mind registered the timer, but it didn’t change his actions. It didn’t matter how little time he had or how impossible the challenge seemed.
He had promised.
Nothing else mattered.
And so, the living destruction continued its relentless march, every step driving him closer to the finality—closer to fulfilling his obsession.
[F-—Ab—C]~~~|[ G-—Bb—Db]~~~| [Eb-–G–Bb]~~~|[ G-—Bb—Db]~~~|
Three minutes or less. I would never guess. Never once the best.
[F-—Ab—C] [F-—Ab—C] [F-—Ab—C]~|
But my conviction beat the rest.
Of course, even with unlimited END, his body being pushed beyond its limit means it is sustaining damage as he maintains in this state of obsession as he moved with ungodly motion as he barrels through the path. Perhaps, this was all nothing compared to powerhouse far exceeding his status residing in Absence but he is certain that none of them can push beyond limit for this long either.
And as the internal damage accumulated, so too is the next threshold of his ‘Death that I Deserve Truly’
______-----{////\\\\}-----______
Death that I Deserve Truly
Classification: Song Magic
Rank: Intermediate
Effect (MAG 60):
-+[10*MAG]% to all Physical Attributes,
Effect becomes 2*[10*MAG]% at danger, 3*[10*MAG]% at critical. (Currently: 1,800%)
-Damage received is reduce by 80% for the duration. Becomes 95% at danger, 99% at critical.
------_____{\\\\////}_____------
______-----{////\\\\}-----______
+Physical Attributes:
-STR: 13 (+294) {x2.0}
-END: {∞}
-AGI: 14 (+312) {x2.0}
-DEX: 13 (+294)
+Non-physical Attributes:
-MAG: 60
+Physical Status: Critically Injured (-90%)
+Mental Status: Dangerously Exhausted
------_____{\\\\////}_____------
Unironically, the damage receive reduction is now applying to the self-destruction that he is putting his body into enduring. Without it, his body would have succumbed to the self-afflicted internal injuries, and nothing else could propel him forward regardless of if his mind will it or not. His body by then would have failed him entirely.
[F-—Ab—C]~~~|[ G-—Bb—Db]~~~| [Eb-–G–Bb]~~~|[ G-—Bb—Db]~~~|
I must end it now, but my problem is… how? I could have taken a bow
[F-—Ab—C] [F-—Ab—C] [F-—Ab—C]~|
But my pride won’t allow.
At this speed, had he gone with the original route, he would not have enough time to even reach the destination flag in just 3 minutes. He doesn't even know if the organizers even do the math, or they just got sicken of his arrogance in pushing for Lap 4. But that's why he is doing this now. Disregard everything, every obstacle in the way will not impede his progress in any way. By assuming a straight line toward the flag. The entire length will be... an original marathon itself.
It is still a challenge that takes hours for normal human being.
The path that he trampled scorched apart beneath his feet. A trail of fire ignited by sheer friction lingers behind like testament to his determination and obsession. Every obstacle in his path disintegrated as Jihoon barreled through. His strides created sonic booms that shattered nearby trees and flattened anything too close to his. The ground cracked beneath his feet, leaving scorched craters in his wake
F Dd+ C+~| F Db+_Eb+ Db+_Eb+ Db+_C+|
These 3 laps… that I led, kept my ego fed.
F Ab+_Bb+ C~| Bb+_Ab+ G_F Eb_F~F|
But instead, this final lap may truly be my death.
Jihoon reached the dirt trail in 60 seconds. What should have been an impossible feat for even the strongest, fastest competitors in the Odyssey was just another consequence of his 600 AGI, multiplied by obsession-driven madness beyond his own physical limit. His path had become a line of devastation, a scorched and cratered scar on the earth left by his blistering speed. Friction from his footsteps ignited the dirt, the sheer heat leaving molten impressions behind as he advanced like a comet tearing through the atmosphere.
1:59… 1:58…
The dirt trail was now filled with lesser sentinels, their average stats now exceeding even the top three participants at their prime. Measured STR, END, and AGI well into the 400s. But to Jihoon, they were not even considered as opponents—just obstacles.
The first sentinel in his path—a towering humanoid construct—was obliterated on contact. Jihoon didn’t slow down or maneuver. He simply barreled through it, as his body now in itself a projectile of raw power and momentum.
60 times peak human limit. Or otherwise…
Mach 2.
At this speed, the impact wasn’t just violent. It was catastrophic.
F Dd+ C+~| F Db+_Eb+ Db+_Eb+ Db+_C+|
My work is…piling up. All I am seeing is utter red.
F Ab+_Bb+ C~| Bb+_C+ Db+ F G_F|
Feeling like… needing 5 more arms. And an entirely new head.
Each stride created a sonic boom, sending shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. The Mach 2 velocity he maintained obliterated everything in his path.
Any sentinel construct that dared to block him were pulverized, their metallic frames twisted and shredded apart. The impact was cataclysmic—less of a human body striking a sentinel and more like a runaway train colliding with a house of cards. The sentinels didn’t just crumble but disintegrated entirely on impact, their mechanical frames torn apart as though struck by artillery fire.
Each collision resulted in explosions of debris and shattered metal. Sentinels crumpled like paper under the sheer force of Jihoon’s unrestrained velocity. Limbs, torsos, and entire structures were flung like toys, disintegrating before they even hit the ground. Fragments scatter like a claymore magnified by hundreds.
The dirt trail itself couldn’t withstand him either. Every step of his gouged deep trenches into the earth, igniting streaks of fire from sheer friction.
F G+ F+~| F Ab++_Gb+ F+~| F Db+_F+~F~| Bb+_Ab+ F_D F~|
I will… make through this… Seize the day like I always was.
From all over Absence, the viewer count for the Odyssey was all-time high. People are gathering and watching just to see him and the carnage that was Lap 4. The organizers had unleashed every conceivable challenge, yet Jihoon had become the most devastating force on the battlefield and nothing else.
“He’s not even fighting them!” one commentator shouted, voice trembling. “He’s just… demolishing everything in his way!”
“Did you see that last sentinel?” another commentator added, their voice tinged with disbelief. “It wasn’t just defeated… it was fucking erased.”
Their words failed to capture what they were seeing—a single man barreling through an insurmountable obstacle, his form wreathed in steam and determination.
F Gb+ F+~| F Bb+_Ab Bb+_Ab+~Ab+| F Db+_F+~| Gb+ Fb+_Gb+~Gb+ Ab++_G+_F|
I only… have but a single question… Is this really the only way it should have gone?…
Rosa, aboard the helicopter, clutched her chest, torn between horror and awe. She couldn’t look away from Jihoon’s maddened charge, her mind filled with the image of what it might feel like to stand in his way.
Every viewer at Cicones couldn’t help but imagine the same thought: what if they were in the sentinels' place? The sheer force and velocity would turn even the most stalwart amongst them into nothing but dust.
1:21… 1:20…
And so, after 40 seconds of bulldozing through the dirt trail and turning it entirely into a war-torn battlefield in such a short time. He had finally reached the mountain path. The sounds of clock-ticking from nowhere still echoes, as though feeling each second slipping away from his grasp like sand in an hourglass.
Db~_Eb F_Gb_Bb+ Db_Eb~ F_Gb| F_Gb Ab+_Bb+ F_Gb~ F_Eb_Db|
No matter how fast that I run, one can’t outrun one’s own shadow.
But there’s one more problem, because of Zorn’s Earth Magic manipulating the mountain side to shortcut against the Thanatos back in Lap 3, the original mountain path is entirely gone. And the trail leading to the mountain path veers off-cliff randomly which was how he got flung off back during first lap when moving at Mach-speed at first.
But much like before, sparing no second to maneuver the way. Jihoon didn’t hesitate. His body, now enhanced to STR 600 or 60 times peak human strength, would not allow hesitation.
He crouched for a fraction of a second, the ground beneath him cracking under the weight of his preparation. Then, he launched himself forward with the full force of his entire being.
The air screamed around him as the shockwave from his leap sent debris flying in all directions. The ground where he once stood shattered apart entirely. Chunks of earth and stone erupted like a geyser, leaving behind a crater that marked the force of his departure.
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Db~_Eb F_Gb_Bb+ Db_Eb~ F_Gb| F_G_G_Ab+ Bb+_G_Ab_G~ F_Eb_Db|
No matter how many promises that I swore. Deep in my heart, I know I remained shallow.
Jihoon soared across the void of the interim path, his body like a cannonball blazing through the air. Below him, the wilderness stretched vast and empty. When he slammed into the jagged cliffside on the far end, the mountain didn’t greet him—it protested. The force of his impact sent a tremor through the entire rockface, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface.
Yet wasting no time at all, his fingers digging through the stone with raw power as he pulled himself upward. Each grip tore apart chunks of rock, reducing solid stone to rubble as he ascended upward as arm pull upward in haste yet rhythmic at the same time.
Legs moved in a blur, pushing off from precarious footholds as if they were solid ground. His arms churned like pistons, his fingers carving into the mountain with the precision and force of an industrial excavator. Rock fragments rained down below him, marking his relentless progress upward.
His eyes burned with bloodshot rage, the gaze of someone whose obsession had consumed him entirely. His lips pulled back in a snarl as if the very act of climbing was a battle in itself—one which he absolutely refused to lose.
Ab+_Gb F_Gb Eb_F Gb| Ab+_Gb F_Gb Eb_F Eb|
Never once left from that world… Remained stuck in the past.
Ab+_Gb~_Eb Ab+_Gb_Eb_Db Bb+_Ab+_Eb~Eb| Bb_C Db C Bb_F|
Awakened in a living nightmare, all alone within the dark.
Ab+_Bb+~ Ab+_Bb+~ C+_Db+_Bb+_Ab+ F |
Isolated completely, without a single soul to confide with.
What remained of the mountain resisted and groaned against him, but Jihoon didn’t care. His hands and feet left behind a path of destruction, gouges and cracks spreading across the cliffside. The once-pristine rockface was reduced to a scarred, mangled ruin under the unrelenting ascent.
1:15… 1:14…
The peak was in sight. The destination flag fluttered weakly in the wind, so close yet still impossibly far.
Jihoon didn’t stop, didn’t waver. The timer continued to tick down, his body teetering on the brink of collapse. Yet his pace didn’t falter.
Second stretched into eternity, the mountain crumbling beneath his raw determination. The sheer force of his climb was not just a means to an end. Instead, a declaration of defiance even against impossible odds.
His only opponent, once again, was himself.
Within 20 seconds, Jihoon reached the peak of the mountain. But his speed was too immense for an immediate stop. As soon as he reached the peak, his momentum carried forward regardless of his obsession as his body smashed into the destination flag, shattering it apart entirely as he careen off into the other side of the mountain.
Ab+_Gb F_Gb Eb_F Gb| Ab+_Gb F_Gb Eb_F Eb|
Final Lap… I have overstayed my welcome. Final Lap… This is my penance.
Ab+_Gb~_Eb Ab+_Gb_Eb_Db Bb+_Ab+_Eb~Eb| Bb_C Db C Bb_F|
No country for old folks, all left behind by the new world order.
It is still count and all he needed was to return immediately back to the finishing line. But with one minute left, he could not possibly have enough time to make his return back to. With all of his Doppelgangers hung up on performing his mental melody, none of them could allow to break from the performance to perform Linked Song Magic.
This obsession-turned melody, he felt like if he lost this chance, he would come to regret it all later down the line. Even if what its power stems from is shameful and a disgrace, no dignity is too costly for Alvorna’s sake. He lived 10 years in a slum, both physically and mental back in his world when the Gates first arrived and ruined his previous life already. Compared to it, no cost is too great.
As Jihoon tumbled down the other side of the mountain, his body became a blur of motion, a chaotic spiral of momentum and raw force. Rocks splintered beneath him, the mountainside breaking apart as he careened uncontrollably. Each impact jarred his already battered form, echoing like a death kneel, yet he didn’t falter. The clock still ticked relentlessly however, sealing his fate second by second.
0:59… 0:58…
Eb- Gb- Bb+~|
Final Lap…
Gb~ Bb+_Ab+ Gb_Ab+~Ab+| Gb_Gb Gb~| Ab+~ Gb Eb_Db|
Hana, Zwei, Tres, Quadro.
Bb_Ab Gb-_F- Eb-~| Bb_Ab Gb-_F- Ab~| Ab Bb C Bb|
Running out of time, all hesitation cast aside. I must reach the end.
Onboard the helicopter, Rosa’s gaze remained locked on Jihoon. The math was brutally clear that he didn’t have enough time regardless of what he did. No matter how fast he moved, no matter how much he pushed himself, he wouldn’t make it back to the finish line before his Shield Bracelet self-destructed.
Her hands tightened into fists as her mind raced. Think, Rosa. Think.
Her sharp eyes flicked toward the musical Doppelgangers onboard. Despite their mechanical precision, Rosa noticed something—an unchanging rhythm, a steadfast dedication to Jihoon’s melody.
“They’re locked,” she realized.
And suddenly, like a puzzle piece snapping into place, it all became clear.
“The Doppelgangers are fixed in this melody,” she thought, gripping the rose gold harmonica in her hand. Jihoon’s strength, agility, and endurance had all surged impossibly high whenever his Doppelgangers performed alongside him. The melody wasn’t just music—it was a channel for his hidden ace that empowered him so greatly.
Then taking out from her massive buxom, the relic gleamed faintly, a harmonica made of rose gold, a gift from her father—a symbol of her own and the representation of House Magni’s history as miners of an exhausted mining town turned greatest innovators of Absence’s industry.
Eb- Gb- Bb~|
Final Lap…
“Music is the heart of creation, It doesn’t need to be perfect—it just needs to be true.”
That was the insight she come to arrive on her own. She inhaled deeply, her hands trembling, and raised the harmonica to her lips, yet her resolve unwavering against her own hesitation. The melody of Jihoon’s obsession surrounded her, raw and uncompromising. Rosa felt it pull her in, and without hesitation, she began to play along.
She hadn’t played it seriously in years until now—not since her father gifted it to her as a relic of their exhausted mining town before their rise to prominence in Absence.
Yet this wasn’t the time for hesitation. If Jihoon was risking everything, how could she do any less?
Bb+~ C+ Bb+_Db+| Db+_C+ Bb+ C+~| Bb+~ Ab+~| Gb~ F~|
All that I really know, is that I must push on forward no matter what.
Bb+_Db+ Bb+_Ab+ Bb+_C+ Bb+_C+| Bb+_Bb+ Ab+_Ab+ Ab+~| Bb_C Bb_Ab Gb_F Gb| Eb_Db Db_Ab Gb~|
Even in the final moment. I will continue to surpass myself.
The notes spilled out of her harmonica, uneven and halting, yet sincere. Each note carried the weight of her determination to keep Jihoon moving forward. Even if she wasn’t an artist or musician, she wasn’t about to let him lose now.
The melody stumbled at first but found its footing as Rosa let herself be swept away by Jihoon’s obsession. Her music became an extension of it—a mirror of his defiance. Rough, imperfect, and unpolished, terrible it may be in its attempt of mimicry, but it wasn’t half-hearted in the slightest.
As the harmonica joined the symphony of madness, one of Jihoon’s Doppelgangers paused mid-performance, its expressionless face tilting as if it recognized something. Then, without missing a beat, it shifted roles, breaking away from the melody to prepare Linked Song Magic.
As the connection registered in Jihoon’s mind, a wave of gratitude surged through him. Rosa had stepped into the melody. She had become part of his madness, her contribution small yet vital.
For a fleeting moment, his thoughts softened. Rosa’s gesture reminded him why he was doing this—not for vanity, not for proving himself to anyone else, but for the promises he had made.
F Dd+ C+~| F Db+_Eb+ Db+_Eb+ Db+_C+|
These 3 laps… that I led, kept my ego fed.
F Ab+_Bb+ C~| Bb+_Ab+ G_F Eb_F~F|
However, this final lap will be accomplished.
He recalled the self-disdain he had once felt when witnessing the 4-digit stats that Linked Song Magic granted him. How it had made him feel no different from the shallow overpowered main characters in progression fantasies that he had loathed for their emptiness of substance.
But now? His opinions and views didn’t matter at all to begin with. The world wasn’t fair, and his self-image meant nothing. Only the weight of his actions is lasting at all in the wider world. Through actions, a man becomes a hero.
What mattered was the result. What mattered was Alvorna.
With Rosa’s contribution in freeing one of the Doppelgangers, his chosen Linked Song Magic surged to life, flooding Jihoon’s body with impossible power once more.
F Dd+ C+~| F Db+_Eb+ Db+_Eb+ Db+_C+|
My work will be finished. Heaven is now within reach
F Ab+_Bb+ C~| Bb+_C+ Db+ F G_F|
Liberated from this burden, the path to freedom is now mine to tread.
______-----{////\\\\}-----______
Mirrored Resentment
Classification: Song Magic
Rank: Intermediate
Effect (MAG 60):
-+[8*MAG]% to all Physical Attributes.
The closer one is to death, the stronger this effect (Max: -+6*[8*MAG]%) (Current multiplier: *5)
(Current effect: 2,400%)
--------____{\\\\////}_____--------
______-----{////\\\\}-----______
Death that I Deserve Truly -> Mirrored Resentment
Classification: Linked Song Magic
Rank: Intermediate
Linked Effect: (MAG 60)
-+[14*MAG]% to all Physical Attributes,
Effect becomes 2*[14*MAG]% at danger, 3*[14*MAG]% at critical. (Currently: 1,800%)
The closer one is to death, the stronger this effect above (Max: *6) (Current multiplier: *5)
-Damage received is reduce by 80% for the duration. Becomes 95% at danger, 99% at critical.
[Current effect: +12,600%]
--------____{\\\\////}_____--------
______-----{////\\\\}-----______
+Physical Attributes:
-STR: 13 (+1,698) {x2.0}
-END: {∞}
-AGI: 14 (+1,824) {x2.0}
-DEX: 13 (+1,698)
+Non-physical Attributes:
-MAG: 60
+Physical Status: Critically Injured (-90%)
+Mental Status: Critically Exhausted
------_____{\\\\////}_____------
Breaching the 4-digit threshold again, his strength increased immensely without fail. With the measure of his physical strength and speed increased to 340 times peak human limit, an immeasurable increase even compared to others combinations just before. Landing once again at the base of the other side of the mountain, Jihoon gathered everything once more for one last run. No one else needs to follow him because this will be the last run.
30 seconds left…
With a single push of his legs, Jihoon launched forward, the scorched earth shattering beneath him. His strides blurred into indistinguishable afterimages, and the air around him screamed with the sound of his velocity, each step punctuated by a sonic boom. The world itself was silent in compared to each of his step.
Ab+_Gb F_Gb Eb_F Gb| Ab+_Gb F_Gb Eb_F Eb|
Let this worthless victory of mine, to mark the new chapter of my life.
Ab+_Gb~_Eb Ab+_Gb_Eb_Db Bb+_Ab+_Eb~Eb| Bb_C Db C Bb_F|
No more regret. Let my actions prove my place amongst the heroes.
0:29… 0:28… 0:27…
Jihoon felt his body nearing its breaking point, all things constituting him groaning under the stress of his unrelenting pace. The terrain disintegrated beneath his feet, yet he never slowed. His target—the finishing line—seemed both impossibly far and agonizingly close.
This was it. The culmination of his obsession. He wasn’t running against anyone else; he was racing against himself. Against his own limits. Against the promises he couldn’t break.
And for Alvorna, no cost is too great.
Jihoon’s form blurred, then vanished entirely from the sight of even the keenest observers. His acceleration defied comprehension as his AGI reached an ungodly 3,400, propelling him forward at Mach 10.
F- Ab C F| Bb Db Gb- Ab| Bb Db- Ab Bb| Db- Ab Db A|
0:26… 0:25…
The air around him ignited into a cascading explosion of sonic booms, each one devastating enough to flatten trees and dislodge boulders. All around him surrounded in incandescent fire as a result of atmospheric ignition caused by the sheer movement speed he is going.
The mountain itself trembled, its foundation cracking and groaning under the sheer force of his acceleration. The air itself combusted around him, creating a blazing trail of plasma that scorched the land below. Rocks and debris erupted in his wake, flung violently outward like shrapnel from an exploding star. The entire mountainside fractured, chunks of rock collapsing into the valley below as his motion left devastation on an unprecedented scale.
F- Ab C F| Bb Db Gb- Ab| Bb Db- Ab Bb| Db- Ab Db A|
0:24… 0:23…
The shockwave from his leap blasted apart what’s left of the peak, sending debris raining down in an apocalyptic cascade that swept away anything unfortunate enough to be nearby. Behind him, a massive chasm was carved into the earth, like the scar of a meteor impact, while the air itself seemed to howl in agony at the force tearing through it.
As Jihoon barreled down the remainder of the route, the sheer collateral damage became an overwhelming spectacle in itself.
The broken dirt trail loomed below. Jihoon’s body crashed down with seismic force, the resulting shockwave obliterating everything within its radius. Sentinel constructs shattered into molten scrap by proximity alone, disintegrated into shrapnel before they could even react, and the ground cracked and tore apart under the pressure of his advance. The dirt trail was annihilated, reduced to a smoldering ruin of ash and glowing embers.
F- Ab C F| Bb Db Gb- Ab| Bb Db- Ab Bb| Db- Ab Db A|
0:22… 0:21…
The destruction wasn’t contained to his immediate path. His hypersonic motion created a cascading ripple of devastation. The entire mountain range trembled, landslides cascading down in response to the shockwaves. Dirt and rubble flung skyward, spiraling into the air like a natural disaster, all unleashed by a single man.
Behind him, the trail of destruction burned vividly. Flames from superheated air ignited the forest he’d left behind, and a swirling vortex of wind carried ash and debris in his wake. Ahead, nothing survived his advance.
The audience watching through broadcasts and magical projections could only stare in absolute horror and awe. The sheer force of Jihoon’s obsession manifested as speed transcended comprehension, tearing through the very foundation of the Odyssey’s first trial itself.
F- Ab C F| Bb Db Gb- Ab| Bb Db- Ab Bb| Db- Ab Db A|
0:20… 0:19… 0:18…
The commentators were speechless, their microphones crackling as their words stumbled over one another.
“W—What in the name of Absence are we even seeing?! Is this… This can’t be Advanced-class Magic alone! This has to be something else entirely!”
“In all my years… this isn’t racing anymore! This is… this is a calamity!” one managed to scream into the microphone, their voice cracking under the weight of the moment.
If they didn’t add in an arbitrary time-limit in the first place, Jihoon wouldn’t have gone to such crazy length to begin with. Especially with the organizer who thinks that 3 minutes are enough to accomplish a race in which even the top prodigies took way more working together in Lap 3.
F-_Ab C_F Bb_Db Gb-_Ab| Bb_Db- Ab_Bb Db-_Ab Db_A|
0:17… 0:16… 0:15…
Fenrir, Legolas, and Zorn, watching far from the finishing line in their resting spot, could only stare in horror in what is shown to them. Fenrir’s sharp beastfolk senses picked up the ear-splitting cacophony of his velocity, and her ears flattened in instinctive fear.
She froze. The proud heiress, a prodigy in her own right, felt her instincts as a predator overwhelmed by raw, primal fear.
“That’s not human at all… A calamity incarnated…” she muttered, gripping the edges of her frost-covered sleeves tightly.
Legolas, his trained composure slipping, gripped his bow so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “I’ve faced monsters in the deepest woods, fought way many adversaries of vastly different backgrounds all around, but this… I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Zorn simply grunted, his usually calm demeanor replaced with unease penetrated through the cold exterior. “The earth itself screams under him. I’ve never… never seen power like that.”
F-_Ab C_F Bb_Db Gb-_Ab| Bb_Db- Ab_Bb Db-_Ab Db_A|
0:14… 0:13… 0:12…
Rosa, watching from the helicopter, felt her breath catch in her throat. Her rose-gold harmonica trembled in her hands as she played along with the Doppelgangers. Even through her awe, a pang of guilt struck her. She had supported this madness. Helped him in creating this monster.
Yet, through it all, she couldn’t deny the beauty of it—the terrifying elegance of a man pushing beyond every conceivable limit for a purpose no one else could grasp.
“Please… stay alive!”. Rosa said while she could before her own guilt drown her out.
Back to the entertainment district, Karim stood silent in front of the broadcast. For the first time in years, he was utterly speechless. No sarcasm, no wit. Just awe—and fear. “He’s… killing himself for this,” he finally muttered, a rare tremor in his voice never once escaped during his long profession as a merchant. Not ever since his younger brother died insane trying to uncover Absence’s primordial myth and silenced for it.
F-_Ab C_F Bb_Db Gb-_Ab| Bb_Db- Ab_Bb Db-_Ab Db_A|
0:11… 0:10…
Jihoon’s motion alone devastated everything in his path, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except the finishing line far ahead.
His focus burned brighter than ever, his vision a blur of rage and determination as he pushed past every conceivable limit. The line between man and force of nature blurred, leaving behind a spectacle that would be seared into the memories of all who watched.
Even in Absence, a world filled with impossibilities and legends, where advanced technology and high magic converged, this was still something else entirely.
Jihoon’s feats were beyond comprehension for someone restricted to Advanced-class Magic. The very rules of the Odyssey existed to prevent such overwhelming displays from trivializing the competition, yet Jihoon had torn through very safeguard and limitation with sheer willpower and obsession.
His actions and performances mirrored those of Master-class Magic users—a rare echelon in Absence, their numbers barely reaching the myriads among the hundreds of millions of inhabitants live and breathe in it.
But Jihoon’s power wasn’t born from mastery. It was something else entirely. Something terrifying. Something unstoppable.
And as he hurtled toward the finish, the world could only look on, helpless and awestruck.
F-_Ab C_F Bb_Db Gb-_Ab| Bb_Db- Ab_Bb Db-_Ab Db_A|
0:09… 0:08…
The urban road stretched ahead, fractured and scorched from his previous laps, now barely holding together as Jihoon approached at Mach 10, his blurred form tearing through the atmosphere with the fury of a perfect storm.
Every step left craters in the asphalt, each one erupting into a spray of molten fragments and pulverized stone. The shockwaves from his sheer speed shattered the surrounding structures, sending debris flying like shrapnel in a warzone.
The camera feed struggled to stabilize, the image flickering as Jihoon’s path left a trail of destruction in its wake. His form captured is only of afterimages that caught what’s left by the distortion caused by sheer speed.
F-_Ab_C_F Bb_Db_Gb-_Ab Bb_Db-_Ab_Bb Db-_Ab_Db_A|
0:07… 0:06…
The hearts of everyone watching felt as though they had stopped entirely, the tension unbearable. Each second stretched into eternity, the overwhelming uncertainty pressing down like an invisible weight. Could he make it? Would he collapse?
Rosa leaned forward in the helicopter, her harmonica trembling in her grasp as she continued to play, her eyes wide and filled with desperation.
“Go… go, you madman!” she whispered, her voice trembling as the countdown marched ever closer to zero.
Back in the entertainment district, Karim’s fingers dug into the edge of the table in front of him, his knuckles white. For once, even his calculating mind couldn’t predict the outcome.
F-_Ab_C_F Bb_Db_Gb-_Ab Bb_Db-_Ab_Bb Db-_Ab_Db_A|
0:05… 0:04…
Jihoon’s body burned with unrelenting pain, his injuries screaming with every movement. Steam and blood trailed behind him, evaporating in the intense heat generated by his velocity.
But his expression remained locked in furious determination, his bloodshot eyes blazing as he pushed forward, ignoring the agony, the devastation, and the world itself.
The finishing line was within sight now, but the clock wasn’t on his side.
F-_Ab_C_F Bb_Db_Gb-_Ab Bb_Db-_Ab_Bb Db-_Ab_Db_A|
0:03… 0:02…
The whirlwind of destruction followed his every step, the collateral damage growing worse with every second. Entire buildings swayed and cracked under the force of the shockwaves, the road behind him crumbling into rubble.
Even the air seemed to rebel against him, the sonic booms creating chaotic eddies that distorted the surrounding environment. But Jihoon didn’t falter, his strides grew longer and faster despite the unimaginable strain.
F-_Ab_C_F Bb_Db_Gb-_Ab Bb_Db-_Ab_Bb Db-_Ab_Db_A|
0:01…
The crowd held their collective breath, their hearts frozen in their chests.
Rosa’s hands trembled violently, her notes faltering as she watched Jihoon charge forward like a meteor hurtling toward the earth. Tears uncontrollably flow out as her own gasps escape her.
Karim whispered under his breath, his pupils shrunk from sheer built-up stress that the façade he built unintentionally dropped, “You absolutely absurd of a fool… make it.”
Jihoon’s body reached its breaking point, every muscle and bone screaming in defiance, but he didn’t care. The finish line loomed ahead, the final barrier between him and the impossible victory he sought.
F-_Ab_C_F_Bb_Db_Gb-_Ab_Bb_Db-_Ab_Bb _Db-_Ab_Db_A F-_Ab_C_F_Bb_Db_Gb-_Ab_Bb_Db-_Ab_Bb _Db-_Ab_Db_A|
F-_Ab_C_F_Bb_Db_Gb-_Ab_Bb_Db-_Ab_Bb _Db-_Ab_Db_A F-_Ab_C_F_Bb_Db_Gb-_Ab_Bb_Db-_Ab_Bb _Db-_Ab_Db_A|
0:00…
And then—
With a final, devastating burst of speed, Jihoon crossed the finish line. The checkpoint of Cicones that served as the finish line blew completely away by the momentum of Mach 10.
The world seemed to explode around him, the shockwave of his final step ripping through the air and sending debris flying in all directions. The remnants of the urban road completely collapsed behind him, consumed by the aftermath of his furious rampage.
The clock stopped. Silence fell.
He had done it.
But his body had yet to catch up with his victory. Moving at Mach 10 just before, with no reasonable way to halt himself gracefully, Jihoon slammed his heels into the ground, attempting to decelerate by brute force alone.
The result was catastrophic.
The asphalt beneath his feet shattered instantly, disintegrating into molten fragments under the unbearable friction. The shockwave from his desperate braking spread outward, ripping through the urban landscape like an earthquake, shattering windows and buckling steel girders.
Each attempt to slow himself tore new craters into the road, the relentless momentum threatening to drag him straight into the cityscape of Cicones itself. Desperation mounted as even though the race was over, the momentum before still threatens to ruin his victory altogether.
Jihoon’s body screamed in rebellion, every muscle shredded, every bone threatening to snap from the sheer force he was trying to contain. His ears rang, his vision blurred, and yet his will remained unyielding.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Jihoon came to a grinding halt.
His legs buckled, but he didn’t fall—not yet. The ground beneath him had turned into a smoldering crater, steam and smoke rising in ghostly wisps around his trembling figure. His shoes, long disintegrated, left only the raw, bloodied soles of his feet pressed into the scarred earth.
Jihoon’s breath came in shallow, ragged gasps. Adrenaline coursed through his veins in overdosing quantity, numbing him to the damage his body had sustained. He felt detached, as if his soul and consciousness had separated from his own flesh—a fragile shell that had served its purpose and now begged for release.
The world around him blurred into a haze of light and shadow. He couldn’t tell if it was the crowd’s stunned silence or his hearing simply failing him.
Somewhere, distant and faint, he could hear Rosa’s harmonica still playing, a melody both haunting and triumphant.
He wanted to smile, but his body refused. His arms hung limp at his sides, his vision swimming with tears and exhaustion.
Jihoon tilted his head skyward, staring into the endless expanse of blue above, feeling his body scream in agony but his mind oddly calm.
“...I made it,” he whispered hoarsely, the words barely audible even to himself.
Then, as if his body had waited for this moment alone, he collapsed to his knees, the ground cracking beneath him one final time.
And still, the crowd remained silent. After this deafening silence goes on for no one knows how long, someone finally broke out of the awe-filled reverie and yelled for medical help. “Get medical help! NOW!”
Jihoon’s state was utterly precarious and one wrong move probably could just end his life there right now. The words spurred the emergency response team into action. Medical staff swarmed the finish line, their hover stretchers and advanced equipment cutting through the debris-strewn aftermath of Jihoon’s final sprint.
The moment they reached him, the lead medic froze. Jihoon’s state was beyond anything they had prepared for—a body pushed to the utter brink of destruction.
His muscles were shredded, his joints visibly inflamed and distorted from the sheer strain. Blood seeped from countless micro-tears in his skin, staining the ground beneath him. Friction burns on whatever his mana couldn’t shield completely. The medic’s scanners beeped with a cacophony of warnings: organ failure imminent, skeletal fractures widespread, neural fatigue critical.
“This man shouldn’t be alive…” one of them murmured, their hands trembling before they forced themselves into action.
“Stabilize him NOW! We can’t afford any mistakes!”
The medics worked with frantic precision, securing Jihoon’s fragile body onto the stretcher while deploying regenerative salves, emergency nanites, and intravenous mana supplements to stave off his collapse.
As Jihoon was rushed toward the medical facility, his surroundings blurred into a cacophony of voices and lights. His consciousness flickered, a tenuous thread tethering him to reality.
“I made it…” he thought faintly, the words repeating in his mind like a mantra. Even long into unconsciousness eventually.
Meanwhile, the audience erupted into chaos. The awe, disbelief, and shock that had gripped them gave way to an uproar of emotion. Some cheered, others shouted in confusion or disbelief. Commentators scrambled to analyze what they had just witnessed, their voices overlapping in frantic excitement.
“This… this is history in the making! No one in the history of the Odyssey has ever attempted a fourth lap, let alone completed it!”
“Jihoon Hyunwoon… a name that will be remembered for generations!”
As the noise roared on, the leaderboard updated, the holographic display projecting the final placements of the first trial of the Odyssey:
1st Place – Jihoon Hyunwoon – Lap 4, 2:59.977
2nd Place – Fenrir Snowbreak – Lap 3, 15:43.218
3rd Place – Legolas Virentleaf – Lap 3, 15:43.733
4th Place – Zorn 'Steelpress' Ironwool– Lap 3, 15:44.592
The audience gasped collectively at the display. The margin of Jihoon’s victory was so slim, yet the sheer feat of completing a fourth lap rendered the time irrelevant in their eyes.
As Jihoon’s stretcher disappeared into the medical facility, the weight of his actions remained, heavy in the hearts of everyone who had witnessed the impossible.
Eb Bb+ Ab+ Eb| Bb+ Ab+ Eb Bb| Eb~~~| F Gb~~| Ab+ Bb+~~| Bb+ Eb+~~|