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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 291
The barrier continued to appear repeatedly, blocking the path.
Of course, Jeong-hoon dispelled all of them.
“There are so many…”
Bong-Goo clicked his tongue.
Jeong-hoon had already dispelled seven of them.
Even so, the staircase showed no sign of ending.
It was so deep that nothing could be seen below, and it felt like a single misstep could mean death.
“We’re almost there.”
“Hyung-nim? It’s way too deep to say we’re almost there…”
“Are you talking back to me?”
“N-No, sir!”
Bong-Goo shouted with discipline.
Seeing this, Jeong-hoon chuckled and added an explanation.
“It’s because of the barrier. We really are almost there.”
Just as Jeong-hoon said, it didn’t take long for another barrier to appear.
‘This is the last one.’
Before his regression, those who had personally dispelled the barriers said there were a total of eight.
So, this had to be the final one.
Jeong-hoon put on his deciphering lenses and placed his hand on the barrier.
The technique of the final barrier was noticeably more intricate and complex than the previous ones.
Wooong—
Just deciphering the technique took nearly ten minutes.
Still, Jeong-hoon never lost focus. In fact, he concentrated even more as he worked through the technique.
Nearly two hours passed like that.
Crash!
The moment he dispelled the technique, the barrier shattered.
As the barrier broke, the surroundings brightened, revealing a statue ahead.
“What the…? Why is the staircase so short?”
Now that all the barriers were gone, the staircase was absurdly short.
It only took a few steps to reach the statue.
In other words, they had been trapped in a loop, walking in circles due to the barriers.
“That is the opportunity we’ve been searching for.”
Jeong-hoon pointed at the statue.
“That?”
Yeo Min-Ji tilted her head.
To her, it looked like nothing more than a simple statue.
It depicted an old man with his robe pulled low over his face.
“Yes. It’s the Omniscient Statue.”
“The Omniscient Statue?”
“Yes. If you approach the statue and channel your mana into it, everyone nearby will receive an item. That item will be something they personally need.”
“Wow… So that’s why you hurried here?”
“Yes. That’s also why I didn’t record this. Once the statue is used, it loses its power.”
If the statue could be used multiple times, he would have taken advantage of HoneyTube.
After all, HoneyTube’s influence had already spread worldwide.
‘The Ultimate Knight subjugation video easily surpassed a billion views.’
Of course, the views were exploding.
But as of now, the only party capable of subjugating the Ultimate Knight, who boasted the majesty of Level 1,100, was James Marcus’s party.
“Hoo, if it gives us necessary items, what will we get?”
“Could it be a skill?”
Jeong-hoon nodded.
If a skill was needed, it would grant a skill.
If an item was necessary, it would provide an item.
“If you’re ready, I’ll begin.”
Jeong-hoon approached the statue and placed his hand on it.
[Would you like to activate the Omniscient Statue?]
‘Activate.’
[A mysterious power flows from the Omniscient Statue.]
[A mysterious power engulfs the entire space.]
With that message, the space lit up brightly.
The light was so intense that even Jeong-hoon couldn’t keep his eyes open properly.
Though the light faded in an instant, it was so strong that it left an afterimage, requiring some time to recover.
‘What did I get?’
An item?
Or a skill?
[Heavenly Demon Divine Art reacts, granting a new skill.]
[You have acquired Absorption Technique.]
The skill Jeong-hoon obtained was none other than Absorption Technique.
‘Absorption Technique?’
He tilted his head.
It wasn’t like he didn’t know about it.
It was probably a skill that absorbed power to increase his stats.
‘Like the Seven Deadly Sins.’
But why did it appear now?
[Absorption Technique]
- Type: Active
- Level: 1
- Grade: Ultimate
- Absorbs the target’s stats and experience points. However, absorption is only possible if the target’s HP is below 20%.
- Absorption requires physical contact and is not restricted by level differences.
- The target whose experience is absorbed will lose HP.
It was an Ultimate-grade skill.
‘Hoon, it doesn’t just absorb stats but also experience?’
With this skill, leveling up would be much faster.
‘Hmm, I guess this means what I need right now is leveling up.’
Jeong-hoon was already over Level 500.
Even compared to others, he wasn’t inferior in the slightest, and on a global scale, he was among the top three.
However, considering his job grade, his level was undeniably low.
‘I need to be at least over 1,000.’
Only then could he completely suppress Transcendents with certainty.
‘For now, I’ll have to take what I was going to give to the Seven Deadly Sins for myself.’
No matter how much the Seven Deadly Sins grew stronger, it wouldn’t change the fact that Jeong-hoon himself wasn’t growing.
Unless absolutely necessary, it was far more beneficial to use Absorption Technique to increase his level and stats.
“Huh? Hyung-nim! I just got a skill!”
Bong-Goo had also obtained a skill.
“What is it?”
“Dark Side!”
“Dark Side? What grade?”
“Legendary!”
Dark Side.
It was an advanced stealth skill that doubled both attack power and critical hit rate while in stealth.
For Bong-Goo, the Shadow King, it was the perfect skill.
“What about the guild leader?”
Jeong-hoon’s gaze turned to Yeo Sunwoo.
He was also a Shadow King, just like Bong-Goo, at the Legendary grade.
Since they shared the same grade, he would likely have received a similar skill.
However, the response he got was unexpected.
“I got a shield.”
“A shield?”
A shield, for Yeo Sunwoo, a Shadow King?
He had never heard of someone from the rogue class using a shield.
Why did the Omniscient Statue give Yeo Sunwoo a shield?
‘I don’t know the reason… but it must have given it because he needed it.’
Deciding not to dwell on it too much, Jeong-hoon turned his gaze to Yeo Min-Ji.
Under his gaze, Yeo Min-Ji activated a skill.
It was similar to the Barrier of Light that Jeong-hoon used.
However, instead of emitting a bright glow like the Barrier of Light, a blue aura formed around her, protecting her body.
“It’s Protective Qi.”
Protective Qi.
A type of defensive barrier that surrounded the body with qi like armor to shield it.
Before his regression, when he didn’t have the Barrier of Light, it had been an essential skill.
“What grade is it?”
“Legendary! It was Epic grade, but it suddenly jumped up two tiers!”
That was huge.
The Protective Qi Jeong-hoon had used before was only Unique grade.
Even then, he had desperately worked to raise its grade to Unique.
No matter what he did, it had never gone beyond that, yet the Omniscient Statue had casually granted a Legendary-grade Protective Qi.
Regardless, if it had jumped two tiers from Epic to Legendary, it would greatly aid her growth moving forward.
“What about Mother?”
"I received equipment."
"Equipment?"
"Yeah. A new sniper rifle, and its grade is Celestial."
Celestial-grade equipment!
Everyone, including Jeong-hoon, was amazed.
"Wow... Mother, that's incredible. I was given a Legendary-grade sword."
Ha-Jin looked at her with envy.
'Ha-Jin got a Legendary-grade sword.'
He had mentioned that his current weapon was of Unique grade, so this was an upgrade.
Moreover, the Legendary-grade sword wasn't just any sword.
It was the "Greatsword of the Dark King," perfectly suited for the Dark Lord class.
That greatsword had special abilities that amplified the powers Ha-Jin frequently used, which would greatly aid his future growth.
"Alright, shall we head out now?"
They had activated the Universal Statue once.
There were no more fateful encounters left here.
Without hesitation, Jeong-hoon turned away.
The only thing remaining here was the lurking boss.
They needed to subjugate Serion.
* * *
'Serion was incredibly strong for a Level 520.'
Before the regression, James Marcus' party had recalled how troublesome Serion was.
The reason was its special ability—Cold Aura.
This chilling energy pierced through items and defensive skills, forcefully afflicting its targets.
Regardless of level, it reduced everyone's movement speed by a staggering 50%.
Additionally, prolonged exposure to the Cold Aura caused forced health depletion, and if not dealt with quickly, the Frostbite debuff would inevitably lead to death.
Even Sophia, a debuff master, had never seen such a debuff before and took a significant amount of time to apply Safeguard.
She had mentioned that if she had failed, the entire party would have been wiped out.
"I'll go alone."
Even though Jeong-hoon had Holy Orb of Glory, it could only be applied to a single target, making it impossible to protect everyone.
On top of that, while Jeong-hoon was over Level 500, there wasn’t a single person in the group who had surpassed Level 400.
Going alone was the best option.
"Will you be okay...? Even if we don’t get too close, can’t we at least provide support from a distance?"
His mother asked with a worried expression.
She must have gained confidence in providing cover fire after acquiring her new weapon from the Universal Statue.
But Jeong-hoon shook his head.
"The moment we enter the boss zone, the debuff will activate."
"Debuff?"
"Yes. It’s called Cold Aura, and it won’t be easy to withstand."
"That’s fine. If you defeat it before anything happens, it’s over, right?"
"That’s true, but..."
"Then trust me. We’ve come all this way; I can’t just sit back and watch."
She had obtained a Celestial-grade weapon, but more than that, she didn’t want to see her son carrying all the burden alone.
So, she wanted to help by providing support fire to make it a bit easier to deal with.
"...I understand."
Seeing her determined expression, Jeong-hoon knew he couldn't push any further.
'If it's just support fire, it should be fine.'
As his mother said, if they could eliminate it before the Cold Aura strengthened, they wouldn’t be affected.
"Then I’ll go too!"
"Brother! Please take me with you!"
Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo raised their hands, as if they had been waiting for this moment.
Jeong-hoon narrowed his eyes and spoke.
"You two stay back."
Unlike his mother, the two needed to fight up close.
Moreover, they were still quite a bit lower in level.
It would be impossible for them to withstand Serion's Cold Aura.
"It’s fine! I plan to bring the Dark Knights forward to draw its attention!"
"Yes! I can cover you using Dark Side as well!"
Legendary skill.
Dark Side.
When activated, Dark Side renders environmental damage to zero.
Of course, when attacking, both attack power and critical hit rate double, and environmental damage is taken, but until then, it’s close to an invincible state, so they should be able to withstand it.
"I’ll join too. With my shield, I can provide enough cover."
"My self-defense skill is now Legendary grade. I want to help, even if it’s just a little."
Yeo Sunwoo and Yeo Min-ji were strongly determined to join.
"...It can’t be helped. Let’s all go together."
In the end, Jeong-hoon decided that everyone would go in together.
* * *
Serion.
Serion, taking the form of a massive beast.
Its lion-like mane with vertical, torn red eyes.
Its ears were long like a rabbit’s, and its snout resembled that of a tiger.
Its upper body boasted muscular traits like a human, while its lower body resembled a horse’s.
Seeing such a being in real life, it might resemble the centaurs from mythology.
[Lv.520 Serion]
As Jeong-hoon and the others appeared, Serion’s previously closed eyes snapped open.
"How dare humans enter here!"
When Serion roared, the surrounding air froze instantly.
[You are exposed to the intense Cold Aura.]
[Debuff: Frostbite is applied.]
[The stage of Frostbite increases rapidly.]
As the debuff was applied, their bodies began to shake from the cold.
"Ugh... why is it so cold..."
"Ugh..."
Ha-Jin and Bong-Goo already began to groan in discomfort.
Although their stats had transferred and they were fully equipped, making it easy for them to overcome most environments, this Frostbite was on a whole different level.
It was so cold, it felt like their very bones were frozen.
"See, I told you I should go alone."
Jeong-hoon forced a bitter smile.
"Son, do you have a strategy?"
His mother, despite the cold, calmly asked about the strategy.
Jeong-hoon nodded.
"Yes. Mother, you should take cover behind that rock and focus on targeting Serion's forehead and solar plexus."
That spot was Serion’s weak point.
"Got it."
His mother nodded and then hid behind the rock Jeong-hoon pointed out.
"Then the rest of us will go with me to face Serion. Are you all ready?"
Everyone nodded and took their combat stances.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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