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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 303
Tianxia Gate.
A great sect whose name meant "having the sky beneath one's feet."
‘I was the sect leader of that sect.’
What was my exact title again?
I remember having an absolutely impressive epithet, but I can’t recall the details.
All I remember is that I was the sect leader of a massive sect.
And Tianxia Gate played a crucial role in preventing large-scale destruction.
Yet that sect was wiped out in an instant.
‘Because a ridiculous dungeon appeared.’
At first, it was nothing more than a simple game.
The system had been unlocked for all of humanity, and those who had been obsessed with martial arts turned to the system instead.
By simply raising their stats, they could easily overcome barriers that would have taken a lifetime to surpass.
Power was like an irresistibly sweet fruit.
Those who had tasted it became obsessed—not with training, but with increasing their stats.
And Mukho, who was the sect leader of Tianxia Gate at the time, was no exception.
‘It took me over sixty years just to reach the peak of the Transformation Realm. That alone was an incredible achievement… but the system pushed my stats beyond that level.’
Mukho sought to make Tianxia Gate even stronger through the system.
To that end, he monopolized dungeons using the sect’s influence, preventing anyone outside of Tianxia Gate from entering them.
As time passed, Tianxia Gate grew stronger, while factions that failed to monopolize dungeons fell into decline.
Mukho's prestige as the master of Tianxia Gate only continued to rise.
No one would be able to challenge Tianxia Gate now.
Or so he had believed—until an unidentifiable-level dungeon engulfed the sect.
‘An unidentifiable-level dungeon?’
Jeong-hoon, who had been quietly listening, tilted his head.
Mukho nodded.
‘Yeah. It wasn’t just any dungeon. The moment it opened, some guy stepped out and mercilessly slaughtered everyone in Tianxia Gate.’
‘Hmm…’
‘He was on a completely different level from the enemies you’ve faced.’
At the time, Mukho had practically monopolized dungeons and fortuitous encounters.
As a result, he had reached an astounding Level 1,500.
With all the opportunities he had obtained, every one of his stats had surpassed 1,200, and he wielded Ultimate-grade items.
Even so, he was powerless against that entity.
‘A Sovereign-class… or something even greater?’
Mukho nodded.
‘That’s right. Even that gambling-obsessed bastard, Baal, was nothing compared to him.’
‘Hmmm.’
Jeong-hoon fell into thought.
The system, dungeons—
There were many similarities, yet there was also a distinct difference between that world and the current Earth.
And that difference was the presence—or absence—of an Episode.
In the dimension where Mukho had lived, there were no episodes.
In other words, there was no way to end the game.
For some reason, episodes were a new system that had been given to Earth.
‘Master, this is just my guess... but if you were to face the Architect in your current state, you wouldn’t even stand a chance.’
That was true.
There was no definitive information on the Architect, but he was certainly not weaker than the one who had ravaged Mukho.
After all, he was the mastermind behind designing this game and driving countless dimensions to ruin.
‘But that doesn’t mean I can ignore the episodes.’
‘...I need to become stronger. To a level incomparable to my past self.’
‘That won’t be easy….’
It was the truth.
‘He called himself Abaddon.’
‘Abaddon?’
Destruction, death.
It was a name Jeong-hoon had never heard before.
‘Win the bet against Baal and ask for information on him.’
‘Because the Architect has the Seven Deadly Sins?’
‘Yeah.’
Mukho nodded.
At that moment, Anima voiced its opposition.
‘No, I’m against it.’
‘Against it?’
‘Yeah. What difference does it make to learn about this Abaddon guy? It’d be far better to complete the Seven Deadly Sins and figure out the Architect so we can take him down.’
Anima had also lived for an immense span of time as an ancient dragon.
And in the end, it had met its demise at the hands of a transcendent being, reduced to nothing more than a mere tool.
A weapon that a player could wield.
Now that its memories had returned, Anima had begun to harbor an extreme hatred toward transcendent beings.
‘Do you think that’s as easy as it sounds?’
‘We still have to do it. Don’t you feel any rage? Those bastards tore me apart and turned me into this!’
‘...’
Normally, Mukho would have immediately flared up and agreed with Anima, but now he remained silent.
Perhaps it was because his memories had returned.
With a heavy expression, Mukho looked at Jeong-hoon.
‘Hey, you being all serious like that is making me uncomfortable. Just act like you usually do.’
Jeong-hoon smirked.
Regardless, this was something that had to be done in order to prevent destruction.
Worrying and hesitating would change nothing.
‘Master…’
‘I’ve got a rough understanding of your world now. It’s definitely better than Earth.’
Was it because their very nature was different?
Unlike James Marcus, who had to go through multiple regressions, Mukho and Anima had become exponentially stronger in just a single lifetime.
Mukho was at Level 1,500.
Anima was at Level 1,750.
As expected of an ancient dragon, Anima’s level was much higher, and its magic power had also exceeded 2,000.
In a way, was Mukho the real monster?
Even though he hadn't caught up to Anima, a dragon, he had come close.
Of course, he was still nowhere near the level of a transcendent being.
‘Hmph… I was happy about nearing Level 700, but I still have a long way to go.’
That’s right.
There was the Celestial Class, and above that, the Sovereign Class.
Whoever the Architect was, he had to be at least Sovereign Class.
To face an opponent of that caliber, Mukho needed to become exponentially stronger than he was now.
‘And my memories still haven’t fully returned.’
Mukho added.
‘Is that so?’
‘Yeah. The fact that they’re still incomplete must mean there’s a rank beyond this one.’
A rank above Ultimate.
An unknown realm, even to Jeong-hoon.
‘I agree with Mukho. My memories aren’t complete either.’
Many had returned, but they were still fragmented.
To fully piece together that puzzle, they had to ascend beyond Ultimate.
‘Yeah. For now, let’s focus on what we can do.’
They swept up the two fortuitous encounters they had planned.
Originally, things should have ended here, but with Baal’s intervention, going to the Demon Realm had now become part of the plan.
Jeong-hoon stood up from his seat.
“Did everyone get a good rest?”
They had rested for a full three hours.
Everyone nodded and got up.
“Yes.”
“Perfect.”
Jeong-hoon nodded.
“Then let’s go.”
* * *
The Demon Realm.
A demon sat upon a massive throne.
Baal, a Sovereign Class transcendent being.
The ruler of the Demon Realm.
The sovereign of the Demon Realm.
The king of the Demon Realm.
All titles that referred to him.
“Kehaha.”
Baal grinned, his expression filled with amusement.
Before him, six Demon Kings bowed their heads in reverence.
They were the rulers of the Demon Realm’s territories.
And above them, ruling over all, was Baal.
To Baal, those Demon King-class transcendents were nothing more than his limbs.
“I will give my command.”
And then, Baal gave his command.
“By your order.”
“Soon, a human will arrive.”
A human in the Demon Realm?
“Could it be… that human?”
“It is the one you are thinking of.”
There is a very interesting human on Earth.
That human continues to grow, as if they can see through everything, constantly uncovering the mechanisms hidden by those above.
They even defeated a puppet modeled after a Sovereign Class transcendent.
Baal had seen many humans before, but never one like this.
“But why is a human coming to the Demon Realm?”
For a human, entering the Demon Realm was no simple feat.
The Demon Realm was an environment unfit for human survival.
To adapt, one had to undergo a test—one of extreme difficulty.
“I proposed a wager. A bet on whether the human could enter the Demon Realm or not.”
“I see…”
They knew their lord took a special interest in that human, but to wager access to the Demon Realm itself was beyond expectation.
“If the human crosses over, subdue them immediately.”
“Understood.”
There was no need to ask why.
As Baal’s subordinates, their duty was to obey his command without question.
“As you know, the human has reached the ultimate level. One or two of you alone may not be enough.”
However, there were six Demon Kings here.
If they combined their strength, subduing a single human would not be difficult.
“We will capture them and bring them to the castle without fail.”
“Good.”
If possible, Baal would have preferred to step in personally.
But he had made a promise to the human.
Even if they entered the Demon Realm, he would not interfere directly.
However, there was no issue with his subordinates, the Demon Kings, getting involved.
‘This time, I will finalize the contract.’
Baal desired the human, but more than that, he intended to break their reckless will and turn them into a loyal hound.
His eyes gleamed with greed.
* * *
They had reached the edge of a new area.
Swish.
“Kieeek!”
The Grandmaster Orc let out a shriek and collapsed limply.
It had failed to withstand Jeong-hoon’s spear strike and perished.
Bang!
A gunshot followed immediately.
His mother had aimed and fired at the Grandmaster Orc that was about to pounce on Jeong-hoon.
Thanks to that, Jeong-hoon was able to thrust his spear and finish it off with ease.
Then, activating Shadow Moonlight, he swept through the remaining orcs.
After exterminating all the orcs, they finally stood before the portal leading to the Demon Realm.
“This must be it.”
The portal to the Demon Realm was on a completely different level from an ordinary portal.
A black portal.
Black smoke rose from it, taking the form of demons.
“Hyung… this is safe, right?”
Bong-Goo asked with a tense expression.
“It’s fine.”
Jeong-hoon reassured everyone, including Bong-Goo.
‘Is it really fine…?’
Mukho asked cautiously.
Even James Marcus’s party had never dared to challenge entry into the Demon Realm.
‘Even if it’s not fine, I have to do it no matter what.’
Honestly, if he were going in alone, the chances of survival would be much higher.
In terms of level, stats, and experience, Jeong-hoon overwhelmingly surpassed everyone.
However, in the long run, it was better to strengthen the entire group rather than act alone.
‘I need to prepare for the possibility that I won’t be there.’
No one knew what the future held.
If his mother were to face danger when he wasn’t around, it would be a disaster.
She needed to be strong in her own right.
That was why they were moving together.
“All right, let’s go in.”
Jeong-hoon stepped into the portal first.
[You cannot enter the ‘Demon Realm.’]
[To enter, you must complete the entry quest.]
[Would you like to start the quest?]
This was the notification signaling the start of the test.
“Uh… do we just start it like this?”
Ha-Jin asked in a trembling voice.
“Yes.”
Jeong-hoon nodded.
[Starting the quest.]
[Successfully complete all tests.]
[First test: Adapt to the mana of the Demon Realm.]
At that moment, an excruciating pain surged through their bodies.
“Guhh…!”
“Aaagh!”
Everyone except Jeong-hoon let out screams of agony.
The pain was unbearable, and even Jeong-hoon clenched his lips tightly.
[Using ‘Divine Healing.’]
Jeong-hoon immediately cast Divine Healing on everyone.
It wouldn’t lessen the pain, but it would at least prevent their bodies from collapsing due to the Demon Realm’s mana.
“J-Just! Just hold on a little longer!”
Jeong-hoon shouted with all his might.
‘We have to endure.’
They had to withstand this, cross into the Demon Realm, and win the bet against Baal.
For that, this level of pain was something he could endure.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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