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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 310
Jeong-hoon prepared to enter the portal.
That preparation also included persuasion.
“I’m planning to go in now.”
As he pointed at the portal, Yeo Min-Ji looked at it with eyes full of unease.
“You’re really going in? A portal with no information like that is extremely dangerous.”
A portal with no information at all.
Such portals were known for their extreme difficulty.
That was why no one dared to enter them.
“Don’t worry too much. This guy says it’s fine.”
Jeong-hoon spoke while looking at the Seven Deadly Sins.
As everyone’s gaze focused on it, the Seven Deadly Sins tilted its head and pointed at itself with a finger.
“Me?”
“Yeah. It’s fine, right?”
“...Hmm, well, probably?”
Of course, if Jeong-hoon weren’t there, it would be a different story, but as long as he was leading the fight, there was a good chance of victory.
And since it also wanted to absorb the being inside, it tactfully nodded.
“It says it’s fine.”
Jeong-hoon smiled and reassured everyone, including her.
“Still, isn’t this a bit too reckless...?”
At Ha-Jin’s words, Jeong-hoon shrugged.
“We came all the way to the Demon Realm, and now you’re backing out?”
“No, I’m not backing out, it’s just...”
“If you’re scared, you can wait here. But if there’s a hidden item inside, you’re excluded from the loot split, alright?”
“Hey... When did I say I wasn’t going in?”
Through the City of Gods and the City of Enhancement, he had tasted incredible rewards.
Having experienced firsthand how crucial fortuitous encounters were, how could he give up when a new one was right before him?
Look at it.
A portal hidden within a rock.
No matter the difficulty, it was practically advertising that something amazing was inside.
“I agree.”
Yeo Sunwoo cast his vote in favor.
He, too, was someone who prioritized safety.
If not for Jeong-hoon, he would never have made it this far.
He also wouldn’t have surpassed Level 500 or obtained so many fortuitous encounters.
When he crossed into the Demon Realm, he made a decision.
No matter what Jeong-hoon proposed, he would follow his judgment.
“You’re going in whether we agree or not, right?”
His mother looked at Jeong-hoon and asked.
Jeong-hoon hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“I’m sorry. I have no choice but to go in.”
“...Alright. Then I’ll go in too.”
She couldn’t just stand by and watch her son go in alone.
Then, the only choice was to go in together and do everything possible to ensure her son's safety.
“If hyung-nim is going in, then I’m coming too!”
“Can you stop just watching for cues before you speak? Anyone listening would think you follow me without a second thought.”
“W-When did I ever do that?”
“Yeah, right.”
Bong-Goo had nodded in full agreement with Yeo Min-Ji and Ha-Jin’s concerns.
But when the decision leaned toward going in, he hesitated briefly before quickly changing his stance and deciding to follow.
Quietly watching and adapting to the situation like that—if that was a talent, then it was certainly one.
He didn’t use to be like this before.
Still, compared to how hopeless he was at the start, he had definitely turned over a new leaf.
“Hyung-nim! This is really unfair!”
There was no time to listen to his complaints.
“Be quiet. We don’t have time.”
“Yes, sir!”
At least he knew how to respond properly.
“I’ll take the lead. The rest of you focus entirely on survival and providing cover.”
From level to stats, Jeong-hoon was overwhelmingly superior.
His equipment and skills were on an entirely different level.
On top of that, he had an immense amount of experience, making him more comfortable facing threats alone.
“Understood.”
“Leave the rear to me.”
Everyone, including his mother, nodded.
“Alright, then let’s go.”
As Jeong-hoon stepped into the portal first, the rest followed him inside.
[Would you like to enter ???]
‘I’ll enter.’
The moment he confirmed his intent, the portal glowed and swallowed them all.
* * *
[???'s Domain]
His vision darkened before returning to normal.
“We did enter the portal, right?”
Ha-Jin tilted his head in confusion.
As he said, they were now in a forest.
The same black forest they had been wandering through just moments ago.
But upon closer inspection, it was slightly different.
With his keen memory, Jeong-hoon quickly noticed the subtle differences in the trees and grass.
“This is a different place.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Let’s look around for now.”
He thought they would find a special item right away, but the forest was vast.
They were told that a being with an immense presence was hiding here, but there was no sign of it anywhere.
Where could it be hiding?
Just as he was pondering that question—
Guooooooo—
A beast’s cry filled the forest, and the ground began to shake.
Jeong-hoon’s expression hardened.
‘Don’t tell me it’s underground.’
His suspicion was correct.
The ground split in half, and multiple forked tongues emerged.
The tongues immediately lunged at Jeong-hoon, trying to wrap around him, but he swung his spear wide and severed them.
Slash.
As the tongues were cut off, green liquid dripped down, but they began regenerating at an alarming rate.
Even though he had only severed one, multiple new tongues sprouted in its place, forming a net that pressed down on Jeong-hoon once more.
Jeong-hoon summoned the Seven Deadly Sins and activated Shadow Dark Moon.
His sharp spear strikes effortlessly sliced through the net-like tongues.
“Ooh! That thing looks delicious.”
The summoned Seven Deadly Sins swallowed hard as it stared at the tongues.
“If you want to eat it, go ahead.”
“Hmm... I do want to eat it right away, but I don’t think I can.”
Jeong-hoon tilted his head while continuing to cut through the tongues.
“Why?”
“There’s an invisible barrier on the surface. I can’t absorb it because of that.”
It seemed that Seven Deadly Sins could see something Jeong-hoon couldn’t.
“What about an enhanced Judgment of Death?”
“That won’t work either. That thing is completely immune to debuffs.”
“Really?”
That meant summoning Seven Deadly Sins was pointless.
“But if I copy its ability, I think I can manage!”
Copy.
An ability he had gained after absorbing Shadow King Gwyn.
“What are you trying to copy?”
“Razor Scales!”
“Scales?”
“Yeah! If I copy its ability and pierce through that barrier, I should be able to absorb it!”
“Are you sure?”
“Yep! You need Razor Scales to break through that barrier.”
“Alright.”
Seven Deadly Sins copied the creature’s Razor Scales.
Then, it raised both hands toward the sky, forming a blade-like object above them.
“Here I go!”
Using both hands, Seven Deadly Sins controlled the scales and stabbed directly into the tongues constricting Jeong-hoon.
Pop!
With a bursting sound, a transparent, sticky liquid spilled onto the ground.
‘The barrier is torn.’
Jeong-hoon immediately swung his spear and severed the tongues.
And then, a change occurred.
The tongues that had been regenerating at incredible speed stopped healing and fell limply to the ground.
"Can you eat it now?"
"Of course!"
As if waiting for the signal, the Seven Deadly Sins rushed forward and grabbed the tongue with its hands.
Then, it began absorbing it.
Gwooooaaaargh!
The ground trembled violently.
The creature that had extended its tongue let out a piercing scream.
'Is this about the right time?'
Through the creature’s screams, Jeong-hoon pinpointed its hidden location.
He also noticed that the sound was rising from multiple holes, which appeared to be its breathing vents.
'I'll burn it all at once.'
There was a way.
A 7th-circle magic he had acquired from the Hidden Theme: The Ruined City of Mages.
Jeong-hoon poured a massive amount of mana and activated Creation Fire.
Dozens of small fireball-shaped orbs formed above his palm.
They were small in size, but each contained immense mana, making their destructive power unimaginable.
"Here, enjoy your meal."
Jeong-hoon threw all the orbs into the breathing vents.
After waiting for them to descend, he expanded them.
Fwoooosh—!
The small orbs exploded to the size of a sun, sending flames surging up through the vents.
Gwooooooooaaaargh!
A scream incomparable to the one before erupted, shaking the ground so violently that it split open, revealing a massive fish-like creature.
"A... catfish?"
"Why is a fish-like monster underground...?"
The monster bore a striking resemblance to a catfish.
Instead of water, it had hidden beneath the soil.
Perhaps because of that, its scales were rough and coarse, and a sticky liquid dripped from between them.
"Oh, it’s well-cooked."
Smoke was rising from the monster’s scales—undoubtedly a result of Jeong-hoon's Creation Fire scorching them.
'This should be enough to take it down.'
If Creation Fire could deal that much damage, then Jeong-hoon’s sheer strength alone would be more than enough to overpower it.
"I’ve applied Enhanced Judgment of Death."
Meanwhile, the Seven Deadly Sins, which had been absorbing the monster's abilities, landed a critical counter.
Now that the barrier had been broken, the debuff could finally take effect.
"Good job."
At Jeong-hoon’s praise, the Seven Deadly Sins grinned and continued absorbing the creature’s abilities.
'It’s a shame I can’t use the Great Absorption Technique right now.'
If left alone, the Seven Deadly Sins would absorb all of its abilities.
Still, he had been able to make it this far thanks to it.
So this time, he decided to let it have its share.
Jeong-hoon put away his spear and summoned Anima.
‘A superb choice.’
Anima smirked as it gazed at the monster.
Now upgraded to Ultimate grade, its attack power was applied at five times Jeong-hoon's level.
With his current level at 795, that meant a staggering attack power of 3,975.
To put this into perspective, before his regression, the average attack power of the weapons Jeong-hoon wielded ranged from 1,000 to 1,500.
Even with just that, he had managed to claim victory against Apostle-class transcendents.
‘Back then, surpassing 1,000 was already a tremendous feat.’
But now, he was wielding weapons with nearly three times that power.
If he hadn’t retained his memories from before the regression, he wouldn’t have made it this far.
Of course, Jeong-hoon had no intention of stopping—he would press forward like a ravenous lion.
To the point where even Baal could be crushed with ease.
Strengthening his resolve, he pulled back Anima’s bowstring, aiming at the creature’s head.
For monsters like this, the weak point was usually the head.
It had to be crushed immediately to subdue it.
‘Ultimate Arrow.’
Jeong-hoon activated Ultimate Arrow and released the bowstring.
Fwoosh!
The arrow shot out, arcing through the air before piercing straight into the monster’s head.
“Guwuuuurgh!”
As the arrow struck, the monster’s head wavered.
Then, black flames erupted from the point of impact, spreading rapidly.
With its upgrade to Ultimate grade, the activation chance of Black Flame had risen to a remarkable 25%.
A one-in-four chance meant it had triggered swiftly.
And that wasn’t all.
Every defensive skill that had been protecting the creature vanished in an instant.
[Dragon Void has activated.]
Dragon Void.
A skill that could temporarily nullify all abilities of any target struck by an arrow.
It was an incredibly overpowered skill, but it hadn’t activated before due to level differences.
[Dragon Void]
- Type: Passive
- Has a 30% chance to nullify all skills of a struck target for 5 seconds. (Once triggered, cannot activate again for 600 seconds.)
However, after being upgraded to Ultimate, the level restriction was removed, allowing it to activate regardless of level differences.
Of course, it now had a 5-second duration and a 600-second cooldown.
But that was more than enough.
Tang!
At that moment, his mother’s supporting shot followed.
With all abilities nullified, Genesis Shot activated flawlessly.
It sealed one ability for three minutes.
His mother chose to seal the monster’s regeneration skill, and Jeong-hoon swiftly loosed another arrow, striking the monster’s head once more.
[Celestial Strike has activated.]
The moment the arrow embedded itself, a rain of arrows poured down from above.
At the same time, Anima’s special ability, Random Debuff, began to take effect.
“Guwuaaaaagh!”
Under the relentless storm of arrows, the monster could no longer withstand the assault and finally toppled over.
Thud!
As it fell, something shot out from its mouth.
Plop.
‘Huh? What’s that?’
Jeong-hoon stepped closer to examine it.
The monster had spit out a gem—one that shimmered in a dazzling array of colors.
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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