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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 322
[You have completed the quest.]
[You have ascended to a higher state.]
[You have advanced to Fist Saint (5th Advancement).]
[All stats have increased by 200.]
[All skill damage has increased by 20%.]
[Achievement unlocked! You have completed 'Higher State.' 200,000 achievement points have been awarded.]
[The maximum number of equipable runes has increased to '12.']
[You have obtained 10% of Celestial Energy.]
Phew, it's over.
Yeo Min-Ji wiped away the cold sweat mixed with blood and slumped to the ground.
She was so exhausted that she could barely stand on her own two feet.
“I never imagined you'd qualify as a Fist Saint. Why are you pushing yourself so hard?”
In front of her sat an unnamed martial artist NPC, who stared at Yeo Min-Ji with an astonished expression.
Having witnessed her progress through the advancement quest, the martial artist saw potential in her and made a suggestion.
Why not become even stronger?
Despite being nearly drained of stamina, Yeo Min-Ji accepted the offer without hesitation, and in the end, she gained the power of a Fist Saint.
“I need to become stronger than I am now…”
She answered while struggling to catch her breath.
“What drives you to seek power so desperately?”
“…There's someone I want to catch up to.”
Without that goal, she would never have obtained this strength.
“Oh? Really? Is that person walking the same path as you?”
The unnamed martial artist rested his chin on his hand, looking intrigued.
“Yes.”
Seeing her nod without hesitation, the martial artist frowned.
“That’s strange. As far as I know, no one stronger than you exists.”
He was an NPC who oversaw the 4th and 5th advancements.
Because of this, he tested the martial artists who reached the 4th advancement.
Since they weren’t many in number, he remembered most of their faces.
And among them, Yeo Min-Ji was the only one to have completed the 5th advancement.
Among those walking the same path, there was no one stronger than her.
“There is.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Who exactly are you claiming is stronger than you?”
Yeo Min-Ji tilted her head in confusion.
‘That’s strange. He shouldn’t be unaware of Hoon.’
A powerful figure so overwhelming that she felt ashamed to compare herself.
A person far beyond the realm of ordinary humans — someone who could face beings she couldn’t even dare to look in the eye.
How could he not know about Jeong-hoon?
“Ah, could it be that he’s reached the Celestial Realm?”
“The Celestial Realm?”
“Yes. If he ascended to the Celestial Realm before starting the 4th advancement, then it’s only natural that I wouldn’t know him.”
“…….”
The Celestial Energy obtained upon completing the 5th advancement.
Could it be related to that?
“If what you’re saying is true, that person must be incredible. Reaching Legendary rank before even starting the 4th advancement... that's no small feat.”
“How can someone ascend to the Celestial Realm?”
“How? Well, you gained a bit of energy after advancing to Fist Saint, right?”
“Yes.”
“If you gather that to 100%, you’ll qualify to challenge the Celestial Realm.”
“Qualify?”
“Yeah. If you challenge it and succeed, you’ll gain its power.”
Yeo Min-Ji began to understand how Jeong-hoon possessed such immense strength.
He had been walking a path one dimension higher all along.
‘I’ll catch up to him no matter what.’
Clenching her fist tightly, she made a firm resolve.
She would definitely ascend to the Celestial Realm, just like Jeong-hoon.
“What happens if you fail?”
“You stay where you are. Your energy resets to 0%.”
“…That means losing your chance is a huge blow.”
“Exactly. Gathering 100% energy itself is an incredibly arduous task.”
“What’s the best way to gather energy?”
She had only collected 10% so far.
Finding the remaining 90% already felt overwhelming.
“Search for the right NPCs. There’s bound to be someone willing to pass energy to you.”
“NPCs… Understood.”
“That’s all I can tell you. Now go back.”
“…Okay.”
Although Yeo Min-Ji had many more questions, the martial artist seemed unwilling to speak further and kept his mouth shut.
In the end, she left the place and returned to Earth.
‘What is this……?’
Upon returning, Yeo Min-Ji was speechless at the scene before her.
All the buildings, including her apartment complex, had been swept away, leaving only traces behind.
‘Wait a minute.’
She hurriedly checked her messages.
[Notice Regarding Event Changes]
[Damage has exceeded 30%.]
[The dungeon will be renewed.]
[The renewal process is nearly complete... (98%)]
A notice about the event change, followed by a warning about exceeding 30% damage.
Dungeon renewal.
It was a message she had carelessly ignored while focusing on her advancement.
Yeo Min-Ji took out her smartphone to contact Jeong-hoon.
“What’s going on now…?”
Her phone was completely unresponsive.
“Min-Ji!”
At that moment, Yeo Sunwoo's voice reached her ears.
When she turned her head in that direction, Yeo Sunwoo was running toward her.
“Dad!”
Seeing her father safe made her eyes well up with tears.
“God... thank you so much.”
Yeo Sunwoo embraced Yeo Min-Ji, letting out a sigh of relief.
Father and daughter held each other tightly, crying for a long while.
“Sniff... What is all this?”
After some time, Yeo Min-Ji pulled away from his embrace and asked.
Wiping her tear-streaked eyes with the back of her hand, she looked around.
“You probably saw the messages — it's all because of the event.”
When Yeo Sunwoo completed his advancement and returned, Seoul was already in ruins.
He had been just as shocked.
He tried to contact the Hoyeong Guild members to gather them, but his phone was unresponsive.
Fortunately, he managed to find a few guild members, including Park In-Tae and Park Jin-Hyuk, who had taken shelter nearby. From them, he was able to learn more details about the event.
After sending everyone, including Park In-Tae, to the shelter, he lingered near their collapsed apartment, waiting for his daughter to return.
Once she successfully completed her advancement, she was bound to return here.
But time passed, and Yeo Min-Ji still hadn't returned.
His mind was consumed by anxiety, wondering if something terrible had happened during her advancement quest. Only when he finally saw his daughter safe did all his worries fade away.
* * *
[The renewal has been completed… (100%)]
The dungeon renewal was finished.
Before heading to the Union Hall, Jeong-hoon went to Yeo Sunwoo's apartment.
He was worried because he hadn’t heard anything from them.
‘The damage here is severe as well.’
As expected, their residential area had suffered greatly.
The destruction was so extensive that it was hard to believe this was once Seoul — there were hardly any intact buildings in sight.
“Survivors?”
Jeong-hoon scanned the area.
A few people who had managed to survive by taking refuge in shelters were now wandering outside, surveying the surroundings.
However, no matter how much he looked, Yeo Sunwoo and Yeo Min-Ji were nowhere to be found.
‘…Could it really take this long?’
Could something have gone wrong during her advancement quest?
Frowning, Jeong-hoon stopped a passerby and asked,
“Have you seen a martial artist over level 500?”
“A martial artist…? Oh, are you talking about Yeo Min-Ji?”
“Yes.”
“She should be at the shelter. I just came from there myself.”
“Thank you.”
Jeong-hoon hurried toward the shelter.
The remaining players stared blankly at his rapidly disappearing figure.
“Wow... how is he that fast?”
“Isn't he Level 795…?”
"I didn’t see the level, though."
After sprinting to the shelter, Jeong-hoon quickly spotted Yeo Min-Ji.
‘She’s safe.’
It was just as Yeo Min-Ji happened to be stepping out of the shelter.
“Oh? Hoong!”
She noticed Jeong-hoon and waved.
Using the Heavenly Demon Lord's Dominion, Jeong-hoon closed the distance in an instant and swiftly scanned her from head to toe.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Thankfully, I’m fine. More importantly, I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you sooner.”
“It’s alright. But why are you at the shelter?”
“Oh, I was just talking with some guild members. I was actually about to head out to find you.”
“I see.”
Jeong-hoon nodded and checked her information.
Fist Saint (5th Advancement).
Before starting her 5th Advancement, she had been a Fist Master. Successfully advancing to become a Fist Saint explained why it had taken her so long.
‘So that’s why it took so long.’
For martial artists, advancing ranks is significantly harder than for other classes.
The lengthy process was due to her upgrade to Fist Saint.
“You’ve advanced to Fist Saint. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
Yeo Min-Ji smiled bashfully at Jeong-hoon’s congratulations.
“Is the Guild Master safe too?”
“Yes, he’s inside the shelter right now.”
“That’s a relief.”
“What about the others?”
She was asking about her mother, Ha-Jin, and Bong-Goo.
“They all finished their 5th Advancement and are waiting at home.”
“Is the house safe?”
Yeo Min-Ji’s face showed slight surprise.
Her apartment building, along with the surrounding structures, had been completely wiped out.
So, she assumed other areas wouldn’t have fared much better.
“Yes. Fortunately, it was unaffected by the penalty.”
“That’s such a relief…”
“If you’d like, you can head home now. Your mother will be happy to see you.”
“What about you?”
“I have somewhere I need to go.”
He had confirmed that everyone was safe.
Now, he had to head to the Union Hall, collect the marks, and wrap up the episode before the time limit expired.
“Oh, wait a second! Could I ask you about Celestial Energy?”
After completing the 5th Advancement, one gains 10% Celestial Energy.
For Yeo Min-Ji, her next goal was to reach the Celestial Realm.
Recalling what he knew, Jeong-hoon took out a notebook and began writing something down.
“Simply put, it’s the process of gaining the power of the Celestials.”
“What kind of power is that, specifically?”
"You’re surpassing the limits of your rank. You currently have Celestial equipment, right?"
"Yes."
"Likewise, you can upgrade a Legendary-class job to Celestial."
"Th-That’s possible…?"
"Yes."
Jeong-hoon nodded and handed her a notebook filled with detailed notes.
"What’s this?"
When Yeo Min-Ji looked at him with a puzzled expression, Jeong-hoon smiled.
"I’ve listed the locations where you can gather Celestial Energy. If possible, you can all move together and gather Celestial Energy while I’m away."
The notebook contained detailed information about locations where Celestial Energy could be obtained.
Since he had compiled this list based on post-renewal locations, finding them wouldn’t be too difficult.
Of course, the process of gathering the energy wouldn’t be easy, but everyone who had completed their 5th Advancement should be capable enough.
"…Alright. I’ll gather as much as I can while you’re gone."
Yeo Min-Ji nodded firmly, her expression determined.
"Good. Then take this as well."
Jeong-hoon pulled out two potion bags he had purchased with points and handed them to her.
The bags contained an abundant supply of potions.
"Wow, that’s a lot of potions!"
Yeo Min-Ji exclaimed in surprise as she checked the contents.
"Yes. With this much, you shouldn’t run out of potions while gathering energy."
"…Thank you for always looking out for us. I’ll definitely repay this favor."
Yeo Min-Ji bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle, expressing her gratitude.
"I’ll look forward to it. Please give my regards to the Guild Master as well."
"Okay."
* * *
Portals to the Union Hall had appeared in regions all over the world.
In Seoul, three portals had emerged, one of which was located at Mapo Station.
A portal had been set up at the stairway leading down to the station — this was the portal that connected to the Union Hall.
From the outside, it looked no different from an ordinary dungeon portal.
Jeong-hoon stepped into the portal.
[Would you like to enter the Union Hall?]
Union Hall.
‘Enter.’
As soon as he expressed his intent to enter, Jeong-hoon’s body was drawn into the portal.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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