Chapter 197
A Blood Orc was roaming the streets.
Blood dripped from its mouth, the blood of humans.
'Aaaah!'
'Help me! Please save me!'
Over a hundred people had fallen victim to the orc.
And there were those watching the orc.
From inside the department store.
Countless people had taken refuge within the department store, and many were injured.
The Blood Orc had suddenly appeared, catching those on the streets in its rampage.
Most had ended up in the Blood Orc's stomach, becoming cold corpses, but fortunately, some had managed to escape into the building and survive.
"Thank goodness it didn't come inside the building..."
They had heard that some monsters smashed buildings, killing many inside, but this Blood Orc seemed to be focusing solely on those in the streets.
"Ugh..."
"It hurts so much..."
However, there were too many people with severe injuries, not just minor ones.
"Potions! Wouldn't potions work?"
Among them were many users who had enjoyed New World.
"Without magic power, they become poison... You know that..."
Healing potions.
These potions reacted to magic power, causing a holy power-like energy to circulate in the body and initiate the healing process.
But without magic power, the potions turned into poison, endangering the person's life.
Ultimately, they needed the help of medical professionals, but due to the monsters wreaking havoc worldwide, treatment was difficult unless they were transported to a hospital.
"Damn it... Can't the people who played New World take down that Blood Orc?"
That was impossible.
The Blood Orc's level was 183.
Unfortunately, only a very few among them were over level 200.
Even those few didn't dare to challenge the Blood Orc.
'This isn't a game... How can we hunt that Blood Orc...'
This wasn't a game where you could respawn after dying; it was reality, where one death meant the end.
Seeing no one willing to step up, who would risk their life playing hero and end up dead?
So they quietly hid in the corner.
They didn't even reveal themselves.
Now that it was reality, users could see each other's nicknames, levels, and classes.
It would be troublesome if they showed their levels and asked for help.
At that moment.
"Uwaaaa..."
"Kueaaak!"
The Blood Orcs roaming the streets suddenly screamed and turned into dust, disappearing.
"Huh...?"
"What happened?"
The people watching from inside the department store tilted their heads in confusion.
And soon, a few people entered the department store.
"Are there any injured?!"
They were users with levels over 300.
The Blood Orcs had vanished because they had cleared the dungeons in this area.
With the appearance of the users, people shouted urgently, feeling a sense of relief that they were saved.
"Yes! Over here!"
"Please, save me!"
Like this, the video Jeong-hoon uploaded was spreading, causing many changes.
* * *
Jeong-hoon immediately summoned Fenrir.
"Yes, Master."
Even after a long time without being summoned, Fenrir remained respectful.
"The reason I called you is simple."
"Are we going to push down this castle?"
Fenrir looked at the castle ahead with a serious expression.
The powerful energy emanating from within the castle.
He couldn't help but tremble at how strong it was.
"Something like that."
Jeong-hoon grinned at the sight of Fenrir trembling.
"Oh... I see."
"Yes. So drink this first."
Jeong-hoon took out the Gatekeeper's Will.
The will was in the form of an elixir, and Fenrir tilted his head in confusion as he looked at it.
"This...?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Well... I don't really like things like this."
"How do you know what it is?"
"It's something to drink, right? I only drink water. My stomach is a bit sensitive."
"Cut the crap. If you complain one more time, I'll lock you up in there."
Fenrir was startled at the mention of being locked up in the castle.
"I-I'll drink it!"
"That's what I thought."
How hard it was to get this.
Honestly, his whining made Jeong-hoon lose all desire to give it to him, but if Fenrir's power was restored, he would be a great help to Jeong-hoon.
Jeong-hoon opened the cap and poured the elixir into Fenrir's mouth.
Fenrir's body was then enveloped in a blue light.
"Kying! Kying!"
Fenrir seemed surprised and whimpered with his eyes wide open.
"Stop being so dramatic."
What was a divine beast scared of something like this for?
[Fenrir's level increases.]
[All of Fenrir's stats increase.]
[Some of Fenrir's abilities are restored.]
The effects appeared quickly.
As his tamer, Jeong-hoon could immediately see how Fenrir had been restored.
[Fenrir]
- Grade: Legendary
- Level: 308
- Class: Divine Beast
[Detailed Stats]
-Strength: 330
-Agility: 380
-Health: 354
-Defense: 377
-Wisdom: 295
-Mana: 340
-Willpower: 330
Fenrir's level jumped from 227 to 308.
'He surpassed my level.'
Even though only a part of his abilities was restored, his level increased by 81.
Then how powerful was his original strength?
It made him a bit excited.
"Fenrir, let's move on to the next step."
"Move on...?"
"Yes. We're going to catch the one lurking inside that gate. I need your help to catch it."
"...Understood."
Jeong-hoon had Fenrir follow him and approached the gate.
Up close, the gate was so massive that he couldn't see the top even when he looked up.
Perhaps that's why the key was also so big that it was difficult to hold with one hand.
The only fortunate thing was that the keyhole was located at Jeong-hoon's chest level.
'If it were in the middle, I would have had to use a Fly Potion.'
Jeong-hoon inserted the key into the hole.
Then, he slowly turned it to the right, and with a click, the lock was released.
[The gate's barrier is lifted.]
With the message that the barrier had been lifted, the gate creaked open.
[Entering the Great Demon Rakandra's Castle.]
The Great Demon Rakandra.
The demon residing in the castle.
The leader of the demons lurking within the dungeon.
A demon who had reached the Celestial realm but, for some reason, couldn't ascend to the position of a Transcendent.
However, his skills were exceptional, making him one of the favorites among the Transcendents.
'In my previous life, I fought him almost halfway through the game.'
Countless people had died at his hands.
And it wasn't Jeong-hoon who had defeated Rakandra.
At the time, he was excluded from dangerous battles due to his lack of strength.
It was James Marcus who had taken Rakandra's life.
Even in that process, many had been sacrificed to him.
Step. Step.
Jeong-hoon entered the castle.
Countless demons appeared before his eyes.
[Lv.250 Lower Demon]
Rakandra had sent the demons he cherished as dungeon bosses, so these were the remaining remnants.
Demons without even a name.
Jeong-hoon activated Heavenly Vault and charged towards the demons.
Leviathan was already in his hand.
[Activating 1st Form: Initiation.]
He activated Initiation and swiftly beheaded the demons.
"Intruder!"
"We can't let him reach Lord Rakandra!"
"Stop him at all costs!"
The demons shouted urgently and activated their abilities.
[Lower Demon uses 'Chains of the Abyss'.]
Chains of the Abyss.
These chains bound their target and dragged them into the abyss.
Jeong-hoon infused Leviathan with holy power and slashed at the chains.
The Chains of the Abyss lost their power and vanished.
"What the?!"
"This is impossible...!"
The lower demons were terrified.
They thought they could at least bind his feet, but they didn't expect the chains to disappear so helplessly.
And then Fenrir followed behind.
"A d-divine beast...? Why is a divine beast here?"
The lower demon recognized Fenrir at a glance.
"Push forward."
"Yes."
At Jeong-hoon's command, Fenrir used his ability.
[Fenrir uses Howling.]
Howling.
The howling instantly sealed the lower demons' magic power.
They also became as stiff as stone, unable to move or use any additional abilities.
"Can I eat them?"
"Of course."
"Thank you!"
Drool was already dripping from Fenrir's mouth.
The lower demons' faces turned pale at the sight.
"S-stay away..."
"Uwaaaaak!"
Despite their pleas, Fenrir began slaughtering the lower demons.
Meanwhile, Jeong-hoon passed through the demons and headed upstairs.
* * *
The castle had a total of seven floors.
If the first floor was filled with lower demons, the grades gradually increased as he went higher.
Even the highest-grade demons, reaching level 360, appeared.
Nevertheless, Jeong-hoon pushed through the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th floors with unstoppable force.
And so he reached the 7th floor.
There wasn't a single demon in sight on the 7th floor.
Jeong-hoon took a step forward.
[Human, this is your final warning. Leave this place immediately, or I will tear you to shreds.]
At that moment, a voice echoed in his head.
It was a chilling voice that made every hair on his body stand on end.
'Rakandra.'
Jeong-hoon grinned.
The voice meant that he was close.
As he continued walking, an altar appeared before him.
On the altar lay a black coffin.
[A mere human, daring to ignore my warning.]
A voice echoed in Jeong-hoon's head once more, and a demon slowly emerged from the coffin.
[Lv.??? Great Demon Rakandra]
Rakandra.
The leader of the demons lurking within the dungeon.
Just facing him made it clear how powerful he was.
But there was no turning back now.
Jeong-hoon put Leviathan back into his inventory.
Pressuring him with Leviathan here would be pointless.
'I'll finish this with Underworld King's Fist Technique.'
Jeong-hoon, who couldn't participate in the battle before his return, could only listen to the strategy for defeating Rakandra. But since he was such a formidable foe, he had memorized the detailed strategy.
There were two ways to damage him.
First, one had to reach the Celestial realm, and second, one had to strike him with a Legendary or higher skill.
Also, from the start of the battle, he would inflict a debuff, and one had to be careful not to trigger it by fulfilling the conditions he set.
Otherwise, an explosion would occur within the body, leading to instant death.
So it was right to fight using Underworld King's Fist Technique, which allowed for free movement.
"What? How are you unaffected by my presence?"
Rakandra frowned.
It was understandable.
He had stepped into the Celestial realm.
Even if he hadn't attained the status of a Transcendent, he had undoubtedly reached that level.
So it was extremely unpleasant for a human under level 300 to face him calmly.
"I wonder why."
Jeong-hoon grinned.
Upon reaching the Celestial realm, he had acquired the title '[Title] One who has Surpassed Humanity'.
One of its options was 'Partially unaffected by Transcendents' influence.'
That's why he could withstand facing Rakandra.
"...I'll tear that damn grin off your face first."
[Great Demon Rakandra uses 'Death's Judgment'.]
[This debuff cannot be dispelled.]
[Death's Judgment countdown begins.]
[Reduce Great Demon Rakandra's health to below 90% within 20 minutes.]
[Failure to do so will result in your health reaching 0% and death.]
The first condition was to reduce Great Demon Rakandra's health by 10%.
'Manageable.'
Even so, Jeong-hoon didn't lose his composure.
It was a battle he could definitely handle.
[Blackfield activated.]
[All stats are increased by 1.5 times.]
[Due to the effect of Blackfield, all stats of monsters within the area are decreased by 10%.]
First, he activated Blackfield.
['Death's Judgment' debuff is active.]
[Stats of monsters entering the domain will not be decreased.]
However, Rakandra's stats weren't decreased.
'It's okay. I just need to increase my own stats.'
[All stats increased by 15%.]
[Damage decreased by 20%.]
[Time limit is '1 hour'.]
Then, he used the stat-boosting ring.
[The activation rate of 'Poison Attack' increases by 4% for 1 hour.]
Guardian of Märchen.
[The special ability of 'Dominator's Grasp' is activated.]
[All stats are increased by 10%.]
[Attack power and proficiency of all weapons are increased by 10%.]
Dominator's Grasp.
[The special ability of the 'Headpiece Imbued with the Spirit of a Divine Beast' is activated.]
[Attack and defense are increased by 25%.]
Headpiece Imbued with the Spirit of a Divine Beast.
[Using Celestial Aura.]
[Attack and defense are increased by 20%.]
['Death's Judgment' debuff is active.]
[Stats of monsters entering the domain will not be decreased.]
Celestial Aura.
All doping was complete.
Jeong-hoon activated Heavenly Vault and instantly closed the distance with Rakandra.
"Oh?"
Rakandra was slightly impressed.
The human's movement was unbelievably fast for someone under level 300.
But that was all.
It would be impossible for a mere human to inflict damage on him.
Bam!
But when Jeong-hoon's fist landed on Rakandra's abdomen, a painful groan escaped his lips.
"Cough!"
Rakandra's eyes widened.
He couldn't believe that a mere human had dealt damage to him.
"Did you think you were the only one who reached the Celestial realm?"
Jeong-hoon said in a low voice.
"...This is absurd."
"You will die here."
Jeong-hoon unleashed the Underworld King's Fist Technique and started to pressure Rakandra.