Chapter 201
With that message, the air distorted, and a crack appeared in space.
Red eyes gleamed through the crack.
Demon Baal.
The master of Hell Mode.
If Rakandra was a Great Demon, Baal was a Demon Lord, a being of a higher dimension.
The true Transcendent who commanded Rakandra like a pawn.
That was Baal.
<Are you the one who summoned me?>
A voice echoed in Jeong-hoon's head.
Although a Transcendent could only observe from afar, if the conditions were met, they could approach this close.
'I can't handle him at my current level.'
The Transcendents Jeong-hoon had defeated in his previous life were of the Apostle rank.
Not all Transcendents were the same.
First, there were the five named beings called Gods.
They were beings capable of controlling the creation and destruction of the world with a single finger.
Beings that humans couldn't even dare to face.
And there were 24 Heavenly Kings assisting them, and below them were 120 Lords.
Baal was a Lord.
He was a being above the 720 Demon Kings who led 12,000 Apostles.
'Even I, in my previous life, couldn't face him.'
The condition for Hell Mode wasn't to defeat Baal but to pass the trials he presented.
No matter how strong a human was, they couldn't even compare to a Demon King.
Even Apostles, who were around level 1,000, could be defeated if the matchup was unfavorable. How could they possibly defeat a Demon King who commanded such beings?
In his previous life, he had only been able to find a way to end the game.
It wasn't about defeating those damn Transcendents to end it.
"That's right."
Jeong-hoon said, trying his best to steady his trembling voice.
<Interesting. A human who dares to speak before me. How intriguing.>
Baal's red eyes curved slightly.
He must have found it fascinating that there was a human who could face him and remain unharmed.
"..."
Oh Jin-soo, who had been typing on the keyboard, fainted at Baal's appearance.
That was the normal reaction.
"Are you going to kill me?"
Jeong-hoon asked Baal.
Baal's eyes slowly closed and then opened.
<And what if I am?>
He was interested in Jeong-hoon.
Normally, he would have attacked without hesitation, but the novelty of having a conversation with a human was intriguing to him.
However, if he lost interest here, Jeong-hoon would die at Baal's hands.
'That absolutely cannot happen.'
Jeong-hoon had already calculated that Baal would appear.
So he spoke the words he had prepared.
"I propose a wager."
<Intriguing. A human proposing a wager to me.>
His red eyes were filled with curiosity.
'Baal. I've heard he loves wagers and deals.'
The Demon Lord of the Demon Realm.
To alleviate his boredom from his eternal life, he had begun making wagers and deals.
In the process of these wagers and deals, he slowly tormented his opponents to death, and the thrill was enough to stimulate Baal.
'They said he took the souls of humans struggling in dungeons through deals.'
For demons, human souls were like tempting fruits.
"I will clear the dungeon you occupy in the upcoming dungeon generation."
<Oh?>
Baal's red eyes curved like crescent moons.
He was quite pleased with Jeong-hoon's proposal.
"However, I'd like you to lower the mode."
<Why should I?>
Clearing the dungeon.
That was for Jeong-hoon's survival.
Changing the mode was a separate issue.
Jeong-hoon grinned and provoked him.
"Why? Are you afraid you'll lose the bet if you lower the mode?"
<Hmm?>
"Since the condition is to clear the dungeon you designate, shouldn't there be some kind of advantage on my side? Lowering the Hell Mode by two stages to Hard Mode seems like a fair balance."
Despite the sophistry, Baal seemed to be contemplating.
It was because Jeong-hoon was too intriguing a being to kill here.
<Hmm, fine. But I'll lower the difficulty to 'Very Hard' mode.>
In the end, Baal decided to accept Jeong-hoon's request.
Very Hard mode, one step below Hell Mode.
That was enough, but Jeong-hoon didn't readily accept.
"Hard Mode. You agreed to lower it by two stages, so it should be lowered by two stages, not one."
Jeong-hoon clearly asked for a two-stage reduction.
Baal's eyes wavered slightly as he nitpicked on that point.
<Huh.>
"You need to listen properly. Don't you agree?"
Jeong-hoon grinned.
<...Fine. But if you fail to clear it, I will imprison your soul in Hell and make you my eternal slave.>
"Deal."
With that, the wager was established.
[Demon Baal uses 'Demon's Bargain'.]
[Please confirm the terms of the deal.]
A holographic document appeared before Jeong-hoon's eyes.
The document recorded the conversation he had with Baal without missing a single word.
'It's quite long.'
Jeong-hoon briefly summarized the contents of the document.
[Demon's Bargain]
- I, Baal, make a wager with a human.
If you clear the dungeon where I reside, I will not take your life.
At the same time, I will properly grant the rewards for clearing the dungeon.
However, if you fail to clear it, your soul will become my possession, Baal's.
These were the important points.
<Place your palm on the document.>
"I need to check it thoroughly."
Jeong-hoon checked it several times, just in case there was any trickery.
<Do you think a Lord like me would play such tricks?>
"...It seems fine."
Only after confirming that there were no issues did Jeong-hoon place his palm on the document.
The document glowed and was then sent to Jeong-hoon's inventory.
Baal would have received the same document.
<Then, let's meet again when the dungeons are generated.>
[Lv.??? Demon Baal returns.]
With that message, the crack that had opened closed up.
[Setting penalty-imposing dungeon difficulty to 'Hard' mode.]
The difficulty displayed on the screen also changed from 'Hell' to 'Hard'.
'A Demon Lord appearing here...'
Anima knew about him.
Although currently residing in a weapon, Anima was once a High Dragon, reigning supreme among the dragon race.
There was no way he wouldn't know about Baal.
[That damn bastard.]
It seemed Mukho also knew Baal.
"Do you know who that guy is?"
[How could I not? Siegfried died at the hands of that bastard.]
"...What?"
Jeong-hoon's eyes widened.
Lv.800.
The first Tower Master and All-Master, Siegfried.
To think that Siegfried had lost his life to Baal.
This was the first time he had heard this.
[He lost a wager...]
"What kind of wager?"
[...I don't know. Baal, that bastard, erased most of my memories. The only thing I know is that Siegfried lost.]
"Is that so?"
It didn't quite make sense.
Wasn't Siegfried a figure from the past?
How could he have come into contact with Baal?
[Anyway... we can't cancel the wager, can we?]
Mukho was afraid.
He was afraid that Jeong-hoon might end up like Siegfried at the hands of Baal.
"We can't."
The milk was already spilled.
Even if they could cancel it, Jeong-hoon would refuse.
'I have to remove as many penalties as possible.'
People still needed time to adapt, and these penalties weren't simply going to end in disaster.
As the penalties accumulated, the destruction would accelerate.
Because of this, Earth had once been on the brink of destruction, and 80% of the world's population had disappeared.
Such a future had to be prevented at all costs.
* * *
One week.
Earth was incredibly peaceful.
Although countless dungeons had been generated, monsters no longer ravaged the land as they had before.
Thanks to this, people were adapting quickly.
[It is imperative to establish countermeasures for the New World phenomenon.]
[Announcing that leveling up increases the chances of survival.]
The government actively encouraged leveling up, and even those who hadn't enjoyed the game started hunting monsters to level up.
'Myth hasn't made a move yet.'
Jeong-hoon was preparing for a possible surprise attack, but they hadn't shown any particular movement so far.
However, there was a gain.
He was able to catch a glimpse of something that assured him they would make a surprise attack.
[Lee Hwa-rang has joined Myth.]
The news of Lee Hwa-rang's joining.
It was certain because he heard it through Yeo Min-ji, who was keeping a close eye on Myth.
'It's highly likely he made a contract.'
He was someone who had made a contract with a Transcendent in his previous life.
He was also someone who had caused harm to many people, being obsessed with power.
So the option of him not making a contract didn't exist in Jeong-hoon's mind.
'If he made a contract, he'll try to sabotage us in this dungeon.'
The dungeon where Baal was the boss.
Ironically, there wasn't just one dungeon where Baal was the boss.
It was because they were scheduled to be generated all over the world.
In other words, any country could remove the penalty imposed on Earth if they passed the trial Baal presented within the time limit.
Jeong-hoon predicted that Sa Jae-hyeok would appear in that dungeon.
When someone made a contract with a Transcendent, they were given a Transcendent-exclusive quest.
The rewards for those quests were beyond imagination and greatly helped in rapid growth.
However, the content of the quests wasn't to remove the penalty but to sabotage and prevent its removal.
Because of this, the Avatars who had contracted with Transcendents contributed to making the clear rate zero.
[Abnormal dungeons are being generated.]
One week.
168 hours had passed, and the penalty-imposing dungeons were generated.
At the same time, a new message appeared before Jeong-hoon's eyes.
[Due to the Demon's Bargain, the location of the dungeon is revealed.]
Dungeon location revealed.
Along with that, a map unfolded before Jeong-hoon's eyes.
A map showing all the continents of Earth.
Countless red dots were marked on the map.
At the same time, Baal's voice echoed in his head.
<It's time.>
Because of the Demon's Bargain, communication was possible when the time came.
Jeong-hoon chuckled.
"Yes."
<Choose any place and enter. No matter where you enter, you will come to where I am.>
"I'll enter the nearest one then."
<I'll be waiting. If you're late, your soul is mine.>
Baal's voice cut off there.
* * *
<The 'Fallen Guide of Stars' says he will give you a quest.>
A quest had been issued.
As if he had been waiting, Sa Jae-hyeok opened the quest window.
[Avatar Quest: Enter the Abnormal Dungeon]
- Restriction: Avatars who have contracted with a Transcendent of Apostle rank or higher
- Reward: 25,000,000 experience points + Next quest available
- Description: Enter the Abnormal Dungeon and proceed to the next quest.
The quest was simply to enter the Abnormal Dungeon.
'This is amazing. Just entering the dungeon gives 25 million experience points.'
In New World, it would take at least a few weeks of dedicated hunting to gather 25 million experience points.
But he could gain that much experience just by entering once.
'It won't be impossible to get revenge on that damn bastard.'
Sa Jae-hyeok had made a contract with the 'Fallen Guide of Stars' inside one of the simultaneously opened dungeons.
The strategy was to break all the surrounding jewels, then use the 'Frozen Curse of Ullr' to incapacitate the demon that appeared, and finally, finish it off.
Thanks to the strategy spread by the YouTuber HoneyTube, many people attempted the dungeon, and Sa Jae-hyeok was one of them.
During that process, a Transcendent approached him, and although he initially tried to refuse, he ended up making a contract after being promised immense power.
"Please tell me the location of the Abnormal Dungeon."
Sa Jae-hyeok pleaded with utmost respect.
As if on cue, a map unfolded before his eyes.
<The 'Fallen Guide of Stars' shares the location of the nearest dungeon.>
The dungeon was quite close.
Sa Jae-hyeok's face brightened as he confirmed the location.
"Thank you. I'll enter right away."