Chapter 216

Underground Shelter at the Palesman Barony.

The underground shelter had been created by piercing through the blocked ground, all due to the penalties.

'No response.'

Jeong-hoon fiddled with the Guardian of Märchen hanging from his ear.

However, even during the process of entering the shelter, the Guardian showed no reaction.

If there had been any response, they would have headed there instead of to the shelter.

"Kel! Hamel! Are you here?"

The guards in the shelter, anxious and restless, were waiting for Kel and Hamel.

"Yeah! I almost died, but I barely made it out alive."

Kel listed the monsters they had encountered while fleeing to the shelter.

Every time a monster's name was mentioned, the guards were shocked.

"No way, how did you even survive?"

The monsters he spoke of were high-level ones, unseen in the Palesman Barony.

Though Kel's words might have sounded like an exaggeration, given the strange things that happen during penalties, it didn't seem far-fetched.

"Don't be surprised when I tell you—Hamel took them all down!"

"Hamel...?"

"Come on, don't be ridiculous."

The guards quickly dismissed Kel's claim as nonsense.

Hamel was the weakest among the guards, lagging far behind even the cowardly Kel in terms of ability.

How could someone like Hamel hunt high-level monsters?

"I'm serious!"

"Alright, alright. Get inside already! It's your turn to stand guard now."

As soon as Kel and Hamel arrived, the guards passed the shift to them and retreated into the shelter.

"Damn it... Why doesn't anyone believe me...?"

"Because you keep spouting nonsense."

Jeong-hoon chuckled.

To the others, Jeong-hoon would appear to be Level 75.

That's why no one believed Kel's words.

"Then what did I see? And doesn't Hamel's gear seem odd to you?"

"Just shut up and stand guard."

Kel had noticed that Hamel—who was now Jeong-hoon—was dressed differently than usual, but no one else had.

Originally, both Kel and Hamel were supposed to die there, according to the original timeline.

Perhaps that's why this slight error occurred, but Jeong-hoon didn't think much of it, as such discrepancies often appeared in the episodes before his regression.

"This is really weird... Are you sure you're Hamel?"

"Who else would I be?"

"..."

Even while standing guard, Kel continued muttering to himself.

Rumble.

Suddenly, the ground shook with a thunderous roar.

'Meteorite?'

The penalties came in many forms.

One of them was a meteorite impact.

Although the meteorites were small and wouldn't cause immediate destruction, the damage they caused was unimaginable.

"Wh-what is this?!"

Kel approached Jeong-hoon with a bewildered expression.

"It seems a meteorite has fallen."

"A m-meteorite?"

"Yes."

At that moment, an exclamation mark flashed above Kel's head.

[You have completed the quest.]

[Episode Dungeon Clear Progress has reached 20%.]

[You can now proceed with the next quest.]

Moving to the shelter with Kel and witnessing part of the penalty seemed to be the conditions for clearing this mid-quest.

A question mark flashed again above Kel's head.

[Episode Quest: Salvation of Märchen Kingdom (2)]

- Requirement: Complete Salvation of Märchen Kingdom (1) Quest

- Reward: ??

- Description: Head to the royal capital.

When Jeong-hoon accepted the quest, a much more powerful roar echoed compared to before.

At the same time, a wave of heat enveloped his body.

It appeared that a meteorite had landed nearby.

'It's a miracle we weren't swept away.'

However, this place wasn't safe.

The overwhelming heat engulfing the shelter indicated that the falling object wasn't just an ordinary meteorite.

"Ughhh!"

Kel, who was standing guard, was the first to react.

He looked like he was about to collapse at any moment.

Additionally, the people inside the shelter started to emerge.

"It's so hot!"

"Aaah!"

"I'm going to die!"

They desperately tried to flee the shelter.

"You can't go out."

Jeong-hoon stopped them in their tracks.

"What?!"

"Move! We're going to die!"

Regardless, they tried to push past Jeong-hoon.

Of course, it was impossible for them to move him.

"W-what's this? Why won't he budge?"

"You bald-headed jerk! Get out of the way!"

If they left, even standing their ground like this would be impossible.

The surface was already a sea of flames.

Jeong-hoon let out his divine power to shield the shelter.

[Exclusive Skill for Martial Artists, 'Steadfast Will,' is activated.]

[You have acquired the skill, 'Barrier of Light (Unique).']

In response to his Steadfast Will, a new skill was acquired.

'Oh, I even got this?'

A barrier formed from divine power.

As long as they were within this barrier, they could withstand any environment.

Of course, this was only possible because the barrier was made from Jeong-hoon's immense divine power, which made it seem like nothing at all to him.

The barrier blocked the heat inside the shelter, and those who had been suffering and trying to escape gradually began to feel more comfortable.

"Huh...?"

"What's this, it suddenly feels cool?"

Their frantic movements finally subsided.

"Now, it's dangerous outside, so please head back in."

"Ah, yes..."

"We're sorry."

As the pain disappeared, they nodded obediently and returned.

"Wow... what was that just now?"

Kel, who was next to Jeong-hoon, looked amazed.

"What?"

"No, I saw a golden light coming from your body, and all the pain vanished!"

This was another anomaly.

Though no one else noticed Jeong-hoon manifesting divine power, Kel alone could see it.

"It's called divine power."

"Divine power? Isn't that something only the people at the temple can use?"

The temple was located in the capital of the Märchen Kingdom. Divine power wasn't commonly seen, but Kel had recognized it because he was once severely injured and received healing from a priest years ago.

"Indeed. How could I possibly use it?"

"Man... You know you're acting really strange, right? You're not actually Hamel, are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"...You're not?"

"Anyway, watch over things here. I need to head to the capital."

"What...? Hey!"

* * *

Jeong-hoon quickly made his way toward the capital.

The path was filled with monsters, with not a single trace of human presence.

[Wow... this is too much.]

'It's become an uninhabitable place for humans.'

Indeed.

The explosion of noise that occurred the moment he accepted the quest wasn't just confined to the Barony of Palesman.

The surface had turned into a sea of fire, and only monsters roamed around unaffected.

'When I first entered, everything seemed fine... but it collapsed all at once.'

Things had taken a slightly different turn than on Earth.

Unlike Earth, where the slow demise came gradually due to penalties, in this dimension, everything that had built up erupted all at once.

Jeong-hoon quickened his pace.

Soon, he arrived at the capital of Märchen Kingdom.

It was a hellscape, completely different from how it had been before entering the dungeon.

"Is there no one left alive?"

Just in case, he headed towards the royal palace.

There, Kaiserk V and a few knights stood guard.

[Are they dead...?]

'...It seems so.'

But they were already deceased.

The stench of rotting corpses filled the air, a testament to how much time had passed.

Jeong-hoon approached Kaiserk V, whose head hung low as he sat on the throne. Above the king's head, an exclamation mark blinked.

[You have completed the quest.]

[You have reached 50% progress in clearing the Episode Dungeon.]

[You can now undertake the next quest.]

The next quest appeared.

[Episode Quest: Salvation of the Märchen Kingdom (3)]

-Requirement: Completion of the quest Salvation of the Märchen Kingdom (2)

-Reward: ??

-Description: Defeat the demon that has occupied the royal palace.

Jeong-hoon accepted the quest, and a deafening roar echoed once more.

Fwoosh!

Flames suddenly engulfed the palace.

[Using the Barrier of Light.]

Jeong-hoon quickly surrounded the palace with the Barrier of Light.

"Ho... So, someone still remains capable of using such power?"

A demon slowly revealed itself, descending from the ceiling.

[Lv. ??? Demon Baremund]

Jeong-hoon pulled out Anima and aimed it at the demon.

'Ultimate Arrow.'

The ultimate arrow flew straight toward the demon.

"!"

Startled, the demon hastily deployed a barrier.

Crash!

However, Jeong-hoon's arrow shattered the barrier in an instant, piercing through the demon's shoulder.

"Graaagh!"

Jeong-hoon smirked at the sight.

"Let's end this quickly, no need to drag it out."

He decided to bring the demon down to the ground first.

[Using Celestial Aura.]

As Jeong-hoon activated the Celestial Aura, the demon's eyes widened in shock.

"What...?! How do you have that power?!"

Instead of answering, Jeong-hoon thrust his left fist toward the ceiling. His fist was infused with the energy of the Underworld King.

[Using Formless Fist.]

Formless Fist.

Typically considered useless at long range, this martial art had its shortcomings fixed when it reached the Celestial level. With the enhanced Formless Fist, Jeong-hoon could now strike targets within 300 meters.

"Urgh!"

Simultaneously, Jeong-hoon felt the satisfying impact as the demon's body bent in half from the blow.

Setting Anima aside, Jeong-hoon continued throwing punches.

Thwack! Thwack!

However, Baremund was tenacious. Gradually, he adapted to the Formless Fist and began dodging the attacks with slight but noticeable movements.

'Not bad.'

Jeong-hoon's face was full of confidence. It wasn't just about his level; he also had a powerful title.

'Demon Slayer.'

Though there were numerous ways to deal with demons, none were as effective as the perks that came with this title.

[The demon Baremund uses 'Gaze of Death.']

At that moment, Baremund activated one of his abilities. His eyes turned pitch black as he focused his full intent on Jeong-hoon.

However, Jeong-hoon continued his martial arts attacks without concern.

Thwack! Thwack!

'W-What is this!'

Baremund was baffled.

The ability he had just used was a deadly instant-kill technique. The condition for activation was for the target to look into his eyes for more than two seconds. With this power, he had wiped out everyone in the palace.

But something was wrong.

The human before him was making direct eye contact, yet was completely unaffected.

'Is... is the gap in power too large? A mere human?'

The only weakness of this ability was that it wouldn't work on targets vastly more powerful than him. This meant that the human standing before him was far stronger than he was.

"What's wrong? Shocked that someone stronger than you showed up?" Jeong-hoon grinned smugly.

"You... you cursed human bastard!"

"Shut up and die."

[The demon Baremund tries to use 'Shackles of Evil'...]

But before he could finish activating his next ability, he faltered.

"Urgh!"

Thwack! Thwack!

The relentless barrage of attacks had left him unable to endure any longer.

Baremund plummeted to the ground.

"It's over."

Jeong-hoon summoned Leviathan and raised it high.

Baremund sneered bitterly at him.

"Heh... No matter what you do, you won't be able to stop the destruction."

"Is that so?"

"Of course. Nothing will change, no matter what you try—"

Baremund never finished his sentence.

Jeong-hoon swung Leviathan down, severing the demon's life in an instant.

"Things will change. I'll make sure of it."

With a cold expression, Jeong-hoon looked down at the lifeless demon, then turned to approach Kaiserk V. The exclamation mark above the king's head blinked once more.

[You have completed the quest.]

[You have reached 80% progress in clearing the Episode Dungeon.]

[You can now undertake the next quest.]

Eighty percent progress.

It was a sign that he was nearing the final stages.

Just then, the Guardian of Märchen, which hung from Jeong-hoon's ear, began to resonate strongly.

'What is this?'

Jeong-hoon touched the Guardian with his hand, and suddenly, his vision went dark.