Chapter 314: The Fifth Return, Earth (10)

"Sigh."

"Good job, Noona."

"You too, Junggeun."

Finally, the rough sorting was done. Kim Hwiyeon laid her body on the table. Hard Mode. Even for her, who had entered the late 40th floors, there was so much to handle that she felt exhausted.

But now, the rough sorting was over. All that was left was to rest until she returned to the labyrinth. As she was about to get up to finally catch the sleep she had put off,

Whiiiing!

A massive wave struck them. Kim Hwiyeon froze in the posture of getting up.

"...Huh?"

"Wait."

Geum Junggeun's face also hardened. They hurriedly rushed outside.

"What is that?"

They looked up at the heavens in shock.

The sky was opening above them.

The power felt from there was literally absolute power. A pure concentration of force that was impossible to even estimate.

Everyone who felt the wave of power froze. Especially Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok, who were in Solo Mode, were hit harder.

"Uh...

"God? What is this?"

There had been a few times when gods had descended before. But the feeling now was strange. It was more ferocious, more unnatural.

It was when they were staring blankly at the heavens.

Kugugugung!

Suddenly, a colossal force slammed down on the heavens. The collision of forces distorted space, causing people to scream and collapse.

Simultaneously, a roar erupted from the heavens. It was the cry of a beast craving life, screaming not to lose what was its own.

Everyone covered their ears. Lee Taeyeon and Kang Junhyeok clutched their heads in agony.

"Ugh."

Lee Taeyeon covered her mouth. Even though they weren't the target, their minds felt shaken.

Kuuuung!

As if the roaring entity was pushed back, the sky that had opened in the heavens began to close.

And then the mutation began.

[Oooooooo!]

A roar struck the world. A twisted, distorted being began to swell and cover the heavens.

"What is that!"

Kim Hwiyeon screamed. She thought everything was over. She couldn't keep up with the sudden events.

Fortunately, the system window informed them of the situation.

[Special Quest Initiated] [Defeat the Monster.]

"A special quest?"

"It wasn't over yet?"

They murmured among themselves, coming to a conclusion.

"Does that mean we have to defeat that thing?"

At someone's mumble, everyone looked up at the twisted monster in the heavens.

A monster so broken that its form couldn't be properly recognized.

"Ah..."

People who were staring at the monster grabbed their heads. They staggered back, retching.

[Chaos Judgment in Progress...] [Madness Judgment in Progress...] [Mental Collapse Judgment in Progress...]

"Aaaaaaaah!"

"Ugh!"

People clutched their heads in agony. Some had already failed the judgment and began to go mad. Kim Hwiyeon gritted her teeth.

"Everyone, don't look at it!"

Just looking at it was enough to collapse the mind.

But that wasn't the end. From the heavens, a black energy was slowly oozing down like lava.

They didn't know exactly what it was, but they instinctively realized it.

If they touched it, they would no longer be human.

"Get back!"

Kim Hwiyeon shouted harshly.

"What is this..."

In the midst of the chaos, they began to flee from the oozing energy.

Taesan, who was glancing down, summoned spirits.

[You have summoned Minerva, the King of the Wind Spirits.] [You have summoned Barkaza, the highest-grade spirit of vibrant colors.] [Master, what is that?]

"Huh? Isn't that the guy who was supposed to be Zhenlong? Why has it become something that doesn't belong to this world?"

"Those guys interfered."

As soon as they appeared, Taesan roughly explained to the two who were confused.

"Watch over that area down there."

Minerva and Barkaza quickly grasped the situation as they saw the oozing black energy. The two nodded.

"Got it."

[As you wish, Master.]

Minerva's body disappeared and reappeared in front of the people. Those who had been hastily retreating from the black energy widened their eyes.

Minerva swung her arm. The wind exploded, completely blowing away the black energy.

"Ooooh!"

"Lady Minerva!"

People exclaimed in awe.

But Minerva frowned.

It was heavy.

Even for a Spirit King, the energy was strong enough that she had to use considerable force to block it. Kim Hwiyeon cautiously approached.

"Lady Minerva, that monster is..."

"I don't know either."

It was a being more foreign than any monster she had ever seen.

"Can something like that exist in this world?"

It was a question that came to mind.

Kuuuung!

And then, a clash of forces began in the heavens. Minerva looked up at the heavens and quietly muttered.

"Win, Master."

[Ooooooo!]

The monster, which was no longer Zhenlong, howled.

With its broken and twisted arm, it struck down towards Taesan.

Taesan stomped his foot, narrowly avoiding the swinging attack.

Kuuuung!

The attack that struck down shattered the heavens. Mount Baekdu began to stir. Intense heat started rising from the cracked earth.

Taesan spoke as he looked at the volcano, which had started spewing smoke.

"Stop."

Kiigik!

The volcanic activity halted due to the Word of Command.

The smoke ceased, and the heat that seemed ready to pierce the earth began to calm down.

[Oooooooo!]

Then the monster charged at Taesan.

[The opponent is an unbeatable foe.] [You have activated Apostle Transformation [Darkness and Chaos].] [You have activated the Vessel of the King.]

He activated skills related to combat one after another. The monster, having lost its intellect, began rampaging wildly. Everything began to collapse, and the mountains started to erode.

Kagak!

Taesan blocked the monster's attack.

The force was too much for Taesan to bear, and his body was pushed back as if repelled. The monster moved its broken body with such speed that it was difficult to track with the eyes.

Taesan swung his sword, relying on instinct and senses.

Kaaang!

Taesan's body rolled on the ground again.

The monster stomped the ground and leaped into the air, aiming to crush Taesan with its massive body.

[You have activated Random Blink.]

Taesan's body moved right above the monster. He then struck down with his sword, using all acceleration in the attack.

Kaaang!

[You dealt 1233 damage to the twisted being that is no longer alive.]

But the sword did not pierce.

It was repelled as if it had struck a solid iron wall. The monster shuddered as if in turmoil. Taesan activated Air Leap to avoid the wild, erratic attacks.

[Oooooooo!]

The monster roared and leaped.

'Fast.'

It was difficult to respond by sight; Taesan had to rely on reading its senses and intentions.

'Strong.'

Even in terms of pure stats, it was far superior to Taesan. Just clashing with it was enough to push Taesan's body back, making it hard to defend.

'And tough.'

Defense wasn't an issue for Taesan, who had Absolute Judgement.

It meant the very nature of the monster was superior to Taesan.

[Oooooooo!]

With a roar, the monster's body grew larger. It became as massive as a small hill, violently swinging its broken body.

[You have activated Amon's Pitch-Black Spike.]

A black spike materialized in Taesan's hand. He hurled the spike at the monster charging to crush everything.

An explosion erupted.

And the one being pushed back was Taesan.

[Your First Attack Nullification has been activated.]

"Ha."

Taesan laughed. Just by clashing strength against strength, his attack nullification had been consumed.

'This is tough.'

It was the level of a monster that had defeated Taesan in his previous life.

"This won't be easy."

The monster leaped again. The force that could collapse a mountain range descended upon Taesan's head.

People screamed and fled from the approaching black energy. Minerva frowned and summoned the wind. The black energy was pushed back and dispersed.

But the energy continued to draw closer.

"Tsk."

Minerva clicked her tongue.

She was the King of the Spirits. She had power comparable to the depths of the labyrinth.

But in her summoned state, she couldn't use her full power.

She was barely holding back the spreading energy by gathering all her strength, but she was nearing her limit.

'At this rate, I'll be forcibly unsummoned soon.'

Minerva looked around at the people and made a decision.

"Once. I will push with all my strength, so escape immediately when I do."

"Wh-What?"

Minerva began gathering her strength. She braced herself for being forcibly unsummoned and began to concentrate all her remaining power.

It was at the moment she was about to unleash it.

[There's no need for that.]

A calm voice resonated. A massive presence descended before her.

Minerva's eyes widened.

"...Mother?"

[The Spirit God, Beatrice, has descended.]

Without a corporeal body, a wavering spirit appeared. The Spirit God had shown itself on Earth.

The aura of the Spirit God flowed out. Compared to its true form, it was a very weak, almost insignificant power, but the power of nature perfectly surrounded Mount Baekdu.

The black energy struck the natural barrier, but there was no sign of wavering.

[These troublesome things have been meddling, so I'm a bit late.]

Beatrice spoke indifferently, gazing at the collapsed heavens.

[They've crossed the line in a very strange way. Thanks to that, we're also able to interfere.]

"...Mother, were you able to descend to another world?"

Minerva was bewildered. On Earth, the concept of spirits did not exist. It wasn't an area that Beatrice, the Spirit God, could interfere with.

Beatrice answered.

[This place is a neutral domain. It's a world where both they and we have set foot. It's a very unique and alien place, so it's possible.]

"O... Oooo..."

The people looked at Beatrice and awkwardly bowed.

They did not even have the ability to perceive a fragment of Beatrice's power. However, the overwhelming reverence that couldn't be hidden welled up in their hearts.

Beatrice turned her gaze to the people.

She looked at Lee Taeyeon for a moment and then spoke.

[There is another whom you should worship. Offer your prayers to him.]

"Ah..."

Only then did people recall who was fighting the monster.

The people knelt. They clasped their hands and began to pray.

"Lord Taesan..."

"Please..."

Until now, the people had believed in Taesan and worshipped him as a god, but that faith had been a common one offered to a strong person.

But now it was different.

The black energy that instinctively provoked rejection.

The monster in the heavens that would shatter their minds just by being faced.

And the battle where Mount Baekdu itself crumbled.

It was a sight that could literally drive one insane. Even for those who had become accustomed to various situations, it was an alien sight, as if the very laws of the world were being destroyed.

In this extreme situation, people began to believe that Taesan was their only savior.

The pure aura of belief, untainted by anything else, flowed towards Taesan, who was in the heavens.

Beatrice watched this quietly.

[How peculiar.]

Faith was the power of human belief.

The belief of hundreds of thousands, even millions of people, was not something that a human could typically accept.

There were those who had received divinity by accepting the belief of people, but most of them were beings who were born with a certain level of divine status, not humans.

But Taesan, despite being human, was accepting faith perfectly, without any loss.

The Spirit God was the god of spirits. She had existed in this world since the time when the concept of spirits first appeared. There might be stronger gods than her, but there were few gods older than her.

Even she had never seen a case like Taesan.

[Show me, mortal. The power you possess.] [Oooooooo!]

The monster roared, thrashing its body wildly. The ground collapsed and was destroyed.

Taesan swung his sword to block, but he had no choice but to allow the attack.

Kaaaaang!

[Your Third Attack Nullification has been activated.]

Taesan clicked his tongue. All his attack nullifications had been used up.

But it wasn't without gain. He had figured out how to defeat the monster.

[You activated Frost Arrow.]

An arrow of ice flew out. The monster could easily dodge it, but instead of dodging, it charged at Taesan. The arrow collided with the monster.

'A monster that disregards defense and charges forward.'

It was as if the monster didn't consider Taesan's attacks to be a threat. It didn't bother with defense.

The pattern of the rampaging monster was readable because it had no intellect. If he focused solely on dodging, he could avoid the attacks.

But there was another issue.

[You dealt 1320 damage to the twisted being that is no longer alive.]

The monster's level was far too high. Even when Taesan's attacks hit, they didn't inflict significant damage.

He lacked power. But Taesan continued to move.

If he lacked power, he would simply have to attack more. Just as he was about to charge at the monster,

A colossal force descended. Taesan paused. The monster also hesitated, perhaps sensing the powerful wave.

Taesan turned his gaze. A being with great power had descended next to Minerva.

"The Spirit God?"

She manifested her power, creating a barrier around them. The black energy that had been spreading was blocked.

The High Gods had certainly crossed the line by interfering with Zhenlong. He had anticipated that a god would intervene.

It was a good thing. Now he could focus solely on the battle.

The faith of the people, who had been confused and fleeing, grew even stronger.

It was strong enough that Taesan could feel it.

[Your proficiency in Divinity has increased by 2%.]

The rise in Divinity.

[Oooooooo!]

The monster charged. Taesan didn't dodge. Instead, he used the monster's force to drive his sword into it.

[You dealt 2431 damage to the twisted being that is no longer alive.] [You received 44353 damage.]

In an instant, his health dropped to below half.

Taesan enveloped his body in Divinity. His depleted health rapidly recovered, and his mana and magic power also replenished.

But the Divinity quickly ran out.

However, Divinity was derived from the faith of people.

Now, millions of people were giving all their faith to Taesan.

The depleted Divinity quickly replenished. In just a few seconds, his Divinity was restored to its original state.

[Your proficiency in Divinity has increased by 1%.]